As always, thank you to my fantastic reviewers!

L: Aww, thank you so much! It's fun for me to dive back into one of my favorite early HS young adult novels and reexamine it as an adult, while also basically writing a love letter to it. I'm not quite done with book 2, though we're in the last arc of it, and book 3 will be published as the completion of the trilogy! As for how long it takes for me to update, I try to shoot for about 3 weeks in between every update, but both me and my beta are full ass adults, so sometimes it's closer to about a month :)

"-and that is how you bake a perfect Air Tart!" Aang finished his tale to the crowd gathered around him, basking in happy memories of making those pies with Master Gyatso.

It was commonplace for him to tell these kinds of stories. Since he couldn't leave the swamp, and more airbenders were arriving by the day and asking him all sorts of questions he couldn't wait to answer, he figured having impromptu history and culture lessons was quite apropos. The turnout had been something that gave him continued strength...to see so many wanting to accept their newfound culture, eager to hear his words, made him hopeful for the rest of the Airbenders and the resurrection of their community one day.

"Avatar Aang?" A ten-year-old girl sitting on Ty Lee's lap shot her arm up, straight as a board, and waved her hand like she was washing a window. "I have a question!"

She was one of the most curious of the new airbenders. Her mother had died as a baby and her father had thrown her out when he found out she was an Airbender. He told her he wasn't turning her into Zhao's men, as though making her fend on the streets was something she should thank him for. So, needless to say, she had seemed timid and sad when she had first arrived. Ty Lee had made it her personal mission to make the little girl laugh again. Because of this she'd rather...imprinted on Ty Lee, seeing her as a replacement maternal figure.

"Yes, what is it?" Aang turned toward her.

"So…" She tapped her chin, eyebrows furrowed in thought. "Firebenders can bend lightning. I saw Princess Azula do it once. Earthbenders can bend metal-"

"Hey! Only one Earthbender can! Me!" Toph shouted from her place in the back. She claimed she showed up to these talks because 'she had nothing better to do,' but Aang knew she was curious all the same.

"...And waterbenders can…" The girl gulped, "Do the bad thing and move someone's body…" She shuddered. She was Fire Nation by birth, so no doubt she'd heard rumors and whispers of bloodbending, like a bogey-man in the night. "Can Airbenders do anything like that?"

"Well, we can do lots of cool stuff," Aang chuckled. "We can astral project, for one! It means you can take your...erm, consciousness and project it elsewhere. Like a ghost." From the looks of it, he had sort of lost anyone under the age of thirteen. "We'll talk about that another day. Airbenders can also…" He started, but saw the children sitting there and furrowed his brows. "Er, nevermind."

"So we can only ash-terra project?" The girl questioned.

"Astral. And no, that's not all. I mean, there's thirty-some really cool things you'll learn, but the big thing Airbenders can do is fly."

"You mean with the gliders?" Dhakiya asked, touching her own version of a glider. It was safe to fly in the low parts of the swamp and some of the older airbenders had gone about making their own after Aang's.

"Without them," Aang said with a grin. "Guru Laghima figured it out 3,000 years ago. It's hard to do, near impossible I'd say. He was the only one to have ever done it. Apparently, you have to give up all earthly tethers. Everything that ties you to the earth, you have to let go of. Once you've done that, you've unlocked ultimate freedom and can fly."

"All earthly tethers? Sounds lonely," an Airbender from the Earth Kingdom mused.

"It is, which is why I don't know if I could. Even as the Avatar," he said, catching a look at Ty Lee.

"Everything?" The ten-year-old seemed aghast. "Even my love for Mr. Spitz?" She had adopted a grumpy gator-cat not long after arriving that seemed to dote on the small girl. It growled if anyone but Aang or Ty Lee came too close. Right now, it perked up and narrowed his eyes at the mention of his name.

"Even him," Aang said solemnly. "So, if you don't do it, don't feel like less of an Airbender. All of these...sub-bending moves are extremely difficult, only possible for a select few. It's not for everyone and that's okay," he assured. "Uhm, I think it's about chore time. Same time tomorrow and I'll be able to answer another question."

Most of the kids sat up and jumped away to start their community chores, but Aang noticed a select few lingering behind. Ty Lee, Dhakiya, some of the very serious new airbenders. All adults.

"Aang, there's something you didn't want to say in front of the kids." Dhakiya went straight to the point. "We're curious."

Aang gave a heavy sigh. "Better I tell you. So you know." He gave a grimace. As it was, he trusted this group. They all seemed like nice people, committed to the knowledge he had. "So, as you know, Airbenders are pacifists. We weren't always though."

"How long ago?"

"Long. There were still monks, some that chose to live a lifestyle without violence, as there are in every nation. But many airbenders were part of military groups, fighters. They lived in excess and bacchanalia and never, ever lost a fight," Aang recounted. "No one from the side they went up against came out alive. But, neither did whoever they sent in. That's all it would take to wipe out entire armies...one single airbender." Aang raised a finger.

"Why?" Ty Lee questioned.

"Airbenders can bend air." Aang inhaled hard for presentation purposes.

"It's what we breathe," an elderly woman in the back realized.

"Yes. So Airbenders can, with great skill and training, take away all the air from a room. It leaves no one alive...not even themselves." Aang recalled the horror he had felt as Gyatso explained this to him. "It was always a suicide mission. But if you lived life with sex, drugs, and food and enjoyed everything else? It was a show of skill, and you were remembered as a hero if you could do it," Aang said with a hard edge. "It annihilated entire tribes. There was another time when Airbenders were hunted to be killed. It was a dangerous time. So, all the living masters had a conclave and declared that all airbenders would become non-violent and live apart from society in the temples. The other nations agreed to stop killing us if we stuck to those promises. Somewhere down the line, the common people forgot our history. You didn't even learn this until you were a master Airbender."

"So we're pacifists...because we're so dangerous?" Ty Lee echoed.

"In a sense. But, as angry as we may be against the Fire Nation right now, we must continue this tradition. We cannot go backward with our people. Only forward." Luckily, by the horrified faces around him, it seemed no one wanted to try this or thought it was cool.

"We'll keep it a secret," the elder promised, "I understand now."

"Thank you for your knowledge, Avatar." Dhakiya bowed to him, as well as everyone else. "That is...quite a lot to think about."

"Indeed." Aang knew it was no light-hearted matter he'd just told them. "If anyone needs to, uhm, talk...let me know." Ty Lee grabbed his hand, kissing his cheek, as they began to walk back to the cabin.

"That's fucked up."

Aang jumped around.

"Toph!" he growled, "That information was for airbenders only!" He was angry she'd thought she had a right to listen.

"I'm not gonna tell anyone. They might start thinking you could be a badass. There's only room for one of those here in this camp," Toph joked, patting his shoulder.

"You mean Dhakiya?" Ty Lee teased, giggling.

"Rude." Toph rolled her eyes.

There was a sound from the entrance of the camp. Aang bounded a few feet ahead of his companions to see Shen returning back home, face grim. The children were shooed away, and Aang soon saw why. Even though he was returning with about seven new Airbenders, looking scared, tired, and on-edge, he was also returning with three body bags, figures wrapped in linen.

"They are becoming more violent," Iroh said, stroking his beard as he stared in sorrow at the bags.

"One we tried to save. She died on the way out," Shen said quietly. "We will bury them on the High Hill with the rest. Zhao is encouraging people to be savages if they think someone is an Airbender. The news is only worsening. It won't be long until we see entire cities razed."

Aang turned away, grasping the edge of a tree, shaking. Shen came up behind him, seeing the movement.

"Avatar," he said, bowing. Aang turned, wiping the tears at the edge of his eyes.

"Sir," he replied in a watery tone.

"You may not be able to leave yet, but when you do...it is of the utmost importance you stop Ozai from tearing our world apart." He was straight to the point. "You already know airbending and firebending quite well. Iroh has set up with Huu and some of the other benders to teach you waterbending. True, they do not use the techniques you were used to, but the swampbenders are still worthy teachers. In the meantime, both you and Miss Bei Fong may as well find something to do with yourselves...and she should teach you earthbending."

"I get to punch Twinkle Toes around with rocks?" Toph's whole face lit up. "Sign me up!"

"If that will help him…" Shen pinched his nose.

"Uhm, yeah? Airbenders dance away at the slightest trouble. Part of being an Earthbender is standing your ground and taking a rock to the gut like a true bender." She paused. "Where are we supposed to do these lessons? It's too wet here." She made an ick sound, picking up her feet and wiggling her toes.

"There's the area right below High Hill," Dhakiya said, "where the droughts have created an island, basically. It's been fairly dry there forever."

"So that's settled," Shen said. "Aang, it is of utmost importance to master the elements. The world cannot go without you much longer."

Aang looked at Toph. Though he knew he was going to walk home with his skin more bruised than not, he was relieved to have something more actionable to do in his spare time.

"I will be ready."

XX

The Palace seemed to be set ablaze. Long before Katara reached the entrance, she could hear the caterwaul that came from it. She and Zuko shucked off any identifying costume pieces before they entered, Katara washing her face with water from a puddle on the street so neither would be seen as their counterparts.

"My mom!" Zuko yelled as they entered through the front doors, and saw vases tipped and rugs and tapestries torn down the center with knives, "I'm going to go find her!"

"My brother," Katara said. "He can't fight if they come for him," she responded.

"I don't like the idea of you walking around during this," Zuko admitted. "I know you're more than capable, but I'm still worried…"

"As much as I would love to kick a few balls of those Equalists," Katara admitted, angry she hadn't been part of the action the last time, "I need to protect Sokka, as he did for me."

"Be safe." Zuko kissed her forehead. "Don't do anything stupid!"

"Right back at you, ya' hot-head," Katara yelled after him, cupping her hands as he darted off into the smoke-filled halls.

Katara wanted to jump into the fray and really get some of her aggression out, but the thought of Sokka alone terrified her. The guards likely had been pulled to protect the Royal Family and those who could not fight. She took the maid's secret paths, taking herself out of the fights most entirely. She could hear the yelling and looting through the walls, and sometimes it seemed like they knew she was back there from the way the walls were pounded. She had her hand pressed hard to her lips to keep from squealing and actually giving away her position.

As expected, the jail cells weren't protected at all. There were only a handful of people there, most cowering in the corner of their cells, yelling for information. Katara pressed all the other voices from her mind, racing down the musty halls. Her brother was supposed to be released soon, but she knew there was a good chance he was still here.

"Kat! What the hell?" Sokka was pacing at his cell door. He seemed to be in much better condition than the last time they'd talked. "All my guards just left!"

"Equalist attack," Katara explained hastily. "C'mon, I'm getting you somewhere safe," she said, pulling water from her sack. She started to goad it into all the little crevices in the lock, making sure it touched every inch of the mechanisms.

"Breaking me out of jail seems...unwise."

"Oh, you're about ready to be sent to the hospital for recovery anyway." Katara rolled her eyes. "Shouldn't have left you if they didn't want someone doing this," she added with a wink. She grasped the lock and froze it from the inside, and the lock broke off in her hand. "Now let's go," she said, pulling Sokka to her, settling his arm over her shoulders to support him.

"Ack! Careful of that arm!" He winced hard as she touched it.

"Sorry!"

"I can walk, sis," he said, but he was limping.

"Try to keep up, or I'll manhandle you," she said. "We'll go back down. It worked once." She referred to the place he'd hidden Katara during the last attack. He snorted, but nodded. They weren't very far...she prayed they wouldn't run into trouble on their way.

At the last cell, she did a double-take.

She turned around.

"Uhm, hello? Crazy psychopaths attacking?" Sokka waved his arms.

"It's Bahiravi. We have to protect her," Katara said, pleased to see she seemed a bit less pale than the last time. She blinked up at Katara, with more recognition, though things still seemed a bit hazy.

"She tried to poison you!" Sokka choked.

"So she deserves to be killed here and now?" Katara was already breaking the lock. "We are better than our enemies! Help me!" she demanded. Sokka cussed under his breath but came to offer his hand to Bahiravi.

"Katara…" She tilted her head, her hair was ratty and her face full of dirt. "Did you understand?"

"Yes." Katara helped her up, "It was Besu, I know. And the Freedom Fighters." Above Bharvi's hunched figure, Sokka sent Katara a 'what the hell?' look and she sent a 'shut up, I'll tell you later' in return.

"Good...good…" She seemed completely unaware – or maybe just didn't care – about the chaos around her. Maybe she was pleased, at this point, to see the palace trashed.

The trio slowly made their way to the passage in the food storage area. Katara would dart ahead and figure out the safest way for them to go, while Sokka was helping Bahiravi walk since she was in worse shape. Neither would be able to protect themselves if they were attacked, and Sokka's ankle flared up something bad the more he walked, but Katara had no idea when things would settle.

They ended up out on a patio, scurrying into the passage between the outdoor dining space to the kitchens just a few more turns ahead of them. They were near to their destination when Katara heard a cry of pain and fear.

"Katara, leave it!" Sokka pleaded.

"No, that sounded like Alcina," Katara said firmly, backtracking. She pressed herself over the railing, craning and blinking through the rising smoke to see one of her few friends that was left pitifully crawling across the stone, trying to reach somewhere to hide. There was no one after her, but after a few seconds, a man came, stalking her from the darkness. He had a sword raised and she wasn't going to realize until it was far too late.

"Alcina! Behind you!" Katara screamed as loud as she could, but the sounds of the fight around her drowned her out. "Alcina!"

It was no use. She wouldn't be able to get down to the courtyard in time. She turned to her brother.

"Keep going!" she said, eyes wide and wild, "I'll be right there."

"Katara, there's nothing you can do. You've already saved two of us," Sokka growled, face stern.

"I will save as many more as I can! There's no magic number when I'm satisfied," she said, horrified by his indication.

"That's what is so frustrating about you," he said, but knew he was in no position to drag her, "You'd better be right behind us, or I can summon the strength I have left to kick your heroic ass!"

"I swear! Now go!" Katara turned back around. She tried yelling one more time to her friend, but it was useless.

She looked to the moon. Her stomach turned, but she knew Alcina would be dead in seconds if she didn't act quickly. She would not be able to disable the attacker from this far away; her water whips weren't that powerful.

She was all out of options...but one.

"Please work, please work, oh…" She begged some unknown deity. She focused on how Alcina's limbs were bending...the way she was moving them...how she was crawling…

Katara closed her eyes and snapped her wrists to the left, sending Alcina careening away from her assailant as his blade hit the stone where she had been only seconds ago. It would have gone straight through her.

Alcina yelped at the unexpected motion, looking confused as hell, but Katara wasn't done. She rolled Alcina underneath a broken table, obscuring her from sight. The assailant wiped his head around, confused about where his mark could have gone.

Katara collapsed against the railing, sweat pouring down her skin. If she had more energy, she might have tried to incapacitate the attacker too, but she didn't think she could even lift a finger on her own body. She felt like she could sleep for days now...but at least...at least Alcina was safe. She started to drag herself down the stairs, feeling more like a liquid than a human, intending to help Alcina in her hiding place as well. She only made it to the last stair before her legs gave out completely. She always knew that her bloodbending would take a lot out of her, even on a full moon, but she felt like she was inches away from falling into exhaustion.

Oh frick...there was still that damn Equalist to deal with. She had forgotten about him, momentarily.

Before the Equalist could spy Alcina's hiding place or Katara lying near the steps, the stone around him rose up and crushed him. She watched Nadhari skid into the courtyard, worry on her face until she heard a faint moaning sound from where Alcina had been forcibly hidden. She used her earthbending to shove away the table, helping Alcina up.

"Girl, you're lucky to be alive!" Katara heard her say, "I saw him coming after you and then you just...I don't even know what I saw."

Alcina stood, staring at her own body like she was terrified of it, sure it was going to move without her permission again. She was blubbering incoherently, tears streaking down her cheeks. She spun around...and then jolted back, tripping over a piece of stone.

"Witch!" she cried, pointing in Katara's direction. "She...she...it's like the stories!" Her voice was hysterical and she was shaking hard. Katara tried to stand, but could not. Alcina still scrambled away, looking at Katara with such a look of distrust and absolute terror that it broke Katara's heart.

"I did it to save you," Katara whispered weakly, her head lagging against the edge of the railing.

"So you admit to your unholy and forbidden bending," Nadhari said with venom. "There's a reason the Southern Water Tribe can't be trusted! Forget traitors, your kind think you can just...control our bodies without asking? Make us kill ourselves?"

"I was saving her," Katara repeated, though she felt lightheaded.

"She never asked to be saved!" Nadhari said, helping Alcina to her feet. Katara closed her eyes. They both knew Alcina would have been done for, but she hadn't expected this sort of thanks. True, she did know that people were jumpy about this...ability, but she hadn't been doing it out of malice. Alcina was just confused right now. She had to understand that Katara hadn't done it to be evil...right? Right?

"Stay right there!" Alcina said, her voice warbling. "Don't come near me ever again," she demanded.

Katara couldn't have moved an inch if she tried. The world fuzzed around her.

The last thing Katara recognized was Zuko rushing in, grasping her in his arms, lifting her.

"Katara? Kat, stay with me! Geeze, what did you do?"

"I tried...to...save...her…" Katara said, forcing the words out with great difficulty, moments before she collapsed into the inky blackness behind her eyes.

XXxx

She woke up in a hospital bed. The first thing she noticed was that while all the other occupied beds were being attended to by nurses, doctors, and healers...Katara's bed was being avoided like the plague. The only person who was there was Lu Ten, sleeping on a chair.

"Lu Ten?" Her throat was scratchy. He startled.

"Oh, Zuko will be so relieved you're awake, Princess." He grasped his heart. "He'd be here, you know, but-"

"I'm sure it's quite a mess. The fight's over, right?" She tilted her head.

Lu Ten nodded. "It was a 'smaller' attack, according to my Uncle. Still seems like it caused just as much distress." He handed her a cup of water and she drank all of it, and then the second cup he refilled. "Good. Good." His voice seemed a bit far away.

"What happened to me?"

"Best guess? You overexerted yourself. Used up all of your energy. But, well." He gave a furious look backward to the healers. "I guess we wouldn't know, would we? Since no one has come to check over you since you were brought in here!" His voice rose and despite the fact that a few healers looked properly chastised, no one moved to help Katara even still and some glared openly at Katara. It said a lot that the fear of a Royal was all but squashed by their utmost hatred of what they thought Katara was, what she showed the world she could do.

Katara sank low in her sheets. "Everyone knows? Nadhari went and blabbed?" she guessed with a hint of malice.

"Alcina," Lu Ten said apologetically, "She was half-out of it when brought in, but lucid enough that everyone believed her. I told you dabbling with that was dangerous, Katara." He didn't sound like he was yelling at her, more so frustrated with the situation.

"She would have died! I saved her life!" Katara said for the umpteenth time, feeling like sobbing.

"No good deed goes unpunished," Lu Ten agreed, "And I'm sure in time she will realize but, well, Fire Nationers are particularly jumpy about bloodbending. They say it's unnatural. I know you would never try to hurt her, Zuko knows that, and my Aunt knows that…" He grimaced. "However."

He didn't need to say much more.

Then, he brightened. "But, on a positive note, people are warmed that you saved Bahiravi, despite the fact that she tried to kill you. Between the news of Alcina and the news of your 'prison break', I'd say you're still exactly where you were in public opinion before this. It evened out," he said.

"So still pretty much hated?" Katara picked at a piece of lint on her pillow.

"But not more hated," Lu Ten reminded her, smiling wide. She had to laugh at his optimism.

"Spirits, If I'm just going to be treated as a criminal, I'd rather just recover in my bedroom. I think I just need to rest a couple of days and I'll be right as rain." Katara stretched her back. "Can I do that?"

"The staff surely won't care if you walk away. Between me, my cousin, and Aunt Ursa...you'll be cared for," he said, as though that was a concern. Though, now that he'd said it, Katara realized that everyone in the palace was looking at her with supreme distrust. Didn't they know she could only do it during a full moon?

"My brother?" she asked as she sat up, slinging her legs over the side of the bed.

"In his room recovering. Zuko thought it would be best if he were protected and out of sight too."

As Lu Ten helped Katara down the hall, they intersected with Zuko.

"Katara, you're awake!" He breathed a sigh of relief. "I thought you were a goner there. Don't scare me like that!"

"How'd you know what happened?"

"He has Katara-senses," Lu Ten said dryly.

"I should, with the trouble you get into. No," Zuko shook his head, "I came across Sokka. He told me you were doing something stupid. Stupid indeed...I know you saved her life." He dragged his fingers through his hair. "But can you just give yourself a break? I think you've set a record on 'most things done to make the public absolutely despite you'. Even more than Hama."

"I didn't really think about my 'public image,'" Katara snapped as Lu Ten handed her over to Zuko, placing her gingerly under Zuko's arm. "I knew she was going to die if I didn't do something, so I did."

"If I don't joke about it, I'll just want to kick something," Zuko said, raising an eyebrow at her. "I think you made the right choice. I'm proud of you... if it matters."

Katara's expression softened. "Of course it does."

They passed through the half-destroyed halls. Yes, it seemed like less damage than the first time, but that wasn't saying much.

At one point, Zuko tried to steer Katara away from a certain passage that would make their trip far quicker, but Katara was onto him. She slipped from his grip and took two leaps to stand in one of the main hallways.

There were people furiously scrubbing the walls.

Across the baroque wallpaper, there was a message written.

"Is that-"

"Blood," Zuko nodded, shaking. Whatever he understood about this message, and it seemed like nothing to Katara, it was making him furious.

"Chin up...or the crown will slip," Katara read, turning around, "What's that mean?"

Zuko didn't answer her. He stomped all the way to Katara's room. All the other ladies were gone, it seemed, likely in the hospital wing or helping to clean up.

"Zuko, what the hell was that about?" Katara demanded. Zuko was breathing hard, so hard she could see bursts of warm air from his lips. He grabbed a vase off Katara's dresser.

"Mean anything to you?"

"No. Just decoration. Here when I arrived," Katara blinked.

"Good," Zuko said. Then, abruptly, he smashed it against a wall. Katara jumped.

"I'll clean that up," he said apologetically. "The message was meant for me," he added, voice holding back anger and frustration.

"You sure?"

"Yes, one hundred percent," he said, as he began to comb through the broken glass and deposit it in her trash bin. "And I'm frustrated because it's a taunt." He met Katara's eyes. "It's my father. He's the leader of the Equalists. He's playing games with me and I cannot do anything to retaliate." His fists clenched the glass in his hands so hard it shattered. He groaned, picking the bits from his skin, wincing at the pain.

"Hold up, what?" Katara knelt by him, helping him pick out the shards.

"He used to say that to me, all the time. He wasn't being nice; he was making me scared. He was manipulating me with the absence of love. Katara, just trust me. I know it," Zuko said.

"Of course I believe you. We already theorized it might be him. I guess this is just confirmation." She paused. "What now?"

"Nothing. We can do absolutely nothing," Zuko snarled, "Chances are, even if we were to get married, he would have enough people supporting him to just...get rid of us. Easily. Poisoned at our wedding or stabbed in our honeymoon bed. We just wait."

"Wait for what?"

Zuko almost rubbed his eyes until he remembered his hand was covered with blood. "I don't know. I just know that we'll know it when we see it."

XX

"...And so far, no casualties."

Lu Ten put down his report, coughing awkwardly, as he was met by the cold eyes of Ozai. Zuko's father was like ice. As of yet, he had shown little emotion over this whole event, about the new attack that had dignitaries fleeing and saying their house was 'cursed'.

You could at least pretend to act like you give a shit.

"Zuko? Are you okay dear?" Ursa reached out to him across the way and he realized his fingers were clenching the seat of his chair and smoke was starting to waft from underneath his fingers. Unlike his father...Zuko was fuming.

Inside of him was a rage that he was struggling to keep calm. All he wanted to do was leap over the table and strangle his father, asking him why, why would he want to break down his own palace like this? Just to show he could? To make it easier to crush the minds of those that were already terrified? To keep up this ruse that Airbenders were dangerous?

It could be any reason.

All Zuko knew was that at every turn, while his father was almost detached and pointedly unsympathetic at Lu Ten's reporting and the general questions that circled the air, Zuko's blood pressure rose and rose.

"I'm just upset things turned out as they did," Zuko said, his voice catching in his throat as his hands lifted to find singed prints on the fabric of the chair.

"That it was confirmed that the Water Tribe Savage is a psychopath?" his father asked. "I don't see the reason she's still here, to be frank."

"No, that's not it." Zuko's voice quivered, and his father mistook it for fear. Instead, he was doing everything to restrain himself from demanding an Agni Kai right now. Though, even at the thought, he wanted to vomit.

"Oh, father," Azula laughed, "What's it to you? You know, they say no publicity is bad publicity. It's not like anyone is truly surprised."

"Are you...advocating for Princess Katara to stay?" Lu Ten was just as confused as Zuko.

Azula's shrug was delicate. "People need a player to hate. Without it, they might start going after people who Father actually would like to see on the throne. I'm sure the masses could find something terrible about Princess Yue, as pillow-soft as she seems."

Zuko narrowed his eyes. He'd never appreciated Azula's strange back-and-forth with Katara, and he surely did not imagine it was out of sisterly love she came to his side on this issue. All he knew was that his knee-jerk reaction would be to send Katara away tonight. No plans that Azula was cooking would bode well for anyone else involved.

"I think we have bigger issues," Ursa said tightly, in a clipped tone, "Rather than a contestant saving another contestant's life."

"Two." Lu Ten raised his fingers. "If we count Bahiravi."

"I suppose. One bothersome question…" his father raised his chin, as though any of this bothered him, "…Is how they found their way in again? And how can we make sure this doesn't happen again?"

Stop fucking letting them in, that's how! Oh, Zuko was seeing bright crimson. How dare his father stand there, rubbing his chin, acting like he had no idea how the Equalists slipped into the halls once again? How much more taunting of Zuko and his inability to protect his people could his father do?

"May I answer with another question?" Azula asked, leaning forward.

"Of course," Ozai said, waving a hand. His momentary displeasure with his daughter seemed to be gone, at least for this meeting.

"Merely...where were you, Zuko? When the invasion began?"

"What?" Zuko sputtered, blinking hard. "I was-"

"Not in your room. Lu Ten checked. You seemed to show up right as things were 'bad', huh?" She tilted her head. "Just...think about that."

"Azula!" Ursa's tone was sharp and horrified.

"Just give us an alibi, and well, we won't have to go down this route," Azula pressed. He was, of course, out with Katara as the Blue Spirit...a wanted criminal. He'd be chopping off one hand to save another if he fessed up to that.

"You're insane," Lu Ten said darkly. Azula cracked her head towards Lu Ten, a strand of hair falling in front of her face. She tried pushing it back once, but when it fell again, she didn't bother to fix it.

"Insane?" Azula's laugh echoed, something odd about it. "Of course, Zuzu can do no wrong. How could he? He's sooo perfect. Suuuuch the good boy. But when he mysteriously vanishes during an invasion by a group of terrorists and no one else finds this strange, I'm the one who's fishy for bringing it up?"

"You think I let them in the front door?" Zuko asked in a low tone.

"Is that an admission?" When she turned back, her face was composed. Not gleeful...she wasn't stupid enough to really think it was.

"Stop this." Ozai pinched his nose. "He was with me, Azula. We were discussing the most recent poll of the ladies."

Azula deflated, her whole demeanor dropping. "But what...why didn't...you…"

"It's none of your business how your brother, the Heir Apparent, spends his time. I should worry more about yourself in these trying times if I were you."

"Yes, of course, we were talking about the Choice," Zuko agreed. He was not sure why his father lied for him. Repaying his pleasure on how the Agni Kai went? Was he doing it just to further isolate Azula and detach her from him? Or...fuck, did he know what Zuko actually had been doing, and would he be blackmailed into sending Katara home?

"Well," Azula refused to back down, "You can hardly blame me for wondering."

"You shouldn't have," Ursa chastised. "I will not hear one more word of your accusations, or pandering, or insistence that Zuko should be dethroned!" He'd never seen his mother so furious, so equally heartbroken. As Azula stared at her, jaw clenching and eyes turning cold and hard in front of his eyes, his mother shook her head, sighing. "Why must you pit yourself against your brother?"

A mixture of emotions flashed across Azula's face, too fast for Zuko to decipher. Or, perhaps he'd merely never seen them; guilt, sadness, regret, aching, longing. They all swirled before vanishing and as Azula stood sharply to grab the tea kettle from the table, only Zuko heard her answer, creeping like vines slowly toward a bigger truth, but still continually refusing to take agency of her choices.

"I wasn't the one who did it first."

XX

"Hello, Princess."

Katara turned, her mood worsening as she saw who lingered in the doorway of the Library. However, misery loves company, she supposed.

"Princess Azula. I'm trying to take a moment to myself…" She trailed off, sighing as she set down her book. She'd have to find a new place to hide. She was the metaphorical punching bag of the palace right now, though she was sure quite a few would truly like to hit her.

"Of course, of course. I just...well, I've heard you're good with languages?"

Katara furrowed her brow. Of all the girls, she doubted she was the very best. However, upon reflection, she usually didn't have an issue picking them up. She'd learned Fire Nation Standard when she was about ten, and she did recall some of the other Southerners struggling. And, she'd also picked up Ancient Air Nomad, and then she and Sokka had created their childhood language, and to be frank, she wasn't not understanding the most basic Earth Kingdom dialect…

"I guess so," Katara replied, blinking, secretly gleeful about her newly realized skill.

"Well, then perhaps you could help. Zuko just has so much on his plate and we think one of the Equalists dropped this. Perhaps you know the language?" she asked. Katara narrowed her eyes, instantly suspicious.

"You hate your brother."

"Hate is a strong word. We just have a very intense sibling rivalry. And well, these attacks bring the most unlikely people together, wouldn't you say?" Azula sighed. "I mean, I guess I can add this to Zuko's list, but-"

"Fine! Fine," Katara stopped her. She wasn't even sure if it was true, but she'd rather not run the risk that it actually was a task of Zuko's and it would cause him to lose more sleep. "Let me see it."

Azula handed it over. At first, Katara thought she'd see some version of Nomadic if this was the work of airbenders (She doubted that!) or a language she was unfamiliar with completely. Instead, the words made sense. She read the translation as her brain unscrambled the lettering, seamlessly as breathing.

"Hark, Sire, verily thou not glean-" Katara started to read, glancing up and stopping completely. Azula, who often had a good poker face, was grinning ear to ear. But there was something sinister about this smile, something that could only be described as disingenuous.

…or, it was a genuine smile, but Azula did not know how to smile like the average person.

Katara glanced back down, truly focusing on the groupings of words, on the way the words sounded and realized how antiquated it was. Antiquated in a different way than Old Nomadic, which they were able to use with modern language. This one was entirely outdated. More than that, it had remnants of the Fire Nation Standard she knew today, but only the merest glimpse, not nearly enough for Katara to know what this meant without thinking.

The point being...she should not know this language, but instead, her brain did.

More so than that, there was the knowledge that she'd spoken this once, long, long ago.

When?

The words whispered in her brain, a thousand at once and singularly one: In another life.

Try as she might to un-know this, her brain had been rewired with millions of lives stacked upon another and she was unable to look at this ancient text without intrinsically translating it as naturally as her mother tongue.

"Sorry, I uhm, I can't read the rest," Katara fibbed, terrified and confused and frustrated by this. She expected Azula to argue since she'd so easily spoken the first line, but Azula just took it back.

"This has been very eye-opening, Princess. Your services will be remembered."

You all wanted to see Katara blood-bend in public, eh?

As for Azula, what do we think she's up to, eh? And that Equalist message...hmm!

New chapter slated to be out around April 16th!