Howdy y'all, welcome to the next chapter of AWTF. Not much to say here except that things are starting to get interesting... Hope yall enjoyed last week's emotional ride. Don't forget to Review, Follow, and Favorite. See y'all next week!

I DO NOT OWN ATLA!

"Well, today is the day," Azula said glumly as she stirred her oatmeal that was in front of her.

"Aww, c'mon Azula, it can't be that bad," Ty Lee said as she happily ate her food.

"Yeah, Sparks! It can't be that bad," Aang repeated as he was frying more bacon for the group.

"Easy for you to say; you're not the one committing high treason," Azula mumbled as she took a sip of her tea.

"Well technically, Mai and I are as well, bu-"

Azula cut the acrobat off. "No, see, you don't quite understand. My father can be terrifying. He somehow never gets outsmarted. Hell, he probably already knows Aang is here at this point. Once we walk off this boat, we have to always be looking over our shoulders. We are going to have to put on the show of a lifetime in order to throw them off."

"And we can do that!" Ty Lee promised as she finished her food. She smiled at the Princess, who grimaced.

"Ty, while I love your enthusiasm, Azula does have a point," Mai finally stated as she took a sip of her coffee. "We are basically walking into the lion's den when we enter the Capitol. There isn't much that we can use to protect us except for ourselves."

"Well, we can't turn back."

Everyone looked at Aang, who was holding a plate of bacon. He handed Ty Lee a couple pieces as she was the one who requested that he make extra in the first place. He then offered it to everyone else, who accepted. He sat back down next to Azula and grabbed her hand.

"We can't turn back and let them win!" he stated with conviction in his voice. "I am the Avatar. I'll be damned if I let them win this war. This is the only conceivable option that we have. I know that we can do this! You just have to believe in yourself." He squeezed his girlfriend's hand.

"Yes, Aang, but you're not the one who is going to have to talk to Ozai when you get off the boat," said Azula. "You're not the one who is facing the person who made you kill two members of your family." Auzla stared coldly at him, which made him frown lightly.

"But I know that you can do it. I have plenty of faith in you, Azula," he said with confidence, kissing her on the lips and making her blush.

"Aww, look at them, Mai," Ty Lee squealed, which made the stoic assassin sigh.

"Aang...while I appreciate the confidence boost...I really don't think we can do this," Azula confessed as she finally finished her oatmeal and bacon.

"Hey now, that's not the Azula who I'm gonna marry!"

Suddenly, all the noise in the room vanished. Mai's eyes widened and looked at Aang, Ty Lee looked at Aang while trying not to bust out laughing, and Azula was blushing so hard that she could be mistaken for a tomato.

"What? Did I say something wrong?" he asked as he looked between his friends in confusion.

"Did you just say you were gonna marry Azula?" Ty Lee asked out loud.

"Well, yeah! How else am I gonna have kids with her?" he innocently replied.

"Did you ask her first?" the acrobat probed. She was taking glances at Azula, who was still a flushed mess.

"Well, no...I guess I haven't done that," he noted as he turned to face Azula. "Do you want to marry me?"

Mai leaned over to Ty Lee, who was still trying not to laugh, and started whispering in her ear. "He has no clue what he just did, does he?"

"Nope," she whispered back. "Not a clue."

Azula, who at that moment, still represented a tomato, just stared at Aang. Her brain wasn't able to handle the influx of emotions and information, so she just stared at Aang with her mouth slightly open.

"I think you broke her, lover boy," Ty Lee quipped as she moved her bowl to the sink.

"I would have to agree with Ty Lee on this one, Aang...I've never seen the Princess in such a state before," Mai said with a smirk on her face.

He wants to marry me, stated Azula's thoughts. ME! Even after everything I said to him yesterday. After all the horrible torture, the loneliness and the pain. I can feel this happiness forever. Aang, you don't even realize what you just asked me to do. You asked me to spend the rest of my life with you...with only you. I would get the mighty Avatar as my husband. What would he get in return? Would I turn into a housewife? I mean, Agni knows I've already been domesticated. Where would our family live? The Fire Nation? She was lost in thought. While it wasn't every day that someone asked to marry you, it still very much caught her by surprise. She looked at Aang, who was still very confused as to what was going on.

Suddenly, a loud knock could be heard from the door. Mai got up to answer the door and when she saw who was on the other side, she frowned.

"You have been cleared to depart the ship," a soldier declared. "You are free to roam the Capitol as much as you like. However, the War Council has requested a meeting with the Princess for this evening. You may leave at your leisure." The soldier departed from the door and walked down the hallway.

"Well, what do you guys want to do?" Mai asked as she entered the room, closing the door.

"What time do we have to be back at the Palace for Sparks to meet Ozai?" Aang asked as he started to pack up his clothing into a bag.

"Well, he only said the evening. So I'm guessing maybe seven?" Mai suggested as she went back to sipping her tea.

"Well, it's 11:30 now," Azula analyzed, who at that point had returned to her normal complexion. "Maybe we can show Aang around and then get lunch? Then we can eat at the Palace."

"I think that sounds like a great idea! I mean, I haven't been here in over a century, so who knows all the cool stuff that is different about this place," Aang said excitedly as he finished his packing. "I wonder if all the secret passageways are still around?" he whispered to himself.

"Passageways?" Azula asked suspiciously. He can't be referring to the escape tunnels, can he?

"Well yeah! When we were here a hundred years ago, our guide showed us some passageways in the Palace that lead everywhere in the city!"

"Well, that's very interesting because when I was younger, I was forced to memorize all of those passages and tunnels," recalled Azula with a smile as she moved next to her boyfriend.

"Really? I can see them once we get on land. And now that I have metalbending, I can see on metal surfaces as well."

"Woah woah woah, metalbending?" Ty Lee repeated perplexedly. While Mai didn't ask any questions, she did raise her eyebrows.

"Oh, yeah! Since there is earth in the metal and I can already bend earth, then I can bend metal," Aang explained as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.

"Can you...show us?" Mai asked, as she was now totally interested.

Aang nodded his head and grabbed a fork. He placed it on the palm of his hand. He then closed his eyes and placed his hand over the fork. He then started to slowly move his fingers, causing the prongs of the fork to mold shape. He then effortlessly made the fork turn into a ball. Once it was a ball, he formed it into different abstract shapes.

Mai, Ty Lee, and Azula were all amazed at the floating blob of metal in Aang's hand. They all stared at it with amazement and wonder as he effortlessly formed it into different forms.

"Wow," Azula whispered as she looked at Aang with pride and astonishment. "You've gotten so much better at it than the last time you used it."

"How did you figure this out?" Ty Lee asked as she watched Aang manipulate the ball.

"Well, we were talking and I got mad about Azula's brother, Zuko. I was angry, slammed my fist on the deck, and found out that I could bend metal," he explained as he reformed the ball into a fork again.

"Hopefully we won't have to see them for a while. But aren't we going to meet up with them again?" Mai asked as she sat down.

"Well, honestly, I don't really know. We haven't planned that far ahead. I'm sure we'll figure it out when we get there," Aang reasoned as he grabbed the last of the cake and started cutting slices for everyone.

"Yeah, I'm sure we can figure out something," Azula said as she licked her lips.

"Yeah."

The group ate their desserts and packed up everything that was in the kitchen. All of Aang's pans and cookware were formed into a block of metal since they were all made out of different kinds of metals. He put on his orange hooded cloak and looked out of the balcony one last time.

"We had a lot of good memories here, didn't we?" Azula asked as she snaked her arms around Aang's waist.

"Yeah, we did." He looked at her and smiled. "Thank you."

"For what?" she asked tentatively.

"You've made me so happy," said Aang. "I never really had anyone to care for or to hold at night. It makes me so happy to see you smile. I love you. I love you so much. When this war ends, I can't wait to see you happy. I can't wait to spend the rest of our lives together. I know I said this last night, but I will protect you. I will do whatever it takes to make sure I see you happy."

"Aang," she whispered. "I...I lo-"

"Hey, are you guys done yet?" Ty Lee blurted as she slid open the door to the balcony. "We gotta go if we want to explore the Capitol before Azula has to talk to Ozai."

"Yeah, we're coming now," Aang said he kissed Azula on the lips.

The group left the room and walked down towards the bow of the ship. Aang pulled up his hood and grabbed Azula's bags so that he could act like a proper servant and they made their way to the dock.

"Halt," one of the guards ordered.

"We are going to need to see some identification," the second guard said.

Mai and Ty Lee pulled out their valid passports and showed them to the guards. Azula merely smirked and looked at the guards.

"You do know who I am, right?" she asked with moxy in her voice.

"Yes, my Princess, we know who you are. But who's the hooded boy?" the soldier asked.

"He is my servant Lee from the Earth Kingdom. I assume there aren't any problems. Would I be correct in saying that?" She raised an eyebrow and looked them dead in the eyes, which made them squirm.

"N-no, my Princess," they both said in unison.

"Good, then be gone from my sight unless you want to be turned into ash on the spot," she threatened as she lifted her hand and formed a fireball.

The soldiers in the immediate area instantly got out of the group's way and let them all pass. Azula smirked at them and continued to walk further into the port.

As the group walked, Ty Lee and Azula went ahead of Mai and Aang since Aang was moving at a much slower pace due to the significant weight that he was carrying. As they walked, Ty Lee was pointing out different sights and shops that they would pass by.

"You know, when we first captured you, I didn't think you would be living for very long," Mai confessed honestly, which caught Aang off guard.

"I'm guessing that there is more to this statement," he remarked, chuckling lightly.

"Yeah, I didn't expect a lot out of you. Sure, now I consider you one of my closest friends and almost an annoying little brother. But back then, I thought you were just another prisoner."

"When did you realize that I wasn't another prisoner?"

"When we went clothing shopping together after she moved you. From the fact that she moved you to the room next to her, I knew that you were gonna be interesting, but when I was watching you and her interact when we were shopping, I knew that you both were gonna connect. Now, I'm glad I'm right."

"What do you mean?" he asked in a low voice as he looked at her.

"Well, you asked her to marry you. I'm sure you have no idea what you were doing, but it shows that you care about her. It shows that you really do want her to be happy. From the way that she lights up when you enter the room to when she gets flustered when you work out and the look of pride when you improve in training. Aang, she's changed." She looked at him with sincerity in her face. "Before she met you, all she focused on was her job to please her father. All she did was 'for the good of the Fire Nation'. When she met you, you gave her something to live for. You gave her a new spark in life, Aang, and for that, I must thank you. I think that you saved Azula from her past self."

"Wow, I...I didn't think I did all that," Aang replied as he walked next to Mai. He looked at her and smiled. "I want her to be happy, Mai. I want to see her happy. All the cakes and the cooking, the political books - they're all to make her happy. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy those things, too, but it was all worth it to see her smile. Mai, I love Azula with my whole heart. She is an amazing person and one that I am so glad captured me." He smiled as they stopped and headed into a shop.

"Yeah, I'm glad that she captured you too," Mai responded with a smile.

"Wow, you're smiling. It's almost like you're proud of me." He smirked at her and she punched him in the arm.

"Exactly, annoying younger brother," she replied with a smirk of her own.

The group continued to walk around the city for hours on end. Azula walked around with Ty Lee and talked about girl things, like clothing and perfume, while Mai was pointing out the more practical aspects of the city.

Aang was taking in all the sites that were in the city. While he was walking, he was also using his seismic sense to look underground for the tunnels. He hit the ground firmly with his foot to try and get a better reading when he found something shocking. There are people underneath the city. I wonder who they are and what they're doing there. I think the guide said that they are security, but that's a lot of security for tunnels that no one knows about.

"You know, we should probably start heading to the Palace - it's getting late," Azula mentioned as she walked out of a bookstore. "I'm sure Lee is getting tired of carrying all of our stuff." She giggled lightly as she looked at Aang, who was carrying bag upon bag of clothing that she and Ty Lee bought.

"I think that that's a good idea! I think we should head there RIGHT NOW," he requested as he struggled with all the bags. "Why did we buy so much?!"

"Well, let's just say I wanted a bigger wardrobe," said Azula as she continued walking towards the streets leading towards the Palace. "Well, home sweet home for the time being." She smiled as the Palace was seen from where they were walking.

"I'm just glad that soon I can get off my feet with all these bags," Aang groaned as they continued to walk.

"Oh don't worry, I always repay my big strong man," Azula whispered into his ear, making him flush.

After a few more minutes of walking, they finally reached the Palace gates and walked past, not needing to go past security, as security already knew who they were, with the exception being the disguised Aang. They walked into the large building and smiled.

"Welcome home, my Princess," greeted a maid as she walked up to the group. She was around five foot three and had a light tan. She had light green eyes and light brown hair along with ruby red lips and trimmed nails. She was wearing a red robe with an orange sash tied around her waist. However, it did give hints that she was quite developed in the curves department.

Aang glanced at the maid and noticed her robe protrude at her chest and stomach region and blushed a little. Azula noticed her boyfriend pinken and looked at the maid and groaned internally. Wow, I guess maybe the food has gotten better. Not that I can say anything. Azula then faked a cough to signal her distracted boyfriend to get his mind back on track.

"Wow, Azula, you have servants even in the Palace," said Aang as he smiled at the maid, trying to hide his embarrassment.

"My Princess, the Fire Lord has requested your presence in his chambers immediately. I was told to let you go to your room and unpack and then for you to report to him," she spoke with her head bowed.

"Alright, Synthia, you can stop bowing now. I'll go there right away," Azula affirmed and started walking the group to her room.

Once they walked up the numerous stairs to the residential area in the palace, Azula stopped in front of a large white door. "Well, here it is." She sighed as she walked into the bedroom.

The room itself was massive with a king size bed perfectly made, a walk in closet, and a window revealing a glorious view of the gardens. There was a large desk and chair, along with piles of books. Next to the desk was a large bookshelf loaded with scrolls. Aang whistled at the room and placed all the clothing down.

"This place is huge!" Aang exclaimed as he walked around the massive room.

"I mean, it's not much, but it's alright," Azula dismissed as she looked out the window.

"Don't you have to go to a meeting?" Aang asked as he looked at her back and sat on the bed.

"Yeah. I guess I should go see what father wants." She sighed to herself as she started walking towards the door. "I'll see you when I get back," she said as Aang walked over to kiss her goodbye.

"Be safe," he whispered.

"I know," she whispered back.

They let each other go and Azula started to walk down the familiar hallways of the palace. When she used to make this walk, she never noticed how intricate and ornate the decorations were. Now that she was here for the first time in so long, she took the time to look at them and stared in awe at the walls.

Eventually, she did reach the Fire Lord's chamber and sighed. She flattened her tunic over her stomach and lightly cringed. Oh, Agni, I hope he doesn't notice I've gained some weight. I seriously need to talk to Aang about this.

"I am here to see Fire Lord Ozai," she proclaimed to the door. She knew that there were guards listening and was slightly relieved when the door opened and revealed the dimly lit room that was Fire Lord Ozai's chamber. She slowly walked in and the doors closed behind her.

"Come, daughter - we have much to discuss."

"So, this is the Capitol, huh?" Sokka asked as he stepped off of the boat.

"I don't even care what it looks like; I'm just glad that we are off this stupid boat already," Suki yelled as she jumped to the pier that they docking at.

Meanwhile, Toph and Mr. Rizon were standing on the boat watching the couple.

"Do you think we should tell them about her condition?" the large burly man asked.

"Nah...it's funnier to watch them not figure it out," Toph replied while shaking her head.

"Well, Mr. Rizon, I would like to thank you for bringing us here to the Fire Nation Capitol," Sokka declared as he held out his hand for him to shake.

"Oh, it was no trouble at all, Sokka. Just remember when you save the world, don't forget about me and my wife," Mr. Rizon said as he shook the Water Tribeman's hand.

"That's right, you never did explain to us who your wife was," Suki said as she walked back onto the boat to stand next to her boyfriend.

"Oh, well, she's a lady who sells clothing in Ba Sing Se. She used to live in the Fire Nation and is actually where we met," Mr. Rizon explained.

"So, where is she now?" Toph asked.

"Well, in the last letter she sent me, she said that she sold some clothing to two extraordinary people and that she was going to be in Ba Sing Se for a while longer before coming back to the Capitol. Apparently, these people really peaked her interest. But that was over five months ago, so who knows where she is," he said defeatedly with a saddened look in his eyes.

"Oh...I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked," Toph said as she noticed the atmosphere around them change slightly.

"No, no, it's fine! I'm sure she's okay wherever she is."

"I have a feeling she's gonna be just fine," Suki reassured with a smile. "Though I do wonder who those two people were."

"Who knows," Sokka dismissed casually as he walked away from the merchant. "What I do know is that we should take a look around and see what information that we can find."

"Yes. Also, can we please go get something to eat? I'm starving!" Suki groaned into her boyfriend's shoulder. Toph simply shook her head and walked after them, leaving the merchant alone on the deck of the ship.

Those three are gonna do something great. I can just feel it in my bones. And from what Shima told me in that letter, the Princess and the Avatar are gonna do some great things too. He smiled at the group and then went back to his quarters to finally catch up on some much needed rest and relaxation.

Back with the group, they were currently wandering around the Capitol of the Fire Nation, wandering aimlessly. Toph was taking note of the large amount of underground tunnel systems that were underneath the ground when she thought she felt something weird, like a slight disruption in the ground. That feels like Twinkletoes whenever he hits the ground to sense something...I wonder what he's trying to...HOLY SHIT, there are people under the city! They seem to be guarding people...almost like there's a prison system underneath the city.

"You okay, Toph? You seem surprised by something," Suki asked as she glanced back at her friend.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just found something interesting underground," she relayed as she decided to hide the fact that Aang might be in the Capitol.

"Oh? What did you find?" Sokka asked as he looked for a place to get some food.

"I think there's a prison underneath the city," Toph stated in a low voice.

"WHAT?!" Sokka yelled, earning a facepalm from Toph and a slap to the back of his head from Suki.

"Didn't we make the plan to NOT draw attention to us?!" Suki whisper yelled at Sokka as they continued to walk. "And what do you do, you yell in the middle of a quiet street."

"Jeez, I'm sorry, okay? That just caught me by surprise," he said as he rubbed the spot where he was hit. "Who do you think is down there?"

"I don't know, but whoever they are, there are a lot of them," Toph replied as she continued to focus on the underground inmates to the prison.

"Why would they even do that in the first place?" Suki asked.

"Do what?" Sokka questioned as they found a tavern to enter.

"Why would they keep people underground?"

"Well, it actually makes sense," began Toph as she and the group sat at a table. "Why build a giant prison somewhere nearby when you can discreetly place them in cells underground? No one would ever know. The only reason we know is because I see with my feet and saw there were people underground."

"Glad we have you on the team, Toph!" Sokka proclaimed loudly, soon getting clubbed again by Suki.

"What do I keep telling you about screaming in public?" she hissed at him, which made Toph laugh a little.

"You tell me not to do it," Sokka groaned.

And what did you just do?" she asked again.

"Yell in public," he replied gloomily.

"Sokka, I told you not to yell in public and this is the second time you did it. If you do it again, you will be punished - do you understand?" She looked at him in the eyes and glared at him.

"Yes, dear," he said in a defeated tone, which made Toph start cackling.

"Don't push it, Toph!" Suki barked at the Earthbender, making her instantly go quiet. "Now, who's ready for some food?" she asked in a sweet tone, making both people sweatdrop.

Her entire mood just changed instantly! they both internally shouted.

Not soon after they sat down, a buxom brunette walked over to their table to take their orders. She smiled and waved at them sweetly. "Hello! Welcome to the Firecracker Tavern! I will be your server for today. What can I get you all to drink?"

"I'll have water, please," Toph spoke in a calm voice.

"Do you have root beer?" Sokka asked. The server nodded her head. "Great, then I'll have that."

"I'll have a lemonade please," Suki said with a smile on her face.

"Alright, I'll have those out for you very soon," the server replied as she walked away.

"Okay team, we need a game plan now that we are here," Sokka said quietly so not to anger Suki again.

"That's the smartest thing that you've said all day, Sokka," Toph said, smirking as she leaned onto the table.

"Yeah, we need to find a way to get to the Boiling Rock," Suki said with a smile.

"But how do we get there?" Sokka asked while he stroked his chin.

"HeY, Did yOU hEAr aBOuT tHE guY wHo GoT ARREstED THe OThER dAY?" some drunk in the tavern shouted out loud.

"YEah, I hEArd hE EVen mIGHT be GOInG to sOMe hOT rOCK or SOMetHiNg," another responded, a large belch following.

"Man do we just walk into these things or what?" Sokka said with a sly smile on his face. He went up to the drunk and sat down next to them. "Do you know how he got arrested?"

"WelL, He juST stARTEd TalKinG aboUt How He wAS GOnnA OverTHROw ThE FIRe GOveRnMeNT anD heLP tHE fLYiNg air boY," one of the drunks said from the table.

"Do you know how long it takes to get to Boiling Rock from here?" Sokka asked.

"WeLL oF COuRse! i woRK tHE TRaNspORTs. thEre'S alwAys SHipmeNTS of CrIMiNaLs EVERY tWo weEkS. tHE NeXT One leAvES AT tHe eNd of tHe wEEK WhiCH IS in LikE fOuR DAYs. It takES aBoUt twO WEekS TO geT THerE FrOm hERE," the now identified worker spewed as she almost collapsed at the table.

"Thanks." Sokka got up and went back to the girls who had overheard everything and smirked. "Man, sometimes it's just too easy," he admitted as he got out a pen and scroll.

"So, what's the plan?" Suki asked as she saw her boyfriend writing a letter.

"Well, we're going to get captured by the Fire Nation and transported to Boiling Rock. Since it takes two weeks to get there, I'm gonna send a letter to Katara and Zuko so that they can travel and pick us up. I'm instructing them to wait two days after we get there to fly Appa in and get us out. We can figure out the rest of the plan later." He pulled out a map that had the camp marked on it. "As long as they haven't moved, this letter should get to them in a week and a half leaving them just enough time to get to the island at the same time we do," Sokka explained as he finished the letter and sealed it.

"That's actually a really good idea," Toph remarked as their drinks arrived. They quickly ordered their food and waited before talking again. Once the food arrived, they began eating and trying to think of how to get captured.

"So how are we gonna get captured? We only have four days to get onto that transport," Suki mentioned as she dug into her steak.

"I don't know, but in the meantime..." Sokka smirked. "We have a letter to send."

"Did you give them the information?" Commander Dai asked his two agents when they met in an abandoned alleyway.

"Yes, Commander," one of the agents said in a low voice. "They didn't suspect a thing. They should be figuring out a plan to get captured."

"Perfect. We have them right where we want them!" Commander Dai smirked as he walked away deeper into the alleyway.

"Soon," he mumbled to himself. "Soon we'll have you right where we want you."