Her forehead rested against his neck, her excessive warmth increasing his concern with every passing moment. Sokka had been more than willing to take Azula back to his house at first, but that didn't seem such a good idea anymore. Traveling and being exposed to the night air would only worsen the Princess's health. She needed treatment immediately… and she needed it here, in the Palace.
But who was supposed to nurse her back to health? Sokka had no idea what to do other than to give her water and he knew that wouldn't be enough to heal her, especially when she was in such delicate condition. If her fever worsened… he didn't even want to think about the possibilities. It wouldn't worsen, he wouldn't allow it to happen. He would find someone to help him cure her.
Still, how was he supposed to find a healer for her in these circumstances? The entire city had been evacuated, according to what he knew, including the Palace's workers. The physicians would be underground at the moment, and that meant they wouldn't be able to come look after Azula immediately. Song waited at the other end of the crater, and he had already decided taking Azula out of the Palace wouldn't be any help. So what was he supposed to do? He gritted his teeth and kept racing through the halls, deciding to find Azula's room so that she could rest there… if he managed to find it. He had never been in her room, so he had absolutely no idea where it might be…
A young man dressed in soldier's robes walked into the same corridor in which Sokka was about to lose himself to despair. The soldier wasn't wearing his helmet, his face was in plain sight … but that didn't keep Sokka from being cautious. The pair of thugs assaulting Azula earlier had been wearing Fire Nation uniforms as well. How did he know this guy wasn't just another foe?
The man was hunched over as he walked, his eyes on the floor, until he realized he wasn't alone in the hall. He froze when he looked up to find Sokka carrying a weakened woman in his arms. His eyes opened wide as he tried to make sense out of the scene before him…
"G-gladiator?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "You're the Princess's gladiator, aren't…? Wait, is that the Princess?!"
"You're… you're a soldier? A real soldier? A Fire Nation soldier?" asked Sokka, glaring at the man with glacial blue eyes. His stare was daunting enough for the soldier to take a step back, regarding Sokka warily.
"Y-yeah, I'm… I usually guard the gates, I've let you enter the Palace a few times now…" he replied, hoping to appease Sokka with his explanation. "The Princess had ordered us to take off our helmets so that we could tell apart our allies from our enemies…"
"Huh, really?" said Sokka, still wary. Well, if the guy hadn't been a Fire Nation soldier, he probably wouldn't have recognized Azula in such a frail state. She barely looked like a Princess right now, disheveled, unconscious and cradled in his arms as she was. And if he knew Sokka to be her gladiator instantly, then he was probably telling the truth about his identity… probably. "Well, if that's the case, where is Azula' room?"
"The Princess's room?" repeated the soldier. "It's two halls down, then you turn to your right. It's a big door at the end of the corridor, a gold-and-crimson door… you can't miss it"
"Huh," said Sokka, still distrustful. "Let's hope you're right about that…"
"Enough questioning me, though! Why is the Princess here in the middle of a lockdown?" asked the soldier, worried. "And why are you? You both should be underground right now!"
"We were underground just a while ago, actually, stopping those prisoners and rebels from escaping," Sokka retorted harshly. "That weird river under the Palace? The White Lotus people were trying to get away through it. The gate is shut now, though, so they can't leave anymore."
"W-what, through the…? Oh, no, they were trying to escape through…?!" the soldier mumbled, aghast.
"They're probably still in there, they were in no shape to escape when I last saw them," grunted Sokka, walking through the hall and passing the man by. "You owe Azula a big one for doing your job in your stead even when she was in this condition…"
"Was she injured?! Is she alright?!" asked the soldier, chasing after Sokka.
"She's sick, not injured, and she won't be alright unless she gets medical attention right away," said Sokka. "So get someone, a healer if you can. She needs assistance."
"B-but… the White Lotus men, they… what am I to do about them?!" asked the soldier, panicking.
"You want me to tell you?!" asked Sokka, shocked. "You're the soldier here! You should be able to figure these things out yourself!"
"But I'm just a private!" the man continued.
"And I'm just a gladiator! You don't expect a slave to know better than a soldier, do you?!" Sokka exclaimed, frowning, but the man's eyes were begging for Sokka to help him. Sokka sighed and shook his head, in utter disbelief. "Ugh, go find your superiors and tell them to seize the people down below, I don't know! Just make sure to find a healer for Azula, will you?"
"Uh… uh… yes, sir!" said the soldier, gulping before sprinting off.
"Sir?" repeated Sokka, staring at the soldier, baffled by the private's way of addressing him. Had he been so commanding? Or had the stressful situation had blocked the soldier's common sense for the time being? Whichever it was, Sokka just hoped he would be quick in finding a healer for the Princess.
Sokka followed the soldier's directions, coming into a long hallway that ended in a metallic gate of the exact qualities the private had described. The door was red-and-gold, with a scarlet arch lining it. Sokka had some difficulty grasping the doorknob while carrying Azula, but he managed to push the door open to find himself in the most regal room he had ever seen. The marble floors were perfectly polished, some sections of it were covered by a burgundy carpet. There was an opening towards another room to Sokka's left: judging by the furniture in it, it was a small dining room. It was probably the place where Azula ate her meals. On the chamber's right wing there was a slim window, with a dresser to its left and a large closet to its right.
And before his eyes was the largest bed he had laid his eyes upon. Sokka swallowed hard, feeling completely out of place, and made his way through the room, climbing the steps that led to the bed. He placed Azula as gently as he could atop the crimson sheets, her head resting on the long pillow. Sokka sat on the edge of the bed, staring at her with concern.
"Azula," he muttered, caressing her forehead gently to remove some strands of disorderly hair from her face. "Please, wake up… please. It's over now. You're safe, you won, everything's good… so please, open your eyes."
She gave no signs of having heard him. Sokka's helplessness only increased with every passing moment. His hands grasped her shoulders and he lowered himself, placing his forehead against hers.
"This isn't what I had in mind when I told you to stay put," he muttered. "If I could just… if I could just change our roles right now, I swear I would. I'd take that damned fever, that cold, for myself, so you could be healthy again, as you should be. I'd do anything…"
"A-any… anything?"
Sokka jumped when he realized she had replied. Her breathing had become slightly more agitated now she was conscious again, but her eyes remained closed. How much had she heard? It really didn't matter.
"Azula… Oh, blast it, did you have to worry me so much?" Sokka asked, feeling he could pass out with relief upon hearing her voice again.
Azula actually mustered a weak smile before opening her eyes to find Sokka perched atop her. If the situation had been any different, she might have pushed him off her immediately, but the idea didn't even cross her mind right now.
"I'm sorry…" she muttered, at which Sokka shook his head.
"No… no, don't apologize, Azula," he said, placing his forehead against hers anew. "You did nothing wrong, you… don't say you're sorry. You don't have to apologize for any-…"
"I made you… I made you fight those guys…" she muttered. "You told me… you told me not to move an inch, but I…"
"Never mind," said Sokka, smiling weakly. "You saved my neck, Azula. They would have killed me and raised that gate again if you hadn't done what you did. You…"
"B-but you… you did it all, Sokka, you… are you… are you crying?"
Her gaze was unfocused, even more so in the darkness of her room, but she was certain she had caught sight of something glistening in the corner of Sokka's eyes. He was startled by her question and he shook his head as a response, closing his eyes to keep her from seeing she had been right about her assertion.
"That cold is really bad, you're seeing things now…"
"I'm not… you're really… I'm not delusional," she said, the last sentence almost indignant, to Sokka's relief and slight amusement.
"Maybe not delusional, but you are badly sick. After all that happened, you're too stressed to make any sense out of what's going on right now," said Sokka, his hands cupping her face.
"That…" said Azula, closing her eyes again. "Stay that way. Please…"
Sokka smiled and nodded weakly, trying to cool Azula down even if only slightly. She was breathing deeply through her mouth, her lips slightly parted.
"You… you didn't have to… you didn't have to help me," said Azula, surprising Sokka when she spoke again. "You… you could have just… joined them, couldn't you?"
"What, you'll tell me now you wanted me to help your kidnappers?" asked Sokka, raising an eyebrow.
"I didn't want… I didn't want you to, but I thought you might…"
"You thought you had me all figured out, huh, Princess?" asked Sokka, grinning proudly. "Think again. Maybe I'm not as predictable as you thought."
"But… why?" Azula asked, opening her eyes again and looking into his. "Why did you…? Instead of choosing the… t-the easier way out, you went and… why, Sokka?"
"Because…"
He stopped on his tracks. The words weren't spoken, but they needn't be.
His silence brought him to internalize his feelings at last, to realize why he kept pushing himself so far for Azula's sake, why no matter what he did, he still felt there was more he could do for her. Why he was mesmerized by gazing into those amber eyes, why he would marvel over how beautiful she was even when she was as untidy as she was tonight…
It wasn't as though he actually hadn't understood what it was. The knowledge of what he felt towards her had been there for some time now, waiting for him to simply accept it. He had cowered away from it long ago, and running from it had only led him to make mistakes he could never truly repair. He wasn't going to do the same thing this time around. He refused to lie to himself again. The answer to her question was a simple one, even though embracing it promised to make his life far more complicated than it already was:
Because he was in love with her.
And he could accept it this time. In fact, admitting it, if only to himself, felt almost as though removing a vast weight from his shoulders. After finally giving a name to what he felt for her, he was filled with a sense of freedom he hadn't experienced before this moment. He couldn't help but smile, his thumb caressing her cheek gently, as the words repeated themselves in his mind. He loved Azula… he loved her.
"Why, when… when they said what they said…?" Azula continued, unable to infer the meaning of Sokka's silence. "Everything… the things they said, they were true… I've hurt you, I've… I've treated you like scum, I…"
"You have hurt me, but I've hurt you as well" said Sokka. "So in those regards…"
"B-but you've never actually… you've never hit me, or…"
"You conveniently forget I've tried," said Sokka, smiling weakly. "Back when we first met I tried to strike you and paid quite the price for it…"
"And then you… you were in pain for… f-for months, years, and I… I never even said… I never even said I was sorry…"
"You…" Sokka stared at her in surprise before his gaze softened again. "Never mind, Azula. Stop thinking about…"
"And I've… I've acted superior, like they said. I've… I left you without food, and…"
"You've acted superior from time to time, Azula," said Sokka. "But how many more times have you surprised me by treating me as your equal? And if you're going to tell me you left me without food in that forest, which isn't true because I was the one who chose not to eat… then how about you look a little further back and think about our stay in Gaoling? Who brought me food when that idiot governor planned to make me starve?"
"B-but I've… I've done things to you that I shouldn't have, Sokka…"
"And not all the things you've done were bad," said Sokka, smiling. "You see, that's the same problem those guys had. They were only thinking about the lousy stuff. But what about all the amazing things, Azula? What about the times we've laughed together, what about every experience we've shared? How about all those times you've helped me out when I wasn't feeling so good about myself? Back when Piandao left, when I had to fight that kid and I was struggling to figure things out… you were there for me, Azula. You saved me from myself, you've helped me become the man I am today…"
"Wasn't that… something you said Piandao had achieved, instead of me?" Azula asked. "I think you… I think you said so once…"
"Maybe back then I thought so. Now I see things rather differently," said Sokka, smiling and stroking her cheek again. "You really are silly, asking me why I'd choose to help you instead of them. Didn't I tell you some time ago that I'd never choose anyone else over you?"
Azula had forgotten completely about that instance. She blinked a few times, lowering her eyes now as she wondered if she really should have questioned him so much. He really had said so, she remembered now…
"You said it… you did," she muttered.
"Then I guess you understand now," said Sokka, closing his eyes. "We're… we're really different, you and me. And maybe we want different things in life… maybe we see the world in different ways. But at some point along the way, we became partners. And we will remain as such, for as long as you'll let me stay by your side."
"No matter how different we are, we'll be partners… always?" asked Azula, smiling weakly.
"Always," Sokka repeated.
Azula's hands reached up for his, clasping them weakly. Her palms were also warm, but the heat wasn't uncomfortable for Sokka. They remained on the same position for a moment, until Sokka opened his eyes again to find she seemed about to fall asleep again.
"Azula…" he whispered, stroking her cheek again.
"What?" she replied, her eyes closed now.
"I told a soldier to get a healer for you, but it seems he's not planning on getting here any time soon…" he muttered. "I'm thinking maybe I should go fetch Song after all. Though it'd mean you'd have to be alone for a moment…"
"You're afraid of leaving me to my own devices…" said Azula, a light smirk on her lips.
"Do you blame me?" asked Sokka, smiling again. "After running off on Song as you did without any warning whatsoever, in the condition you're in…"
"I don't think I'll have to run anymore," she muttered. "It's done… right? You got them, didn't you…?"
"Yeah, we got them," said Sokka. "No need to fret about that. Just stay here, rest… and I'll go get Song as fast as possible."
"Huh… alright then…" said Azula, nodding.
"Just a little detail," said Sokka, gulping. "The fastest way possible is actually… on the back of your dragon."
"Huh," said Azula, no longer as relaxed as she had been before.
"So… would you mind if he gave me a ride home and back here?" asked Sokka. "He was the one who brought me here after all…"
"He let you ride him? Alone…?" asked Azula. "What a traitor…"
"He did it for you, Azula," said Sokka, smiling. "Don't be so harsh on him."
"I should be harsh on him, and on you… but I can't afford it right now," said Azula, sighing. "Go, then… but only this once. Not going to happen again… make sure to tell her that."
"I will," said Sokka. "And I'll be back immediately… I promise."
"You'd better" muttered Azula, her grip on his hands tightening a little before she released him.
Sokka leaned forward, pressing his lips to her forehead again. A groan escaped Azula's throat, and one of her hands reached out once more, her fingertips touching his chest. Sokka didn't know if she was going to pull him closer or if she was trying to push him off her… but he really couldn't stay to find out. For her sake, he needed to be gone immediately.
He stepped away from the bed, glancing at her as he walked towards the doorway. Azula lowered her hand and dropped her head back on the pillow, her breathing heavy again for a moment. Sokka kept his eyes on her until he was already at the door. He turned around unwillingly, and he was about to shut the door behind him when someone called out to him.
"S-Sokka…?"
The Captain had been passing by the hallway when he had spotted the gladiator closing the door. He had stopped on his tracks and looked at him, astounded to find him in the Palace.
"What are you doing there, why…? Sokka?!" he repeated, and the slave gestured at him to be quiet.
"Good, you're here, Captain," said Sokka, approaching. "Go in there and keep Azula company while I…"
"What is she doing there?!" asked the Captain, shocked. "I told you to take care of her, not to bring her home while we were still handling a crisis! You promised you'd keep her safe!"
"Well, I'm sorry to inform you that Azula is too much for either of us to handle," said Sokka, unwilling to raise his voice in case it might disturb Azula. "Sick as she was, she realized there was something happening and she flew to the Palace before I got home. I came here to find her and bring her back, but her condition has worsened… she's in bed right now. I'm going to fetch Song right away, so that she can tend to Azula while you people deal with your issues…"
"The matter is almost settled," admitted the Captain. "Apparently the White Lotus men were trying to…"
"Escape through the weird river underground, yeah," said Sokka, nodding and walking by the Captain. "I'm going to get Song! You keep an eye on Azula for now."
"Wait, how did you know that?!" asked the Captain, surprised. "Come back here!"
"I have no time for explanations! I'll tell you all about it later, alright?! Watch her and don't let her run off on you!"
"B-but…!"
"Do it!"
And with that, Sokka took off, leaving behind a very confused Royal Guard. Had the slave just given him an order…? He was really irritated by the thought, but he decided to repress his urge to follow Sokka and shoot a fire blast at him. If anything, he understood and agreed with Sokka's sense of urgency. The Captain turned around again, heading into the Princess's room apprehensively.
He pushed the door open and found Azula lying on bed, wearing strange clothes. Her feet were filthy, which was most unlike her, and her face was flushed. She moved her head sideways upon hearing him enter the room, and he heard her mumble:
"Sokka…?"
The fact that she would call out for the gladiator before calling out for anyone else made the Captain's stomach sink. She could have asked for her father, or for her friends, her brother, even for the Captain himself! But she would call the gladiator? Was it because he had just been here and she guessed he might have turned on his tracks… or was it because she simply wished it were him again?
"No, Princess," he said, approaching the bed quickly to get a better look at her. Her hair was unkempt, and she was shivering lightly. "It's me, Princess. Your Captain."
Azula opened her eyes, and it took her a moment to recognize his features. She nodded in acknowledgment, and the Captain was certain he hadn't imagined the disappointment that crossed her face upon discovering it was him instead of the Water Tribe man.
"R-Rui Shi…" she muttered, taking him by surprise. She hardly ever had called him by his given name before. "Did you get them all…? T-the White Lotus, they… in the river, you must…"
"A squad has already been sent to secure them," said the Captain, nodding. "Private Wei Li informed Captain Kuo about the White Lotus men trapped below. All the available men have headed down to find them."
"Good… good," said Azula, taking a deep breath.
"Princess… how?" asked the Captain, looking at her with confusion. "How did you know they were there?"
"Who do you think took those men out…?" she muttered, her defiant tone returning to her voice briefly, and the Captain's eyes widened in shock upon her statement.
"P-Princess, you don't mean… in this condition?! You took them out by your-…?!"
"Not me, fool…" said Azula, closing her eyes again. "Sokka did. He… he did it."
The Captain definitely wasn't prepared to endure so many surprises in one day. His mouth fell open as he stared at the ailed Princess.
"He what?" he repeated, still in shock. Perhaps Sokka had kept his promise to him after all…
Ozai raised an eyebrow when the soldier barged into his safe chamber, his face in plain sight. Where was his helmet? Ozai was about to lash out at him, to tell him he should respect the uniform code no matter the circumstances, but the man bowed down and spoke before the Fire Lord could do so.
"The enemy has been captured successfully, my Lord!"
Ozai forgot about the scolding momentarily when relief washed over him upon that report. Just the words he had needed to hear…
"Finally. It took you long enough," he grunted. "Why such a getup, officer? Why aren't you wearing your helmet?"
"My Lord, they had… they had infiltrated our ranks, dressed in our uniforms" the soldier replied, nervously. "We took off our helmets in order to recognize our allies and to force our enemies to reveal themselves."
"They infiltrated…? Are you certain you have captured ALL of them?" Ozai asked, his eyebrows contracting dangerously as his irritation increased. If there were infiltrators, this matter would be even more troublesome than he believed…
"They have been seized, my Lord. They sought to escape with the prisoners through the river under the Palace, but…"
"But?" asked the Fire Lord, when the soldier fell silent. "What is it?"
"I don't know how it happened, my Lord, but when we got downstairs, all the White Lotus men were stunned and unconscious on their ship. We do not know what happened to them, or how it happened…"
"Unconscious? All of them?" the Fire Lord asked, surprised.
"Yes, they were knocked out cold," said the soldier. "The escaped prisoners were on board. No one knows how all of them fell unconscious at once, but that's what happened, it seems. Still, there's… there's something else you should be aware of, my Lord…"
"What? Did any of them get away after all?" Ozai asked, angrily.
"Not at all, my Lord. But… this might be wrong, but… a-according to what I heard, the Princess is…"
Ozai's eyes widened. The blood seemed to drain from his face when the soldier stopped talking.
"What of Azula?" he said, his voice becoming graver as he stared at the soldier with dread.
"She's above ground, sir," said the soldier, gulping. "And… from what I was told, she requires medical assistance…"
"Is she injured? Is she…? Why was she above ground?!" Ozai shouted, standing up from his throne, his face contorted in an angry grimace.
Azula knew the emergency drills by heart, she couldn't have forgotten how to proceed! Had she decided to take the glory for herself and thus sought to defeat the White Lotus single-handedly? Such foolish behavior seemed unlikely to come from Azula. If she had thought she could take care of the threat, it was because she had been confident she would be victorious, as she had been in most instances where her strength had been put to the test. But if even Azula had gotten hurt while facing the rebels, then the Order of the White Lotus was a worse threat than he had imagined they would be…
"Sir, I'm not completely certain… but apparently she was the one who ordered us to remove our helmets…"
"A clever idea worthy of my daughter's mind indeed," Ozai mumbled, walking into the stone tunnels, followed closely by the soldier. "But how was she careless enough to get hurt?"
"I'm not sure if she's actually hurt, apparently she's… sick?"
"Was she poisoned by them?" asked Ozai, frowning. "The White Lotus is more dishonorable than I thought if that's the case…"
"I don't know, my Lord, I… I heard that from the man who saw her, he told us she needed medical assistance right away…"
"If that's the case, then go find a physician immediately!" Ozai shouted, startling the soldier.
"Y-yes, my Lord!" he whimpered, turning on his heels and racing down the tunnel's opposite direction in order to find the cave in which most the citizens hid. The Palace's physicians would be there, he hoped…
Ozai walked through the tunnels with determination, his forehead wrinkled due to the heavy frown on his face. His guards were startled to watch him walk so firmly, but they tagged along behind him, without questioning his actions. There was great peril in opposing the Fire Lord when he was in such foul mood.
He took a different tunnel than the one he had used while coming down to his safe chamber. His guards opened the door for him when they reached it, and the Fire Lord found himself in the Palace's premises when he came back to the surface. He strode towards the building with steady footing, wondering where he might find his daughter. If she needed medical attention he would start by checking her room. But if she decided to continue being as reckless as she had been today, then chances were she might be someplace else.
"Find my daughter," he told the guards, as they walked down the Palace halls. "She should be someplace in the Palace. Find her, and bring her to me if you do."
The guards nodded and split through the Palace. Ozai continued alone towards Azula's room, a place he hadn't visited in longer than he dared admit. He strode the way down to the open crimson door at the end of the room, barging into it quite carelessly…
… And he froze when he spotted the scene in front of him. The Captain of Azula's Royal Guards stood beside her in bed, staring down at her. The Princess lay on the mattress, looking more helpless than Ozai had ever seen her before.
His frown disappeared when he caught sight of her. His daughter had never showed any weaknesses… his daughter had always been a perfect combination of power, cunning and leadership. She was his perfect heir, or at least, he had thought of her as such. Now, as he watched her limp form in utter disbelief, he realized for the first time that not even Azula was infallible.
The Captain heard someone stride into the room, and he lifted his gaze to find the Fire Lord standing on the chamber's threshold.
"M-my Lord, why are you…? Why did you come here? Shouldn't you have remained in the safe chamber until the danger was cleared away completely?" he asked, surprised.
"Azula…" said Ozai, ignoring Rui Shi's words.
Azula had been calm until she heard his voice. As soon as she realized her father was in her room, she began fidgeting and squirming, her teeth gritted as she tried and failed to look presentable before him. How was she supposed to explain everything to him?
"What happened to you, Azula?" asked Ozai, approaching, still frowning, but no longer angrily. For once, the Fire Lord's eyes glinted with something the Captain had never seen in them before: concern.
"F-Father, I… I'm sorry, Father, I didn't mean to… I…" Azula cringed upon every word, struggling to sit up to prove herself to him. The Captain watched her warily, afraid her condition might worsen if she continued being so restless.
"What happened?" Ozai asked, his tone softening.
"I… I didn't hear the alarm, Father…" she muttered. "I was someplace else, and the sound didn't reach me… X-Xin Long told me there was a ruckus in the Palace, and I thought I should find out what it was…"
"You knew you had to go underground, Azula," said Ozai, frowning. "That is the way we have always dealt with emergencies. The army handles threats, we stay in safety until the issue has been sorted out."
"I know… I know," said Azula, breathing heavily. "And I'm sorry, Father. I… I was reckless, I know so, but I… I couldn't let them get away with attacking the Fire Nation. I… I'm sorry…"
"You should be," said Ozai. "Look where this has landed you, Azula… you shouldn't have been so thoughtless."
"My Lord, with all due respect, the Princess hasn't been feeling well since before the security breach," said Rui Shi. "She's been suffering from a bad fever. She had been in her gladiator's home, training with him, when the situation arose. She was in no fit state to come here, and yet…"
"Either she was extremely courageous or extremely reckless in her behavior," said Ozai, looking at Azula again. "Which might define best your actions of tonight, my daughter?"
He shook his head and sighed. Never before had he needed to worry about Azula, let alone in this manner. Her exemplary behavior was one of her many defining traits, just as her fierce loyalty to her nation. Could he truly blame her for what she had done? She had put her life in the line to save the Fire Nation… instead of crawling into a cave and cowering until the danger was gone. Reckless or not, her course of action had been undeniably heroic.
"At the very least, you are safe now, Azula," said Ozai, sighing before turning to the Captain. "Was she responsible for what happened to the White Lotus men who were attempting to escape? I was told they had been stunned…"
"Apparently not," said the Captain, frowning. "She claims…"
"Sokka did it, Father… m-my gladiator" Azula gasped, startling both of them. "I didn't… I tried, but I couldn't do it. They were going to make me their hostage…"
"What…? What?!" said Ozai, shocked.
"But then he got here. He… he took them out, Father," Azula muttered. "T-they told him to help them, but he… he didn't. Then he even beat the men in the ship, he… he did it, Father, not me."
Ozai could barely give any credit to her words. There was no chance she was trying to say her slave, a Water Tribe man she had snatched from his home and turned into her gladiator, had saved her life.
No, not just her life. If he understood her words correctly… then this slave had saved the Fire Nation.
The idea was so shocking he didn't know if to feel indignant or relieved. For his nation to have been salvaged by a mere slave, a man who didn't belong here: to think his men hadn't achieved their goal, that even his daughter had been helpless until the gladiator had intervened… It had to be a bad joke. He couldn't believe it, and yet he doubted his daughter, sickly and frail as she was at the moment, would lie to him. What could she possibly gain by doing so?
"The slave, Captain? Is this true?" he asked, frowning. "Was he the one who caught them? The one who…? What of our men? What of the army? What of her guards? Why was the slave protecting her instead of you?"
"I didn't know the Princess was here, my Lord," said the Captain, lowering his gaze and swallowing hard. "We attempted to find her when the alarm rang, but we couldn't. Her gladiator showed up and said she was in his home, sick with a bad cold. Given her condition, I told him to keep her there for her sake, but apparently she gave him the slip and flew with her dragon to the Palace…"
"And you were fine by letting a gladiator protect my daughter's life?" muttered Ozai, studying the soldier. "I suppose you had already done so before, but in these circumstances, Captain, do you really think you can justify your actions?"
"I… I'm sorry, my Lord," said Rui Shi, lowering his head. "I cannot justify them at all. I have failed you, and the Princess…"
"And so has every single member of the army, apparently," said Ozai, shaking his head. "A gladiator protects the Princess, saves the Fire Nation and takes down those who threatened us… and to think of what might have happened if the Princess hadn't been as reckless as she was. Would we have captured our enemies if she hadn't behaved as she did?"
The Captain was startled by Ozai's question. The Fire Lord's gaze was fixed upon his daughter's figure. Azula was still breathing heavily, her headache so powerful she couldn't find it in her to respond to what they were saying anymore.
"I… I don't know, my Lord," said the Captain, dropping his eyes in shame.
"Is Azula speaking the truth, or is her disease clouding her better judgment?" asked Ozai.
"I… I fear it's the only explanation we have for what happened tonight. The rest of the army was fighting against the White Lotus agents that were still above ground. Nobody was aware of those underground… I take it the Princess figured out what they planned to accomplish, and somehow the gladiator took them out…"
"A gladiator…" Ozai repeated, shaking his head again. "Out of anyone who could have done this, a gladiator…?"
The Captain didn't respond, but not only because he lacked an answer. Voices were coming into the room from the corridor. The two men looked out towards the hallway, frowns on their faces as new arrivals headed towards the room.
"No, no! This way, Song!" said Sokka, pulling Song down the right hall.
"T-this Palace is so big, how did you know where her room was? I thought you'd get lost…"
"Honestly, so did I. Let's just be glad we found it," replied Sokka, gulping and barging into the room carelessly… to find there were more people in Azula's chambers than he had expected.
Song froze in place, her eyes wide as plates, when she spotted the man in red robes, wearing an opulent hairpiece atop his half-knot. Her mouth fell open as she stared in disbelief… and Sokka stood still right next to her, slightly concerned over how to handle himself now that Azula's father was here as well. No, not just her father: the Fire Lord. The man he had always wanted to vanquish…
He shook his head and urged Song to move towards the bed, dragging her by the shoulder so that she wouldn't waste valuable time doing nothing but gazing at Ozai. It seemed as though she had forgotten completely that Azula's status as a Princess implied she was the Fire Lord's daughter…
"What is this?" asked Ozai, as Sokka and Song approached. Song looked as though she was determined to turn around and run, but Sokka didn't let her.
"I'm sorry, your Majesty," said Sokka, not even knowing if he ought to address Ozai in that manner. Ozai's eyebrow twitched upon the disrespectful way Sokka had pronounced the title. "But your daughter isn't well, as I'm sure you can tell by yourself. Your healers probably could do a great job in patching her up, but as you can see, they're nowhere around. That's why I brought my own healer, she should be able to get something done…"
"A slave? Like you?" asked Ozai, and Song nodded, lowering her eyes.
"Yeah, a slave like me," said Sokka. "And she had been taking care of Azula just fine before your daughter decided to save the world while dealing with a fever. Sorry if you don't trust a slave's skill, but I'm afraid she's Azula's best bet right now."
"You… you've just brought a slave to take care of Azula, you…" said Ozai, staring at Sokka in confusion. Sokka had expected him to be angry, disgusted to watch a slave tend to his daughter… but either he wasn't displeased, or his irritation was almost insignificant next to his astonishment.
"That I did, Fire Lord," said Sokka, looking at him with slight defiance. "Will you let her do her job?"
Rui Shi looked back and forth between Sokka and Ozai. His gaze fell upon Song later, and he nodded in her direction, encouraging her to heal Azula. He stepped back to leave room for the girl, and Song climbed the steps towards the bed warily, with the eyes of the three men focused on her.
"P-Princess?" she whispered, and Azula acknowledged her with an almost imperceptible nod.
"You're here… good," she said. "Sokka…"
"Yeah, not just her," said the gladiator, smiling. "Song handled the flight pretty well, I'll say…"
"It was a little terrifying," said the nervous healer, placing a hand on Azula's forehead to measure her fever. She grimaced at the warmth, but said nothing as she sought out a towel to wipe away the Princess's sweat.
"You'll be alright now, Azula," said Sokka, smiling and approaching the bedside. "You'll see, everything will…"
"Gladiator," said Ozai powerfully, interrupting Sokka in the middle of his reassuring statements. "A word."
Sokka stared at him in mild fright, despite himself. Even Azula seemed daunted by whatever her father might do to Sokka now. Even if he was quite disrespectful and thoughtless as he spoke, he was only trying to help them…
"Uh… sure," said Sokka, gulping. It was a good sign, at the very least, that he would choose to talk to Sokka instead of simply kicking him and Song out of the Princess's room.
"F-Father, please…" said Azula, attempting to sit up in bed as she tried to reach Ozai, but the Captain stopped her.
"Hey, what happened with staying in bed now that everything's over?" Sokka reminded her, and she looked at him worriedly. "Come on, you have nothing to worry about. I won't do anything to your father, he'll be perfectly fine."
"I… I doubt that…" said Azula, though her eyes told him her actual concern was Sokka's wellbeing, and not her father's. There was little chance Sokka could hurt Ozai, but the Fire Lord likely could kill the gladiator without breaking a sweat…
Sokka winked at her and turned towards Ozai, who motioned for him to walk into the corridor. The conversation they were about to have was something he didn't want Azula to overhear.
The Fire Lord closed the bedroom door behind him, and Sokka swallowed hard as he waited for the man to begin talking. Ozai turned towards him, a heavy frown on his face.
"My daughter has told me of what happened tonight, gladiator," he said, his piercing stare fixated upon the gladiator's blue eyes. "Or, at least, she attempted to do so. She wasn't too precise in her explanations, but she assured me that it was you who had defeated the Fire Nation's enemies tonight. Is it true?"
Sokka looked at him with challenging eyes before nodding slowly.
"It's not like I beat them all on my own, though," he muttered. "If it weren't for Azula, I wouldn't have…"
"You took out the men on the ship?" asked Ozai. "How?"
"She helped me there," said Sokka, lowering his gaze. "I shut down the gate so that they couldn't escape, but then they were going to attack me, so Azula sent a bolt of lightning my way, and I directed it towards the ship with my sword."
Ozai's eyes widened. So that was what happened… it was a logical, plausible explanation, despite how unbelievable it seemed to be.
"Is it true my daughter was going to be held hostage by the Order of the White Lotus?" asked Ozai, and Sokka was surprised to hear his voice tremble slightly as he posed this new question.
"Y-yes, they… they tried to capture her," said Sokka. "She fought back, but in her condition she couldn't defeat them. In other situations, she would have reduced them in a moment, but…"
"What is this cold of hers? The Captain said she had been suffering from it since before the attack happened, he said she was in your home…"
"She was," said Sokka, nodding. "The Princess trains me directly to make me a better fighter. She wasn't fighting too well herself today, though. She blacked out after attempting to strike me with lightning, and that's when I realized she had a fever. I don't know what brought on this cold, but I wanted to keep her safe in my house until she was better…"
"And then the break-out occurred," muttered Ozai, frowning. "You haven't been in the Capital for long enough to experience any drills, have you?"
"No, I didn't know what we were supposed to do," said Sokka. "Azula found out about the situation somehow, though, and she decided to take matters into her own hands… which I wouldn't have minded at all, if she hadn't been sick. Your daughter is capable of anything, I have seen that enough times by now…"
"You were there when she was lost in the forest also, or so she told me," said Ozai, narrowing his eyes.
"Yeah, I was," said Sokka, smiling nervously. "I've watched her tame a dragon, so I know what I'm talking about when I say she's capable of anything, but she was in no fit state to fight anyone today."
"So you saved her from them. You defeated those who meant to take her hostage, and those who planned on escaping from the Capital City… how did you know they were in the river?"
"Azula told me that was where they were headed," replied Sokka. "She planned on going there herself to subdue them, but she was in such pain she couldn't even stand up on her own by the time I found her. It's why I did it in her stead."
"Then this is the truth," said the Fire Lord. "This is what happened tonight, gladiator… is it?"
"It's what I know," said Sokka, shrugging. "I have no idea what those White Lotus men were doing, or who they were…"
"But why did you defend my daughter?" asked Ozai, folding his arms over his chest as he studied Sokka intently. "What was the purpose of your actions, gladiator?"
"I… I get it, you must think it's weird for a slave to help out the Fire Nation, yeah," said Sokka, gulping. "Well… I've never been one to lie to save my ass, and I won't do that now, not even when dealing with you of all people: I don't agree with most of what the Fire Nation does."
Ozai raised an eyebrow at Sokka's statement. He would have replied instantly, but he could tell the gladiator still had more to say.
"Still… that's not the way to fight against you guys," said Sokka. "There's been an ongoing war for a hundred years, truly, but that wasn't an act of war. Kidnapping your daughter was a vile way to go about things, and it wasn't even well thought-out. They were sure you'd play into their hands if they had her in their grasp…"
"Is that so?" asked Ozai, a hint of cruelty in his voice. "They shall pay dearly for those schemes…"
"Well, in any case… I did it because it was the right thing, I think," said Sokka, sighing.
"The right thing," repeated Ozai, forgetting about his thirst for revenge momentarily to stare at Sokka pointedly. "If that's the case, gladiator… well, regardless if it is or not, it would seem I've found myself in the most unlikely situation."
"Huh?"
"Do you understand what you did tonight, gladiator?" asked Ozai, looking at Sokka with inquisitive eyes. "You saved my daughter's life… and not just hers. You saved the entire Fire Nation."
Sokka was astonished upon those words. He hadn't quite seen it that way: he had saved the Fire Nation? Really? Oh, his tribesmen would be so proud…
"I… I guess I did," said Sokka, gulping.
"There's truly nothing I can do to thank you for what you have done tonight," said Ozai, shaking his head. "The Fire Lord owes his nation's safety to a slave…"
"It's… don't worry about it, I didn't…"
"I am a man of honor, gladiator," said Ozai. "And even if you fail to understand the value of what you did tonight, I don't. There is nothing I can do to show the extent of my gratitude… but if there is anything I can do to repay the immense debt I owe you now, both for my daughter's life and the safety of my nation, name it and it shall be granted."
Sokka's eyes widened. He stared at the Fire Lord in utter disbelief, wondering if his Tribe would be proud now: the Fire Lord owed him for saving his nation! And that could be used for their advantage, actually. So long as he didn't push the man's patience too far and he played his cards properly, his actions tonight might actually turn out to be a way to make this world a better place…
"You are welcome to take your time to think about what you want to ask for," said Ozai, turning as though to leave. "In the mean time, I shall ensure the men from the Order of the White Lotus have been secured."
"Wait!" said Sokka, holding up a hand to stop him. "Just… wait. What are you going to do with those men?"
"Question them, naturally. And afterwards, execute them," said Ozai, bitterly. "Clearly, keeping them alive will only be a hindrance, we had those prisoners for the briefest moment and that brought forth this entire situation…"
"I've thought of a request, then," said Sokka, frowning. "Since I saved Azula's life… then you have to let those guys live."
Ozai stared at him in utter confusion, his mouth agape.
"Let them live? Is that really…?"
"You have them in your grasp now, don't you?" asked Sokka, frowning. "Shouldn't that be enough?"
"They are rebels, terrorists, criminals we simply cannot trust…!"
"I didn't tell you to trust them or to release them," said Sokka. "I told you not to kill them. And don't torture them either. There are ways to interrogate people without making them suffer. This nation has spilled enough blood as it is, and if you really are the man of honor you said you were, you'll accept my request as you said you would. You're probably thinking your daughter's life is worth more than that of a thousand men, aren't you? Asking for you to spare these White Lotus guys still would mean you're getting the better end of the bargain, don't you think?"
Ozai stared at Sokka in shock. This wasn't what he had thought a slave would ask for… money, perhaps, lands, or being revoked from his status as a slave were the possibilities he had foreseen. Yet he was asking him to spare these rebels' lives…
"Are you certain this is what you'll ask of me, gladiator?"
"Well," said Sokka, rubbing his chin with his thumb. "You said I'd saved your daughter and your nation. So that should mean two favors, right?"
"Oh, really, now?" asked Ozai, and Sokka was suddenly aware of how similar Azula was to his father. How many times had he heard her say those same words, with that same voice tone…? "What shall the second favor be, then?"
"I, uh… I'll have to think about that one a little more, if you don't mind," said Sokka, gulping.
"I already fear the day you decide how I'll repay the second debt," said Ozai, at which Sokka smiled nervously. "Very well, then, gladiator. They won't be killed, as you requested."
"Thank you… sir," said Sokka, unsure of how to address him. Ozai raised an eyebrow.
"'Your Majesty' might be more suitable, or 'My Lord'."
"Uh… yeah, probably," said Sokka, scratching the back of his neck.
"I'll be off, then," said Ozai, his gaze falling on Azula's door again for a moment. "There's much to do to restore the peace on the Capital city after this security breach, and there are many White Lotus members to question…"
"Say… Y-your Majesty," said Sokka, before Ozai walked away.
"Now what?" asked the Fire Lord, albeit he only seemed uncomfortable by Sokka's constant delaying him.
"About this security breach…" said Sokka. "I've been thinking about it, and there's one thing I can't put out of my head. The White Lotus guys were pretending to be members of the army, weren't they?"
"Yes, what of it?"
"Well… adding that to the fact that they knew how to access the secret river under your Palace, there's a conclusion you can reach easily without even having to interrogate these guys."
Ozai frowned and looked at Sokka with slight concern.
"You don't mean…"
"The White Lotus men you've captured weren't operating on their own," said Sokka, frowning. "Someone supplied the uniforms. Someone told them how to sneak into the Palace, someone told them where they'd find the secret river."
"An infiltrator? An infiltrator within my closest allies," said Ozai, gritting his teeth as the realization sank in. "There's a White Lotus spy amongst my men, you believe."
"It's the only thing I can make out from all this," said Sokka, dropping his gaze. "This plan was thought out way too carefully, by someone who knew exactly what he was doing."
"Truly," said Ozai, shaking his head. "If Captain Kuo had been any more stupid than he is, they might have even gotten away with it all. We would have only noticed these men's disappearance by the time they were half a world away…"
Ozai looked at Sokka again, as though analyzing him anew. Sokka felt time slowing down as the man's fierce glare pierced him once more.
"I truly underestimated you, gladiator," said Ozai, exhaling heavily. "You are much more than you seem at first glance. Perhaps you are a more suitable fighter for my daughter than I ever took you for."
"Uh… thanks," said Sokka, feeling the blood rushing to his cheeks. So he was suitable for Azula, according to her father?
Ozai nodded in his direction once more before turning on his heels and starting down the corridor. Sokka wondered if he wasn't going to say goodbye to Azula before taking off… but the man had many matters to tend to. Surely he would visit his daughter again later, wouldn't he?
Sokka stood on the hallway for a moment, slightly confused by the surreal conversation he had just held with the Fire Lord, before turning back to Azula's room.
The Captain had been assisting Song as she sought to lower Azula's temperature. The Princess's eyes were closed; it would seem she had fallen asleep after he had left the room.
"I told her to rest, she looked exhausted," said Song as an explanation when he approached, as Sokka looked at the Princess worriedly.
"Yeah, she needed it," Sokka agreed.
"And so do the two of you, don't you?" said the Captain, looking from one slave to the other before his eyes settled on Sokka. "What did he tell you?"
"Well, he asked for explanations on what happened tonight," said Sokka. "And then he thanked me for saving Azula and the Fire Nation…"
"Really?" asked Rui Shi, surprised. "He… thanked you?"
"I bet you don't hear about the Fire Lord showing gratitude to slaves every day, but even if it sounds weird…"
"You don't hear about the Fire Lord showing gratitude to ANYONE on any given day," said Rui Shi, looking at Sokka pointedly. "I doubt I've heard him genuinely thank someone more than three times ever since I started working as a Royal Guard."
"Really now?" said Sokka, blinking a few times. "Then I take it I won't be hearing that again, huh?"
"Probably not," said the Captain. "You should have cherished the moment more."
"I guess," said Sokka, smiling uncomfortably.
The three of them remained in Azula's room for another hour, until finally the promised team of physicians had appeared. By then, Azula's fever had dropped several degrees. Rui Shi recommended for Sokka and Song to return to their house, since Azula wasn't the only one who needed her rest. Sokka seemed unwilling to leave her bedside, but Song pulled him away. The Captain would watch over her, and these people were better equipped than she was to take care of Azula. Sokka ended up complying half-heartedly, walking back to his house side by side with Song.
The sun was already rising by the time they arrived home. Song was quick to decide to go to bed, but she made sure Sokka was in his room before doing so. She knew how reckless he could be… it would come as no surprise if he didn't sleep at all, and instead just snuck out of his room in order to go see Azula again.
Her predictions almost came true… almost. Sokka took off his clothes and dropped in bed, not noticing how worn out he was until his head hit the pillow. He closed his eyes for what seemed to him like a moment, but when he opened them again the strong sunlight revealed several hours had passed without his awareness. Sokka sat up on bed, his heavy limbs alerting him of his lingering exhaustion, but he ignored their message completely. He wouldn't stay in bed any longer. He had to return to Azula.
He entered the kitchen to snatch a quick breakfast, comprised simply by buns and bread, before taking off. He headed down to the Palace once more, passing by several people who were finally returning to their homes after having remained underground during the Capital's most hectic night in decades. Nobody paid him much attention as he walked down to the Palace, but his trip wasn't completely uneventful. Upon reaching the gates Sokka found a huge crowd of people shouting and asking for answers. It would seem the Fire Lord hadn't spoken to the public about last night's incident just yet…
Sokka had a hard time making it past the enormous crowd until he finally reached the soldiers on the gates. They weren't wearing their helmets still, probably as a safety precaution, and thus Sokka saw the face of one of them light up upon recognizing him. It was the same soldier he had seen while carrying Azula back to her room.
"Gladiator?" he asked. "Why are you here again?"
"I came to see the Princess…" he muttered, struggling as a particularly aggressive woman in the crowd elbowed him, shouting about her rights as a citizen of the Capital. "Can you guys let me in?"
The soldier jerked his head to the right, ushering him to leave the crowd in that direction. Sokka obeyed with some difficulty, and once he did he found he had reached a side of the Palace walls that was deserted… for the moment. A soldier paced atop what looked like a huge crack, and he nodded at Sokka in acknowledgement. It seemed the guards trusted him now, curiously… Sokka nodded back before approaching the crack. He slipped through it with some difficulty, and with that, he had made it into the Palace. Two guards stood vigilant next to the crack on the inside, but they didn't attack him. They knew he wasn't a threat.
"Thanks for letting me in," he said, smiling at them before jogging towards the building. The men gave him no answer, though they watched him with interest and even slight admiration.
Sokka entered the Palace, struggling to find his way through the mazes of corridors that looked so alike to him. At last, he found the hallway with the crimson door, and he headed towards it with determination.
Azula was still asleep when he entered the room, while a physician kept watch beside her, sitting on a chair. The physician glanced up towards Sokka when he heard him enter, but he only acknowledged him with a nod, much like the soldiers had.
"Is she any better?" Sokka asked.
"She's improving progressively," said the healer. "She put herself at a great risk by getting involved in those fights. You told the Fire Lord she had even conjured lightning?"
"Twice, at least," said Sokka, nodding.
"It's a wonder she survived," the man said, shaking his head. "Her body is incredibly strong and stubborn for having withstood so much strain without collapsing. Anyone else would have been done for with only one lightning bolt in those conditions, but two…?"
"She's not like anyone else," said Sokka, before he could try to hold his tongue. A blush crept up through his face, but the healer failed to notice.
"Truly," was his response, before falling silent once more.
Sokka didn't know for how long he stood there, watching Azula breathe gently in her sleep. She looked better, at the very least… but only time would tell if she would recover soundly or not. If her bending from last night had really taken its toll on her, she might be in bed for longer than most people would while suffering from a cold.
After half an hour or so, Azula stirred in the sheets. The healer jumped off his chair and approached her as she woke up, assisting her as she sat up and asking her if she felt any better. Azula responded groggily, accepting the man's offering of food, and after rubbing her eyes she realized there was someone else in the room.
"S-Sokka…?" she asked, staring at him in confusion. "You're… since when have you been there?"
"Uh… a while," he replied, smiling weakly. "Feeling alright, Azula?"
Azula snorted and gave him a half-shrug.
"Well… I wouldn't say 'alright', but I've been worse," she muttered. "Why are you here? Why… why do you look so terrible? Did you even sleep?"
"I look terrible?" asked Sokka, surprised.
"I hadn't seen bags under your eyes since the forest," said Azula. "Don't tell me you spent the whole night…"
"He arrived not long ago," said the healer, bringing a tray with food for Azula and placing it beside her in the mattress. "Here's your meal, Princess."
"Good," said Azula, picking up her chopsticks before starting to eat.
Sokka watched silently, the healer standing by Azula in case she reported she was feeling unwell. The Princess took her time with her food, but despite being in bed, she ate with as much décor as possible. The healer put away the tray once she was finished, and he placed a hand in her forehead again to check for fever.
"It's going down, Princess," he said. "You'll have to stay in bed still, but the fever is starting to fade."
"It was about time," stated Azula.
"About time?" the man repeated. "Princess, nobody should be as well as you currently are after undergoing such intense situations…"
"I suppose I'm made of better material than most people," said Azula, shrugging.
"Anyone in your condition should stay in bed for a week," said the man. "That fever was dangerous, Princess. It could have taken your life."
"Fevers don't kill people, let alone firebenders…"
"It could have killed you," the healer insisted. "Especially after unleashing two lightning bolts…"
"Two?" Azula said, frowning.
"What, were there more than two?"
"No, of course not," said Azula, smiling innocently. "Now, are you done with your nagging? Because I'm afraid it's the slave's turn now."
"My turn?" asked Sokka, surprised.
"What did you come for if not to reprimand me for my irresponsible behavior?" said Azula, dramatically. "You're dismissed, Fei Rou. Return in an hour if you feel obligated to check on my health, but I wager it really won't be necessary."
The physician seemed irritated by being waved off in such careless manner by the Princess, but he obeyed nonetheless. He closed the door of the room with a little more force than necessary on his way out.
"Well? At the very least sit down, would you?" said Azula, bringing Sokka back to his senses as he stared at the closed door.
"Right," he said, smiling and sitting beside her on the chair the physician had been on previously.
Neither spoke for a moment, both apparently at a loss for how to start this conversation. Azula took a deep breath and rested her back against the headboard. Upon her silence after that motion, Sokka decided to say the first thing in his mind.
"You shot more than two lightning bolts, didn't you?" Sokka asked.
Azula smiled a little before sighing.
"In all truthfulness, I managed to fire two lightning bolts properly," she muttered. "I sought to attack the White Lotus men with another one, but it partially backfired on me…"
"It WHAT?!" asked Sokka, aghast.
"It wasn't a pleasant experience," said Azula, shaking her head. "Don't ever try it."
"Azula, it backfired on you?! Is that why you were…? That's why you were stunned when I found you," said Sokka, a hand going to his forehead. "I heard the ruckus and headed to where I'd heard the sounds, but I was sure you'd collapsed because of the fever, not…"
"Much as you're not easy to predict, neither am I, gladiator," she said, smiling. "I could put up with the fever to a certain extent, but not with the backfiring. In any case, Sokka, what you did was, well…"
"Oh, no, don't even start with that," said Sokka, shaking his head. "I didn't do it so you'd thank me…"
"I didn't think you had," replied Azula. "You're the kind of person who does great deeds in order to make up for his mistakes instead of doing it to earn people's gratitude…"
Sokka's eyes widened when he heard those words. If she hadn't said so, he would have forgotten completely about what had happened between them before this disaster had occurred.
"Uh, no, I didn't… Azula, about that…"
Azula began chuckling and she shook her head.
"I know, Sokka, I know. You didn't do it to make up for the kiss either. There wasn't much to make up about it anyways."
"Uh… huh?"
"You shouldn't have done it," said Azula firmly, at which he flinched. "But having done it didn't imply you needed to go through hell in order to get back to my better side."
"Really, now?"
"I hope you're not thinking you wish you had known that before saving my life…"
"Blast it, caught red-minded," said Sokka sarcastically, shaking his head and smiling at her. "Not really, Azula. I just thought… I thought you were more upset about it than that."
"I was until this mess happened," Azula replied. "For some reason I can hardly fathom, almost getting abducted and having your nation endangered by a group of rebels pretending to be members of your army gives you the impression that a kiss really isn't the end of the world."
Sokka couldn't help but smile and nod now.
"It seems a little meaningless after all that happened afterwards, yeah…"
"I… I just don't get it, Sokka," she said, looking at him in confusion. "I know you said what you said, but… they were offering you to take you back home, to get you to see Piandao again, and yet you refused so blatantly, you just lifted me and walked away… why?"
"You're never going to stop asking that, are you?" said Sokka, sighing. He didn't plan on explaining his new discoveries to her… not even if she had just said the world wouldn't end because of a kiss. A love confession might not be the end of the world, but it promised to turn it into a very uncomfortable place for him to live in.
"Well, until I make any sense out of it, I probably won't," said Azula, looking at him with questioning eyes. "Why pick the Fire Nation, Sokka, when you were offered that deal…?"
"Azula…" said Sokka, shaking his head. "That deal may have sounded brilliant, it might have seemed like everything I could have ever wanted… but as far as I remember, I struck a deal with you first of all, didn't I? You offered to take me back home as well, or is it you forgot about that now?"
"N-no, I didn't forget, but… it sounded like they would have been able to take you to the South Pole far sooner than what I offered."
"So you think I should have broken my deal with you to accept theirs… when they were completely blatant about using me as a tool to reach their ends?" asked Sokka, raising his eyebrows. "At least I've gotten everything I could off you…"
"I'm glad you have the decency to admit that…"
"Our deal may look one-sided, but it really isn't," said Sokka. "We're both getting what we want in the end, I think. I still don't know why you want me to reach the top of the ran-…"
"That's not the topic of the day, is it?" asked Azula, interrupting him.
"No, it isn't," said Sokka, smiling. "But really, Azula… I made a promise to you first of all. I'm not about to double-cross you just because a group of strangers came by to tell me they know Piandao and they can take me home."
"But… your people have always wanted to take down the Fire Nation. You did, not even two years ago," said Azula. "This change of heart…"
"You told me not three days ago that so long as I was true to myself, I wasn't a traitor to anyone," Sokka reminded her. "If you actually meant that… then you'd understand that what I'm doing isn't as strange as it seems."
"You were true to yourself by not letting them take me?" asked Azula with a small voice, as though talking to herself.
"I was true to myself by telling them that what they were doing wasn't the right way to fight this war," said Sokka. "I wasn't going to let them take you, no matter how they tried to convince me that they'd give me everything I'd ever wanted. How was I supposed to trust the words of a pair of men who were more than happy to talk about turning a weakened girl into a slave?"
Azula's hands balled into fists atop her sheets. The scene repeated itself in her head, and she sighed as she recalled how helpless she had felt. She never wanted to feel that way again.
"You really… you really saved me, Sokka," said Azula, closing her eyes. "The more I think of what would have happened if you hadn't showed up when you did…"
"Don't do that to yourself," said Sokka, smiling kindly. "Just be glad everything was sorted out. If something like this ever happens again, I'm sure you'll be perfectly capable to handle the situation with your own power."
"I hope so," said Azula, glancing at him again. "And about what they said… about Piandao…"
"I'm still having a hard time believing it," said Sokka, grimacing. "I know you warned me about Piandao being more mysterious than I gave him credit for, but… do you really think he was just trying to turn me into a tool?"
"I… I don't know, Sokka," said Azula, frowning. "His past is turbulent, but I believed he was moving on from that. It's why having you train with him was the best option I had. If I had still thought he would threaten the Fire Nation, I would have never let him teach you the way of the sword."
"I talked to him about you a few times," said Sokka. "Over those two spats we had… he helped me relax and taught me to understand your point of view without losing myself in the process…"
"He said something to me as well, actually," Azula muttered. "On that occasion when… when you were completely shameless."
"Oh. When I was washing off the sweat, huh?" asked Sokka, smiling. The blush on Azula's cheeks intensified upon the memory.
"He said I shouldn't try to fill your head with ideas of the Fire Nation being right about the war. That if I ever broke you while trying to make you see things the way I did, you'd stop being who you were. You wouldn't be the strong fighter you've become."
"So he…" said Sokka, frowning. "He told you to let me be who I was so that I wouldn't turn into a mindless slave…"
"And despite the fact you've changed the way you see things, I don't think you've become a different man altogether," said Azula. "It would seem he was…"
"Trying to get us to understand each other," said Sokka. "But… but if he really wanted to make me his tool, why would he do that? So that he could get to you through me?"
"Perhaps that was the aim of the operation all along…"
"It's stupid," said Sokka, looking slightly disgusted. "Piandao wasn't that stupid. He would have known my loyalty to you would be true, and I wouldn't give you up to his weird society even if they asked. Much like I didn't."
"Then… you don't think he was trying to turn you into a tool," said Azula.
"I can't know anything for certain yet," said Sokka, sighing. "I hope not. Else it's a big let-down. To think my worst enemy has become my best ally, and my mentor was a fraud…"
Azula was surprised when he addressed her as he had.
"Don't… don't dwell over it," said Azula, smiling a little. "If I'm not supposed to think about what might have happened, then neither should you. Remember Piandao as the man you knew, not as the man they spoke of."
Sokka lifted his head and smiled at her, nodding slightly.
"Not the first time you tell me that… and I really should abide by it. It's good advice," he said.
Again they fell silent for a brief moment, but this time it was the Princess who broke it, after coughing a little. Sokka glanced at her in worry, but she simply carried on with the conversation.
"That strange maneuver with the lightning and your sword…" she said, thoughtful.
"I… I don't know how it's works, really," muttered Sokka. "I didn't do anything the first time, but the lightning was just… caught by the blade, I think."
"But you managed to use it to your advantage later, didn't you?" said Azula.
"I have no idea how we managed that, to tell you the truth," Sokka admitted, smiling. "I'd say fortune was in our favor, despite it all."
"We'll have to practice it more, it seemed a handy trick," said Azula, smirking.
"Huh?! Practice it?" Sokka repeated, shocked. "Are you sure you're not just looking for excuses to electrocute me…?"
"Of course not," said Azula. "We need to figure out the mechanics of it, or else we won't know how to handle it if we ever need to resort to this movement again."
"You think we'll ever have to do that again?" asked Sokka.
"Who knows?" said Azula, shrugging. "Nobody could have predicted what happened last night. Who is to say a similar situation won't arise in the future?"
"Who is to say so indeed…" said Sokka, sighing. "Well, we can try and figure out this attack, but only once you're fully healed. And I demand you think of how to ensure my safety before throwing your lightning bolts towards me, alright?"
"Fine," said Azula, sighing and dropping her head back against the wall. Yet there was the subtlest smile on her face… a smile that told Sokka she might choose not to respect his last condition. But before he could call her out on it, the Princess spoke again. "What did my father want from you?"
"Oh, he… he just thanked me for what I did," said Sokka. "Told me he owed me the safety of his nation and his daughter, and if I had any ideas on how he ought to repay me, I should let him know."
"Is that so? Did you ask for anything yet?" asked Azula, surprised to hear her father would actually seek to return the favor.
"I… I told him not to kill the White Lotus men," said Sokka, at which Azula's surprise increased. "I know you probably think that's completely crazy, after what happened, but as I told him… the Fire Nation has shed enough blood as it is. If I could save those lives, even if they might pose another threat to the Fire Nation in the future, then I would."
Azula breathed deeply and nodded.
"I'm not all that shocked, truly. You have an odd way to stay true to yourself, but yet you've done so by requesting that," said Azula.
"I've still got another favor to ask of him," said Sokka. "And I guess I'll give it more thought than I did with this one."
"My father shouldn't have decided to repay you himself, I'm sure you'll make him regret it," said Azula, smiling.
"Ah, would have rather done it yourself?" asked Sokka, smirking. "What would you have done to thank me for saving your nation and your life, Princess? Would you give me a brand new set of clothes? Or maybe my own palanquin…"
"Your own palanquin? You want me to ask my father to adopt you, by any chance?" asked Azula, raising her eyebrows and making Sokka laugh.
"I'm just joking, Azula. I really don't need any remuneration, I said so… well, not from you," he said. "Still, I won't deny getting your father to do as I say is more fun than I expected it to be…"
"You're incorrigible," said Azula, smiling and shaking her head.
"Say… what do you think about these White Lotus guys?" asked Sokka, growing a little more serious upon touching this new topic. "You'd thought the symbol wasn't important back when we were at Piandao's place, but…"
"I was proven completely wrong," Azula admitted. "It's clear it's an association of some sorts, but who are their members? What is their real objective? What are they trying to accomplish?"
"I take it, from what those guys said, that they want to take down the Fire Nation, but…"
"But if they spoke of Piandao as one of their bigger leaders, and yet he wasn't here, I take it they might not understand the purpose of the group as well as they thought," said Azula. "If Piandao sent them, he would have known it to be a suicidal mission, and yet…"
"I don't think it was Piandao who sent them," said Sokka. "Or the one who devised this particular mission. I think… and I already told your father, that there was someone else involved in this. Someone with easy access to the soldiers' wardrobe, for starters…"
"Someone… well, yes. I recall having wondered the same thing," said Azula, frowning. "I asked them who had provided the uniforms, and they didn't answer."
"There's someone helping them, Azula," said Sokka. "Someone within this very city is a member of their group, I bet…"
"And he's conspiring against the Fire Nation under our noses, without our awareness…" grunted Azula, gritting her teeth. "Curse it. I take it my father is already doing everything he can to discover who this double agent might be?"
"I don't know for certain, but he probably is," said Sokka. "Has he come to see you again?"
"I was asleep all along, if he came I didn't notice," said Azula, sighing. "He has much to do right now, though. In such critical situation he really shouldn't…"
"He shouldn't have time to spare for his sickly daughter?" asked Sokka, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm not going to demand his attention as if I were a child, Sokka," said Azula, rolling her eyes. "He has to take care of the Fire Nation first. I'll be fine soon enough."
"If you say so…" said Sokka, looking at her warily.
Again, a moment of silence. Azula sighed and looked at Sokka sideways, her mind racing as she thought again about what had happened the previous day. Even after asking him a second time about his decision, she still couldn't give credit to the fact that he had chosen her instead of returning home. He probably hadn't seen it that way, of course…
"What's on your mind now?" asked Sokka, when he realized she was looking at him.
"I'm just… I guess my father thanking you makes sense, but I… I probably ought to do something as well," she said, smiling weakly. "I just don't know what to…"
"Never mind, Azula," said Sokka, a little exasperated. "You don't owe me anything at all, I mean it…"
"I owe you my freedom, and my nation's safety. Even if that's meaningless to you…"
"I didn't say it was meaningless," said Sokka. "I just… I did what I thought was best. I followed what I believed in, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat if I ever had to."
"Doesn't mean I shouldn't thank you for it," said Azula, sighing. "I really can't do anything as I am now other than saying the words, but… but I owe you so much more than any master should owe their slave. Thank you, Sokka. For everything you did yesterday."
"Everything?" asked Sokka, smiling a little.
"Likely," said Azula. "Just… don't expect another kiss as a reward."
"Oh, I know, I…"
"Else you'll likely get sick as well," said Azula, her blush intensifying again.
Sokka found himself flushing also, but he nodded. That had been rather unexpected of her… pleasantly so.
"Huh. Well, it's okay, I wasn't expecting anything else anyways," he said, grinning.
"Really, though… thanks. Hell knows where the Fire Nation would be, where I would be, if it weren't for what you did last night… I could probably waste away the rest of my life thanking you to no avail, it still wouldn't convey what I…"
She fell silent when one of his hands reached out and to grasp hers in a reassuring way. She looked at him again to find him smiling gently at her, his cool blue eyes making it a little harder for her to breathe as she looked into them.
"It's okay, Azula, really," he said. "All you need to do is get better and whatever debt you think you owe me will be settled. Relax, and just focus on feeling better. Alright?"
Azula smiled and nodded, her thumb grazing his fingers as he gripped her hand a little more tightly. Not only was she grateful for everything he had done… she was grateful for his presence, for his patience, for standing by her in the worst moments of her life. For showing her that, despite everything they had been through, and everything they were bound to go through in the future, he still believed in her, and she could still believe in him.