(Theme Forty-Five) Tyzula Aunts
(As Prompted By) FanfictionVillainess
"Why are we doing this again?" Ty Lee asks, sipping her tea and setting it down for a servant to pick it up.
She is patiently watching Azula try and fail to tie four year old Izumi's shoe. It would be funny if Ty Lee were not growing increasingly concerned for her future children. Izumi is eating a bag of fire flakes and gazing intently at Azula trying to tie military knots and realizing that it does not work. Izumi has a tiny smirk on her lips and Ty Lee cannot look away.
It's like a shipwreck. A very slow, painful shipwreck.
"Because Zuko hasn't finished his will. And so help me, I will get everything. Or," Azula says with a dramatic pause, "at least his child."
"That's... terrible," Ty Lee replies slowly with a small grimace. "I'm pretty sure we get stuff in Mai's will. And, really, we only get Izumi if they both die at once."
"Or subsequently before she's old enough to care for herself," Azula replies airily and Ty Lee shrugs with a small bob of her head. "I want her."
"Mm. You could have your own child." Pause. Azula laughs as if it is a joke and Ty Lee frowns into her teacup. "We could kidnap her."
"Very funny. This is no time for jokes. If we don't act fast he'll give her to the Avatar and Water Tribe," Azula says, giving up on tying Izumi's shoe as Izumi carelessly continues eating her red bag of fire flakes. "Ty Lee, tie your niece's shoe."
"You can't tie shoes? How did you pass kindergarten?" Ty Lee mutters mostly to herself before kneeling and tying Izumi's shoes with ease. "There you go, Izumi."
"Thank you," the child says politely before pushing herself to her feet. "Where are we going?"
"We're kidnapping you," Azula says sweetly.
"Okay," Izumi replies and Ty Lee cocks an eyebrow with a shrug.
"Do you know what that is?" Azula asks, slightly baffled.
"No," Izumi replies as she drops the empty bag to the stone floor of the entry hall of the palace.
Ty Lee nods in approval at Azula. It could work at this point. Fugitives with a stolen child. It is a romance Ty Lee would be perfectly okay with living.
"Well, we're not actually kidnapping you today. I was kidding. We're going to Memorial Plaza," Azula says, deciding today is not the day to shock the world and betray everyone she has painstakingly gained the trust of.
"That's the fun one. We'll feed turtleducks and do... other things?" Izumi is slightly unclear about why adults keep taking her places.
First Uncle Sokka and Aunt Suki took her to play with Hakoda at the cold, grey beach by the pier. Then Uncle Aang and Aunt Katara took her shopping and Aang bought her lots of gifts and showed her airbending tricks and Bumi pushed her onto her face. Then grandmother took her to play with her aunt and gave her tea with weird fruit in it. All of the adults are acting oddly, but Izumi has gotten lots of gifts and has had a really fun two weeks, so she is not complaining.
But Aunt Azula and Ty Lee have done those things with Izumi before. They are much more fun than Izumi's parents, which she does not hesitate to tell them. So she grabs both of their hands with her slightly greasy fingers and tugs them towards the door.
"Why are we looking at statues?" Izumi asks as Ty Lee's knees buckle while she climbs half onto her shoulders for a better look.
"Because they're your grandparents," Azula explains and Ty Lee whimpers.
"The statues... are not my grandparents, Auntzula," Izumi says, looking confused.
"I know that the... you know, never mind," Azula sighs. "We have to walk by them to get to the lake. Has your father told you about the men these statues are of?"
"Nope," Izumi replies as Ty Lee finally wrangles her and sets her on the ground.
"He is a terrible father, Ty Lee. We deserve her," Azula says and Izumi narrows her eyes in confusion. Adults keeping saying things similar to that, and Izumi is not quite sure what it means. "I will tell you all about your ancestry, Izumi. And I will tell you all of the important things about being Fire Lord."
"She's four," Ty Lee says with a roll of her eyes, but her wife is not listening. So she clears her throat and says, "Izumi is four years old, Azula. When I was four years old I'm pretty sure I was playing the floor is lava and eating dirt. Maybe Zuko wants her to have a childhood instead of immediately explaining the hierarchy of the Fire Nation."
"You ate dirt as a child?" Azula extracts from that statement instead of the important part. "Don't ever eat dirt, Izumi. You will die."
"I'll what?" Izumi asks, staring at the exposed dirt by the side of the stone path towards the lake. Her golden eyes bulge and Ty Lee sighs, adjusting Izumi in her arms again.
Ty Lee breathes to Izumi, "You won't die if you eat dirt. She's messing with you," and glares at Azula. "Don't ever believe anything she says."
"She said she's the only one I can trust," Izumi says brightly and Ty Lee wants to just curl up on the ground and go to sleep until this Zuko's will dispute is over.
"That's right, niece. I am the only one you can trust forever. And also your mother. She's okay," Azula says, seizing Izumi's hand and pulling her away before Ty Lee can interfere. "You know how your father's friends call me Princess Trustworthy?"
"Mhm. Dad is Sparky."
"Yes. He is. They call me Princess Trustworthy because I'm the only one you can trust," Azula says as Ty Lee rolls her eyes so forceful she thinks they might just pop out.
"That makes sense," Izumi says, nodding. Ty Lee grits her teeth and decides that it can be Mai and Zuko's problem.
"You want me to tell you the story of the first female Fire Lord?" Azula offers and Izumi nods vigorously.
"My dad never has time to tell me about that stuff. He says I'll find out when I'm older," Izumi whines, tugging on Azula's arm for her to walk faster. "You always tell me cool stories."
"Thank you." Azula looks genuinely flattered and Ty Lee thinks it is cute. She is worrying less for her future children. "Alright, Princess Oren of the Fire Nation was powerful and wise. She had two cousins, younger than her, and their father was younger than hers, who was currently Fire Lord. She was a talented firebender and ─ well, that's not the only thing that matters, Izumi ─ well, she was talented, smart. And you know what she did most?"
"Fought vicious battles!" Izumi declares and Azula can only laugh. Ty Lee rolls her eyes; Mai is going to skin them alive.
"She read books," Azula says and Izumi looks mildly disappointed. "Don't underestimate the power of knowledge. People loved her dearly. The public all looked forward to the day when she would reign. But all of that changed when her father was on his deathbed."
"Mhm?" Izumi has eyes as wide as saucers.
"He was going to leave the throne to her younger cousin, because he was a man," Azula says and Izumi looks disgusted. "Right? Oren knew she needed to take action. So she ─"
"Azula, get down!" Ty Lee screams.
Azula grabs Izumi by the back of the neck like a kitten and hits the ground. Arrows. Seriously? Seriously?
"We'll finish the story later," Azula says, grabbing Izumi by the waist and holding her sideways. Her hair whips freely in the wind as Azula runs towards the lake.
Ty Lee takes down two assassins with only three punches. Azula sets Izumi behind a tree and climbs up it with a single move. Izumi's lips part in surprise as Azula stands on the branch and starts hitting the insurgents with fire and lightning.
"You don't move," Azula snaps as Izumi peeks around the corner.
"Sorry, Auntzula," Izumi says breathlessly, pinning her back to the tree.
It ends when the police arrive. Azula jumps down from the tree and grabs Izumi, who braces herself to be swung around sideways again, but instead Azula just guides her by the hand. Ty Lee is talking to the police officers as they begin shackling the assassins.
"That was such quick response time, officer," Azula snarls, pushing past Ty Lee. "What would happen if this child died? If she had been with anyone other than us, she would have been abducted, killed or worse. The crown princess."
Izumi does not understand much of what her aunt rants at the man, but he is crying by the end. Best trip to the park ever, Izumi decides.
"Don't tell your mom," Ty Lee sighs as they make it back to the palace unscathed.
"Okay," Izumi says, running inside. Azula and Ty Lee chase after her.
"Did anything horrible happen to my child?" Mai asks as Izumi runs into her arms. "Her heart is going into tachycardia. Did you tell her scary stories, Azula?"
"Mom, mom," Izumi interrupts as Azula and Ty Lee open their mouths, "There were these guys with arrows and fire and swords and stuff and they tried to kill us but we didn't die!"
"Did you... did my daughter just nearly get assassinated? I trust you two for one day with my daughter..."
"I completely picked her up, hid her behind a tree and defended her life," Azula says casually, brushing off her shoulder.
Mai sighs and continues feeling Izumi's pulse. "Thank you, I guess. Unless you hired them. Did you hire a fake assassination attempt to try to get into me and Zuko's will?"
"Actually, that's a really good idea. Ty Lee, why did you not think of that?" Azula snaps and Ty Lee simply shrugs.
"They are the coolest people ever. Auntzula made a police officer cry," Izumi says, jumping from foot to foot. Mai laughs.
"Yeah, she likes making grown men cry. I'm glad you guys saved her life." Pause. "But you are so not getting her if me and Zuko die of a horrible accident. Given all of the people vying for her, we decided the best course of action was to leave it up to Aang if he is living, and after Aang, Toph. That's the plan. So, I guess, starting buttering them up."
"I still had fun," Azula says honestly, although quite disappointed that fending off an assassination attempt does not gain her godmother status.
"Tell me about Princess Fire Lord Oren," Izumi demands, breaking free of Mai and seizing Azula.
"I guess your playdate's not over," Mai says with a smirk as Azula is guided into the palace by Izumi's strangely powerful tugging.
Mai looks up at Ty Lee. "Was there actually an assassination attempt?"
"Yes. I really thought we'd just have a calming walk to the park, but, no. We get attacked. But, it's not even like the New Ozai Society is accomplishing anything. An assassination attempt is like, an everyday thing. It's kind of boring," Ty Lee says with a cavalier shrug.
"You know, I have to say, Azula is surprisingly good with Izumi."
"I want to have a child with her. Or two. Or five."
"Good luck," Mai says, laughing. She does not even bother to point out Ty Lee's hypocrisy, and simply asks, "Who's Princess Fire Lord Oren?"
Ty Lee only shrugs.
