Author's notes at the end.
Azka had risen before the sun and was marching out of the capital city down the dormant volcano towards the port, the road still bearing scars from the battle less than a fortnight ago. He could already see the small cruiser waiting for him at the docks, smoke puffing from it's funnels, almost like a warhorse huffing eagerly ready to take him on his quest.
He reminisced about yesterday's late evening, well, feast, in his humble eyes at least, besides the four courses, it hadn't been quite what he had expected. Apparently his father had a very twisted sense of humour, since what he thought would be cordial dinner with a potential future mate had turned out to be more of an interrogation.
His father had invited his younger half-sibling's childhood friends over where he had informed them of what he had called "Good news", the rumour that their friend had most likely been killed in Azka's raid on the Air Temple, reportedly burned up, with nothing left to recover.
Azka knew better of course, unless his half-sister had been toothless, there would have been something left, and it should have taken longer for his men to fully incinerate a corpse, but he had played along, even as the cuter of his sister's two friends had broken down after spending most of the evening shaking in fear and holding back tears, which his father had of course revelled in. Azka was no stranger to collective and vicarious punishment, so even as his heart melted for the girl, he couldn't help but feel that even if she hadn't been part of any plot, she aught to have suspected it.
His half-brother's Squeeze had been a different deal entirely, she had stared him down most of the night as she meticulously carved out her food as if trying to send him a message, a not so subtle threat that she was good with edged weapons.
Still, his father had been left disappointed, the girls hadn't made any slip-ups that could have tied them to any conspiracy, so probably out of spite his father had told him, nay, ordered him to pick one of the girls as his bed warmer for the night, the choice having been rather obvious.
As he had lead Ty-Lee to his chambers, the girl had been a pitiful sight, shaking from head to toe and rattling her teeth as if she had been caught naked in a winter storm, his reassurances had made little impact at first, until he repeated his thoughts on the matter of his sister's demise, which had made her come alive in a new way, she had hugged and thanked him, telling him he couldn't have been such a bad guy after all, which he had found rather silly.
His half-sister's life didn't have any meaning to him, lucky circumstance that conspired in his favour to make the rest of the evening more jovial as Ty-Lee had started opening up. During dinner he had pegged her as the shy type, but it turned out he couldn't have been more wrong, easy mistake to make all things considered, and he had to confess he was rather taken by her. Even when the subject of ancestry had come up, a natural sore spot for Azka, she reassured him by revealing her of her own mixed pedigree, and he was surprised to find out she was as much Air Nomad as he was Water Tribe, that two of her great grandmothers had been Air Nomads, two of many women nomads who had submitted to Fire Nation thralldom under the reign Fire Lord Mitzu, Azka's great uncle who's all male heirs died in the war. Exotic concubines, for the lucky few, a terrible choice, but meant some continuity for their people and to a certain extent the culture even though Air Bending was a lost art.
However smitten he was, his sense of honour had forbade him from taking advantage of he girl, even if she were willing, there would come a time to court her properly. He would spend the night sleeping much more austerely, on a thick carpet with his rolled up robe as his pillow, which suited him much better than the down bed and its silk sheets. He had a full stomach, a roof over his head and the temperature was on the cool side of warm, literally the only thing that could have crowned the night was the one thing he had denied himself but had the young maiden slipped beside him during the night, he wouldn't have complained.
As he walked on down towards the harbour, contemplating his change in fortune, he thought he heard shouting from above.
He looked back up at he volcano, where men came running down carrying a palanquin, "Please! Your Royal Highness! It's not a Prince's place to walk anywhere." shouted the lead man.
Azka stood in stunned silence waiting until they caught up to him. The lead man caught his breath before he spoke, "Had we only known you were leaving so early, your highness, we had breakfast prepared for you."
Azka blinked his eyes, he hadn't even thought about any other breakfast than the sizable basket of exotic fruits that had been left next to the bed. He then took a look at the ornate palanquin and began to laugh, much to the confusion of the litter bearers, as he turned around and continued walking down the mountain towards the harbour. He turned back quickly and told the men, "I'll be more than happy to be carried by six when the time comes!" it would take some time getting used to being a pampered prince, how his luck hard turned indeed.
Toph woke up sometime in the late morning, and through her sonic sense she could feel the big snoring mass sitting some ways away from her that she couldn't quite discern. She threw a pebble at it and the creature began to stir until she could make out, first Sokka, then Aang and lastly, Azula.
"What did I miss last night?" she asked loudly to make the mass stir even further.
Sokka stretched and yawned, "Katara and Zuko went out on an excursion and we stayed up and talked with Azula."
"How did you guys end up in a meat pyramid like that?" Toph asked confused.
Sokka looked at Aang and Azula and was about to answer until Azula found her tongue first. "I was cold, so I asked the boys if they could warm me up." Azula turned her head towards Toph and purred "Which of course they did."
Azula got to her feet and stretched, "You should try it sometimes, nothing quite beats the cosiness of sleeping sandwiched between two hunks." She yawned and as she walked away she turned her to the boys and gave them wink.
Sokka and Aang looked at each other mouth open in shock, Aang was blushing so hard Sokka could have thought he was going into a sort of pink Avatar state.
"Yeah, guess we should find two!" Toph said nonchalantly.
Azula giggled, "She is a feisty little one, isn't she?"
"You have no idea, your Hotness."
Aang laughed, "I guess your officially part of the team now."
"Shut up Twinkletoes!" Toph said kicking a earth tremor towards Aang who got it straight in the rear. "Ouch!" exclaimed Aang, nursing his poor behind.
Azula looked out at the grassy wind beaten waste of the Island. "Sooo… What are we going to do while my brother is out with…" Azula rolled her hand in a waving gesture as if trying to recall something, "...Katara?" she snapped her finger and to her great surprise and joy there was a small arc, giving her hope that she might yet live up to her new nickname.
Sokka started walking down in the direction of the beach, "I for one am going to go and collect some driftwood."
"Zuko gave me some fire bending homework" said Aang which immediately caught Azula's attention, as she turned her head to face him. "Really?" she asked with a serious, almost threatening tone.
She gestured for Aang to come with her, "Come! Show me!"
Azula had been impressed by Aang's raw power as the Avatar but his technique reflected his teacher she thought. Perhaps as a young woman she had understood early on that it wasn't just about making the biggest flame, but the intensity of it, which meant a sharp, tight and refined technique. She believed any fire bender had it within them to create her intense blue flame but that very few would have the humility to humble themselves from going from creating storms of flame to nothing more than a pitifully small jet of flame. She admitted to herself that she probably wouldn't have the humility to do it at her current age, but as a child, as she honed her technique and watched her small blue jet grow and grow, she hadn't cared.
Actually, she recalled getting the idea from a kindly old welder at one of the shipyards in the industrial town of Kemuri Bay that her family had visited when she was a child, Azula had been mesmerised by the intense blue flame and asked her father for permission to learn the technique, at first her father had thought it beneath contempt for a princess to learn a labour process, but upon her insistence he had relented, and the old man had taught her the process, a flame so hot it could melt steel. It was a matter of some pride to her that there was a battlecruiser out there that was partially held together by a small bead of steel fused together by her fingers.
As she reminisced about her formative years learning how to bend and now, with practically no bending, she felt like her grandfather must have felt having had to learn to walk again after his stroke, but even without bending she could still give pointers to Aang.
"Your range of motion is too wide, you're making an impressive flame but it won't do much beyond intimidating an inexperienced opponent, tighten it up and make a more intense flame, more pressure, something that can really hurt."
Aang looked at Azula gloomily, "Though I am grateful for your advice, I think our philosophies differ too much, I don't view fire as purely destructive force." he then took an even wider stance, to create an even bigger flame front, "Perhaps, intimidation is the answer."
Azula rolled her eyes; "Fine, but just try it!"
Aang tried the movement again and stunned both himself and Azula with a white flame that was both large and intense.
"That's the spirit!" Azula called out joyfully.
Aang, feeling pleased with him turned to Azula and bowed; "Thank you Sifu Hotman."
Azula cocked an eyebrow, not knowing if to feel insulted at first until she remembered that the insult used to be a term of endearment long before her grandfather's reign, "You really are a hundred years old aren't you?"
Aang looked confused, "Uhm, technically yes, why?"
"Hotman, has come to mean Queer over the decades, just thought you might want to know."
Aang slapped his forehead, "So I've travelled through the Fire Nation calling people Queer this whole time?"
Azula laughed heartedly. "You didn't?!"
Aang blushed with embarrassment which Azula noticed. "Now, use that embarrassment and turn it into anger, and see if we can't turn those flames blue." She said coldly.
Aang's eyes narrowed, "The dragons taught me and Zuko alternative routes to draw energy from."
"Dragons?" Azula asked confused.
"Yeah, the original fire benders. We came across a pair with your brother." Aang's face dropped when he realised the might have revealed too much.
Azula stood in contemplating silence for a minute. "I must say, Avatar, I'm intrigued, you must tell me all about it."
Aang let his eyes fall, "Well… I think I've already said too much."
"Oh, you can tell me." Azula walked seductively towards Aang and purred "I'm veeery good at keeping secrets."
Aang blushed as Azula came ever closer bearing a wicked smile. "I-I really shouldn't..."
Azula felt like she was in her element, even without bending facing off against the most powerful being on the planet, she was the predator. Aang was slightly taller than her but she felt like she would tower over him as she approached looking him dead in the eyes.
"I helped you, so you can help me..." she raised her hand to the boy's chin "Regain my fire bending." Her grin widened, "A mutually beneficial agreement, wouldn't you say?"
Aang narrowed his eyes, as he suddenly seemed to look straight through and down at her. Azula's face dropped visibly, "No!" Aang turned heal. "You'll have to forge your own path."
As Aang walked away, Azula felt a bit distraught, she had thought she could have snared the boy under her thumb. In a fit of rage and frustration she took a stance and punched into the wind, she imagined a torrent of flame turning the wind but instead there was nothing, perhaps the air had become a bit warmer again but she knew she could have been imagining it.
Azula came back to camp defeated. True, it hadn't even been a fortnight but she felt in heart that anger and aggression were paths blocked to her if she ever wanted to regain her fire bending. She was making making small puffs of flame again that gave her hope but nothing that could constitute any meaningful fire bending.
Sokka was building a fire and was trying to start it using his flint and iron, he looked in her direction and with a hint of a smile said; "Hey, if you're regaining your fire bending, mind helping me out, this tinder is a bit too moist to catch a spark."
Sokka's words gave her a sense of elation and she didn't understand why, had she sank so low that she was happy to be of some use and not just a burden, as she walked over and sat next to him she took a deep breath before almost apologising for a future failure, "I can't make any promises but I'll try."
Sokka replied, "It won't take much, I believe in you." and then smiled more overtly, a smile which Azula contracted, suddenly from her hand shot a short but intense blue flame which ignited the roll of tinder that Sokka had fashioned out of the dried grass. Azula was surprised at this sudden jump in ability and could barely contain her glee. As the kindling took flame the fire seemed to grow alive and within no time was producing warmth for the pair.
"You must have been a fire bender in your last life" Azula said chuckling.
Sokka chuckled back but uncharacteristically didn't make any further comment as he looked into the flames in melancholy and Azula's heart sank, despite her being taught all of her life that displays of emotion were for the feeble minded and weak, it was sad to see this young man so effectively suppress his terrible wound.
Had Azula not known better she would have thought nothing of it but she knew and now she of all people found herself saying, "It's okay to cry." She put her hand on Sokka's knee and he raised his eyes to look her, she forced a friendly smile in hopes of making him feel better.
Sokka just turned his gaze back into the fire. "There will be time to mourn once we've defeated your father."
Azula was taken aback by this comment, which didn't go unnoticed by Sokka. "Surely you didn't think that we're just going to go on the run?"
Azula gathered herself, regretting that she had opened up to the boy but it was too late now. "And what do you plan on doing after defeating my Father? Are you going to install Zuko on the throne and everything will be sunshine and rainbows ever after, huh?"
Azula sighed in anger, "I thought you were smarter than that… My father," she pointed to herself almost as if speaking about an extension of herself, "He's just a figurehead of a giant state apparatus and war machine."
"So what are you saying?" Sokka asked with a hint of desperation.
Azula sighed again and leaned her head against the palm of her hand. "I'm saying, even if my father wanted to stop the war, he probably couldn't… We rule through fear, but our instrument of fear is our military" Azula looked at Sokka, "And it has a will of its own. Even if Zuko could be crowned the new Fire Lord, he could only be crowned by the grace of the military. That's how my father was crowned instead of my Uncle."
Azula turned to look into the fire once more, "Uncle Iroh was a general and the first born son, his ascension should have been indisputable but he had fallen out of favour with the high command, and that was that..."
Azula paused and laughed before continuing, "You know, my whole life I've had people tell me that unless we win, the Earth Benders would come and kill us as vengeance."
Sokka sighed. "So you believe there can't be peace without victory?"
Azula nodded, and Sokka added; "Even so it seems to me peace would be its own victory."
Once again Azula nodded in agreement, "It would, but it would have to be a lasting peace, your friend has his work cut out for him."
"He won't have to go through it alone." Sokka said solemnly.
Aang came running into the camp and used his Earth bending to instantly smoother the fire. Sokka, without batting an eye sarcastically told him. "Thanks Aang… I didn't just spend two hours gathering that wood."
"Smoke on the horizon!" Aang yelled out and pointed southward.
Sokka and Azula rose up and looked to the south. On the horizon there was a diffuse but black cloud.
"Fire Navy?" Azula asked with a hint of concern.
Sokka took out his spyglass and started looking in the direction of the smoke, as he scanned it, out the reflection of the midday sun he saw it, the giant airship.
"Airship, they must have seen the smoke, we have to hide!"
Sokka threw his scope to Azula as he started scrambling to pack whatever he could.
Aang looked around, "Where is Toph and Momo?"
"I don't know, go look for them, me and Azula will pack."
Azula looked into the spyglass, "They are approaching at speed! Can you Earth bend us a place to hide?"
Aang looked at a decently large boulder and did a bending move in the direction towards it, with seemingly no result.
"Uhm, okay, maybe I overestimated your Earth ben-" Azula said before being cut off by Sokka running over to the boulder and rolling it slightly over to reveal a foxhole.
"Azula, throw all the gear into it." ordered Sokka as Aang left to find Toph. Azula began to drag the backpacks and the tent canvases into the hole while Sokka held the boulder, balancing it on it's fulcrum.
As Azula threw in the last backpack Sokka told her to "Get in!" even though Azula felt it a bit redundant. After Azula got in, he started his tough balancing act of having to slide into the hole while balancing the stone above him but he managed. Before buttoning up, he looked towards the sky, he couldn't see the airship from his vantage point any more but he could hear the rumbling of its engines.
He closed up the hole but with his boomerang he dug one small hole for ventilation.
As he stepped deeper into the hole, he was surprised to find how bitterly cold it was, the sort of damp cold that crept down to the bones, and Azula had noticed it too, their woollen cloaks helped somewhat, but as they waited they grew ever colder. Sokka touched the wall of the foxhole, ice, "Permafrost... Just great." he whispered out loudly, realising they had just confined themselves in a cooler with all his winter clothing on sale in a bazaar somewhere in the Earth Kingdom most likely.
Time seemed to slow down with the dropping temperature and it seemed like they waited for hours but in reality could not have been more than half of one at most, when the rumbling of the airship's engines suddenly cut to idle, it was still ways off but was coming in on its forward momentum.
Dull metallic noises could be heard as the airship manoeuvred above them.
Sokka didn't know if Azula started clicking her teeth in nervousness or cold but he opened his cloak and pulled Azula close to him in hopes of keeping her warm just in case a fire nation soldier was unusually perceptive, she didn't protest and in fact put hers arms around Sokka to be closer to him, it wasn't long until Sokka reciprocated , they both felt comfortably warm now if not a little bit damp.
Sokka began to realise it might have not been the best idea in the world to confine himself in such a cramped space with Azula as he took a deep breath through his nose and was overwhelmed by her pleasant scent. Azula had finally managed a proper bath since coming to the island so her scent was more subtle than in her cell, but within it was hidden something that was stirring something deep within Sokka, though he didn't realise it, Azula was in exactly the same boat, or in this case hole, with each breath she could feel warmth migrate to her cheeks and of course bellow the waist. Sokka cursed himself as guilt weaved into his emotions.
Thuds resonated through the walls and the sound of voices were starting to be heard from up above, which sobered up Sokka somewhat as he tilted his head to listen.
"Someone was here!" Said one voice.
"Not too long ago either, look!" said a second.
There was a pause as Sokka worried that the man might have seen the tracks leading to the rock.
"Still warm." answered the first man.
A third voice could be heard, "We found Sky bison tracks and droppings close by, but they are at least a day old."
"Send a messenger hawk to the Admiral, we've got confirmation. Our fugitives are heading North East." the first voice ordered.
"Should we pursue?" asked the second man before there was a silence as if the question had been unanswered but as the silence continued Sokka figured the answer had been given non-verbally.
Suddenly there was a series of thuds as someone must have walked up to the boulder and Sokka could have sworn he saw it move in the dim light as the man must have sat down on it, he felt Azula grab onto him tighter, so tight that he thought he could feel her heartbeat.
"They can't be far!" the first voice said from directly above. "Are you sure you saw nothing flying off the island?"
Once again there was a silence and except for the sound of the man walking away from the stone, this one persisted.
After about five minutes of silence on the surface, the Airship's engines kicked into gear, the roar was right above them and Sokka could feel a draft in the hole as the large ship moved away.
Relief washed over Sokka and he let out a sigh as did Azula. He coud feel her warm breath on his neck and he started slipping into his baser instincts again. He could have burst into tears right then and there over his own body betraying him like this.
"I hate how you make me feel." She said softly. Through the almost total darkness, he couldn't see her, but somehow he knew their eyes were meeting in the darkness.
"Huh?" Sokka said surprised.
"I... just forget myself." She said, almost with a slight giggle in her voice. "And I ache for your touch."
"I know…" Sokka said heavily, implying but without admitting to his mutual predicament.
The noise of the airship was almost inaudible and Sokka figured he would brave looking out, as he pulled away, Azula pulled him back and he could feel her hand moving up against the back of his head as she pulled him down to meet her moist lips. The kiss wasn't as lustful as Sokka had expected, there was a tenderness there that only made it natural for him to return the kiss.
He pulled her tight as they broke the kiss. Their minds were racing, they were a confused mess, of lust, grief, longing, anxiety. Azula was grinding her hip against Sokka which made her feel so good, she didn't care about the setting, she just hoped the barbarian would snap, crack, forget his grief and take her, she didn't care how much it would hurt, in fact it excited her, and she was well past pretending it was the hilt of Sokka's sword poking her in the stomach.
A muffled "You guys can come out now!" could be heard by Toph and as the rock was lifted off.
Azula and Sokka decoupled in unison and Sokka took moment to wet his face with the melting frost before he began to climb to the surface, hoping the redness in his face would be partially covered.
"They're almost at the horizon!" Said Aang as Sokka popped to the surface, he lifted up Azula from the waist which caused her to blush noticeably, fortunately no one was looking.
"What were you guys doing down there?" Toph asked.
"Hiding from the Fire Navy, what did you think?" Azula sneered.
"Sparkie, I could see you-"
"It got cold in there okay! We had to huddle together for warmth!" Azula raised her voice defensively.
"You know, keep the blood flowing." added Sokka, to which Azula responded by slapping the back of his head. "Ouch!"
"I see, you really convinced me there." Toph said sarcastically.
Sokka looked into the hole. "Should I dive after our stuff or leave it there until nightfall, in case we have more guests?"
"I think we have bigger problem than that, we can't have an open flame out here any more." Aang said.
"Looks like you're going to have to huddle together for some warmth tonight Sparkie." Toph grinned at Azula who let out audible sulk, and Sokka died a little on the inside before an idea struck him.
"We might not have to, Aang, how's your fire bending?" said Sokka.
"Getting there but we have the same problem, even if we looked for a cave, the light could still be seen in one direction or the other."
"Well ahead of you, we should warm up rocks while we still have daylight, as hot possible, until they glow dull red, they will let out heat for hours." Sokka said excitedly.
"How do you know that will work?" Azula scoffed.
"Down South, when winter really gets to us, we erect a small hut of Reinzebra furs, we heat up a bunch stones in a cast iron cauldron until everything is red hot and then we gradually throw them on the icy floor, creating warm water and most importantly, steam." Sokka smiled and winked at Azula.
"But why? Won't it get awfully humid?
Sokka scratched his head, "That's sort of the point, we bathe in the warm steam, and when we're hot enough, we go and take a dip in the snow. The sensation on ones naked skin is indescribable." Sokka was now in full nostalgia mode.
"Wait, so you're naked?" Azula asked in surprise to which Sokka just nodded smiling goofishly. "You truly are a barbarian!"
"Don't be such a prude!" said Sokka chuckling.
"Prude?! Me?! You're the who consistently refuses to-" She stopped herself as she saw she had suddenly become the centre of attention, Toph was grinning from ear to ear, "Do go on, your Hotness!"
Azula hung her head in shame, "I lost my train of thought."
Sokka continued his nostalgia trip, "Yeah, nothing beats a good steam bath."
"Sokka we get it, heat up Rocks, I'm on it!" Aang said with a hint of frustration.
"Now remember, a big pile of small rocks emit a lot of heat for a short time and a big pile of big rocks emit a little heat over a long time, we need to find a sweet spot." Sokka said.
Azula couldn't help but feel a bit impressed by the resourcefulness of Sokka, even though she was a bit disappointed they wouldn't get snuggle up for warmth.
Toph had somewhat modified Sokka's plan and built her companions stone tents that Aang had dutifully heated up until the rock was glowing a dull red as per instructions, by feeling the stresses in the rock and relieving them appropriately at points, she had built shelters that she believed would survive the cool down without cracking too much, that was the hope at least.
As the sun began to set, the faint dull glow had faded and it was possible to step into the shelters without burning oneself, draping over one of end of the shelter with a canvas would give protection from the wind.
With the lack of a fire to keep themselves entertained, everyone sought shut eye almost immediately after the last of the twilight had retreated, which at that time of the year, that far North took some time, far longer than Azula was used to. Though it didn't phase Sokka one bit, being used to sleeping under the midnight sun.
Sometime during the night Azula stirred awake, there was a full moon out so she could see a flicker through the crack of the canvas that a figure just walked past her shelter.
She carefully got up and looked out as the silhouette of the figure walked in the direction of the moonlight towards the cliff. "Sokka?" She whispered to herself as she followed him. She was quite a few paces behind him when he stopped the cliff's edge where he got to his knees and started mumbling to himself.
"Was he praying?" Azula wondered to herself, she hadn't taken him for the type of person but personal tragedies tend to bring out surprising sides to people but for some reason, it worried Azula. Perhaps their moment in the hole had pushed him too far, perhaps he felt he was betraying Suki's memory.
Azula snuck closer, she would try to talk to him. Just then he could make out one distinct word, "Goodbye!" and Azula realised to her horror what was happening. Suddenly, Sokka sprang to his feet and in the faint light it looked like he was leaning over the edge to jump.
"SOKKA, NO!" Azula screamed out in panic as she rushed forward.
Sokka startled turned around to see a figure pounce on him in the moonlight and stepped back with his left foot instinctively and as he was shifting his weight, the edge gave way and he started falling backwards into the rocky shoals bellow, this was it.
Azula reached out to his flailing arms and as he grabbed a hold of her, there was a great thug on her arm and she was pulled forward. As Sokka leveraged backwards ever more, Azula could see his face illuminated by moonlight and expression of fear on his face which could easily have doubled as a mirror.
There was a spark of realisation in Sokka's eyes that seemed to transmit to her "I'm sorry." As she fell into him, his free hand clasped around her as if to comfort her over their mutual mistake, she would have reciprocated but in a last act of desperation she punched in the direction of gravity in defiance.
A flash of light illuminated the night and she began to feel a force push up on her hand, a force which could have dislocated her shoulder hadn't years of marshal arts training prepared her. All downward momentum seized and reversed, and before she knew what was obviously happening she had pivoted back on her heal and hit the grass with Sokka landing right next to her.
Sokka got to his knees and looked back at the cliff's edge before he turned to Azula. "Are you alright?!" he asked her excitedly and she just nodded in response. Sokka started shaking his head. "What where you thinking sneaking up on me like that?" he asked trying to conjure up a smile through the anger he was obviously feeling.
"I thought you were going to jump. I'm sorry!" Azula said with tear filled eyes.
"Jump?! Why?!" Inquired Sokka but upon seeing how distraught Azula was he just fell to the ground beside her. "Thank you, I'm sorry, I really am. I didn't mean to frighten you. It's just that he Moon is full and I came here to pray and talk to Yue."
"Who?" Azula asked, wondering what deities the barbarians prayed to.
Sokka sighed with deep sadness, "Nevermind!"
Azula rolled over onto her belly so she could Sokka in the eyes as he lay on his back. "Tell me!"
"She was my… First love, she sacrificed her life to save the Moonspirit, her soul is now forever bound to it, every so often, if I'm out here, she will speak to me." Sokka sighed and then laughed to cover his sadness; "Of course, I never shut up but..." Sokka sighed again, "I'm sure she is listening… Up there."
Azula rolled on her back to look at the full moon, "That's rough, babe."
Sokka turned his head towards Azula; "You know, your brother said exactly the same thing."
Azula chuckled, "Exactly the same thing? I always knew he was queer."
"Well… Maybe not exactly the same thing." He smiled a bit.
Sokka rose up and got to his feet and reached his hand to Azula, "Come let's go get some sleep."
She grabbed his hand with both of hers and in an instant she was on her feet, he was stronger than he looked for sure.
As they walked to camp Azula grabbed his hand, he didn't react in any other way that gripping it back, so after a few steps Azula stopped which triggered him to turn towards her as she began; "I know you're grieving but I just…" She paused as she looked down with sadness, "I actually kind of like you." She raised her gaze to meet his solemn face looking into her eyes. "I know you'll need time... It's just..." She quickly moved in to peck him on the cheek before she took his hand again and pulled him along towards the camp.
Sokka didn't say another word until they almost reached the camp, "I can't believe I'm actually saying it but I'm so glad you managed to get your bending back so quickly. Katara said she had no idea how long it would take." twisting the truth a bit, because Katara didn't know if she'd ever be able to bend again, possibly even fully intended.
Azula answered truthfully, "Honestly. I'm still getting the hang of it. Aang told me that I'd probably need to draw my fire bending from another source and as of yet, I'm not quite sure what it is." Azula gave Sokka a sideways glance, "But I do have my suspicions..."
"In any case, you saved my life." Sokka smirked a little, "Don't get me wrong, you kind of got me into it in the first place, but regardless, you got me out of it too." He chuckled a little and Azula gave him an elbow to the side.
As they got to their shelters, Sokka surprised her by asking, "You wouldn't mind coming to sleep next to me?" Azula looked at him wide eyed as he continued "These slabs might be cold by the morning and it would be comforting to be next to someone."
Azula ripped open the canvas drape to her shelter and entered, Sokka's heart sank and he sighed, thinking perhaps it hadn't been the best idea to ask when Azula reappeared through the canvas bearing her cloak and blanket and smiled at him; "I'd love to, it's already a bit cool in there."
So, another bridge chapter with a little expansion on speculative lore in the beginning, I always thought it was a rather hamfisted retcon to extend the reign of Azulon from the canonical 23 years to whatever arbitrary number they decided upon, when we have many real world examples of Monarch's dying without heirs, and considering that the Fire Nation nearly had a Fire Lord without a direct heir in Iroh. The one time it would have made sense to retcon the numbers would have been Kyoshi's age, but that one they inexplicably ran with, oh well.
As for Ty-Lee being a descendant of Air Nomads, well, it's all but canon, it only took them like two decades to acknowledge.
Otherwise, the chapter is what it is, was aiming for an emotionally tumultuous depressing chapter to follow the last one.
