Notes: Before any antis have a heart attack, Azula is 26 in this story. It takes place about 12 years after the war ended. Azula is an adult. Don't like? Don't read. Also, I didn't really follow any of the prompts, so sorry about that. Not sure how explicit this story will be yet, but I'm rating it as mature just in case.
Chapter 1: Arranged Travels
The ferry ride is painfully uneventful. Azula almost wishes something dramatic would happen, if only to occupy her mind for a moment. But no, the sun is shining, the waves are gentle, and the other passengers pay her no mind. She's alone, alone with her thoughts. The air grows colder and with that, her thoughts bleaker. She wonders how she will be received, if anyone will be there to welcome her at all or if she'll have to navigate this new territory all on her own. It seems just as the Fire Nation was starting to warm up to her and she felt a semblance of belonging to a healthy family, she's tossed into the ocean, sent far, far away.
Of course, she will do this for Zuko. She's indebted to him. Through years of persistent patience, he offered her a second chance, and with that, a family. A home. She rules proudly by his side as his political adviser. He never wavered in his decision, despite all the protests from Fire Nation citizens and other global political figureheads. He trusts her. Despite everything, he trusts her, and this means everything to her. She won't disappoint him. She'll lay low, work hard, and get back to the Fire Nation as quickly as possible. And when she gets back, she'll have the honor of meeting the newest addition to the royal family, the reason why Zuko sent Azula in his stead to lead in the construction of the Fire Nation Embassy in the Southern Water Tribe in the first place. The Southern Water Tribe… she does not want to be there. It just reminds her of her defeat.
She shakes her head and laughs at her own pathetic state. The war ended twelve years ago and despite being in a much better place now, she still harbors some resentment. While many of Zuko's allies have started coming around to the idea of Azula being in their lives, Katara is not one of those people. Azula really does not want to fight with Katara. Not only will she be in Katara's stomping ground with no friends by her side, but she's also still trying to make amends and find her place in the world. She hopes that she and Katara can establish somewhat of a civil rapport.
The ferry docks in the port. The cold late autumn air is suffocating.
She smiles as she deboards showing no weakness, a false display of bravado. To her surprise, Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Chief Hakoda are there to greet her. Aang approaches first.
"Azula!" He's grinning from ear to ear but something's off. It seems forced. "Glad you could make it!" He extends his hand, which she finds odd for him, but she guesses they're not on hugging terms yet.
"It's good to see you, Aang." She sets down her luggage and shakes his hand.
"Welcome to the Southern Water Tribe!"
She takes a moment to take in her surroundings. She's awestruck. She's never seen any place like it. So white, so pristine. It's much more regal than what she was expecting. "Wow…" she whispers under her breath.
"Like what you see?" Sokka asks jokingly, posing with his arms crossed and a pompous smirk. "I can't blame you there."
Katara rolls her eyes.
Azula laughs. "I've never seen so much snow before. It's beautiful…" She squints at the intense reflection from the sun. "…almost blindingly so."
"Yeah, you'll get used to that," Sokka assures, also greeting Azula with a friendly handshake. Unlike Aang's welcome, Sokka's seems to be more genuine.
She turns to the waterbender whose stare is as icy as their surroundings. "Katara…" She doesn't know what to say to her, so she just nods.
"Azula."
"It's, um…" It's then that she notices Katara's figure. She knew beforehand Katara was pregnant but was never told how far along she was. It seems that Azula's traded in one cranky pregnant woman for another. "…well look at you. I didn't realize you and Mai were so close together in your pregnancies."
"I still have three months to go," she huffs, clearly aggravated by the comment.
"Oh, I-I didn't mean – " Great. Her first day and she's already managed to mess things up. "I just hope you're faring well." Quickly she turns to the remaining Water Tribe family member. "And you must be Head Chieftain Hakoda." She extends her hand. "It's a pleasure to formally make your acquaintance."
"You can call me Hakoda," he smiles, shaking her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Princess Azula."
"You can call me Azula," she smiles back.
"Okay, Azula it is. Shall we escort you to your inn?"
"That would be lovely, thank you." She reaches for her bag.
"Let me get that for you," Hakoda offers.
"It's okay, you don't have to. It's heavy."
"Heavy? Psh," Sokka dismisses, taking it upon himself to snatch the luggage from her, nearly dropping it. "Oh, this is heavy. What do you have in here anyway?"
"Oh you know, just the essentials. Clothes, toiletries, Pai Sho set, tsungi horn, a twenty-four pound elephant koi…"
Sokka chuckles.
"Wait really?!" Aang asks incredulously.
"No," Azula says shaking her head. "Zuko told me to pack extra clothes in case I got cold, and from the feel of it… I fear I may have under packed."
"Hey, maybe Katara can take you shopping for some proper Water Tribe attire." Hakoda's suggestion is met with awkward silence.
"…I'm never opposed to a shopping spree," Azula says quietly.
"Yippee," Katara mutters sarcastically.
The five proceed to walk over to the inn, making small talk along the way. Azula answers some questions about her trip and asks about how life has been in the Water Tribe since the Southern Reconstruction Project. She gets the impression Sokka and Hakoda appreciate the improvements while Katara wishes it looked more dissimilar to their sister tribe. Aang, as usual, tries his best to stay neutral, and Azula suspects Aang's discomfort around her probably has more to do with Katara's attitude than anything else.
"Well, here we are!" Aang announces as they approach the inn, one of the larger, more grandiose buildings Azula has seen so far.
"It's one of the finest inns the Southern Water Tribe has to offer," Sokka boastfully adds. "Nothing less for a princess."
"And more importantly," Aang continues, "it's just around the corner from where you'll be working."
"And where will I be working exactly?" Azula asks. "I've been told the Fire Nation Embassy is only in its early phases of construction."
"Which is why you'll be working in…" Sokka pauses for dramatic effect. "…the royal palace!"
Azula raises an eyebrow. "There's a royal palace?"
Katara groans. "Yes, Dad's ex-girlfriend and her brother, architects from the Northern Water Tribe, decided a royal palace was just what the south was lacking. It's supposed to 'command respect' or something like that."
"It's also still heavily under construction," Aang notes. "Not much of a palace at the moment."
"But it will be!" Sokka grins. "For now, you'll be sharing an office with Dad."
"Oh." She turns to Hakoda. "Are you sure? I wouldn't want to be a bother."
"Nonsense," he assures. "My office is plenty big enough for the both of us. Besides, I think it will be nice to have some company."
"Well, if you insist."
"I do," he smiles. "Hey, let's get you checked in to your room. You're probably freezing."
The room itself is lavish without being over-the-top. Azula finds comfort in the decadence. It's certainly large for one person, though not nearly as large as her bedroom back home.
"So what do you think?" Aang asks.
Sokka jumps in before she can answer. "I know it's not like living in the royal palace, but hopefully it'll be enough for your stay."
"It's more than enough, thank you," she says graciously.
"You sure you're going to be okay without your servants?" Katara asks sardonically.
Azula smiles, paying her no mind. "I think I'll manage somehow."
"Well, we'll let you get settled in," Hakoda says. "I know you're probably exhausted from your travels, but if you're feeling up for it, we'd love to treat you to dinner tonight."
Azula is taken aback by his generosity. "That's kind of you. Dinner sounds – "
"You've probably never had Southern Water Tribe food before, am I right?" Sokka asks with eager curiosity.
"No, I can't say I have…"
"Ooh, I hope you like sea prune stew, pickled fish, and blubbered seal jerky!" Katara sneers.
Not one to back down from a challenge, Azula smirks. "I love trying new foods."
"Great!" Sokka's grin widens. "Then I'll be here to pick you up when it's time for our reservation. See you later!"
She smiles as she watches them file out of her room, sighing audibly when she's finally alone. While she's grateful for the hospitality Sokka and Hakoda have shown her, she wishes things weren't so unbearable with Katara, and as a consequence, uncomfortable with Aang. She turns to start unpacking her bag when she hears footsteps behind her. A looming shadow cast from the doorway. It's Katara.
"Can I help you?" Azula asks with a flat tone.
"You can drop the act."
"Excuse me?"
"The nice girl act."
The princess groans and rolls her eyes.
"You may have everyone else fooled, but not me."
"Yeah… Zuko warned me you might make some longwinded speech about trust and forgiveness."
Her blue eyes narrow. "People don't just change overnight."
"Katara," she says frustratedly, "I don't know what to tell you. The war ended over a decade ago. I don't want to be here any more than you want me here – "
"I find that hard to believe."
"– We don't have to be friends, but while I'm here, can't we at least try to coexist without dispute?"
"No."
"And why's that?"
"Because I know who you really are," she spits. "You're the kind of person who lies and manipulates everyone to get your way. You're ruthless and cruel, and you don't care about anyone but yourself." She laughs derisively. "Even since the war ended, you tried to kill your own mother, ran away and had your brother worried sick, and then came back only to kidnap Fire Nation children – "
Azula tried to interject but the waterbender kept talking.
"– And then you even had the gall to spin it around and say you only did it to make Zuko look like an effective leader. So just what are you plotting now, hm?"
She just wants to curl into a ball and disappear. Her worst fears about going to the Southern Water Tribe are coming true. It turns out her paranoia was spot on. The rejection, having her past thrown right back in her face despite all the progress she's made, it's overwhelming. Her heart is racing, her head is spinning, she's doing all she can to keep her hands from shaking. Yet she puts on a brave face and retorts, "Would you like the long version or the short? You know, with all the evildoing I have planned, I'm afraid I really only have time to give you a brief summary."
"You can mock me all you want. Just know that whatever it is you have planned, it's not going to work. You're in the Southern Water Tribe now. I have eyes and ears everywhere."
"If you're really planning on spying on me, don't you think it would have been in your best interest to, I don't know, not tell me about it?" she laughs tauntingly.
"This isn't funny, Azula," she snarls, starting to get teary eyed.
The firebender wonders if she's taken things too far.
"You… you almost took my future from me." Katara places a hand on her pregnant stomach. "You almost killed Aang – "
"Yes, and that was wrong of me – "
"I will never forgive you."
The women stare at each other in burning silence for a moment.
"So you'd better watch your step," Katara bitterly continues. "Down here, you are powerless against me. You hear me? Powerless."
Azula smirks out of habit. "If you say so."
Katara storms out and Azula's left wondering why she can't just swallow her pride and be the bigger person for once in her life.
Thankfully, dinner has a far more jovial atmosphere. Hakoda's sitting alone at a table, signaling for Azula and Sokka to join him.
"I hope you don't mind, but I went ahead and ordered the sampling platter, or as I like to call it, a little bit of everything."
"Sounds perfect," Azula says, looking around the restaurant. "Um… where are Aang and Katara? Won't they be joining us?"
"Oh, um, Katara wasn't feeling well so she decided to stay home," Hakoda answers. "Aang stayed back to take care of her."
Azula can easily read between the lines. "I see."
"Hey, more for us!" Sokka chortles.
She gives him a halfhearted smile.
"Did, uhhh, Katara say something to you? Back at the inn?" Sokka asks before chuckling uncomfortably. "We almost left without her."
"Katara…" Azula isn't sure if she should say anything. She decides to keep things vague. "…may have lightly threatened me."
Hakoda sighs with disappointment. "You'll have to forgive my daughter. She hasn't been acting like herself lately. The pregnancy has been very hard on her, much more so than she anticipated."
"Yeah, she's been acting totally crazy," Sokka adds. "A real headache for all of us. If you thought she cried a lot before, you've seen nothing yet. Must be the hormones."
"Sokka," Hakoda says disapprovingly.
"What, it's true! All I'm saying is, I'm gonna be real happy when that kid is out of her."
"Well, I can understand that," Azula laughs. "I can't imagine it's easy to spawn a tiny human inside of you. Mai's been grouchier and bossier than usual too, however unbelievable that might seem. Zuko's hair is already starting to gray." Realizing her audience and what she just said, she turns to Hakoda, panicked. "N-Not that there's anything wrong with that. I find it makes him look more distinguished…"
Hakoda chuckles from deep within his belly, and Azula is instantly relieved. "Yeah, well, kids will do that to you. Speaking of, when is Mai due to deliver?"
"Any day now."
"You must be excited to be an aunt."
"You know," she smiles, "I'm not exactly a baby person, but… I really am."
He smiles warmly at her. "I bet you can't wait to get back home and meet your niece or nephew, but in the meantime, please let me know if there's anything I can do to make your stay more comfortable while you're here. I know you're probably feeling…" He pauses, his smile widening. "…out of your element."
"HAH!" Sokka bursts out laughing. "Good one, Dad!"
Azula covers her mouth as she snickers at the bad joke. "I can see where Sokka gets his sense of humor."
"Hey!" Sokka looks mildly offended. "That was funny!"
"I never said it wasn't!"
The food arrives and the three of them chow down. Southern Water Tribe cuisine is not her favorite, but she's enjoying her meal nonetheless. The company is good at the very least. She finds it surprisingly effortless to talk to Sokka and Hakoda. They're constantly cracking jokes and that puts her at ease. It doesn't hurt that Sokka has an arsenal of embarrassing Zuko stories seemingly large enough to match her own. Gradually the food disappears before their eyes, and not before long, they're left with content, very full bellies.
"Hey, you gonna finish that?" Sokka asks, eyeing the puffin-seal sausage on Azula's plate.
"I couldn't eat another bite," she says, shaking her head and passing the dish over to him before turning her attention to Hakoda. "Thank you so much for treating me to dinner. It's been a wonderful evening."
"You're very welcome." He laughs. "I wish we could eat like this every night."
"You can say that again!" Sokka agrees through a mouth full of sausage.
She snickers. "So… what time should I plan to be in the office tomorrow?"
"Azula, you just got here. Take the day off. Relax."
"No, it's okay, I really don't mind – "
"Sokka's going to give you the grand tour tomorrow."
"Is he now?" She turns to Sokka. "Are you being forced to do this?" she asks facetiously.
"No!" he laughs. "I want to."
"Sokka loves showing off the new and improved Water Tribe," Hakoda says.
"It's true," he grins. "So get ready for it because tomorrow it's just gonna be you and me."
She's caught off guard by his phrasing. Having someone in her life who deliberately wants to spend time alone with her is quite the rarity. Maybe it's all the food or his offer or a combination of the two, but suddenly she feels warm inside. "Well," she smiles, "how can I say no to that?"