Akemi paced the floor of her room as she twirled her emei blades in her fingers with nervous energy. Her stomach was twisted into cold knots of anxiety. She took deep breaths to calm her fraying nerves, but her heart continued to thunder in her ears.

Everything was starting to fall apart. Akemi just knew it. She was trying not to panic—she and Saura had been careful, hadn't they? There was no reason for Princess Ursa to suspect them of their treachery. They had been polite, noble guests in the Royal Palace, keeping their heads down but their ears open. But where was Mal-Chin?

The door opened without warning and Akemi quickly hid her daggers in the wide sleeve of her robe. She turned to see Princess Saura in the doorway, and hurriedly beckoned her in. The princess shut the door behind her and crossed the room.

"Did you receive an invitation to tea with Princess Ursa?" Saura demanded to know.

Akemi nodded. "Yes. A servant told me this morning. Did you?"

"I did." Saura brought her thumb to her mouth to chew the nail, but dropped her hand back to her side. She had recently given up that habit, and she wasn't about to start it up again.

"What do you think it means, Saura?" Akemi asked. There was a slight tremble in her voice. "Do you think—"

"No." The princess shook her head vehemently. "There is no way Ursa could suspect anything."

"But how do you know?" Akemi wrung her hands nervously. "I haven't seen Mal-Chin since yesterday. He was supposed to give us an update last night, wasn't he?"

"Perhaps something came up. You know how busy chamberlains can be." Saura spun on her heel and walked to the window. She pulled back the curtain and peered out. "We can't act suspicious, Akemi. We don't know if anything has happened, and you know as well as I do what will happen if we blow our cover."

Akemi nodded, her throat suddenly dry. She was regretting letting her father ever talk her into this. But it wasn't supposed to be this way, she thought. I was supposed to cozy up to the Fire Lord and try to get him to marry me. It wasn't supposed to happen like this.

But it was too little, too late now. If their treachery was discovered, she and Saura would certainly be imprisoned, or at the worst, put to death.

Saura took a deep breath before turning back to her accomplice. Her face was peaked, but her expression was composed. She was a well-behaved noblewoman through and through. She folded her arms into the sleeves of her robes where she surely hid her kubotan.

"We will act innocent. We must not give ourselves away. Our fathers worked hard to put us in our position, and we cannot let them, or Princess Azula, down," Saura said quietly. She crossed back over to Akemi and suddenly gripped the girl's wrist hard. Akemi yelped, but the princess held her. "You have guilt written all over your face. Pull yourself together, Akemi. I will not have my life jeopardized because you've lost your nerve."

"Let go of me," Akemi hissed. Her emei knives were cool against the skin of her free hand. One flick of her wrist would bring them out. Saura was well within throwing range. But then the colony princess released her. She resisted the urge to rub her tender skin and instead fixed Saura with a cool gaze, drawing herself up to her full height—although she was still several inches shorter than the princess. "You don't have to worry about me, Saura. I have just as much at stake as you do."

Saura withdrew herself. She strode over to the door and paused, one hand on the knob. She looked back at Akemi from over her shoulder. "I hope I don't, Lady Akemi. Because if you break under the pressure, or try to turn on me, I will end you. Do not doubt that."

Akemi returned the cold stare. "Likewise, Princess Saura."

Sokka trudged tiredly to the Fire Lord's study and knocked. He covered a yawn with his hand. A moment later the door opened, and Ty Lee let him in. She, Suki, and Ursa were having tea at the low table while discussing the most efficient way to go about interrogating the noble ladies.

Sokka sank onto a cushion and gratefully took the cup of tea Princess Ursa offered him. She looked tired too, with shadows beneath her eyes. She had gone back to her room with Suki and dressed for the day, but it didn't cover the fact that she had barely gotten any sleep the previous night. Sokka knew he looked just as rough.

After escorting the prisoners down to the abandoned cells under the palace and leaving a few of the Kyoshi Warriors to guard them, Sokka had spent the rest of the night questioning Mal-Chin and the assassin, Takeshi. It had been a mostly fruitless endeavor. The assassin had refused to talk once the truth tea had worn off, and most of what Mal-Chin knew they had learned from Takeshi. Although he had learned something from him.

"Did you learn anything new from them, Sokka?" Ursa asked him without preamble.

Sokka slowly nodded. He felt his neck creak as he did. "Mal-Chin was more than willing to talk. Unfortunately I already knew most of it, thanks to the truth tea we gave the assassin, but he did tell me something interesting."

"What did he say?" Suki demanded to know.

"Alasie. She's been feeding the New Ozai Society intel for months." His hand curled around his teacup in anger and his jaw tightened. "Mal-Chin found out about her relationship with Zuko and informed Ukano. Ukano told Mal-Chin to turn her to their side."

Suki's brow creased. "What could they possibly offer her to betray Zuko like that? If she cared about him at all, they must have offered something pretty good."

"Money and a powerful position in the government when Ozai was put back on the throne," Sokka said darkly. His jaw clenched. "Obviously, she took it."

Sokka was disgusted. His father and Bato had asked his opinion on a diplomat two years ago, after the last one, Tuknuk, had retired. He had recommended Alasie, because he thought she was intelligent, eloquent, and authentic. Clearly, he had been wrong. Now he needed to let his father know about her deception.

Ursa shook her head sadly. She was angry, but she was also sad for her son. Everything he had worked so hard for was crumbling. The people he thought he could trust were traitors. It had all been a farce. She knew it would devastate Zuko when he returned. He would have to start all over again. Would he ever be free of his father's shadow, or was his rule doomed to be plagued by treason and betrayal?

"That doesn't sound right to me," Ty Lee said quietly.

"Why not?" Ursa asked.

Ty Lee chewed her bottom lip thoughtfully. "Why would someone from one of the water tribes want a position in the Fire Nation's government? Her defection would ruin any hope of being an ambassador to the South Pole. Why would Ozai want her around at that point?"

"She'd make a pretty concubine," Sokka muttered darkly. Suki elbowed him sharply, but he just shrugged, too tired to defend himself or argue.

"There has to be another reason," Ty Lee insisted. "Besides, we all know what will happen with Ozai back on the throne."

"He'd try to finish what his grandfather started," Ursa said grimly. "And if Azula successfully captures the Conduit, it would be easy enough." She looked at Ty Lee. "Perhaps you're right, Ty Lee. Alasie's betrayal doesn't make much sense, which is why I was reluctant to trust her in the first place."

"But Mal-Chin says she's on their side," Sokka reminded them. "So what do we do about her in the meantime?"

"We'll arrest all of three of them. Akemi, Saura, and Alasie." Ursa frowned unhappily. "It won't go over well once word gets out. Princess Saura's father rules a city-state in an Earth Kingdom colony. He is very powerful. And Akemi's father is well-known and liked amongst the Fire Nation military and the court. He rose through the ranks under Ozai, but Zuko thought he could be trusted. Admiral Jee said he could be."

"Do you think Admiral Jee might be a turncoat too?" Ty Lee inquired.

Ursa pinched the bridge of her nose between her fingers, a move so like her son it was impossible not to see their resemblance. "I don't know, Ty Lee. I don't know who can be trusted. From here on out, I don't think we can trust anyone but ourselves and the Kyoshi Warriors." She sighed. "We will also need to speak with their families at some point. If the girls are involved, it's possible that their parents, particularly their fathers, are as well."

"Probably not Alasie, though," Sokka interjected. "Her mom is down in the South Pole and she's...she's a kind person. She would never get mixed up in something like this."

"We can't be too careful, Sokka," Ursa said. "I'll have to send a missive to Chief Hakoda and inform him. He can speak with Alasie's mother." She looked up at Suki. "I need you to go and get my daughter. Her caretaker, Kayo, has never given me a reason to doubt her, but then again, Mal-Chin hadn't either." She sighed heavily. "I want the Kyoshi Warriors to watch over her until further notice."

Suki rose to her feet and bowed. "I'll do that right away. Your daughter will be safe with us, Princess Ursa."

"Thank you." Ursa scrubbed her cheek with one weary hand. "I'll send word to my husband, as well. I've kept him up to date about what has been going on, and he has asked if he should return to the Fire Nation. I don't think that's a wise idea. He shouldn't come home...not until this is dealt with."

After Suki left the room, Ty Lee stood up and turned to Sokka and Ursa. "Is it alright if I leave for a while?"

"What for, Ty Lee?" Ursa inquired.

Ty Lee twisted her fingers. "I need to see someone. Someone who might know something about this."

"Who?" Sokka asked.

Ty Lee rocked nervously on the balls of her feet. "Mai."

Ursa's expression did not reveal her thoughts. She also did not question the acrobatic warrior. "Alright, Ty Lee."

She explained herself even though Ursa did not ask her to. "I need to know if she knew. She and I are still close, even after she and Zuko…" Ty Lee's mouth twisted as she tried to think of the words she wanted to say. "I don't think she knows. But I have to be sure."

"I don't know if you should go alone, Ty Lee." Sokka stood up and put one hand on her shoulder, his face creasing with worry.

He didn't like the thought of them splitting up. As far as he knew, they were the only ones standing between Zuko's right to rule and a full-blown coup. And nothing good had ever happened when he and his friends were separated. Azula had taken control of the Earth Kingdom when they had been split up. Aang had locked himself out of the Avatar state. Things had unraveled between his sister and Aang, and Zuko had been dealing with dissent. And now they were all separated again...he and Suki, Toph and Aang, Zuko and Katara.

"I'll be fine," Ty Lee assured him. A small smile crossed her face for one fleeting moment. "I can handle myself."

"I need you here, Sokka," Ursa said quietly. Her eyes were intense, like two small suns. "I need you and the Kyoshi Warriors to be there to arrest the traitors."

Sokka sighed unhappily. He squeezed Ty Lee's shoulder, his mouth set in a grim line. "Be careful, okay? When Azula makes her move, we need every trustworthy person we have on our side. We all have to watch our backs now."

Ty Lee's eyes were like cold steel. "I know."

The acrobat departed, and then it was just Ursa and Sokka. The Fire Nation princess stood and folded her hands into the sleeves of her robes. For a moment, neither of them spoke. They only looked at each other, sharing a look of exhaustion and bleakness.

"We have to warn Zuko," Sokka said at last, his voice dull and lifeless.

"I know. I sent word to Iroh while you were away. I only hope he knows where my son is." Her face crumpled for a brief moment before she inhaled deeply and her countenance calmed. "He will have to start over...again. I don't know how he will find trustworthy advisors."

Sokka straightened."Toph has a knack for knowing when people are lying. It's her seismic sense. I'm sure she'll help. And he'll have me. I won't go running back to the South Pole when all of this is over." He hesitated for a moment before adding, "I don't think Katara will, either."

A ghost of a smile danced over the princess's lips. "No, I don't think she will either. She and my son...they share a bond. He told me about the Agni Kai, about what they did for each other."

"I always thought she was meant to be with Aang," Sokka mused, saying aloud words he had never dared to say before. "But maybe I was wrong."

Sokka thought of Toph. While Zuko and Katara had been busy saving each other's lives in the Fire Nation, he and Toph had also been staring death in the face as he fought off two comet-charged firebenders with a broken leg and only one hand. His other hand had been the only thing keeping Toph from falling to her death. Parallels, he thought. We all walked separate paths that day, and yet, they weren't all that different. Maybe that's what's happening here, too.

Ursa's response was cool and seemed to know more than she let on. "Maybe you were. Only time will tell."

Mai sat on a plush stuffed cushion in her bedroom, twirling a shuriken between her fingers as she stared at a wasp-fly that buzzed lazily over a half-eaten fruit tart on the nearby table. She was, as usual, perpetually bored.

Downstairs, her parents were hosting a few stuffy noblemen for an early-morning meeting. She had managed to avoid that torture by claiming she was having feminine issues. Any mention of lady problems had her dad squirming uncomfortably and willing to do whatever it took to not have to hear about it. Claiming she was menstruating worked every time.

Life had been boring ever since she had broken up with Zuko. Well, if she were being honest with herself, it had been a little boring before that too. Had she married him, there would have been tons of things to do. But since he hadn't proposed yet, she had been left to roam the halls or find other ways to amuse herself when Zuko wasn't available...which had been frequently.

She didn't understand the hype that all of the noble girls her parents made her host were talking about. Being the Fire Lord's girlfriend was dull. Her boyfriend had been occupied in meetings all day or working on paperwork in his study. He never tried to sneak away to see her, nor did he ever try to find a quiet place in an empty hallway or behind a curtain to express his feelings for her, like all the silly, giggling noble girls daydreamed about. And when he had finally been done with work, he was usually too tired or ill-tempered for her to be able to even enjoy his company. And she never got to spend all night with him either, like she was sure they thought.

Mai could only imagine how much worse it would have been as Fire Lady. She was almost grateful Zuko had never proposed. That prospect alone kept her from going back to him. She had decided she wasn't cut out for a life of stiff dresses and tea parties, no matter what her parents tried to force on her.

Mai was a storm: wild and untamable. Her calm exterior hid the maelstrom inside of her. She craved excitement and thrills where all she ever found was routine and repetition. She needed it the way her lungs needed air. She had hoped to find it in her boyfriend. But that hadn't worked either.

Mai didn't know what would.

With a listless sigh, the shuriken left her fingertips and sliced through the air. It embedded itself in the wooden frame of her bedpost, the wasp-fly pierced by its wing. It buzzed frantically, twitching, bringing its own demise sooner.

"Yuyan Archers, who?" A humorless smirk curved her lips. Then she sighed again.

She heard a faint disturbance on her balcony and moved quickly, dropping into a crouch. More knives were gripped between her fingers as Mai trained her eyes on the window. What was out there in the early morning light? An assassin? Someone else? Something else?

Whatever it was, it was surely more exciting than killing wasp-flies.

A moment later Ty Lee landed gracefully on the stone parapet. She locked eyes with Mai and sent her long-time friend a tight smile. She didn't miss the deep hollows beneath the acrobat's eyes, or how dishevelled she looked in her Kyoshi uniform. Her braid had flyaway wisps sticking out of it and her makeup was smeared in some places, faded in others.

Mai stood. "Well, don't just stand there, Ty Lee."

The acrobat-turned-Kyoshi-Warrior let herself into the noble woman's bedroom. She hesitated just inside, her body not betraying the way she was coiled tight inside, like a cable ready to snap.

"Long time, no see," Mai rasped. "How is the palace these days?" Her eyes flashed. "How is Zuko?"

Ty Lee watched her friend closely. Her smile did not quite reach her eyes, and Mai suspected this wasn't a social call. "He's fine. He's on vacation."

"So I've heard." Mai sheathed her shurikens. "I'm surprised you're not a part of his personal entourage." She narrowed her eyes. "But I guess a certain waterbending master is enough protection for the Fire Lord."

Ty Lee's expression did not betray her surprise. But her heart skipped in her chest. Does this mean she's betrayed Zuko, too?

Mai went on, as if she could hear Ty Lee's thoughts. "I know about his search for the Conduit with Princess Katara." She might not have liked the hopeful waterbender much, but Mai was a noble lady, born and raised, and she would rather spit on her grandmother's grave than disrespect royalty...no matter how loosely that definition applied.

Ty Lee pressed her lips into a thin line and shifted her stance minimally, ready to dodge Mai's deadly blades if her oldest friend turned on her. She was ready to attack and disable her, if she needed to. There was too much at stake to let friendship stop her. Ty Lee knew she had to protect Zuko and his throne at all costs, even her life.

"You shouldn't look so surprised, Ty Lee. It's almost offensive. What do you think I've been up to all this time?" Mai's expression didn't shift. She spoke two words, her rasping voice cutting through the air as sharply as her shurikens: "I know."

Sokka stood hidden behind a false panel in Ursa's solar.

He had gotten a brief look at the room when Ursa had ushered him and some of the other Kyoshi warriors inside and crowded them into the small room behind the false wall. It was an impressive space, with floor-to-ceiling windows that let in the early autumn sunlight. It was an open space, with little opportunity to invite in treachery.

It was the perfect place to arrest the traitors.

Sokka's blood was still boiling at Alasie's betrayal. He wasn't sure if he wanted to believe what Ty Lee had said. He wanted to...but he wouldn't, not until he had proof. He had known her since she was a little girl. She was just a year younger than Katara. Her mother had been the best seamstress in their tribe. How many times had Sokka gone to their hut to have a hole stitched or to have his pants lengthened by Alasie's sweet mother, while young Alasie sat near the firepit, playing with her carved dolls, peeping at him from beneath her thick lashes?

In a different world, one where Aang hadn't come back and Sokka and Katara had never left the South Pole, he could have grown up to marry her. The thought made Sokka's stomach churn.

Her betrayal was personal. She was from the Southern Water Tribe.

No matter what punishment Zuko or his mother might want to dole out to her, the Southern Water Tribe would punish her, too. The customs of their tribe demanded it. A betrayal was one of the worst grievances a tribe member could commit.

Sokka didn't even want to imagine Katara's fury when she found out. He almost felt bad for Alasie.

Almost.

Sokka shook his head to clear it. He needed his focus to be clear there was too much banking on this. He didn't have time to think about what came after. He needed to be here, in the now.

He didn't care to leave Princess Ursa relatively unguarded while she had tea with the noble ladies and the diplomat, but he couldn't shake Ursa from her plan. He had to admit, it was a good plan, too. The noble women and the traitorous ambassador would never see it coming.

The Fire Nation princess was filled with a cold fury; it was evident in the frost in her voice and the icy daggers in her eyes. It was an anger so unlike her son's fiery temper, Sokka wasn't sure how to handle it. All he knew was that he didn't want to be on the receiving end of that rage.

He peeked through the thin slits in the false panel. Sokka could see Princess Ursa sitting at the low round table. Her eyes were trained on the door. Her face was stoic and betrayed nothing of what she was feeling or thinking.

There came a knock at the door to the solar. Ursa's voice was as calm as a still pond. "You may enter."

Sokka listened as the door opened. A deep voice, that of a man, said, "Princess Ursa, Princess Saura, Lady Akemi, and Miss Alasie are here for their appointment with her Highness."

"Permit them, Shan."

"Right away, my lady."

A moment later, Sokka heard new footsteps on the marble flooring. Princess Ursa rose from her spot and bowed, her eyes never leaving the newcomers. Sokka watched as the three traitors came into view. Their backs were to him and he couldn't see their faces, and Ursa's was a placid mask that revealed nothing, so he couldn't get a read on the situation.

"Sit, girls," Ursa said. She flashed a smile at them. "We have much to talk about."

"It is an honor to join you for tea, your Highness," the tallest girl, the one Ursa had told him was Princess Saura, greeted as she bowed. Sokka suspected her to be the most worrisome of the three. "It is also a pleasant surprise."

"I hope I didn't pull you away from something important," Ursa remarked lightly as she sank back onto her cushion.

The other girls sat as well. Princess Saura spoke again. "Oh, no, your Highness. We have been patiently awaiting his grace's return and enjoying the sights of the capital. It's nothing so important we would miss tea with his lordship's beloved mother."

"So that you may win his hand in marriage, of course," Ursa deadpanned. Her smile was so cold Sokka could almost feel the temperature in the room drop. He watched the princess's right hand, waiting for the signal they had agreed upon.

"That is why we are here, my lady," Akemi said. Her voice lilted. "Unless we were somehow mistaken when Chamberlain Mal-Chin requested our presence?

She's onto us, Sokka thought as warning bells flared in his head. He sent a silent prayer to Ursa: make this quick. I don't trust them one bit. They're a bunch of viper-rats, waiting to strike.

Sokka held up one hand, his index and middle fingers pointing toward the ceiling of the dim hidden space. He heard the Kyoshi warriors move behind him, the motions nearly imperceptible as they readied themselves for his signal.

He couldn't believe he had once thought they were a bunch of silly girls with fans and makeup. He was eternally grateful for their presence now. It was an honor to fight at their side.

"Of course, Lady Akemi," Princess Ursa said coolly. Her eyes moved across each girl. Sokka tensed, waiting, like a polar bear dog ready to pounce. "Your fathers are quite clever, you know. It almost worked."

"I beg your pardon, your highness?" Saura inquired, her voice the perfect sound of innocence. It made Sokka's blood boil.

Ursa's eyes flashed like hot sparks. Her mouth contorted into a scowl. Her right hand clenched into a fist on her lap. Sokka trained his eyes on her white knuckles. Her voice was a venomous hiss directed at Saura. "Then beg." Her hand opened, palm face-down.

Sokka dropped his fingers. The Kyoshi warrior to his right, Ichika, slid the false panel back in one fluid movement and then a half a dozen warriors poured from the small space, fans and swords brandished. Sokka led them as they swept across the small space. Two of the Kyoshi Warriors moved to position themselves between Princess Ursa and the traitors while the rest fanned out.

The three traitors reacted. Akemi and Saura jumped to their feet, weapons slipping from the sleeves of their robes into their hands. They stood back-to-back, eyes combing over the Kyoshi warriors, reading the situation and their odds of getting out of this.

It wasn't in their favor.

Sokka pointed the tip of his sword at Saura's throat. Her amber eyes flared and her lips pulled back in a snarl.

"Don't even think about it," Sokka warned her, his voice a low growl.

Alasie stayed seated on the cushions, her hands raised above her head in surrender, her head hung until her chin nearly rested on her shuddering chest. Her voice was a harsh whisper in the dead-quiet of the solar. "Tui and La, forgive me."

Sokka collapsed onto the cushion without grace, his eyes falling closed. He would have fallen asleep in moments if it weren't for the hand that wrapped around his own. He forced his eyes open and looked into Suki's cool eyes. The skin around them was pinched and drawn. She was exhausted, too.

"We'll get some sleep soon, Sokka," she said quietly.

He nodded, too tired to even answer her. He propped his weary head up on his fist and turned his attention to Princess Ursa, who sat quietly, watching him, on the other side of the tea table in the Fire Lord's study. It was clear the princess's energy was also waning. It had been a long night and an even longer day. Hours had passed since they had arrested the noble ladies and Alasie, and Sokka didn't know how much more he could take.

"Princess Saura is made of tougher stuff than we would've thought," Sokka murmured without waiting to be asked how the interrogation had gone. He fought back a yawn. Outside the window, the sun was sinking readily toward the horizon. "She won't talk."

"Do I need to brew more truth tea?" Ursa asked darkly. Her brow was knit. She didn't want to, but if she needed to...she would.

Sokka shook his head. "No. I think we got plenty of information from Akemi." He ran his free hand down his face, rubbing his palm over the scruff. "Azula really thought this through. I mean, I knew she was a cunning strategist, but...she really is something else."

"What did Akemi say that we didn't already know?" Ursa asked.

"They really were supposed to be potential brides for Zuko," Sokka revealed. "He was supposed to marry one of them, and then they would find a way to get rid of him, either by assassinating him themselves or helping someone else do it. I'd assume it probably would have been the Kage Noshi."

Suki scowled. "Those...those...worms. What scum, unfit and unworthy of their titles."

She clenched her hands into fists. She and Zuko had become unlikely friends after their first meeting when he nearly burned down her home. That friendship had only deepened over her years as his personal guard. She had seen him suffer through his and Mai's breakup, had seen him agonize over his nation. All he ever tried to do was make things better for everyone. He didn't deserve this.

"That plan changed when Iroh showed up and sent him off with my sister." Sokka couldn't stifle the yawn this time; instead he hid it behind his hand. "I apologize," he said meekly, but Ursa waved him off. They were running on little to no sleep; it was understandable. He continued. "Azula decided to keep them waiting here, in case her other plan fell through."

"And what plan was that?"

Sokka shrugged. "Akemi didn't know. She said that Mal-Chin acted as a messenger to give them orders. Saura and Akemi were never in direct contact with Azula. Their fathers passed orders from Ukano to them until they arrived at the palace, which is when Mal-Chin took over. And Mal-Chin received his orders from Ukano. Until…" He trailed off, grimacing.

"Until what, Sokka?" Ursa implored quietly.

"Apparently, Alasie earned Azula's trust very quickly," he answered darkly. "She's Azula's right-hand woman."

"Why?" Suki voiced what they had all been thinking. She fisted her hands on her thighs. "Ty Lee is right. It doesn't make any sense!"

"That is, of course, if Akemi can be fully believed," Ursa replied. She looked at Sokka. "She may have fed you enough of the truth to make herself seem like she can be believed, but said that to make Alasie look worse than she did."

"That's a good point, actually," Suki murmured, considering that thoughtfully.

"Did they give any more names?" Ursa wanted to know.

Sokka nodded, his eyes falling closed. "Some of Zuko's other trusted advisors. Hideko, from the Council of Internal Affairs. Minister Jian. Minister Kaito. Commander Riku. The captain of the royal guard."

With each name, Ursa's heart fell until she could feel it settle in the pit of her stomach. A cold had seeped into her bones when she first learned of Mal-Chin's betrayal. It spread through her now like a blizzard. She felt sick to her stomach and enraged and devastated all at once. But she had to keep herself together. She had to push back against the cold that threatened to overwhelm her. She was the regent Fire Lord; she had a responsibility to handle.

"Alasie had some interesting things to say," Sokka remarked. "She claims that she was blackmailed into working alongside Azula."

"Blackmailed?" Ursa's tone was sharp. Her teeth ground together. The situation became more entangled as they uncovered more and more of the plot.

"She says that one night people broke into her room and knocked her unconscious. When she awoke she was in some windowless room. She said an older guy was there, and a girl with golden eyes and blue flames—" Sokka looked pointedly at Ursa. "—and they told her that they knew she had been with the Fire Lord. They told her that if she didn't become a mole, they would expose her secret relationship."

Ursa closed her eyes. Fire Lords had always had their concubines and mistresses, but they were palace secrets. And none of their courtesans had ever held such a lucrative position as diplomat to a foreign nation. Ursa could imagine the accusations, both from within Zuko's court and from the other nations. They would accuse him of bias, of favoritism. They would accuse the Southern Water Tribe of trying to influence the Fire Nation. It would disrupt peace relations between the nations and jeopardize everything Zuko had spent the last five years working towards. Even Hakoda's sway over the Earth Kingdom and Northern Water Tribe might not be enough to fix that kind of damage. And that was if Hakoda would even want to.

She almost couldn't believe her son had been foolish enough to engage in this relationship in the first place. He would have understood the risks. Ursa thought he was more responsible than that. But the more she thought about it, the more she realized how lonely Zuko must have felt. His friends were off in all corners of the world, and he and Mai had broken up. He was facing discontentment and even downright hostility from the court and must have felt that he had nowhere to turn to. He must have found companionship in her, something to fill the loneliness inside of him.

"Do you believe her, Sokka?" Ursa asked quietly.

Sokka looked up at the princess. "I think I do." He sighed heavily. "Not enough to just set her free, of course. But I really think she was blackmailed into it. The other two? They committed their crimes willingly enough."

"They will be justly punished, along with any other traitors." Ursa's voice was soft, but filled with power. "Has anyone seen Ty Lee?"

"Not since she went to go see Mai," Sokka answered. "That was hours ago. Do you think…"

"We better hope not," Ursa said grimly. None of them dared to say the worst out loud. "If...if my son does not make it back from the desert, we'll need Ty Lee's speed and chi-blocking against Azula. Besides Katara, she's the only other person who has ever defeated her."

Suki frowned. "Do you think she's alright? Should I go after her?"

The words had scarcely left her lips when there was a knock at the study door. Sokka, Ursa, and Suki exchanged a glance. There were two Kyoshi Warriors posted outside the door, but one could never be too cautious.

"Princess, it's Ty Lee," Ichika said from the other side. "Lady Mai is with her."

Sokka sat upright, suddenly at attention. He glanced over at Ursa. "Do you think that's a good thing, or a bad thing?"

The princess's mouth quirked up into a wry smile. "There's only one way to find out."

Ursa stood and went to the door. When she pulled it open, Ty Lee and Mai stood on the other side, the Kyoshi Warriors standing warily beside them, their weapons at the ready, although Ty Lee did not look worried at all.

Ursa's eyes landed on Mai. She had grown up so much from the gangly, quiet child she had once been. "It's been too long, Lady Mai."

The knife-thrower bowed respectfully. "I agree, your Highness. I apologize for my disrespect."

"Rise, child," Ursa said. Her eyes flickered to Ty Lee and back to Mai. "I'm assuming, if you're here, you can be trusted."

"I hope you can trust me," Mai murmured. She looked at Ursa, her expression unreadable. "I know what Azula is planning."