Ty Lee paced the tatami floors Azula's "battle chamber". One of literally hundreds of themed meeting rooms the greater Palace grounds had to offer, this was smaller than most – a stand alone building in far corner of the East Gardens. Except for when Azula asked to use it, it remained locked up, all but forgotten. Little more than a gazebo it had large paneled doors that opened on the spectacularly crafted views of the meandering streams and artfully trained trees. From the brazier in the center of the room, Ty Lee knew it was exclusively meant for solemn traditional tea ceremonies, and not casual get-togethers, much less dirty scheming. Ty Lee's court trained sensibilities felt a bit bruised, but there was no arguing with the princess.

That was Azula's thinking at work: let other people's expectations hide her intentions. She could plan her strategies far from the servants that bustled, and spied, around the main houses. Anyone could be seen approaching, and from a distance it looked the Princess was merely drinking tea with a few friends, and perhaps indulging in some light reading – poetry perhaps. Not crafting plots that came so close to treason it made Ty Lee's teeth ache.

If Azula's father ever caught on... He wouldn't be pleased to know the extent he'd been kept in the dark on her side projects. Though Azula never, ever spoke of deposing her own father and taking the throne, there was something in her manner that suggested that her plans didn't end with the current Avatar crisis, and the schemes she shared in this lonely beautiful building were just a small part of some greater plan known only to herself.

And smack in the middle of all this, caught up like a rat, was Ty Lee. No way to refuse, no forgiveness in agreeing. Know way to even guess what was to come. All she could do was smile, smile, smile, and trust it would all work out.

Usually it did… but sometimes it didn't. Lately it hadn't quite a bit. While failure normally meant recouping and trying again in a new way, that wasn't the case here. Ty Lee could see a dozen ways she could end up with a broken heart out of this, even if Azula got what she wanted.

And Ty Lee resented that. It shouldn't surprise or annoy her that Azula would use her feelings as fodder in her war. After all, Azula risked Ty Lee's life readily enough. But somehow it seemed less fair and more personal. She just wished she knew what Azula's real plan was.

Ty Lee paced around, then finding that insufficient to calm the restlessness in her limbs, she tried a few positions. There was little room for doing anything more than stretches and bends, but by concentrating on her body, and the flow of chi within her, she was able to quiet her mind.

The faint sound of voices alerted her and she looked up from the lotus position to see Azula walking down the petal strewn path, followed closely by Mai and Zuko. The Princess walked slowly, turning her head from side to side, as if admiring the breathtaking views at each step. Ty Lee knew better, Azula never dropped her guard. She was looking for traps and scouting for spies. It was really sad in a way that Azula couldn't appreciate the benefits of the life that she fought and schemed so hard for.

Behind her, Mai and Zuko seemed equally oblivious to the greenery but their reasons were different. They leaned into each other, alone in their own universe. Their eyes saw only each other their lips moved in quiet conversation.

Ty Lee stared at the way Mai's hand was folded into Zuko's. Then she looked down at her own small fingers with disappointment. How warm it must be to feel someone's hand around hers. How sweet. She'd never held Sokka's hand, but she could have. It wasn't like he could have stopped her.

She regretted not opting to turn Sokka into her boyfriend, even if it was a risk. The thought of the unconventional warrior made her heart flutter. At odd times during the day she found herself mulling over the shape of his face. The memory of his voice made her shudder. Even his smell was strangely alluring. She thought of him at night, and felt a deep, pleasurable ache inside. Now seeing Mai's hand softly wrapped in Zuko's, her own hand felt a phantom tingle and her heart a pang of frustration.

He was in her grasp. He could have been hers, no doubts, no worries, but instead she'd pushed him away in a fit of hurt feelings. Why had she done that? Why?

Yes, it may have been cheating to force the issue through mind control, but did it really matter how he came to want her? She wanted him. She deserved him. And Azula had all but foisted him on her. She had no one to blame but herself, and now pride wouldn't let her go back to Azula and tell her that she'd changed her mind. More than pride, actually, it flat out wasn't safe -- Azula had no respect for the wishy-washy. Ty Lee feared Azula's wrath more than anything.

At least the opportunity for romance was still there, she hadn't completely thrown away her chance. She could seduce Sokka the ordinary way. Charm him with her skills and personality. Hey, it worked on all the other guys, no reason to suspect that Sokka would be immune.

But Sokka wasn't like those other guys, he was better. Leagues better. Ty Lee paused in her stretches and frowned. He could have his pick of girls, easily, why would he settle for her. She didn't even know if Sokka found her remotely attractive. The carriage ride should have made it clear but it hadn't. All that conversation, all that time, and the one thing she truly wanted to know, he'd kept from her. It would be agony to have him always near her, to want him and not have him want her back.

"Good, we are all here," said Azula, breaking her train of thought. The Princess climbed the stairs to the room, pausing at the rice paper door, to slide off her heavy outdoor shoes and don in their stead lighter silk slippers. With an almost offhand thrust of her arm she set the brazier alight.

Mai and Zuko settled themselves comfortably on the pillows, but Ty Lee found her muscles didn't want to relax, so she went to sweep the few stray leaves that had blown in, using the small broom left behind by the servants for that purpose.

"In a few minutes," said Azula, settling herself comfortably down across the brazier from Mai and Zuko, "I'm going to introduce you to a new friend. I want you all to make him feel very welcome, no matter what your natural inclinations are." Her eyes narrowed on Zuko. "You especially, brother. You've been grousing about this being a hen party, well, here's another rooster for you to spar with."

"What are you talking about?" growled Zuko.

"I'm saying that I have a very good reason for having this new friend join our cozy foursome." She swept her eyes to include Mai. "And I'm not going to have you mess it up. So mind your manners. As contrary to your natural temperament as it must be for the two of you, try to be friendly. Smile occasionally." Azula demonstrated. The effect was somewhat terrifying.

"Do I have to?" intoned Mai dryly.

Azula leaned her head back, smile gone. "And Ty Lee, if nervousness is making you restless to do something, you could start the tea. It's less distracting than you fluttering about."

"Yes, Azula," said Ty Lee, flicking the last of the leaves out the door with the tiny broom. She washed her hands in a china basin, then set to preparing the tea.

"So who is this person, and why are we pretending we like him?" Zuko pressed. "And why does Ty Lee look like she's swallowed a lemon."

"This is a way to solve our problems, especially yours Zuko." Azula stretched and rolled her neck. Her aura burned with an intensity that belied her casual tone. "Ty Lee has been in on this from almost the beginning, so she knows what's coming. Two weeks ago I dispatched her to pick up one of the Avatar's closest companions. She succeeded without incident, as expected, and he's now waiting for my word to join us."

Zuko's eyes narrowed. "You want us to be chummy with one of the Avatar's friends? Are you crazy?"

"I hope it's the water girl," said Mai. "She seemed less annoying than the others."

"You weren't listening, Mai," said Zuko, "She already said it was the boy."

"I heard," said Mai. "I just hoped I'd misheard."

"Sokka is not annoying," Ty Lee spoke up. She dumped a handful of washed tealeaves into the pot with a bit more force than was strictly necessary. "He's cute and smart and funny."

"Oh, I get it," said Mai. "This is to fix Ty Lee's boyfriend problem. Honestly, I don't see why she couldn't just settle for one of the million Fire Nation guys who adore her. Why go shopping on the other side?"

"I do not have a boyfriend problem!"

"Settle down," said Azula with a chuckle. "And don't be silly. This isn't about solving Ty Lee's boyfriend problems. This is about capturing the Avatar."

Azula stood up, and started to pace. "You see, that's the trouble we've been having all this time. We can catch up to him, sure, no trouble. Between Zuzu and myself we've done that a dozen times already. We can even defeat him. But we can't hold him. That is where we've always fallen down. No chains, no prison, no amount of guards will keep him down for long. Not even death itself.

"Unless…." Azula stopped and smiled. "Unless we can convince him to join our side."

"That's not going to happen," said Zuko. "He won't be persuaded."

"Not naturally, no," said Azula. "But I don't intend on limiting myself to natural means of persuasion. You all remember the techniques in mind-training used by the Dai Li?" She let her voice hang on the rhetorical question, and curled her lips into a conspiratorial smile.

"You intend on brainwashing the Avatar?" asked Mai. A rare smile graced her face. "Oh that should be fun to see."

"Oh I see. And Sokka is a test of this theory," said Zuko. "You've already brainwashed him to believe he's on our side, and now we are supposed to welcome him into our little group, so you can see how well the process works."

"You know, Zuzu, I like it when you show you can think. And Mai, exactly. With the Avatar at my side, I will be invincible."

"I think I like the irony of this," said Mai. "But it all seems too easy."

Zuko said nothing but looked fiercely the floor in front of him. One of his hands closed in a fist, but then let go. He looked up a moment later he looked up, quiet but watchful. Ty Lee wondered what he was thinking.

Azula's eyes were on her brother, even as she replied to Mai. "Yes it does. And it's not without considerable risk. The damage he could cause should his conditioning slip would be tremendous. That's why we must find an excuse to keep Sokka close to us – watch his every move. If there is even a suggestion that his conditioning is deteriorating I need to know." Azula sat down on her pillow and poured the tea. "The timing for this is tight at best. We have less than two months before the eclipse. On that day, the Avatar had better be fighting on my side, or dead. Which it will be depends on Sokka. Speaking of which, it is time for him to join us. I will be back in a minute."

Azula stood again and put on her shoes. "Remember, mind your manners. And shhh!"

"Well this is drag," said Mai. "I'm no good at entertaining people, and I have no interest playing babysitter to some Water Tribe buffoon who got himself caught up in world events."

"Well you don't have to worry about that," said Ty Lee, pouring herself some tea. "Sokka is my problem, not yours."

"This is going to end in disaster," Zuko predicted.

"If only he were just your problem, Ty Lee," said Mai. "Azula made it clear this is a group effort. Why couldn't you have fallen for one of those guys at the beach? They at least had some breeding. Sokka is so… crass. I hope he isn't one of those bathe-once-a-year types."

"Oh like Zuko is some wonderful catch," Ty Lee. "All brooding and angry and lashing out every ten seconds."

"Hey, I'm right here!" Zuko sat up, then his eyes focused beyond Ty Lee's ear. "Both of you shut up already. They are coming."

Ty Lee turned and saw Azula leading Sokka up the path. She was surprised to see Azula hadn't dressed him in the servants uniform, but rather in an outfit not too dissimilar to the one she'd seen him in before. His topknot was held by a catch that was just a shade too fine for the working class. Which was just as well, because he didn't walk like a servant, or mind his mistress like a servant. His eyes were on the scenery, and Ty Lee could tell he was looking at the flowerbeds, and not scanning for assassins.

Ty Lee's heart fluttered a bit and she felt a pleasant warmth in her face. Gone was Sokka's glum, pessimistic pout. In its place was a look of excitement and interest. He seemed so handsome with the frown lines gone and his eyes wide with wonder.

Ty Lee rose as Azula mounted the steps, Sokka a step or two behind. "Let me introduce you to Ty Lee's new apprentice," said Azula. Sokka paused in removing his shoes to bow deeply, palm to fist. "This is Sokka."

Ty Lee's face fell. Apprentice? That wasn't what she'd requested he be. Ty Lee's chest began to flutter with worry. What did Azula expect her teach him? How was she going to teach him? She wished that the princess had bothered to tell her of this development.

"You'll have to forgive his rough manners," said Azula, seemingly oblivious to Ty Lee's distress. "He was raised in the colonies. His father recently died heroically defending the Fire Nation, his final dying wish was that his son come back to the homeland. I've taken it upon myself, in an act of extreme charity, to see to it that he finishes his education here."

Sokka hung his head and looked faintly embarrassed. "That really wasn't necessary," he said. He peeked up to see Mai and Zuko's sour expressions. "Really not necessary."

"You don't question a Princess," scolded Mai sharply. "Especially when she's bestowing a great honor on you!"

Sokka blushed deeply and waved his hands as though frantically shooing the notion away. "No! I – I didn't mean – I mean, honored! I am! Yes – and now I'll shut up."

Azula, standing just behind Sokka and safely out of his eyesight, put on a fake smile and pointed to her cheeks. With great effort, Mai managed to curl her lips upward. Zuko refused.

Meanwhile Sokka was scratching his head, and incidentally scruffing up some of the shorter hair on the side of his topknot. "So… which of you will I be apprenticing under?" He looked at each of them with some trepidation on his face.

"That would be me!" said Ty Lee brightly. "This is going to be fun." She schooled herself. "But tough. Very tough."

Sokka immediately relaxed and held his chest. "Whew, it's the nice one, I was scared for a moment that I'd have the -- " Sokka brought his mouth abruptly to a halt, realizing he was on the verge of insulting Mai and Zuko. "Not that you two wouldn't be excellent masters, I'm sure. I can tell by your look that you are both really good at whatever you do. And you too, Ty Lee. Fun and tough sounds – sounds good.. and Hi. I'm Sokka. You already know this..." He finally petered out.

"This is your idea of shutting up?" asked Mai coldly.

But Zuko snorted. A small somewhat ironic smile curled on his lips, as if he'd been reminded of some bittersweet memory.

"And I guess I'm going to teach you how … to do my reflex point technique?" She checked with Azula, who nodded. Azula must be pretty confident that the Dai Li's conditioning would last. It would be horrible to add her own signature skill to the enemies' arsenal. "Say, Azula, would you mind if I talked to you privately for a moment before getting Sokka settled?"

"Not at all," said Azula. "Zuzu, why don't you take Sokka to where you usually practice sparring. Check to see how good his hand to hand is. Ty Lee and I will catch up in a minute."

Zuko and Mai, put down their teacups and stood up. "Come," said Zuko to Sokka. "I hope you are good, because I don't intend on going easy on you."

Sokka gave a bow to Ty Lee and Azula, then followed. "I'm good! At least, I think I am. Actually, I have no idea. It's possible I'm terrible."

"Oh, would you just stop babbling already," muttered Mai, following the two of them out of the building.

Ty Lee watched as they took one of the paths out of sight, then turned to Azula, who had seated herself on one of the pillows and poured another cup of tea.

"I thought he was going to be my servant," said Ty Lee. "When did that change? What do you want me to do with him now?"

"Don't be silly, Ty Lee, if he was a servant he'd be mixed in with the household staff and next thing we know he'd be set to cleaning water closets all day. You'd never see him and I wouldn't be able to keep track of him, and there is even a faint chance that he might come to my Father's attention." She sipped delicately. "This is the next best thing. You can still have him fetch your meals and do your laundry if it amuses you. Just call it training. He won't know better."

"I wish you'd tell me what your plans are," said Ty Lee, bitterly. "I don't have a training routine made up for him. I don't even know where to start."

"Relax." Azula smiled. "It doesn't matter. Have him do breathing exercises or stretches, or flips. Whatever. He's not actually going to learn your technique after all."

"He's not?"

"Honestly, Ty Lee, if I thought him capable of learning your Chi blocking, I would have come up with another solution. But if I couldn't master it, I highly doubt that Sokka has the right talent for it. In any case, it doesn't matter if he learns or not, he will have an excuse to be with you wherever you go."

Azula winked. "And you will have your chance to make your moves on him. I know that's what you want. I could see it written all over your face, the moment you looked at him. You don't really want him as a servant, do you?"

Ty Lee blushed but said nothing. Was she really that transparent?

"But as for training, I don't really care what you teach him," Azula continued. "There are only a few more weeks before the showdown with the Avatar. He won't have a chance to learn anything too novel in that time, anyway. What I care about is that he accepts us as his friends and that he willingly agrees to participate in this war – on our side."

"You are going to have him fight the Avatar?"

"Wouldn't it be delicious?" Azula noted the horror on her face. "Oh Ty Lee, I'm not going to get him killed. I promised that Sokka was yours, and yours he is. I may borrow him on an occasion, but I'll bring him back, without too many scratches."

Ty Lee pursed her mouth. "I trust you Azula. I just don't know what you want from me. Do you want me to seduce Sokka? Is that part of some bigger plan of yours?"

"Do what comes naturally, but don't deny your heart," said Azula. "You deserve some happiness Ty Lee. As strange as it may seem, I really care about you. Under that cheerful facade I can see you longing for more. I can see you finding that bliss with Sokka. I approve, and I hope that the two of you have a long and happy life together."

Azula put down her empty teacup and stood, giving Ty Lee's shoulders a quick squeeze. "Shall we go and see how well my brother is doing with him?"

------- ------- ------- ------- -------

"For the gods' sake, stop running away!" Zuko commanded. "Fight me like a man, not like some scared small animal." He dashed forward, attempting to grapple Sokka.

"I don't know-- fighting you like a scared small animal seems to be working in my favor," said Sokka, deftly scrambling out of Zuko's grasp. He feinted left, and dashed right, trying to circle behind Zuko, but the prince caught on and with a quick lunge and then sweep of his foot he tripped Sokka to the dirt floor of the enclosure. Sokka rolled and dashed off in a new direction, Zuko at his heels.

Twelve feet up one of the walls that enclosed the sparring ring, Mai leaned out over the spectators rail and watched the spectacle. She turned as Ty Lee and Azula approached.

"How goes the sparring?" Azula asked.

"Depends on how you define 'sparring.'" Mai leaned on her crossed arms and stared down. "So far it's more farce than fighting."

"You can't evade me forever!" said Zuko. "You are just going to wear yourself out. And what are you trying to do? Climb your way out? You coward!"

Sokka was indeed climbing one of the walls, but as Zuko approached to pluck him down, the younger boy kicked off, planting one foot solidly in the middle of Zuko's chest on his way to the ground. Zuko coughed and staggered back a bit. Then he whirled, his hands automatically curling into a bending stance.

"Hand to hand, hand to hand," reminded Sokka, shaking a finger. "Bending's cheating. I don't have a weapon."

He stepped just a bit too close, and Zuko finally caught his arm. Grinning fiercely, the prince pressed his advantage and in moments he had Sokka flat on his back, arms pinned to either side of his head. Zuko sat across Sokka's upper thighs then leaned forward his mouth twisted in a triumphant smile. "Do you yield?"

Sokka turned his head and looked up at the audience. His eyes met Ty Lee's and suddenly turned pleading. "Master!" he called out plaintively. "Help! Zuko's trying to molest me."

"WHAT?" Zuko jumped off, horrified. "I am N --!!"

Sokka scrambled up and twisted his leg under Zuko, sending the prince falling backwards. A moment later their positions were reversed, with Sokka sitting on Zuko's hips and holding the prince's wrists to the ground. "Gotcha!" he said smugly.

"That's not fair," said Zuko.

"Hey, all's fair in love and war," said Sokka, standing up. He offered Zuko a hand, but the prince turned it down, in favor of pushing himself off the ground.

"You lost, Zuko," said Azula, barely containing her laughter. "You might as well admit it."

"I didn't lose," denied Zuko. "I got him first. He wasn't following the rules. Any rules. I have no idea what that style is. It was so random -- there was no honor to it. How was I supposed to counter that?"

"Hey, no hard feelings," Sokka looked thoughtful. "You are bigger than me and stronger than me, and I'm pretty sure you've had a lot more training than I have. My fighting style was pure desperation. And I only won because you stopped fighting."

"He was being innovative," said Azula taking the stairs to the floor of the sparring field, Mai and Ty Lee following close behind. "If I were you, I'd try to learn a bit of Sokka's non-technique. After all, when you are on the battle ground it's not as if your enemy is going to follow your rules."

"Well if he isn't abiding by my rules, I'm not going to abide by his. I declare this a draw."

"Good enough," said Sokka. "And actually I would like to learn the real rules for this kind of fighting – if that's allowed," Sokka immediately.

"I'll leave that up to my brother," said Azula. "If he feels like training you, he will."

Sokka went completely pale. "Y-your brother?. You mean I just sparred with the crown prince?" Sokka turned and bowed deeply to Zuko, clapping his hands in the proper position. "I deeply apologize, your highness, for accusing you of molesting me. Please don't cut off my head."

"Pshaw. I'm not going to cut off your head." Zuko snorted. "I'm not going to do anything with you. You are Azula's project. I'm done here." He gestured roughly to Mai. Mai snickered slightly but let her face go placid when Zuko leveled a glare at her. The two then walked climbed the stairs leaving Sokka stunned to silence in their wake.

------- ------- ------- -------

Sokka was still shaken when he got to his assigned quarters. "Why didn't anyone tell me?" he said to Ty Lee, who clucked sympathetically. He threw himself into the mattress and buried his face in the crisp linen sheets. "The crown prince!" He banged his head against a pillow. "I am just a country clod!"

"I didn't realize you didn't know," said Ty Lee. "I mean, you knew Azula was a princess." She sat on the edge of his bed and reached a tentative hand out to touch his back.

"I knew she was a princess because someone told me!"

"Oh, Sokka, you don't need to worry about it. Zuko's gruff on the outside, but he's not cruel. If you made him really mad, he'd have called you out for an honor duel. Since he didn't do that, it's safe to say he didn't mind that much."

Ty Lee's fingertips tingled. She was only touching his clothes, but he wasn't recoiling. Her belly tightened with excitement. Embolden she stroked his shoulder with a firmer touch. He didn't shy away, and she felt a thrill knowing that he trusted her. Now if only he'd give up this moping and pay attention to her.

It was both strangely thrilling and also frankly terrifying taking the initiative like this. Usually Ty Lee would simply be her cheerful self and the boys would come and hit on her. She knew how to play that game easily. She could manipulate a boys attention any direction she chose, play him, use him, abuse him, leave him. So easy. Once she had his attention.

She gently rubbed Sokka's back in sweeping movements, and she could see his aura growing brighter at his touch, but he really wasn't paying attention to her. He was too locked down in his own shame to even consider her. She frowned. Mmm. Maybe now wasn't the time to flirt. He was simply too distracted.

"I've been here less than a day and all I've done is be an embarrassment," Sokka moaned. He suddenly sat up and turned to her, his face bright red. "Do you think Azula will send me back to the colonies? Have I totally blown it?"

Ty Lee laughed at the absurdity of the idea. "I think it's very safe to say that Azula won't send you back." She gently squeezed his shoulder. "And as for Zuko -- you just caught him off gaurd. I think once his pride has healed, you may find he actually likes you. Just… don't expect him to be chummy."

"There is no way I expect to ever become chummy with the – oh god, I accused the crown prince of molesting me." Sokka buried his head in a pillow and screamed.

Ty Lee rubbed his back. It already felt natural. "There, there. You insulted him, but it was in such a cute way. Even Mai thought it was funny."

Sokka turned his head. "If Mai's his girlfriend, she must be from some influential family, right?"

"Yeah, she comes from one of the oldest, richest, most stuck up families in the whole Kingdom. But she's a good person, really, once you get to know her. She just needs to warm up to you."

Sokka rolled over onto his back. "And you? Are you also from one of the richest, most influential families?" His embarrassment seemed to have faded, but in it's place was a look of deep confusion.

"Oh no," said Ty Lee. "Hardly. I come from a long line of civil servants. My dad handles the Fire Lords correspondence. My mother organizes court entertainments. If Azula hadn't noticed me as a child, I'd probably be folding napkins and setting silverware for the next banquet. Or possibly still doing my act in the circus… hard to say." Ty Lee touched her chin thoughtfully.

"In any case, I'm just as much a commoner as you are – and that should tell you something. Azula doesn't care about your breeding. She only cares about what you can do for her. As long as you keep showing her that innovative side of you, you don't have to worry about being fresh with Zuko."

He frowned. "But Azula is younger than Zuko. He's the heir. Why does he defer so much to her?"

"Well, I'm sure after you've been around Azula for a few days, you'll be able to answer that one yourself."

"She thinks I'm innovative, huh." Sokka relaxed. "It seems strange that she'd just pluck me up out of the boonies and drop me in with her friends. It makes me wonder what exactly my father did to earn her favor. But I guess if she's done it before, I shouldn't be so surprised."

Ouch, that was getting perilously close to a line of thinking that Ty Lee didn't want him on. "Come on, let's stop mulling over the past and concentrate on learning. We can start with some stretches."

------- ------- ------- -------

"Yes, Zuzu?" asked Azula, with just the faintest annoyance in her drawl. "What can I do for you?" She looked up from the page she was writing, and cocked her head with faux innocence. It had taken Zuko nearly an hour to tack down where his sister was, she had a tendency to never be around when needed and always there when inconvenient. It turned out she was dealing with her correspondence in the outer chamber of her own apartments – a logical place he should have checked first. She knelt on a silk pillow behind a glossy lacquered desk looking the epitome of propriety. A small arrangement of scrolls lay in an open chestnut box beside her, while a short stack of parchment awaited her brush.

She did not say, "I'm busy, go away," but her body language conveyed her weariness at his interruption.

Zuko pursed his lips and felt the skin of his face redden. Something about his sister always put him off guard, no matter how well he felt he had prepared himself for their confrontations. He refused to let her condescendingly childish address derail him. Nor would he let her body language put him off. This time there would be no pandering, no answers that seemed to satisfy, but in fact told him nothing. This time she'd level with him. He was not one of her lackeys who followed her with blind faith, nor would he just do what he was told like a good little soldier. For the gods' sake, he was the crown prince.

"I need to talk to you about –" he began.

"Not here," she interrupted. For a moment the viper in her voice came though. He could see the serpent in her, coiled up behind her eyes, looking out at him. The superstitious part of his soul felt a pang of horror, and he broke eye contact.

Her voice was back to oily sweetness in the next breath. "Let's take a walk, Zuzu. The skies are clear, and there is nothing like fresh air to aid a pleasant conversation. I could use a break from all this tedious bureaucratic nonsense, anyway."

She put down her brush, and nodded to one of the ubiquitous servants, who quickly scuttled in to tidy up her desk. Smoothing down her robes, she walked past Zuko out the door and towards the gardens. Zuko followed, slightly hunched, realizing with a slow burn to his stomach, that once again Azula was framing the agenda in her favor.

Still he couldn't argue with it. He gave a backwards glance to the servant. Was he a spy? And if so, for whom? Did Azula know? Suddenly the halls seemed darker, and more forbidding. The people whose job it was to fade into the background suddenly stood out, and there were so many of them. One cleaning the hall, one carrying a package, one just standing outside a door, waiting to be called on. Every one of them had eyes and ears and thoughts and loyalties.

Zuko hated it. He missed his days in the Earth Kingdom, where, so long as he did nothing to stir attention, he was ignored. He missed the days before his exile, when he never gave a second thought to the servants, or palace intrigue and infighting. He'd lived secure in the knowledge that as long as his motivations were honorable, he had no secrets to hide, and that all of them were on the same side. It was embarrassing to think how naïve he'd been.

But at least then he'd been happy. Now he knew he walked on the edge of a knife, disgrace, dishonor, and even death awaited his misstep. And the only one left to guide him through this maze of expectation was the one person he knew he couldn't trust.

"The gardeners did an extra special job this year," Azula was saying in her most you-really-have-nothing-to-worry-about-calm-down voice. "While you were gone, they got rid of those ugly spreading yews near the stream and planted lovely annuals."

"I liked the yews."

"Oh, Zuko," said Azula, tutting. "Must you always be so contrary? Can't I even make a simple remark about the greenery without you and I being at odds?"

Zuko stopped on the path and stared. She was putting him on the defensive again. They were out of sight of house, there were no servants around. He'd gone far enough. "I want to know what your real plan is."

Azula raised an eyebrow. "My real plan? It's just what I said it was."

"I'm not as clueless as you might think," said Zuko. "And I'm not without outside connections either. What did you think you were doing, kidnapping the Avatar's companion like that. You know what Aang is doing right now? He's tearing up the countryside. LOUDLY. Looking for Sokka. And he's not going to give up either. How long is it going to take before Father hears of it and knows that wedidn't kill him."

Azula sighed.

Zuko pressed. "You knew this would happen. You knew as soon as you took Sokka that the Avatar would throw away what little stealth he had. That he'd become frantic. He'd do anything in his power to get his friend back."

Azula put up an arm to stop him. "Yes, of course, I knew it, Zuko. I'm counting on it. There would hardly be much point in taking Sokka if the Avatar was willing to abandon him. His desperate antics are quite amusing – and reassuring. If anything, you should be comforted knowing that the Avatar is so far off his game. He should easily fall into our trap."

Zuko flushed. "Our trap!?" He grabbed a random branch and broke it. "Your trap you mean. Do you think Father will wait to find out if your trap works before exiling me again? Or worse?"

"Which is why I made sure that my people are in place to intercept any hawks that might inform Father before I started this venture. Zuko, you've been gone for a long time. Perhaps you haven't noticed, but Father doesn't get out much. Perhaps it is a guilty conscience, but he fears assassination. There are many who do not think his ascension over uncle Iroh to be legitimate. And they are right, of course, and Father is quite right to be careful. These days the only ones who come near him are his generals and his toadies. And me. His Generals are all focused on fighting enemy armies. His toadies are focused on making him happy. And I believe what he doesn't know won't hurt him, or us."

Zuko felt a wave of relief. But following, like some bitter chaser, came a greater fear and respect for Azula. Her influence must have crept like a cancer while he was gone. And he didn't believe for a moment that she was doing any of this for his benefit.

As if reading his mind Azula patted his back. "I know we didn't have the most friendly relationship growing up. But I wish to make amends. You will be the Fire Lord one day. Hopefully by then you will have forgiven me for my childhood trespasses." She smiled. "I'm not going to throw you to the wolves now. In a few short, short days, it won't matter that that the Avatar is alive. You and I can present his adorable brainwashed little hide to Father, fait accompli, and you can finally relax."

Zuko's stomach hardened. "Don't patronize me," he growled. "This is all your idea, you aren't going to share the credit with me."

Azula's sharp eyes caught his. "But there you are wrong. I have every intention of sharing credit with you. I want you on my team, Zuko. And if it means allowing you to steal a bit of my thunder, that's perfectly fine with me. I have little interest in praise anyway, I get my rewards in other ways."

This was wrong, terribly, terribly wrong. Zuko could feel it in his soul. "In any case, we should just kill him. It would be safer. We can brainwash his next incarnation."

Azula bent her head again and tutted. "We've already gone that route and where has it gotten us. You might not be superstitious – and lord knows I certainly am not – but after a while you have to get a sense that there is some divine force behind his survival. Your stunning lack of success with that assassin just confirms it."

Zuko thought of Iroh, who'd been hinting this for months now. Iroh who had ultimately acted on that belief and was now being cruelly punished for it. It was a painful path his mind wanted to take him down. Zuko didn't want to betray his Nation. He wanted to do the right thing. He wanted to relax and be as happy and accepting of the circumstances as Ty Lee and Mai. And yet… Damn it, why should the things I want most be so at odds with each other?

"Well then," said Zuko slowly, "Maybe we shouldn't be opposing him. Maybe he is on the side of right after all." There, the words were out.

Azula looked hastily around then grabbed the back of Zuko's head in a painfully strong grip. He felt her nails dig crescents into the tender flesh below his ears.

"Don't speak treason, brother, not even when we seem to be alone." She released him. "I thought you had more sense than that!"

Zuko turned to face her, stepping back and unconsciously bringing up his hands to a ready state.

Azula waved his stance off. "Oh stand down. Save your sparring for Sokka." She started walking towards one of the decorative bridges that crossed the placid garden stream. "You've been listening too much to Uncle Iroh. He's a dangerous influence on you. You should stop visiting him."

Azula paused, turned around, then rolled her eyes at Zuko's refusal to follow. "There is another way to interpret this, Zuko." She waved him towards her. "If you give me half a chance I can put your mind at rest."

Zuko's brow knit, but then he followed her. Was there a way out of this conundrum? "What other way is there? The gods are on the Avatar's side, not ours. They are protecting him. You said it yourself."

"Have you considered, perhaps the gods are not so much against the Fire Nation, as protecting us from our own shortsightedness?" asked Azula. "Think of it Zuko. We have the means to bring him around to our side. We have him here in our grasp. It's the chance of a lifetime, laid in our lap. All we need do is have the intelligence to seize it. If the gods were so against the Fire Nation's ascendance, the Avatar would have put it down 100 years ago.

"But instead he disappeared right as the Fire Nation started the war! Is that not a sign from the gods of their approval? And now at the very end, when we have all but won, he is back, to help the Fire Nation return the land to peace and reestablish balance again. A new balance, a true union of all people under the same banner. Eternal peace."

Azula gestured expansively. "Don't you see what an opportunity we have here? Ba Sing Se fell just in time to give us the technology to bring the Avatar to our side. How could that be anything other than the gods smiling on us? This is our destiny, brother. Don't reject it – don't fear it – embrace it."

Zuko looked at the ground. There was nothing he could say to her reasoning. It made sense. And yet – it this was Azula. He couldn't trust her, no matter what she said. She was not his friend. She didn't have his best interests at heart. She wanted something from him.

"When our Father passes on, and you take his place, you will have the Avatar at your side, and no one will ever question the legitimacy of your actions."

"And what of you, Azula, what do you want as a reward for all your actions?"

"Peace," said Azula wearily. "It is tiring always being on my guard. Always having to defend myself against rivals. Always worried that people are judging my actions. I will be quite content to play a supporting role to a quiet empire. You will be a good Firelord, Zuko. I can see it."

A good Firelord –

Zuko swallowed painfully hard as a jolt of fear ran through his nerves like lightning. It was crazy, Azula had her eye on the throne, and he was in her way. Unless--

Unless his opposition made no more difference to her than the Avatar's. Than Sokka's.

"The technique of the Dai Li is the answer to all our problems, Brother," said Azula.