Avatar: the last airbender belongs to Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko and Nickelodeon.
Just a little interlude...

-

Azula should be glad. She had finally ditched the human mistakes constituting the royal escort as well as the creepy twins serving as her personal teachers and she was on her way to meet one of the very few people she didn't consider irreparably worthless. But the sight of the giant circus tent where she would find Ty Lee didn't make her forget the first failure of her life. The incompetence of her royal guards and the stupidity of her captain played no small part in her relatives' escape, but her humiliating introduction to the cold waters was her fault only. How could she let herself be surprised by the tea addict serving her as an uncle?

She would have taken her frustration out on the ship captain, but he had taken advantage of the fight to flee for his life and remained unfound. She couldn't harm the other human errors accompanying her either, as the Fire Lord preferred the royal guard to remain unscathed for the parades. So this left only one person. She might not even have to hurt her, Ty Lee always had a gift to make people's troubles wash away just by being her optimist self.

So, the Fire Princess was understandably disappointed when the only welcome she received was a platypus bear with a funny hat dancing the jig with a rabbaroo wearing a dress. And they didn't even notice her. She sighed before visiting the deserted circus.

Azula eventually reached a large tent from which she could hear aching gasps and difficult breathing. As she crept closer to the tent, she heard a scream followed by whispers. She frowned. Someone was being tortured and she had not been invited?

"What is happening here?" She demanded as she drew the curtain and entered the tent.

An old man with a small beard and thin moustaches, dressed richly, turned his head and gave her a surprised look. He was standing before various entertainers, themselves circling around the source of the painful cry she had heard. Obviously, all the circus crew was in this tent, which explained why the place felt deserted.

"Princess Azula..." The old man said politely, though uneasily. "We'll be more at ease to speak outside. What owes us the hon-"

A woman's voice, coming from inside the circle, interrupted him. "It's a boy!"

"What is the meaning of this?" Azula angrily spat before shoving the artists aside in order to reach what peaked her interest. Her eyes widened.

She recognized a tired, older, Ty Lee leaning against a vast amount of pillows, her legs wide apart and holding a baby in her arms. A baby. Azula stayed stunned, unable to react.

"Say hello to your nephew!" Her friend called with as much strength and happiness she could muster.

And that was when Azula, unshakable heir of the ruthless Fire Nation, fainted.

-

Azula's eyes shot open as she was suddenly awake. Nails piercing her red silk blanket, she straightened up and inspected the room. It was the same dark, cold and metallic room she shared with Mai and Ty Lee in the tank train they used to chase the Avatar.

She cast her eyes on the sleeping form of her friends. She couldn't distinguish Mai for she remained still as she slept, but Ty Lee was easier to notice as she kept turning over in her bed.

Now reassured that it had only been a dream, the princess relaxed. But one thing still bothered her and she had a feeling she wouldn't manage to sleep until she what it was. The nightmare had a familiar feeling. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she was sure she already had similar, vivid dreams. Though they had not been nightmares if she recalled correctly. She remembered them to be more pleasant dreams...

That was it! She had had a dream with this familiar feeling a little before the siege of the Northern Water Tribe. She had dreamed of the admiral Zhao slaying the Moon Spirit, thus ensuring a memorable victory for the Fire Nation. She had also dreamed of her brother being mortally electrocuted by her own hand after a hopeless fight caused by her stupid captain's slip.

But neither dream had happened, though very close to reality. She wondered if they had a common point and soon discovered it. It if wasn't for her uncle's hindrance, be it by betraying Zhao or sabotaging her lightning, both would have happened.

And those dreams had the very same feeling as the nightmare she just had. Had Iroh not interfered, it would have happened...

Azula cast a last, worried look over her shoulder, in the direction of Ty Lee. Now, she knew she would not manage to get any sleep.