Author's Notes: I have to admit, I was ready to give up on this--but your reviews make it so hard for me to do so. Thank you SO much everyone. If it weren't for you, I would have no incentive to write the next chapter. And now I present you with Chapter Nine.

"Well she's keeping herself busy isn't she?" Mai pointed out to her joyous friend. Her sister-in-law had a handful of scrolls with her, reading and writing whatever; and making up plans that she intended to bring forward to the court.

"Azula is just trying to keep her mind preoccupied so she doesn't start thinking about Tai Shan," Ty Lee replied with a smile.

Zuko added, "I don't think it's working too well." Azula had once again painted over her mistake on the parchment due to writing her son's name on it several times subconsciously. His mother next to him chuckled.

Sokka was really enjoying his time with Tai Shan, and everyone else got along with him and vise versa. They all loved the kid. It had been so easy despite the short amount of time, he was just too sweet. It made his sister murmur once, "Is Azula really his mother? There's just no way."

Toph had laughed, "Maybe he just takes after his father. Could be a reason why the Princess couldn't give him up."

"He's so shy though. Neither Azula or Sokka are that way," Aang pointed out as he fed Momo a berry. Sokka wondered about that too, though. Usually royal families were anything but shy; and considering how foward his mother, and how blunt his father was, why was he so reserved?

He soon received his answer.

"Appa we'll be back. We have to go shopping for supplies so stay here for awhile." Aang fed him an apple before departing with his friends, walking next to Toph.

It wasn't unusual that Tai Shan remained close to Sokka, because he knew him the longest and the best out of everyone in the group. So when Sokka suggested he go play with the rest of the kids since they were going to be there for awhile, he wasn't surprised to see the boy reluctant. He had seen it before after all in the palace. After knowing his son a bit more, he realized he wasn't the snobby type so it perplexed him why his son wouldn't play with children his age. With any children actually.

"What's wrong kiddo? I mean they don't bite." Sokka scratched the back of his head thinking out loud, "Sheesh your mom and her family sure sheltered you a lot. You have no social life. Didn't you play with the other kids of noble families?"

"No..." he answered timidly.

"Have you ever tried?"

Sokka was suddenly shocked to see his son's eyes narrow at him. Tai Shan answered, "Of course I've tried! They're all just fakes. They only want to play with me cuz of who I am. That's pointless. If I want someone who will play with me cuz I tell them to, then I could just order my nurse to do so."

Well he certainly has his father's temper,

Sokka wasn't too proud to admit. He was so defensive, something Azula hardly was or at least she was more restrained about explaining things, usually allowing her eyes to do the talking. The father, however, also had a feeling that his son's temper wasn't exactly his but his sister's. Sokka patted his head, "Listen son, I guarantee you they won't be like that. This is the Earth Kingdom, they don't know a thing about who you are."

There was a pregnant pause before Tai Shan relented, "If you say so." Sokka made sure his next letter to Azula would ask why their son was choosing to be so distant from his peers.

"I'm happy to see you back to normal again Toph," Aang commented. He figured it really was because of Azula. He smiled, he hoped one day that would be able to reconcile and regain the friendship they lost.

The Bei Fong heiress blushed but her voice was rough, "Normal? I think you've been getting too much sun Twinkle Toes."

Aang smiled sheepishly and nodded, "All right, whatever you say." He hesitantly reached over and held her hand, to his surprise she didn't pull away.

Tai Shan felt like a fool at first as the children looked at him with shocked eyes, expressing their concern about him.

"How could you not know this game?"

"Yeah! I mean no matter where you live--it's famous!"

"Have you been living under a rock or something?" one added to which Tai Shan frowned.

"Hey!"

"Come down," the first boy who spoke, placed his arm around Tai Shan. "He's just being a jerk--he always is, don't pay any attention to him."

"Hey!" the "jerk" said defensively.

"Anyways this is how the game goes..."

After being explained how to play the game, the fun began.

"You were right! They liked me!" Tai Shan said as they departed the town upon the sky bison. The young prince was happy that he actually able to make friends, despite the fact that he didn't reveal his identity to them.

"Of course they did, who in their right mind wouldn't?" Sokka smiled down at his son.

Katara patted his head, "You're adorable."

Tai Shan observed his new found family. His father and his family and compared them to his mother's family. Uncle Aang, whom he had to admit was awesome, was nothing like his Uncle Zuko. Uncle Zuko was funny, while Uncle Aang was fun; but both were very sweet and kind to him. They were total opposites, in his mind, and yet he enjoyed both of their company. Aunt Katara and Aunt Mai probably had nothing in common, other than they were girls. Aunt Mai was quiet, proper, and reserved. Meanwhile, Aunt Katara was not...

As for Aunt Toph, well she was absolutely different than anyone he had ever met. She was everything Aunt Katara and Aunt Mai were not: loud, rough, and blunt. While Uncle was fun--she loved to cause mischief. He could tell that she was the person to go to when you didn't want to be around a "serious" grown-up. He laughed at the thought.

Ursa observed her daughter longingly. It's been years and yet it would seem their relationship would never be repaired. They were civil to one another but her only daughter refused to open up to her. The widow knew she had a hand in the cold distance between her and her daughter but she couldn't understand why she couldn't get passed Azula's defenses even a little bit. The royal family was a messed up one, Ursa knew, but she hoped that along with the Fire Nation their wounds would heal too.

"Azula," she called out. "You ought to rest. Too much work isn't good for you."

"It's not too much," Azula answered curtly. "It's not even enough."

Ursa smiled, "You'll see him soon enough."

"I know," she replied without looking up from the table full of scrolls. "Is there anything you want? I'm trying to work here."

The senior princess sighed, "No. Nothing at all. I'll leave now."

"Why are you so cold to me Azula?" Ursa asked her pregnant daughter. Azula looked at her as she set her cup of tea down, and glared. It was not good to upset a pregnant woman, let alone a pregnant Princess Azula.

"I wonder why," she bit out harshly. "You've been such a perfect mother to me, there's no reason for me to be this way.".

"Azula--"

"How can you expect me to even like you when all you cared for was Zuko? You didn't even bother to bid your daughter farewell the night you disappeared," Azula told her standing up and purposely knocking the cup away, causing the warm liquid inside to splatter all over. Azula stormed off, not allowing her mother to say another word.

"So where are we going?" Tai Shan asked with a smile as he observed the clouds they were passing by.

"I want you to meet the rest of the family," Sokka told his son.

"There's more?" he asked in a surprised tone.

"Yeah of course," Sokka replied. "You gotta meet your great-grandmother; you're grandfather, and the rest of the tribe." Katara's head turned toward her brother with questioning eyes. Sokka shrugged, knowing that his father and grandmother didn't know about Tai Shan and was dying to know how they would react.

"Say that again?" Hakoda looked liked he had a stroke.

"Say what?!" Bato's eyes almost popped out of their socket.

Gran Gran looked at Sokka, "How do you know she's not lying?" Sokka couldn't believe his grandmother questioned Azula's claim that Sokka was the father of her child. It wasn't like Kana, was trying to be cynical about it though, she merely suggested it.

"Because Tai Shan's birth was too close after my relationship with Azula ended. I mean...unless...the birth was like premature--I just know Gran Gran! And it's not like Azula rushed to tell me to hurt me or anything. I only found out through a letter that I never got, that she wrote years ago.And she swears on her father's grave!"

"Dad, Gran Gran," Katara looked at her father. "I know you're shocked, but Tai Shan is a very sweet and caring boy. You'd love him."

"So when can we meet him?" Hakoda finally said.

Tai Shan looked at Aunt Toph and Uncle Aang, as they laughed and picked on each other. It was slightly odd that they were so friendly to one another. It was different from the way Aunt Katara and Aunt Toph were to one another. The young prince didn't have too much time to think about it because he was called by his father. He saw Sokka come and say, "Come down from Appa and meet the rest of your family."

Everyone in the tribe was nervous--and who knew Sokka was already a father? He beat a lot of his older friends to it. Hakoda wondered how is grandson would look--he was very nervous, not to mention the mother of son's child was the infamous Princess of the Fire Nation, Azula. By the Spirits he never actually even met the young woman personally who once captured the heart of his first born.

Sokka gently guided his son forward by his back, "Tai Shan meet the Southern Water Tribe."

Tai Shan took in his surroundings to realize that it was very different from the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation. There really was ice everywhere--even their houses were made of ice! He looked at the people staring at him and suddenly felt timid, but he smiled as they started to smile at him. "H-hello."

"And meet your grandfather, Hakoda," Sokka said. The man kneeled down in front of Tai Shan, smiling.

"Nice to meet you."

The boy smiled, "Likewise."

Author's Notes: Chapter ten was going well until I got stuck. XD