Since being released from prison, Ty Lee kept her distance from the war despite Mai's advice. No matter what she tried, she couldn't bring herself to actively be Azula's enemy. She'd have to find a more covert way to act.
Ty Lee found it odd that no one had thought to repair all the old crawl spaces in the castle, especially since Ty Lee was the one who'd found them all throughout the years. But she was glad for the chance to silently swing and tumble across beams and through old passageways that had long since been forgotten. It let her see her princess again, even if only from the shadows.
Not that the site ever relieved her.
Azula both fired and banished servants every five minutes, blaming this one for trying to kill her or that one for giving her a strange look. No one was spared, not even harmless Lo and Li. The more she banished, the emptier the palace became and the more room Azula had to pace.
And pace.
And pace.
The princess took to mumbling to herself, pulling at her hair, and then laughing. Days or weeks could've passed. It didn't matter. Ty Lee could only watch and wait for an opening that, as time progressed, she accepted would never come. The princess's aura was now irrevocably distorted and the girl she once knew disappeared, descending into the twisted net of festering conflicts surfacing at last.
Intuition told Ty Lee to stay back despite herself. She at least understood that if Azula saw her again, it could send her over the edge. Even from the rafters, Ty Lee could feel her aura's heaviness and what disturbed her most was how much stronger the princess's pull had become. She spent hours in the shadows and felt the growing space of the palace until Azula was the only one left.
The worst and last of Ty Lee's excursions ended with her standing just outside of Azula's room, listening to her shout at her mother.
"You always babied him and never scolded him for anything while I was nothing but a monster to you! I heard you tell him not to listen to me because there was something wrong with me! You might as well have said it to my face! What did you expect when father was the only one who ever said he was proud of me?"
A series of crashes followed, like Azula was literally breaking her room, tearing it down in chaotic swipes. Even from the other side of the wall, Ty Lee felt the princess's smothering aura as it released things Azula didn't even realize herself until now.
"Don't you dare call me beautiful now! Look at me! I'm a monster just like you said! Shut up!"
The heaviness flooded over everything and Ty Lee felt sick.
Azula's ranting became indecipherable screams and sobs. It took all of Ty Lee's willpower to not break through the door that second. She'd gather the broken princess in her arms and hold her until she calmed down, just like when they were children. She'd kiss Azula's forehead and gently stroke her hair and tell her that she never left; she was always right here.
But the memories of the Boiling Rock held her back. Never had the princess looked at anyone with such hatred–and Ty Lee had seen more that her fair share of Azula's dirty looks. Azula was never one to let go of a grudge and as she continued her ravings, Ty Lee heard her name more than once.
In such a rage, what would she do if she saw Ty Lee–if she knew that she stood just on the other side of the door? To Azula, Ty Lee had made her choice.
Something shattered–maybe glass or a mirror–and Azula kept screaming.
Ty Lee took several deep breaths.
She had lost completely. Azula was gone and Ty Lee shouldered all the guilt–all the princess's rage. She allowed the weight to press down on her and her mind showed her everything she could've been for Azula–everything she should've been.
She pressed her head against the wall and whispered softly, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
After forcing herself to pull away, Ty Lee left and made no further effort to see the princess.
She found herself walking into the empty town square in the Fire Nation capitol, ultimately unable to escape what drew her there. She berated herself for her weakness while anticipating the reunion. The familiar palace loomed just ahead, the sun casting a molten glow on the golden edged roof.
The fight for the crown had definitely taken place here. Gaping holes punctured the surrounding buildings and almost every stone surface bore deep cracks. Even the air still carried the scent of fire and lightning.
Lightning.
Ty Lee had sensed the princess's aura–overwhelming, desperate, and flailing–and followed it here despite everything she had told herself. No matter what distractions she filled her mind with, her thoughts would always wander back to Azula and something inexplicably strong compelled her to finally let the princess see her face.
Perhaps it was her need to be absolved or punished just as Azula was being punished. Ty Lee had known more and better than anyone else and, she now realized, somewhere between school days, courtyard play dates, oceans, and beaches, she had chosen to descend with the princess. Every kiss was another tangle in a web that dragged them both downward while tying them closer together.
Ty Lee allowed herself a short laugh at the thought.
Across the square, she sat with her head low and her arms in chains. Her black aura spun wildly around her. Every few seconds, she would squirm and yank at her restraints only to groan in frustration and let her limbs hang limp again. Leaving her alone like this, actually, was the perfect punishment for her. Maybe a little too perfect.
Hesitantly, Ty-Lee made her approach.
Azula's hair fell in jagged pieces across her face, entirely undone. Half of it had been hastily chopped off in the front. She panted and growled like a caged beast as she tried to free herself three more times before Ty Lee was close enough to say anything.
Oddly enough, Azula noticed her first. "What are you doing here?" she spat. "Didn't I leave you to rot in prison like the rest of them?"
Ty Lee sat cross-legged in front of Azula. "You did. It's all over now, so I came back." Keep it simple.
Azula glared at her through the uneven strands of hair. "You're an idiot."
Ty Lee stared, words forming in her mouth but unable to come into existence.
"I don't need Zuko's pity or yours," the princess said bitterly. "You're trying to get back into my good graces now that it's convenient for you again."
"You can't make your punishment any worse. They'll lock you up somewhere for sure." Ty Lee reached forward and cupped Azula's chin in her hand. "I'm gonna make sure they treat you well. I'm gonna make them understand."
Azula deepened her glared and suddenly spit a stream of blue fire from her mouth, which Ty Lee barely dodged.
"I said I don't need your pity!"
That was the first time Azula directly attacked her. Ty Lee tried not to let her fear show.
"Azula, just–remember all those times in the courtyard when it was just the two of us. Remember the beach and all of our lunch breaks at the Royal Fire Nation Academy." Please, anything.
"Oh trust me, I remember everything, Ty Lee. Every last thing you told me that turned out to be a lie!" Azula release another fire breath and Ty Lee rolled out of the way.
"If I actually didn't care about you, do you think I would've come here at all?" She was shouting now, begging for some semblance of the relative peace they once had.
"I don't know. Do you expect me to be able to read the tiny thoughts in that scattered brain of yours?"
"Azula, stop it!"
"No, you stop it, Ty Lee! You're the one who said a thousand times that you'd never leave and then you did!"
"I never left you! I was just stopping you from killing Mai and you were the one who decided I was betraying you!"
"Then where were you on the day of my coronation?"
Ty Lee went rigid as she recalled the princess's hysteria on that day, the break down she watched from the shadows.
"You betrayed me and disappeared on my most glorious day and yet you expect me to believe that you never left?"
"Azula–"
"You come crawling back to me now that everything's over and it's safe for you to surface? You're a coward, Ty Lee!"
"I–" I was there. I saw everything. I heard everything. I'm sorry.
"If I could break out of these chains right now, you'd be dead on sight."
Ty Lee's throat tightened, but she wouldn't cry. Not this time. She couldn't afford to sink further into Azula's image of her. But maybe all of this was futile. Even now, her fear held her back from telling Azula where she had really been that time and every time after her release from prison. Ty Lee thought she had long ago accepted her inability to fix anything for Azula, yet she still acted as if something could change. In the moment of truth, she remained silent under the princess's judging glare, feeling to her core the cutting truth. The look the princess gave her right now was one of pure hatred.
But Ty Lee saw all the hurt thrown back at her, the hurt she had caused.
"When I told you I was slipping, you promised you'd stay with me in spite of that and you didn't," Azula said, her voice low.
"I tried to be different," Ty Lee said defeated and fearlessly walked toward Azula. She crouched behind her and set to work untangling the chains.
"What are you doing?"
"Setting you free. Don't struggle. You can make good on your promise as soon as I'm done."
"You're an idiot."
Ty Lee winced at the comment and bit her lip to keep the sobs from rising. "You might be ready to throw away all the years that we've known each other, but I'm not," she said once she could speak again. "If you're mad at me, you can take it out on me." If this is how you'll be forever, I'd rather it be this way.
Azula didn't respond. When the chains went slack, Ty Lee backed away and stood only a few feet from the princess.
"You've made a huge mistake," Azula said as she rose to her feet.
"Maybe. But you hate me now. You really hate me. I know you do. I can see it. I still love you and it hurts too much. If you have to get revenge on every person who should've stayed with you, then just take it out on me." You're already gone. We might as well go together.
Azula hesitated and the two of them stared in silence at each other.
"If that's your death wish, then I'd be happy to oblige," Azula said at last and extended her fingers, taking the stance she used to bend lightning.
Ty Lee took a deep breath and kept her arms at her sides. "This isn't you, Azula. I know it's not really you and that's why this is okay. That thing in your brain completely took you over and made you into this. Somewhere deep inside of you, the Azula that you used to be is still there, but no matter how hard I try I can't bring her back."
Lightning sparked between Azula's fingers and Ty Lee could already feel it buzz through her body.
"I want that Azula to know that I heard everything she yelled at her mother in the mirror. I watched her decent from afar and I felt it too."
Azula pointed directly at Ty Lee's chest, ready to strike.
Ty Lee closed her eyes and braced herself. The electricity drowned out all other sounds.
I knew you best, she thought, and if I can't know you anymore, then there's nothing left for me.
Suddenly, there was a loud thud. Seconds later, Ty Lee felt a stinging blast hit her left shoulder. The force knocked her back into a pillar and she slumped to the ground.
She was vaguely aware of some voices.
Shouting.
Weapons drawn.
Fighting.
But she could only see blurred figures meeting and parting again. She tried staying awake just to get a sense of what was going on–of who was even fighting Azula right now.
Then the pain surged through the entire left half of her body and her ears rang. She writhed and screamed, but could hardly hear herself. The right side of her hurt less, but felt numb and prickly. Even the smallest twitch increased the pain, so she remained still and after a few more seconds, blacked out.
Something familiar held her, but she was too dazed to determine what. She felt something wet on her face–was that crying? Her entire body ached and she wanted to go back to sleep to stop the pain.
Mumbled words. Whoever said them felt sorry about something, maybe.
She opened her eyes for a few seconds, long enough to see Azula's face, or at least the parts her thick hair didn't obscure. At least, she thought that's what she saw, but she quickly slipped back into unconsciousness.
Whether it was real or a wishful illusion, Ty Lee, for the first time in months, felt weightless. Whenever and wherever she woke up again, it would all be over.