The Royal Guardsman pulled Teo from the tent, dragging him by his foot. Behind him, one of the guards slashed open the tent with a sword. All of his meagre possessions were sorted through. The box with the doll was produced and taken away. Teo was drug out in the middle of the camp. Time seemed to slow as the guards beat him. Questions were shouted.

"Who gave this to you?"

He barely had time to open his mouth before a foot rammed down into his ribs, knocking the wind out of him.

"Who were you going to give this to?"

He felt something snap in his side as he was kicked again. He tried to breathe in, but he couldn't seem to get enough air. His vision started to darken and the shouting started to blend into a loud roar in his ears.

"Who are you working for?"

Teo couldn't focus. He felt a hand grab his hair and pull his head back. A face pressed in close beside his ear. "The Fire Lord will make you suffer for betraying his daughter."

The world went black.

He didn't expect to wake up again.

And when he did, he wished he hadn't. He wasn't even sure what he did wrong. Rei had been the only person he really had contact with. The others didn't really know what to make of him. They were friendly enough, but... he was too strange. What did they mean about Azula? He hadn't done anything to her.

Teo had been stripped out of his clothes and tied by his arms to a high tree branch. At least one of his legs were broken. And he had been given enough rope so that he could stand. Whoever had been in charge had done his research. Every breath he took was a struggle. He could barely see out of his left eye, it was swollen nearly shut. His shoulder was out of socket as well. He lifted his head to try to look up at his hands when a blow knocked his head to the side.

"The traitor is awake!"

He felt hands grabbing him, lifting him and then roughly, he was thrown to the ground.

It was hard to focus, he could only see the man at the right, who held him down with a foot on his chest.

Someone stabbed him in the leg, drawing a dull blade along his skin. He screamed. Maybe he screamed. It felt like it was happening to someone else. That he was far away from his body. His mind was in a war balloon and his body lay broken on the ground.

"Why don't we just kill him?"

"Because we're to send a message. The Fire Lord's orders were clear. This traitor deserves the slowest death we can manage. Seems he betrayed Princess Azula"

Azula... he didn't! Teo tried to turn his head towards the man that was speaking. He opened his mouth to speak, but another sharp pain took his breath away. His vision darkened and his whole leg ached. He couldn't figure out what happened. He couldn't see past the boot pressing down on is chest. Another pain rocked his body and he screamed his throat raw.

He saw one of the soldiers pass through his field of vision, covered in blood.

He felt cold, despite the warm summer day. The soldier who had held him down left.

Teo didn't have the energy to move. He just let his eyes slide shut as he heard the soldiers ride off.

Life returned to normal for Azula. Ember Island had been a nice diversion when she needed it. And she and Zuko seemed to be on better terms. The pair of them had just returned from sparring outside.

"You seem distracted, Zula," Zuko said as they passed through the halls in the palace.

"Do I? I guess I was just expecting a letter. Teo said he was going to write."

"They're probably on the move then. He probably doesn't have time or access to a messenger hawk," Zuko assured.

The pair came into the common room reserved for the royal family to find a wooden strongbox in the middle of the floor. Azula couldn't help but look. A sealed envelope rested atop the odd box. It was addressed to her. She broke the wax seal and opened the letter.

"The traitor has been apprehended and brought to justice as per the Fire Lord's orders."

She frowned and looked at her brother, "Traitor? Did you know anything about this?"

Zuko shook his head. "No. I didn't know there was one. I guess you should open the box?"

The Fire Princess shrugged and opened the box. The stench assaulted their noses, made them turn away. But curiosity made Azula peek inside. She pulled the red canvas away from the bundle inside the box.

It took her a long moment to process what she was seeing. It was a pair of legs.

She reached out and touched the word "Traitor" carved into the flesh. Dried blood flecked off on her fingers. She held her breath as she turned the leg over to see a familiar burn.

"Teo look what I can do! I can make my hands hot!"

"Really?"

"Yeah! See?"

Teo yelped when his skin burned in the shape of Azula's small hand on his calf. He got taken to a healer and she got disciplined.

"Teo," Azula jerked back from the box as if it burned her.

"Azula?" Zuko tried to reach out to her, but she was already gone.

She ran. She couldn't even see where she was going and ran down at least one of the servants. At the end of the hallway, she pushed open the door to her father's study.

"Why? Why did you do this?" She cried, watching the back of her Father's head.

"What do I do anything, my daughter. Though I suppose I know what you speak of. Your little companion was a distraction. He already ruined you. Spoiled you for any legitimate marriage I can arrange. It is good that your brother redeemed himself, since you threw yourself away for any filthy Earth Kingdom slave that smiled your way."

"Father...I... no..." she felt as if he had slapped her.

"Do not worry, Azula, if you continue to work hard, you can redeem yourself. Soon you will forget about that useless cripple. I have already started making marriage arrangements for you. An older husband would be able to keep you in line, I'm sure. Once I rule all the lands and your brother becomes Fire Lord, you will settle down. You will not be an embarrassment to me."

She turned and ran again, out the doors and into the courtyard. After all she'd done. All her hard work and sacrifice. She'd been the one to kill the Avatar. She'd brought Zuko back home. She was the prodigy. Why? Why was she still not good enough for him?

She found herself entering through the plain door to the workshop.

"Princess Azula? What's... what is the matter?" the Mechanist turned from his workbench.

She couldn't help herself. She ran to the older man and flung herself at him, squeezing him tightly as she cried. She sobbed and choked out the words. "He's... dead. Father... Father killed him."

She expected to be hit. She knew the Mechanist hated her. That he resented the fact that Teo loved her. But... but she felt his arms around her, holding her as they shared their grief.