News of Azula's escape and return to the palace spread like wildfire. Zuko had already been under heavy scrutiny over the matter of the colonies and the inability to work things out with the Earth King. There were crowds of people protesting outside the palace. Half of them wished for Azula's head. The rest wished for her to take over the throne. The palace guards had enough trouble trying to keep them from killing each other. but at least it kept them from storming the palace gates.

The royal council had been upset with Zuko, but on the word of a Kiyoshi warrior and King Bumi of Omashu, the state that Azula had been in when she'd been found was ruled as 'cruel and unacceptable for a hospital of good standing'. An independent investigation followed and the asylum had been shut down. Azula hadn't been the only bender to suffer due to incompetence.

Iroh contemplated the changes that had taken place and moved his wheel tile. He had left Ba Sing Se and gone to Omashu. It had taken Teo and Lumi only three months to construct and finish a new balloon, which the balloon itself was red and green striped. Since they were taking off from Omashu, King Kuei could not explicitly tell Bumi that he couldn't have balloon travel to Ember Island's most famous resort.

"You're taking too much time, Iroh," Lumi smiled.

"Am I? Is an old man not allowed to ponder the complexities of life?"

"You're stalling," Teo said, standing over his shoulder. He was still propped up on crutches, but he still smiled and meant it. Ozai could not break his spirit too badly.

"Perhaps I am. Are you ready for your journey, Teo?"

The young man nodded. After many arguments and much debating, King Bumi had decided that being allies with the Fire Nation would not be a bad thing. He had declared Ember Island to be Ember Island's sister city. The new airship was still under construction, but it promised relatively inexpensive recreational travel between the beach resort and the mountains of Omashu. Rich nobles from the Fire Nation would probably be intrigued by the idea of 'winter sport' like skiing and sledding. A new vacation resort was in the process of being built right then.

"I am. There's still so much to do over there though," Teo took a seat at the Pao Sho table and reached over, moving one of his Father's water tiles.

"Hey! I had a strategy!" Lumi exclaimed, but winked at his son. "I'm sure it'll all be handled, Teo. All you have to worry about is training pilots and new engineers. The business will be handled by the manager we hired."

"I know."

"Azula's political position has been officially denounced. She's under guard by the Kiyoshi, living on a small island off the coast of Ember Island."

"You mean, she and Ty Lee share a house right next to where I'll be living?" Teo beamed.

Iroh had been the one to give his family's old summer home to Azula. She had been abused by his brother, twisted into a tool to be used against his enemies. She had been too young. They all had. He shook his head at the thoughts. "In time, you probably wouldn't even need to sneak around anymore!" he grinned.

Teo rolled his eyes, but his excitement was clear. He hobbled out of the room to check on the balloon once more.

Iroh turned back to Lumi, the Mechanist seemed to be thinking very hard. "He will be fine."

"Oh. Yes, he will be. That wasn't what I was thinking about," Lumi paused and took off his monocle, wiping it on his shirt. "I just never thought that things would... turn out well."

Iroh chuckled, "I know what you mean, my friend. I know what you mean.

"Ty Lee! You're just making it worse!" Azula snapped as her old friend fussed with her hair. It was just a short, shaggy mess that refused to lay in any acceptable manner.

"It looks cute, Azula. Calm down. Teo won't care. I mean, he probably won't even notice!"

"He'll notice," she mumbled and stood up from the vanity to pace away from the mirror. It only showed her awful hair and Ty Lee's sickeningly excited expression.

"He'll be so happy to see you that he won't! Besides, he's changed too," Ty Lee reminded her. Her cheery demeanor faltered some.

"Please don't. I won't... I won't believe it until I've seen him for myself. Part of me still believes that you're all lying to me."

"Azula... why would we do that?"

The former Princess paced again, then picked up the brief letter from the messenger hawk. Teo was on Ember Island right now. He was so close. He was taking a tour of the new airship station and then he would take a boat to her island. To her prison. Eternal house arrest.

Not that she could complain. Every week, supplies would arrive by boat and be carried in. Ty Lee would supervise the entire process, making sure that neither Azula, nor the men bringing the supplies tried anything stupid.

And Teo and Ty Lee were allowed to be with her. That was more than she could ever hope for right now.

"Azula! I hear the boat!" Ty Lee grabbed her arm and pulled her outside and down the road that lead from the house to the dock.

There was indeed a boat coming, the red and white sail full of a good wind. Azula could just barely make out Teo's scruffy hair and the goggles he wore over his eyes. Oh how she missed those goggles!

She found herself running away from Ty Lee and throwing up her arms, letting out a shower of blue and white sparks in a childish display that she hadn't done since she was five years old. She vaguely heard Ty Lee laughing and cartwheeling behind her.

Once the boat stopped, Azula grabbed the rope that had been thrown to her and she tied if off expertly.

"Little help?" Teo smiled and passed up a pair of wooden crutches to Ty Lee. Then he held his arms out to Azula.

She took his calloused hands and pulled him up to a standing position. He'd always had trouble in boats. She didn't let go of his hands.

He took a careful step up onto the dock and smiled. He wasn't any taller, but his voice was deeper that she remembered. "Aza," he smiled, looking at her with... love in his eyes.

Azula, the former Fire Princess, the almost Fire Lord, the conquerer of Ba Sing Se, let out a quiet sob and pulled Teo into a fierce hug.

"I love you, Aza," he muttered, putting his arms around her as they stood together on the docks.

Neither of them minded that Ty Lee started carrying Teo's things into the house.