Author's note :
I think it's time to justify myself on the choice of a fiction based on an incestuous relationship between Zuko and Azula.
I understand that some people does not endorse or believe in the probability of such a relationship:
Indeed, beyond the taboo of incest which can make such a relationship improbable and unacceptable, I think that there are good reasons to find it not very credible: in particular the fact that Azula seems to despise and hate her brother in most of the show, that she wants to kill him in the final episodes, dispossess him of his honor, steal his throne, etc.
But that would be forgetting the complexity of this character.
For me, Azula is a tragic character in an almost classic sense. As such, she can't be in measure. If she has to fall in love, it can only be a hopeless love, a passion so absolute that it risks destroying them, she and the man she loves. It would inevitably be a devouring passion to which she is tragically and irremediably subjected. A passion that can lead her to the best or the worst: in our case, fratricide.
This also explains that in my story, she continues to love Zuko despite what he did to her, despite his contempt and the fact that he left her in this asylum, sporadically abandoning her for two years. The tragic character subjected to his passions lose hisfaculty of judgement and reason.
In some ways, Azula reminds me a bit of the character of Hermione in Andromache, the Jean Racine's french tragedy. Like her, Hermione, in love with Pyrrhus, is ready to put him to death when she learns that he is going to marry her rival. She shows cruelty and insensitivity to Andromache and refuses her any help. She asks her suitor, Orestes, to kill Pyrrhus and when she gets what she wants, she falls into madness, curses poor Orestes for his gesture and commits suicide. I can imagine an Azula acting like this: committing the irreparable and deeply regretting it in the next minute.
I am convinced that if Azula had killed Zuko, she too would have lost her mind completely and that suicide would have been a possible outcome for her.
Regarding the reasons that made her fall in love with Zuko, I think I explained them enough in the previous chapter: after her brother's first departure (banished by Ozai), Azula's daily life became more hard. Raised alone by a demanding and abusive father, she ended up idealizing the only person who had shown affection to her in their lives, even though years of misunderstanding have tarnished the memory.
The tipping point was at Ba Sing Se, when Zuko chose to join her. For the first time in her life, she had the feeling that she was chosen, that someone wanted her. The love she so badly missed in her life took on the appearance of Zuko.
Azula both seeks and fearsseeks strength and power. In her mind, Zuko embodies these two values. This is why her passion increases even as Zuko has annihilated her and usurped her throne. The devotion she felt for her father immediately and unconsciously carried over to her brother when he was crowned.
This is why she submits to his will (for example when she fears that he will marry her or send her back to the asylum), even though we know that she is undoubtedly more powerful than him and could easily disobey or run away.
I take this opportunity to insert the hypothesis of a reader who left a comment and whose interpretation I appreciated (as he / she does not have a pseudo, I cannot name him / her! I hope you recognize yourself!)
Indeed, according to him / her, the feelings of Azula towards Zuko can make think of the Stockholm's Syndrome, which consists in becoming attached to his tormentor or jailer.
"He [Zuko] should be held responsible for purposefully isolating her and enabling her own antisocial tendencies by not allowing any of her suitors letters to reach her. She has no real friends and everyone her age in the palace is Zukos friend first and not hers. Of course she feels alone and unwanted by everyone except Zuko. He's fashioned himself as her only source of companionship as if she were his prisoner. Her environment is very unhealthy and she would of course foster something of Stockholm syndrome towards her brother. He is also allowing her to take the brunt of the shame and humiliation for what happened while he can't admit that he did want it and he had been encouraging her feelings for quite some time."
Azula was already a victim of this syndrome when she lived with Ozai and develops it again with Zuko.
"Azula truly loves Zuko, appreciates what he's done for her, and sees nothing wrong with her life with him but at the same time she doesn't know any better. She is in almost the same living situation she was when Ozai was Fire Lord, except Zuko is obviously far nicer. Because it's so familiar to her, that's part of the reason she doesn't see anything wrong with it."
Let me add that I don't think for a second that Azula could have had romantic feelings for her father. Yes, she worshiped and admired him, but what pushed her towards Zuko was the fact that to her power and authority are added qualities that she seeks in spite of herself: tenderness, kindness and compassion.
Although she is not officially his prisoner, Zuko keeps her jealously close to him and is extremely possessive towards her, which reinforces this assumption.
Azula doesn't believe words but is deeply sensitive to actions. Which is undoubtedly understandable when you know her talent for lies and concealment. She doesn't trust anyone but believes in the evidence.
The letters Zuko wrote while she was in the asylum, the way he took care of her afterwards, the fact that he refused to let her meet other people... All contributed to her feelings. She likes in Zuko what she hates in others because he has shown her that he loves her or at least wanted her in his life.
This is why she resents her rejection so badly. It is not just a simple heartache. Azula not only loses the man she loves, but a brother and above all one of the only people who genuinely cares about her.
With these words, I let you read the chapter. I would thank Draught Junkman for his help with the translation !
Happy reading and please, let reviews !
Chapter 9 - Mistrust and Confidence
That night again, sleep escaped him.
Throwing his pillows away, he wondered how long his body would last before exhaustion got the better of him.
How had he managed to make an already critical situation worse?
Azula and Mai were furious with him, both deeply hurt. He felt his stomach capsize as he thought back to Mai's murderous gaze and the disappointment on Aang's features, when they had seen him loom up from behind the passage, at Azula's heels.
He knew that appearances were playing against him and he might have promised Mai that nothing had happened, begging her on his knees to believe him when he said he had only been talking to Azula, she was returned home, after uttering these fatal words: "Come back to me when you've made your choice."
He hadn't seen Aang again. The Avatar had slipped away after he motioned for Mai to follow him to speak to her away from the curious eyes of the guests.
If he had shown more sense, he would not have taken his sister aside and spoken to her in the reception hall, in front of witnesses.
The princess had not reappeared either. No more than the stupid fop who courted her just before their disastrous argument. He remembered Azula talking about a nighttime walk with her suitor and he wondered if their stroll had finally led them to Azula's bed.
He abruptly shifted his position on his mattress to chase away the unpleasant image of his sister lying on her couch, entwined tightly in the oversized biceps of that fool, as he had done with her that night, weeks ago.
He was sure Azula had been complacent with this boy just to enrage him. And as always, her plan was working wonderfully.
He also thought about the terrible marks on her skin.
Azula had stopped hurting herself for months. It again spoke volumes about her state of psychological distress and it was his fault...
Would the fop notice the scars when he would start to trail his dirty hands on her porcelain skin? How would she explain their presence?
Would she try to distract him by running her nimble fingers along his chest, to his belt which she would unbuckle before...
Jealous, Zuzu?
He hid his eyes with the palm of his hand. What was wrong with him? Why did he care what Azula was doing when he should think about Mai? He was trampling on his marriage for obscure reasons that he himself did not understand but which were beginning to frighten him.
Mai was right: Azula corrupted everything she touched. She had perverted his mind, filled him with unclean, unnatural thoughts that he couldn't shake off. She haunted his nights and hardly spared him during his waking hours.
There had to be a rational explanation. By now, he felt a genuine affection for this sister who had once tormented him. He was willing to admit that he lost control the night the treaty was signed. But in no case did he wish to be involved that way with her. The very idea that he could be involved with his sister made him nauseous.
Why then was he constantly haunted by her amber eyes, red lips and ebony hair?
He wanted so badly to speak with someone… But who would understand? Sokka and Katara were brother and sister and he was absolutely certain that they would be positively horrified if he shared his problems with them. Zuko was convinced that never Katara'd looked at her brother like Azula looked at him. As he looked at Azula. Worst of all, it would break their friendship.
Toph probably wouldn't care, and she would play down the situation without missing a chance to laugh at him or recall how nuts Azula was. "Princess Crazy," wasn't that the nickname she called her when Azula was not around? He didn't think he was ready to put up with her sarcasm. Moreover, the idea of confiding in this living lie detector did not sit well with him.
Talking to Iroh would be too painful. He had always promised himself that he would never again disappoint the man he loved like a father. And Azula was his niece. He didn't want to involve the last member of their family in this sordid affair.
Aang already knew what happened. As always, the Avatar had shown compassion and understanding. But Zuko hadn't forgotten the expression on his face when he stepped out of the passage behind Azula. He felt that Aang was tired of dealing with the caprices of the Fire Lord and his insane sister.
The only thing certain was that he couldn't take this weight on his shoulders for long. He was going to go crazy. Like Azula.
Like Azula...
The idea had just arisen, evident in its simplicity.
For more than three years, she had dedicated her life to the well-being and health of the princess.
Maybe she wouldn't understand, but her job was precisely to try.
She was probably, besides him, the only person in the palace who really took his sister's interests to heart.
He was determined. From the first light of day, he would go talk to Taïma.
Ty Lee quickly walked the few meters that separated her from the entrance hall where Zuko was waiting, ready to welcome her, wearing his crown but in a more casual outfit than the traditional dress of the Fire Lord.
Immediately she noticed that something was wrong. His aura had changed. His tired face betrayed deep anxiety and the dark circles under his eyes bore witness to long sleepless nights.
She was surprised Mai wasn't by his side. Usually her friend was always there to greet her, soberly accepting her embrace. Her absence did not X bode well.
In his letter, Zuko didn't go into details, simply telling her that Azula was not doing well and that she might need her help. She was therefore not surprised that the princess did not stand beside her brother.
Most of the time, Azula avoided appearing in public and preferred to receive Ty Lee in her private apartments or in the royal garden where they would stroll along the flowery paths and then they would sit under the large camphor tree where Azula would listen to her friend tell her with a great enthusiasm her latest adventures and her many amorous conquests.
Ty Lee continued to marvel that the princess had thus forgiven her. They had never been so close. Her friendship was priceless. Azula was nothing like the bossy and arrogant girl she had known and feared in her youth. Sometimes when she spent the afternoon with her she felt like she was her equal.
She loved those quiet afternoons when they were talking innocently or training together in the yard. Azula's martial skills were still astounding but the years spent confined to the asylum had dulled her reflexes somewhat and her limbs were stiffer, making it less easy to perform certain tricks that she once had perfectly mastered. Ty Lee would sometimes help her with regaining her flexibility or stability, during her visits, and she even taught her figures or postures which she learned with the Kyoshi warriors. She had even taught her some kata that Azula quickly mastered and that she added to the repertoire of traditional firebending postures. She had thus invented new movements and created formidable and unprecedented attacks.
Ty Lee had always marveled at her friend's talent. Her firebending technique was already perfect. But Azula wasn't only a master, she was a true virtuoso. The young acrobat never ceased to rave about her extraordinary ability to make hers the fighting techniques of other nations. She sometimes thought that Azula could have used her talent to teach her art to others. But she suspected her of keeping to herself the techniques that made her firebending so unique.
Although, she knew the princess had consented to teach Zuko some of her tricks.
Ty Lee was happy to see that these two had finally learned to get along. She could say today that Azula loved Zuko deeply and the affection she showed him seemed mutual. She would never have imagined, even two years ago, that such a relationship was possible between these two eternal rivals.
As far as she knew, Zuko was the only person besides her that Azula accepted into her close circle.
To tell the truth, she had been very surprised by Azula's confidences during her last visit.
Ty Lee, without despair, had come to think that her friend was too attached to her independence and her freedom to bother with a man in her life.
But seeing her growing interest in Zuko, the kind of co-dependent relationship that seemed to have settled between them, had worried her for a moment. More than her desire for independence, it was her devotion to her brother that seemed to distract her from the prospect of a fulfilling and happy personal life.
Ty Lee had therefore learned with relief Azula's secret. Admittedly her friend seemed to be suffering from the situation but at least it proved that she could have normal feelings for someone.
Ty Lee couldn't help but think that Azula wasn't exactly happy. No doubt she never had been. Probably she was more so today than when they roamed the world hunting Zuko and the Avatar.
Still, there was something deeply dark and sad about her and Ty Lee could sense it in her aura which had been gray and dull since returning from the asylum. Even more than Mai's was.
Azula was wasting away.
Her fighting skills and political genius were not exploited and the acrobat could tell that her friend was deeply frustrated. Zuko still had not returned her powers to her and he had formally forbidden her to participate in diplomatic missions. Granted, he didn't trust his sister yet, but beyond that there was something unsettling about the way he kept her so jealously close to him. Ty Lee couldn't explain it.
Azula was still fragile, of course, but she had made undoubted progress. Was he blind not to see it?
Ty Lee once suggested that Zuko let her bring his sister on a trip with her. She was sometimes sent on mission by Suki and she was sure that Azula would have liked to experience adventures, spend nights under the stars, use her legendary ingenuity to apprehend some criminal or resolve conflicts. Her talents would have been much better employed than here, at the palace, where she spent most of her days in her room or in the royal garden, painting and drawing, or training alone in the courtyard, impatiently waiting for Zuko to find a moment in his busy schedule to spend a few hours with his little sister.
Azula had started to learn archery, taking advantage of the teachings of a retired Yuyan archer who lived at the Caldera. Obviously, she excelled at it, as in everything she did. Another talent that could have been useful if she had gone with Ty Lee.
Of course, the Fire Lord had categorically refused. Azula had to stay close to him in the palace, where she was watched and cared for. She needed stability and a familiar environment.
[end of Ty Lee's thoughts]
That day, when he greeted her with a sad little smile and started talking to her about Azula, without preamble, she could say that the anguish on Zuko's features expressed more than the legitimate worry of a leader questioning the loyalty of one of his subjects.
It was not the Fire Lord who suspected one of his relatives of scheming to overthrow his power, it was the attitude of an older brother who worried about his sick and isolated little sister.
"She hasn't been out for three weeks… Except for my birthday night, three days ago. But we had a fight and since then she has locked herself in her room again. She goes out once a day to the training yard but refuses to let anyone talk to her."
"Did you to talk to her ?"
"No… and I don't think she wants me to," he replied, strangely lowering his head, as if he was ashamed of something.
Ty Lee was completely unaware of the rumors circulating about the siblings. The letters had not reached Kyoshi Island and from the moment Ty Lee had received Zuko's letter, she had no other priority than going to the princess. Her worry had distracted her a little from what was going on around her and she hadn't heard the whispers on the boat that brought her back to the Caldera.
Leaving the port, she immediately went to the palace, without stopping to chat cheerfully with the servants or the charming stable-boy whom she sometimes visited in secret during her stays at the palace and who never failed to offer her a ride, out of sight.
"May I ask you why you had a fight?" she risked, giving him a sidelong glance.
"I think it's better that I let Azula tell you about it, if she wants to. I don't think she would take it very well if I spoke to you first. You are her friend after all."
"I am your friend too Zuko", she reminded in a tone she wanted passionless but which still betrayed how hurt she was.
"Of course you are, but I think right now, she's the one who needs you the most. Listen to me Ty Lee..."
He grabbed her arm to lead her a little further as a troop of guards passed them, bowing respectfully to their Fire Lord and the young warrior. One of them winked at Ty Lee who responded with the same sign, biting her lower lip. Zuko had the delicacy of pretending not to have noticed it.
"I have to tell you before you find out for yourself ... Azula ..."
He broke off to let two servants pass this time, walking with hurried little steps, a pile of laundry in their arms.
"She's started to mutilate herself again…" he finished in a barely audible breath.
Ty Lee's already abnormally large eyes grew like saucers and she felt a knot form in her stomach.
"H... how do you know?"
"I saw the marks on her forearms. And believe me, it was not a pretty sight… I told Taïma who then talked to her about it. But Azula got angry and violently kicked her out of her room."
"And you think she did this to herself just because of your fight?"
"No…" he said hesitantly.
He suddenly looked deeply uncomfortable.
"No," he said hesitantly. "Something else has happened, I... didn't you hear anything coming here? "
"What are you talking about Zuko?" she asked, frowning suspiciously.
"Listen, you should go to see Azula."
"And you think she'll be more willing to talk to me?" Ty Lee asked.
"I have no idea. But you're her only friend Ty Lee, and she refuses to talk to me. I didn't know what else to do."
Her friend looked so desperate... although a little worried imagining how Azula was going to receive her, Ty Lee took pity on him. She noticed at this moment that Zuko seemed to have slimmed down a bit. Whatever happened to Azula, it had taken its toll on the young Fire Lord's mood and health.
"Don't worry Zuko, I'll take care of it."
He managed to smile faintly and offered to escort her to Azula's apartments. Once they got to the wing where the royal family were housed, he stopped and said:
"Listen Ty… whatever Azula would say to you… I want you to know… well, tell her…"
"Tell me Zuko," she encouraged him gently.
Zuko took his jaw in his hand and tugged at the skin of his chin, looking down, a look of deep guilt spreading over his face.
"Just tell her I never meant to hurt her. And that I just want everything to go back to how it was before..."
And before she could answer, he turned on his heel, his cloak fluttering around him in a graceful movement, and disappeared in the halls.
She watched him go, very confused, then she turned to face the two large wooden panels behind which, she knew, her friend must have been ruminating on dark thoughts, probably a glass of red wine in her hand. She had noticed in recent months that Azula had increased her alcohol consumption and she felt concern. But the princess hadn't wanted to hear anything about it.
Taking a deep breath, Ty Lee closed her eyes, as if to shield herself from a frightening sight, and knocked on the door.
The princess was still in bed although dawn had passed long ago.
It was not like her to stay in bed so late.
But this morning she felt nauseous, exhausted. A toilsome headache throbbed in her temples and a harsh taste in her mouth made her wince in disgust.
Lying on her stomach, disheveled hair, she looked up at her bedside and discovered the glass and the three-quarters empty bottle she had left there yesterday.
She already regretted this new excess. But she also knew she would do it again that evening.
Zuko would be furious.
At least he would be if he still cared about her. Taïma too, but given the way she had received her the last time, she was hopeful that the healer would stay away for a while.
Azula had barely sobered up since Zuko's birthday night. Painfully, she let the memories of that evening resurface.
[flashback:]
A heavy step on the gravel covering the garden paths had alerted her as she lay miserably on her flower bed, rolling on the ground. Panicked at the thought of being caught in such an unworthy posture, she had risen abruptly with all the speed and ease of a warrior and threw herself behind a bush to observe the intruder.
She recognized the figure of the young man with whom she had talked just before seeing Zuko. He stopped a few feet away from her and turned his head, looking around everywhere. She guessed that he must have followed her and heard her moans and sobs.
She really didn't have the patience for him right now and felt quite unable of inventing a coherent lie to explain how the elegant and smiling young woman, who had promised him a dance earlier, had suddenly found herself in such a state.
Her dress was soaked and she guessed that the grass must have left green stains on the silk that the maids would kill themselves trying to remove. Her beautiful, sophisticated bun that her favorite servant had made for her a few hours before the party - surprised that the princess had invited her to join her after three weeks of silence - was now a real mess. Azula might have mastered the art of composing a face in record time, at the moment she was far too upset to pretend. Her makeup had run down her face so much that she could never have made herself presentable.
The idea of seducing this idiot had crossed her mind for a moment. At least this one was good looking and wasn't twice her age. And he at least wasn't disfigured by an ugly scar. Maybe she would have even let him steal a kiss from her. Zuko was going to be mad!
She had believed her plan had worked when, locked in the small hidden room, he had forbidden her to join him. Then he had said the fatal words, making it clear that he didn't want her in his life.
He had seen the scars on her arms and had the audacity to pretend to care! While all he cared about was what people were going to say if it was found out that the mentally unstable princess who was his sister had started to go crazy again.
Azula held her breath until the young suitor gave up and left. When he was far enough away, she ran in the opposite direction to take a secret passage leading directly to the royal apartments.
There she returned to her room, dissmissed all her servants brusquely, took off her shoes and eagerly tore her dress that literally fell to pieces at her feet. Pointing two accusing fingers at the pile of silk pitifully wrapped around her ankles, she sprang out of it and reduced it to ashes.
She contemplated her work for a moment, her chest heaving at a frantic pace as anger rushed through her again in successive waves. Lifting her head, her gaze fell on the mirror. The image reflected there was even more lamentable than she had imagined.
Standing in the middle of her bedroom, dressed only in her underwear, half of her hair had managed to come out of the bun and fell casually to the side of her neck. Her cheeks and the edges of her red eyes were darkened with the makeup that had run off and mingled with tears.
Accidentally her eyes fell on the specter of an old burn that stretched across her right hip: if she looked closely she could recognize a palm print and the outlines of four long fingers. A reminder of Father's punishment on the day where Zuko had abandoned her. The point Father started to lose control of himself...
She ran her fingertips absently over the damaged skin and stared at the scar for a moment, as if trying to remember how she had gotten it.Usually she avoided looking at it. It was more prudent to ignore it.
She turned her eyes from the mirror and went to the bathroom, taking care not to look where Zuko and she...
She activated the pump and closed the drain to prepare a bath. She went back to her room to look for the bottle of wine she had started that afternoon to give herself the courage to go to the Fire Lord's birthday party. She put it on the edge of the tub, and without even bothering to look for a glass, she undressed, stepped over the tub and let herself sink into the water that she warmed with her bending.
[End of flashback]
Since, she had emptied two more bottles and spent most of the last two days sleeping. She hadn't eaten anything more substantial than some fruit and a piece of bread.
This is why she was particularly upset when she heard three loud knocks on her door. It was as if someone had detonated two fireballs right next to her ears.
"What?" she shouted with a pasty mouth, without bothering with the elementary rules of courtesy. "Leave me alone! I don't want to see anyone!"
"Azula, open the door! I didn't come all this way to find myself in front of a closed door!"
"Ty? astonished Azula whose fury suddenly slipped from her.
She jumped up with surprising agility for someone who had spent the last three days drinking wine. She tightened her belt around her robe and walked to the door and unlocked it, revealing the visibly worried face of her best and only friend.
"Ty Lee, what are you doing here?"
"Will you let me in?"
Azula stepped aside to let her pass, too stunned and too relieved to see her to remember that she wanted to be alone. She closed the door behind them and looked at her friend with wide, round eyes, as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing.
From Ty Lee's expression, she guessed she must have looked terrible. Turning her eyes to the mirror, she saw herself, dressed in her only robe with two bare legs sticking out, her hair loose and tangled, her eyes ringed in black and her neck a little emaciated. Horrified, she crossed her arms over her chest and bowed her head to escape the caring gaze of her friend.
Ty Lee stepped forward a little and surveyed the room quickly : the clothes casually thrown into a ball on the floor, the enigmatic pile of ash near the mirror, the torn or crumpled scrolls that littered a messy desk ... Her eyes stopped on the nearly empty bottle and glass that still sat on Azula's nightstand. The princess blushed miserably looking at her feet.
"I came as soon as I could…"
"Why are you here Ty Lee? Was it Zuko who asked you to come see me?"
"He is extremely worried Azula. He told me you haven't been out of your room for almost a month! That you don't talk to anyone anymore!"
"Did he tell you why?" she asked, raising her head, vainly trying to look confident.
"No… he'd rather let you tell me about it," Ty Lee replied shyly.
Azula turned away from her and walked towards the office where she pretended to put away her piled up parchments, content to move them to the opposite corner. The result was less than convincing.
"There is nothing to say," she spoke. "He made you travel for nothing Ty Lee. I don't need anything, really, I'm fine."
Ty Lee didn't answer. She walked over to the bed, grabbed the bottle and glass and returned to Azula, raising her eyebrows over a questioning look.
"I had visitors yesterday," Azula replied without losing her composure.
"There is only one glass..."
"The other broke."
"Stop lying Azula!" Ty Lee snapped, growing annoyed.
"I don't owe you anything Ty Lee! You can go home and reassure dear Zuzu. He'll easily believe you if he's stupid enough to call a person who lives thousands of miles away to inquire about someone who lives at the other end of his hall..."
She gestured to the door and waited, crossing her arms over her chest angrily again. But Ty Lee didn't make a gesture indicating that she was going to leave.
Azula expected no less from her.
Rolling her eyes, she sighed in exasperation and walked over to the sofa she sat on, knees bent in front of her, head thrown back on the backrest, eyes closed to fight the headache. She heard Ty Lee move across the room and felt the couch cushions sag slightly under her weight when her friend came to sit in the place next to her.
"I won't leave you Azula..."
Azula wanted to throw flames in her face, yell at her to leave her alone. She didn't wanted her sickening concern. She didn't deserve it.
She opened her eyelids to see Ty Lee's gray eyes fixed on her, her mouth twisted into a comical grimace that made her think of the pout a scolded child would make when about to cry.
Oh no! If Ty Lee was crying, she wasn't sure she could hold herself back. She didn't understand what she was doing here, why she was wasting her time with such a desperate case as hers.
When was Ty Lee going to figure it out? Even her mother was gone, then Zuko, then Mai… then her father after them… Everyone was leaving her… always. Abandonment was the only constant in her life.
But Ty Lee was here. With her, when everyone had turned their backs on her.
Suddenly overcome by a wave of gratitude towards her friend, she was unable to express in words what it meant to her to have her by her side now.
Almost imperceptibly, Azula extended a shy hand which she placed on the cushion, right between them. She turned it palm up, like an offering, without looking at her friend. Ty Lee understood the invitation: she immediately took her hand and squeezed it in hers. A few seconds passed like this, in an increasingly heavy silence.
Ty Lee opened her arms just in time to collect the frail figure of the princess who suddenly burst into tears, her head falling on her friend's shoulder.
"It's going to be fine Azula, I'm here now... I won't be leaving."
"He doesn't want me anymore Ty! He doesn't want anything to do with me anymore!"
The words sprang from her lips before she could hold them back. Ty Lee hugged her, tracing circles on her back with the palm of her hand.
"This is it then, eh? Can you tell me?"
But Azula barely heard her and continued: "And now he's going to get rid of me! He is going to send me back to the asylum, I know that! He saw the scars, Ty! He saw them!"
Matching her words, she pulled away from her friend and rolled up her sleeve on her elbow to show her the lint on her forearm.
Ty Lee jumped up and wasn't quick enough to hide the shock on her face. Her big eyes widened in horror.
"Azula, did you do this to yourself?"
"He didn't want me anymore! He didn't want to talk to me anymore! I had no choice! He's going to send me back to the asylum! But I can't go back Ty Lee, I don't want to! I had no choice, please believe me!"
Ty Lee looked more and more confused. Azula slowly realized that her words must sound totally incoherent. The words the young acrobat then uttered confirmed her suspicions: "Azula... excuse me for asking that but you are taking your treatment, right?"
"What... what? Yes of course…" she replied genuinely.
"Alright Azula. I believe you, don't worry. Come on, I'm listening, tell me what happened."
Azula backed up a bit and sat up straight on the couch. She ran her hands through her hair to try to flatten it a bit and regain her composure. She already regretted this shameless overflow of emotions. She knew Ty Lee wouldn't hold it against her, but that still wasn't acceptable for a princess.
Where to start? She had already said too much.
Besides, what did Ty Lee know? Had rumors about her non-existent relationship with Zuko ever reached her friend?
Once again, she thought it wiser to go for a half-truth.
Wiping her eyes, she began her story. She told Ty Lee how she had invited her mysterious lover for a last drink in her room after a drunken evening. How he'd agreed to curl up with her on the couch, how they'd had a nice chat for a while.
She told her how things suddenly got out of hand after she accidentally spilled wine on his jacket and tunic.
"I don't know why I did this Ty Lee. He was there, shirtless and I… I started doing what you told me… well I didn't really do it, I was going to…"
"And he didn't like it?
"At the beginning, yes. Well, I think… I don't know. It was just like you told me. He seemed to want... and then suddenly, I don't know why, he pushed me away and left..."
"Ah..."
At this point in her story, Ty Lee was smart enough to seem confused. After all, she was the one who had gave her that stupid advice. Azula stared at her intently, waiting for her reaction.
"So?" she asked impatiently. "Tell me… you who are an expert in this matter. What did I do wrong?"
"I don't know..." Ty Lee muttered, visibly embarrassed. "I guess you were a little too enterprising. You must have scared him. He is undoubtedly a very shy person."
Seeing that Azula bowed her head piteously, she hastened to add: "But if everything you have described to me is true, it is clear that he likes you!"
"Do you think so?"
"Oh yes! He would have left long before if he hadn't hoped for something to happen with you!"
Azula thought about what she had just said for a moment. What if Zuko was just afraid of his own desires? She had never thought of it, too busy digesting his rejection and his silence. What if she could convince him that they weren't doing anything wrong, then maybe?
It was wrong.
It was disgusting.
It must never happen again.
No, there wasn't any hope. Zuko would never give up on his morals and convictions. Even less for her. She really wasn't worth it.
"What about Zuko?" Ty Lee asked, cutting her off in her thoughts.
"Zuko?" she responded too quickly, on the defensive.
"Well… why did you get angry with him? He told me you two had a fight and that you had refused to see him for weeks."
Azula couldn't help but blush. But the lie came to her easily: "Zuko found out what happened. He was very upset. He forbade me to see him again."
After all it wasn't really a lie...
Ty Lee looked puzzled.
"But when you told me he was going to send you back to the asylum, who were you talking about?"
"Zuko, of course..."
"But you told me he didn't want you anymore… you… you were still talking about Zuko?"
Azula felt that she was venturing down a slippery slope and preferred to evade the question.
She couldn't tell her the truth. Not now. She couldn't lose Ty Lee. First Zuko, then her. No, she couldn't take it.
"Listen Ty Lee, I'm grateful to you for coming this far to see me. But I'm doing very well. It's true that I've been a little depressed lately and I have surely overreacted, but I can handle the situation on my own, believe me."
Ty Lee's storm-colored eyes lowered again on the wine bottle before returning to the Azula's face.
The acrobat took a deep breath, then she spoke:
"We can handle the situation. The two of us. There is no way I will leave you alone again. And if you want my opinion, the priority…" she announced, grabbing a thick lock of Azula's tangled hair between her fingers, "is that we take care of your hair! It is a real disaster. Agni! When was the last time you combed them?"
With a sad little smile, Azula looked up at Ty Lee and accepted the hand she extended to her. They got up from the couch. The princess straightened the belt of her robe and walked over to her dressing table, grabbed a brush which she put on the pink marble surface and sat down in front of the mirror, not looking at her reflection.
Ty Lee slowly approached behind her and took the brush which she began to pass through the long black hair, disentangling one by one the thick and recalcitrant strands; and every time the expert hand came to the end of a knot, Azula felt a little lighter, thinking that she could spend this day with her best friend.
Aang was worried.
He had thought at first that his friend needed time, but now it was clear that he was avoiding him.
Since the birthday party, he had barely spent a few minutes in the Fire Lord's company. The latter spent most of his days locked in his study room, leaving General Kadao the care of receiving the citizens' grievances in the Throne Room.
Aang had stayed with him most of the time, standing to the General's right, listening with growing uneasiness to the demands and complaints of the subjects who succeeded one another before the throne.
Clearly, discontent increased among the citizens of the Fire Nation Capital. It appeared that the turmoil in the settlements had resulted in a sudden influx of migrants from across the Earth Kingdom, all settlers or mixed-race families fleeing persecution that continued despite announcements of the three-year plan.
Promises to replace high officials and create quotas for leadership positions had not quelled the popular rumor that called for the final withdrawal of the settlers and all native leaders of the Fire Nation.
The massive and uncontrolled arrival of refugees was already beginning to disturb the calm and peace of the Caldera. Acts of violence, obviously due to residents unhappy to see these desperate men and women disembark, had been reported: assaults and lynchings were on the table.
Refugee families settled where they could, in the streets, in uninhabited houses and in makeshift camps set up mainly on the beaches and in the industrial sector, already plagued for many years by rampant criminality. A nasty feeling of insecurity hung in the air. A few acts of vandalism had been carried out and the Imperial Guard was overwhelmed by calls for help from citizens who flocked to the guard posts in panic.
Aang wanted to remain optimistic, but he had to admit that he was starting to grow weary of fighting humans' hatred, intolerance and violence.
Evil and corruption took many forms and always rose from their ashes. He knew it because the monks had taught it to him from an early age. They had also taught him that it was futile to try to overcome it. But the Avatar's role was to maintain the balance and it was a heavy mission for a boy of one hundred and eighteen who had spent a century in ice.
How could he succeed without the support of the world leaders, starting with the one that ruled the most powerful and most successful of the four nations?
When he thought of Zuko, holed up in his quarters to avoid a wife and sister both furious with him, Aang couldn't help but feel a little disappointed and bitter.
Zuko neglected his duties and once again let his emotions and personal issues distract him from his duties.
Zuko was not the avatar, or even an air monk, and he could not be expected to learn to break free from his earthly ties as he had been taught. But his responsability as Fire Lord was at least to try.
Aang had tried to be understanding and patient. He had refrained from any judgment when Zuko told him about his disastrous affair with Azula. He thought he could try to understand. The air nomads accepted love in all its forms. But incest was still a taboo in all human societies.
It was true that Azula was not lacking in charm and possessed a certain magnetism to which he himself, on a few occasions, had been sensitive. He knew that just like him, Sokka had sometimes let his gaze wander in the princess' direction. Her natural elegance, the scarlet hue of her lips, her long hair, dark as night, her great intelligence... All this made her deeply fascinating. But her complexity and overt contempt for the lower classes had always put him off.
Sokka put it best: "You can watch as long as you don't touch!"
This also applied to the Avatar.
He wondered what Zuko would think if one of his best friends started courting his sister. The way he kept her jealously with him, his brooding eyes during social gatherings, his tense face when Azula was dancing with a man... This overprotective behavior had not escaped him.
He hadn't worried about it at first. He had sometimes caught the same annoyed and threatening expression on Sokka's face when a man, other than Aang, got too close to Katara. He even remembered that in the early days of his relationship with her, Sokka had been perfectly unbearable, following them everywhere, leaving them only rare occasions to be alone.
Then he had accepted the idea, but Aang knew that Sokka was still watching over his sister and that the slightest misstep on his part would likely earn him a surprise attack from his legendary boomerang.
No doubt it was the same for Zuko, right? Maybe these were the normal feelings a brother was supposed to have for his little sister?
Though he was sure of one thing: Sokka had never watched Katara as Zuko did watch Azula.
Aang thought he could name what the Fire Lord felt for the princess: fascination.
He hadn't paid much attention to it until recently, but during the birthday party, when he had slipped away to give Zuko the leisure to talk with Azula, he had observed their every gesture, their facial expressions and the looks they gave eachother.
He knew Zuko well enough to identify the rage bubbling inside him, as he watched his sister flirting with another man. He had seen him blush as Azula walked towards him, with deliberate slowness, her golden eyes fixed on the golden irises of the Fire Lord.
He had also been a little disappointed to see his friend's lack of awarness when he had disappeared with Azula behind a curtain, only to return a few minutes later, and appear in front of a room full of courtiers, half of whom were already whispering about their unhealthy relationship. All this in front of Mai, of course.
So he was happy to meet Ty Lee on his way out of the Throne Room where he had spent the morning assisting Kadao.
"Aang!" cried the young warrior, rushing towards him! "How happy I am to see you ! I didn't know you were there!"
"Zuko didn't tell you?"
"No, we barely spoke, him and I. I went to see Azula almost immediately."
"How is she?"
"Not very well. Finally better now. I put her back to bed. She is upset and I haven't seen her so depressed in a long time."
"Do you know why?" he risked, looking around to make sure they were alone.
"I don't want to tell you too much… She will kill me if she knows that I told you about it but to sum up… she has heartache."
"Heartache?" he repeated incredulously as if struggling to understand what Ty Lee was talking about.
The idea that Azula could fall in love like all other human beings rang strangely in his ears.
"Yes, problems with a boy she loves but who apparently is too stupid to give in to her charms. Can you believe it?" she exclaimed suddenly, squeezing a part of his tunic with a gesture so abrupt that Aang jumped.
He released himself from her grip and stepped back, one hand resting on the back of his head. He liked Ty Lee very much, but her unpredictable reactions continued to catch him off guard.
"Indeed, it is surprising," he answered vaguely, arranging the folds of his tunic. "Do you... do you know who this boy is?"
"No," she said in a tone that betrayed both her frustration and her deep disappointment, "she won't tell me. Apparently he's a very powerful and high profile man in Fire Nation… It seems Zuko was furious when he heard about it and that's why they fought! Don't you think they're both acting weird? More than usual I mean..."
"I guess…" he answered very uncomfortable.
It was unexpected.
Really, he had agreed that Azula's attempts to seduce her brother were part of a strategy to get closer to Zuko, and by extension, to power. Her mind was twisted enough to contemplate such a plan, bewildering as it was. But that she could simply act out of love? That didn't sound like Azula.
Anxious not to disclose Zuko's secret, he preferred to talk about something else
"How long do you plan to stay at the palace?"
"I don't know. As long as necessary. I don't want to leave Azula like this. What about you?"
"I'm leaving tomorrow to bring Katara and Sokka back. They were supposed to stay longer at the South Pole, but the current events are too serious. I decided to assemble the Team Avatar."
"Very good. See you at lunch then. I'll leave you, I'll go back to see how Azula is. See you later Aang!"
Aang watched her walk away, even more worried than he was when he left the Throne Room.
Ba Sing Se - Menagerie of King Kuei's palace.
"I am sorry to bring you such news your Highness. I will not hide from you my disappointment with regard to the Fire Lord, whose involvement in this affair is very insufficient given the financial and military resources at his disposal."
Kuei listened to him, pacing the aisles of the royal menagerie, hands crossed behind his back, Lu Fang in his footsteps.
They stopped in front of the enclosure of a giant platypus-bear to which Kuei amused himself by throwing a few handfuls of dried lizards placed at his disposal in a bucket hanging in front of the enclosure.
"I share your resentment Lu Fang… I always thought Zuko was a good man and an ambitious leader. His indifference to the suffering of our people is a deep disappointment for us."
"Zuko never had your wisdom and your deep empathy, Your Highness."
"I won't blame him Lu Fang. Zuko is still a young man. I easily let myself be manipulated in my young years and I was unaware of all the evils of this world before my journey..."
"From which you came back full of wisdom," finished Lu Fang, bowing respectfully before his sovereign.
They resumed their walk on the path bordered by azaleas and brightly colored lilies. Kuei, despite his concern, couldn't help but let himself be overcome by a deep rapture. Spring was his favorite season. A symbol of peace, hope and renewal. He was deeply annoyed that his kingdom was troubled by such dramatic events at such a beautiful time. Although he greatly appreciated Aang, he thought bitterly that the Fire Lord and the Avatar had been wrong to put the fabulous Harmony restoration Movement project on hold. They wouldn't be in this situation if this plan had worked.
He did not deny Zuko's efforts to ease tensions and his ambassadors, returning from the Caldera, had told him the previous week about the famous three-year plan decided upon by the Council. Lu Fang jumped out of his seat and immediately protested that the Fire Nation, once again, was downplaying the gravity of events and not taking their share of responsibility for the turmoil that was shaking the world.
Kuei had thought carefully and it was true that this project lacked ambition.
Despite the reluctance of the Minister of the Armed Forces, the plan had been formalized and the administrators of the colonies had already informed their populations, with a great deal of help from heralds.
The spies sent by Kuei to observe the settelment's citizens' reaction confirmed their fears. According to them, the public had gathered massively around the trestles where the heralds announced the daily news. Leaflets had been distributed to the population. There was general agreement that this new measure was far from arousing enthusiasm. Many citizens had left the town squares, annoyed, without waiting for the end of the announcements.
"They are flogging a dead horse again." they said everywhere. Anger was mounting against the leaders of the two nations who did not seem to have the courage to take drastic action. The people wanted real measures, boldness, not simple decrees whose effects were too slow or too minor to change the inhabitants' daily life.
"You are right, Your Highness, the Fire Lord is arguably a good man compared to his father and grandfather… But his philanthropy is greatly overestimated due to his friendship with the Avatar. Basically he remains an angry, egocentric and easily influenced man."
Kuei turned to him, a little surprised: "He never gave me that impression."
"Sire, you know who is pulling the strings in the shadow at the Caldera... You know only too well what she is capable of..."
"Princess Azula?"
"Ever since he freed her from prison and she resumed living in the palace, the princess seems to exert a growing influence on her brother. She is at many decrees and laws origin into their nation. Some people say that in reality, even if he wears the crown, she is one who truly rules the Fire Nation."
"Yet I heard that Zuko had not returned her powers and that she only sat on the Council as an honorary member."
"Of course, officially. But in the shadows, she whispers in her brother's ear and he gives in to her every wish."
Kuei swallowed hard. He had not forgotten the dangerous Princess of the Fire Nation who, several years before, had brought down the walls of his city, had stolen his throne, with the help of only two friends, had threatened him with death. He remembered his terror when she held him against her, a dagger of blue flames inches from his throat to force the Avatar's friends to give up the fight.
He wanted to believe that Zuko was better than his sister. But was he not the one who had joined her in Ba Sing Se, contributing to the fall of the city?
"Sire," Lu-Fang continued as Kuei was dwelling on these events, "did you hear of the rumors roaming the streets of the Caldera? The Fire Lord and the princess are rumored to be involved in a sordid incestuous affair."
Kuei winced and uttered an outraged exclamation. He found it hard to imagine that Zuko could be guilty of such an amoral and disgusting crime.
"What proof do you have of all this," Lu Fang? he asked, turning to the tenant of the enclosure on their right.
"These are just whispers, Your Highness, but I was there when they started to spread. And I can tell you that I did not see the princess once during my stay. The Fire Lord became particularly aggressive when her name was mentioned. Moreover, the Fire Lady left the palace the same evening… According to our Dai Li agent, present at the royal palace, the Fire Lord sometimes gets up in the middle of the night to knock on his sister's door… And it seems they were seen together emerging from a secret room the night of the Fire Lord's birthday."
Kuei frowned, an expression both disgusted and annoyed on his long, slender face with slanted eyes.
"I thought I specifically asked you to withdraw all your agents Lu Fang! I don't like these methods which remind me of those used by Long Feng… Trust is essential in diplomatic relations."
"Sire, we are talking about the man who deliberately thwarted the Harmony Restoration Movement, taking the risk of starting a war with our Kingdom... give me a few more weeks, while my Dai Li agent brings you proof of what I say. Then I will bring him back to Ba Sing Se. You have my word."
Kuei thought for a moment. It was hard for him to believe these incest stories that sounded like calomnies. However, he had to admit that he didn't like the idea of such closeness between Zuko and the Princess of the Fire Nation. A Fire Lord influenced by this genius of manipulation and lies posed a real threat to world peace. What would his people think when they learned that the girl who had so easily destroyed them five years before had regained such power and that he, their king, had done nothing to prevent her ascension ?
Reluctantly, he nodded.
"I'm grateful for your trust, Your Highness. I think you will agree that the princess must be separated from her brother as soon as possible. Their twisted relationship prevents the Fire Lord from acting in an objective and wise manner."
"What do you suggest?" Kuei asked, afraid he already knew the answer.
He didn't like spilling blood.
"The Avatar and the Fire Lord have managed to stay the prosecution against the Princess three years ago following firm negotiations. However, she is still believed to be responsible for the downfall of Ba Sing Se and, indirectly, for the deaths of the citizens who were victims of the Fire Army once the walls were destroyed. As you know, in exchange for the stay of prosecution, the Fire Lord has pledged to pay tribute to the Earth Kingdom. Each year he sends a substantial sum devoted to the restoration of the houses and buildings destroyed by the Fire Army. However, he has not yet paid off that debt for this year. He claims that this money will be better used for the foundation of the future City of the Republic and has blocked the sending of money to Ba Sing Se, arguing that the devastated districts have already been largely rebuilt."
"Where are you going with it Lu Fang? Isn't it true that these damages have been repaired?"
"Sire, we can demand the extradition of Princess Azula by invoking the non-respect of this clause. No duration had been determined and the Fire Lord is therefore still subject to it."
Kuei took his chin between his thumb and forefinger and narrowed his eyes.
"If Zuko really is as close to the princess as you suggest, don't you think we are taking the risk of starting an open conflict with the Fire Nation by asking for her head?"
"I have already thought about this for a long time, Your Highness. Trust me. I think I know how to take advantage of recent events. If my plan works, we will be winners on both fronts: our annexed territories will regain their independence and the peace of which they have been dispossessed for far too long. To top it off, we will finally have the head of the "Scourge of Ba Sing Se". Our people will finally get justice and that will boost your popularity."
Kuei remained silent. He absently followed the comings and goings of a magnificent polar leopard caribou with an immaculate coat rescued from the clutches of a poacher six months before.
It was true that his popularity was still far from assured. In the collective consciousness, the 52nd Earth King remained an impressionable and weak young man who had given up his throne after allowing the Dai Li to manipulate him for years.
He sighed deeply: sometimes he thought that it would have been easier to lead animals than people. He would have liked to avoid coming to such extremes. But as a ruler, he could not afford to overlook the threat of a princess gradually regaining her power and influence within a weakened nation and a young Fire Lord perhaps subject to her charms.
Moreover, Lu Fang, despite his bellicose temperament, had repeatedly proven his worth and loyalty to Kuei. Wasn't it he who had helped him regain the authority he had once been dispossessed of? Who had established his credibility with his people and rallied the Dai-Li agents corrupted by Azula?
With a new sigh, he turned to his minister: "Alright Lu Fang, you have my full confidence."
"Sire, I will not disappoint you."
And after having bowed to his king, Lu Fang turned on his heel and resumed the direction of the palace, his olive-green cloak fluttering around his imposing figure.