Gladiator

by Seyary-Minamoto

In a world where the Avatar wasn't found, the Fire Nation took over two nations and they strive to overcome the last one. Water Tribe warrior Sokka seeks to fight for his people's rights, but he's captured by his enemies. His life is no longer in his hands as he fights as a Gladiator, and his fate will eventually depend on the Fire Nation Princess, who needs him for her own ends...

325. Chapter 325: Rescue NAT-Preparations 1

Rescue in the Northern Air Temple/Preparations

1

It took Mai and Ty Lee two weeks to boldly decide they'd visit Azula without permission. Unsettling rumors had taken wind, and tension was rising in the Fire Nation once more: word had spread that Crown Prince Zhao had been sighted at the port, and that he would be deployed to the North Pole once more. Azula's friends assumed that would be a good thing for the Princess, yet the rumors over the Colonies were anything but tranquilizing: where some people claimed nothing was happening, and that doomsayers were better off ignored, something certainly had changed in the Former Earth Kingdom… for the loudest and most frequent gossip claimed that the Fire Lord's hold over Ba Sing Se and Omashu had been broken.

Mai had wanted to disregard such rumors… but she couldn't do so. Not when she had received that ominous letter from her father, of which she had made a copy before giving the original to the Fire Lord. She had read it again upon hearing those rumors… and the possibility that her father had written such a message while under surveillance by the Fire Lord's enemies, while captured and forced to do their bidding, grew stronger as she finished scanning the letter all over again.

Ty Lee and Haru came to visit more often lately. Two weekends after Zhao's reported departure, Haru and Ruon Jian had the day off from work: the four of them had a chance to speak thoroughly at Mai's house, to decide a course of action.

"You know how to navigate the pressures and complications of the high class better than any of us here," Ruon Jian told Mai, holding her hand gently as the four of them sat together in the house's sitting room. "Isn't it possible for you to approach the Palace and just ask if you can see her?"

"The Palace is bound to be as aloof as ever, but…" Ty Lee winced, shaking her head. "The things people have said aren't reassuring."

"Did Shoji have a chance to speak with the Head Sage?" Mai asked. Ty Lee gritted her teeth and nodded.

"He barely could reach him a couple of days ago, but he's been doing daily check-ups for Azula. He hasn't had to do that constantly in her pregnancy, only on occasion," Ty Lee said. Mai scowled. "A-apparently the Fire Lord himself came to find him to ask him to do that, too. I… I don't know what any of it means. I just… I just have the bad feeling we won't be able to see Azula again for a long time."

"And the baby's due soon," Haru said, frowning. "In a month? Maybe two?"

"I don't know how far along she is, exactly," Mai admitted. "But… yes. While I don't know what she plans on doing to save the child, this is precisely when she needs us the most."

"Can you act ignorant of what the rumors have been saying?" Haru asked. "Simply… going to the Palace to ask about why she hasn't come to see you again recently?"

"It might have been inappropriate to try that a week ago… maybe two weeks ago," Mai said, frowning. "That's when the worse rumors started to pick up steam. But right now… I suppose trying to visit now wouldn't be ill-advised. Still, hiding that I've heard some rumors might not be the best idea… not if I'm trying to present myself as fully truthful and trustworthy to the Fire Lord."

"Maybe keep it quiet until you speak with him?" Ruon Jian suggested. "It might be reasonable to not say that outright to the soldiers… but it's a different story once you're with the Fire Lord."

"True. That is, if we even get that far," Mai sighed, glancing at Ty Lee across the dining table. "You're sure you're up for this?"

"I'm sure I'm tired of waiting for Shoji to bring whatever news he can," Ty Lee said, sighing and shaking her head. "I don't know if I'll be much help… but I want to go, too."

Mai nodded affirmatively: they'd made their choice, dangerous as it might be. Both their husbands would stay behind in Mai's house, watching over Yuudai. They wished them luck effusively before Mai and Ty Lee took off to the Palace.

"Just… have to stay calm, that's all we have to do," Ty Lee recited. Mai grunted softly.

"Doesn't help me to hear you say that, but I'm sure you're saying it for yourself," she said. Ty Lee pouted. "The more twisted rumors have said things that… that are really alarming. You know it as well as I do."

"I know. I know, but… it can't be true, can it?" Ty Lee said, glancing at Mai. "It has to be a misunderstanding. It might be… a-another Water Tribe guy? Maybe some Fire Nation people are just stupid, and they pretend they all look alike…"

"I'd believe that if we were talking about someone who wasn't as good as a celebrity in this nation," Mai sighed. "More so if he weren't capable of what people are saying he achieved. We're talking about someone who was… well, evenly matched with Azula, as we both know. I wouldn't question that she could have conquered whatever city she pleased if she had the means to do it… thus, I can't really question that he could do it, too."

"I just hope the Fire Lord didn't take out his anger on her, if you're right," Ty Lee said, gritting her teeth as she raised her gaze towards the Palace. "If that's why the Head Sage has had to check on her daily, I… I don't know what we'll do. I don't know how we'll be able to help her, or if we'll be able to do it at all…"

"The least we can do is try to reach her, first. If there's anything we can do for her, we'll only find out after we speak with her," said Mai, breathing deeply and scowling with determination.

They approached the Palace slowly, trying to betray as little tension as possible – though they still conveyed some nervousness as they approached the guards by the gates. The armored men turned towards them quickly upon realizing they weren't simple passersby, and that they were walking in their direction.

"The… the ladies Mai and Ty Lee," said the closest guard, identifying them quickly. Ty Lee swallowed hard upon hearing those words, but she joined Mai in a respectful reverence towards the guards, regardless of her apprehension.

"Good day," Mai said, offering them her perfected, meek disposition as she spoke calmly. "I understand I may be overstepping my boundaries… if so, I apologize for it. Yet… the Fire Lord tasked me with hosting Princess Azula at my home several weeks ago, and she never arrived. It has been a long time since then, and I merely wished to ask if I should expect her to visit anew in the coming weeks, or if… if perhaps the Fire Lord has changed his mind about my duties."

"Uh… that is difficult to say," the guard answered, his voice unsteady. "I… I could convey to the Fire Lord that you're here, if you would like? And I may ask him if you're allowed to visit the Princess in the Palace, if you would be open to doing so…"

"Meeting her here…?" Ty Lee repeated, eyes widening. "Is that possible?"

"Well, I don't know. But I, uh, I just don't expect the Princess will be visiting anyone else anytime soon," the man said: Mai and Ty Lee's expressions alarmed him at once. "I-it's not that she's, uh, in serious danger or trouble. Solely… as far as I understand, she is to be confined to bedrest for the coming weeks. At least, until after the child is born? I don't really know the full details…"

"Huh…" Mai said, unable to mask her shock completely. The guard winced, shaking his head.

"I, uh, I shall ask you to wait here, if you would. I'll check with the Fire Lord…"

"Please, do. We'll be here when you return," Mai said, nodding encouragingly.

She and Ty Lee stood in silence by the gates – other guards came in to fill for the one who had headed inside the Palace, so they were better served by not discussing the situation openly, unwilling to be overheard by soldiers who most likely wouldn't be trustworthy. The guard who had spoken with them returned after twenty minutes, though, rushing quickly towards the gates.

"You… you may come inside!"

Both Mai and Ty Lee froze for a moment, and Ty Lee even gasped in shock: Mai had visited the Palace a few times recently, solely to report to Ozai… but Ty Lee hadn't set foot within its terrains ever since their interrogation in the Throne Room. The two women exchanged a confused glance, but they didn't waste time before marching inside the Palace with the guard, nonetheless.

"You are to remain with the Princess in her quarters, but yes, the Fire Lord has authorized you to see her," the guard said, with unexpected enthusiasm. Mai nodded as graciously as she could, eyebrows climbing over her forehead as she tried to process the man's words, while Ty Lee failed to stifle one of her brightest smiles.

"That's great to know. We'll do as the Fire Lord says, of course," Ty Lee said, and the guard nodded approvingly.

The Palace's corridors remained dark and foreboding, just as they always had been – as pleased as they were over being allowed to see Azula again, Mai and Ty Lee couldn't help but be affected by the somber atmosphere that still reigned in the Fire Lord's dwelling. They knew the hallways by heart, having visited Azula in her room in the past… though they certainly had no recollection of there being multiple guards stationed by her door before: two Imperial Guards stood at either side of it, protecting the threshold… to keep Azula confined within, or to protect her from unwanted intruders? Mai and Ty Lee would soon find out what their true purpose was.

"Ladies Mai and Ty Lee…" one of the guards by the door said, once they were close enough: Renkai, the guard Azula had seemingly grown to trust recently, and who had accompanied her to Mai's house on her every visit. "The Fire Lord has authorized you to see the Princess?"

"He has. I've escorted them here…" the gates' guard announced, nervous about being near an esteemed Imperial Guard.

The other Imperial Guard by the door also bowed his head respectfully towards the two women as Renkai turned around, knocking lightly on the metal door.

"We know there's no chance Azula was expecting us, but we thought to come check on her…" Ty Lee explained, with an awkward smile. Renkai nodded in response to her words, waiting calmly for someone within the room to come to the door…

And someone did, soon enough: the door swung open suddenly, almost carelessly, revealing a certain midwife within, looking tired and yet quite fulfilled.

"Was it lunchtime already? I totally lost track of time, I really could use some…" she started… until her eyes fell upon the two unusual guests standing in the hallway. "Oh!"

"Hi?" Ty Lee smiled, waving innocently at her as Song smiled widely.

"The Fire Lord has authorized the ladies Mai and Ty Lee to visit the Princess," Renkai said: his voice carried all the way deeper inside the room…

To the new, pristine bed where a heavily pregnant woman sat upright, her back against multiple cushions.

The curtains of the four-poster bed had been fastened, and the light from the windows fell upon her features, revealing her utter shock and confusion upon hearing she had guests: both Mai and Ty Lee seemed startled to see her in bed like this, but they smiled nonetheless upon recognizing their friend and finding no immediate, alarming signs of harm upon her. Even if she was in bed, she was a far cry from the disturbingly pale, unconscious and weak woman she had been after the Bloodlust Spear had corrupted her chi.

"We will be here for anything you may need," Renkai said, encouraging the visitors to enter the room. Song stepped aside to allow them inside, and Renkai regarded her again after the other two were safely past the threshold. "I… shall inform the kitchens to prepare lunch for two more people, then."

"Thank you," Song smiled, nodding appreciatively at Renkai as he closed the door.

By then, Ty Lee had let out a strange whimper, probably halfway between a sob and a squeal, and rushed up to the dais Azula's bed stood at. The Princess smiled awkwardly as she shifted herself on the mattress slightly, hoping to sit better… even if moving around was difficult with a pregnancy belly as voluminous as hers.

"Azula…!" Ty Lee exclaimed, sitting by her bedside and wrapping her arms around Azula. The Princess chuckled, patting her back gently as Mai stepped forward, scanning the rest of the room, something Ty Lee hadn't bothered to do.

While it had been a long time since her last visit, Mai couldn't help but find the room had changed vastly compared to how she remembered it: the bed's design seemed different, even if it remained as ornate as ever, and the curtains weren't as thick as they used to be, either. The rug underneath her feet was surprisingly sober and plain, and some of the furniture seemed to have been improved upon, even if the dining room remained unchanged.

There were a few unequivocally new additions, too: two different cribs, one larger and covered by a small curtain of its own, stood near the window while another one, a bassinet, slightly less ornate than the first, stood near the dining room, with a few builder's tools around it. A small, empty basket furnished with small blankets and pillows sat on one of the nightstands as well.

"Oh, welcome!" Rei smiled at Mai, bowing respectfully in her direction: she had been working on the crib and she set down her construction tools, making no attempts to hide how thrilling she found their visit.

"This is… it's the right place, isn't it?" Mai said, smiling awkwardly as she glanced about herself in amazement – Ty Lee, still as single-minded as before, settled for hugging Azula still while Mai took in the scenery with utmost surprise.

"Well, as you can see… we've been redecorating a little," Song said, with a weak smile.

"I don't think it's just a little. You didn't switch Azula for another one while you were at it, did you?" Mai asked. Song snorted and shook her head.

"No… though that's not a totally terrible idea for the future, even if it doesn't sound all that plausible," Song admitted, tapping her chin. Mai raised an eyebrow, but the midwife shrugged. "Just thinking out loud, nothing more… anyway, Rei, we should take a break for now. You're pretty much done with that crib, right?"

"I think so," Rei smiled awkwardly at the crib beside her.

"We found two dissembled cribs in the storage rooms of the Palace earlier this week," Song explained, as she and Mai stepped closer to Azula and Ty Lee. "Rei and I have been patching them up for proper use… for, even if it's still several weeks away, someone's bound to show up sooner than later."

She smiled at Azula, who continued to reassure Ty Lee with light pats on her back as her ever-emotional friend sobbed in relief.

"I'm okay… I mean, as close to okay as I can get under my circumstances, so no need to cry that much, alright?" Azula said, as Ty Lee sniffed without much dignity. "Though… how are you two even here? I kind of thought…"

"We dropped by to ask if and when we could see you," Mai said, folding her arms over her chest as she stood by the foot of the bed. "We didn't expect the answer to be 'right now', but… we're glad it was."

"There have been so many rumors…!" Ty Lee exclaimed, only for Azula, Rei and Song to shush her quickly.

"Don't raise your voice… we have a new guard outside," Song sighed, glancing towards the door. Ty Lee covered her mouth and nodded quickly.

"The new Third Squad may not be as worrisome as the First or Second Squads…" Azula said, quietly. "But it doesn't mean we can be careless. So… yeah, we can talk and answer your questions, just don't be too noisy about it, alright?"

"Okay…" Ty Lee nodded, reeling herself in and sniffing one more time before setting a hand on Azula's belly bump. She smiled, patting it gently. "Is the little one doing okay?"

"Fortunately… yes," Azula said, with a heartfelt smile of her own. "Though, in order to ensure it keeps being okay, I've had to stay in bed for the foreseeable future…"

"And you'll stay there other than for bathroom visits, until the baby's coming," Song declared, firmly. Azula sighed and nodded.

"I didn't need to do that with Yuudai, though…" Mai said, glancing at Song. "Would I be right to assume a health scare caused this?"

"Well, yes… but the full story's a bit more complicated than that," Song admitted, glancing at Azula with uncertainty. The Princess sighed and nodded.

"Better to just explain it quickly. Just… don't be too jumpy or too loud," Azula advised her friends, relaxing on her pillows as she prepared herself to explain the latest upset in her circumstances.

Rei and Song brought a few available chairs from the dining room, setting them down by Azula's bedside. It would be much easier for both Mai and Ty Lee to hear the unsettling stories of what had happened between Azula and Zhao once they were sitting down – and even then, Azula's initial explanations regarding the war meeting nearly caused Ty Lee to lose her balance on her chair out of sheer shock. Mai covered her face with a hand, shaking her head upon confirming her dreaded fears…

"My parents and Tom-Tom are prisoners, aren't they?" she asked. Azula gritted her teeth and nodded.

"I… I can only hope they've been treated well," she said. "If that wasn't the case, then… well, both Sokka and Zuko will have a lot to answer for."

The bomb she dropped upon saying those words caused both Ty Lee and Mai to glance at her in pure shock. Azula sighed and nodded.

"They've joined forces with the White Lotus… and Sokka is even leading their armies. Zuko has been fighting alongside them, as well," she said. "And the entire reason why I was asked to join that meeting was because my father was testing me… to find out if I'm on their side or his, basically."

"Azula…!" Ty Lee gasped, and Mai shook her head fiercely.

"He… he asked you, seven-months-pregnant, or however far along you were at the time, to join a war meeting to test your allegiances publicly?"

"I mean… we're talking about my father," Azula said, with a shrug. "I expected nothing less from him, frankly. But he… he wasn't the worst problem, in the end."

With a deep breath, Azula took to explaining her clash with Zhao as briefly as possible: she didn't think she had ever shocked both Mai and Ty Lee into such silence before, but she waited quietly for them to react after learning, not only of Zhao's dreadful behavior and outright violent assault on them, but also of Ozai's strange, sudden attempt to amend what he had damaged, on the next day.

"T-then… all the changes in your room are because of…?" Mai finally reacted. Azula nodded.

"Can't pretend I'd have tried to redecorate otherwise," Azula admitted. "My father has been more permissive as of late. I never imagined he'd feel guilty about Zhao, but… it really seems he does."

"I still wouldn't jump to conclusions about that," Song said, and Azula smiled slightly.

"And I still believe you're right to say so," she said. "But he has been strange lately anyhow. He apologized personally for what he's put me through… not that it changes things in any significant way, of course. He can't take it back… can't just hope to apologize to Sokka and assume he'll stop attacking just like that, huh?"

"Would he even consider apologizing…?" Rei asked, blinking blankly. Azula smiled and shook her head.

"Not a chance. It's one thing, apologizing to me… but his apology wasn't about, well, the source of the problem, I suppose," she said. "I'm sure he… he still blames me for everything that's happening now, much as he did during the meeting. Maybe he doesn't want to focus on that anymore, but I'm sure a part of him will always insist that I'm the true responsible party for what happened… and he might not be wrong, anyway."

"No self-blaming allowed. Other people are perfectly capable of making stupid, dangerous, wild and horrible choices without you pulling the strings," Mai said, firmly. Azula smiled a little and shrugged. "You've had some time to process this, though… you don't seem that distraught about it. Unless… are you giving her some sort of calming medicine to make sure she stops losing her mind, Wen?"

"I'm not, though she tempted me to do it a few times," Song smirked, and Azula rolled her eyes. "But we've made sure that she stays as conflict free as possible lately. I supervised all the repairs in her room, she's just been focusing on the baby for now, and that's how it should be. Everything she'll do is as stress-free as possible."

"Well…" Azula blinked blankly, frowning slightly at Song's declaration. The healer grimaced upon hearing that. "I'm not saying I disagree about focusing on the child, but that's hardly stress-free anyway. I… I really will be giving birth soon, won't I?"

"Probably," Song acknowledged, frowning. "As far as everyone knows, you'll do it one month earlier than expected…"

"Or exactly when everyone expects it… seeing as I don't know if anyone still believes the child could be Zhao's," Azula sighed, a hand on her womb. "The smokescreen worked for as long as I could make it, and my father's current mood suggests that, even if Zhao told him he's sure the child isn't his, my father isn't quite so frantic about proving it as he was. If anything, it just sounded like… like he wants me to give birth safely. And that's what stresses me out the most. As much as I'd love to do that… the minute this child is born, my father's goodwill is bound to reach its end. And I've had time on end to figure out what I'll do, but no plans have come to mind… and with Sokka running off to war rather than in the South Pole, my basic logic of sending the child to him is utterly doomed now."

"Did you have a plan for how to do that?" Rei asked. Azula shrugged, shaking her head afterwards.

"Beyond magically freeing Xin Long, and seeing to it that you and Song rode him, along with the baby, and flew south…"

"Heh, that sounds like a perfectly implausible plan," Song said, grimacing. "I mean, on paper it might not be bad, but freeing Xin Long for good would require… well, keys. Do you think you could get the blacksmith to give you keys for his shackles?"

"Or maybe some master keys of the Palace could work?" Ty Lee suggested. Azula shook her head.

"No master keys would help, at least, not the ones I stole from my grandfather ages ago. These shackles are new, so I don't have the right keys to undo them," Azula said, carelessly. All four of her friends stared at her in surprise at her confession, and she simply eyed them with perplexity. "What?"

"Y-you just said… you stole from…?" Rei asked, with an awkward smile: Song snorted, covering her face with a hand as she laughed while Mai and Ty Lee exchanged a knowing stare.

"That's right up her alley, I'd say," Mai said, curtly.

"Typical of baby Azula. I wonder if your little one will be as mischievous as you were," Ty Lee giggled. Azula sighed, smiling slightly too as she caressed her belly once more.

"Doesn't seem like it. So far, the baby's far too calm to resemble… well, either of its parents," Azula reasoned, frowning before staring at her own bump questioningly. "Where did you get that from, honestly? Must be someone from Sokka's family…"

"It's definitely not from yours," Mai smirked. "But then… you don't have any ideas on how to free your dragon?"

"Not anything plausible, otherwise I would've likely done it already. And anything bold I dare do would put Xin Long at risk at once," Azula said, gritting her teeth. "So… I have to sort that out. No plans to protect the baby by smuggling it out of here will work if Xin Long ends up paying the price for it anyway."

"Then… oh, how about a baby swap?" Ty Lee suggested, glancing at Azula with interest. Azula raised an eyebrow. "I mean, it could be that there's some commoner lady out there about to give birth to a baby too! If there is… then we can swap her baby with yours somehow!"

"Elaborate on the 'somehow', if you would," Azula said, with a sarcastic grin. Ty Lee blushed slightly as she tapped her chin.

"W-well… I mean, it would be easier if you gave birth someplace else, but I suppose you're bound to do it here, huh…?" she admitted, biting her lip.

"That the Fire Lord would ever allow his grandchild to be born anywhere outside this Palace is extremely unlikely," Mai reasoned, arms folded across her chest.

"Well, we can still smuggle the other baby in!" Ty Lee huffed.

"Like… through the tunnels?" Song asked, playing with a strand of her hair. Ty Lee gasped happily at her question.

"Tunnels that only open with firebending?" Rei remarked. Song grimaced.

"I mean… I suppose Renkai could help us open it, but I can't imagine he'll be able to run errands carelessly for us now that he has another guard on duty with him," Song said, with a slight pout. "Any other firebenders who could help?"

"The Head Sage?" Rei suggested.

"Could the Head Sage find us a baby to swap with Azula's?" Ty Lee asked, raising an eyebrow. "Maybe a baby that will be presented at the temple…?"

"Babies tend to be about a month old, or more, when they're presented, so I don't think that would fool anyone," Mai said, curtly. "You'd have better luck hoping someone's brought him a stillborn for cremation… huh. You could swap it with a stillborn, actually."

"Mai, that's so morbid!" Ty Lee gasped. Azula hummed.

"It is, but… that would be one way of going about it," she said. "Well… that is, as long as my actual baby doesn't cry extremely loudly once it's born? Which, as far as I understand, is exactly what babies do…"

"Yeah, you wouldn't be able to sell the stillborn excuse if the cries are heard through the Palace," Song admitted. "And they probably would be."

"So… we're just going in circles," Azula sighed, dropping her head back against the bed's headboard. "The odds that the Head Sage would be brought a stillborn out of nowhere on the very same day when my child is meant to be born is beyond unlikely… and finding another woman who's having a baby on that day, too, doesn't sound promising either. Not sure a common family would appreciate being entangled in what my father would consider high treason, too, so…"

"Yeah, and it'd mean trusting someone else with the truth," Song reasoned, frowning. "And that's hard to do right now. But… we have to do something. And also? I understand your plan was to send us away, but I will say, Azula… I'd rather we all escaped, not just me and Rei. Whether on Xin Long's back or on a hot-air balloon or something of the sort, it makes no sense to me for us to just leave you behind in this nightmare and to face your father's fury right after giving birth. I mean… the baby will need you too, so…"

"How about only setting this plan in motion after a few weeks, then?" Ty Lee asked, raising an eyebrow. "I mean, I know the Fire Lord is a big concern, but… maybe you could find an excuse to keep him from seeing the baby for a while? Or is that really stupid? Am I being too wishful? I am being too wishful, aren't I…?"

"Actually…" Song said, a spark of an idea blooming in her eyes as she glanced at Azula. "I mean… it might not work. But there's a possibility to delay your father, a way to give us a little more time? And if it pays off…"

"What do you mean?" Azula asked.

"Well, the baby, officially, will be born preterm," Song said, biting her lip. "That means that, as far as anyone's concerned, its situation will be delicate… all babies, typically, are very delicate at first, but if they're born earlier than expected, that's much more dangerous for their survival. Babies are much likelier to have difficulties developing fully if they're preterm, so if we say that's what's going on, because officially, that's what it will look like… that's a good excuse to keep the child isolated with you for a certain amount of time. A month, maybe two worth of quarantine?"

Azula raised her eyebrows, though for once, she actually seemed intrigued by a surprisingly doable idea. Song shrugged in response to Azula's wordless approval, though Rei bit her lip next to them.

"B-but then… would the Fire Lord really accept that? Won't he try to force his right to see the child because he's the Fire Lord?" she asked.

"Well, I hope not. If pressed, I can always make the situation sound more dramatic," Song said. "To a point where it feels like any contact with the outside world could be too dangerous for the child. Maybe… I could claim it has an actual disease? A newborn's disease?"

"You'll have to report to my father after the birth," Azula reasoned, with a frown. Song nodded. "It would be possible for you to gauge the situation then… find out if he's going to be appeased with a simple claim that the baby needs more time to develop properly, or if alleging illness will be necessary. Judge his reactions carefully and say whatever you need to say in order to be persuasive."

"I'll do my best," Song said, nodding.

"Beyond that…" Azula said, tapping her chin as she glanced at Mai. "Babies are a month old, you said, when they're presented at the temple? But… they're usually presented by both parents, should both be available, right."

"Naturally, though I can't say that it's impossible for a child to be presented by just one parent…" Mai said, with a shrug.

"Right… but a commoner's child isn't the Fire Lord's new heir… I shouldn't present the child at the temple if the father's not around," Azula said, with a slow smirk. "In virtue of being a royal, I should be held to higher standards, right? Therefore… heh. I could very well just ask the Head Sage to delay the first public appearance of my child, perhaps both because of the father's absence and the health concerns we'll claim…"

"And that means you'd buy yourself some more time," Ty Lee said, with a bright grin.

"Time to do what, though?" Mai asked, raising an eyebrow at Azula. "No offense, but… I'm not entirely sure I understand the purpose of planning for ways to make sure you deliver the child and then stay here safely for a few months. Don't get me wrong, having some more time to take care of the baby after the birth will be helpful, but what's going to happen afterwards, once that time is spent?"

"Considering how messed up the situation is lately… you can't really hope that I'll be able to figure that out," Azula said, shaking her head. "Take me for a visionary if you want, but I can't actually see the future. For all I know, Sokka's big effort could collapse upon itself, just as it could succeed… and I don't have a clue of what my father's choices will be in either case."

"Well… if he succeeds, I guess you might not need to wait that long to present the baby at the temple," Ty Lee said, with a teasing smirk. "You know… since the excuse is that the father isn't around, heh."

"If only it were as easy as that," Azula grimaced. "However permissive my father has become over the past weeks, he'd sooner gauge out his own eyeballs than witness Sokka presenting our child at a temple."

"Your father isn't the only threat, though," Mai pointed out. "I barely even know if he's still the main one. Once Zhao comes back…"

"Whatever plans we may concoct to save the child will have to be set in motion before he does, yes," Azula admitted. "Though… my father has surprised me in many ways recently. One of them by… by offering to annul my marriage to Zhao."

"Wait… really? Seriously?!" Ty Lee gasped happily, covering her mouth with her hands. Mai, however, frowned heavily.

"That's… too generous. It has to be some sort of trap," she said, immediately. Azula sighed and shrugged.

"It might be. I can't pretend otherwise," Azula said. "But to be honest… if there's any chance for me to put an end to that forced connection, I'd accept it in a heartbeat. I haven't given my father a full answer about that yet… but I imagine Zhao won't feel any differently than I do, once he returns."

"That's probably naïve of you," Mai said. Azula raised an eyebrow. "As much as he may hate you, and your father, after all your conflicts and clashes… being married to you is much more convenient for him from a political standpoint, isn't it?"

"You may underestimate the degree of frustration and wrath he's reached, yourself," Azula said, shaking her head. "If there's one thing he's said consistently since this mess began, it's that he never wanted a wife. If just for that reason…"

"And what of the possibility that he might become Fire Lord, provided your father dies before he does?"

Azula frowned. Rei actually gasped, staring at Mai across the bed as though her statement was as unreasonable as it was worrisome. Even Ty Lee's enthusiasm froze over as Mai frowned heavily, rubbing her brow with her fingertips.

"I… don't know if he'd go that far," Azula said, uneasy. "It didn't seem like he wanted the throne…"

"Would he still feel that way, after everything that's happened between the three of you lately?" Mai asked. "And if his entire purpose to endure it all was to become Fire Lord eventually, however brief as his time on the throne might be… finding out that you and your father intend to annul the marriage could be the last straw for him. You'd have to handle this very carefully, Azula. You know what nobles are like… it's hardly unlike them to play cordial and nice while harboring nothing but hatred and backstabbing poison in their hearts for whoever holds power over them."

"Well… you have a point, I suppose," Azula sighed, sinking in her mattress as Mai eyed Song with guilty uncertainty.

"I… should keep these thoughts to myself until after the child is born, shouldn't I? I didn't mean to stress you out any further…" Mai told Azula, but the Princess shook her head.

"Makes no matter anymore. You bring up very important points there, even if I'll hope you're mistaken," Azula said. "But we can never be too careful. I've underestimated that man just as often as I've overestimated him, in too many regards. Giving him the benefit of the doubt now might just open the way for him to screw me over somehow in the future."

"But the baby will be born before he shows up," Song said, firmly. "Once we hear he's on his way back, we'll implement whatever escape plan we come up with for you and the baby… because, like it or not, you need to go too, Azula."

"I don't know about that…" Azula said, with a grimace. Song rolled her eyes. "Seriously, I… if I vanish, what do you think is going to happen to everyone I haven't accounted for? He's going to find someone, something, to hold against me. He already has done that constantly thus far. I can't just leave…"

"Much as you can't just hope that you'll be able to say goodbye to your own child, just like that," Song said, startling Azula. "I know you don't have it in your arms yet… but parting ways with it won't be easy for you. Sending it away… are you sure you'll be able to do that when that child is bound to want to be with you, to need you, more than anyone else does?"

Azula grimaced: she didn't really have a choice, regardless of Song's words. Her father's madness would likely trigger anew if she made a single mistake, and he'd lose his mind once he realized she'd been carrying what he'd deem a mistake for nine months…

"You've constantly chosen to sacrifice yourself because it'll be for the best, because that will help more people… even if your father's change happens to be permanent, you can't know that will be the case yet," Song said, raising her eyebrows. "Whatever plan we build, it should include your escape too. I can't imagine a situation where staying behind would benefit you."

Azula sighed, rubbing her forehead with her fingertips – she wasn't sure how to contest those words, even if she couldn't imagine herself running away now. She wasn't sure she'd ever be worthy of escaping, to begin with… not after every terrible thing she'd had to do to survive. It wasn't only the promises she'd broken, the vows she'd made to Sokka… but her choices in that war meeting still haunted her. Hoping that her father's personal change in behavior would translate to him backtracking on the horrible choices and ideas she'd given him on that day would be foolish on her part, and Azula knew so.

Regrets didn't set things right. Remorse wouldn't fix what she had most definitely broken. Saving the child was her only worthy purpose… but attempting to save herself too would require for her to learn how to live with her dreadful choices. To this moment, she had no idea if she'd be able to do so.

"Even if you're right…" Azula said, hiding her apprehensions poorly, but conceding if just momentarily to placate Song. "This is no solution unless we develop a real plan to make it work. We have more guards keeping watch on us nowadays, even if it's just the one along with Renkai, and that spells out trouble and more difficulties for us going forward. I… I can't even leave my room until the baby is born, can I?"

"Well… no. But that doesn't mean you'll be bedridden forever," Song said, frowning. "Our plans will have to be for whatever happens afterwards, I guess…"

"And those plans will hinge on everything that's bound to happen in the coming months," Azula sighed. "People's fortune can change in the blink of an eye, especially in the middle of war. Because, regardless of whatever choices we make right now, the war is only going to get worse. I don't think… don't think I'm giving him too much credit by saying that Sokka's bound to be planning on ending the war, altogether. He might not have the means to do it yet, for all I know… but if he does, he'll stop at nothing until it's done. And if that's the case…"

"Do you think your father would use you as a hostage against him?" Ty Lee gasped, looking at Azula in horror. Azula grimaced.

"Or the child," Mai frowned. "That is, if he knows…"

"That's just further reason to get you out of here. The sooner, the better," Song said.

"He'll do it with anyone for that matter," Azula sighed. "Granted, me and the child might be the more effective choice, but… Sokka is not a butcher. If my father genuinely wants to use the entire Fire Nation population as a meat shield between himself and Sokka… well, I know Sokka won't want to cut down millions of innocents, but even if he personally chooses not to do so, he's allied with people who don't care about the casualties and the collateral damage. In short, the tables have been turned on us, and there's no telling if the Fire Nation as a whole will be safe or… or if anywhere will be, altogether."

"So… we're better served by waiting patiently and watching? For now?" asked Mai, with a grimace. "Well… if nothing else, the whole lot of you should build up an escape plan anyway, even if that's the case. We may not have any means to travel great distances, but even if just by going on a carriage to my aunt's village, we can try to keep you and the child safe. Because, whether you like to admit it or not, the two of you are the actual heirs to the Fire Lord right now…"

"We're not the only people of royal blood out there, though," Azula said, closing her eyes and relaxing against the bed's headrest. "Zuko's part of that White Lotus army too, after all. I don't really know what's going through his head right now, but… maybe he's going to claim his throne, huh?"

"Well… he might not be that ambitious. Maybe he just wants to help Sokka save you," Ty Lee said, with a slight pout.

"He didn't sound nearly as determined to take the throne the last time he and I spoke properly," Mai said, eyeing Azula with uncertainty. "I don't know if that has changed in recent times, but…"

"I wouldn't mind much, if it had," Azula admitted, with a weak grin. "I can't pretend the scenario where he takes the throne would be peaceful at all, he'd likely have to do horrible things of his own in order to achieve something like that… but I can't imagine a Fire Nation under Zuko's rule could possibly be a downgrade to what we have now. If he took the throne… I'd certainly be in a much better position in life. No one would care about me and my offspring anymore, since the main branch of the royal family would be his… that my child is Sokka's wouldn't really matter to anyone anymore, or at least, I'd like to think so."

"So… really? You'd just step back and let Zuko take the throne?" Ty Lee asked, surprised. "I kind of… assumed you'd want to be Fire Lord yourself."

"Hmm," Azula sighed, glancing at the window wistfully. "All my hopes of taking power and doing something with it died a long time ago, frankly. And I can't even pretend I'm in any shape to so much as think about how to run a country. Objectively… why would I even contest it? Zuko will do fine as Fire Lord, better than my father for sure."

"But in the case that the White Lotus army doesn't succeed…" Mai said, frowning. "And Zuko doesn't take the throne? Your father would still hold you as his hostage. So…"

"Yes, well… fine. The trapdoor over there," Azula sighed, gesturing towards the most common stealthy escape route from her room. "I can navigate the tunnels and figure out where your house is, Mai. If things get so bad that we have no choice but to escape… we'll go underground and get to you. Then, well, who knows what will happen afterwards. Could be what you said about your aunt, or maybe we'll rent a boat… I have no idea."

"You don't sound very convinced," Ty Lee pouted. Azula shrugged.

"It's hard to imagine a scenario where that sort of escape would work for longer than a few hours," she said. "Especially right now. But if you insist…"

"What if… if we find a dragon moose?" Rei suddenly blurted out. Azula raised an eyebrow as the girl smiled at her. "Or many of them. Maybe… maybe once you've given birth, and recovered from it, they could be a way to escape fast. If, maybe, lady Mai or lady Ty Lee can find any, we could escape on them when the time comes?"

"That's… an unorthodox idea," said Song, though she smiled slightly. "I don't know how far we'd be able to go, but that doesn't sound so terrible for a starting point."

"I could always contact the captain of the ferry that took us to the Slate that time," Ty Lee said, smiling brightly. Azula raised an eyebrow.

"And we'd get past the Great Gates of Azulon, just like that?" she asked. Ty Lee shrugged.

"I don't think they're being held down too securely, are they?" Ty Lee asked.

"If they were, we'd just have to hide in some secret… pirate compartments," Rei said, promptly. Azula snorted. "I… I read about that in a book. They have strange hidden rooms in their ships…"

"Well, if you must know… that's not the case for pirates alone, Rei," Azula smiled fondly at her, and the girl blushed. "I had one such room within my cabin in my Royal Barge, actually, even though I never had to use it. But, heh… come to think of it, I have no idea if the Barge was even brought back to the Capital. I suppose I assumed I'd never ride it again, so… I didn't bother to figure that out."

"Hmm, if it were here, though, could we steal it again…?" Song asked, tapping her chin in deep thought. Azula turned her smile on her now.

"I'm sure Rui Shi would be proud if you did, but I don't recommend it," she said. Song smirked knowingly, shrugging slightly.

"Felt like a good way to follow on his footsteps, I suppose," she said, with a fond, nostalgic smile.

"A smaller, unassuming ship would be for the best if you really want to take that route," Mai sighed, glancing at Azula. "But it'll be up to you, ultimately, right? This is theoretical so far, we can try to figure out how doable any of it might be… but all of it will go to waste if you don't make up your mind to escape whenever the chance arises."

"I know, but… I can't promise or guarantee anything yet," Azula said, with a sigh. "I'll prioritize the child above all else… but I hope I can save all of you as well. If things come down it, though… whether the child needs me or not, it's possible that I may need the four of you to take care of it instead. I'm not going to pretend otherwise, not even when I know you're right, Song, to say that I should be with the baby. If… if things take a darker turn than expected, I may need all of you to leave with the child instead. Agree to this… and I'll agree to going with you, too, provided the situation allows us to get away at all."

The others fell silent, discouraged, but understanding. Little by little, each one nodded, and Azula sighed in relief. Rei reached out, clasping her hand gently.

"You always want to protect everyone… some of us would like to protect you too," Rei said, with a small smile. Azula glanced at her with raised eyebrows. "Though some of us don't have a clue of how to do that, but still… maybe they know more about how to help you than I do."

"We might have a few tricks up our sleeves," Ty Lee said, enigmatically. "I can teach you chi-blocking, Rei! Then you'll be able to beat up anyone who tries to mess with your mother when she can't fight for herself: how about it?"

"And I can teach you to toss daggers, too," Mai said, with a slight smirk. Rei's jaw dropped. "You may have assumed noblewomen don't exactly know anything about combat, but… that's not really the case with us."

"And it won't be the case for either you or Wen, as long as you learn a thing or two with me and Mai! How about it?" Ty Lee giggled. "You'll be able to protect Azula far better this way, after all…"

"I'm not sure that's what Rei meant, but…" Azula said… though a glance at Rei surprised her as the younger woman gazed at Mai and Ty Lee with absolute amazement.

"I learned a little about how to hold a sword, my mother taught me and Song a little about that, b-but… yes! I want to learn, for sure!"

"You…? Oh, hell, Ty Lee, don't you dare chi-block my daughter," Azula growled, glaring at her friend, who giggled and shrugged.

"It's okay, I won't, I'll just, uh… I'll use Mai as an example!"

"Ah. Great. And I'll just throw daggers at you for it, so I'll use you as an example, too…"

"Wait! T-that's way more dangerous! Mai!"

Azula couldn't help but laugh as Mai theorized on what sorts of projectiles she could use to harmlessly attack Ty Lee, while both Song and Rei listened eagerly and encouraged the other two to teach them how to fight. The gravity of feeling the need to learn such techniques of self-defense didn't sink in properly yet… it might eventually, Azula suspected. But for now, both Song and Rei simply thrived in the chance to learn more about how to keep Azula safe. To this moment, they were affected by what had happened between Azula and Zhao, and their greatest regret was being unable to properly help the Princess fend off her attacker. Thus, it wasn't that surprising that they would jump at this opportunity just as it was offered.

The darkness that loomed ahead, though, wouldn't dissipate simply because of a mastered combat technique or two: neither escaping nor staying in the Fire Nation would be any guarantee of safety. Even now, Azula struggled to decide what outcome she would prefer for this situation… even now, everything seemed so bleak that she truly failed to see anything in the horizon ahead. Sokka might arrive eventually, but he wasn't bound to be here soon… the baby would certainly be born before he could reach her. And once he did, would he still be the same man she had left behind in the South Pole? She certainly was a much lesser woman than the one who had parted ways with him long ago…

That brief talk about Zuko's potential chances of becoming Fire Lord had certainly brought her to ponder possibilities she hadn't considered before. So far, her father had been the uncontested ruler of the Fire Nation… the White Lotus, much as she had theorized with Sokka long ago, might have wished for Zuko to take the throne. Would he be a simple puppet to them? Would he surprise them by proving to be his own man, and not just a mindless, blank slate they could fill with their ideologies and beliefs? Would he be able to rule the Fire Nation at all? Perhaps he had learned more about how to manage a community during his years with the Southern Water Tribe. Perhaps he had even become a better firebender while living there… a much better one than Azula was right now, for sure. She guessed his inner child would be thrilled to outdo her in combat, for once… she smiled to herself at the thought, finding that being outdone by Zuko truly didn't seem like a bad thing anymore.

She had relinquished so much, too much… and no longer bearing the Crown Princess's hairpiece stopped being one of her main regrets long ago. A humbler, simpler life would be better… but would a life of the sort be within reach when the man she loved, the one she had longed for, was leading a major war effort against her father?

Would he still want her back? Would she deserve it, if he did? No, she would not… but she was weak still. Too weak to reject his forgiveness, should he forgive her for the horrors she was responsible for. Too weak to fight and prove herself better, to earn any manner of mercy for her worst sins. She didn't want any. She had never wanted any. She had already taken advantage of the kindness of the wonderful friends sitting around her bed, eagerly discussing what their potential training could be like…

The truth was that Zuko's potential as Fire Lord couldn't possibly bother her for an obvious reason: it was the same reason why she didn't see a horizon past a certain point, why she didn't ask for forgiveness she knew she'd never earn. She'd deliver the child, for sure, but everything past that point was tenuous, unstable… for she had never expected there would be anything else in her future, to begin with.

For now, she allowed her closest allies to believe otherwise. She conceded where they didn't think she would, even if she made her own demands. But she had nothing left to hope for other than that her true husband would raise their child safely once it reached him, protecting and loving it every bit as much as he had loved her before. If her brother happened to be Fire Lord by then, she had no doubts that the world would certainly be much better than the one she would leave behind. And while that might not be enough consolation for those who loved her most… it would have to be enough for Azula.

---

"It's not really a surprise. I mean, from the get-go I knew this was a possibility. Sokka was never subtle about his suspicions that they've always wanted to use me, and everything suggests this is exactly what he meant. So… why the hell am I so angry about it?"

"Because you have some sense in that head of yours, looks like, Cranky Pants. Good on you."

Zuko huffed, glaring at Toph. She smirked as she felt his disapproval, ever relishing in messing with Zuko, even nowadays.

The pair lounged in one of the Palace's sitting rooms, relaxing after lunchtime, waiting for news from either the trade route's group or from Sokka's own incursion. So far, Piandao had reported that they'd joined up with Omashu's group on the trade route – it seemed they had taken care of a few hostile Fire Nation scouts who had tried to sabotage their work, but they had been safe beyond that. Sokka's team had only taken off two days earlier, which meant they would be arriving at the Temple soon, if the currents didn't lead the hot-air balloons astray.

In two days, Zuko had sulked and brooded more than he had ever since their encounter with Guru Pathik. He had attempted to meditate – Kino offered to guide him through it, but it seemed Zuko's inability to take his friend seriously, combined with his displeasure, had resulted in the utter failure of that alleged solution. Thus, his next choice had been to vent his frustrations with the one person who was likely to help him put things into perspective – while making him feel utterly stupid in the process, too.

"C'mon, don't be even crankier than usual, Zuko. Isn't it a good thing that you can tell those fuckers are just trying to manipulate you?" Toph asked, with a shrug. "Just relax and when Jeong Jeong shows up again, you can tell him to shove the White Lotus tile, or heck, the entire Pai Sho board, right up his old, wrinkly ass."

"Ugh, Toph! What an image…" Zuko groaned, covering his face with his hands as Toph snickered deviously. "The problem is, damn it… that I don't know what the right choice would be here. I'm annoyed, yes, because I don't want to be anyone's tool, and while Jeong Jeong said that wasn't his intent, I can't shake off the feeling that he absolutely wants to pit me against Sokka. If not now, then in the future…"

"He'll succeed at it right now if Sokka comes back to find out you joined a cult when he stepped out to run an errand," Toph said. "Honestly, Zuko, would you even want to join them?"

"Maybe… to get an inside scoop on what they're up to?" Zuko huffed. "To help fix their fucked-up direction and question them from within so that I can ensure they start to practice what they preach?"

"Heh, that's pretty idealistic of you, but if you want to fix them? That sounds like a 'you' problem," Toph said, hands behind her head as she rested against the wall. "Sorry if I'm not giving you the sweet advice you want to hear, but… if I were in your shoes? I'd sooner live the rest of my life on a boat than join those pieces of shit officially. I'm here because of Sokka… because I want to help Azula, and I know that crazy guy's not going to stop until he succeeds. The Fire Nation's going to lose, that's for sure, but the Fire Lord's not going to cut it out until he's dead, or is he?"

"And what about what happens after he's dead?" Zuko asked. "I mean… Azula might not want to be Fire Lord once we find her again. Hell, she won't be able to become Fire Lord legally because her husband is the one who's supposed to take the throne…"

"Heh, Fire Lord Sokka? That sounds hilarious."

"Not exactly what I meant, but it sounds better than what would actually happen," Zuko sighed, shaking his head and rubbing his brow with his fingertips. "I don't know if she'll even want anything to do with the throne, no matter if Sokka's bound to assume she will… so, if that were the case, who would rule the Fire Nation if she won't do it?"

"You?" Toph said, with a shrug. "I mean… heh. The only other option would be Iroh, going by the logic that someone of royal bloodline has to do it and whatnot. Which makes me think I'd sooner kill him than let him take a throne after everything he's done, so…"

"You're not going to kill him," Zuko said, sternly. "I mean… you didn't so far, why would you do it now?"

"If he pisses me off any further, I might," Toph huffed, shaking her head. Zuko sighed. "Anyway, you don't have to do anything as stupid as selling your soul to those assholes. You don't really know what that damn gang really wants from you, and you already know they're going to try to use you as a political chip somehow… and you don't want to be that for them, do you?"

"Obviously not," Zuko sighed, shaking his head. "But it does feel a little off for Sokka to lead the White Lotus's forces when he's not White Lotus, doesn't it?"

"They're the ones who pledged to follow him," Toph said, matter-of-factly. "If that's weird, it's still not up to you to fix them."

"What I'm trying to get at is… if they plan on backstabbing Sokka at some point, maybe by joining them I can find out about that kind of stuff," Zuko said, with a sigh. "I can serve as a stronger alliance between him and the White Lotus… almost a shield for him, I suppose? I don't know. Maybe I'm thinking too much of it…"

"You probably are," Toph agreed. "Face it, Zuko… those bastards can steamroll you whenever they feel like it, especially Jeong Jeong. He'll do it without remorse, Iroh will do it while apologizing profusely the whole time and saying he's so sorry to hurt you but pretending he has no choice. I guess Piandao will just strongly reject their choices but be powerless to stop them anyway, so there you go: that's the future you have ahead of yourself if you go for this nonsense. Jeong Jeong and Iroh just need you to be their perfect little pet, and the minute you're not, they'll discard you or try to kill you or something of the sort. It's not beyond them to do that shit."

Zuko sighed. He didn't think Toph was completely right about Iroh… but he had no reason to believe otherwise about Jeong Jeong. The old man had been quick to change tunes when Sokka finally delivered a victory so great that not even he could twist it into a problem, somehow. Had he ever told Sokka of his intentions to recruit Zuko? Surely not. Why would he do this behind Sokka's back if it weren't a sleazy, shameful choice on his part? Why hide his intentions, or at least keep them quiet, if there was no ill intent in recruiting Zuko in this way?

Worse than that, though… Piandao, too, was absent. Toph's assessment about all the leaders of the White Lotus might be wrong simply on the basis that the sword master wasn't even in the city to protest right now. He had no way of knowing what his allies were up to behind his back… so it wasn't just about Sokka. Jeong Jeong had to know just how inappropriate his choices were, how easy it was to read them as abuse of power, as cowardice…

But did Iroh know about this?

It was easy to lump both Iroh and Jeong Jeong in the same sack, seeing how similar they had been in many regards, but if the two of them were allies in this matter, the very first person who should have approached Zuko with a proposal to join the White Lotus would have been Iroh. Jeong Jeong, however, had conveniently waited until Zuko had been alone to make his offer… and Iroh hadn't been with him.

"I…" Zuko said, frowning as he rose to his feet. Toph raised an eyebrow. "I'll be back soon."

"Going to give them a piece of your mind?" Toph asked. "If you're going to punch Iroh, I want to go too."

"I'm not punching anyone," Zuko sighed, shaking his head as he marched towards the sitting room's door. He heard Toph sigh in disappointment behind him, and while that might have annoyed him in the past, he couldn't help but smile slightly over it nowadays.

He didn't know where to go at first, but after asking around, he finally got directions to the destination he had been looking for: Lady Jin, wife of the former governor, had retained control of the suite in which she and her husband had resided for years. Rather than taking the suite for himself, on the basis of being the new official conqueror of Ba Sing Se, Sokka had taken a simpler room in the higher floors of the Palace instead.

The suite included multiple rooms, but Zuko had no interest in exploring it in full: he knocked on the door, and Jin responded quickly.

"Oh. Prince Zuko," she said upon opening the door – her tone wasn't remotely as hostile with Zuko as it would be with Sokka whenever they crossed paths.

"Hey, uh… is my uncle in here?" Zuko asked, glancing inside the suite: the main room in view appeared to be a dining area, furnished with simple yet elegant furniture. Jin nodded: right on cue, Iroh waded into view, torso covered by an apron that seemed to be bound too tightly, as well as a tray with cups and a steaming-hot pitcher of tea.

"Zuko?" he called his nephew, startled by his presence "Well, what a surprise. Good morning! Would you like some tea?"

"Tea? Is that why you were here? Just… brewing tea?" Zuko asked, surprised. Iroh smiled and nodded – Jin stepped out of the way, allowing Zuko to enter the dining room where she and Iroh had been about to enjoy their beverages.

"Lady Jin is very knowledgeable about tea. I simply hoped to provide her with blends that might suit her tastes," he said. "If you'd like some as well, I'll be happy to brew for you too, Zuko. Oh, and I may be able to continue our lessons in generating and redirecting lightning later today, if that's what you meant to ask about…"

"It's not, actually," Zuko said, with an awkward smile. "I'm here to ask you something… but I suppose, if you really want to offer me some tea, we can talk about it while we drink it anyway."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Iroh grinned. He almost waltzed off to find a third cup as Zuko and Jin took their seats by the low table.

The governor's wife eyed Zuko with wordless curiosity, while Iroh grinned at him with delight from the kitchen. Zuko thanked him for the tea once he offered it, and with that, the three of them sat down to enjoy their drinks peacefully.

At least, it was peaceful until the Prince took a deep breath before leveling his question at Iroh:

"Do you want me to join the Order of the White Lotus?"

The sound of breaking ceramic caught everyone by surprise when Iroh dropped his cup, spilling his tea all over the table.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, Jin, I…!" Iroh gasped at the mess. Jin smiled reassuringly, waving a hand dismissively as she rose to her feet, fetching some rags to clean up the mess. "Goodness, I… what did you just say, Zuko?"

"I asked… if you wanted me to join the Order of the White Lotus," Zuko said, with an uncomfortable smile. "And going by that reaction, that notion hasn't crossed your mind lately, has it? I'm sorry if I sprung this up on you suddenly… but I suppose it's good to know that you had no idea why I came to see you."

"W-well, Zuko, in truth… the notion that you could join our ranks has been discussed by our group for a long time, yes," Iroh said: he helped Jin once she returned, taking one of the rags to wipe the liquid off the smooth, polished table. "Oh, what a mess…"

"It's fine," Jin smiled reassuringly. Iroh sighed and shook his head. "This sounds serious, so don't worry about cleaning up, I'll pour you another cup of tea. But… Prince Zuko, I realize I may be overstepping my boundaries by involving myself in this conversation, but are you interested in joining the Order? Officially?"

"I mean… I'm not sure of anything," Zuko said, breathing out slowly and folding his arms over his chest. Iroh swallowed hard. "I want answers, first. Then I'll make up my mind, I suppose."

"Where did this come from, though?" Iroh asked. "Did you think about it suddenly, or…?"

"Or did someone put the idea in my head?" Zuko guessed. Iroh grimaced.

"Please don't tell me it was Jeong Jeong…"

"What would you think if I said it was?" Zuko asked. Iroh sighed heavily. "Are you disappointed?"

"I suppose that's not the right word to describe it. It's… not unexpected," Iroh said, shaking his head as he took his seat again, still dabbing the rag on the table even if he had wiped off most the tea by then. "Even before I joined the Order, Zuko, you have been deemed… a valuable, potential resource for them. The Order attempted to kill me long ago… perhaps you heard about that at some point?"

"I… don't think I did," Zuko said, with wide eyes. "Seriously? The Order just keeps trying to kill the people it wants to recruit, does it?"

"Well… as you will have noticed by now, we're hardly a single-minded community," Iroh said, with a sigh: Jin returned then, smiling as she offered him a fresh cup of tea. "Thank you, truly…"

"Don't mention it," Jin said, squeezing his shoulder before taking her seat at the table, too. "But, goodness… it's a little strange that you'd join the Order if they tried to kill you before. I… I don't really understand anything about the White Lotus, but they sound disturbing."

"Well, I found them intriguing, myself. I didn't quite recognize the danger for what it was," Iroh said, shaking his head. "I wanted to learn about them, to unravel why exactly I had drawn their ire, how they had infiltrated the Fire Nation troops… but that isn't quite what I should be speaking of. What I meant to say, Zuko… is that their hopes to recruit you began once your mother took you, for the first time, to Piandao's mansion for training."

"Oh," Zuko frowned, eyes narrowing.

"I cannot presume to be certain of what, exactly, the leaders of that time hoped to achieve," Iroh said. "But from what I've inferred… they expected Piandao to break the hold of the Fire Nation's indoctrination in you. To teach you true honor, in the hopes that, out of all the Royal Family, at least you alone would know better than to be deceived by Sozin's beliefs. I… I fear, however, that at that time, their intent was to remove me, as well as my bloodline, from power so that you could take the throne yourself."

"Wait… they didn't want me to kill you and cousin Lu Ten, did they?" Zuko said, eyes widening again. Iroh grimaced and shrugged.

"Perhaps. I cannot say I know for certain," he said. "But even if they did… I caused my son's demise myself by dragging him into a life of warfare without considering that he might have wanted something different. Once that happened… I ran from the army in search for Lu Ten's spirit. And I was found by Jeong Jeong then, by his people, and they took care of me during the year I spent away from the Fire Nation as well as the armed forces.

"Once they taught me their ways, once they helped me regain balance and find the truth about Lu Ten's spirit, as well as hearing Avatar Roku's prediction for the world… I actually agreed with the strategies to bring you into the White Lotus, once you were ready. You were the heir by then… you would be the best hope to break Fire Lord Ozai's control over the entire world. You were already their primary hope… just as the prophecy revealed that the Avatar would return. But… by the time I reached you, you weren't nearly as ready to change the course of history as they wanted you to be."

"What do you mean?" Zuko said, frowning. "I… I know I was hung up on being my father's perfect son, and maybe I was an idiot because of that, but…"

"No… it's not because of you, Zuko," Iroh sighed. "Your upbringing was what it was… no one can be faulted for the circumstances of their birth, they had no hand in them. But Piandao failed you… for his focus was not on you, but on your mother instead."

"On… on my mother," Zuko repeated, frowning.

"Ursa didn't simply leave you to your training, did she?" Iroh asked. "She would stay in Shu Jing with you as you were trained. If Piandao so much as attempted to teach you anything that went against the Fire Nation's reigning ideology, she would have picked up on it at once… so, instead, Piandao changed angles and attempted to reason with Ursa, in the hopes that, as a result, she would raise you and your sister differently, defying Ozai's likely expectations. But, as you know better than I… it was futile. Ursa left, Piandao's efforts with her went to waste…"

"Did they? Altogether?" Zuko asked, puzzled. "She wants to help nowadays. She's willing to…"

"Out of concern for you and Azula," Iroh said. Zuko shrugged.

"Is that such a bad thing?"

"It doesn't truly prove that she had grown to question Sozin's doctrines, I'm afraid," Iroh said. "You… you did not see her for the past years, of course, but the reports I received about her behavior in the years of her banishment were anything but promising. Her denial, her rejection of reality… her mental health was in decline. It got worse once the Order relocated to General Fong's stronghold, too, and she began experiencing the calls from the swamp. She may grow out of the shadows of the Fire Nation yet, perhaps she finally has upon meeting you again and finally accepting reality… but for many years she didn't do so, regardless of Piandao's attempts to heal her broken soul. He… he didn't quite give up on her. I'm afraid he, well…"

Zuko frowned, eyeing Iroh warily. The old man didn't finish the sentence, but even Jin's expression suggested there was only one reasonable interpretation for that particular silence.

"Alright. Please tell me you're not trying to say there was something going on between my mom and…" Zuko said, grimacing. Iroh smiled.

"Well… I doubt it. You needn't ponder the possibility of Piandao becoming your stepfather," Iroh said. "For… for everything suggests that Ursa does not care for him in that manner. This is abundantly clear to everyone, to Piandao most of all. And that's, perhaps, one of the most unnerving parts of her apparent, newfound growth. Even now, after everything she's done, I fear… I fear your mother's heart still belongs to Ozai, of all people."

"Well… he is her husband," Jin pointed out, with a shrug.

"They weren't even happily married," Zuko said, with a scoff. "At least, not in the years before she left…"

"They were once," Iroh said, breathing deeply. "But as many blasts of reality as Ursa may face, as much as she is willing to aid us in defeating my brother now, she still holds misplaced affection for him. Try as though Piandao might… nothing has broken her loyalty to her husband."

"He doesn't deserve her," Zuko said, with a scowl. "Honestly? Maybe stepfather Piandao wouldn't be a bad idea if it means my mom could get over my father somehow. He's… he's not worthy of someone like her."

Iroh didn't deign that claim with an answer… but his expression gave away something that Zuko couldn't quite ignore. He grimaced before sighing.

"Right. You don't like my mother anymore than she likes you, I forgot," Zuko said – that particular fact of life still stung, still bothered him bitterly, for they had certainly deceived him for most his life into believing they were much friendlier than they truly were.

"I understand why it would displease you, Zuko… but I fear neither she nor I can truly move on from the past," Iroh said, shaking his head.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Zuko asked, puzzled. "She's helping now, she's working towards defeating my father, same as everyone else is, so…"

"That may be so but… Oh, pardon me for saying it so bluntly: it's a remarkably difficult challenge to coexist peacefully with the woman who killed my father."

Zuko froze in place, frowning as that unsettling bit of information returned to the forefront of his mind. Jin set down her teacup, staring at Iroh in shock as the old man glared at the table, bitterly, melancholically.

"I… I do not know for certain that she did it personally. But if she did not… she aided Ozai, in all likelihood, as he did it himself," Iroh said, closing his eyes. "My father was far from a perfect man. He was… a deeply disturbed man, with dark demons that I could never deny plagued him. Even so… he was my father. I held affection for him as most children would with their own parents. Whether he deserved that affection or not, I cannot say… but I can certainly say that he did not deserve to die as he did. My brother… whatever he and his wife did while I was seeking Lu Ten's spirit was unforgivable."

"You don't know, though. You're not sure it was her rather than my father…" Zuko said, eyeing Iroh warily.

"If she didn't do it by her own hand, she still aided Ozai. She still stood by him and supported him, hid the truth about it and allowed Ozai to ascend unchallenged to the Fire Lord's seat," Iroh said. Zuko grimaced.

"I guess that's… that's true. If she had stopped him somehow, or told the truth in case he were the murderer, then he wouldn't have had the power to do the horrible things he's done to, well, everyone," Zuko admittedly, raising his gaze towards Iroh anew. "So… this is why you don't like my mother? But that's not why she doesn't like you…"

"I expect she doesn't like me because I was an arrogant fool in the past," Iroh said. "It took the loss of my wife for me to begin rethinking my choices… but now, she certainly must despise me for what she perceives as my betrayal of the Fire Nation. Even more so due to the role I played in her daughter's downfall."

"Which… just makes everything even more unnerving, doesn't it?" Zuko said, shaking his head. Iroh winced. "You… you resent her and my father for the role they played in your father's death. You ruined Azula's life, and my father ruined mine. And if what Azula told me when we were kids is true, my father was commanded, by your father, to kill me on the very day before his death. So…"

"What?!" Iroh gasped, raising his gaze with astonishment. Zuko shrugged, shaking his head. "That… that cannot be. He couldn't have…"

"I have no idea, Uncle, all I know is what I've been told and… and at this point I'm just sick of it all," Zuko said, drinking his tea quickly and turning towards Jin. "Is your family normal, or do your relatives try to kill each other all the time?"

"Uh… over the last ration of pork chops? Sometimes," Jin said, with a grimace. Zuko sighed.

"That… that's understandable compared to mine, no matter how alarming it sounds," he said, shaking his head again before finishing his tea.

"Well, you're royals. It's kind of a given that your family is going to be more messed up than anyone else's," said Jin, glancing at Iroh with uncertainty. "Though I didn't know how messed up yours was until now. That's a lot of scheming, and… and it sounds like the newer generations are the only ones that haven't been corrupted by that kind of thing, huh? Prince Zuko and Princess Azula… and, well, everything Tiang told me about Lu Ten suggests he was a wonderful man. He actually spared Earth Kingdom soldiers multiple times in battle, helping them escape back to their people, from what Tiang says… he faked being the butcher who'd murder them in cold blood, only to release them later, when no one was paying attention. Tiang caught him doing it once… they had a big fight because of it, and it definitely shook Tiang's understanding of the war. I don't really know why Lu Ten was so kind-hearted compared to so many soldiers…"

"He would have been a brilliant Fire Lord, had he lived long enough to take on that mantle," Iroh said, closing his eyes.

"A better one than whatever the White Lotus expects me to be," Zuko said, bitterly. Iroh sighed. "It's what Jeong Jeong wants. He said it outright. He told me that he genuinely thinks we're going to win this war, that my father will be defeated, unseated… and that someone has to take the throne. He thinks it should be me, and he believes him and the rest of the White Lotus could offer me a lot of help and guidance in taking on that role. I… I don't know how trustworthy he is, honestly. About three months ago he seemed ready to find any excuse to get Sokka killed in action and turn him into a martyr of some sort… nowadays, he's supposed to be a strong, faithful ally to him. And yet he didn't offer me this when Sokka was around, he didn't recruit me fairly: he chose to do it behind Sokka's back, potentially driving a wedge between us once he does return… and finds that I seemingly betrayed him by joining the White Lotus. Should I choose to join."

"That does sound very sleazy," Jin said, frowning. Zuko sighed and nodded.

"That's what I thought, too. And I'm not trying to say that he's definitely got ill intentions, but his timing is terrible. The whole situation is terrible, and I just feel like… like I can't trust anyone. I wanted to talk to you, Uncle, because I thought… I hoped you'd tell me if this is the destiny I'm supposed to be following."

"For, if I say it is, you'd rather go in the opposite direction?" Iroh asked. Zuko sighed and shrugged.

"Being Fire Lord… I can't pretend I'd reject it if I were the only choice for the role. But the more I think about it… the less I can believe that this could have ever been my destiny. Cousin Lu Ten… the throne should have been yours, and then his. Was it destiny for him to die, for you to lose your birthright? I… I can't accept that. I can't believe that. I have kids of my own and I… if someone told me that I have to lose them because destiny says so, I'd probably break their nose, if I wouldn't go further than that," Zuko said, scowling heavily. Iroh, sitting across him, closed his eyes tightly, perhaps to hold in the tears. "I don't think I'm destined to sit on that throne. Whatever prophecies Roku gave you… they don't dictate my fate."

"No, they certainly don't. And no such prophecy said you had to join the White Lotus either," Iroh said. Zuko swallowed hard and nodded. "My boy… it is your choice. You have grown wise in the years of growing with your family in the South Pole… you have grown strong in ways I can only envy you for. You have not made the blunders and mistakes the rest of the family has…"

"Not the rest of the family," Zuko said, startling Iroh. "Azula didn't, either."

"I…" Iroh started, before closing his mouth again.

"I know. She told me that you blamed her for my choice to leave the Fire Nation when I did," Zuko said, firmly. "But I was not manipulated by the very sister who went to me on that day to ask if I was sure about what I was doing. I had an argument with my father… an argument where he told me, without any remorse, that all he ever wanted was to get rid of me. It didn't hurt me at all that Azula would become Crown Princess… because I didn't want to be my father's heir anymore. I barely want to even refer to him as my father as it is. Azula did nothing to push me to leave, Uncle. And honestly… considering how she as good as gave up her life to save the Fire Nation in as many ways as she did, only to receive payback by taking no end of punishments from my father? Even if she had done everything to manipulate me into leaving, the price she has paid has been a million times worse than what I had to face. I know you wanted to watch out for me… but she wasn't the problem. She never was, I was just too young to see past our childish rivalry even when I returned home: the real problem has always been my father."

"I… I suppose so, but I…" Iroh said, swallowing hard and shaking his head. "I couldn't forgive her. I couldn't accept it. You were facing the same fate I did, losing the throne, and you were worthier of it than she could have…"

"I don't think I was," Zuko said. Iroh winced, glancing at him in confusion. "Worthier than her? I… I don't think so. At most… I'd accept believing we were equally worthy. But honestly? Maybe… maybe she was worthier of it than me."

"Zuko…" Iroh gasped, eyes widening.

"She's fought for the Fire Nation in ways I never had to. She has changed it, protected its people, stood her ground against our father and defended her beliefs, sacrificing herself multiple times to protect what she loves… no matter if she knew she couldn't win," Zuko said, shaking his head. "If I were a common nobody in the Fire Nation? Why would I support a banished prince who has barely been home… over the Princess who has fought to defend me constantly for the past five years, at the very least?"

Iroh gritted his teeth and fell silent. Zuko breathed deeply, rubbing his brow with his fingertips.

"I know you think my father gave her everything…" Zuko said. "But he took it all away just as well. So… where you could still care about your father, no matter if you've grown to understand how wrong he was, and how harmful his influence was upon the world, upon even you and my father, I can't feel the same way about my own. He's unforgivable. His flaws aren't as easily dismissed for me because… well, he gave me nothing. I had nowhere to go, nowhere to run, I had no choice but to cling to you and hope that you'd care. Azula… she didn't have you, she didn't even have our mother. She got nothing, because when she lost our father's approval, that's all she was left with. Whatever you may think… I'm not the only one here who has been fucked over by our family the most. Azula… she helped me more times than I thought possible, down to saving my family when I met her in Whaletail Island. She's my daughter's hero. She's a much better sister than I ever imagined she could be… and I would like to be a brother to match that."

"I…" Iroh said, gritting his teeth as he glanced at Zuko. "I see. Perhaps I see too clearly too late, perhaps I… I should have known better. Well, it goes without saying that I should have, but…"

"What…? What do you mean?" Zuko frowned. Iroh sighed heavily.

"I see why I… why I cannot quite wrap my head around the truth regarding your sister. It is no fault of hers indeed… it is mine," Iroh said. "I'm no better than Ozai… he is as poisoned as I am. For what you've said… you cannot forgive your father? Whereas I… I will always hold affection for mine, no matter how misguided I might be in feeling that way. So… isn't that how your sister feels about Ozai? And isn't this… this unforgiving mindset of yours similar to Ozai's own about our father, as well?"

Zuko fell silent then. His eyes widened as Iroh's words struck him in a very painful, unsettling place…

"N-no. I'm not…" Zuko said, shaking his head. Iroh shook his own.

"I do not blame you… much as I suddenly find myself unable to blame your parents as much as I used to," Iroh said, rubbing his brow with his fingertips. "Had I known… had I known my father meant to have you killed, for whatever reason, I wouldn't have reacted any better than they did. Though… I would not have killed my father, no, but I still would have demanded that he changed his mind by any means necessary. Are you sure that he actually…?"

"Like I said, I'm not sure of anything," Zuko said, firmly. "But… that's what I've heard happened. And maybe, if we get the chance, we should ask my mom. Then… then we'd know for sure. I mean, we were kids back then, maybe Azula misunderstood something, I don't know… but I do know that's the last thing that happened before my mom woke me in the middle of the night, telling me that everything she did was for my sake, before vanishing from my life until Sokka found her in the swamp. So…"

"I see. Well, either way…" Iroh said, breathing deeply. "You are a better brother to her than Ozai could have ever been for me. That you would gladly cede the throne to her, that you believe she would be worthy of it… I cannot imagine myself ever believing that of my brother. I still don't. And I'm sure he felt the same way. Your sister… perhaps she would have no problem with you ascending as Fire Lord, either. And with that… it becomes so much easier to see that Ozai and I have been old, stubborn, mindless fools who misplaced and misunderstood our failings. We unleashed our frustrations on the undeserving… he on you, and I on Azula. For… for he may have known you could prove that his circumstances did not define him. That being the disfavored son was not an unbreakable curse… that you could achieve great things, regardless of your father's cruelty, without becoming the monster Ozai is. Just so… I never believed Azula could change because I know I didn't change, not until I lost my wife and Lu Ten. I convinced myself that she had been poisoned by her father… that she could never hope to outgrow the dreadful teachings he had imposed upon her… and it never occurred to me that she might already have outgrown him, outgrown me, and become a far better person than I could ever hope to be.

"You and Azula… are breaking a cycle Ozai and I were never even aware of. A cycle we perpetrated without meaning to. If she is as innocent as you, if her hands are not dirty, much like yours aren't…"

"Mine aren't completely clean, considering the things I've had to do to fight in the war… to keep my family safe," Zuko said, firmly. Iroh shook his head.

"Your cause is just. Ozai's is not. Mine wasn't, either, not when I lost my son or hurt Azula as I did," he said. "If my hands had been dirtied to save those I love… then it might have been worth it. And yet I lost everyone… I lost everything. If you can avoid that fate, my boy… I can only pray that you never need to know what it's like to lose your child, your spouse, for you have already suffered too much as it is. And even so… even so, you have become strong, brave and wise in ways I can only admire you for.

"So… if you have come to me in the hopes of asking for guidance, I fear I have none to offer," Iroh said, with a sad smile. "I… I am not the wise man you believed me to be. If my mistakes have taught me something… it is that, even now, I have so much more to learn than I ever realized I did. We are not responsible for the circumstance of our birth. We are responsible, however, for what we make with the life we have been granted. And I… I have far more regrets and sources of shame than any man my age should carry with him. It is I who looks to you for guidance now, Zuko… for, in the past months, you have shown me wisdom of the sorts that I've failed to find by myself.

"If I'm allowed to give you some advice… the White Lotus might need you, but you do not need the White Lotus. You will be… an extraordinary leader, in whatever capacity you wish to be, whether you're part of the Order or not. You will be a reformer… you will change this world in whatever role you take in its future, for you are already doing exactly that right now. I cannot tell you whether you should be part of this not-so-secret society or not… for it is a choice that you'll make yourself. I… I have tried to force you on paths you were not ready to choose for as long as I've been attempting to take you under my wing. And as we both know… my judgment is far from infallible. If you choose to join the Order… I only suggest that you are careful. That you do it with determination and strength, for you will need both in spades to stand your ground against the forces that rock the Order of the White Lotus from within…"

"Especially Jeong Jeong," Zuko said, frowning. Iroh nodded.

"He has been through no end of turmoil and strife, Zuko. He has faced horrors many of us have not… and after all those experiences in the war front, he has become a complicated man. He truly intends to see this world saved… but he may not go about it in the most reasonable ways. Believe it or not… he cares nothing for being revered and admired: he simply wants the war to be over."

"And that's great, until he takes it too far," Zuko reasoned, breathing out slowly. "He wants me to be a puppet, doesn't he? Someone he can reel in and control in whatever way he finds convenient. If I become Fire Lord and make any choices he doesn't like, he'll be right there breathing down my neck, pretending I should bend over backwards to accommodate him, won't he?"

"Possibly," said Iroh, nodding. Zuko frowned heavily. "You… you will gain nothing from joining the Order, Zuko. I say this earnestly. You do not need it. Whatever aid and guidance you may require, joining the Order should not be necessary for your future. I find all of you young folks have taught the old guard far more than we have taught you, as of late. But if you have any reason to wish to be part of the Order… it is your choice, my nephew. This… and becoming Fire Lord, too. You needn't hope to please me with your choices… you needn't attempt to placate anyone. Follow your mind, your heart, and make the choices you know you can live with."

Zuko frowned: his uncle's wise words suggested that Iroh had done a fair share of self-reflection… even in darker paths that he felt uncomfortable about acknowledging. That Zuko would be similar to his father, much as Iroh was similar to Azula… that their circumstances, the conditions of their upbringing, would mirror those of the people who had destroyed their lives, was disturbing to ponder.

But Azula and Zuko had been on their way to breaking free from the expectations, the darkness of the Royal Family. Without even knowing it, without ever pondering how deep and complex the situation was, they had undone so many webs of chaos, pain and cruelty, by amending their own relationship as best as possible, within their circumstances…

And now, it seemed, they were more than just Ozai or Iroh's hopes for a do-over. They were more than wish fulfillment for those who had become their mentors, the people they had tried to model themselves after. Now Iroh even seemed to back down, respecting Zuko's choices wholeheartedly, encouraging him to do what he wished with his own life, to make the decisions he knew he could bear with. He was a far cry from the man who had tried to direct Zuko to the White Lotus, back when Zuko had been leaving the Fire Nation for good…

The White Lotus. Fire Lord. The throne, the crown…

Zuko dropped his head in his hands: the lack of guidance from Iroh meant that he couldn't hope his uncle would help him sort out the right choice. But maybe… maybe Iroh had told him the truth upon saying that the White Lotus needed Zuko far more than Zuko needed him. Perhaps that was the point then. Perhaps that was what this entire matter ought to boil down to: Azula had sought to reform the Fire Nation in her own ways, hadn't she? Couldn't Zuko follow his sister's example and change another highly chaotic, destructive society from within?

He might not be ready for it… but he would never be ready to be Fire Lord if he didn't step forward to take on a larger role of leadership. If he hoped to be Fire Lord at all… he would do best prove to everyone, and to himself, that Jeong Jeong would not control him. That he would be his own man… that he would make the right decisions for his people. And he might not be Fire Lord at all, once the war ended… but if destiny truly existed, and it had somehow decided that Zuko needed to sit on the Fire Nation throne, he wouldn't do so without preparation. He wouldn't be a mediocre ruler. He would outdo his father… he would change the world.

But he'd have to change more than just the Fire Nation.

Zuko breathed deeply, raising his gaze towards his uncle. Iroh smiled kindly at him, and Zuko couldn't hold back a small grin of his own. Sitting between them, Jin set down her empty teacup and raised an eyebrow.

"Then…" she said, eyes fluttering between the two, but settling on Zuko in the end. "What are you going to choose? You'll join the White Lotus… or won't you?"

Zuko's smile gained strength and determination: he had sought his uncle to come up with an answer to Jeong Jeong's proposal. While he had expected it to take him much longer than it had, it seemed he had succeeded at finding the right way forward…

---

The long journey towards the Northern Air Temple took the group of hot-air balloons two days to fulfill. They took a break at night in one of the mountains, resting and replenishing their energies – something Appa was particularly grateful for – before returning to the skies. The trek allowed Aang and Katara to familiarize themselves further with the guards, all of whom appeared to be well versed in steering hot-air balloons, enabling each team aboard the vehicles to work smoothly towards their destination, regardless of the air currents pushing them in various directions.

"We're getting close by now," Aang remarked as he and Appa hovered near Sokka and Rui Shi's hot-air balloon. Sokka, standing near the edge of the basket's railing, nodded in agreement.

"The clouds are low," Rui Shi remarked, pouring fire into the engine quickly. "I suppose they can help us approach unnoticed, if that's what we would like to do."

"True, though I wonder if that will be necessary," Sokka said, glancing across the white landscape spreading ahead and slightly above them. "Still, if it is, we'll have to hide within them. It's bound to be uncomfortable…"

"A little discomfort is hardly anything noteworthy, after everything we've all been through," Rui Shi said, and Sokka nodded once more.

"Uh…" Aang swallowed hard, glancing at Sokka and Rui Shi with unease, from his seat on Appa's neck. "Can I ask about something that causes me, uh, a lot of discomfort? Would that be more important?"

"What do you mean?" Sokka asked, shifting his attention towards the Avatar – Katara, as well, seemed surprised by Aang's words.

"Is something wrong?" she asked. Aang bit his lip and shrugged.

"It's just… I heard your stories about the Northern Air Temple," Aang said. "And I understood them… even if they also made me uncomfortable. Because, well… I know those refugees had nowhere else to go, and no choice but to help the Fire Nation, but it sounds like they weren't very careful about how they treated the temple."

"Uh… yeah, well, I can't pretend they were," Sokka admitted, with a grimace. Aang sighed. "Well… I know it's not what we want to do, or what we set out to do to begin with… but maybe you could fix some of it right now? With your earthbending?"

"That's a thought," Katara said, smiling encouragingly at Aang, who raised his eyebrows. "You could do some training that way too, don't you think?"

"I… guess so," Aang blinked blankly.

"It's not really fair to leave you to pick up everything and fix all of it on your own, of course," Sokka sighed. "But… once this mess ends, once the war is fully over, maybe we can gather a group of earthbenders to help you restore the Air Temples? I know it might not be the same, but…"

"But it's better than leaving everything to decay and vanish," Aang said, with a weak grin. "I know my people are gone, but maybe restoring the temples will help a little, right? It won't be the same thing, no, but… it'll honor them, somewhat. It's the least I can do… as the last airbender."

"I suppose it would be…" Sokka said, biting his lip and glancing at him with uncertainty. "But we'll still do our best to help however we can. And… uh, also? Not that I want to get your hopes up or fill your head with nonsense, but, uh… there are some leads that might be worth following regarding a few airbenders that, with any luck, might have gotten away from the slaughter a hundred years ago…"

"Wait… wait, what?" Aang blinked before turning towards Sokka with wide eyes. "W-what does that mean?"

"Uh, it's just a theory," Sokka said, swallowing hard. "And you really shouldn't put too much stock in it, okay? It's barely a possibility, I'm not completely certain about it, same as the very person who came up with it wasn't fully certain about anything, but…"

"The Princess?" Rui Shi said. Sokka gritted his teeth and nodded: both Aang and Katara gasped upon hearing that.

"Guess she told you about her suspicions too?" Sokka asked. Rui Shi bit his lip.

"It feels like a thousand years ago, huh?" he said. Sokka smiled sadly.

"The first time we ever went to the Northern Air Temple," Sokka sighed, glancing towards the mountain where, they knew, one of the four grand temples of Aang's culture had been built. "You see, there's a big reserve of volatile gas right underneath the Temple. The truth of where it came from… well, we didn't understand it until Azula saw the story of the Bloodlust Spear upon destroying it. It was sealed in this temple, and it came to life just when the airbenders were hiding within the mountain, staying safe from the Fire Nation's attack on Sozin's Comet's first appearance. It… it killed most the nomads, it seems. But from what Azula could see… some of them actually got away. We don't have any clue of where they went or how they could've survived undetected, if they did, but…"

"But it's possible that there's other airbenders living in hiding somewhere?" Aang said, eyebrows riding higher yet on his forehead. Sokka grimaced, raising his hands to slow him down.

"It's… a hope. A theory. As long as no Fire Nation bastards found them somehow… then maybe they survived, maybe they even founded a village of their own somewhere, settling there and pretending to be Earth Kingdom?" Sokka sighed, shrugging. "I know it's what I would've tried to do, if I were in their place. At least, until I could fight back."

"Most Air Nomads wouldn't have wanted to fight back. The war is senseless, no matter if we have no choice but to fight in it," Aang said, sadly. "So… maybe you're right and maybe they just hid somewhere, huh? And… and Azula was sure that some had escaped? Really?"

"She saw the spear's experiences after she destroyed it," Sokka said, with a slow nod. "Unfortunately, it did kill far too many of them… but we can hope that maybe you're not truly the last one, Aang. Even if it's a flimsy hope… we can. And if they're out there, or rather, if their grandchildren or great-grandchildren are out there, we can try to find them after the war ends, too."

"And… they could help me rebuild the Air Temples?" Aang said, with a slow smile. Sokka smiled back and shrugged.

"Let's hope so," Sokka said.

Katara, sitting behind Aang, smiled and reached out to squeeze his shoulder. The Avatar smiled back at her with genuine hope, clasping her hand gently in his own.

"If there's any chance to find out what happened to them, we have to take it," Katara said, firmly. "The waterbenders from the South are gone and I doubt there's any chances that I might find any of them… but if some airbenders might have saved themselves, we have to do anything we can to find them."

"Then… you'd join me in searching for them?" Aang asked, smiling somewhat shyly. She grinned and shrugged.

"If you ask nicely…" she teased. Aang giggled, squeezing her hand gently.

"There's no one else I'd like to travel the world with… but I don't know if that's nicely enough to convince you yet," he said. "Guess I'll ask properly after we're done with the war, or, uh… maybe once we land in the temple? Maybe I can find some clues I can pursue there too, if there's anything left for me to track down…"

"Maybe," Katara conceded, with a kind smile. Aang grinned back before turning towards the mountains once more.

Other airbenders might still be alive somehow. He didn't know where he'd find them, but he'd certainly look everywhere, if possible. It would be very disappointing to fail… but the least he could do was try. Reconnecting with his people seemed like an impossible dream, and knowing that he'd visit the Air Temple to find it damaged and changed hadn't helped matters at all… but maybe they could patch it back together. Nothing would ever be the same, no, for after a hundred and ten years of war, a new generation of Air Nomads couldn't hope to go back to what they once were… but maybe they could become something new, while still respecting what they had been, long ago. Maybe…

"Okay… that's the last big mountain chain," Sokka said, with a proud grin, stepping towards the balloon's lid and dropping it quickly. "Let's go above these clouds and catch sight of the Air Temple, shall we?"

Rui Shi nodded, aiding him in the process of steering the hot-air balloon properly. The rest of the group followed, and once everyone was ready, the vehicles began ascending through the clouds gradually – Aang and Katara helped by withdrawing the thicker clouds so that their water droplets wouldn't soak everyone, as they were bound to. They couldn't quite risk being unnecessarily wet in these heights, let alone to do so when winter was so close to beginning, no matter if most of their group's members were firebenders.

The process of ascending took them about five minutes until they finally completed their trek up into clear, bright blue skies. It was a beautiful spectacle, one they could have thrived in and enjoyed for hours if they wished to, as the weak autumn sunlight fell upon them, but the attention of the traveling group had been unceremoniously stolen by the Northern Air Temple, the grand building with pale, cream walls and green rooftiles looming in the distance ahead…

Or rather, by the three massive, metallic airships bearing the Fire Nation emblem, stationed above the Temple's open courtyards.