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...

215. Chapter 215: The Spirit Library 6

Fully-packed and as rested as they could be, the three travelers took off by mid-morning, after the dragon had eaten a hefty breakfast to fill him with plenty of strength for this coming journey. Even then, his rider had reassured him that if he needed to, they could take breaks on their way to their new destination. Xin Long had been quite confident that he could fly without as much strife as they faced in the desert this time, but as much as he paced himself better, he would need occasional breaks as they traversed the tall mountains of the northern Earth Kingdom.

Whatever occasional conversations and banter the Princess and her gladiator held were often put on hold as both firebenders resonated, seeking any forms of fire within the tall peaks around them. Yet they sensed nothing, at least for the time being… and while that was far from reassuring, Azula didn't allow this to discourage her dragon just yet.

"This trip is barely beginning, Xin" she said, stroking his hair affectionately underneath his dragon armor "As it is, we've known it won't be so easy to find dragons as it was for us to find each other… and that's why we went to that Library"

"Right!" Sokka said, nodding solemnly behind Azula "From the books I read, the dragons of Xin Long's species would lay eggs close to the earth's mantle, so maybe we'd have better luck finding them if we travel close to the ground and… WOAH!"

Had the situation been any different, Azula would have likely reprimanded her dragon for the sudden nose-dive he treated them to without any warning: he only slowed once they were moments away from crashing, and by then he took to moving around in serpentine ways, his body swaying as he sniffed and glanced around himself eagerly. Sokka, clinging to Azula tightly, sighed in relief once they were hovering a few meters above ground.

"I shouldn't have said anything" he grumbled, and Azula laughed softly, her face pressed to his.

"He can search already if he wants, it's better to start early so we can rule out more locations" she said, raising a map she had been holding throughout their journey "Of course, we ought to reach the Northern Air Temple while there's still daylight… as long as we don't take too long to get there, checking this area now should be fine"

"Hopefully" Sokka said, propping his head on her shoulder as he always did while she studied their maps: Sokka quite enjoyed inspecting maps as well, though what he thrived in most was the chance to admire his lover's beautifully focused face.

Their maps of the region weren't at all as detailed as Azula would have liked: she had no choice but to mark paths through inaccurate depictions of the mountains, grumbling under her breath about the ineptitude of the cartographers while Sokka chuckled softly against her… until Xin Long's steady pace reached an abrupt halt.

"Xin?" Azula frowned, raising her head as she lowered the map "Is something the matter?"

The dragon didn't quite know, but there was a strange white mist floating around them as they traversed the base of tall, daunting mountains: all he knew was that something didn't feel quite right in the marshes they had just reached.

"What's going on?" Sokka asked, and Azula shrugged.

"He's disturbed by something" she said "Frankly, I never pegged Xin for much of a spiritual creature until this journey. I'm pretty sure that's why he was spooked by Wan Shi Tong, so… maybe he's sensing something strange again?"

Xin Long didn't know whether his rider was right or not about his presumed spirituality, so he simply breathed out and continued his progress… while hovering higher, putting distance between himself and the ground. Azula raised her eyebrows, confused.

"I thought we were looking for…?" she asked, but Xin Long shook his head promptly: that strange gorge they had been traveling through felt like death.

The hair on Azula's arms seemed to stand on end at that final claim of her dragon's. Her sudden tension didn't go ignored by Sokka.

"What is it?" he asked, and Azula reached to clasp his hand with hers.

"He says… this area of the mountains feels like death. I have no idea why, but… admittedly, it does look creepy" Azula said, biting her lip as she inspected the misty area: where there were occasional trees and vegetation elsewhere, there seemed to be next to none here "And I suppose, if it feels like death, it's not what we're looking for… we want signs of life, so maybe it's better to leave as fast as possible"

"Huh" Sokka frowned, tightening his grip on Azula's hand "Well, I must say I agree with the snarky dragon. It's bad enough that we'll have to look through caves to find eggs… it'll be all the worse if we have to do it in places that stink of death, right?"

Azula smiled reassuringly and nodded, patting Xin Long's shoulder gently as he sped up, gaining altitude gradually.

"You alright, Xin?" Azula asked, and the dragon groaned. He'd be better once they were away from that weird misty location. Maybe it would be a good idea to make haste to that Temple after all, and start to search later… anywhere but there, of course. Azula breathed in but nodded "Well, we are at your mercy here. The Temple or more searching in less unpleasant places, ultimately, it's up to you"

Azula wasn't so permissive with others often, and Xin Long knew as much: she had always had an obvious soft spot for him, no matter how many times she scolded him for his misdemeanors, but she was rather easygoing and mellow today… which struck him as odd, but he decided not to make much of a fuss about it. It wasn't every day that his proud rider allowed others to take the wheel in her endeavors, so he'd do best not to waste this particular opportunity to do as he pleased…

And so, to cheer himself up, Xin Long quite promptly began swaying in ridiculous patterns, twirling in midair, anything to make Sokka squeal and trigger Azula's typical scolding: it worked just as he'd intended, and Xin chuckled for it:

"What's the big idea, you reckless dragon?! Oh, so I'm being too nice, and you don't like it? Is that it?!" Azula exclaimed, clinging to the reins as Xin Long's laughter grew louder "Keep that up and I'll start think you were just faking the whole 'this place stinks of death' thing to spook us, you hear me?"

Xin Long nodded promptly, encouraging her to say what she wished as he progressed through the mountains, laughing at Sokka's whimpers and Azula's snapping until, eventually, the two humans were laughing with him as well, surely cherishing the dragon's antics despite how dangerous they could be…

The dragon's decision had guided them away from the dark, secluded depths of the mountain range. The mist on the ground shrouded the area, an opaque film concealing mysteries of a hundred years past, amidst scattered skeletons still bearing remnants of faded robes of orange and yellow…

The messenger hawk had arrived at noon, carrying the most unexpected news, and unlike how it had been several years ago, when they had ample time to prepare, the occupants in the Northern Air Temple now scrambled chaotically to prepare their home for the Princess's second visit. Teo took to organizing everything as best as he could, with his father's occasional input, but nothing seemed promising: they didn't have enough fancy food, Teo feared, and they had to arrange enough bedrooms for her guards, as well as her tower – which still lacked the proper heating system the Mechanist had installed everywhere else. He had taken to working on that more hastily than ever today… but it was quite unlikely that he'd be able to assemble the system properly before the Princess's arrival.

Still, the hawk had come from Ba Sing Se: it had to take her either two or three days to reach the Northern Air Temple from there if she took the train-tank, as far as Teo could foresee. So they'd have enough time to fix most the rooms, even if the tower couldn't be completed, and maybe they could set out on quick trips to look for high quality food in the nearest towns…?

It was a relief, in its own way, to have something like this to worry about and look forward to. The past months had been unsettling, and Teo was quite tired of his frequent nightmares by now… with something else to occupy his mind, perhaps he would be able to avoid or ignore his fears for a time, he hoped.

"… Teo?! Teo!"

The voice of one of his fellow refugees startled Teo out of his ruminations. He had been studying one of the hot-air balloons they often used for their business in the cities and towns, pondering whether to take up a trip for food by himself or ask someone else to do it… and that was when Min showed up, gasping for breath as he lowered his panicked eyes to find Teo's own.

"What's wrong?" Teo said, his stomach sinking. Maybe the Princess was early? Or… maybe those men were back. Oh, he'd rather face her displeasure over their inefficiency than deal with them again…

"The dragon! We just glimpsed a black dragon in the distance!" Min exclaimed, and Teo breathed out in poorly disguised relief "W-what? You're pleased about it?! Teo, we're not ready!"

"I know, I know, I'm sorry" Teo said, wheeling himself towards Min "Though… wait, the dragon? Then… she's not coming with the Royal Procession this time?"

"Guess not? Unless they're set to arrive later, I don't know…" said Min, and Teo blinked blankly.

"Then… we won't need that much food. Or that many rooms, so everyone could focus on working on the Princess's tower?" said Teo, smiling.

"Uh, yeah, I guess you're right" said Min, stroking his chin "Though I don't know if that would be enough, I doubt we can finish the tower today…"

"Well, it's better to try" said Teo, sighing as he jerked his head towards the other courtyards of the Temple "Where did you guys see them? We're unprepared, it's obvious… but the least we can do is give the Princess and her dragon a proper welcome, right?"

Min nodded and guided Teo towards the open courtyard in question: a few refugees stood in it, alarmed and enthusiastic at once, despite their fears that the Princess might be unreasonably angry at their failure to prepare for her arrival…

It was already late in the afternoon, and they had taken a few breaks up in ridges within the mountains, but at last, the Northern Air Temple had been in sight for the three travelers. Xin Long's energies had decreased steadily through the day, but he flew towards their destination without any hesitation, fluffing his mane upon noticing they would be greeted by the Temple's occupants once they landed…

"They got our messenger hawk after all, seems like" Azula smiled, eyeing the humble people of the Northern Air Temple as she sought familiar faces amongst them… and it wasn't long before she glimpsed Teo, on his wheelchair, gazing up at them in wonder.

"Welcome, Princess!" the residents of the Air Temple chorused together, though not in unison. Azula smiled and nodded at them, acknowledging their greeting graciously.

"Thank you, thank you…" she said, and Sokka chuckled behind her as the dragon delicately touched down on the courtyard.

"Princess!" Teo's voice rose above the others, his face bearing a wide grin "It's so good to see you again… and you're here with Sokka too!"

"Hey there" Sokka smiled, waving as Azula urged him to dismount.

"We were so glad to receive your message, though we didn't expect you to arrive like this… let alone so soon!" Teo said, wheeling himself closer to the dragon.

Sokka offered Azula a hand as she dismounted as well. She was wary to take it in front of so many onlookers… but her wounded wrist was as good an excuse as any to accept Sokka's generous offer. Thus, she allowed him to help her, holding back a smile as the people of the Temple gave them as much space as they might need, their eyes peeled and keenly set on them.

"I'm sorry we couldn't offer you prior warning properly" Azula answered Teo, once she had climbed off the saddle – she squeezed Sokka's hand with her uninjured one before releasing it, hoping no one would be able to notice her quick gesture "We would have, but this latest trip of ours has been rather unpredictable. We hadn't even made up our minds about coming here until just yesterday, so don't fret too much if you weren't prepared to receive us just yet"

"Ah, that's rather kind of you" Teo said, smiling awkwardly "Yeah, we were halfway through with preparations, things were quite hectic because of that. Though… you only brought Sokka? The rest of the guards won't be joining us too?"

"Actually, no" Azula said, biting her lip "They would've had to take the train-tank, and it would likely take them several days to arrive safely… so I decided it was better if I simply rode my dragon instead, and we'll return to Ba Sing Se once our allotted time to stay here is over. Is that alright?"

"Oh, of course" Teo said, nodding. By now, many of the onlookers had lost interest in the situation while others rushed off, hoping to prepare refreshments for the two travelers and their dragon "You can stay as long as you wish! Though… uh, why bring Sokka instead of one of your guards?"

"Heh, you could just say outright that you'd rather hang out with them instead of me" Sokka said, pouting, prompting Azula to fail to muffle a chuckle at Teo's dumbfounded expression.

"Ignore him, he's a goofball" she said, shaking her head "We both had reasons to come here, and I'd like to think your father would enjoy greeting Sokka anyways. Or am I mistaken…?"

"He would, yeah" Teo smiled "I'm not saying he can't be here, I'm happy to see you both, I was just surprised, but… uh, wait. You say you both had reasons to come? You… you didn't explain why you were dropping by in your letter, but is it anything, well… like what you came here for, the first time you visited?"

"Ah, you're worried we're here under my father's orders?" Azula asked, with a crooked grin "No, this time there's no Fire Lord decree or mission involved, whatsoever. You have nothing to worry about in those regards"

Teo smiled and released a relieved breath, closing his eyes and hanging his head as everyone nearby laughed. It was, of course, a fair concern, though it elicited questions in Azula's mind that she intended to pose to Teo right away.

"Have you been bothered by War Minister Qin again?" Azula asked, frowning "I didn't think to ask my father about it, but I did warn him that the Mechanist wouldn't produce results successfully if he was pressured the way Qin often did…"

"Oh, no, nothing of the sort" Teo said, reassuringly "Actually, we've barely heard from him in the years since your first visit, so I guess whatever you told the Fire Lord worked"

"Good to know" Azula smiled, nodding. She had suspected as much: her father had focused on the production of aircrafts in recent years, unconcerned with newer technological developments aside from that. Still, it was a relief to confirm that her advice had helped the Mechanist and his people in some way.

"So, uh, can I ask why you came, then?" Teo asked, with an awkward grin.

"Well, we're looking for dragons once again" Azula said, patting Xin Long's helmet affectionately. The dragon, tired and unwilling to move much anymore, had splayed out where he had landed, with a relaxed grin on his face "That's my personal reason to be here. As for Sokka… well, if during our travels to find dragons we happen to come across a particular plant we've been told about, he would like to devise a way to use its toxins for a weapon that can be used in the Arena"

"Huh? And you want my dad's help for that, I take it?" Teo asked, and Sokka nodded.

"No pressure, though" Sokka smiled "If he's up to other things, I'm not going to demand he works with me…"

"Oh, well, right now he's busy accommodating the Princess's tower, so I guess maybe after all that's finished…?" Teo asked, but Azula froze at those words.

"Wait, wait… he's working at accommodating the tower, you said?" Azula smiled awkwardly "As in…?"

"The hot-air system that we use in the rest of the temple hadn't been implemented in the tower" Teo answered, with a shrug "He's had plans to build it for years, but without Qin's pressure he's been up to more leisurely projects lately, such as a snack-hat, so he forgot to fix the heating system until we got your message… and now he's panicking to make everything work as fast as possible"

"Uh… huh" said Azula, grimacing as Sokka stroked his chin, an eyebrow raised "You said you were on your way with preparations for our visit, though? And you had thought I'd bring my guards, so I take it you've prepared a few, humbler rooms?"

"Yeah, I suppose Sokka can use one of those" Teo said, with a shrug "But as you're the Princess…"

"In the past months, for various reasons, I've had to sleep in a rundown inn and common tents" Azula declared, startling Teo. Sokka chuckled beside her "And several years ago I didn't even have a cot while I was stuck in a forest…"

"Hey, now, you slept way more than I did, I kept watch most nights…" Sokka pouted, as Azula smiled but rolled her eyes.

"My point is, simply, that I don't really need the tower and I can make myself at home just as well in a smaller room, if you've already prepared one" she finished, and Teo blinked "Your father doesn't need to break his back setting up the tower if it's not ready yet. Maybe the next time I come it will be finished and I will be able to stay there again, but for now… I'd rather not impose that much"

"Really, then?" said Teo, smiling weakly "Well… damn. If that's the case, I'll have to go tell him right away! He's got to be overworking himself, as always…"

"Then we'll have to go with you to make sure he stops doing that" Sokka snickered, hands on his hips "Though… you said he's working on some sort of snack-hat? What's that, exactly?"

"Oh, just a tall hat with a compartment for food in it" Teo explained, shrugging "My dad thinks that it'd come in handy for people who are taking leisurely walks: if they get hungry, they don't have to turn back home, they can just reach up for their hats and have some candy"

"Huuuuh…" Sokka said, leaning forward as he stroked his stubble with unabashed curiosity. Next to him, Azula scoffed, rolling her eyes despite being unable to conceal her amusement.

"You're not getting one of those"

"Hey! And why not?" Sokka pouted, folding his arms over his chest "He could make a variant of it, you know, a helmet! A wolf-shaped helmet! Then, if I get hungry during a fight…!"

"Are you out of your mind?" Azula asked, unable to hold back her laughter "You're not going to eat halfway through a fight, why on earth would you?"

"Well, then, maybe right afterwards! Who knows, maybe I'll need to replenish my energies if I work too hard to beat a difficult foe" Sokka declared stubbornly, his nose turned up as Azula shook her head.

"You go home right after every fight, if you're hungry you can just wait and eat there and… why the hell are we even discussing something so ridiculous and unnecessary? You're not here to make snack-helmets with the Mechanist"

"Says you! I think it'd be neat" Sokka insisted, proudly, as Azula shook her head still.

"Cursed with a fool of a gladiator…"

"Hey, now, you cursed yourself, because you're the one who picked me" Sokka smirked, and Azula bumped her shoulder into him as she turned towards Xin Long.

"You'll stay here for now?" she asked the dragon, who nodded lazily. They would take off to find dragons tomorrow, it had been a long day and he would rather rest. And if the locals would bring him food instead of leaving him to go hunting, all the better. Azula smiled "Very well, then. I'll check on you soon, alright?"

Xin Long offered her one of his usual toothy grins as Azula patted his horn and turned to Sokka and Teo again: as expected, the gladiator was asking more questions about the snack-hat, namely what kinds of snacks could be in it, as Teo laughed with abandon. Azula couldn't contain a smile as she released a breath slowly. It was fun, far too much fun, to bicker with her secret husband… but his most outlandish, ridiculous words were utterly charming, no matter how hard she tried to rebuff them coldly.

"… No, I'm afraid my dad hasn't tested meat as the snacks" Teo chuckled, as he led the way to the tower once Azula was finished talking to her dragon "But if you want to ask him about it, I'm sure he'll be happy to discuss all possibilities with you"

"Great!" Sokka grinned proudly, shooting a mischievous smirk at Azula "Might be I could stick to the snack-hat instead of the helmet, huh? You think that'd suit me, Princess?"

"Beats me, but I doubt it" Azula smiled, and Sokka huffed.

"You're no fun, Azula, seriously…" he grumbled, caring little for how the Princess laughed at his reaction.

Teo smiled, though he was puzzled by their familiarity. It wasn't as though they hadn't been like this before, he visibly recalled Sokka being quite foolish whenever he bickered with the Princess, who often switched between being as authoritarian as possible to smirking with malice whenever her words were cruel enough to offend her gladiator… now, though, the smile on her face was much gentler. And was Sokka talking nonsense so blatantly because he truly wanted that snack-hat or snack-helmet… or was it he wanted to make her laugh, instead?

Whatever the reason, though, their banter was fun enough, even for an onlooker, and Teo chuckled along with them as they progressed together through the many halls of the Air Temple.

"You're growing out your beard, aren't you, Teo?" Sokka asked, and Teo grinned and nodded, blushing lightly.

"Yeah… somewhat" he said "I still can't grow one as thick as my dad's, though. But everyone's taken to calling me Mechanist Jr. because of it, heh… though I always say I'd have to burn off my eyebrows too before I can boast of that title"

"Heh, I doubt you really need to do that" Sokka grinned as Teo laughed "Though your dad must be really happy that they think you're like him. He has always been crazy proud of you…"

"And I of him" Teo said "He's been a lot more composed these days. Ever since Qin stopped bugging him as much as he used to, he's been… well, liberated. He still tends to obsess over projects when he really likes them, but he relaxes more. He even eats all three meals, and sleeps over four hours at night…"

"That sounds surreal" Sokka chuckled "He must look like he's twenty years younger than when we first met him, if that's true"

"He'll be thrilled to hear you say that" Teo grinned, as they finally reached the courtyard of the tallest tower in the Temple.

If Azula had been adamant and unreasonable about staying in luxurious accommodations, the current progress of the tower's conditioning would have been sure to change her mind: massive pipes, protruding throughout the building in awkward angles, men and women working hard with hammers and drills, as well as the occasional sound of explosives, made it dreadfully clear that the work in the tower was, at best, halfway through, and it wouldn't be likely to end for a week or two, at best…

"Eh… heh. Yeah, I doubt you'll want to sleep there" Teo said, grinning awkwardly as a wall chunk at the second floor of the tower crumbled to the ground rather chaotically.

The Mechanist was easy to spot, covered in dust and dirt, his hands furnished with thick gloves as he worked on welding one of the large pipes with help of his assistants. Focused as he was, it wasn't until one of them tapped his shoulder that he raised his head to find their honored guest had already arrived.

"Goodness!" he exclaimed, pushing up his protective mask promptly: he was smiling quite nervously, but he seemed genuinely elated to see Sokka "You've already arrived! Welcome, welcome!"

"Been a while, huh?" Sokka said, grinning as the Mechanist set down his gloves and strode to him, enthusiastically shaking his hand in greeting.

"It has! Ah, you look even larger and bulkier than I remember, Sokka!" the Mechanist smiled.

"Eh, the life of a gladiator" Sokka chuckled, pulling the Mechanist in for a one-armed hug: the man seemed utterly out of place for a moment, but he chuckled and patted Sokka's back afterwards.

"And you look… as regal as ever, Princess!" the Mechanist said nervously once he pulled away from Sokka, bowing his head clumsily towards her "D-do excuse my carelessness, I should've conditioned the tower long ago, but…"

"Don't worry about it" Azula said, raising a hand to stop his rambling. The Mechanist raised his head in surprise, and Azula only offered him a forgiving smile "I've already talked with Teo, I'll take one of the smaller rooms. My guards aren't with us, so…"

"Oh! It's just the two of you, then? And… you're sure?" The Mechanist asked, his small eyes blinking in amazement at her decision.

"Absolutely. You don't have to rush with this, let alone when we're dropping by on such short notice" Azula said, nodding. The workers near the Mechanist seemed close to fainting of relief, and at his approving smile, they laid down their tools and rushed to inform the others of the Princess's decision.

"That's… oh, thank you. Thank you" the Mechanist laughed, shaking his head "I'm irresponsible for putting this off, I know I am, and I swear the next time you visit you won't have to stay in a simple room…"

"It's fine" Azula smiled "You seem every bit as overachieving and nervous as ever… but there's really no need for that this time. We're only stopping by for a bit, and if anything, the one who could use some of your help is Sokka, not me"

"Oh? For what, if I may ask?" the Mechanist said, eyeing Sokka with interest as the gladiator grinned and patted his shoulder.

"I have a bit of a project to work on, though it hinges on whether we find the materials for it or not" he chuckled, smiling at Azula "If we do, then… you think you could help me make and test a very specific kind of bomb? One that will, potentially, chi-block a person just by inhaling its scent…?"

"Ah? A smoke bomb, like the ones you used to make?" the Mechanist asked, and Sokka nodded "Why… absolutely!"

Sokka grinned happily, glancing at the Princess again in celebration, and she only smiled fondly at him. It was true, this would hinge on whether they found the plant Tenya had mentioned or not… but if they were successful, the Mechanist would be the most helpful expert who could assist Sokka in exploiting the pollen's chi-blocking potential fully.

"Seems like a nicer kind of bomb to build than the ones we were supposed to make, the last time you came here" the Mechanist laughed, though his face shifted soon after saying those words, his levity quickly frozen on his face "B-but that's neither here nor there, so… anyways! You must be tired, so we should go have dinner!"

"And you can share your stories about your latest inventions while we do?" Sokka suggested, wiggling his eyebrows "I'm hearing of a snack-hat…?"

"Oh, he just won't stop…" Azula said, prompting Teo to laugh out loud while Sokka smirked greedily.

"Ah, the snack-hat! I got the idea from Teo, if you must know" the Mechanist said, proudly "After I got too invested in a project – developing new potential forms of fuel for the airships, actually! –, he scolded me for not eating properly and said he'd stitch food onto my clothes so I would have no excuse to disregard my meals…"

"It was only meant to be a silly threat, and then he took it too seriously" Teo admitted with a sad grin, and their guests laughed at his explanation.

"Well, I think it's brilliant!" Sokka grinned, and the Mechanist smiled right back.

"I always know I have a kindred spirit in you, Sokka" the Mechanist declared "Now, then, I'll settle everything here, and then we're off to dinner!"

It took the Mechanist only a few minutes to instruct his people to depose their tools and instruments, and by the time he was finished, he herded Sokka towards the buildings in the lower levels of the temple, chatting about all his latest inventions. Azula and Teo lagged behind them, and while Azula was listening in on the inventor's words, she failed to notice Teo was glancing at her with uncertainty.

"Uh, Princess… can I ask you something?" he spoke with a small voice. Azula's focus on the Mechanist's words broke upon hearing those words.

"Why, sure" she said.

"It's nothing big, really, just… how long will you be staying? You said earlier that you'll be here until you run out of time and have to go back to Ba Sing Se or so… what did that mean?" Teo asked.

"Well, technically we're only here now because I'm taking advantage of having finished my business at Ba Sing Se a lot earlier than planned" Azula explained "Governor Tiang is dealing with matters pertaining the new slavery laws quite effectively, so…"

"Slavery laws?" Teo repeated, raising his eyebrows.

"You haven't heard about that here?" Azula smiled "I guess I should've brought a few copies, though as you have no slaves, I doubt you'd need them. Anyways, I wrote new slavery laws, and my father's council approved of them… slaves are supposed to be treated far more fairly from now on, across all territories of the Fire Nation"

"Wow. That sounds amazing" said Teo, grinning "I'm sure Sokka must be happy about that"

"No doubt, I can't set him on fire when he infuriates me anymore" Azula smirked, and Teo laughed "At any rate, I was only overseeing that things are moving along smoothly in Ba Sing Se, and as they were, I had time to spare to search for dragons, so we're here now and… I think we'll have to leave in about a week, whether we're successful at our quests or not"

"Ah… and, uh, would you spend the rest of the week here, even if you're successful with those quests right away?" Teo asked. Azula raised her eyebrows.

"Why… I don't know. Maybe" Azula hadn't quite thought about that… but it would be better, surely, if they stayed here as long as possible. Sneaking out of neighboring rooms at night was certainly easier in the Temple than in Ba Sing Se, so…

Crap, that wasn't supposed to be her priority, was it?

"W-well, if you could stay… we'd all like that" Teo said, with a nervous smile. Azula frowned "I understand if you can't, but…"

"I'm flattered, Teo, but I have to ask… is everything alright?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. The young man tensed up "I can't say I'm bothered if you're happy to have us here, on the contrary, it's good to be welcome, but… you look somewhat anxious"

"U-uh, well…" Teo said, swallowing hard before hanging his head in defeat "I… guess I am. To a fault. I didn't really want to talk about this, but that you've come to visit is a great relief because of, well… something that happened a few months ago. I kind of hoped you would bring your guards because of that too, not just because I became friends with them, but even if it's just the two of you, I think we'll feel safer, at least as long as you're around"

"Okay, that's quite ominous" Azula said, with a dry grin "Why do you feel unsafe? You said War Minister Qin hasn't been bothering your father…"

"It's not because of him. It's… it's not because of anyone Fire Nation" Teo said, biting his lip "Alright, it… it happened a few months ago, uh… actually, about a month before the year's end. I remember because I told my dad I was glad they hadn't come back, since that way we could celebrate the new year without worrying about their threats…"

"Someone was threatening you?" Azula repeated "Several people, from the sound of it?"

"Well… yes. Though the worst one was their leader" said Teo, and Azula had the distinct feeling that his youthful face's color was draining gradually "He… he actually looked Water Tribe, if you want me to be honest?"

"Water Tribe?" Azula repeated, and Teo nodded.

"His eyes were blue, but… such a clear blue it could've been white, I guess. I don't know, he was very unsettling…" Teo sighed "I don't think I saw him smile once since I first saw him… anyways, uh, they showed up one day, knocking hard on the garage's entrance. We had no notice of any visitors, so no one really understood what was happening… when the mechanics opened the doors, they were immediately threatened by a group of warriors. They demanded to be let in, to be fed and housed for a time… and as none of us are fighters, we couldn't even think about resisting. They all looked so dangerous…"

"Why on earth would they do that? Did they steal anything from your father?" Azula asked, her innards twisting disturbingly at the news. She didn't want to assume anything… but she knew of one Water Tribesman with no compunctions about using violence for his own ends. It could be anyone else, she knew… so she shouldn't jump to conclusions without knowing enough. Still…

"Not really?" Teo said, shrugging "They never entered his study, though the one thing they did demand for was maps of the area. They took the most thorough ones, and then they'd leave for days at a time, returning to ask for food… well, demanding for it, if anything. At one point, the mechanics down at the garage were tired of being pushed around, so they refused to open the door and… w-well, they attacked. Tore the door down. They made an example of the mechanic in charge, gave him a bloody beating that he's not fully recovered from, even now…"

"They tore down your door? With how sturdy it was…" Azula repeated, with an indignant huff. Teo nodded.

"There were earthbenders in the group, from my understanding they tore down the walls around the door so it'd fall off its hinges, while their nasty leader used that huge sword of his to wreck many of the high-end vehicles my father had been working on, to make the message as clear as he could" Teo sighed "After that, we… we just settled for doing as they wished, even if we hated it. But what else could we even do? Ask the Fire Nation for help?"

"I… I would've tried to help, had I known, but I can't say I would've had the chance to" Azula admitted, rubbing her brow with uncertainty "But you say they left?"

"They did, yeah" Teo nodded "At least, we assume they did. One day they took off, like always, and they didn't come back. We were really anxious and nervous, but it's been months now, so… I guess they're not returning. Still, now that you're here, and with Sokka, it… it feels like they're not going to be bold enough to do anything to us while we have such strong people on our side"

With that, Teo smiled in happy relief, though the grin faded from his face when he noticed Azula was still frowning.

"It's okay, though. If they didn't come back for all this time, they surely won't anymore… right?" Teo said, and Azula shrugged.

"Hopefully" she said "They wanted maps, you said? Detailed ones?"

"Yeah, the better ones were of Air Nomad-make, so that's what they took…" Teo mumbled begrudgingly.

"They were, in all likelihood, looking for something?" Azula suggested, before shaking her head "And that leader… did you happen to hear his name, at any point in time?"

"Well… his people called him Rhone. I guess that had to be his name, right?"

Cruel, chilling fear spread inside Azula at an alarming rate, starting at the center of her chest as it shot off her nerve endings, all across her body. She breathed deeply, trying to focus, to ignore the burst of irrational panic…

But Sokka had dreamt of Rhone in the Swamp.

And then, of Azula's death.

She shook her head, trying to write it off as a coincidence. Whatever Rhone was up to, it didn't have to mean anything significant, did it? After all, things hadn't been so bad between him and Sokka the last time they'd met…

But Rhone was far from reformed, from healed, if he had barged into the Air Temple to bully the Mechanist and his people into giving in to all his demands. Whatever had happened to him after their close encounter with Seethus didn't appear to have changed him for the better, despite their hopes for the opposite.

"Princess?" Teo called her softly, and Azula released her trembling breath "Do you… know him?"

"Barely. But you could say I'm acquainted with him" she whispered "He didn't kill anyone?"

"Oh, goodness, no" Teo said, and Azula sighed in relief "I mean, he was no good, but I hoped he wouldn't go that far. But, since you asked, I guess he would have…?"

"If you hadn't complied with his demands?" Azula said "Yeah, I… I know it's unsettling, but he surely would have. He used to be a gladiator, known for being a firebender killer: he'd single out firebending gladiators with the intent of murdering them. That was the main reason why he joined the League. While he obviously resented the Fire Nation more than anything, I can't say he wouldn't kill anyone, regardless of where they came from or who they swear allegiance to, just because they're in his way"

"Damn…" said Teo, his hands trembling as he clutched the sides of his wheelchair nervously "That… that's unsettling. I mean, I did guess he could be a killer, but I hoped to be wrong…"

"Well, you wouldn't be the first to hope he's better than he truly was" Azula sighed "If he's gone, though, hopefully it means he found whatever he was looking for with those maps. As long as it wasn't other dragons… not that he'd have any use for them, for starters. He didn't have any firebenders with him, right?"

"Oh, no. Not that I know of, anyhow" said Teo, shaking his head.

"Then it's not like anyone in his group could've bonded with them, so if he just went out looking for dragons to kill them, I… oh, I'd sooner kill him in retaliation" Azula growled, shaking her head "But hopefully that's not what he was up to. Still, if he's been in these mountains over the past months, Sokka and I will have to be extra cautious while we look for dragons"

"Ah, you'll take him with you?" Teo asked.

"I had thought I might, but now with this information, I'm all the more inclined to do so" Azula admitted, biting her lip "I suppose your father mustn't have handled that stress very well, or did he?"

"Not that much, no… though he did take a light form of revenge by giving them rooms in the tower" Teo said, grinning before the smile faded "Which, well, may sound now like you were supposed to be punished by staying in it, which wasn't my father's intent, I swear…!"

"I know" Azula smiled "Though, if Rhone was hosted in the tower, I'm even less willing to stay there now. I haven't always been superstitious, but I guess recent events have convinced me that maybe everything I scoffed at could be real… might be Rhone's lingering, poisonous aura would attempt to kill me in my sleep"

"Yeah, hopefully not" said Teo, swallowing hard as Azula laughed softly.

"Though… do you mind if I ask about his companions, too?" she said "Well, one of them, in particular. Was there anyone amongst his group who looked lanky, with very pale skin, light brown hair, green eyes…?"

"Uh, well, the other things, maybe. But none of them were lanky" said Teo, frowning "They were all warriors, and rather aggressive at that, too. I think a few of them picked fights with each other at times, or at least that's what some people said… I didn't spend much time around them, so I can't say for sure, but I didn't see anyone like that in his group"

"Then he cut off ties with his sponsor…?" Azula mused, raising her eyebrows "Oh, well. Sokka, Xin Long and I will definitely help keep you safe if they show up again. But perhaps I could ask Governor Tiang to assign some soldiers to the Northern Air Temple, if you think that's agreeable?"

"Oh? Well, I'd say it's better if you ask my dad about that" said Teo "I won't mind, as long as they're like your guards…"

"Good to know" Azula smiled: Teo's mood seemed to improve now, whether upon talking about his old friends or the possibility that him and his fellow refugees might be safer in the future.

"I've exchanged letters with Fei Li, on occasion" Teo said "Is it true he was promoted to Captain? I mean… it's great! But I can barely believe it, if it's true…"

"It is, it is…"

"Really?" Teo was astounded, though he smiled all the same. Azula chuckled "Wow. Definitely didn't think he'd be a figure of authority to anyone, but that's great! Good for him"

"It is good for him, not so much for everyone else" Azula smirked "Can't say he's the most suitable of my guards to take up the role of Captain, but he could have done worse at it, it's true…"

"Oh, well, that's why I thought it was strange" Teo chuckled "How did that even happen, though…?"

Azula explained some of her guards' circumstances and latest developments as they reached the dining area, and continued to do so over dinner. The food was humble, not as tasteful as Azula wished it was, but it proved fulfilling all the same. She had taken her seat beside Teo, across Sokka, while he sat beside the Mechanist, the two of them caught in a long debate over the inventor's latest creations – eventually, Sokka brought up the Mad Alchemist's weapons, asking the Mechanist for his input on how such strange devices could be crafted and recreated.

After they were finished eating, Teo ferried the Mechanist off to bed, as ever taking up the role of his father's guardian. The inventor seemed to wish to talk with Sokka for a bit longer, but he complied with his son's wishes and turned in despite it all.

"Oh, we'd prepared rooms in the same corridor you stayed in the last time" Teo told Sokka and Azula, once he and the Mechanist were at the door "Feel free to pick whichever rooms you like best!"

"Ah, thanks" Sokka smiled, glancing at Azula afterwards: the Princess had finished her meal, and remained in a silent, contemplative mood whenever no one was addressing her specifically. Right now, it was apparent she hadn't heard a word of what Teo had said before taking his leave with his father "Azula?"

She blinked herself back from her daze at the sound of his voice, and she smiled awkwardly at him, aware that she had missed out on something. Sokka chuckled and reached out to clasp her arm with a hand, urging her to rise to her feet with him.

"We have to pick our rooms" he said, smiling proudly "And we should get our luggage first, right?"

"Right" Azula nodded "Let's hope Xin didn't roll around much in his sleep…"

"Yeah, we should've taken our bags with us from the start" Sokka chuckled.

The pair left the near-empty dining room together, pacing the hallways of the Air Temple. A cold breeze blew in often: the hot-air system implemented by the Mechanist helped keep the place warm, but the chill often got to Azula all the same. Late as it was, the corridors were mostly empty, and the only occupant in the courtyard was Xin Long himself, fast asleep, his legs twitching in dreams. As cold as it was, Azula felt warmer inside at the sight of him, a smile inevitably spreading over her face.

"What's he dreaming about?" Sokka asked knowingly, and Azula chuckled.

"Chasing hippocows. His favorite dream, apparently" she smiled, and Sokka laughed too as they reached him.

Had Xin Long been awake, Azula would have offered to relieve him of the armor and saddle, but it seemed ill-advised to wake him now as he hunted the creatures of his subconscious mind. Hopefully he wouldn't feel stiff and awkward about sleeping in his armor come morning.

Together, they undid the fastenings that kept the bags strapped to the saddle and, unsurprisingly, Sokka refused to let Azula carry them, even wrestling one out of her hands when she nabbed it first.

"You are wounded and you're a royal. No carrying bags for the likes of you" Sokka smirked, after successfully tugging the bag out of her hands.

"You're a pain in the ass when you want to be" she said, rolling her eyes but smiling "I know you think this is the way to look after me, but you somehow always find the perfect excuse to make sure I can't carry anything. You did it in the forest, then you did it again when we came to Ba Sing Se for the Pairs Tournament, and again on our way to Yu Dao from the Stronghold…"

"And in our trip to Shu Jing and the Race, too, don't forget those either" Sokka grinned proudly. Azula laughed and shook her head "What? You want to carry your own bags to prove a point or something?"

"I want to carry my own bags so you don't have to carry everything yourself, actually. But you're impossible" Azula sighed, leaning close to kiss his cheek "Charming, but impossible"

Sokka chuckled and dared kiss her lips boldly. The first time they had visited the Air Temple they had been wary and cautious to never do anything so compromising out in the open… but it had been years since then. A lot had changed, and their common sense had certainly decreased over time, perhaps lulled into a strange sense of security because, up to date, they hadn't been caught by anyone who had betrayed their relationship to Azula's father. It was, they knew, reckless and foolish to let their feelings take the wheel by indulging in unnecessary risks, but in a chilly night at the top of a mountain, the feeling of warm lips on their own seemed one of the best ways to chase out the cold.

Xin Long's legs were still twitching in dreams once his two riders walked away, hand in hand. Azula ventured another glance over her shoulder at the dragon, smiling fondly at his innocent and mischievous behavior, even when he was asleep. She didn't tear her eyes away from him until they had entered the building again and he was blocked from view.

"Say… are you still worried about what he'll do if we find dragons?" Sokka ventured a guess, and Azula raised her eyebrows "It's just, you were kind of absent-minded for a while earlier. And now you were watching him like that, so…"

"No, well, in some ways I'm still worried about it, but I think I'm more prepared to face it, if it happens" Azula said, smiling weakly "What was on my mind earlier was something else entirely, if you must know"

"Oh?" Sokka raised his own eyebrows, tugging at Azula's hand gently to urge her to speak. The Princess smiled and closed her eyes, leaning close to press a kiss to his bare shoulder.

"We should've brought better clothes for the cold" she whispered "Not like we had any forewarning that we'd end up in the Northern Air Temple during this journey, but still…"

"Ah, that's okay, we can warm up at each other's expenses when no one's paying attention" Sokka smirked "We ought to pick adjacent rooms, you know? I can sneak one of the Mechanist's building explosives, just a small amount, break a hole in the wall between our rooms and then…!"

"Are you out of your mind?" Azula asked, laughing as she pressed her head against his arm. Sokka snickered.

"It's hardly a bad idea, Princess" he winked at her, intertwining his fingers with hers "That way we'd virtually have a single room instead of two…"

"And what's your excuse for us sleeping in the same bed, if that's so?" Azula asked, biting her lower lip.

"Uuuh, that? Well, uh… either the explosive will hit one of the beds, or the debris will fall on it and make it unsafe! See? Makes perfect sense" he smiled, prompting her to laugh again.

"Your particular brand of nonsense is, without a doubt, too much fun for me. But please, don't do that. It's only funny in theory" she warned him, and Sokka pouted.

"That's not fair, really…" he grumbled "I ought to cut the wall off with Space Sword, then…"

"How is that any better?"

"Well, for one thing, it wouldn't make noise!" Sokka chuckled, as Azula rolled her eyes and continued to laugh at his ideas "Really, Azula, no need to shoot down all my suggestions, you ought to consider them for a bit at least. They might even be brilliant, you know…?"

"Next thing I know, you'll suggest we tell the Mechanist and Teo about us so we can be openly together in the Temple" Azula said, and Sokka raised his eyebrows.

"You say it as a joke… but that might not be so terrible!" he declared, grinning and Azula huffed, still amused.

"You're out of your mind"

Their argument halted as they reached the corridor with the prepared rooms. They checked each of them, finding that a few were only half-ready while others were in good enough shape to use. The last one in the hallway was a larger room, fully furnished for any visitors, with a large bed that the two of them would fit in comfortably. What caught their attention, however, was the large fireplace that clearly had been built into the room recently.

"The Mechanist did say they've been working on improvements for the heating system… but he didn't say anything about fireplaces" Sokka chuckled "Feels like the more logical solution if anything, right?"

"Definitely" Azula smiled, stepping into the room: there was enough firewood, dry and ready for use. Perhaps they'd still be better off with warmer clothes, but this would help plenty at night, for sure "Well, this is by far the best room, so…"

"So, you'll take it, Princess?" Sokka smirked, setting down her bags as Azula glanced at him remorsefully.

"Well, officially, I guess… but you'll spend the night here anyways, there's no reason for you not to" Azula declared stubbornly. Sokka didn't bother to muffle his amusement.

"No reason at all? Not even that we're not supposed to be together at all, as far as Fire Nation law is concerned?" Sokka asked teasingly, stepping closer and raising her chin to kiss her lips softly.

"We're in an Air Temple, Fire Nation laws shouldn't apply here" Azula smirked, and Sokka chuckled, pressing his brow to hers "I'm sure my father would disagree, of course, but still… anyways, you should take your stuff to the next room, for appearances' sake. Come back right after, as long as no one's out there to see you"

"No one should be" Sokka smirked, but he pressed one more kiss to her lips and followed suit with her advice.

By the time Sokka returned, free of all burdens of luggage, beaming and eager to take his lover to bed, Azula had gotten the fireplace running, and heat rose in the room gradually for it.

"Ah, now it does feel like home" Sokka said, closing the door softly "It's about Fire Nation hot in here now… especially because of a hot Fire Nation Princess"

Azula rolled her eyes at his words, but he had wrapped an arm around her waist and hoisted her up into his arms, prompting her to cry out in surprise and laughter at his boldness. His proud smile endured even as he brought their lips together, carrying his secret wife to the bed they hoped to share safely for the coming days.

He had pinned her to the mattress, kissing her more ravenously now than before. Azula responded, moaning with abandon as his mouth received her every sound. The isolated safety of the tower she had spent nights in during their previous visit had usually guaranteed that their nightly noise wouldn't be overheard, so this time they had to be much more careful… and the best solution Azula could think of was to keep her lips occupied with his all through their tryst.

They removed each other's clothes clumsily, laughing into each kiss until every last garment was gone. Sokka buried his face between her breasts, a hand slipping down to her groin: his fingertips toyed with her clit as Azula tried to bite back the moans, her body arched into his. The burning pleasure only seemed to match perfectly by the mood set by the fireplace, and, if anything, Azula found it was too hot eventually, when pearls of sweat were rolling down her temples and pooling under her breasts… Sokka, taking the initiative as he was, seemed to be just as heated and sweaty, and that only stirred Azula's arousal further. By the time he had entered her, their bodies collided wetly for more than enough reasons, and Sokka didn't pull out even after attaining a rather thrilling climax: he chased another one shortly afterwards by allowing her walls to squeeze and stir him into another erection with each new orgasm he granted her. Azula was breathless, utterly demolished by countless peaks of pleasure when Sokka was finished for the second time, and her flushed face was far too beautiful for Sokka to resist its temptations: he kissed her all over, greedily, as her arms and legs remained locked around his body, silently asking for more bliss.

It was well past midnight by the time they finally were sated: their many recent journeys had afforded them few opportunities to be as intimate as they wished to be. Ba Sing Se, in general, seldom seemed a safe location to indulge in their reckless lovemaking, but as they lay on their sides, gazing at each other, smiling into soft kisses while their hands stroked the other's matted, sweaty hair, they felt safer than ever, no matter how irrational such belief might be.

"You're so beautiful…" Sokka whispered, and Azula chuckled softly "Think that's funny?"

"You've said that a lot recently, is all" she smiled "You just don't seem to remember you have…"

"Ah? Oh, wait… when I was high on the cactus juice?" he asked, grimacing, and Azula laughed as she nodded, kissing him softly.

"You were adorably annoying for it, if you must know" she said, her breasts pressed smoothly against his chest. Sokka chuckled and shook his head, tightening his arms around her body.

"Good to know I didn't say anything that stupid, though" he said "I mean, maybe I was acting like a moron… but if I was just rambling about how beautiful you are, at least everything I said was true"

"And make sure you don't forget you also said you wanted to build a castle with me" Azula chuckled, prompting Sokka to snort and laugh, embracing her tighter yet so her head would fall on his chest "You were so hopeless, really. I was angry at first, but it got ridiculously cute after I told you I had a husband and you forgot it was you"

"Oh yeah, you mentioned that" Sokka said, grimacing "Though I have to ask: did I… cry?"

"Nearly"

"Oh, for fuck's sake" Sokka snorted, laughing alongside Azula as she stroked his body gently with her hands.

They fell into a comfortable, easy silence after their laughter subsided. Her uninjured hand caressed the strong muscles of his back, while one of his own played with the strands of her hair, the other trailing over her flank and waist in a gentle, teasing manner that might lead them right back to what they had been doing earlier.

"Guess you don't have to worry that much about being cold anymore, huh?" Sokka asked. Azula raised an eyebrow "You know, when I asked what had been eating away at you… that's what you said"

"Oh. Well, that was actually a change of subject" Azula smiled guiltily "It came to mind because your arm was bare and free for me to kiss as I pleased, so… no, that wasn't it"

"Heh? So you tricked me, mischievous Princess?" Sokka smirked, tickling her softly. Azula squirmed and whined softly at his teasing, and he chuckled before leaning in to kiss her neck "Alright, if that wasn't it… what was?"

Azula's easygoing, blissful mood shifted suddenly, and Sokka pulled away because of it. His Princess bit her lip and glanced at him, eyes charged with conflicted emotions.

"I… probably should've said this earlier. But as you were talking with the Mechanist, I didn't really have much of a chance to" she admitted "While you and the Mechanist swapped stories about weird inventions, I was chatting with Teo. He seemed to hope we could stay for a fairly long time, and I noticed he was somewhat anxious about it… and the reason for it was nothing I could have anticipated"

"Oh?" Sokka said, brushing some of her hair out of her face with gentle fingers.

"Turns out they had a few disturbing visitors in the Temple not that long ago" Azula said, breathing deeply "They… well, bullied their way into spending nights here for some time, forcing the Mechanist and his people to agree to it through threats and violence. They got particularly aggressive once, when his mechanics didn't want to let them get away with this forced arrangement anymore…"

"Really?" Sokka said, frowning "That's… hell, the Mechanist didn't say anything about that"

"He was probably too thrilled to see you again" Azula smiled sadly "If you're wondering, though, it wasn't Fire Nation people"

"Wait… I wasn't wondering about that yet, but that's worrisome" Sokka said, his scowl growing more prominent "No offense, but usually it's your people who bully everyone else, especially vulnerable people like the Mechanist…"

"Yeah, well, I take no offense because I know it's true" Azula said, sighing "But it's not us this time. It was… oh, please don't freak out"

"I already am freaking out a bit" Sokka said, grimacing as Azula cupped his face in her hand, her eyes closed "Who was it?"

"Rhone"

Predictably, Sokka tensed up, and all his leisurely, pleasant feelings were instantly dismissed, replaced by alarm. Azula opened her eyes again to find his were colder than before. Warm as the room was, she felt chilled to the bone under his gaze, despite knowing it wasn't actually meant for her…

"That… that bastard showed up here to harass the Mechanist?" Sokka repeated, his voice weak. Azula swallowed hard.

"That's what Teo said" she whispered "He mentioned he was Water Tribe, and that was already enough reason for me to fear it could be him. Then I asked if he heard his name, and he confirmed it. I'm sorry, Sokka…"

"No, don't be. You're not to blame for… for whatever crap he's up to" Sokka said, frowning and averting his gaze from hers "And what on earth is he up to, anyways? Why come here?"

"I don't know. My best guess was that he was looking for something" Azula shrugged "Teo said they asked for maps of the area, didn't even return them"

"Well, damn. So much for hoping he'd become less of a shithead since we last saved him" Sokka growled, shaking his head "What exactly did he do to the people here? Did Teo say…?"

"I don't know the full extent of it" Azula admitted "Just… they injured one of their mechanics, badly. Basically to prove they wouldn't take no for an answer"

"They?" Sokka asked, and Azula nodded.

"He was with a group of big burly men, or so said Teo. I asked about his sponsor, tried to describe him as best as I could, but unless he grew out a ton of muscles, I'd assume they've parted ways..."

"If he's not in the League anymore, he doesn't really need a sponsor" Sokka sighed, shaking his head "And he was definitely not loyal to Genta or anything, so… but, wait"

"What is it?" Azula pressed her brow to his, hoping the gesture would soothe him slightly… though with the latest revelations, Sokka seemed slightly too shaken up to be comforted by anything just now.

"Genta was the White Lotus member" Sokka said, finding one of Azula's hands with his. Perhaps her gestures couldn't do away with his unease, but he sought comfort anyhow. That relieved Azula, though she held back from showing or saying as much "Rhone wasn't a member, he seemed to think little of the White Lotus. I guess he only worked for them because they gave him a chance to kill firebenders… but beyond that, he had no allegiance to them. So, if he's not with Genta…"

"Then maybe those men he was with weren't White Lotus" Azula finished, and Sokka sucked in a deep, unsteady breath.

"Which is just… worse news yet, isn't it?" he whispered "The White Lotus has already shown to be pretty bad… but if Rhone left them, it can't be because he decided he was too principled for their lot, if anything it'd be the whole opposite of that"

"Especially when the White Lotus has been so quiet as of late" Azula whispered "I guess my father's massacre was indeed a blow as nasty as he had hoped it would be, it doesn't look like they've been up to anything these days… might be Rhone got fed up with their inaction"

"And decided to take action himself? I mean, it makes sense, but why would he come here?" Sokka asked, frowning "Unless the White Lotus's headquarters are somewhere in this area, which seems unlikely to me, going by how inhospitable these mountains have been…"

"They would've recruited the Mechanist to their cause ages ago, if they were anywhere nearby" Azula reasoned, and Sokka nodded.

"Then… he came here for a reason, and asked for those maps for a reason, and…"

He fell silent, as an image he had pushed out of his mind about a month ago returned to his mind at full force: Rhone, standing tall amidst a group of men, holding a guandao spear in his hands, his sponsor nowhere around. Azula's theory on what that spear could be came to mind, too… and every remaining, pleasant sensation still left in his body was replaced by cold, unbearable dread.

"Sokka?"

"T-that… that spear" he said "My dream, I… well, we disregarded it, because spiritual stuff was bullshit, right? But we just went to the Library, and Wan Shi Tong and his foxes were absolutely real. So… maybe the effects of the Swamp weren't complete nonsense? What if…? What if I was seeing what Rhone is up to, for real?"

Azula tensed up too, and they held each other's gazes as gripping fear took hold of their souls. It had been relatively easy to dismiss their nightmares as nothing but fabrications of their imagination, to disregard Iroh's explanation of the Swamp… until now. What they had experienced in Wan Shi Tong's Library had changed everything.

"You're sure that spear doesn't exist?" Sokka asked, swallowing hard. Azula shrugged.

"After the Library, I'm not sure of anything" she admitted "Had I remembered, I would've asked Wan Shi Tong if he knew anything about it…"

"He probably would've misunderstood your intent and assumed you wanted to use it to kill everyone" Sokka said, and Azula smiled but nodded.

"Yeah, fair enough. It's probably better that I didn't"

"I didn't expect this would be relevant again, couldn't have thought to look it up at all" Sokka sighed, pressing his forehead to hers "Ugh, I… I hate him. Shit, I really want to find him and tear him a new one, no matter what he's supposed to be up to. I mean, if he's been looking for that spear, he can't be up to anything good, can he?"

"I'm sure he sees it differently" Azula sighed "But that's only if it exists, right? If it doesn't, chances are he'll spend the rest of his life looking, and…"

She fell silent then, and Sokka raised his eyebrows quizzically.

"And?"

"Well… uh, a dark thought came to mind, is all" Azula said, the blush on her cheeks long faded. If anything, now she was pale "You see, he was here a few months ago, but Teo said that eventually they left and didn't return anymore. Either he gave up on his quest, which would be convenient…"

"Or he succeeded at it?" Sokka asked, his stomach sinking.

"Or he succeeded, and the spear slaughtered him and his group when they came across it?" Azula said, shrugging. Sokka blinked blankly "I mean, isn't it likely? It's supposed to be a crazy spear out for blood, I wouldn't be surprised if it had gone for them right away… oh, uh, you probably don't want to hear about him getting gutted by a magical spear. Sorry"

"Frankly, I… I'd rather he's gutted by it than for him to have a chance to make any use of it" Sokka admitted, swallowing hard "Which isn't very nice of me, yes, but… if he went out looking for a murderous spear, he'd have it coming"

"Hopefully either of my ideas are correct, then" she said, hoping to cover up that Sokka's input, that the Kinslayer might have found the spear, and that he'd use it for his own ends, had been the first of her thoughts.

"Hopefully there's no such spear in this world and he's just changed his weapon of choice" Sokka sighed, reeling Azula in for a tight embrace.

He had done his best to put his nightmare out of his mind after it had happened – and with the Race in full swing, and everything that had followed, he had succeeded. Now, though, he seemed to relive it, his gut clenching as the memory flashed back in his mind: Rhone's spear had been little concern, as perplexing as it had been. Genta hadn't been in the group of people he had seen Rhone with, in his dream. They had been strangers… bulky ones, like Azula had said.

He gritted his teeth as he pressed many kisses to Azula's face, feeling her hands clutching at him, to show him she was still with him. But of all the memories that nightmare had cursed him with, none was as painful and terrifying as the image of Azula, wounded, broken, lifeless…

Perhaps the nightmare had been a warning, rather than some glimpse at an unavoidable destiny… at least, he hoped as much. And if it had been meant to be destiny, he didn't give a damn: if Rhone dared hurt Azula, if anyone ever dared, he would cut them down before they could lay a single finger on her. He didn't care who it was, he didn't care for the circumstances in question… he had accepted his inner darkness some time ago, and he'd reaffirm it all over again if Azula were in danger. No old friendships could be salvaged if Rhone truly intended to bring any form of harm to the love of Sokka's life.

"I'll be fine" Azula whispered knowingly, and Sokka nodded. They spoke at leisure about most things by now, communicating about every possible problem if they could… and even when they didn't speak, it seemed they understood each other's thoughts well enough to respond to them, as she just had "I'm sure even with a wounded hand I'd be able to defeat Rhone without a hitch, if it were necessary"

"I'd hope so, but you're not going to test that, Princess" Sokka smirked, kissing her lips softly "He doesn't worry me as much as that damn spear does, frankly. If it were him alone…"

"You could probably slice the spear into bits with Space Sword" Azula shrugged "If that's what you're worried about, I'm not that concerned, truly"

"Ah? You put that much trust in my abilities?" Sokka asked, biting back a giddy grin. He was a fool, definitely, for feeling so elated over those words.

"You still have to ask?" Azula smiled "Haven't we put our lives in each other's hands often enough to answer that question by now? We saved each other non-stop over the last days of the Race, didn't we?"

"Heh, we did. True enough" Sokka smiled, his brow against hers.

"I'm sorry I killed the mood like this" Azula said, gazing at him apologetically "I did figure it was better if you knew as soon as possible, but…"

"But you wanted to unwind a little beforehand, I guess" Sokka smirked "Is that why you changed the subject when I asked earlier? It was a sly plan to get into my pants after all?"

"No, I changed it because I wasn't all that confident about talking about this" Azula retorted, with a dry grin. Sokka scoffed.

"Lying to protect your pride, don't you know that's absolutely pointless by now, Princess?" Sokka smiled "Besides, if you're sad that you killed the mood it probably just means you'd rather keep doing what we were doing rather than worry about my childhood friend going on killer sprees…"

"Uh, yeah. Admittedly, I would" Azula smiled sadly "If only he weren't quite likely to do it, I'd definitely disregard all our suspicions and ride you until morning…"

"Ah, ride me, then? We'll swap positions now?" Sokka asked, grinning mischievously. Azula laughed.

"Might as well, you can use the break" she said, kissing his lips softly "It's quite an experience, doing this with a running fireplace. Somehow… it was much hotter, and not just literally. It's the first time we've ever done it this way, isn't it?"

"I think so, yeah" Sokka smiled, biting his lip "Though I'm sure it won't be the last, and I don't mean it just because I plan on spending all our nights like this until we return to Ba Sing Se…"

"Then what do you mean?" Azula asked, her thumb trailing slowly over his lower lip. Sokka smiled as she raised an eyebrow questioningly… and alluringly, as far as he was concerned.

"Just… my room back in the Water Tribe didn't have its own fire pit, but maybe I could add one for us, once we stop by to visit the South Pole properly" he said.

Her heart clenched and then fluttered, happy bliss flooding her whole body as she pondered that possibility: once Combustion Man was defeated, they would travel south together. By now, she doubted she had as much to fear as before… her brother was there, with his family, as well as Sokka's own family. By now they knew of what she and Sokka had achieved over the years of their partnership… they might not like her much regardless, but they weren't as likely to kill her on sight as they would have been before their sudden encounter in Whaletail Island.

If they visited the South Pole, Azula would meet Sokka's father, and that sounded both exciting and terrifying. She'd also meet his grandmother, a woman she rather hoped to get along with, for, if their suspicions about Katara's necklace were accurate, Kanna would be no stranger to the concept of being forced into engagements she didn't want… something Ozai had tried to do to Azula for quite some time now. And just like her, Kanna had found love in a Southern Water Tribesman instead…

Oh, it wouldn't all be dreams and wonders, she knew there might be trouble and she doubted everyone would like her – as it was, she rather doubted Katara would forego her hostility towards her, not even for her brother's sake. But what had once sounded like a ridiculous dream of Sokka's, the very foreign notion of being welcome in the Water Tribe didn't seem so impossible anymore.

"Would… would it be that easy?" Azula asked, smiling warmly at him "Building a fire pit, I mean…"

"Well, I wouldn't quite say easy" Sokka chuckled "My dad might think I ought to make my own igloo and all… heh. Come to think of it, maybe that'd be a better idea. We could find really good wood someplace before we go to the Water Tribe! The best we can find, and then we can stay in the Tribe until I build it, and then we'll have a nice enough place to stay and have sex near a fireplace without anyone to bother us!"

"But… wouldn't that take a long time?" Azula asked, amused.

"Ah, nah, I know enough about how to build igloos. A few weeks, at worst" Sokka grinned "Though it'd definitely help too to find good pelts beforehand… otherwise, it'll take longer to patch up a proper, safe igloo"

Azula chuckled, pressing her face to his chest as Sokka pondered out loud the complexities of building an igloo, as well as every helpful resource they could use to speed up the process. The Princess closed her eyes comfortably, his sweet voice and the sound of his enthusiastic heartbeat easing her without fail. He cradled her closely once he was finished, pressing many more eager kisses to the top of her head.

"So… wanna build an igloo with me?" Sokka asked, his voice soft and gentle "I know the tradition is a man should do all the work, and I'm sure I could… but you could come to watch me work at least, you know? I'll flex my muscles for you and all…"

"Oh, please do. What would be the point of having you work so hard if you won't give me the nice treat of a peek at these delightful arms?" Azula smirked, reaching up to grope his strong bicep. Sokka laughed, enjoying her touch unabashedly "Though… if you make that igloo, isn't that supposed to be the rite of passage for the Water Tribesmen who want to get married?"

"Ah, yeah. Huh" Sokka said, biting his lip and smirking "I kind of had assumed we wouldn't have to do that, as we'd probably only visit briefly… but if we stay for a while, and I can make our cozy little igloo, then…"

"Little? You'd have a Princess living in a small place?" Azula asked, haughtily, and Sokka snorted.

"I think it's safe to say you'll love it, no matter how small it may be" he smirked "As long as there's room for our sleeping bag and the fire pit, I think we'll be set"

"Uh… well, yes, it's likely, but still…" Azula mumbled. Sokka chuckled again, squeezing her tightly.

"Either way, if I do that, then they'd definitely have to agree to hold our wedding ceremony" he said "If we play by the rules…"

"Wouldn't that be nice" Azula sighed, kissing his chest and collarbone "Though… we should keep our respective siblings in mind"

"What about them?" Sokka asked, with a lop-sided grin.

"You know, that we probably should bring Song with us, since they might have heart failures if they watch us getting married, they'll probably need a physician's attention right away" Azula laughed, and Sokka joined her before long.

"They'd better sock it up" he declared, stroking her hair gently "Not like they haven't had time to make their peace with it, you outright said you loved me in front of both of them as it is"

"Didn't say I'd marry you, though… but I'd hope it's implicit" Azula smiled.

"Eh, well, it's true that implicit might not be enough for the likes of them" Sokka admitted, smirking "I guess we'll have to announce our intentions as soon as we arrive, then they can freak out for however long it takes me to build the igloo and…"

"Woah, better not" Azula said, grimacing "She's a waterbender, he's a firebender… if they really don't want to be locked in the same family, even if through us, they might join forces to wreck your hard work…"

"Ah! Fair enough. Then I'll keep my mouth shut and we'll only announce we'll get married once I'm done working!" Sokka declared, and Azula laughed at his cheerful declaration "Then we'll hold the ceremony, spend our, uh, legal first night as husband and wife in our neat new igloo, and then we'll leave before they can yell at us!"

"See, now that does sound like the perfect plan" Azula smiled, nestling happily in his arms as Sokka laughed under his breath.

"And you sound like the perfect wife" he whispered, rubbing her arm gently "I love you, Azula"

"I love you too, Sokka" she replied, closing her eyes anew.

It wasn't as though the threat Rhone posed was gone, let alone his potentially nefarious intentions… but worrying sick about it now, losing their minds in concern over what he might be plotting would be a genuine waste of time, especially when it was time best spent cherishing this opportunity to spend a night together. As they fell asleep in each other's arms, the dangers and darkness that constantly threatened to close in around them seemed shrunken, diminished, in the face of the tender peace and warmth they ever offered one another.

Sokka woke with a soft groan, his naked body heavy with lingering exhaustion – as much as he had wished to continue indulging in deep intimacy with Azula, the consequences promised he wouldn't be at his best when morning came. He certainly didn't feel like doing anything but cuddling Azula for many more hours… but the fireplace had gone out by now, and the morning's lights were drifting in through a thin window in the room. He had to return to his supposed room, as soon as possible… as soon as Azula let him go, of course.

"Hey. Hey, Azula…" Sokka called her, pressing many gentle kisses to her face "It's morning. I've got to go…?"

His words were successful at waking her… not so much at convincing her to let him go. She tightened her hold around him, burying her face in his chest as he chuckled softly.

"I love you too. But really…"

"You were right" Azula grunted "Just grab your sword, cut a hole in the wall…"

Sokka laughed quietly, raising her head towards him so he could at least kiss her good morning. That seemed to appease her bad mood slightly, but it was apparent that letting him leave right now was one of the last things she wanted to do.

"If everything goes well right now, I'll do that for tomorrow" he promised her, stroking her hair as she finally released him from her tight hold "But until then…"

"Ugh. I can't wait to be seventy" Azula grumbled now, prompting Sokka to laugh more as he slid out of bed, gathering his discarded clothes in the process.

"Still expecting we'll be free to marry legally only when we're seventy?"

"Guess so" Azula mumbled sleepily now, before releasing a deep sigh.

Sokka had expected her to return to sleep, so he was surprised to find her climbing out of bed and fetching a fresh change of clothes in her pack. He'd have to switch into one of his own later, once he was in his room. Still, his walk of shame wouldn't amount to much: his door was merely a few steps away. Nothing sounded all that risky right now.

"You'll stay up, then?" Sokka asked. Azula shrugged, pulling her underwear up with a quick motion.

"It's probably better if we're ready to take off early" she reasoned "We have a little less than a week to find dragons, and the sooner we get started, the better our odds will be, so…"

"We probably should've fallen asleep earlier" Sokka reasoned, tying his belt as Azula finished with her own shirt and trousers, reaching for the red tunic right afterwards.

"You sure?" Azula asked, and she offered him her first smile of the day "Here I thought you'd had fun…"

"That's not in question, Princess" Sokka chuckled, picking up her armor to slide it over her body "It's just reckless to go at it, and to have long conversations afterwards, when we have important stuff to do in the morning…"

"I suppose we ought to be more responsible now that we're married, shouldn't we?" Azula said, with a guilty grin. Sokka laughed and shrugged, buckling her armor in place before kissing her lips.

"Seems to me we've become more irresponsible instead" he admitted "Alright, then… I'll see you at the dining hall? Or should I come up with an excuse to fetch you here so we can go together, or…?"

"The dining hall is probably safer" Azula smiled, cupping his face in her hands "We were together all night as it is, it'll be for the best if-…"

The two fell silent immediately upon hearing the resounding noise of footsteps in the building's stone corridors.

Had someone come to check on them? If so, Sokka truly ought to carve his way through the wall and into his room… but his sword was across the wall. He grimaced in horror, hands on his head as he glanced at Azula in panic. She gritted her teeth and gestured at him to hide behind the bed, and Sokka followed suit by dropping on the floor as quietly as possible, hoping whoever was outside would fail to notice his hiding spot, if they opened the door.

Azula breathed deeply, steeling herself. Whoever was outside might just be passing through, and they might be making a fuss over nothing. Still, it seemed just warranted for them to get caught when they were at their most reckless and careless… it was a bitter, unpleasant reminder of why they shouldn't drop their guard. Curses, she could still hear those footsteps, slow and uneven, as though whoever was there cared very little about reaching their destination.

A soft sound, a light rumbling, accompanied the footsteps, or so it appeared to Azula. She frowned, uncertain of what it might be, but deciding the footsteps themselves were much more worrisome. Only once they were gone, if they were ever gone, would it be a good idea to send Sokka to his room… and there he'd have to stay, perhaps for the entirety of their visit. So much for spending nights together outside of Ba Sing Se…

To Azula's momentary relief, the footsteps didn't stop at Sokka's room. They continued onwards, and before long, she heard them decreasing in intensity until she couldn't hear them anymore. Whatever it was, fortunately, it was gone now.

"Okay… we really have to stop being so reckless. I mean, I know I get worse at it all the time, but this is the last straw" Azula said, turning to Sokka as he hoisted himself up by clutching at the bedding.

"Yeah… ugh, it's so annoying" Sokka groaned, shaking his head "What's a guy got to do to sleep with his wife in peace?"

"Probably find a socially appropriate wife, if anything" Azula said, with a displeased grimace, and Sokka scowled.

"Then screw that, I'll put up with the annoyance" he said, and Azula grinned at his reaction "Oh, well. I'll see you in a bit, okay?"

"Yeah" Azula smiled as he kissed her again, and they indulged in a deep kiss only for a few moments before Sokka separated from Azula, his hand trailing over her cheek as he walked to the door.

He stood by it for a moment, peeling his ear for any sounds. He picked up nothing, and so he smiled and waved at Azula before opening the door…

And so, he had the chance to watch how her cheeks went from healthy pink to pale white in the blink of an eye.

Sokka whipped his head around at haste to find Teo with his wheelchair, on the other side of the door, a proud grin on his face as he pointed at him triumphantly. Time seemed to slow down mercilessly mere moments before the young man laughed and declared, loud and clear:

"I knew it!"