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...

229. Chapter 229: Fire Lord for a Week 10

The numbers didn't add up. Zhao frowned, counting the corpses once again… and they still didn't add up: too many heads. Memories of the slave riot came to mind, and he scowled as he glanced at the Domestic Forces soldiers with him.

"The report I received about the dead established twelve of the enemies had been killed in combat" Zhao recited, seeking out one of the Domestic Forces captains with his gaze "Why are there nineteen corpses in this pile?"

"Apologies, sir… we suspect they may have carried poison capsules of some sort and we neglected to check them thoroughly" said the captain, lowering his gaze "With all that was happening, we didn't keep close watch on the prisoners at all times. We suddenly heard screaming in the cells a few hours ago, and upon checking on them, we found seven of the survivors were dead. The screaming ones were the survivors, asking for help…"

"They were dead?" Zhao repeated, frowning "Why would only seven of them have killed themselves with poison capsules? Shouldn't all of them have had them? Not to mention… why would the survivors scream, had they been instructed to use those capsules in case they were captured? It's hardly unheard of, some of Fire Lord Azulon's squads had similar procedures… so why would only a handful of them kill themselves?"

The captain couldn't answer his questions: he only lowered his eyes, uneasy, shamed by his mistakes. Zhao's eyes narrowed as he cast another glance at the pyre.

It was suspicious. Profoundly suspicious. As far as he had understood, the leader of this group had been that Kinslayer, the wielder of the Spear. If someone was leading the second group, it was the waterbender. Both were dead now, and no one else had been notorious in any way. What singled out those seven as more important than the remaining criminals? Why would they need to kill themselves if the others didn't?

One hypothesis wasn't much to go on, but Zhao's instincts screamed this wasn't deliberate or natural. The signs simply didn't add up: the only thing that made sense was that someone had done away with the survivors. Had they meant to kill everyone, but perhaps someone overheard them, and they had run off before killing each of the prisoners? Or had there been a specific reason why those seven had been singled out…?

It sounded like a sloppy, last-minute cover-up… but by whom? And why? As far as he had been able to tell, the Kinslayer's group had no allies beyond their contained group. Hadn't Ozai mentioned there were White Lotus spies within the city, a long time ago? The subject hadn't come up again in recent years… could these people be associated with the White Lotus? Would the Princess, or Sokka, know if that was the case? The most important question was, however: who gained anything from their deaths and silence?

That he stood there, pondering these matters in such stern silence, was what kept the soldiers from lighting the unseemly, communal pyre right away… and what offered enough time for the last witness of this simple funeral to arrive just before the fire was lit.

Zhao's eyes snapped upwards quickly upon sighting the silhouette of a man, making his way towards them from the roads that led to the Capital. His head was hunched, and his robes were still unusually Fire Nation, but Sokka, despite everything, had chosen to witness the funeral himself. Zhao nodded in acknowledgement towards him, and Sokka returned the gesture as he stopped before the pyre.

The bodies had been tossed together unceremoniously. It wasn't easy to tell which ones belonged to the men Sokka had known… though one already charred corpse, the worst of the group, could only be the Stingray. Most of them bore different kinds of burns too… after a few moments, he finally spotted Rhone, face-down, half his scalp burned off, in all likelihood by Xin Long's fire.

That he would end up like this… that this was the fate he had chosen for himself only enraged Sokka further. A year ago, they had spoken at an inn in the outskirts of the city, reasoning with each other, unraveling secrets, even finding unexpected amusement in each other's taunts… a year ago, he and Azula had flown with Xin Long, at haste, to save Rhone from certain death.

By now, Sokka found himself wishing they had been too late. It would have been cruel for Rhone's tortured sponsor Genta to die, no doubt… but giving Rhone a chance to live that day had come at a steep cost. The outcome could have been worse, Sokka knew, Zhao wasn't wrong to say so… but it didn't mean it hurt any less, most of all when it was clear that Rhone could have easily not gathered this ragtag band of rebels against the Fire Nation, and found something else to do with his time. Everything about his self-immolating mission had been a waste of time… a waste of a life he had decided had no other purpose than to end those of everyone he hated.

There was no turning back, though. The soldiers cast their fire into the pyre and scorched the corpses, crafting a tall tower of flames. The flames released swirling smoke that stank of charred flesh: there was no turning back for that, either. Had all these men given their lives while understanding how doomed their cause was? While knowing they'd be given to a pyre by Fire Nation soldiers in death, merely as a method to dispose of their bodies? While knowing their actions wouldn't change anything, and would only elicit rage, fury, and hatred in the hearts of those affected by them?

Sokka sighed, shaking his head as he watched the fire strengthening. The benders had stopped stoking it by now, and they merely stood in place, glaring into the flames: no one mourned. No one would grieve. No one would see them as tragic heroes, if that was how they had hoped to be remembered. There was no compassion for them… not even from Sokka, who saw in that pyre a dark, unsettling mirror of himself, just what Rhone always had offered him. That was the life he had once thought he ought to chase: to sacrifice himself for the greater good by tearing the Fire Nation apart. If Rhone had found that Spear sooner, and offered Sokka a chance to use it against the Fire Nation before he had become a gladiator, would he have accepted that proposal? Would he have been blinded by violence and vengeance to the point of losing sight of his own humanity, as well as everyone else's, as Rhone had?

He had often told himself he had made the right choices. That his true place was by Azula's side. Right now, as his heart yearned for her even though he would return to her bedside as soon as this was over, he found that belief reaffirmed yet again: the new path he had found wasn't easy. It was slow progress, undeniably so… but he had no doubts it was the right one. He had understood the true meaning of balance by Azula's side… and he knew no one in their world was better suited to teach it to everyone than she was.

He no longer meant to expect her to do so… he would never urge her again to save the world when she had damn near died for doing it of her own volition, this time. But even if Azula chose to step back and have nothing to do with these conflicts ever again, even if she truly wanted to elope with him and put distance between herself and her nation, Sokka would stand by her side. He had chosen her, with his eyes fully open, with his conscience clear: and he would choose her again, and again, as many times as he was asked to make a choice. The fire that burned before his eyes indeed proved there was no way back… and Sokka didn't want to turn back anyways. He had made mistakes and saving Rhone's life a year ago certainly had been one… but turning his back on the path he had stood for, and embracing the one Azula had offered instead, was the best decision he had ever made.

It was a bitter farewell, and the thoughts he sent towards Rhone weren't what most people ought to think of, upon watching the pyre of a childhood friend. A childhood friend he had killed, deliberately, without remorse, for there was none to be found for a man capable of the nefarious cruelty he had sought to inflict upon the world. Yet there was no reconciling Sokka with Rhone's memory… there never would be. The Kinslayer had been slain by a man who had once seen him as a brother… and just as Rhone hadn't regretted murdering his own family, Sokka would never regret being the one to deliver the deplored Water Tribe exile's ultimate defeat and demise.

Within half an hour, with the firebenders' help, the fire had burned, and the corpses were fully incinerated. Dusk was starting to settle, and Sokka glanced back at the Capital, his heart racing as he hoped to return at the Palace as soon as possible. He would have taken off immediately… if only Zhao hadn't approached him, his head lightly bent, arms behind his back.

"I take it you'll be returning to the Palace?" Zhao asked. Sokka nodded "I'd offer you a ride, but…"

"Don't worry, I'll hire a carriage of my own. I got one earlier too" Sokka said "I take it you have stuff to do?"

"I do" Zhao admitted, frowning "While this mess appears so straightforward and simple – a madman hated the Fire Nation and found a powerful weapon to destroy it –, there's more to it than meets the eye, I'm afraid. Especially pertaining… well, that"

He gestured at the pyre, and Sokka raised a confused eyebrow before Zhao explained.

"We were supposed to burn twelve dead criminals, not nineteen" he said. Sokka's brow drew together slowly "Apparently seven were found dead, by poisoning, amongst the surviving members of their group of rebels. Not all of their group died, so the deaths of those seven are awfully suspicious…"

"The survivors could be questioned about what happened, right?" Sokka asked.

"Ideally, yes. But it appears they were astonished and distraught by the sudden turn of events… suggesting that this wasn't deliberate" Zhao said. Sokka frowned, his fists tightening by his thighs.

"Someone needed them dead. To… stop them from talking, somehow. I can't think of any other reason for them to drop dead all of sudden…"

"Indeed. It's a waste of time and resources, seeing as Ozai is certain to call for an execution of all surviving rebels" Zhao said, without missing a beat. Sokka gritted his teeth: where he had asked Ozai once to spare White Lotus prisoners, he couldn't find any compassion in his heart to request the same thing this time "If whoever is responsible for this merely wanted them dead, they gained nothing by taking their lives when they'd be sure to die later on, anyway"

"Do you think you can figure out who did this?" Sokka asked, breathing deeply.

"I don't know" Zhao mumbled, shaking his head "I might find nothing… but it's best to keep our eyes fully open. Clearly, not all the Fire Nation's allies are as trustworthy and reliable as they've presented themselves for years. It stinks of betrayal… and while I suspect my investigation could lead nowhere, I'm worried about what the results might be if I do find the culprit"

Sokka grimaced but nodded. Whoever had access to the prisoners, whoever had killed them, had to be part of the Armed Forces, or free to enter the prisons at will. Was anywhere safe? Was danger truly lurking in every damn corner? His urge to return to Azula, to ensure she was safe and sound, only strengthened, so he sighed and nodded in Zhao's direction.

"The best of luck with your investigation, then" Sokka said "I'll go back to the Palace, if you don't need anything else…?"

"I did, actually" Zhao said, eyeing Sokka with uncertainty "This man, the Kinslayer… do you happen to know if he had any connections with the White Lotus?"

Sokka's heart clenched at the question. Of course, it was the quickest assumption anyone could make, especially under these circumstances… and as far as he knew, it wasn't all that distant from the truth. Yet…

"An indirect one, at this point, I guess" Sokka mumbled "His old sponsor was White Lotus, but… he's gone. As for Rhone, he seemed to think nothing of the White Lotus. Scoffed at them, I'd say, so… I don't know if he had any other allies among them, aside from his old sponsor"

"I see" Zhao sighed, shaking his head "Then this is no solution for this dead end, huh? I guess it would have been too easy… and too complicated at the same time. Thanks for answering earnestly either way, I'll let you know if I discover anything else once I visit the Princess again"

"Alright" Sokka said, nodding "Thanks for looking into this, Admiral. I can't wait to put this damn mess behind us for good…"

"You and me both" Zhao sighed "Take care of her and of yourself too, Sokka"

"I will" Sokka replied earnestly. He bowed his head curtly towards Zhao before starting his lone walk back to the city's crater and into the streets where he'd find a vehicle to carry him fast to Azula again.

Zhao watched the gladiator shrink in the distance until the shroud of nighttime made his silhouette impossible to distinguish anymore. A sigh escaped his lips: he shouldn't be so resigned already, he knew as much… but he was exhausted. He had merely slept three hours over the past four days, and he longed to return home for at least one moment of peace and quiet, as opposed to this constant paranoia and danger lurking on every turn. Who could they trust? Who couldn't they? Was the Fire Nation infiltrated by dangerous enemies after all, more of them than they could even fathom? If so… were they safe now, after incinerating the worst threat they had ever faced? Or was he wrong to think so, and an even bigger menace lurked under the shadows, coiled as a two-headed viper, ready to pounce at the first sign of weakness…?

The soft knock on the door waited patiently for an answer. It arrived within moments, once the man within the room turned the doorknob and pulled the door open: he was greeted by an innocent, gentle smile, as well as a tray with tea.

"Ah… thank you for the tea. All went well while preparing it?"

"Yes, General Iroh. Everything flowed smoothly in the kitchen"

The servant's smile would fool anyone: only a man who knew where to look would identify the darkness that swirled underneath the young woman's brown eyes. Iroh did know how to look, and that darkness didn't daunt him in the least today. If anything, he welcomed it with a warm smile.

"That's great to hear" he said, breathing out slowly "I do hope the latest happenings haven't been cumbersome for you, Liling"

"Not at all, General Iroh" she smiled meekly "If you need anything else, don't hesitate to ask"

"Thank you, Liling" Iroh smiled, nodding anew as he reached for the tray himself. Liling bowed her head before retiring quietly.

Iroh allowed himself a relieved sigh before turning towards the other occupant of the room: she was growing restless by now, but Toph was still more tired than she could remember being. She languished in her bed, eyes closed, mostly unwilling to strain her tired body any further.

"Everything alright?" Toph asked. Iroh chuckled as he stopped beside her, setting the tray on the mattress before pouring the liquid on the teacups.

"You would know if it weren't. Surely you heard that full conversation, didn't you?" he asked. Toph sighed, shrugging weakly "Here. This should help invigorate you further"

"Shouldn't it help invigorate you further?" Toph smirked "It's tea, after all"

"And there's no drink as comforting as tea!" Iroh declared, grinning.

"Right" Toph said, smiling awkwardly "You're kinda way too happy about tea, though. You think your cheerfulness is going to be contagious or something?"

"Well, you're smiling too. It just might be" Iroh said, offering Toph her cup.

"Yeah, well… I'm still worried, you know?" Toph sighed, accepting the cup, though refraining from drinking of it yet "About… her. You said she survived whatever that thing was, right? That Spear… it really was what they said it was?"

"Apparently so" Iroh said, his smile fading "And yes, she survived and destroyed it, no less. It seems she's not going to be on her feet for a while, but from what I've been told, she's no longer in any danger"

"I get that, it's just… kinda hard to imagine her falling against anything. And I mean anything" Toph sighed, dropping her head against her pillow "I'm merely lying down because I went overboard, but she got hurt, right? I know she'll be okay anyways, but still…"

"You know her well, Toph. For better or for worse, Azula falters against nothing" Iroh said, closing his eyes "Difficult as it may be for her to overcome this condition, she's certain to succeed at it, in time"

"Hmm…" Toph bit her lip, though there was a hint of suspicion in her voice that brought a frown to Iroh's face.

"Something the matter?"

"Just… you're being way more optimistic and reassuring about this than I expected" Toph said.

Iroh only smiled, willing his body not to react to the earthbender's assessment. While it didn't appear as though she'd be using her earthbending actively for at least a few more hours, Toph's senses were honed like no one else Iroh knew. Any spikes in his heartbeat, any sudden intakes of breath, she'd catch them.

He didn't really want to lie to her, of all people. As things were, Toph was the closest thing Iroh had to family anymore. But Toph was better off not knowing or understanding many matters pertaining Iroh's private life… especially matters that weren't all that dignified. Usually, matters related to his duty to a certain organization, and the dark things he had done to aid them…

"Is it such a bad thing that I'm hoping to raise your spirits, to a fault?" he asked, innocently. Toph had been sipping the tea quietly, and she smiled as she lowered the cup again.

"A bad thing? Nah. I'm just surprised. I… I really thought you wouldn't want anything to do with Azula anymore, right? After that time when you two went traveling together, and then after the Race, so… I just figured you wouldn't care much if she was injured or sick or whatever she is. I'm glad you do, though"

"She is my niece, after all" Iroh said, closing his eyes and lowering his head.

He had meant to help defend the Fire Nation, and he had done his best to protect the soldiers, most of whom were innocent. He hadn't wanted the civilians to pay with their lives if their defensive measures failed. He had hoped they could do away with the threat that rebel group represented, no matter how difficult it might be.

But he had also known it would be a deadly battle, especially against the Spear, if it truly was that. And he had known it was entirely possible the group sent to fend it off might be killed in its entirety. That they had managed to avoid most casualties was, frankly, a surprise… that Azula had survived the Spear's corruption somehow was yet another one.

Above all, he had known Rhone, the Kinslayer, was once sponsored by one low-ranked member of the Order of the White Lotus. He had known a fair number of deserters of the Order had escaped with him, too. And as soon as he had heard from the Princess that this man, of all people, wielded the Spear and meant to commit a massacre of unspeakable proportions, Iroh had known he had to see beyond his enmity with his niece and work for the greater good with her… for once, both the Order and the Fire Nation stood to lose against a common enemy, whether the Princess knew it or not, and Iroh had no reason to hold back instead of working alongside her.

That she was indisposed now, and would remain so for the next weeks, months, perhaps even years, was but a natural consequence of this catastrophe, one Iroh hadn't had a direct hand in. It wasn't a genuine fall from grace… but Ozai's prized heir was in no shape to serve as Crown Princess as it was. Her constant rise in society would have to hit an abrupt halt for her health's sake… and while that wasn't the ultimate opportunity Iroh was hoping for, it meant he had more time. The worst hadn't come to pass yet, and it wouldn't for a few more years, at the very least.

The most important problems had been dealt with by now: Azula was out of the way, if only temporarily, and the captured deserters had taken the truth about the White Lotus's main headquarters to the grave, courtesy of Liling's extraordinary stealth while fulfilling even the most dangerous and outlandish of orders. He had succeeded at working to protect the Fire Nation, as a man of his station would be expected to, while keeping his true allegiances and motivations hidden, and his worst political headache was forced to take a break at last. It was going far too well, if anything… that, he guessed, was what ought to worry him. Calm always came before the storm… and he wondered in which shape the storm would arrive this time around.

"Whatever your reasons… I'm glad" Toph smiled, with actual innocence: again, lying to Toph was nowhere near as easy as to other people, not only because of her talents but because Iroh's emotions were nowhere near as calm as he'd like them to be when it came to the people he loved most "I thought nothing would go back to how it was, you know… that we couldn't work together ever again. But after this… it doesn't really feel that way anymore"

"I guess not" Iroh smiled, reaching to clasp Toph's free hand in his "And that's the spirit you should hold onto. You'll feel better in no time, at this rate"

"I'm already better" Toph chuckled "I'll be back to kicking your ass in training tomorrow, okay?"

"What? Tomorrow already? Can't we take a slightly longer break…?"

"Not a chance! C'mon, you were doing well, you weren't being all that lazy and you've even lost weight…!

"Oi, now, I have a perfectly healthy belly for a man my age!"

"You sure about that?"

Toph laughed as she teased him further, and Iroh grinned back at her, humoring her with whatever silly conversation she elicited next. She was more cheerful now… he had succeeded even at bolstering her spirits, if only temporarily. It seemed he was in a surprisingly good roll lately, for everything he set out to do had succeeded so far. He only wondered if that strange streak of fortune would last for a little longer…

Night had already fallen once he entered the physicians' wing. The first room was emptier now: only a few men remained prostrated on stretchers, being cared for by a handful of physicians. The others were either in private rooms by now, like Azula, or they simply hadn't survived… Sokka gritted his teeth, closing his eyes as he filed towards Azula's room again. He didn't need to think about that right now. He shouldn't, if anything, for letting his mind wander such dark paths would inevitably fill his heart with anxiety and pain, with irrational fear about what he might find once he pushed open the door he had finally reached…

He swallowed hard once it swung inwards: dim lamps had been lit inside the room, shedding faint brightness upon Azula's slumbering figure. Two silhouettes sitting near the bed, darkened by the shadows of the room, turned quickly towards the opening door.

"Oh, you're back" Song said, smiling reassuringly at Sokka "She's taking a nap, as you can see"

Sokka nodded, releasing a slow breath as he closed the door behind himself. Rui Shi, sitting beside Song, rose to his feet upon Sokka's arrival, with an air of finality clinging to him.

"Ty Lee, Haru and Mai went home?" Sokka asked quietly, glancing about the room to find no one else in sight aside from his housemate and the Imperial Guard.

"Yeah, after the Princess fell asleep" Rui Shi said "And as you're here, I think we ought to do the same…"

"Will we go home for good, or will we stay in the barracks again?" Song asked. Sokka raised an eyebrow.

"That's what you did last night?" Sokka asked. Song blushed slightly, but it was hard to notice in the room's weak lighting.

"Yeah, we figured it was better to stay close by, in case you needed us" Song said "We didn't get a lot of sleep either way…"

"And you haven't slept at all, have you?" Rui Shi asked Sokka, point-blank. The gladiator grimaced "If I weren't exhausted as well, I'd demand you don't spend the night in vigil and I'd take your place watching over her, but…"

"You need to rest too, right?" Sokka said, with a small voice. Rui Shi sighed, shaking his head.

"You can try to sleep while she's asleep, though, can't you?" he said "We've already told you, you're not going to be as much help if you're not in your best conditions…"

"And not eating or sleeping isn't good for your health in the least" Song recited. Sokka huffed and shook his head.

"I'll try, then… that's all I'll promise" Sokka pouted, stepping closer to the bed, his eyes on the Princess's features.

She was sleeping more placidly this time, it seemed. Sokka's eyes narrowed as he gazed at her, finding one noticeable difference from the previous night: her chest would rise a little higher with each breath than it used to. He bit his lip and whipped his head towards Song, who had only just pushed herself up to her feet.

"She's… breathing better. It's not just my imagination, is it?" he said. Song smiled and nodded.

"Fei Rou dropped by a short while ago and said the same thing" Rui Shi said "He says it's progress, faster than he expected it, too"

Sokka released another breath and nearly crumbled as he sat on the chair Rui Shi had vacated. Progress… yes, she had definitely improved over the course of that day, but hearing she was recovering faster than anticipated, ever proving herself above all expectations, was the perfect balm for his aching, desperate heart.

"See, now that you know this, you can take a nap while she rests too. No need to panic too much anymore" Song said, smiling and squeezing his shoulder.

"I'll still ask the first servant I see to bring him a meal. If he keeps this up, he'll end up needing the bed more than she does" Rui Shi taunted Sokka. The gladiator smiled, resting his head against the mattress, against Azula's waist.

"Can't say I'd mind sharing it with her, but I doubt you'd approve of that" he said. Rui Shi huffed.

"Like it ever mattered to you whether I'd approve or not" Rui Shi huffed, prompting both Sokka and Song to laugh "Get some rest anyways. We'll likely drop by again tomorrow"

"Alright… thanks for everything, guys" Sokka said, rising again and turning to them with a heartfelt smile.

Song offered him a quick hug, while Rui Shi only nodded curtly in his direction. They closed the door again on their way out, and Sokka released a sigh before sinking in his seat once more, eyes upon his slumbering secret wife yet again.

Her right hand rested lightly on her abdomen, and he reached for it instinctively, gently, even though he could see for himself that she was still breathing. A sudden surge of exhaustion clung to him, and he wasn't sure he'd be able to stay awake long enough to eat the dinner Rui Shi said he'd send for him… when had he last slept at all? On the day before they started working on plans to counter Rhone's invasion, wasn't it…? It felt like a thousand years ago…

Azula had been so troubled, even though he had done his very best to soothe her by goofing around with her in training, by sneaking into her room at night, by giving her all sorts of distracting, enjoyable thoughts to keep her mind off Rhone's threat. He had spent that night with her too, and as she fell asleep in his arms after their passionate tryst, he had told himself he'd do better on the next day. He had expected that there'd be a next day, one more chance to do right by the love of his life… he had never thought that, two nights later, he'd be sitting by her bedside, panicking so much he couldn't even register his body's needs, fearing she was in excruciating pain, dreading she might never awaken again.

She had woken, though, and by now, the word was she was making progress towards recovery. She wouldn't be unchanged after this, he knew that: it would take a long time for Azula to regain her full faculties and control of her body, for her wounds to stop paining her… but they would adapt to the changes, no matter what they entailed. She had even joked sometimes that she had acquired some of his Water Tribe adaptability… he hoped so, if it meant she would have peace of mind through the long, dreary recovery that loomed ahead of her.

The food arrived about ten minutes later, and the servant knocked on the door before entering the room, offering Sokka a surprisingly large assortment of food. He thanked the servant, knowing Rui Shi had likely requested for the usual wild amounts of food Sokka often ate… but the meal brought back the memory of the dinners he had shared with Azula on the first two nights of her tenure as Interim Fire Lord. Everything, it seemed, was permeated with unexpected nostalgia he wasn't sure he should be feeling so powerfully yet… she was going to be fine, he told himself as much constantly as he ate without much appetite. She was getting better, she was, and that was all that mattered…

But when would he be able to share a meal with her in that way again? How long before they could train together, before he could lie defeated on the ground, playfully pretending his pride was wounded by her superiority in combat just to bask in her beautiful, mischievous smirks? How long before they could partake in their usual, silly, endless banter, before he could make her laugh until she cried, before he could share her bed clandestinely, before he could hold her properly once more? How long before he could walk by her side, or ride Xin Long with her, seeing the world while remaining faithfully together…?

He didn't know. He couldn't know.

He gritted his teeth, setting down the dumplings he had been consuming before covering his face with his hands. It wasn't the right moment to think about any of that, he knew: his already uncontrollable anguish was ever-increasing, and he'd only make it worse, at this rate.

He had to take one breath. Then another. And then one more…

"What's wrong?"

Her voice startled him immediately. His head shot upwards so fast his neck hurt, but he paid it no mind as his tearful azure eyes found her concerned, confused golden ones.

"You're awake… damn, I… I'm an idiot, I didn't notice" Sokka smiled, wiping his face with his hands quickly before setting the food aside and taking his seat on the bed's edge, rather than on the chair he'd been on "Hi. I'm back now"

"I can see that" she said, with a small grin of her own "Well… I barely can. It's… really dark in here"

"It's nighttime… so yeah, it should be" Sokka smiled awkwardly, cupping her face gently "You're getting a little warmer, huh? That's good"

"My fire's back, so…yeah" Azula whispered "Did… did everything go well? What you… what you left to do?"

"Yeah. Everything's done now" Sokka assured her, nodding "And now no one's going to tear me away from your bedside anymore. I promise"

"Hmm…?" Azula smiled, closing her eyes "Then you really won't… won't leave even for a potty break?"

"You know that's not what I meant, silly…"

She laughed lightly, the sound as soft as small, gentle bells. Her laughter usually was more spirited than that, and yet this was so earnest, such an Azula-typical reaction… Sokka's tears had receded, but they returned again as he laughed along with her, letting one of his hands find hers yet again.

"How do you manage to be so beautiful under any circumstances, Princess?" Sokka smiled, stroking her hair gently "Look at that smile… that's enough to fix anything and everything wrong with the world, all on its own"

"Pretty sure that's not how it works…" Azula whispered, opening her eyes again "T-though… it's so dark in here maybe I don't look that beautiful, and… and you just can't tell"

"Oh, it's not that dark when you're lighting the room all on your own" Sokka smiled. Azula scoffed lightly, closing her eyes again as she smiled.

"You're always so… so corny" she said, though the words slipped out of her lips with undeniable fondness. Sokka chuckled, his knuckles trailing gently over her cheek now.

"Do you want me to stop?" he asked. Azula sighed, biting her lip lightly afterwards.

"Nah… it's nice, even if it's embarrassing" she admitted "And it's a great way to make fun of you, too…"

"Heh. I knew that was your real reason not to want me to stop" Sokka snickered playfully, leaning close to prod her nose lightly with his. Azula laughed again… and again, his heart ached powerfully for it "My wonderful, beautiful Princess wife…"

"Your wife… for sure" Azula smiled, though upon opening her eyes again, and finding Sokka so close by, even her unfocused eyesight was potent enough to notice something she hadn't expected on her lover's eyes: "Are you… crying?"

Sokka gasped, nearly recoiling upon her question. Humor had fled from her face, as she gazed at him with concern. Oh, what a fool he was, making her worry instead of helping reassure her…

Yet the situation offered a rare sense of déjà vu Sokka hadn't expected to experience. Hadn't he towered over her similarly once before, with tearful eyes, as she lay indisposed in bed, right after the White Lotus had attacked…?

He had denied his tears that day, both to ensure she wouldn't worry too much and to disguise his obvious, overpowering concern for her wellbeing. He had only truly understood, on that very night, that his feelings for Azula were genuine and undeniable: he hadn't dared act on them, but he had accepted them at last.

By now, so many years after that momentous occasion, he no longer had to hide his true feelings behind any fronts. He no longer had to conceal he loved her enough to kill and die for her. He no longer had to deny the tears he shed for her sake, for he was proud to love her as deeply as he did. She deserved nothing but the best, nothing but the truth…

"Yeah" he said, and the tears finally broke free, tumbling down his cheeks "Don't worry too much, I… I'm just overwhelmed, but I'll be fine"

"Overwhelmed…?" Azula repeated.

"Because I love you far more than my body can handle, I'm afraid" Sokka chuckled softly "Every moment I spend with you… every conversation we have, every second we're together, I… I just love you more and more. I… I was crying that day too, you know? Or, well, I was about to, when you were sick and I took you to your room…"

"Hmm… back then? I… I see. You said you weren't" Azula said, smiling weakly "I knew it. Always such a bad liar…"

"See why I needed lessons from you?" Sokka chuckled "And even then, I'm sure I'm dreadful at it"

"You're not that bad… not anymore, anyhow" Azula sighed "You're really crying because you love me too much…? I-it's not because of anything else, like… like that they've decided I have to lose my arm after all, or…?"

"What…? No, no. None of that" Sokka said, smiling sadly and cupping her face. Azula sighed in relief "You're going to be okay, love. Fei Rou says you're making progress already, even. See? You're extraordinary even when you're unconscious. Can you believe how amazing you are?"

"Uh… not really, no" Azula smiled again "But… I do feel a little better. Especially after…"

"After?" Sokka asked, as Azula failed to bite back her grin.

"After you kissed me, earlier" she said. Sokka snorted, laughing under his breath.

"That so?" he said, letting his fingers slip through her dark hair "You want another kiss, then?"

"Just one…?" Azula asked, closing her eyes as she smiled teasingly "You cheapskate…"

Sokka couldn't restrain his laughter even as he leaned in, pressing his lips to hers again, repeatedly, smiling against her as she did the same. His body soared with burning bliss, as he regained the strength that had eluded him through each kiss they shared. Yes, it would be difficult to chase away the anxiety altogether… the overwhelming fear of losing her was but a new scar etched across his heart. He knew his life would be as good as empty without the woman who had become his partner in every possible sense of the word… but he wouldn't experience that emptiness. He would stay by her side and ensure she healed, he would protect her, offer her his shoulder to lean on, carry her if he needed her to: he had devoted his whole life to her, and as hard as the road ahead may be, he would ensure she wouldn't have to walk it alone when she needed him most.

He had checked on the factory – it was unusable, its foundations rendered unstable by the mix of the earthbending's effects as well as the water that fell underground: where it hadn't instantly vaporized, it had dug into the depths of the land. He had given orders to the workers not to return to it yet, and the director had immediately despaired over the sudden setback in production.

Then, he had ordered the Gates of Azulon reopened: he had given orders to the Naval Coordination and Communication Office to send word to all vessels that their setbacks and protests against the sudden closing of the Gates would be heeded and dealt with in the next weeks.

He had inspected the city too: everything was fine. He had visited the injured: most of them were already stable, several on their way to recovery, yet those bearing the worst wounds had passed away over the two days since the battle had unfolded.

Lastly, he had questioned the surviving enemies: after the incident that took place in the Palace's holding cells, where they had been taken to temporarily, they had been relocated to the Prison Tower. They claimed they didn't know what had happened, or why their allies had died right before their eyes as they had. One of them accused the Fire Nation soldiers of using underhanded tactics to poison half the survivors, all be it to torture and terrorize the rest… while an untrue accusation, it was proven to be a surprisingly effective method of pressure when one man finally relented and admitted what Zhao had suspected.

"They were White Lotus" he said, swallowing hard while the others glared at him in outrage.

"Shut the fuck up!" one of his fellow rebels shouted.

"What's the point?! They hated the White Lotus anyway! Big fucking deal if I tell him!" said the first guy, snarling at his allies before turning to Zhao once more "We don't know jackshit about the White Lotus, if you thought we did. They didn't tell us anything but that they're a gang of useless, bland and weak old men who say they want to stop the Fire Lord but won't even move a fucking finger to do it. The Stingray, he was like us, we picked him up along the way, just as Rhone recruited us… but the guys who were killed in prison, they were all White Lotus deserters, alright? That's what you wanna know, now you know it. At least kill us quickly and be done with this shit, okay?"

Zhao scowled, withholding his judgment for now. The man had given him what he needed, but he feared it wasn't up to him to decide what fate they deserved. The one to make such a decision would be…

"Admiral! Admiral, sir, airships are within sight of the mainland!"

Zhao's eyes narrowed, a fist clenching by his waist. Well, then. It seemed judgment would arrive sooner than he had expected.

"You won't die yet. The Fire Lord will determine your fate" Zhao said, simply, before turning his back on the complaints and protests of the rebels as they watched him step away from the communal prison cell they had been tossed in.

He had to make haste back to the city: there was no time to waste if he hoped to intercept Ozai before he could reach the Princess. He spurred his carriage driver to go as fast as possible, struggling to stay level-headed: at this point he had been awake for the better part of four days, scrambling across the city constantly, struggling with mounting stress that begged him to take a vacation not unlike the one Ozai was returning from. He really could use a break, even if he was, technically, off-duty until he was sent back to the North Pole.

He reached the Palace merely a half hour before the main airship descended on its grounds. Zhao hoped his exhaustion wouldn't be too obvious… but he knew it wouldn't be easy to face Ozai, whether he was better rested or not. He hadn't been too extensive in the contents of his letter, but it would frankly surprise Zhao if his friend had read the full letter instead of ignoring most of it and flying into a wrathful panic over his daughter's current state.

The prediction wasn't so far off, naturally: when the airship's ramp opened, offering the passengers the chance to climb off the vehicle, a group of crimson-robed Imperial Guards flanked a Fire Lord who stormed towards Zhao and the Imperial Guards who stood with him, waiting to welcome the Fire Lord while knowing their courtesy would go unnoticed and dismissed.

Ozai's handsome features, usually schooled into clever, proud satisfaction, had been completely distorted by furious anxiety: he frowned so heavily his eyes were nearly imperceptible under his brow. His nostrils even flared with each breath intake, and his fists even trembled. This obviously wouldn't be an easy conversation… but it already appeared far worse than Zhao had anticipated, and it hadn't even begun.

"Where is she?!" he shouted immediately. Zhao breathed deeply, arms behind his back as the Imperial Guards with him fell into a reverence before the Fire Lord "Where is my daughter?!"

"The Interim Fire Lord is safe, and healing" Zhao retorted, holding Ozai's glare with his own "Welcome home, Fire Lord"

"Lead me to her, Zhao. At once!" Ozai growled. Somehow, he didn't seem to notice the disapproving frown on Zhao's face until the man spoke words the Fire Lord wasn't used to hearing.

"I can't. Not yet"

Ozai's eyes widened at first… then they narrowed. The fists by his hips trembled all the more violently, his golden eyes gleaming as fiercely as the sun above.

"I'm in no mood for games, Admiral. I gave you an order" he growled.

"And I've said I won't let you see her. Not until you truly understand what your daughter has been through over the last week" Zhao snapped, bluntly. Ozai huffed, shaking his head.

"Are you attempting to defend her from me, by any chance? What could ever make you think you had to defend her at all?" he said "She is my daughter, and you've said, in your thrice-accursed letter, that she's wounded! Whatever happened is irrelevant…!"

"It's very much relevant, considering you may just assume the Princess's condition is but a consequence of mismanagement, or wrong decision-making, while she handled the pressures of your role" Zhao said, breathing deeply again and meeting Ozai's eyes with unexpected clarity "The Princess's leadership is the entire reason you didn't come home to a ghost city, my lord, with nothing but carcasses instead of a bustling nation. And I would sooner ensure you understand that before letting you speak to her directly"

"A ghost city?" Ozai repeated, scoffing "The invasion you mentioned in your letter couldn't possibly have warranted such a catastrophic outcome, our armies…!"

"Would have fallen immediately against an enemy as dangerous as the Bloodlust Spear"

Ozai stopped on his tracks. Zhao raised his head, daring Ozai to question his words. Yet the two of them had learned of the weapon together, many years ago: they had debated the veracity of the tale as young men, questioning such a weapon could ever exist. That Zhao would speak of it so earnestly either meant this was a rather tasteless prank, or…

"You're not saying it's real… are you?" Ozai said, the fury in his countenance shifting into genuine confusion.

Zhao nodded, letting his guard down just slightly. That Ozai took that specific threat seriously, that he didn't dismiss it as nonsense right away, would suffice for now. His curiosity had been piqued… he would want to know more, and that meant he would put off visiting his daughter at least until he understood, for certain, what her challenges had truly entailed.

First, Zhao had taken him out of the Palace and to the bay's closest navy headquarters, where he would see the corpses of the spear's casualties. It wasn't only the captain whose death they had witnessed directly, whose corpse they had collected only after both Rhone and the Spear were finished: the ship the waterbender's group had commandeered was found crashed by the shore, as close to the airship factory as possible. The entire, slaughtered crew had been kept in the ship's lowest compartments, all of them bearing even worse wounds than the captain had sustained. Yet they all looked more or less the same: dry skin clung to bones, every hint of life completely drained from their bodies.

"You can tell, can't you?" Zhao asked "This wasn't any ordinary foe. This is not what death usually looks like. That Spear…"

"Was truly the Bloodlust Spear" Ozai finished, snarling "How? Why? It was supposed to be a legend, we found no sign of it…!"

"I know we didn't. But that Rhone, the Kinslayer, tracked it down somehow" Zhao said, clasping Ozai's forearm to guide him out of the room: an unpleasant smell emanated from the corpses, one Zhao would rather not endure longer than necessary. To his relief, Ozai complied without much trouble, leaving the unpleasant deposit room and following him to the next location, still within the Navy's headquarters "Whatever he did to discover its location, or to perhaps create a new Bloodlust Spear of his own, it eludes me. But I saw it flying of its own accord with my own eyes, Ozai"

Three doors down awaited yet another room that hosted the now empty carcass of a split spear. It appeared inoffensive by now, shattered as it was, but Ozai's gut twisted at the sight of the weapon. He would have claimed this was but a joke in poor taste if it weren't for those corpses…

"If you need more than my word, there are many witnesses who would surely share their experience of fighting against this wretched thing" Zhao said, glaring spitefully at the broken spear. If the death he had directly witnessed weren't so vivid in his mind still, he would be the first to assume that weapon was completely inoffensive… but he had seen it in action. And even if he hadn't, he had believed in spirits and the otherworldly for years, and for good reason. He couldn't pretend one thing was irrational and the other wasn't, could he? "Two full squads of the Domestic Forces, as well as the third squad of the Imperial Guards"

Ozai released a breath, glaring at the spear, propped on the long table where it had been placed. The blade was shattered, as was the handle… and according to Zhao's explanations, it seemed Azula herself had been the one to do it. As capable as he knew his daughter to be, it was difficult to believe she had truly faced this otherworldly weapon… though that wasn't the most unbelievable fact he still had to digest:

"Why did this happen? Did the scum responsible for this attack know I wouldn't be in the Capital, and chose to strike then?" Ozai asked, frowning. Zhao shook his head.

"Nothing indicates he even knew you weren't in the city. It seems they merely managed to execute their plan, coincidentally, on the week you left"

"How very fortunate…" Ozai scowled, though he held his tongue: what on earth could he have done against a spear of legends, anyway? Sending Seethus to handle the threat wouldn't have been all that useful if the threat was as otherworldly as Seethus himself. If anything, it was possible his assassin could have fallen to the Spear, or proven utterly useless in a battle against something with powers so similar to his own… and then what?

"I know you hoped the Princess would be able to handle the nation without any hitches for a single week…" Zhao said, breathing deeply "Frankly, I have no doubts she would have, if only…"

"If only some madman and his cohorts hadn't decided to destroy our nation exactly when she was substituting me" Ozai finished "Then I presume you're attempting to convince me that she didn't make any mistakes in how she handled this crisis? Even up to the point where she took a wound that could have jeopardized her life?"

Zhao gritted his teeth, lowering his gaze from Ozai's own, challenging eyes.

"I know it's hard to believe, Ozai, but truly…?" Zhao said, swallowing hard "When I received her summons I was confused, and astonished. I knew you had instructed her to contact me in case anything went awry, but I thought even if something did, she'd endeavor to resolve everything on her own: she didn't. She asked for my assistance, handled the matter at a distance for as long as possible, and even after she understood the threat we were facing, summoned me as well as other advisors she considered trustworthy enough to help her handle this crisis. Is that truly the behavior of an irresponsible child, unprepared for her role?"

Ozai's eyes narrowed and dropped to the spear again. Zhao breathed deeply before continuing, understanding Ozai's silence meant he found no faults in what Zhao had spoken of so far:

"I told her not to take risks" Zhao said "Her gladiator even insisted on going with her, despite she believed he shouldn't, and he kept telling her she couldn't put her life in danger carelessly…"

"But she refused to listen to reason?" Ozai said, lips pursed.

"And seeing what the outcome of this conflict shaped into, I can't say the nation would be better off if she had listened" Zhao finished. Ozai scowled, glaring at Zhao "The Spear… it could only be taken down with her power. I watched her, myself, purging the corruption of the Spear out of a soldier's arm with her gold fire. He's not recovered yet, but it seems he may eventually be able to use his arm again: if the gladiator's explanations are true, it wasn't until the Princess and her dragon joined forces, merging their fire, that the Spear could be stopped, the corruption done away with for a small window where the Princess managed to cut through the weapon and destroy it altogether. I can't say for certain that nothing else would have worked, Ozai, but… if she hadn't fought the damn thing herself, you might not even be speaking with me right now. And she might be dead, rather than wounded, if she had merely hidden away, expecting the armed forces to defeat a threat they were ill-equipped against, until the enemy had found her after finishing off all lines of defense between them and her"

Ozai snarled and shook his head, storming out of the room. Zhao sighed: maybe it was too much to ask for. Ensuring Ozai would see reason when it came to personal matters was easier said than done.

Within less than half an hour, they were on their way to the Palace once more, with Ozai spurring his palanquin bearers to move as fast as possible. Zhao followed in his own carriage, rubbing his temples with his fingertips, fearing he'd collapse before long, at this rate…

Ozai arrived first, and he didn't wait for Zhao to catch up to him: instead, he powered through the hallways of the Palace, commanding fear, respect and reverence from each subject he walked past without even acknowledging them. The footsteps of his guards, as well as Zhao's, eventually, followed him, but Ozai's scowl was focused ahead, striding purposefully towards the physicians' wing of the Palace…

It was far busier than it ever was, a fact he couldn't ignore as soon as he turned around a corner and spotted the Palace area he had been headed towards. The door was open, and many occupied stretchers were in plain sight because of that. Physicians seemed to be rushing back and forth, working hard to help the wounded. All collateral damage of the defense against the newest threat the Fire Nation had faced…

The medics gasped at the sight of him, freezing cold even in the middle of procedures: no one had expected him back yet. He was one whole day early, and they had received no warning that he'd come to the physicians' wing so quickly. Ozai's vertiginous walk ended at last as he stood at the entrance of the physicians' wing, scanning the area quickly for any sign of his daughter…

"My lord" a familiar voice drew him to glance in its direction: the head physician, Fei Rou, appeared as astonished as everyone else about his sudden presence.

"Where is she?" he asked, curtly. Fei Rou swallowed hard but nodded.

"The Head Sage is seeing her at the moment. She is awake, stable and presumably improving, though I don't know for certain, but…"

"Where, Fei Rou?" Ozai snapped. The physician bowed his head and started on his way to the Princess's temporary room, leading the Fire Lord as commanded.

The guards lingered outside, serving as a rather unintentional blockade that kept Zhao from entering the physicians' wing before Ozai could reach Azula's bedroom. His stomach clenched: would he truly disregard all of Zhao's words and scold the Princess undeservedly for her behavior?

Fei Rou's hand reached for the doorknob: Zhao's question would be answered before he could even attempt to pose it to the Fire Lord.

Ozai's narrow eyes scanned the room immediately, intensely, so much most the details within it escaped him… yet the occupants of the room were in full focus: at the right side of the bed stood the Head Sage in all his splendor, hands outstretched, small plums of fire dancing on his fingers. At the left side, the gladiator whose presence was unsurprising, and whose instinctive protective behavior around the Princess was most unwelcome right now. They were, however, only a secondary, ignorable matter.

For the one that did matter was lying on that mattress, her long hair loose, tumbling down the pillows she was resting on, with a bulging cluster of bandages and pads on her left shoulder, as well as a sling wrapped around an arm that had certainly seen better days. She was paler than he remembered seeing her, and her eyes appeared unfocused, as though she could barely see anything that wasn't within her proximity. She didn't react visibly to the sound of the door opening… would she react upon knowing who had visited her?

Perhaps she would react even before Fei Rou could announce him, for the gladiator had leapt to his feet immediately, and the Head Sage had stopped working with his energy reading abruptly. She seemed to respond to that change, at least…

"Fire Lord Ozai…" the Head Sage said, softly "I only expected you to arrive tomorrow…"

"There was a change of plans" Ozai growled curtly, crossing the threshold while pointedly ignoring both the cautious and furious glares he had elicited so far.

Azula was no longer quite so impassive: she fidgeted in the bed most awkwardly, as though she couldn't even move anymore. Her face was marred with anxious pain as she attempted to push herself up on the bed with her right hand: she could barely flex it, let alone exert strength in it to present herself with more dignity than she could afford.

If her reaction hadn't been so sudden and frantic, there was no doubt the gladiator would have merely focused on glaring at Ozai for the intrusion. Instead, he now leaned closer to the Princess, shaking off his previous fury if only to speak with her.

"Hey, hey… no need to panic, Azula. Calm down"

"F-Father…" she blurted out: even her voice sounded wounded, faded, without the strength it ever had carried in the past.

"Yeah, it's him alright, but you shouldn't move around, okay?" Sokka told her, though his words weren't helping yet, it seemed "Azula, please…"

"Gladiator" Ozai called, and this time Sokka couldn't disguise his discomfort and anger from Azula. He turned slowly towards the Fire Lord, making no attempt to mask his emotions "Leave us. Now"

"She's in no shape for some sort of reckoning, if that's what you had in mind" Sokka growled.

"I have no obligation to share my innermost thoughts and intentions with you" Ozai retorted, unwilling to back down just as Sokka was "I will speak to my daughter alone. All of you, leave us, now"

Sokka's fists tightened. If he was to experience the impulse he'd felt the first time he saw Ozai, the impulse to cut the man down and rid the world of his cruelty, it was now.

Yet, just as that time, Sokka restrained himself, despite finding it far more difficult this time. The Head Sage eyed him pleadingly as he walked towards the door, and Sokka released a breath slowly before turning towards Azula: her anxiety and fear only seemed to skyrocket. She didn't want to face her father's disappointment, never had, never would. This vulnerable side of herself wasn't one she ever meant to show Ozai… and perhaps she merely didn't want to face him alone. Sokka's heart tightened for that: he shouldn't leave, not even for a second, and yet if he didn't he'd merely cause Azula further anguish once Ozai retaliated more violently than with sharp words.

"I'll… I'll be back in a sec, okay?" Sokka promised to Azula, offering her a half-hearted smile "I'll be right outside, in case you need me"

Azula didn't even dare move: all she did was glance at Sokka, as though begging him to help her, to save her… and it tore his very soul to pieces to know he wouldn't be able to do it, for the umpteenth time.

He rose back to his full height and started on his way to the door… though he stopped beside Ozai all the same.

"Please… be kind to her"

The gladiator's petition was unexpected and unwelcome. Ozai shot him a quick glare, of the sort Sokka would have expected from him far more often than he'd received them: a glare that accused him of insolence, of not knowing his place.

And just so, it wasn't a glare he'd be daunted by. He only returned Ozai's stare with his own for a moment that felt far longer than it was, before stepping out of the room most unwillingly; Fei Rou closed the door behind the gladiator, leaving the two royals inside the most lavish room in the physicians' wing.

Ozai stepped closer: his shape became clearer for Azula, and her anxiety wasn't eased for it in the least. She swallowed dryly, trembling as she struggled to find words… to say anything, whether to admit her faults and mistakes and beg forgiveness, or give him excuses in hopes they might mitigate whatever sentence he was about to pronounce against her…

"How are you feeling?" Ozai asked, curtly. He seemed to hesitate upon speaking the last word… as though he knew it was a foolish thing to ask. It had to be, when asked to someone who had as good as knocked on death's doors before returning to the living at the very last moment.

"I… not that bad" Azula mumbled, unwilling to meet his gaze "Fei Rou gives me… some substance that, w-well… keeps the pain in check. So… you don't have to worry"

"Don't I?" Ozai repeated. Azula closed her eyes now, as good as flinching at his words "I… I didn't know what to think when I received Admiral Zhao's letter about dangerous happenings in the city. Perhaps I would have calmed down sooner… but once I read you had been wounded, I couldn't even bring myself to finish the rest of the letter's content. I've arrived a day earlier than intended… though, if you're in as delicate a state as you seem to be, surely you wouldn't even know what day it is anymore"

"I… I'm afraid so" Azula admitted "I'm… I'm sorry. I didn't mean… t-to cut your vacation short. I wanted to… t-to make sure you could spend your week free of, w-well… of worries. Of all this. I… I should've done better, I…"

Her words tumbled out of her in a clumsy, interrupted yet interconnected mess… and then they stopped once she felt the weight on the bed shifting, once her father took his seat by the side of her mattress. Azula swallowed dryly again, venturing a wary glance at his face…

His brow was drawn together… but not in wrath. Not in disappointment, or displeasure.

Was that… compassion?

"If what Zhao explained is true… then I'm not certain anyone could have done better" Ozai said "Whether you or anyone else. It may not sound encouraging of me to say so… but the threat you faced seems to have been one of the very worst the Fire Nation has handled so far. And to think it happened to rear its head exactly when you were substituting for me…"

"Do you… truly believe that?" Azula asked, her chest heaving as she breathed far more frantically "Y-you're not… disappointed?

Stray dogs often flinched out of habit when anyone raised a hand in their direction, assuming the world was out to get them, regardless of whether there was ill intent in the gesture or not. It was unexpected that a Princess would ever react the way such humble creatures would, and yet she gasped, recoiling when Ozai's hand appeared within her field of vision…

Only to cup her face delicately.

His eyes were golden, clear… and emotional. Far more emotional than Azula remembered seeing them. Was she imagining things? Was all this a dream, a rather strange one? Or was her father truly offering her a gesture of kindness… one she wasn't entirely sure she deserved?

His fingers trailed over her face delicately, brushing a few stray hairs off her face, before saying:

"What sort of father could ever be disappointed in a daughter like you?"

Her lips parted, though no words came from them. Her eyes gazed at her father, struggling to unravel this unexpected, unbelievable glimpse of the single kernel of kindness that still nestled in Ozai's dark soul. Her mind, muddled by the effect of her chi's corruption, couldn't process his words immediately.

"As far as I understand… you saved the Fire Nation with your actions, however reckless as they may have been" Ozai said "If the truth is as Zhao spoke it… then you were vital to ending this threat. As your Fire Lord… your loyalty to your nation fills me with pride. As your father, however…"

"As… my father?" Azula repeated, once Ozai fell silent for a moment. He swallowed hard, his teeth gritted.

"I'd rather appreciate it… if you wouldn't give me such reasons to fear for your health and wellbeing anymore, is all" he determined "I'm proud of you… but I am quite distressed by how readily you've jumped into danger, not only in this situation but in countless others. I want to believe Zhao, truly… that you did it because no one else could. But if you do anything like this again, and I discover someone other than you could have handled the problem without you jumping headfirst into danger…"

"You'll… scold me?" Azula asked, her question more childish than she expected it to be. To her surprise, Ozai laughed softly.

"Perhaps" he said "It sounds so very daunting when you put it that way, doesn't it?"

"It… it does" Azula smiled too, weakly.

"Then I suggest you give me no reasons to do so" Ozai said, lowering his hand. Azula grew keenly aware of its warmth only once it wasn't touching her skin anymore "You… you're recovering slowly, from what I've heard?"

"I guess… I'm not too aware of my improvements yet" Azula mumbled "I was unconscious until yesterday in the morning, I think… I don't really know. I can't remember much… not from yesterday, or from the previous day"

"You can't remember how you wound up in this shape, then?" Ozai asked. Azula bit her lip.

"Barely. I… I was hoping to help my dragon, and then… then I was wounded" she whispered "My guards kept the Spear in check, I… I think. Then I was on my dragon, and then… then Sokka helped me"

"The gladiator?" Ozai asked. Azula tensed up, as though she had forgotten who she was talking to.

"Y-yeah. He… did something. I don't really remember what" Azula whispered: it wasn't a lie, at this point she only knew something had exploded before Sokka found her, and she didn't even dare ask what it was "He tried to help… t-then I fought the Spear with my fire a-and his sword, and… I can't remember what happened to me after that. Just… woke up here"

"I see" Ozai whispered: again, he startled her by reaching to brush her hair out of her face "It seems the world constantly wants to put you to the test, does it not? The challenges you've faced… it's uncanny that someone has been able to overcome them as often as you have"

"Maybe I'm just… a lot less lucky than I thought I was" Azula said, with a weak grin. Ozai smiled and shrugged.

"I suppose. Though that you've survived, and recovered, from all your ordeals so far indicates that maybe fortune still favors you, to a fault. Perhaps it will favor you this time as well"

"I… hope so" Azula said, closing her eyes as Ozai withdrew his hand again.

The weight on the bed had been comforting, to a fault: it vanished once Ozai rose to his feet again. Despite knowing she was but a fool for thinking it, Azula somehow wished he wouldn't quite leave so fast… if just because she selfishly wanted to see more of her father's kindest façade for a little longer.

"You will focus on recovering, nothing more, for the next weeks, or months… until there's a sizable improvement in your condition" Ozai announced "I will take care of everything that needs to be tended to. The consequences of your decisions, be them what they may, will be mine to face. The Enforcers will have to address me directly, and the slave master trials will have to be on hold for a time until I have dealt with everything else…"

"I… I'm sorry" Azula said, shutting her eyes tightly "Curses, I… I'd barely started narrowing down candidates for holding trials. I…"

"You can do it once you've improved, not a moment sooner" Ozai said, curtly. Azula gritted her teeth but fell silent "I will visit you whenever I can spare it, if that's agreeable with you… and with your hound"

"M-my…?" Azula repeated, as Ozai rolled his eyes.

"Not that I don't appreciate his loyalty towards you, but if the situation were any less severe, I wouldn't have pardoned that sort of insolence" Ozai declared. Azula's lips tightened into an awkward grimace "Frankly, if he weren't your gladiator I would have him face a dire punishment for that behavior"

"He meant no harm…" Azula mumbled, softly "He's just… worried"

"As am I" Ozai said, gazing at his daughter questioningly.

"I know… and I'm sorry for worrying you" Azula said, raising her gaze towards her father remorsefully.

"That's not… you needn't apologize for that" Ozai said, narrowing his eyes.

"Did you… enjoy your trip, at least?" Azula asked, softly "Until the news arrived, that is…"

"I did" Ozai answered with a quick nod "Though my mind drifted towards the Fire Nation far more often than it should have"

"I guess you could've used… a longer break?" Azula suggested. Ozai chuckled and shook his head.

"I would have gone mad with boredom" he said "Perhaps I'm far too accustomed to being Fire Lord to break off from the role as freely as I expected to"

"The Fire Nation will be pleased to have you back, I'm sure…" Azula whispered, offering her father a fragile grin "I wished to say the words in better shape than this, but… welcome home, Father"

Ozai swallowed and nodded graciously. He offered Azula one more reassuring grin before turning towards the door.

"Recover as best you can, Princess Azula" he said "Consider it an order"

"I… I understand. I'll heed it" Azula grinned.

That her father would be so affected, so unusually gentle with her when she was at her weakest, never ceased to be a cause for surprise. After all their clashes and conflicts, Azula had only expected him to barge into her room to shout she was utterly unworthy of her role and titles, and far more incompetent than he had realized… the secondary voice inside her mind spoke to her then, bringing a smile to her face: Xin Long would have barged into the Palace and bitten Ozai's head clean off if he had dared say anything cruel against his rider. It was a rather impulsive reaction, and Azula knew it came from the right place, but she still asked Xin Long, through their bond, not to attempt to kill her father, let alone at times when Ozai was uncharacteristically kind to her.

Xin Long was in better shape than Azula, though truthfully not a lot of people could be in worse shape than the Princess, as things stood. He was bruised, mildly hurt by all the blows he had taken during the fight – he was rather displeased, though, because several of his armor's plates had been dented and damaged to such extent he couldn't wear it anymore, not before it was repaired, and who knew when that would happen, at this rate. He had replenished his strength faster than his rider had, but he still languished in his refuge, waiting for the last of the soreness to recede… and sending occasional thoughts to Azula's mind, even offering her glimpses of what had happened two days ago whenever she reclaimed only partial, disconnected memories from her still-fuzzy mind.

He was good company, even at a distance. He comforted her as she processed Ozai's visit… as she let herself smile upon realizing maybe her father had failed his own teachings too. For if he hadn't cared, he would have been so much harsher… he would have never shown her the compassion she had glimpsed in his eyes. Maybe Ozai truly was the worst man on the planet, as Sokka often used to claim… but he was still her father. Sometimes it was easier to forget that he was… and then he'd offer her opportunities, positions and kindness she knew he offered no one else. Perhaps he didn't do it out of love, she'd do better not to delude herself expecting otherwise… but as damaged as her mind might be, after everything she'd experienced over the past days, she couldn't help but think it was as close to love as she would ever get from him. She wondered if anyone else had ever seen this side of him before… or was it only her? Was she the only one privileged with knowing an unusually vulnerable side of her strongminded father?

Whatever the answer to her silent questions might be, the truth was that Azula certainly was the only one who would see it up close that day: Ozai opened the door and stepped out into the hallway to find Azula's visitors were still close by, now joined by an exhausted Zhao. Fei Rou, the Admiral and the gladiator had been giving the Head Sage their full attention, until the sound of the creaking door caused the Blue Wolf to glance back at the room immediately.

"… it's not a massive improvement, but I assure you, she's regained some chi already" the Head Sage was finishing, as Ozai held Sokka's concerned gaze with dismissive defiance.

"Then… there's a good chance she'll recover?" Fei Rou asked, frowning "Better than we thought?"

"That I cannot say" the Head Sage continued "It hinges on whether she continues to improve at this rate or not, but…"

"And if she does?" Ozai broke through the conversation, startling the men who hadn't noticed him yet "What's your best prognosis for my daughter so far?"

"Why… if she continues at this rate, she may be back to her usual self within a year or less, give or take" the Head Sage said, tightening his lips "Though I cannot say for certain that I understand the pattern of chi replication yet, if that's what it was… it could be that, the more chi she regenerates, the faster the process will be. Then she'd recover far more quickly. Yet…"

"It's all rather vague so far" Zhao concluded, sighing. The Head Sage shrugged but nodded.

"At least she's better than yesterday, and the day before. That much I can assure you"

Ozai nodded, though again his eyes fell upon the gladiator… who had already walked towards the bedroom's door, casting a quick glance as though to ensure his sponsor was fine and safe.

"What exactly are you afraid of, gladiator?" Ozai snapped. Sokka tightened his grip on the door frame before glancing at Ozai.

"I had hoped she'd be in better shape before you saw her again, is all" he said "She wouldn't have wanted you to see her like this"

"Well, I certainly wouldn't have wanted to see her like this either, but such is the situation" Ozai growled "From my understanding, by what she disclosed, you helped her defeat the Spear?"

"Well… yeah. Though she did most of it herself, even though she shouldn't have" Sokka answered, gritting his teeth "Frankly, I don't understand everything myself yet. By the time I caught up with her she was badly wounded, her armor was broken by the force of a blow by the enemy's dadao, so…"

"So, you stepped in to help, to a fault?" Ozai finished. Sokka nodded "Were you the one who killed the man responsible for this atrocity against the Fire Nation?"

"Yes" Sokka admitted, though he showed no joy upon letting his mind relive the reality of having killed a man again… a man he had known, and who had been his friend when they were children. Just so, a man who deserved a fate far worse than death, as far as he was concerned… "Azula fell unconscious shortly after she destroyed the Spear. I dealt with Rhone myself"

"What was his intent? Does anyone know?" Ozai asked, glancing at Zhao questioningly, though it was Sokka who answered again.

"To damage the Fire Nation well beyond repair" Sokka said "He hoped to slaughter your people, your armies… to destroy the advancements that might have helped you gain an upper hand in the war, if you ever resorted to them for that purpose. And of course… he wanted to kill as many royals as he could get away with. He didn't know you weren't in the city, I guess… but he wanted to kill Azula for sure"

"And you killed your fellow Southern Water Tribesman rather than allowing him to reach my daughter"

It wasn't a question: Ozai stated the fact bluntly, assessing Sokka and weighing him as he waited for the gladiator's excuses… and they never came. Instead, Sokka nodded.

"And I'd do it again if I had to"

The Head Sage tensed up at Sokka's words. Fei Rou appeared utterly unconcerned with whether Sokka meant to kill or die for Azula… while Zhao watched Ozai, worriedly, uncertain of whether his friend would interpret those words correctly or not. The gladiator was certainly doing a sorry job of concealing his feelings and attachment for the Princess, as of late…

"Is that so?" Ozai said. Sokka held his gaze without flinching, without betraying the slightest sign of fear, despite Ozai's voice was coated with an attempt at intimidation… yet it wouldn't work. It couldn't. Not on a man as fiercely devoted, as stubbornly rebellious, as Sokka was "Should I interpret that to mean you're doing it out of your own volition rather than to earn goodwill or boons from the Fire Lord, unlike the last time you saved my daughter's life from dangerous enemies invading our land?"

"Uh… well, yeah. Though I do think I've earned myself a request, haven't I?" Sokka said. Ozai scoffed.

"You're utterly unacquainted with the concept of shame, aren't you?"

"I'm afraid so" Sokka smiled slightly "Though… I don't think this request should be too difficult to fulfill. All I'd ask… is that you don't blame Azula for any of what happened. She was a brilliant leader, and I'm damn sure everyone who worked with her over this week would agree with me. She did her best for her nation, sacrificing far more for it than a lot of Fire Lords have in the past, I'm sure. So… please, don't be hard on her. Don't punish her for not handling this threat any more effectively than she did, no matter if you think that's what she deserves. Please"

Ozai was taken aback by the gladiator's words and behavior, not for the first time: instead of insolence, there was humility. Instead of aggressively demanding for whatever he wished for, he was pleading for Azula's sake. He hadn't stopped to think maybe his pleas would be unnecessary… that maybe Ozai wouldn't feel like punishing his daughter, in the first place. Her wellbeing, her recovery, should be the priorities now… it seemed the gladiator understood that just as well as Ozai himself did.

An unexpected, unwanted prickling surged inside Ozai's gut. One that told him he shouldn't take the gladiator's request for granted… that he should see beyond the superficial reasons for why he'd make such a request.

Yet he elected to ignore it for the time being, releasing his suspicions in a long sigh before raising his head proudly.

"If that's all you ask, consider it granted. And don't even think of expecting I'll grant you any further petitions, gladiator"

Sokka smiled a little but shook his head.

"I have nothing else to ask" he decided, unaffected by Ozai's obvious displeasure.

"Report to me any changes in her state, whether for good or ill" Ozai said, turning to Fei Rou now "I have much to handle in the meantime, but if anything changes…"

"I will let you know, of course" Fei Rou declared. Ozai released a deep breath before meeting Zhao's eyes.

"Come along, Admiral. I'll need you to explain every stage of the investigation that led to this catastrophe" he said. Sokka swallowed hard as he watched them leave, merely managing a quick nod in Zhao's direction before the man was ferried away from the physicians' wing, by Ozai's doing.

He already knew most of the details, but Ozai wasn't about to cut corners with such a serious, daunting event that had plagued his nation so darkly over the past few days. He wanted to know everything thoroughly… to know which mistakes had been made, and how to amend them. It was unlikely that any other enemies of the Fire Nation would be capable of as much harm as the Bloodlust Spear could inflict… yet with a close call like this one, no amount of caution could be enough. He wouldn't let his people be caught off guard one more time, absolutely not.

"If the Princess did summon you early on, it means you must know all the details, so…" Ozai started, once they had reached his office – Zhao gazed at the chairs most wistfully, wanting nothing but to curl up in one of them and sleep for at least five hours, no matter how uncomfortable they might be…

Busy daydreaming about genuinely dreaming, Zhao paid no mind to Ozai's silence until he heard him flipping through pages quietly. He focused his eyes on what Ozai seemed to be reading: the Fire Lord hadn't taken his seat yet, scanning the text before him in a quick, disbelieving rush.

"What is it? What's that?" Zhao asked "Did Azula do anything she shouldn't have, or…?"

"In a manner of speaking" Ozai spoke unusually softly, as he gazed upon his daughter's handwriting.

He was browsing a near-finished document, with a full-blown plan of economic compensation to the ships affected by the hasty closing of the Great Gates of Azulon.

How had she had enough time to write such a proposal, when had she even started it? Ozai gritted his teeth as he gazed at further proof of his daughter's resilience… of how she constantly overcame every expectation, no matter if he wasn't asking her to. It was as though she wanted to help him even when she couldn't do it directly. He closed his eyes and shook his head, to Zhao's utter confusion.

"Something wrong?" he asked. Ozai released a deep sigh.

"That my daughter is wounded is wrong, yes" Ozai whispered "That she managed to write this beforehand… is anything but"

She was extraordinary, always had been. The next time he stopped by to visit her, he'd ensure she knew just how helpful her document had been: once he offered the official, Fire Lord-sanctioned explanation of the events of this week, he would ensure the entire nation understood the Princess was setting a brilliant example, growing into a leader devoted to protecting her people, regardless of the cost to herself. Could he abide by the example she had set, if it came to it? If he were in the same situation she had been in, would he react the same way? Would he prove as noble as she had been?

He wanted to think he would… yet deep down, he suspected otherwise. Perhaps in time he'd come to regret having raised a daughter so competent and capable she outshined him in every regard… but as he was, he could only take pride on having fathered the child who, in all likelihood, would become the greatest leader their nation ever had the privilege to follow.

Ozai's visit had caused the expected ruckus in the physicians' wing: Fei Rou, for all his cold-blooded pragmatism, was still shaking off his nervousness, and the Head Sage had taken to reassuring him. Other physicians had peered into the hallway, curious over the Fire Lord's return, yet most unwilling to face his likely wrath if they crossed his path even if by chance. Still, Sokka didn't linger outside for another moment: he smiled reassuringly as he returned to Azula's bedside, finding her still awake, and perhaps a little tense.

"Are you feeling alright?" Sokka asked, taking his seat by the edge of the mattress. Azula released a subtle sigh before nodding almost imperceptibly – that particular movement, anything that involved her neck, was not only difficult to make but painful enough to overcome the numbing of her body through the medicine Fei Rou had given her so far.

"I guess… I was expecting worse" Azula admitted. Sokka sighed and nodded, closing his eyes.

"So was I. I was so ready to give him a piece of my mind, if worst came to worst…"

"Yeah… he didn't seem to appreciate that much" Azula smiled. Sokka bit his lip cheekily but shrugged.

"Can't say it's the wildest thing I've ever done, huh?" he said "With all that's happened lately, I seriously wasn't sure he'd be understanding… well, that is, if that's what he was"

"You could say that" Azula whispered "He… was nicer than I thought he'd be. I thought he'd scold me… for not keeping peace in the Fire Nation for just one week. I mean… it was only a week, and I ended up like this. Not the best argument in my favor, as far as my candidacy as his heir goes…"

"No way" Sokka huffed, shaking his head "You have to know what happened this week was just… really bad luck. Well, bad luck for us, I'm sure the Fire Nation was damn lucky this happened when you were in office instead of your father, since you'd do anything to save their lives… and you did. So, if anything, you're… you're the best leader this nation could have asked for. Probably better than it deserves, if anything"

"Huh…?" Azula smiled, her eyes softening as Sokka bit his lip again "I'm too good for my people now, according to you…?"

"Well, if they do appreciate how much you worked and sacrificed to ensure they'd be safe and sound, maybe they'll be worthy of you" Sokka pouted "I do hope they understand it. Just as I hope your father does, too"

"I think he does… to a fault" Azula said "Otherwise… he would've been angry with me. But he just seemed… worried. And ordered me to just rest and recover…"

"Heh. I don't love agreeing with Ozai on anything, but when it comes to your health, we're usually standing on the same side, huh?" Sokka grinned, stroking Azula's hair "I'm glad to hear that, though. Really glad"

"You do look quite… cheery" Azula said "For someone who just saw the father-in-law he hates…"

"Uh… well, since he didn't do anything bad, I've calmed down a little" Sokka grinned "But there's also what the Head Sage said, which I should've told you right away! Azula, he says you're recovering your chi!"

"I… am?" Azula asked. Sokka's childish enthusiasm, as ever, warmed her heart.

"Song theorized it was possible, but no one really knew if it'd work that way" Sokka grinned "You're regaining chi, somehow. The Head Sage says he has no idea how you've done it, but that's just typical from you, isn't it? You always do the unexpected and break every boundary, so you've done it with chi too, looks like to me"

"Lucky me…" Azula said, smiling awkwardly "I guess that's… why I've been able to stay conscious longer?"

"And move a little, too" Sokka nodded, reaching to caress her hand "I thought I might have to ask Song to look into chi regeneration somehow, since she'd probably understand books about that easier than I would… I'd make sure to take care of you until we found a solution. But hey… seems the solution came on its own, huh? And I didn't even have to give you my chi…"

"Give me your chi?" Azula said, raising her eyebrows "What do you mean?"

"Oh, just a crazy idea I had" Sokka grinned "When the Head Sage told us what had happened with your chi, I, uh… may have panicked a bit, and I asked if he could transfer some of my chi to you. He even said he'd have taken me up on that offer…"

"Don't be crazy…" Azula said, gazing at him with concern. Sokka chuckled and shook his head.

"I can't be. I wish I could, but I can't. He doesn't know how to give someone another person's chi that way, so the possibility died pretty quickly" Sokka sighed "Though, if Song discovers there's a way to do it…"

"What, you'll do it anyway? Even though I'm getting better…?" Azula asked. Sokka shrugged "Not happening"

"Why the heck not?" Sokka pouted "You deserve it more than I do. See, you gave me reasons to live, hence, you gave me life: it's only right I return it somehow"

"You're returning it in every way that counts, you goof" Azula said, tightening her grip on his hand "I don't need you to do anything so crazy… I just need you right here, and I'll get better for it. I know it"

"Well… I just wish you could get better even faster, is all" Sokka whispered, reaching up to stroke her dark hair "That you wouldn't have to be in any pain…"

"I'm barely in any" Azula smiled "I… guess whatever Fei Rou's given me has numbed my whole body so much I barely feel pain, though I know I should…"

"Then I hope you recover so fast the pain won't come back at all once you're done with those meds" Sokka smiled, leaning in to kiss her brow "Still, I'd think with my attuned chi, just a little of it, you might get better faster. I know it's pretty useful to have indirect bending and whatnot, but I'd think our attuned chi could serve a better purpose than that, right?"

"Hmm…" Azula said, frowning. Sokka raised his eyebrows as an unexpected expression crossed her face: dread "T-then you… you asked the Head Sage to give me your chi because we're attuned, is it?"

"Yeah?" Sokka said. Azula swallowed dryly "Is something wrong?"

"It's just… he, uh… I think the Head Sage knows about us" Azula mumbled. Sokka's easygoing behavior was replaced by quick, wide-eyed panic.

"Say what?" he said, with an uncharacteristically small, fearful voice.

"I forgot… for the longest time" Azula sighed "Should've… told you from the very moment I realized it, but… we were in the Library, so it slipped my mind because so much was going on…"

"You realized it in the Library…?" Sokka said, perplexed.

"R-remember what Wan Shi Tong said…? When we showed him we could bend together…" Azula mumbled "He talked about… some book, right? Where… a firebending man bent through his lover while they were intimate…?"

"Uh-huh…?" Sokka said, blinking blankly.

"The Sage… when I asked him about our indirect bending, he… he gave us a funny look" Azula mumbled "He tried to cover it up, saying… it could happen with people who were close, in general. That he'd studied it, whatever… but he kept saying it was mainly something said to happen between people who were intimate. Remember?"

"S-so, wait a second, you think…? You think he read that book?" Sokka asked, grimacing "The one Wan Shi Tong mentioned, the erotic one…?"

"I thought so at the time… but then it slipped my mind" Azula said, biting her lip "Could be I'm thinking too much of it, but… even Iroh didn't react as much to our indirect bending as he did. So… maybe not a lot of people have read that book…"

"Huh" Sokka's eyes darted to the floor as he revisited the events of the previous day, under this new light Azula had shed upon the Head Sage: his stomach sank as each exchange with the man became surprisingly logical and understandable this way "Oh, hell. When… when he came to check on you, when Rui Shi brought him, he reassured me. He told me he'd help you, but you know, there was a lot of us there, and yet he looked at me alone, and said that, and… and then, later, after he explained what was wrong with you, he was talking mostly to me again, and then he even said he'd do anything for 'our' Fire Lord. As in, well, you, of course…"

"That's… pretty controversial of him. Unsurprisingly" Azula said, with a weak grin.

"I thought he was acting strange, but now… shit, Azula" Sokka said, eyes wide "He knows about us. He's known for ages and we didn't even notice…?"

"He's better at keeping our secret than we are" Azula laughed softly. Sokka smiled too, shaking his head.

"We're damn lucky he likes you and doesn't like your dad, then" he said "I guess he might not approve of me that much, but maybe he just trusts your judgment anyway…"

"Maybe he does like you, and knows I have… great taste in men" Azula declared, closing her eyes as Sokka chuckled, shaking his head again beside her.

"Right. As if I were the amazing one here, Azula…" he said. She kept her eyes closed, though her smile widened.

"Who says the two of us can't be amazing, huh?" she whispered. Sokka laughed, surrendering to the urge to lean close and press a gentle kiss to her lips.

"Whatever he knows, whatever he figured out… what matters is you're improving" Sokka said, stroking her hair again "That counts for everything"

"I guess it does" Azula bit her lip as Sokka pulled away gradually… and just on time too, as it turned out: footsteps were headed towards the room once more: Fei Rou and the Head Sage were back.

It was inevitable for Sokka to act awkwardly around the Sage, prompting Azula to laugh quietly under her breath as the man resumed the energy reading session. Fei Rou appeared anxious still, surely unsettled by Ozai's visit, even if nothing too awful had come of it, and he had remained present while the Head Sage waved his hands over Azula's body, despite the physician couldn't read the Princess's energy any more than Sokka could. Still, the Head Sage smiled and nodded positively once he withdrew his hands once more.

"It's remarkable, but it continues to happen: your chi amounts are increasing. Not massively, it's true… but it's still important progress"

Apprehensive as he was, Sokka didn't contain his grin as he turned to Azula, who sighed in relief and smiled as well. Fei Rou was relieved too, though most of all for the implication that, if the Princess recovered faster than expected, the Fire Lord would be slightly less threatening in the future.

After Ozai's visit, the day was slower, calmer: Sokka helped Azula eat a thicker meal, a bowl of porridge with further constitution than all the broths she'd been drinking so far – the Princess, naturally, complained about how flavorless it was, only for Sokka to laugh and assure her he'd find spicier foods for her once she was better. He helped out whenever Fei Rou needed someone to prop up the Princess, giving him a chance to change her bandages anew – she was clearly uncomfortable by it, though she didn't say a word, clearly unwilling to expose any parts of her body to anyone but Sokka. Her gladiator and lover reassured her through the process, though, and she fell asleep shortly after her left shoulder had received another round of soothing medicine to chase away the pain.

Night had fallen by the time she woke up again… to find her stalwart guardian, ever sitting by her bedside, was dozing off on his chair.

She allowed herself a small grin, watching his body rising and falling with each breath. His hair was somewhat disheveled, giving him a rugged appearance Azula was instinctively allured by, even in her current state. She wanted to reach up to him, embrace him warmly, to promise she would be fine… but she wasn't all that fine, seeing how she couldn't even rise from her bed by her own volition. How long would it be before she could do that? She wanted to be patient, but the sooner she recovered, the sooner Sokka would sleep soundly once more…

A sudden shudder rushed through Sokka's body: he jolted awake with a start, his unfocused eyes struggling to make out his bearings. Azula watched him remorsefully, silently wondering if her insistent staring had woken him…

"Oh… you're awake" Sokka said, smiling awkwardly at Azula as he rubbed his eyes "Curses, I just dozed off… didn't mean to. Sorry about that"

"You should've slept longer, if anything. You have nothing to be sorry for" Azula spoke gently, gazing at him compassionately. Sokka swallowed hard and shook his head.

"I'm supposed to be awake in case you need anything, Azula… and yeah, speaking of which, do you need something right now, or…?"

"I need you to get proper rest… otherwise I'll end up taking care of you" Azula said, with a small smile "You did that to me once before, remember? Back in the forest…"

"Uh… yeah. True" Sokka grinned awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck.

"When did you last sleep properly?" Azula asked "If you say it was with me, in my room…"

"If I said that… would you be mad at me?" Sokka's awkward grin was all the more uncomfortable as it widened, and Azula scoffed.

"You're impossible. You need to take care of yourself too, silly" she whispered.

"I know I do, but… it's hard" Sokka mumbled "Still, I do feel a little better now. I rested a bit, right? It was still daytime when I was awake… uh, say, do you want food? Or maybe you'd like to change your clothes? Some water…?"

"I'd like to talk, so maybe water will be a good idea" Azula admitted. Sokka gritted his teeth but nodded: why did those words sound so ominous, despite he knew she wouldn't say anything all that awful? Yet he wasn't sure he was ready to be scolded by her, if that was what would happen…

He poured water in her cup, helping her drink it carefully. Azula closed her eyes as she swallowed, relaxing against the pillow while Sokka set aside the drained cup, smiling encouragingly at her, regardless of his apprehension.

"Feeling better?" he asked. She hummed.

"A little" she replied, before seeking his eyes with hers "Can you… tell me what happened? Xin has… given me a few glimpses, but he didn't really understand the full fight anyways. I know you probably wanted me not to know about this yet… but I think I should. It's… it's not like it'll do me any more harm than it already did, right?"

"It could, if your mind's troubled by it" Sokka sighed "That's what you wanted to talk about, though?"

"Yeah, I… my mind's blurry. I don't remember enough" Azula admitted, lowering her gaze "I know I got hurt, but I barely even know how…"

"Apparently Rhone attacked you from behind, from what I heard" Sokka gritted his teeth "He hid someplace and jumped on you… he broke your armor, and then your guards tried their best to protect you until you climbed onto Xin Long and flew off. Rhone followed you. No one really knows where you found the strength to do that… you weren't in good shape by then. Your shoulder was bleeding all over the place by the time I found you…"

"Y-you… threw a hot-air balloon on Rhone?" Azula asked, raising her eyebrows "That's what Xin says…"

"Yeah, well… the other group went to the airship factory" Sokka explained, nodding "We took down most of them, but the Stingray was using water from plants and stuff like that… I decided to stay behind and help with the wounded soldiers while half the Imperial Guards, Toph and Iroh chased the Stingray. I needed to get help for the wounded, so I climbed onto a hot-air balloon and flew it to the scouting airship. By then, Captain Zhen told me he'd seen you flying, and you appeared wounded, and I just… saw red. He still went to the factory to help the wounded, but I just rushed towards you as fast as I could, all caution be damned… when I got there, Rhone was walking towards you, and I went at full speed so he wouldn't reach you. But the damn Spear got him out of the way… at least I managed to get him away from you by doing that, though"

"I kind of remember that… just a little" Azula mumbled "I think I was pretty hopeless by the time you got there, but… once I heard you, and saw you again, I… I thought I could do anything, no matter how wounded I was"

"You did something pretty amazing by slaying the spear, but…" Sokka sighed, shaking his head "After you used gold fire to stop it, and Xin used his blue to help you neutralize the corruption, I tossed Space Sword at you while I was fighting Rhone and then you cut the damn thing. But the corruption just… exploded. It entered your body through your wound and… that's how you ended up like this"

"Figures" Azula whispered, sighing.

"You were too hurt to remember what happened… which is probably for the better" Sokka said, caressing her hair gently "You have it rough enough as it is, no need for horrible images flashing inside your head…"

"That's what's happening to you?" Azula asked. Sokka flinched "Is… is that why you don't want to sleep?"

"N-no, that's not…"

"I went through it too, you know? What… what you're going through right now. It's just like… like what happened with Jeong Jeong" Azula whispered, closing her eyes "You remember just how long it took me to get over it… hell, I'm… I'm not sure I even am, not for real. Sometimes I think about it again and… it's like all my strength fades just upon remembering it. I had nightmares…"

"I know, and I guess maybe I'd have them too… but truthfully I haven't slept enough to even have them" Sokka sighed, shaking his head.

"Unbelievable" Azula said, though she smiled a little "You're even worse than I am, then?"

"Well, you are better at anything than everyone in this world, so… surely I am worse" Sokka grinned "I didn't really want you to know so your mind's not troubled, but… as you might freak out for days if I hid whatever happened, it's probably better if I tell you instead, right?"

"Right" Azula agreed, outright "Though… my mind's troubled enough anyway"

"I guess it is…"

"For reasons you don't know about yet"

Sokka frowned and raised his head: had Ozai said something to her after all? Or was it something he couldn't possibly imagine yet?

"What do you mean?" he asked, nervous. Azula breathed deeply and sighed.

"I… cut the thing, right? The Spear" she said "A lot of things are a blur, but… what I saw when I did that is still really vivid in my mind"

"You saw something?" Sokka asked, eyes wide "What do you mean, exactly?"

"I don't even know, myself…" Azula admitted "I guess when the corruption… spread towards me, it allowed me to see the Spear's memories, if that's what they were"

"The Spear's memories?" Sokka repeated, mystified "How… how does that even work?"

"It was very confusing" Azula said "But… the first flash I saw was of a man being betrayed by his comrades in a battlefield. He was so outraged at their betrayal that his soul was corrupted by vengeance… and that corrupt soul, or spirit, took hold of the physical weapon. It slaughtered people, so many of them, in that battle and many others, but… the most important part is that, at some point, a group of Air Nomads took it into their custody, after the Spear was last used in a battle near Ba Sing Se. I don't know how many centuries have passed since then, but… the Spear was sealed by those Air Nomads, in the Northern Air Temple"

"Sealed?" Sokka said, frowning "Then…? Is that how Rhone found it? But he kept searching the mountains, didn't he…?"

"That's the thing… by the time he was searching for it, the Spear had broken its seal" Azula said "When Sozin's Comet arrived, the Air Nomads hid away safely in the basement of their temple. Theirs was the only hidden temple… the only one whose location wasn't known to outsiders. They were supposed to survive, in case no one else in their culture did, but… one of the children found the Spear by accident. His lifeforce awakened it, after all those years, and… it killed most of them"

"Most?" Sokka repeated, wary.

"I'm not quite sure how its murder process worked…" Azula said "From my understanding, it needed a certain amount of blood, of chi, to be quenched. It didn't necessarily steal away a person's entire chi supply… but enough of it to corrupt the rest of the body, leaving the person for dead. Some Air Nomads escaped… the rest became corpses, at the bottom of the Temple. Which means… my guess was right, after all. The gas… that's where it came from"

"Azula…" Sokka's eyes widened in horror as she closed her own, resting on her pillow.

"The… the Spear gave chase to the Nomads who got away. It followed one group… the others did manage to escape somehow. So… perhaps there are survivors after all, if they lived through the war. But the others… the Spear did catch them, on that very valley Xin Long was appalled by. The one that…"

"Felt like death" Sokka said, shaking his head "Curses… everything lined up, didn't it? Though… why the hell did Rhone know how to find the Spear? He knew it was in the north, but wasn't it meant to be sealed in the Temple? Teo and the Mechanist didn't say he'd ransacked it or anything of the sort…"

"It was a spiritual being… if it was even that" Azula mused "It might have connected to him somehow… I don't know, maybe with something like the swamp. It showed you what might happen, didn't it? A possible future… it may have also showed Rhone the Spear's past, if he were anywhere near it"

"Cursed swamp, if so" Sokka growled "If it hadn't told him about the Spear, we wouldn't have had to face that kind of danger in the first place"

"We couldn't have prepared ourselves for that danger if it weren't for the Swamp, though" Azula mused "It's why we knew he might have the Spear… isn't it?"

"Well, sure, but still…" Sokka pouted "It caused a problem and resolved it? I shouldn't begrudge it for that?"

"Well… you can begrudge it all you like" Azula smiled "I won't mind"

Sokka released another deep sigh before reaching for Azula's right hand, resting on her abdomen as it ever was. The Princess clutched his fingers gently, soothed by the motions of his thumb upon her skin.

"I guess that's all one less mystery, then" Sokka said "That's what you wanted to share?"

"Mostly… yeah" Azula mumbled "And I guess, while I was halfway through that delirium, you were… fighting Rhone?"

"I was" Sokka nodded.

"D-did you…?" Azula asked, tightening her grip over Sokka's hand. He lowered his gaze but nodded once. A sad sigh left her lips "I… I guessed so, but I hoped…"

"I'm no idiot, Princess. I know one big reason you didn't want me on your team was so you could handle Rhone yourself, or with your guards" Sokka said, with a sad grin "I know you wanted to spare me having to kill again… but I think it's the first time I truly wanted to do it. I don't care if it means my soul is more rotten now than it was… as long as you're healing, and recovering, and that bastard can no longer try to hurt you. That he even dared touch you is… hell, I'd sworn I would kill him if he tried, and…"

"And you did" Azula whispered, closing her eyes "I know you wanted to get to him before he could get to me, but… you still kept your promise. You saved me"

"I should've been faster. I should've protected you" Sokka said, shaking his head.

"You did" Azula repeated, smiling a little "I'm the one who's sorry… that I couldn't protect you just as well"

"You saved a whole nation with your actions, love. You protected me and everyone else, too" Sokka smiled reassuringly, leaning in to kiss her brow "You shouldn't be apologizing to anyone. If anything, everyone ought to be on their knees, revering you for as long as they live, because they truly do owe those lives to you. You're just that amazing"

"It'll go to my head if you keep saying that kind of thing" Azula teased him "I can't say I feel all that heroic when I'm so weak, but… I'm glad I helped, however I did"

"I just wish you hadn't taken those wounds" Sokka sighed, reaching up with his free hand to caress her hair again.

"I hope those scars won't be… too unsightly" Azula mumbled. Sokka scoffed "I'm sorry if they are, but…"

"Azula, please" he said, smiling and shaking his head "You've always grown more beautiful every day, and scars won't ever change that. The only thing I'll hate about those scars is that they'll remind me that you got hurt… that I couldn't help you on time. But don't think for a second that I'll love you any less because of them"

"That's… that's good to know" Azula smiled "I guessed I might be self-aware, the next time we… heh. You know"

"I do" Sokka chuckled, caressing her cheek.

"But if you say you won't mind them then… good" Azula said, relaxing on the mattress.

"That seriously ought to be the least of your concerns, you know?" Sokka raised his eyebrows "You sacrificed yourself to help so many people and you think I'd be such a shallow idiot I'd be put off by your scars?"

"Well… I guess when you put it that way, I'm not giving you enough credit" Azula admitted, with a sad smile.

Sokka stroked her hand gently, gazing at her wistfully. Azula met his gaze, her mind inevitably wandering through memories and territories it hadn't traversed often as of late. She hadn't needed to think of those things for a long time, after all…

"Strange, isn't it? For our roles to be reversed this way" Azula smiled sadly "Not that it's the first time you sit by my bedside, but… I'm used to being the one panicking over your life, rather than the other way around"

"It's how it should be" Sokka sighed "I mean, it's obvious I'd rather neither of us had to get hurt, but if anyone does, it ought to be me. It's not fair…"

"I'd think it's perfectly fair, if anything" Azula laughed, closing her eyes "Once, the sponsor carried the gladiator… now, the gladiator carries the sponsor. I guess it says something about how well I've handled my duties to you if you're so unwilling to see me hurt… or maybe I shouldn't take that much pride on that, and accept it's just because you love me…"

"Maybe it's both" Sokka smiled sadly. Azula laughed again.

"I could be freaking out, you know… panicking, because someone has to handle my duties, and if I can't do it, maybe everything we've worked for will go to hell" Azula said "Truthfully, by now I'm sure… all our dreams about relocating to the Earth Kingdom are as good as vanquished. But while I know this, I… I don't feel that bad. I did my duty… I did what I had to do. I protected those who needed to be protected, even if I paid a price…"

"It's very noble of you, though I wish you hadn't had to pay any price at all" Sokka sighed, shaking his head "I'm glad you're level-headed, in spite of everything. I guess maybe you won't be so calm in a few more days, it's easy to go stir-crazy after being cooped up in recovery for too long, but…"

"I think I'll be okay this time" Azula smiled, squeezing his hand "I have you by my side. That's enough"

"Is it?" Sokka asked, his voice unusually faint.

"I thought, for a moment, that my fire wouldn't come back…" Azula said. Sokka tensed up beside her "But I… I was at peace with the idea, somehow. I thought… if that was the cost, so be it. If that was what would allow me to save everyone… I'd accept it. I trusted… I trusted you'd love me, and cherish me, even if the consequences of my actions left me, well… like this. I knew you'd be by my side… without needing to even ask"

Sokka's heart clenched, but he offered her a heartfelt smile, as well as a soft kiss to her brow. Azula groaned weakly, hinting that she wanted his lips on hers, and he complied gladly, eyes tightly shut as he offered her his fragile emotions through that gentle joining of a heartfelt kiss.

"Of course I'll be by your side" Sokka said, his brow against hers "No matter what comes next. It was in our vows, remember?"

"Ah… in which wedding?" Azula asked, teasingly. Sokka chuckled.

"Both of them" he replied, kissing her lips again before pulling away, though he continued to lean close to his secret wife all the same "I'm yours for good. For the rest of my life, however long that might be. Doesn't matter how hard it may be, or if your road to recovery extends more than expected… I will be beside you every step of the way. I swear it"

"Even if I never do get back to… to what I used to be?" Azula asked. Sokka smiled and shook his head.

"You don't even have to ask" he said "I'd rather you did… that this mess left no lasting consequences on you, but if it does, I'll be your sword and your shield whenever you need me to be. I've already represented you in a thousand ways so far, and I'll do it in every way you need me to, going forward"

"Right" Azula smiled, closing her eyes "With you saying that kind of stuff… I feel like there's nothing to worry about anymore. I have such a reliable husband…"

"Only because you've brought out the best I had in me" Sokka grinned, touching her brow gently with his lips "I know I wasn't always much help, but you've changed me in all the ways I never knew I wanted someone to change me. You gave me purpose, and with that purpose I found strength. If I'm a worthwhile man now… I'd credit you for that change"

"Nonsense" Azula said. Sokka sighed and shook his head, smiling warmly "You were more than worthwhile from the very start"

"The very start?" Sokka repeated. Azula nodded lightly, though she flinched at the burst of pain in the joining of her neck and shoulder "Oh, Azula… don't move that much, if you can help it"

"Sorry, it's just… yeah, I meant since the first time we met, for real" she declared "You've always left a huge impression on me, even if I didn't realize it right away. Might be you'll hate yourself for setting an example for me as you did… but by sacrificing yourself for your people, you proved to be more noble than any men I'd known until then"

"You didn't know a lot of good men yet, I suppose" Sokka smiled playfully. Azula scoffed.

"There are no better men than you" she said, stubbornly "That's a known fact"

"Is it, now?" Sokka asked.

"It is. I knew it that day, too…"

"Didn't you just say you didn't realize it right away…?" Sokka asked. Azula smiled.

"I did, though. Just… not in all senses, yet. Say, I… I never did tell you why I spared you, did I?"

Sokka frowned as he pondered her words. He backtracked through the past years in his mind… rushing through each moment at vertiginous speed, only to realize she was right: he had assumed she had merely meant to punish his insolence through slavery back then, but if she had any other reason to do it, she hadn't shared it with him.

"I didn't think there was much of a reason, so… no, you didn't tell me" he whispered.

"It'll sound kind of stupid now… after all this time" Azula said "But the truth is, I… I was blown away when you treated me as an enemy to fight at your very best, no matter if I was a woman. Granted, when you fought the Red-Striped Hornet I ended up questioning my understanding of you, but at the time… I thought you were the only man I'd ever known who had seen more to me than the trappings of my role as a woman in society. You were foolish, yes… talking about my blue fire as you did"

"Uh, true…" Sokka smiled sadly, and Azula laughed softly.

"But as far as I was concerned… that you'd see me as a real threat, one you'd give your all against, was the first moment anyone saw my worth for what it was. At least… I thought so. So, you weren't only noble for helping your people escape, at whatever cost… but you offered me more respect in a single encounter than most men in my nation ever had until then. I did mean to use slavery as a punishment for your insolence, I won't pretend otherwise… but I even wondered if maybe you'd live long enough to trade blows with me another day"

"Well, we did trade a few, mostly in training" Sokka smiled sadly "By now, I'll trade blows with anyone who tries to hurt you, though"

"And I'd do it with anyone who tries to hurt you… but after I've recovered, I guess" Azula smiled. Sokka chuckled softly, letting his brow rest against hers "You should recover too, you know? We're… we're not going to be like this forever"

"Stuck in this room, you mean?" Sokka asked. Azula smiled.

"We have a lot of things to do… important things. Even if my father won't have me as High Governor anymore, we still have a lot to take care of. Like… the Enforcers, right? I'll have to go check on them once I'm better… you'll go too, and you'll give them more lessons. I could watch… and encourage the recruits to defeat you"

"Surely with your support, they'll tear me to shreds" Sokka smiled, and Azula laughed softly.

"There's also… Haiyan and her people. Could be… we can expand the Rehabilitation Center somewhat. To the colonies, too… we could send word about the Center, and people who need help would come to us…"

"And you'll give them all the strength and tools they need to rise up and achieve everything they set their minds to" Sokka whispered "As you did with me"

"We both will" Azula smiled, closing her eyes "We'll… get the dragon laws done, too. Then we can take Toph and Haru on a trip… so they can help us set them free. And Xin will be much happier"

"Yeah… I bet he wants to fly across the whole world with his friends" Sokka grinned "And with you on his back too, of course"

"You're coming as well… whether you like it or not" Azula teased him. Sokka chuckled, shaking his head as he pulled away slightly… only for Azula's uninjured hand to find his cheek, cupping it gently: it was a much bigger movement than usual, and Sokka froze in place as that familiar hand caressed him… she still felt somewhat cold, colder than she usually had been, yet Sokka hoped, as he clasped her hand in his, that his own warmth would transfer to her body, further ensuring she'd heal faster "We also have… a big deal ahead, don't we?"

"What's that?" Sokka asked, his nose prodding hers gently.

"Toph… she said she's almost done with her side of the challenge, didn't she?" Azula whispered. Sokka blinked blankly.

"Huh… heck, I forgot all about that" he admitted. Azula laughed, closing her eyes.

"The gladiator can't remember he's a gladiator… I think being my husband has become addictive for you, hasn't it?" she asked "Forgot what your alleged primary function in my life was supposed to be?"

"I guess being your gladiator has taken a different meaning by now" Sokka smiled "I'll gladly fight for you in the Arena, but… I'll fight for you anywhere, at this point. There's nowhere I wouldn't go for you, love, nothing I wouldn't do to keep you safe, to protect your smiles, your heart, your soul. That's not what you hired me for, I know… but that's what my true duty is to you, at this point"

Azula's smile spread wider as he spoke, though her eyes remained closed: even so, tears slipped past her eyelids, and her grip on his cheek strengthened.

"I never even dared dream of a partner like you…" she whispered "You're all I ever wanted… all I ever needed, whether I knew it or not. I don't even care anymore, whether you win or lose in the fighting pit… I'm so proud you're my gladiator the results don't mean a thing anymore. Points, rankings… they're irrelevant in the face of a bond like ours. So Toph, Combustion Man… I don't care if you lose against them. I know, even if you do, that there's no better gladiator in this world than you. No better man…"

"And there's no better sponsor… no better woman than you" Sokka smiled warmly, tears rising in his eyes as well "I love you more than anything in this world, Azula"

"So do I… more than anything, Sokka" she whispered: her fingers slipped past his ear, trailing over the hairs on the back of his head, traveling down the curve that led to the nape of his neck… the scar on her palm touched the scars she had left upon his skin the first time their paths had crossed.

Whether it was fate that brought them together, or they had forged the entwinement of their destinies by their own hand, they were connected deeply, so much their very lifeforces had merged together: his water had clashed against her fire once until they had learned to flow together, and by now their souls were so similar, so close together that they appeared one and the same.

She hadn't told him yet… but Azula already suspected that his comforting, loving presence was the reason her chi was resurging, why it had regenerated with surprising ease and speed, when no one even knew if it was possible. He would surely give her all the credit, she knew… but it wasn't merely her doing. It was their work, together, as the team they had grown into, over the passage of time.

Sokka didn't doubt that she was right to focus on the future… to think about the many great things that still awaited them ahead, but he wasn't impatient about reaching for them anymore. He offered her gentle kisses, as many of them as he could get away with, comforting her, offering her all the support she could have needed, all the strength he hadn't known still dwelled inside him. Maybe it wasn't a matter of sacrificing himself for her sake… but rather, of helping her until she was her strong, untamable self once more, before she knew it. That was his true duty to her, a duty he had accepted from the moment he had decided he wanted to live with her, for her.

"Get… up here" Azula whispered against his lips. Sokka raised his eyebrows, smiling awkwardly.

"Not sure I should… the door's not locked" he whispered.

"Then… lock it and climb with me" Azula grinned. Sokka chuckled and shook his head "You'll rest better on a bed, that's all there is to it…

"I'll rest better if I can hold you, rather" he whispered "It's still risky, but… if you're sure, I'll do it"

"I'm sure" Azula said, opening her eyes so her golden gaze would find his, even in the dimly-lit room.

Sokka sighed before kissing her heartily once more, with perhaps more strength than he should have. Azula responded weakly, though a soft moan left her throat, a longing one, quietly asking for more of those affections once he returned from closing the door. Sokka was still smiling as he rose to his feet: he frowned upon finding the door was ajar. Hadn't he closed it earlier? He was sure he had, after Fei Rou had checked on Azula in the afternoon…

He dared glance outside, finding most lights were out. No one was around: hopefully he was just worrying over nothing, too stressed, misremembering things because of that…

With a sigh, Sokka closed the door and locked it: he'd likely wake up early and unlock it again, so that no one intending to visit the Princess might catch them together in a compromising situation or find the door suspiciously locked when it shouldn't be.

He climbed on the mattress on her right side, shrugging off his shoes carelessly as he stretched beside her. Azula was still smiling, though pain crossed her face when she tried to angle her head in his direction. Sokka eased her, kissing her temples as he wrapped an arm around her waist, protectively. Azula closed her eyes, and while she wished to gaze at him some more, she relented to common sense and relaxed as she was.

"Comfortable?" Sokka asked. She hummed.

"With you beside me… yes. Far more than I was" she said, closing her eyes "I love you, Sokka"

"And I love you, Azula. More than anything"

He embraced her intimately, and her very soul was reassured by the gentle gesture that carried a deeper meaning along it than it ever did. It didn't matter what her recovery might entail, how long and drawn-out it might be… she found no shame in her actions, not when she had saved her people as she had. And what shame could there be in her progress so far, when she had earned the love of a man like Sokka? She had been lonely, afraid of letting anyone see her for who she was… but the man beside her knew her, deeply, and he loved every single thing about her. Maybe she wasn't yet worthy of that kind of devotion, maybe she still had much room left to grow… but tonight she felt she was closer to becoming worthy of it, more than she ever had been. She was more than her fire, more than her political position, more than her cleverness and abilities… she didn't need to prove herself any further, she hadn't needed to do so for years, not when she was with him. No other comfort quelled her once-troubled soul as much as that knowledge did. She was loved, for everything that she was, by the exemplary man who held her tenderly in his arms.

The pain wouldn't recede easily, and it wouldn't be likely for either of them to regain their strength over the course of one night… but it was only fitting to spend the final night of their week nestled together, dangerous, reckless and fate-defying as it might be for them to do so. It was finally a chance for respite, and they both needed it direly, succumbing to their exhaustion within mere moments of relaxing together on that mattress.

The wheels of the carriage turned slowly: there was no real urgency to reach the estate at haste, though the sooner they arrived, the better. Zhao's head was throbbing by now: he had only dozed off for a couple of hours over the past few days. Rei would be horrified by his appearance if she saw him like this, he suspected…

He'd spend as many days or weeks resting as possible. Frankly, he didn't want to do anything else at the moment, let alone return to the Palace, whether Ozai needed him around or not. But he had already given the Fire Lord all the pertinent, relevant information the man might have needed… well, that he'd known of, at the time.

Curses, but he had seen it coming. He had sensed it from the first time that foreign stranger had approached him on that day of the Ball, three years ago, asking if he knew where the Princess was. He had suspected it by how fiercely defensive and stubborn the Princess had presented herself for years, even when faced with the possibility that her gladiator might have reached the pinnacle of his potential – as was proven afterwards, his fight against the Blind Bandit hadn't even measured up to half of what he would be capable of in current times. It had come to mind again, upon hearing the man had damn near died in Jeong Jeong's hands for remaining staunchly loyal to the woman who had enslaved him: later, on the next Ball, when he had brought up his suspicions to the gladiator only for him to panic, to beg him not to act on what he'd discovered…

He had wrongfully assumed the gladiator was merely troubled by hearing his beloved Princess's affections belonged to someone else: by now, his reaction had taken a whole different meaning.

For she had carried him over her shoulders twice, if the recollections he'd heard at the High Tier's reunions were accurate, and he had witnessed it with his own eyes on one of those occasions. He had entertained the notion briefly… expecting, perhaps, that theirs would be an unspoken, unrealized romance, if he was reading the Princess's behavior for what it was. It seemed as though she had grown much with him by her side… her overconfident airs from her youngest years had transitioned into furious bitterness once she was a teenager, and it was clear she wasn't satisfied by anything but accomplishing all her ambitions, an attitude Zhao understood fairly well. But with that man by her side she had stopped staring ahead so persistently, so obsessively… and instead, she had allowed her eyes to settle on him. Instead of clinging relentlessly to the road she was creating for herself, she had chosen to take in that road in the company of someone she treasured.

And it was all ridiculously romantic. Too much, if anything. Youth, truly…

Again, he would have been quite comfortable with the notion under most any other circumstances. He would have expected Azula to have understood better than to put the man she had grown to love at risk… but when he stopped by her room, hoping to offer her a few encouraging words before returning to his estate, as well as reassuring the gladiator that he had done well, and that the crisis was no longer his to concern himself with:

"The gladiator can't remember he's a gladiator… I think being my husband has become addictive for you, hasn't it?"

He hadn't thought to knock, a mistake he certainly shouldn't have made: hearing such words upon turning the doorknob made him pause in his motions and freeze before the threshold. Stone cold as he was, he lingered there for a few moments, uncertain of what the meaning of those words would be. How could he be her husband? Was it some sort of playful game, perhaps? Even if it were… it merely confirmed his suspicions that their affection was mutual. And then…

"I love you more than anything in this world, Azula"

"So do I… more than anything, Sokka"

Oh, they were fools. Too young for their own good, no doubt, and they had certainly forgotten all about the very obvious, tangible distance that ought to have existed between them. No doubt, the gladiator was far more leisurely than any slave should have been… frankly, if they hadn't given him so much leeway, trusted him in ways they probably shouldn't have, in virtue of all his deeds for the Fire Nation, for the Princess's sake, perhaps he wouldn't have forgotten his place. But he had… and so had she, clearly.

Either the man was far more cunning and clever than Zhao ever suspected… or he was far more innocent and naïve. No doubt, the Princess was being fickle, longing for affection that had been denied to her for years… they both should have known better. For at this rate, if they continued acting out, the time would come when their poorly-kept secret would be revealed…

And if it was, everything they'd achieved would amount to nothing. Not even saving the Fire Nation a thousand times would protect them from Ozai's promised wrath.

Which was exactly why Zhao groaned and sank in his seat, burying his face in his hands. He had wronged the Princess often in the past… and the one time he had tried to help her in regards of her love life he had misread the situation entirely and, had things taken a worse turn, he genuinely might have gone unforgiven for as long as he lived for his meddling. It was clear that would be his fate this time, were he to speak out about this relationship… this apparent treason Azula had committed against her father, right under his very nose. She would never forgive Zhao if he dared talk… for she would lose the one man who had brought her true happiness throughout her life. The man with whom she had finally been able to craft her destiny as freely as she pleased…

Ugh. No, he couldn't do that. What he could do, quite well, was play dumb. Play the fool, and pretend he knew nothing. For, in the end, what did he know? Perhaps the Princess hadn't used the word husband. Perhaps she'd said the word 'husbandry', and she was merely talking about mounts. And when the gladiator had told her he loved her, she had merely said "so do I", meaning, she loved herself, just as well. Good. That was all it amounted to.

He had always been a skilled liar, but his skill would certainly be put to the test by the latest developments. Pretending to be ignorant of this secret wouldn't be easy… though, frankly, it was a wonder Ozai hadn't suspected it yet. Perhaps he did, come to think of it…

That he'd refrain from sharing this truth with Ozai was a matter of survival, of common sense: he wouldn't betray the Princess's worst secret to the only man powerful enough to destroy her, otherwise, once the Princess made a move of her own, whatever it was, she'd likely consider taking a rather bloody, unpleasant revenge on Zhao for whatever part he'd played in the revealing of the relationship. Yet how likely was she to keep the secret safely, in the first place? If he had already confirmed his suspicions through a mere moment of carelessness, how many others had discovered the truth as well?

And how long would it be before the next one to do so was Ozai himself?

Oh, he'd need a drink or two to chase away the headache that only intensified further. He wanted to rest for months, if he could, not just weeks… hopefully, those two would keep their truth hidden long enough to afford Zhao a chance to do as much. Yet a rather unpleasant gut feeling told him the golden days the Princess had shared with her gladiator were numbered, and it wouldn't be long before they ran out completely.

A/N:

With that… the second-to-last arc of Part 2 is finished. Quite the ominous conclusion, wouldn't you say?

I felt the need to make this author's note for a very important reason. If you have absolute trust in me as a writer, are ride-or-die with this story and have an aversion towards any form of spoilers, feel free to stop reading right here.

If you don't care to be subtly spoiled, feel free to proceed:

Several of you have a pretty good idea pertaining the direction things are going to take very soon. I've been told that this story is a lot more wholesome, comedic, happy and fluffy than they anticipated… but as an author, it is my duty to fulfill the demands of plot. I have outlined Gladiator fully, I know exactly where we're going and we're absolutely on our way there… but what I want to bring up today is that the path ahead will be a lot darker than it has been so far.

Yes, we had quite a dark situation in the story in this last arc. It's, in some ways, the opening act to what's going to go down in the coming months/years. I don't like gratuitous violence (ironic, considering the story I write), I don't take deaths for granted, I am particularly appalled by several topics I've had to touch upon in the story in upcoming chapters… so this author's note is intended as a bit of a warning to those readers who have had the time of their lives throughout Part 2 and its many wonders and don't want that ride to end: I divide Gladiator into three parts (Part 1 being chapters 1 to 100, Part 2 being chapters 101 to 247, Part 3 being everything after that) based on changes to the narrative status quo of the story. The change this time, however, will be far more massive than that one was. It's a significant change that will transform the so-far source of tension at the core of the story in order to deliver on the ultimate promise of this story…

A lot of complicated storytelling looms ahead, built upon the personal arcs many characters have been on for as long as they've featured in Gladiator. There's scenes that I literally cooked up on day 1 of Gladiator's plotting: a lot of the choices my characters will make might come off as outrageous and unacceptable to some of you, regardless of build-up. The whole point of this warning is to let you guys know that the darkest times of Gladiator are not behind us, but ahead. I've wrecked my soul writing a lot of difficult scenes, I've done my best to not sugarcoat the situations just as I don't want to graphically describe the worst of it… but things are going to hit the fan.

Yes, I can outright guarantee a happy ending. There's going to be some incredible scenes and storytelling in Part 3, possibly some of the absolute BEST I've ever written, strong dialogue and complex themes, returns of characters we haven't seen in a while, new dynamics, certain so-far implied storylines finally explored… but there will be lots of struggle, lots of grief, lots of anguish and pain. There may be moments when you guys will think you've had enough of seeing the absolute worst of certain characters… and I, frankly, won't ever blame you for it because I've felt the same way while writing those upcoming chapters. I have the benefit of knowing the payoff while I write while you don't. It's complicated to explain right now… but anyway, my point is, if you feel the story's future dark turns are too disturbing to read on a weekly basis (once we hit Part 3), feel free to take breaks. Feel free to wait a while until you see I'm posting an arc with a title that intrigues you enough. And of course, feel free to walk away too, whether intending to come back or not. It's not my intent to make anyone unhappy… but it is my intent to tell the most powerful story I can, no matter how heartbreaking it may be, and I have made my peace with the reality that this may not suit a lot of people who are currently reading Gladiator.

So… with that very optimistic note (?), I think it's fair to say that the next arc will stay in line with everything we've known so far until chapter 236. If you're not sure you want to stick around when things get seriously dark, I suggest you read up until that chapter but we're all responsible of our personal Internet experiences :'D so, do as you wish and, whether you do stick around or not, thank you for giving Gladiator as many hours and days of your lives as you have. Writing this story is still, to this day, an enormous blessing for me, no matter if it's a punishing one sometimes when things get complicated, too. Hope you guys will enjoy at least the last few leisure chapters of the story so far… and if you're an angst-lover, who I know are indeed out there, I'm going to assume you'll seriously enjoy what's coming next because it should be right up your respective alleys.

Alright, that's that. I'll probably drop another warning at 236… but for now, it is what it is. Thank you very much for reading so far!