CHAPTER 11
"Azula… Azula… Azula…" the voice kept calling her over and over. Non-stop.
She turned around, glancing everywhere, trying to find the origin of the voice. But there was nothing there. Just the void and complete darkness. And she was alone, in the middle of it.
"Azula… Azula… Azula…"
The voices sounded lower and lower. Closer.
A shiver ran down her spine when she felt the voices coming from behind her. They were familiar, maybe too much. She felt a sense of panic, even fear.
"Azula… Azula… Azula…"
She turned around abruptly, only to find her father standing behind her.
The Princess woke up in a jolt, a little shaken. She was sat on the bed breathing hard, beads of sweat adhering to her neck. At first, she was a little disoriented about where she was until she was able to find her bearings. It was her room at the Royal Palace in Ba Sing Se.
A knock on the door startled her.
"Azula," it was Zuko's voice. "Are you awake?" he asked softly.
She gulped hard. Her chest still heaving. "Y-Yeah… Why?" she replied, trying to sound as calm as possible, sitting at the edge of the bed. She ran her hand through hair, looking quite frazzled.
"Uncle is coming for training, remember?" he said, behind the door.
The Princess filled a glass from the pitcher of water on the nightstand next to the bed. Her hands shaking were shaking slightly.
"Of course," she said, even if she had momentarily forgotten that fact. "I will be out in a minute." she told him before swallowing the full content of her glass.
"Alright," he replied at the other side. "Meet us at the training grounds, okay?"
"Uh-huh." she muttered.
She heard her brother's steps fade into the distance.
Azula took a deep breath. It hadn't been a nightmare; she acknowledged. But then, what kind of dream had it been? She hasn't thought of her father in ages. She neither missed him nor wished to see him, so why had he appeared in her dream? And who did the second voice belong to? Zuko? Her mother?
She shook these thoughts out of her mind. It had just been a dream. She had never slept in this bed. That was probably the reason. It meant nothing. She needed to forget that and focus on the important stuff and not stupid dreams.
Azula pulled herself together and headed to prepare herself for the day. It was going to be a long day.
It took her around fifteen minutes to be fully ready and on her way to meet her brother and her uncle.
She found them without a problem on the training grounds, drinking tea and having a little chat while waiting for her. The sun already shining and illuminating the grass where they were seated. The morning air brushed her skin as soon as she stepped outside. It was a fresh morning, remembering her that winter was about to come.
She took a seat next to her brother, and her uncle poured a warm cup of tea.
"Azula?" Zuko called her, waving a hand in front of her.
Her mind had wandered for a moment. "Huh?" she blinked back into reality.
"I said; Good morning." her brother said.
"Ah…" she muttered, reaching for her cup.
He raised an eyebrow. "I think the right answer is; good morning."
"No."
"Yeah, but…"
"No." she repeated, taking a sip of her tea. Jasmine.
It wasn't a good morning. She felt exhausted. Mentally exhausted. She felt a potential migraine coming any time now.
"I think someone woke up in a bad mood today, huh?" she heard her uncle whisper to her brother quizzical.
"Just today?" he replied also whispering and both shared chuckled.
"Tsk!" she grunted feeling a twinge on her temple.
"My apologies, my niece," Iroh said politely. "You seem a little distracted. What's on your mind?" he inquired, emptying his cup.
"Nothing," Azula replied, dismissing her previous thoughts. "I just… I couldn't sleep very well."
Zuko frowned. "But that always happens to you, right? Whenever you sleep somewhere else that is not your room you have trouble sleeping the first night."
Azula nodded. "Yeah…" she muttered. There were a ton of aspects that could help disturb her sleep. Including wrinkled sheets or sleeping for the first time in a bed that wasn't hers. Maybe that and the fact that yesterday had been an exhausting day for her caused her to have a nightmare.
"Well, tea always helps to ease our minds," told her uncle, "Still, let me know if you keep having trouble sleeping and I will make you some relaxing tea to help you sleep. A nice rest is just as essential as breathing."
"I will."
"Okay. In that case, you two finish your cups and then show me what you got," Iroh commanded, "Zuko was telling me you two are working on different combat forms, as well as a new form entirely, right?"
"Yeah, we are trying hand to hand combat, and other types of fighting." said Azula.
"I see. And you two are attempting to blend your firebending styles, correct?" Iroh raised a brow with a hand stroking his beard.
"Yes," said Zuko."But they are so different that we keep having trouble with that. I was hoping that we could get some advice to manage it, to blend it successfully."
"Alright," he said. "Then show me."
Zuko and Azula stood in the middle of the ground, face to face, just a meter between them.
They both took a deep breath before beginning.
Both extended their arms in a circle of flames in front of each other. They swung around their arms, from one side to the other, mirroring each other movements. Then, the kick blasts followed soon after, mixed with punches of fire. The orange flames entangled with the blue ones and vice versa. The flames of different colors danced next to each other in every direction. Back and forth. Up and down. From left to right.
The blue flames would turn orange and the orange would turn blue as the benders threw it from one to the other one.
And when Zuko and Azula were close enough to each other, he took her by one arm and with a hand on her back helped her to get the impulse she needed to twirl and support her hands on his shoulders, to land behind him, back to back.
They both did a few stances. A circle of orange flame surrounded them both. The flames grew bigger, and the circle expanded until it was extinguished entirely, only to reveal a circle with larger and stronger blue flames. Zuko's flames were meant to conceal Azula's.
Once they were done, they turned to their uncle who was watching with his arms crossed and a frown plastered on his face.
"It was good," he said. "But could be better. Zuko, you need to speed up. You are thinking way too much between one movement and another which causes you to force Azula to slow down… Azula, your mind, it's thinking faster than your body can react. You need to slow down a little bit so Zuko can catch up with you, and you both need to, instead of trying to synchronize with each other movements, synchronize your breathing with each other's." he explained, repeating some of the hands movement he had seen them do and blowing some fire from his nostrils. "Now do it again. But this time slow, so you can catch up better if any of you are messing up with your stance and form."
"By any of you, you mean Zuko, right?" Azula mocked.
"Hey!" he complained, pouting.
She snickered. "Come on, Zuzu." she said, before doing as her uncle indicated.
They repeated their formation. This time slowly. Stance by stance. Form by form.
"Zuko, deepen your stance more." Iroh corrected him. Zuko did as indicated. "Azula, I know you are doing it the right way, but don't deepen your stance so much. Because of your height difference, you two need to find a middle point that works for both of you." he explained, as they moved to their next set.
He walked around them, looking up and down.
"Zuko, loosen your movements. You are too rigid, make them more fluid," he said, showing him the right form. "Azula, slow down just a little bit so your paces are matched."
They repeated the form slowly one last time, from start to finish, this time applying the corrections.
"Better," said Iroh pleased. "Now, the two of you come over," They sat around the table again. "Well, done. But you two are not used to work with each other. It will take time, but I'm sure you both will manage it. Zuko, your height and build help you have a steadier stance and a stronger one. Azula, your size gives you a tremendous advantage with agility and speed. Learn to identify each other strengths and weaknesses and find a way to make it work and make it even," he advised them, "Where one of you lacks, the other makes up for it. Remember that."
They showed him other forms too, and Iroh corrected them as well. And once they were done, they remained a moment with their uncle at the training grounds. He kept giving them advice about their forms.
For Azula, it was a little odd to have her uncle giving her advice on her firebending. Not only was his way different to Lo and Li -who for starters weren't even benders- but also Iroh was able to read them well enough to know where they were lacking, even before they knew it.
They were finishing the tea when the Head Court Lady Naru found them. She was expressionless with her perfectly arranged uniform and dress. Not a hair out of place, not a wrinkle on her clothes.
"Fire Lord, Princess Azula. I have come to inform you we received a message from Chief Hakoda and Chief Arnook. They have docked at Lake Laogai and are on their way to the Palace. Everyone else is waiting for them already at the saloon." she informed them, deadpanned. Her tone was polite, yet strict.
"Thank you, Head Court Lady. We will go in a second." replied Zuko, respectfully.
Iroh glanced at the woman with interest, and he couldn't help but be intrigued about her.
"And who is this beautiful lady if I can ask?" he inquired too politely, even a little flirty.
Naru glanced at him stoically. "I'm Naru, the Head Court Lady of the Earth Kingdom Palace."
"Oh, it's a pleasure to meet you," said Iroh, with a little bow. "I'm…"
"General Iroh," she cut him off in a deadpan tone. "The Dragon of the West. First-born son of Fire Lord Azulon and the man that commanded the 600-day Siege of Ba Sing Se."
He blinked. "Well, that was a long time ago," he said, with a little nervous laugh. "Head court Lady Naru, or can I call you Naru?" he asked, coquettish.
"No," she denied, "Head Court Lady Naru will be fine."
"Oh, alright. Head Cort Lady Naru," said Iroh with a smile, "So, you know me then?"
The woman huffed. "Of course, I know you, sir," she said, bitterly, "Hundreds died because of the siege."
Iroh froze at her sharp and direct words. He didn't know what else to say.
"Awkward." muttered Azula, when the situation between Iroh and the Head Court Lady turned uncomfortable and tense.
Naru had no interest in any kind of talk with their uncle.
"Shush…" Zuko shut her, also feeling the tension grow.
"Well, if you excuse me, I have things to do." Naru excused herself, ignoring their uncle.
"Of course, of course. You must be a very busy woman with hundreds of people at your charge," said Iroh, anxiously trying to lighten the situation. "B-But if you ever wish to relax with a nice warm of tea, you will always be welcome in the Jasmine Dragon." he proposed.
Naru glanced at him impassively. "The tea is far too sour." replied the woman.
"Azula, let's get going," mumbled Zuko, "Seeing uncle flirt is making me uneasy." he said standing up when he recognized that he had had enough of seeing his uncle flirt and fail so miserably.
"Agreed. Let's pretend we saw nothing." she proposed, standing up as well.
"I always do." he confessed.
"If tea would not do, then… I can offer you other things. We have amazing desserts too." said Iroh, still not giving up.
"I don't like sweets." Naru said, harshly trying not to lose her patience with the old man.
"Let's go, I can't stand another second of this." said Zuko.
Azula didn't reply, but she agreed with him and headed inside.
They walked towards the saloon where the Head Court Lady had told them the others were waiting.
"First time I felt sorry for others," said Azula. "Do you think he is going to give up? She didn't seem interested."
"It's Uncle," Zuko replied. "Of course he won't. And I'm sure in the end she would take a liking to him."
Zuko knew that his uncle had a way with ladies. He still remembered his successful attempt with the passport woman when they had been refugees.
"Who with whom?" asked Sokka after overhearing their conversation when they were arriving at the saloon.
The room was very large. In the middle of it, was a circular table lined with seats. At the sides of the saloon there were four smaller tables, empty as of now. In the walls a map of the entire Earth Kingdom hanged, as well as one of Ba Sing Se and some other important cities like Yu Dao and Cranefish Town. The green and silver carpet covered the entire floor of the room.
"Our uncle with the Head Court Lady." informed Zuko.
"Really?" asked Katara, widening her eyes.
"Yeah." said Zuko, before telling them what had happened between Iroh and Naru.
"Morning everyone." King Kuei greeted them entering the salon, followed by three of his advisors.
"Morning." everyone replied to the Earth King, taking their seats.
"We are just waiting for the Chiefs to arrive, right?" asked the Avatar.
"Indeed," said Kuei. "They must be here any moment now."
"Azula," Zuko called her at her left. "Do you have the… um… the…" she raised her eyebrows as he tried to remember. "The... Proposals I gave you back on the Barge." he snapped his fingers when he remembered.
"Yes." she nodded.
"Did you revise them?" he asked, wary.
"Yes."
"Are you sure?" he asked, insisting and feeling a little uneasy.
"Yes, Zuko. I'm sure," she assured him. "I went through them twice, okay? Calm down. I told you; we are going to be leaving this place with the best deal we can get for the Fire Nation," she said, cockily, patting him on the shoulder, trying to ease him. "I guarantee you that. Just trust me."
"How can you be so sure?" he whispered, troubled.
"Because we weren't raised to be losers." said Azula, overconfident.
"No. You two were raised to have a ton of issues." Toph intervened at Zuko's left. Aang, Sokka, and Katara chuckled.
"But not to be losers," the Princess pointed. Zuko rolled his eyes and sighed. "Just let me do the talking, okay?"
"Alright," he agreed. "Either way, I only wish we can…" he began when the door opened, catching everyone's attention.
"I hope I'm not late." a tall, brawny man in his forties and Water Tribe in appearance, entered the saloon with a side smile.
"Dad!" Sokka and Katara shouted, rising from their seats and rushing to greet the man with gigantic smiles on their faces.
The three of them melted into a crushing embrace.
"Katara, Sokka, I missed you so much." he said with a smile, hugging his kids.
Azula stared at the scene and couldn't help but feel a tinge of jealousy. Not only did Sokka and Katara have a sibling relationship that she and Zuko would never have, but also, his father seemed to be the kind of father their children would be eager to see.
And for a moment, she wondered if she and Zuko would have had a relationship remotely close like theirs if they were raised under different circumstances. Not pinned against each other and without parents showing favoritism.
The Princess cast a quick glance to Zuko next to her, and judging from his expression, she could assume he was thinking the same thing.
Zuko noticed his sibling glancing at him and gave her a brief smile to which she didn't reply.
"We missed you too," said Katara with a joyous smile. "Did Malina come too?"
He shook his head. "No, but she sends her regards. She is supervising a project so she couldn't join us. But she hopes to see you both in the South, soon." he said.
"Send her our regards too," replied Sokka. "Who did you come with?"
"Bato and some boys from the tribe." said their father.
"Who?" he asked.
"Hey, Sokka! Hey Katara!" four boys appeared behind their father joined by man with long hair.
The four boys looked younger than Sokka and Katara, but they all had the same water tribe looking features, not to mention that they were all using the colors.
"Kanto! Tenki! Baki! Bato!" the water tribe siblings rushed to greet the other member of their tribe just as eagerly.
"Oh, my… Oh my…" said the man with longer hair. "Just look at you two. You have both grown so much. Katara, you are resembling Kya more and more with every passing day," The waterbender blushed. "And Sokka, you're not that weakling boy anymore and gosh, you are even taller than your father."
Sokka smiled proudly.
"The weakling part I'm not so sure." Toph muttered jokingly with a grin.
"Yeah! Your voice doesn't sound squeaky anymore." commented one of the boys. He seemed to be the youngest among them all, and Azula noticed that his hair was arranged in a similar way to Sokka's.
Making everyone chuckle and Sokka pouted.
"Ha ha, Kanto," he grunted. "My voice changed a long time ago." he said, making his voice sound deeper than what it was.
"Arguable." Azula mumbled.
"Hey!" Sokka whined in a sharp tone. Azula raised her eyebrows with a smirk. He cleared his throat. "It did!"
She raised her hands with a grin, while everyone else tried to repress a chuckle.
"Tsk!" he grunted.
"How have you been, Chief Hakoda?" asked the Avatar, rising from his seat too and greeting the Chief with a respectful bow.
"Aang, how many times have I told you to just call me Hakoda?" he said, with a wide smile.
"Yeah, twinkle-toes," Toph commented, walking towards them. "You and Katara have been eating each other for years already, it's time for you to drop those monk formalities." she said, carelessly.
"Toph!" Aang and Katara scolded her, blushing deeply.
The Princess covered her mouth with her hand, suppressing a giggle.
"I like her," said the boy named Kanto with a laugh. "She is funny. I'm Kanto" he said, stretching a hand towards the earthbender.
"Am I'm blind." she replied without taking his hand.
Kanto's eyes widened. "Really?" he said with amazement.
"But don't let her fool you, Kanto," Sokka interjected. "She is the best earthbender around. She can kick your ass without a problem."
"Cool!" he said, his eyes shining with excitement, "Can you show me some kick-ass earthbending?" he inquired.
"Chief Hakoda," Zuko greeted his friend's father. "It so good to see you, Sir."
"Fire Lord Zuko, it's been a while." said the Chief.
"Indeed. How is everything in the South? Everything progressing well, I hope." said Zuko, in a well-mannered way.
"It is." said Hakoda.
Zuko turned towards Azula. "I guess you two haven't formally met yet, Chief Hakoda, this is my Royal Advisor, Crown Princess and sister, Azula." he introduced her.
For a second, Azula wondered if the Chief was going to be as hostile as their children had been with her at first, after all, she remembered him being pointed out as the leader during the Invasion of the Black Sun. She had also been the one to give the order to send him to the Boiling Rock.
But the Chief gave her a little side smile.
"Princess Azula, it a pleasure to finally meet you formally," he said, giving her a small, but respectful bow. "Malina was really impressed with the project you sent with the last group of engineers that arrived in the South."
"What project?" asked Sokka, intrigued.
Azula was amazed by the lack of hostility in his tone and for his politeness.
"It was nothing," replied the Princess, ignoring Sokka. "It only had my signature of approval." she said, dismissing the matter.
"The engineers said that it was you who came up with the idea." said Hakoda, raising his eyebrows.
"I was bored and it just happened," said Azula. "It was a project that would have never worked in the Fire Nation, but I assumed it would work wonders in that cold land you call home." she said, matter-of-factly.
Hakoda smiled at her comment. "And it's very cold, indeed," he said in agreement. "Either way, we are thankful for that project."
"What project?" Sokka insisted, and again he was ignored. He sulked.
"If we came up with any other project we can't use in the Fire Nation I would make sure to revise it and see if it can be adapted to your hostile land before we dispose of it." said the Princess.
"And I would appreciate that." replied the Chief, respectfully.
"What pro…?" Sokka tried to insist for a third time, but Baki and Tenki grabbed him by the shoulders.
"Sokka, look at Kanto," they told him, quizzically.
He glanced in his direction and saw how he was watching at Toph make different figures with her bracelet. His eyes were dazzling. He was mesmerized by the earthbender.
"Look like someone got a crush." The one with the ponytail and rounded face, who seemed to response to the name Banki teased.
Kanto couldn't seem to look away from Toph.
Sokka smiled, mischievously. "Azula," he called the Princess in a low voice.
"Huh?" she glanced at him.
"Look." he pointed with his head towards Toph and Kanto's direction.
The Princess noticed how the boy was charmed by the earthbender and they were both having an entertaining conversation.
"Someone is in love." mocked one of the boys next to Sokka.
Azula smirked. "He is totally under Snotty's spell." said Azula, teasingly.
"Now, she is going to have to stop messing with us," said Sokka. "If I have to listen to her making another comment about you being out of my league, I'm going to lose it."
Tenki and Baki shared glances with each other before looking at the Princess and then at Sokka.
"Dude, she is way out of your league." both said at the same time.
"Shut up!" Sokka grunted. "Nobody asked you." he pouted, making the boys laugh and getting Kanto's and Toph's attention.
"What are you laughing about?" he asked.
"About Sokka being…" Tenki began, but Sokka rushed to shush him with a hand over his mouth.
Then he noticed something in Kanto he hadn't noticed before. "Hey, did you copy my hairstyle?" he asked, tilting his head.
Kanto rubbed the back of his neck, blushing. "Well, you are kind of a hero now in our tribe, so yeah…" he admitted, rushing a hand through his hair.
Sokka smirked with arrogance. "Did you hear that Azula? I'm a hero." he said cockily.
"He said kind of," she refuted. "Kind of."
"Tsk!"
"Sokka, don't I look really handsome? I even think I can pull it off better than you." Kanto bragged, smugly, placing a hand under his chin and showing his profile.
Sokka huffed. "You wish, you little brat," he retorted. "You don't look as half as handsome as I do." he said, haughtily.
Azula snorted at his comment. "As if…" she mumbled.
"Boys!" Bato called them. "I think we should get going. We only came by to drop off your father, so we should continue on." he said.
"Where are you going?" asked Katara.
"We have some things to do in the market while you are at the meeting," he explained.
"Alright," they all agreed. "We will see you all later."
"See you Toph" Kanto said to the earthbender.
"Bye." she replied, making him blush.
The two that resembled each other the most; Tenki and Genki grabbed him by the shoulders with mischievous smiles. "He is soo… in love." they boys mocked him as they followed Bato out.
"Of course. See you guys" the chief and his kids waved a goodbye.
Once they were left alone in the saloon, Chief Hakoda turned towards the Earth King.
"I'm sorry for the interruption, King Kuei."
"Don't worry, Chief Hakoda. It wasn't an interruption." he said, "We are still waiting for Chief Arnook to arrive."
"Your father is handsome," Azula muttered to Sokka as the Chief and King Kuei began a quick conversation. "You are adopted, right?" she asked, teasingly.
Sokka glanced at her, baffled. "What? No!" he squealed in affront. "I look exactly like him when he was younger!" he stated.
The Princess looked at the Chief and then at Sokka. "Mmm… yeah, no. I don't see it." she replied.
His eyebrows twitched. "Katara, tell her!" he pleaded to his sibling. "Tell her I look exactly like my father when I was younger!"
The waterbender made a grin. "Well…"
"Whoa…" Azula huffed, quizzically raising her eyebrows.
"Shut up!" he complained. "I do! We have the same good looks."
The Princess rolled her eyes. "Listen, his face is manly and his bone structure is sharp," she described watching his father. "Not to mention that his voice has a nice deep tone while you well… This…" she pointed at his face. "Is not that manly. You still look like a teenage boy trying to get hit by puberty with a ridiculous hairstyle. Your squeaky voice, it's really annoying. And hands down, I'm sure you are as dumb as you look." she said, sneering.
His eyebrows twitched, again. "Stop insulting me!" he grunted.
She shook her head calmly. "I'm not insulting you. I'm describing you." she stated.
"For me, it was a very accurate description of Sokka." Toph intervened, tauntingly.
They returned to their seats while waiting for the Northern Water Tribe delegation to arrive.
Hakoda made sure to catch up with his kids on everything that was going on back in their Tribe, and they as well informed him about what they had been up to during the last year they had been away from home.
Seeing them have a nice conversation, laughing and joking just made Azula remember everything she could never have.
She pushed those thoughts out of her mind. Wishing for a nice, normal family after so many years, it was stupid and pointless. She had never wanted a family; she had never needed one so, why would she start to want one now? All those were just foolish whims and dreams.
Only a couple moments passed when the door opened for a second time.
This time it was a man who looked older than Chief Hakoda, maybe in his late fifties.
"Welcome Arnook," said Kuei. "We were waiting for you."
"My apologies for making everyone wait," he said as he entered the saloon, followed by a courteous bow. "The streets were somewhat crowded."
"It's alright," said the Earth King. "Come, take a seat so we can begin." he instructed him towards an empty seat next to Katara.
"Avatar Aang, Sokka, Katara," he greeted them with a nod. "It's good to see you again, kids." he said, as he found his place.
"Same, Chief. It's good to see you," said Katara. "How has it been in the north?"
"Cold." he replied, making the Water Tribe people laugh at his silly joke.
Azula rolled her eyes, displeased. "Okay," she interjected. "Now that everyone is here can we please start the meeting?" she asked, almost beggingly.
"Azula." Zuko reprimanded her, poking her in the ribs slightly.
"What?" she grunted.
"Actually, I'm just waiting for my right hand and advisor…" informed Arnook.
"Right hand?" Sokka asked, glancing at him.
"Wasn't that the role of Master Pakku?" Katara inquired, tilting her head, curious.
"Yes," he affirmed. "But when he departed to the South, I had to choose a new right hand. I'm sure you all must remember him…"
"Who is it?" questioned the Avatar across the table.
"Hahn."
"WHAT?!" Sokka squealed, startling Azula who was focused on her nails at the moment.
"What the hell, you peasant?!" she snapped at him.
But his attention was on someone else.
A guy around his age with black hair walked through the door with a smug visage crowning his appearance.
Azula noticed Sokka's shoulders tensing. His jaw was clenched as well as his fists, and he seemed to be about to have smoke coming out of his ears and nostrils. "Huh," she quirked a brow, "This seems interesting. You seem to despise him more than me..." she muttered.
Sokka glanced back at her, eyes wide open. His expression softened and with a low voice he uttered. "I told you, I don't despise you."
"... back in the day," she mumbled. "You didn't let me finish."
"Oh…" he gave her a side smile.
"Greetings." said Hahn, nodding towards everyone.
"Hahn, let me introduce you," said Chief Arnook. "King Kuei, the Earth King, his councils. Toph Beifong," he introduced them. "Fire Lord Zuko," they both nodded courteously. "Nice to finally meet you."
Zuko nodded at him. "Likewise, Chief Arnook. Hahn…" her brother greeted for them both.
Hahn's attention turned to the person seated at the right side of the Fire Lord. "And who might this lady be?" he inquired, gallantly. Almost flirtatiously so.
Azula raised her glance from her nails. "Huh?" she raised an eyebrow, uninterested.
"This is Azula, Crown Princess of the Fire Nation and my Royal Advisor." Zuko introduced her.
"Nice to meet you, Princess." said Hahn, extending a hand.
The Princess looked at his hand and then at him. "Thanks, but I'll pass. I just washed my hands." said Azula with a grin, rejecting his hand and returning her attention to her nails.
Sokka snickered at Hahn's annoyed expression. He was pleased to know that his flirting attempts with Azula hadn't worked. He still hated him.
"This is Chief Hakoda and you remember Sokka and Katara from our sister tribe, right?" Arnook proceed with the introductions.
"How can I forget?" he grunted under his breath when Arnook took his seat.
"I could say the same." Sokka mumbled between teeth.
"You, southern scum…" Hahn whispered with hate, only for Sokka to hear.
Sokka stood up in a blink. "I dare you to repeat that." he grabbed him by the neck of his shirt.
"Sokka!" Katara squealed.
Azula's eyes went blank before putting her foot between them, making them trip and fall to the ground, putting an end to his little bickering.
She crossed her legs and arms, glancing towards them, vexed. "If you two, -balls of testosterone-, are done with this childish quarrel, I believe we could start the meeting," she grunted, "Or do you want to continue this in the hallway?" she quirked a brow, tilting her head.
Both stood up in silence and took their respective places at the table, giving each other death glares.
"Thank you, Princess." King Kuei thanked her.
The Princess waved a hand nonchalantly. "Yeah, yeah… Less chit-chat and more business." she said.
"In that case, we can begin with the first meeting," said Kuei, standing up in his sit. "I'm really glad to have you all here in Ba Sing Se and I'm eager for this month and everything we will hopefully accomplish thanks to these meetings. I hope we can still encourage the international collaboration between the four nations as we have for the past years. Now, I'm going to give the word to Fire Lord Zuko as these proceedings were originally his idea. So, Fire Lord, please…" he said, sitting down as Zuko stood up.
He cleared his throat. "Well, first of all, I want to thank everyone for coming. It means a lot to not only me, but also to Avatar Aang. It's encouraging to know that we can still rise above our differences and seek the greater good for our nations, and I'm sure that all nations will benefit from everything we accomplish during this month." he gulped, "As we all know, the Harmony Restoration Movement was an initiative that sadly…" he paused when he noticed Azula raising a hand. "Yes, Azula?"
"Question… Who came up with the name Restoration Movement Harmony?" she asked, purposely mistaking the name.
"Harmony Restoration Movement." Zuko corrected her.
"Yeah, that."
"Mmm... I believe it was Sokka, right?" he glanced at his friend, next to his sibling.
"Yeah…" Sokka nodded, proudly.
"Huh…"
"What?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow.
Azula huffed. "No wonder it's a stupid name if you are the one who came up with it," she teased him. Sokka opened his mouth to refute, but Azula shut him. "Shhh… Fire Lord is talking."
Sokka crossed his arms, snorting. "Stupid name, she says…" he muttered, grunting.
The meeting began without any more interruptions or issues. They discussed matters of trivial importance first, then they went onto more pressing matters.
"... So, the iron production remains the same as last year, correct Fire Lord? Fifty-fifty." said one of Kuei's counsellors.
"Yes." Zuko affirmed.
"What?" Azula inquired, widening her eyes.
"It's…" the counsellor began.
"No, no…" the Princess cut him off, "I hear that. It just…" she turned towards Zuko and gave him a forced smile. "I would like to talk with my brother about some matters," she said, "Outside. Now." she commanded, standing up and heading towards the door.
"But, Azula…"
"Now. Zuko." she grunted, waiting for him by the door.
"It will only be a minute." he excused himself, leaving the saloon under everyone's glances.
"Are you insane?" she snapped as soon as she closed the door. Zuko opened his mouth to reply, but she stopped him. "It's okay. It's okay. I should admit it was my fault. My fault. I should have prepared you for this meeting by commanding you to not talk!" she muttered, irked. "When I meant that you should let me do the talking, I should have specified that you should need to remain silent before and during the meeting to avoid these kinds of things from happening." she babbled.
"I…"
"But it's okay. It's a minor setback, but now that we have settled in, I feel better. So, why don't we just go back inside but this time, you do keep your mouth shut, huh?" she pleaded him.
"B-But…" Zuko tried to talk, but his sibling was already back into the room.
He sighed in defeat and followed her inside.
"Apologies for that," said the Princess, "Minor disagreement. But now, it's all solved," she said with a fake smile. "Now, back to the iron production… We are changing the deal…"
Azula modified the iron deal and every deal that came next after that one, making sure to get the best deal for her Nation. The other leaders were amazed at her faculties to not only quickly come up with a better arrangement, but also about the fact that, while the rest might need to ponder their options, she would make a firm choice in a matter of seconds.
Zuko was both glad and happy to have her on his side. She was doing an outstanding job not only for her nation, but she was also making sure that the other nations would get a fairer deal.
Around dinner time, Kuei had his servants arrange the empty tables at the sides of the saloon with typical food from each country, so every guest would get served whatever they wished.
"You know, you should be thankful I agreed to come, Zuko," she said, cockily, "Otherwise, they would have eaten you alive." she mocked him, filling her plate with a few of the different dishes.
"I am," her brother replied, "And I'm impressed, really. You make it look so easy." Zuko placed a piece of buko pie on his plate and then on his sibling's one.
"Thanks," she said, before they headed back to the table. "Told you I was born for politics." she said, proudly and haughtily.
They began to eat their dinner in silence. It was good. Maybe not up to par with the food they were used to in Caldera, but good nonetheless.
The Princess noticed by the corner of her eye an odd movement.
"Hey!" she raised her eyebrows when the advisor of Chief Arnook dragged Sokka's chair closer to her.
"What the hell?" she heard Sokka grunt, standing behind him, fuming. "That my seat, idiot!" he spouted.
But Hanh ignored him, as his attention was fully on the Princess. "Earlier, we didn't have a proper chance for introductions, Princess Azula." he said, his voice dripping with flirtatious intent.
She frowned. "And who are you?" she asked, quirking a brow. "I tend to forget unimportant faces and names." she said, stoically.
Sokka chuckled, pleased at Azula's answer as he dragged an empty chair and placed it between her and Hahn, invading her personal space. She looked back at Sokka, but he was more focused on giving an ugly glance to Hahn. She moved slightly to the side.
"Hahn, Princess," the boy replied, looking past Sokka. "Right hand of Chief Arnook and his advisor." he raised his head proudly.
"Ah…" muttered Azula, her concentration fixed on her plate. "So, you are the reason the north is doing do bad lately?" she said more in an affirmative tone than a questioning one.
Sokka fought to repress a snicker while trying not to choke on his drink.
Hahn gave him a death glare, before turning towards the Princess. "I-I think you are mistaken, Princess." he said.
Azula raised an eyebrow. "You are saying I don't check my facts, right?" she refuted with disdain, tilting her head.
Hahn paled. "N-No, that's not…" he mumbled, nervously. Sokka smirked, amused at his situation. "What are you laughing at, you southern scum?" Hahn snapped at him.
"At you, jerk." he replied, pleased.
The Princess sighed and rolled her eyes. "Boys, boys…" she interjected. "Not at the table. Plus, Sokka, you are not in shape for a fight yet." she said, hoping Sokka would get the message.
He glanced back at her, confused. She knew he was in perfect shape thanks to Katara's healing.
"D-Did you just call him Sokka?" Hahn asked, agape, raising his eyebrows.
"Did you just talk informally to me?" Azula retorted, frowning.
Hahn gulped hard when he realized his mistake. "My apologies… I-It's just… P-Princess, you said you didn't remember…"
"Yeah, unimportant names, what's with it?" she shrugged, irked.
"Y-Yet, you called him..."
Azula returned her attention to her meal. "Well, he is like dirt under my shoe… Always there." she said, quizzically.
Sokka gave her a fake smile. "Always so charming." he muttered.
"But what kind of relationship could a Princess of the Fire Nation and this scum of the Southern Water Tribe possibly have?" he asked, staring at Sokka with contempt.
"It's complicated." said Azula.
"At least, she remembers my name." Sokka said under his breath, mockingly and cockily.
"Trust me, it must be for how annoying you are, not for any other particular reason or for your looks." Hahn spouted with disdain.
"My looks are fine!" he snarled.
"His looks are fine," said Azula, carelessly. "It's more of the fact that my brother keeps insisting on hanging around with these… weirdos." she noted towards his friends.
Hahn was angry and pissed. He couldn't believe that the Princess of the Fire Nation would dismiss him as a nobody but would talk more casually with Sokka.
While Sokka was pleased to know that Azula was not even slightly impressed by Hahn "the asshole". The fact that she didn't seem interested in even talking to him made him feel joyous.
He could still remember how he had talked about all the benefits that would come by marrying Yue, and even now, years later it would make him wrathful.
"Azula," her brother called her. "Try the buko pie. It's fantastic." he assured her, taking another bite himself.
"Really?" she asked, and he nodded.
"Let's see," said Sokka, digging his spoon on her pie. Azula growled at him. "Whoa…" he said, raising his eyebrows. "It's fantastic!" he affirmed, before getting kicked by the Princess under the table. "Ouch!"
"Tsk!" she huffed before taking a bite, and she confirmed that it was really good. Maybe one of the best she had ever tasted.
The dinner finished with no other incident.
Azula and Sokka ended up sharing the piece of pie, as he kept stealing bites from it, no matter how much she tried to stop him. After a while, she just gave up and preferred to ignore it and just let him do it.
After the dinner, everyone was dismissed to rest. The next day they were supposed to repeat the same routine and every day after until they had settled every matter with regards to Republic City.
"I'd call our first day here a success, don't you think?" the Fire Lord asked her as they headed towards the dorms.
"It could have been worse." Azula replied with a grin.
After taking control of the negotiations involving the Fire Nation, everything had gone her way, and she felt pleased about it. She had managed to modify a couple of arrangements with the Earth Kingdom that had been giving her headaches since her return to the Palace.
"Azu! Zuzu!" Kiyi shouted as soon as she saw them in the hallway. She rushed to her older siblings with a gigantic smile. Her parents followed her.
"Kiyi!" Zuko replied, opening his arm to welcome her. He raised her from the floor with a smile.
"I missed you both." she said, happily.
"You just didn't see us for a day." Azula said with a smirk, crossing her arms. Their little sister could be such a dramatic.
"A day and a half," she clarified, "Almost two days, Azu." she said, widening her eyes and raising two fingers.
The Princess rolled her eyes, amused. "And I'm sure it was a nightmare, huh?" she said with irony, pinching one of Kiyi's cheeks. The little one snickered.
Zuko smiled at this. Kiyi had been the only person capable of bringing out that sisterly, playful side from Azula. Kiyi had been a blessing for both of them.
Kiyi nodded. "Yeah, I almost died of boredom," she sighed. "I know I have to keep up with my lessons, so I don't get held up once I return to the Royal Academy, but they are so… boring," she whined, pulling down the sides of her face. "I would prefer my firebending lessons anytime. Those are fun."
"I bet you would, little miss." said Zuko, with a smile.
"What have you two been doing all day, huh?" Kiyi asked with her hands on her hips. "I hope you haven't gone to explore the city without me." she said, frowning very seriously.
"Oh, I wouldn't dream about doing that," said Azula. "As soon as I get an opportunity, I will take you to explore, okay?"
Kiyi nodded with a smile. "Promise."
"Just…" she leaned to whisper her something, "Don't tell Zuko. He is a party-popper." she winked at her as Kiyi snickered.
"Hey!" he complained although amusedly.
"How was your day?" Ursa asked them, softly.
Azula ignored her question.
"It was good," Zuko replied. "At the meeting, Azula…"
"Guys!" Sokka's voice made them turn towards the end of the hallway. "Suki and the warriors are back." he said.
The siblings shared a glance before Zuko passed Kiyi to her father's arm.
"We will see you later, okay?" said Zuko.
"Come on."
They followed Sokka to a small room, where everyone was gathering.
The room was arranged like a study, an immense fireplace with a green fire, because of the burning of the crystals, provided for the centerpiece of the room. There were a few couches arranged around a coffee table as well.
There were no empty seats when they arrived except one beside Sokka. Zuko remained standing and Azula sat on the armrest of the couch where Sokka was sitting.
None of the warriors were wearing their makeup or their iconic green uniforms. Instead, they were wearing regular Earth Kingdom clothes - even Ty Lee - probably to blend in easier and better with the rest of the citizens.
"Everyone is here," said Aang, as they closed the door behind them. "Toph?" he glanced towards the earthbender.
"We are clear," she informed after a few seconds. "There is no one around," she said using her bending to confirm that there wasn't anyone spying on them.
"Good."
"So? How did it go? Were you girls capable of finding anything? Zuko asked, eager to know if they had gotten any clue to track down the Dai Li.
"It's just the first day, Zuko," said Ty Lee, stretching in the corner. "And this city is huge. Calm down... But we did find something." she smiled, looking in Suki's direction.
"The girls and I spent all day yesterday looking through the files that were kept from the Dai Li when they used to work in the Palace," said Suki, "Due to bad luck, we couldn't find a lot of useful information as much of those files were dated years back. Even before the war ended."
"But we were able to find out that Long Feng used to falsify a lot of information," said one of the warriors. "For starters, he would write that all the agents were highborn, when in fact, most of them were war-orphans."
"How do you know that?" Katara asked.
"Thanks to Ty Lee." replied the same girl.
"One time I talked with one of them. I asked him; why did they choose to side with Long Feng instead of the Earth King? And he told me that it was because they owed that to him. He said that most of them had been left orphans and that Long Feng took them in. That he taught them earthbending and educated them." Ty Lee explained.
"He practically raised them to later use their abilities in his favor." Toph muttered.
"Yes. Exactly." she said.
"But wait," the waterbender intervened. "If Long Feng did all that it was probably only to secure their loyalty. To use them as weapons. Then, why did they…?" she glanced towards Azula.
She didn't need to poise her question fully for Ty Lee to know the rest.
"I asked the same," she said. "He said that Long Feng used to say; 'Always chose the winning side. The strong one over the weak one'." she quoted.
"So, his mantra backfired on him," said Aang. "They betrayed him, because they saw Azula as the stronger one."
You have beaten me at my own game, had said, Long Feng.
Don't flatter yourself, you were never even a player; she had replied.
"Yes, yes, it was obvious," Azula waved a hand carelessly. "What else did you find?"
"Not much, honestly," said Suki, a little dejectedly. "We went to the middle ring. We asked here and there, but nobody seemed to know anything about them. The answers were the same, 'I heard they were dismantled. Nobody has heard from them in years."
"So what now?" Sokka asked.
"Everyone calm down, okay?" Suki requested. "It's only the first day, and as Ty Lee just said; the city, it's huge. The girls and I will keep investigating. As soon as we get the tiniest lead, you will be the first ones to find out. Tomorrow we are heading to the lower ring. We hope to find at least one lead there."
"But no pressure! And Zuko, stop frowning so much," said Ty Lee. "The wrinkles on your forehead are getting really prominent." she pointed at the place between her eyebrows.
Zuko didn't reply. He was absorbed in his thoughts.
"Zuko?" Katara stood up and placed a hand on his shoulder, concerned.
"Huh?" he blinked back into reality. Everyone's eyes were on him. "Sorry, I think I just zoned out for a moment." he apologized.
"What are you thinking?" the waterbender asked.
He sighed and rubbed his face. "It's just… Guys, do you think that what happened in Yu Dao and back in the Fire Nation almost a year could be… I don't know, somehow connected?"
"It's a possibility," said Sokka. "We can't discard the idea completely. If the Dai Li hired the Rough Rhinos, they could have also hired someone to place the posters in the Fire Nation."
That was a thought that had crossed Azula's mind too since Zuko had told her about the posters in Mi Na. But… Why would they make such claims like 'False royals'? Or 'False lineage'? It made no sense.
"Wait! Guys," Toph startled everyone. "I have an idea, why not ask to Kuei for his permission to talk to Long Feng? We could interrogate him and find out if he knows something or at least ask him for a possible hideout for the Dai Li."
"It's a good idea," said Aang. "And if Toph is there, there would be no way he'd be able to tell us a lie."
The Fire Lord shook his head. "Long Feng hung himself in his cell two years ago. The night before his trial."
The Avatar dropped his shoulders. "Oh, right. I forgot about that." he muttered.
Kuei had informed them about Long Feng's suicide by messenger hawk. He had taken his own life the night before his trial, probably to avoid being held accountable for the crimes he had committed against the Earth Kingdom.
"Damn it!" the earthbender cursed. "There goes a good idea." she muttered, annoyed, crossing her arms over her chest.
"It was a good idea, Toph," assured Katara. "Either way Zuko, try not to worry too much, okay? Now that we all know about everything that is happening, we'd do anything to help you. Right, guys?"
"Of course." said Aang.
"Sure, buddy." Sokka smiled.
"Count on us too, Zuko." said Suki, referring to her and the Kyoshi Warriors.
"See?" said the waterbender with a reassuring smile.
"I'm sorry, guys," Suki intervened, standing up. "But the girls and I will be taking our leave now. We haven't had dinner and we're quite hungry and tired." said the leader of the warriors.
"Of course, girls. Go ahead." said the Fire Lord.
"See you guys later." they said their farewells, before leaving the room.
"Everything is going to be alright, okay Zuko?" Katara comforted him, squeezing his shoulder and giving him a warm smile.
Zuko smiled back. "Thanks, Katara. And thank you guys," he said to his friends. "For everything. I really missed this. And we are truly thankful for you helping me and Azula with this, right Azula?" he glanced towards his sibling, who had remained silent for a while. She didn't reply. "Azula?" he called her again. No answer. "Azula?" he tried one more time.
Her mind was somewhere else. And from her expression, he could tell that she was pondering something.
"Huh?" she replied, blinking when Sokka placed his hand on her shoulder to return her back to reality.
"What are you thinking about?" her brother asked, intrigued.
"I was thinking…" the Princess muttered, before noticing Katara and Zuko's closeness, and without wishing to reveal what she was thinking, she came up with the first thing she could think of. "... Is it my imagination or did you two have a thing?" she inquired, pointing at them. Also, remembering what the bounty hunter had implied that time outside of the tavern in Lian Yu.
Grimaces of horror appeared on both their faces. Aang's mouth hung agape. Toph threw her head back, laughing.
"What!?" both squealed at the same time, horrified, putting distance between them. "No!" they rushed to deny.
Their reaction amused her, so she thought about how to make it more interesting.
"Ahh… I see. So, you did," Azula said with a mischievous smirk. "Was it before or after you were with Mai?" she raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms.
Zuko and Katara shook their head and arms, denying. "No! We didn't…"
"Wait! Does the monk know?" she whispered, teasingly. She was going to have a blast.
"He doesn't…" Katara tried to explain.
Azula opened her mouth, pretending incredulity. "Kiara, did you cheat on him?" she said, feigning shock.
Toph laughed, amused at them. Sokka also tried to suppress a little chuckle.
"No, no. We never had a thing!" the waterbender clarified, deny with her hands.
"Yeah. We didn't have a thing going on. Or nothing, actually!" Zuko said, supporting her statement, "We are just friends."
Katara sighed with frustration. "Why does everyone always assume we did?" she said, annoyed.
"You seem very disgusted by the mere thought." said Azula, smirking.
"Well, yeah. It's…"
Zuko raised his eyebrow, affronted. "Excuse me?" he glanced at the waterbender with his hands on his hips.
She laughed, nervously. "I-I... Zuko, you know that's not what I meant I…" she tried to apologize.
"Awkward." muttered Azula, pleased at the little chaos she had managed to create. She watched them bicker with a pleased smirk on her face.
"Well, I'm not very pleased with the idea either." Zuko snapped, crossing his arms.
Katara huffed. "I'm sorry? Do you know how lucky you would be if you dated me?" she snarled back at him, getting irked.
"I doubt that. It would be like dating my mother." he bellowed, the vein in his neck growing.
"Hey!" the Avatar tried to defend his girlfriend.
"Shush…" Toph shut him up.
"Well, at least I'm dating someone!" the waterbender bellowed angrily. "And I prefer to act like a mother than like someone with worse humor changes than a teenage girl."
"Ouch… Two low blows." said Toph with a grin but enjoying the show.
"I think I should stop this. It's getting out of control." said Aang, knowing how volatile both of their characters were.
"Don't you dare." the Princess warned him, not wishing to stop funny interaction between Zuko and Katara.
"Sit still, Twinkle-toes." Toph grabbed him by the arm abruptly and pulled him back onto the couch.
"Should we start making bets?" Sokka asked, watching them argue just as entertained as the Princess and the earthbender.
"My money is on your sister." replied Azula, not looking away from her brother and Katara.
"Same." said Toph.
"You made them fight on purpose, didn't you?" Sokka inquired to the Princess, raising an eyebrow. It was more an affirmation than a question.
Azula glanced at him with a hand on her chest and pretending to be affronted. "Me? Do you believe me capable of doing such a horrible thing just for my entertainment?"
Sokka grimaced and rolled his eyes. He gave her a slight push.
"Chill out. I'm just testing a theory, okay? And also, I want to know how long it takes for them to be one; close to killing each other, or two; realize my little scam to make them fight."
"You are evil," Sokka muttered, shaking his head with a side smile, "But what theory do you…"
"Sokka, shush…" she shut him, returning her attention to their siblings.
"Next time she tries to kill you with lightning, I won't save you!" Katara yelled. The vein in her forehead was popping out.
"Next time she bends lightning at you I won't not get in the way!" Zuko shouted. His face was getting redder with each passing second.
"Maybe… Maybe you should intervene now, Aang." said Sokka, noticing how things were escalating quickly.
"Shush... Give them a couple more minutes." said Azula.
And then something unexpected happened.
"Shut up!" Katara snapped, bending water and splashing Zuko in the face.
Everyone opened their mouths agape. Even Azula.
"Yikes!" said Aang and Sokka at the same time.
"Maybe you should intervene now, Aang." said Sokka
Zuko quickly evaporated the water and drying himself. "That's it!" he snarled, lighting his palms on fire.
"Alright. That's it!" Aang finally acted and put Zuko's fire out with his airbending. "Time out, both of you!"
"Oh, yeah. He is getting time out after I kick his but!" Katara grunted.
The Avatar grabbed his girlfriend by the shoulder, trying to ease her. "Sweety, sweety, I think you two should calm down. You are both overreacting." he said, trying to persuade them.
"Overreacting?! Don't you see I'm calm?!" Zuko and Katara shouted at the same time.
Aang laughed, nervously. "Of course, you both are… little help?" he turned towards his friends with begging eyes. None moved an inch.
"She's the one that started it!"
"He's the one that started it!" the Fire Lord and the waterbender pointed at each other.
"Theory confirmed. We're the smart siblings." Azula muttered under her breath, delighted.
Sokka side smiled. "Did you really doubt it?" he asked, before heading to help Aang ease Zuko and his sibling.
"Nope. Just wanted to confirm it." she replied.
Zuko and Katara turn towards her, furious. "Shut up! This is your fault!" they both screamed at the Princess.
She widened her eyes and mouth, pretending to feel insulted. "Excuse me? I just made an innocent, simple question." she pointed out. She had ignited the fire, but they had fanned the flames.
"She's right," Toph intervened. "You two were the ones that took it to another level and started attacking each other with words."
They both opened their mouths to reply, but closed it again and crossed their arms, looking away.
Aang sighed, relieved that they had stopped fighting. "Why don't you guys just take a deep breath and just apologize?"
"I do it if she does it." Zuko grunted.
Katara huffed. "I do it if he does it." she snarled.
Sokka and Azula shared a glance, and side smiled, remembering that they had fought the same way the first day.
"Should I bring Kiyi to put you two in place?" said Azula, recalling how the girl's intervention had been what had made her and Sokka stop fighting.
"No." both muttered.
The waterbender rolled her eyes and took a deep breath. "Sorry, Zuko." she said between teeth.
"Sorry Katara," he replied, more calmed, "I guess we both overreacted." he said, embarrassed and rubbing the back of his neck.
"Agreed." she said, softly.
"Aw... See? All settled." said Sokka with a smile, "Now, let's head to rest. My brain is exhausted from the meeting."
…
It was hours later, and Azula couldn't fall asleep. Her mind was full of theories, conspirations and all of them were a mess. Nothing made sense and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't put the pieces of the puzzle in order.
She tried to look at the small picture, at the big picture, but nothing made sense. No matter how she arranged and rearranged the pieces, it simply didn't make sense. At all.
She raised from the bed, tired of rolling on the bed, and headed outside. It was better to take a walk and have some fresh air, it could help clear her mind more than staying indoors and just looking at the ceiling.
Azula dragged her feet through different hallways with turns in every corner. She could remember a few hallways from the time she had been in the Palace undercover. But she let her feet guide her unconsciously, as her mind was somewhere else.
There weren't servants around, which she was thankful for, not wishing to have anyone asking her why she was awake so late. There were only guards at the doors, but no one else. She wandered around for a while and somehow, she was able to find the kitchen. Thankfully empty.
No servants, no cooks. No one.
Her stomach groaned. Maybe eating something would help her think, or at least distract her.
Luckily, she found the leftovers of the buko pie and after searching in some drawers she found the spoons.
She sat on the table in the middle of the kitchen. And without to serve the pie for herself, she just dug into it with the spoon. There was no one around and she couldn't be bothered about it. No one would know, either way.
It was delicious. But not even the amazing taste could help her forget the dozens of questions that floated in her head.
False Royals… False Lineage… Those words kept repeating themselves over and over in her head more than anything. Ursa had confirmed to them that both were Ozai's kids. And the physical resemblance that they had to their parents was obvious.
Zuko resembled Ozai more and more with every passing day. And her, well, there were no doubts she was indeed his daughter.
Then why those claims about their fake lineage? There was more to it. More than they weren't seeing, but what?
She sighed deeply as she took another bite when the door of the kitchen opened.
"Midnight snack?" he asked with a little smile, taking her out of her troubled thoughts.
A/N:
Woahhhh! The response from the last chapter was... woah! I'm out of words! Thank you for the love. I was having a little of a writer block, yet your comments helped me.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well. The intense stuff is coming...
So Goong Yoo caused a lot of interest. Well, if anyone has read my other story the Mochi Unification Movement, you might already know who he is *wink, wink* In this fic he is going to have much more presence and I cant wait for you to guys to read his introduction. Also, In this chapter there was a cannon character that we only heard of him but never meet, yet I wanted to added him.
Any guesses on what is going to happen next? Btw, the name of the story has a lot of meaning in the story, any guesses?