Dragon Empress Book 4: The Guardian and the Ghost Touch of the Sun (128 AG), an avatar: last airbender fanfic

A/N: I never learned you should stop loving fire because you got burned. Love and be loved. Read… and review!

Touch of the Sun

[Late Fall/Winter 128 AG]

There is the faintest echo in the distance of explosive sounds. Steel crashing, earth moving, fire raging, water whipping. There are people who are fighting for their lives, people trying to kill one another. They don't know that the freezing air, the frost of the snow, nor the cold dirt beneath them are far warmer than the places their soul will send them for the act of ending someone else's. Snuffing out a life is something she put behind her long ago, resolute in her belief that she needed to find other ways. Absolute in her faith in the new trajectory of her life.

Now though she stares into cyan eyes and she feels something different. She feels a seismic personal movement, a changing of philosophy. An instinct deep within to do and be different. The inner dragon stirs from its slumber. Vibrations shaking through her whole body. Fire and lightning coursing in her blood. A ringing in her ears as the words cut through.

"On Jin? Are you alright?"

Solemn and determined like she's never been.

"Tell me her name again?" Azula demands.

[5 Days Earlier]

Aklaq and Miki were perfectly normal members of the Lonlhai Village. Born as the Hundred Year War was ending, Miki is the daughter of lifelong Lonlhai parents and so this is all she knows, something she is not ashamed of or upset about in the least. There is something to be proud of in being born, raised, and dying in the frozen tundra of the island a few hundred miles from Wolf Cove or Harbor City. It's not something she thinks about all the time, but as a very soon to be mother, she can't help but think about the place she will raise her child in, which very often means confronting her own mortality and the safety of her environment.

Aklaq was born on Linlhao Island, a dozen or so miles east and five years earlier than his future wife. Of course, the island itself isn't much bigger than that, filled with numerous sects of tribes, all trying to survive and endure, and maintain the customs of their ancestors. While the South Pole had gone through an industrial revolution after the Hundred Year War ended, Linlhao was so removed from the capital that it saw none of the advances or benefits. This lack of connection made the island more vulnerable, more impoverished, harder to communicate with, but ultimately far more spiritual and neighborly.

Living on Linlhao is a communal effort, and Lonlhai is the center of that community. The odd shape of the island allows for Lonlhai to have a choke point, a tapering of the land mass to a single, narrow, winding valley that seems to lead to nowhere. Just as one begins to feel like they're never going to reach the end, it opens up atop a hill to large swaths of land, a scenic view by any stretch of the imagination.

Lonlhai resides along the western shore, which centuries and even only decades ago made it an easy target for pirates and raiders. A long history of violence and terror has led generations of Lonlhai Villagers to being distrustful of outsiders and not particularly welcoming. Which makes it all the more perplexing to everyone else why Miki and Aklaq had brought home with them a dying woman. A woman who opens her eyes for the first time in days.

Azula had laid her head to rest on a plot of grass a few miles east of the village. She planned to rest, regain her strength, and then head back towards her boat to return when she was ready and the weather was warmer. Now though she looks up at the beige ceiling of some indoor room, feeling a heavy weight on her chest and resonating throughout her body. She groans as she tries to sit up, but struggles against the weight.

"Oh good, you're awake!" A woman's voice chirps.

Azula startles. She thought she was alone and now turns to find the voice. A woman with dark skin and beautiful, shining cyan eyes, and sits in a chair nearby. She has long, dark brown, raggedy hair, and her belly protrudes forward. She holds a tea in her hands and puts it down. She doesn't appear to pose as a threat but Azula has no idea her intentions.

"Don't try to move, your body will still be recovering. You'll need rest and lots of fluids. We can get you both, and then worry about getting you on your feet."

"Where am I?" She asks, her voice weak and raspy. "Who are you?"

"You're in my home and my name is Miki. My husband and I found you a mile or so outside of town, practically dead. It's a minor miracle you're alive at all. The spirits carried you."

Azula figures she must be buried five or more layers deep in blankets and covers of various kinds. Mentally she wants to move, sit up on her elbows and get out of here, but physically she feels weak and fatigued. She keeps one mental finger on the pulse of detecting a threat, but a part of her feels that if they wished her harm, she wouldn't be given such comfortable furnishings. She lets the warmth run through her body for a few moments in silence while Miki sips her tea.

"Is this Lonlhai?" She asks.

"The one and only." Miki replies without even looking up.

"Agni, I really made it."

"You were looking for it? What drew you here?"

She flashes to the brightest smile she's ever seen and the terror of seeing him hanging.

"An old friend told me about this place."

"Where did you dock?"

"I'm not sure, but the fog was so dense. And I thought the island was smaller."

"Aye. It's deceptively long, and it has shape. Not many outsiders come this way, so I reckon there's not much guidance from the closet ports. Which direction did you come from?"

"North-east. Jao-"

"Ah, so Jaohu. Makes sense, that's pretty close." Miki takes another sip of her tea. She smacks her lips before continuing. "So, my dear, what's your name? What's your story?"

Azula had thought about it long and hard on her journey here. After the disaster in Huwan, she had settled on a name to use whenever she landed in a secure location.

"My name is On Jin," she replies, paying homage to both of her fellow gender betraying friends in Ba Sing Se. "And I'm trying to find a home in the Southern Water Tribe."

"On Jin, huh? Are you Earth Kingdom?"

"Fire Nation."

"Bender or non?"

"Bender. And an Equalist."

"I don't know what that means?"

Azula sighs. Before she can get into an explanation though a sudden blood curdling scream from outdoors interrupts their conversation.

"AHHHHH!"

Both women jump a little in their respective seats. Azula looks all around trying to find the source. Miki momentarily wears a look of concern before trying to settle herself. She gingerly pushes herself up out of her chair. She strains a little but commands her guest.

"Stay put."

The pregnant woman isn't even halfway through the room before Azula decides to shirk that request. She labors against the covers and her own pain to crawl out of the bed. She lets her feet land first, slowly, to be sure she doesn't fall flat or collapse once she puts weight on them. After testing it momentarily she feels confident she can walk and gets up. Her knees and thighs aren't as forgiving and she struggles to follow. Nonetheless, she eventually turns the corner and a few feet away, Miki stands in an open doorway looking out apprehensively. Azula sneaks up on her and comes to a rest, her shoulder pressed against the frame.

Outside Azula sees a crowd of villagers gathered together around a sight. An old man is splayed out onto the ground, face down in a heap. A trio of young people stand above him, in various menacing positions. Crossed arms, proud looks on their face, devious smiles. She guesses that they're probably all late teenage years old, maybe the oldest is in their twenties. Azula tries to listen in to what they're saying to the man.

"-back after our rounds. You better have the offering prepared."

Without another word the three begin in unison to march past the crumbled body. A young boy, the youngest of the three, spits onto his motionless body. The surrounding villagers gasp and shout at this, but none move from their spots. Azula is almost out of breath just getting from the bed to the door, so while she is surprised by what she sees, she is far from feeling like she can do anything about it. Whatever this fight is about, it's not hers to have at this time. She can only watch from the proverbial shadows.

When the teens disappear from view, the crowd breaks out in murmurs about what's gone on. A short, lean man slips through the crowd and to the door. Azula looks perplexed at him but Miki is relieved.

"Aklaq!"

"She's up?"

"I told her to stay."

Azula interrupts, "Who were they?"

Out of the audience a small, dark skinned, elderly man, wearing an orange parka, emerges and leans down besides the unconscious man to tend to him. Miki's husband, the name that escaped Azula a moment ago, motions for them to go back into the hut.

"Nevermind that right now. Let's just get inside where we're safe."

Miki and Azula equally labor to retreat inside while Aklaq shuts the door behind them.

Azula spent over five years living below the poverty line of Ba Sing Se. The partnership with Mama ultimately made it far more manageable than it otherwise should've been, but nonetheless lived far below the means she had been accustomed to growing up. None of that could've prepared her for the experience of her first meal in Lonlhai. They sit together at the table for an afternoon supper.

A single slice of bread placed in the center of the plate, covered in a vomit colored stew. There was a single fraction of meat that, when divided by three, represented about one, maybe one and a half bites. Azula took the spoon and knows that this is a family doing the best it can, and sacrificing even more to give her an unearned share of the little that they have left. When they sit down though, she is hungry for something else entirely: knowledge.

"Are you two finally going to explain what happened out there?" She says, digging a utensil into the paltry heap on her plate.

The couple exchange eye contact. They had spent the time while making dinner asking her about herself and getting to know On Jin. In between her lies and half-truths they quietly debated what and how much they would share with their new house guest. Ultimately, they settled on sharing the reality of their situation with the newcomer.

"Lonlhai is under the direction of The Children of the Fifth Nation."

"Who are they?"

Miki tried to explain, "They claim to be descendants-"

"They're just the latest in a long line of bastards, and they will be the latest to feel the wrath of the Lonlhai. Fate wills it so." Aklaq interrupts.

Azula nods and slowly turns back to Miki, seeking a deeper explanation. The happy wife just nods and agrees. In her thinly veiled accent she replies.

"He's right. There have been many pirates, savages, and warlords to come and try to conquer us."

"Most have been one individual, or small groups. Rarely this large."

Miki adds, "Before the Children we had The Hunter, Chin the Conqueror, uh-"

"The Fatebringers, the Dredgen, the Iron Lords-"

"I thought the Iron Lords came before the Dredgen?" Miki interrupts him.

"That was just as I thought of them, not chronological."

"Ah!"

"If we're starting chronologically, from our lifetime anyway, we'd have to go with Koh's Disciples."

Miki replies, "Oh. The worst in generations. They were vile. I'm both lucky to have not been older to experience their torture, but also unfortunate to have been raised in the village during that time."

Azula scowls at all this. She gets flashbacks of a crowded room with Suki and Ty Lee and surrounded by her Kemurikage. Coming to Kyoshi Island and preparing for war. The King of Faces screaming as he died at Ty Lee's hands.

"If I recall," Aklaq thinks aloud. "I was 5 when they first came to the island and 11 when they stopped."

"My birth was almost in lock step with their arrival. It was most of my childhood, although I only barely remember it now. It's how I lost my father. They did unspeakable things to my…"

She trails off, the memory harsher than the biting cold. Azula nods. She had delivered justice to these monsters many moons ago, but somehow now she wishes she had done more. Done it faster.

"They killed the strong men of Lonlhai, and even women and children."

"What happened to them?" She presses, wondering what the local spin is to her deeds done in lands far away.

"They just disappeared. Not a trace or an explanation. A blessing from the spirits."

"This sounds awful." Azula mumbles.

"Aye. The Old Ones always say that was the closest Lonlhai came to annihilation."

Aklaq adds, "Until now."

"Tell me about these people. What do they want?"

"It's not what they want. It's what they take. Our supplies."

"All of them."

"They come every few months and just about clear us out."

"Call it our 'offering.'"

"Crops, resources, livestock."

Azula bites the inner part of her cheek. "And what do you get in exchange?"

"Protection." Aklaq replies with air quotes.

"Protection from worse evils, outside forces. Also known as their enemies."

"The Watchkeeper is our real protection."

"The Watchkeeper?"

"He's a nonbender, swordsman. You, um, saw him earlier."

"The old man who was lying in a heap outside your home?"

"Yes. He's been defending Lonlhai from the encroaching darkness for longer than either of us has been alive."

Azula scoffs, "He must not have had much success if you've been subjected to a myriad of warlords like you said."

"Who do you think killed those 'myriad of warlords?'" Aklaq quickly retorts.

Azula is admittedly impressed but nonetheless it begs a new question, "So why hasn't he dispatched with the Children of the Four Nations?"

"Children of the Fifth Nation," Miki corrects her. "And that's a simple question with a complicated answer."

"It's not that complicated," Aklaq rolls his eyes. He turns to Azula and skips to the end, "The rumor is that the Warden of Lonlhai has some sort of handshake agreement with them to allow all of this."

Azula doesn't ask for more information. She knows first hand how betrayal and backstabbing for power can be forged from years of cooperation, working together, and even partnership.

"I don't know much about that trio of benders, but what I do know is that it's going to be ugly when they come back."

"Why's that?" Azula probes, her meal long since consumed and the plate forgotten.

"The closest waterbending healer might as well be a hundred miles away." Aklaq replies.

"The only person in the village who is a practiced hand in healing is Guru Achak."

"Who?" Azula is starting to get confused by all these titles. Children, Wardens, Gurus, and Watchkeepers.

"You saw him too. He was the one rushing to the Watchkeeper's side as they left town."

"That old man is your only healer?"

"There hasn't been a healer here in a generation."

"We've had water benders, but not with an affinity for healing."

"He and the Watchkeeper pretty much grew up together, they even live together."

Azula cocks an eyebrow at this.

"Guru Achak knows everything about everyone here in Lonlhai," Miki tells her. "He might be able to tell you more about the benders too. If you're strong enough tomorrow, we'll introduce you. After you get lots of rest tonight, under many layers, On Jin."

Azula is flattered. She replies, "Your hospitality is too kind. First you save my life, feed me, and now this? I don't know how I can repay you."

"It's what we do, it's what the spirits would want us to do." Miki replies warmly.

Aklaq adds, "Send out more blessings than what we receive and the spirits will protect us."

This is an ethos that Azula recognizes and one that Ty Lee will appreciate - should they decide to actually settle here. Azula decides to share a little more about herself after all that she's heard.

"I once had a friend who told me about Lonlhai. His family and life here. He called it a violent place. I wasn't sure what to really make of that until now."

Aklaq gets up to clean up the plates. As he does he asks her, "Who was your friend?"

Azula sees a flash of his smile in her memory and frowns. She tells them, "His name was Siq."

"Siqniq?"

"No! Could it be?"

Confused, Azula stammers, "No, his name was just Siq."

"He was from here? Where did you meet this boy? Tell us about him, what did he look like?" Aklaq pushes for details, hastily putting the dishes aside and returning quickly to the conversation.

Miki asks, "Was he mud skinned colored and a big white smile?"

"I wouldn't describe him like that, but yes. And I met him in Ba Sing Se."

"Yue Above! He really made it?"

"You knew him?"

"Oh yes " Aklaq hums, the memory of the boy warming him. "I was 8 when he was born so he was like a younger brother to me, and I tried to look out for him as such."

"I was 3 years older than him so we did much together growing up here." Miki adds.

"Ah, but Siqniq was not long for Lonlhai. He dreamed of leaving and going on to bigger things, away from the homeland."

"You keep calling him Siqniq, but I never heard that name before?"

"That's his real name. 'Siqniq' means 'Sun.' Even though he wasn't a bender, he had a fascination with-"

"With fire." Azula finishes the sentence. It was all so very fitting.

"He left town at 12 years old, almost a decade ago."

"Our village worked hard to get him a one way trip to Ba Sing Se."

"Tell us! How do you know Siqniq? Is he well?"

The joy has ice cold water dumped on it as Azula realizes she must be the one to tell them. She opens her mouth and then stops. She gathers herself and tries to think of the right string of words to use. She decides on honesty.

"He passed away, almost two years ago."

"No."

"Oh, spirits."

"He meant so much to me. You said he was like a brother to you. We literally referred to each other as brother and sister. Part of coming here was to pay homage to him and to connect to his, uh, spirit."

The two share a look of profound sadness. Aklaq grabs Miki's hand as they sit in quiet contemplation. She guided his hand to the bump on her stomach. She speaks for all of them.

"We are very sad to hear this, On Jin. And we're sorry for your loss. Siqniq was a beautiful soul. We pray to the spirits that they guide him in the afterlife, and for a better world for our child."

Azula smiles and wants to change the topic.

"When are you due?"

"A couple of weeks. If he or she is still in here in a month, we have a serious problem on our hands."

She finds the perfect string of words she was looking for earlier.

With a kind smile and soft eyes, On Jin replies, "May Siq guide you and your future child to good health."

"-and that, children, is how Princess Yue saved Tui and restored balance, allowing Water Tribe people to bend water again. She made the ultimate sacrifice. Chief Arnook lost his only daughter, and Yue gave up her life for us. She ascended to the sky, and became the Moon Spirit."

Guru Achak comes to a stop in his lesson and looks around at the adolescents all at his feet. One small girl with broken glasses and no shoes raises her hand.

"Yes, Heran?" He asks her.

"Is the watchman going to be okay?"

Achak smiles down at the little one and sighs within. He comforts her, "Ganzaya will be perfectly fine. Thank you for asking! I will tell him you're worried."

The girl sniffles and wipes her nose. Guru Achak pauses and looks around. Standing off, waiting nearby, he sees Aklaq and the woman he rescued a few days ago. He turns back to the collection of fifteen or so children and tells them, "I think that's enough for today, hmm?"

As if his words were the crack of lightning, the children rush to stand up and scurry away. Achak had hoped that the pair clearly waiting for him might also happen to run away, but alas they are still standing about thirty feet away. He collects himself, both physically and mentally, before rising from his seat in the town courtyard. He walks over towards them with all the speed of the coming winter.

"Aklaq, good to see you."

"Another tremendous lesson for the youth, Guru. Thank you, as always, for your service in molding these young minds."

"Enough flattery. All glory to Yue," Achak waves him off. He turns now to the black haired woman beside Aklaq. "And who might you be?"

"This is On Jin. She comes to us by way of Ba Sing Se, where she met Siqniq. Through him she was encouraged to come here."

"Siqniq! You don't say?" He asks in surprise. "How is the fellow? It's been many moons since he left us."

"He's dead." Azula blunts.

"Yue rest his soul."

"One of the more devastating moments in my life when I found him."

"I'm sorry, my child. I can't imagine, but I do share your pain. His loss is a loss for all of Lonlhai. He was one of the best of us."

"He was my brother and he is gone far too soon."

"I'll say a silent prayer for him." Guru Achak says, bowing his head. There's a brief few moments of silence. Finally, he raises his head. "Very good. We'll continue to find ways to remember him. Now, what can I do for you, On Jin?"

"She is seeking somewhere to stay, and medicine for her chest."

"Chest?"

"My breathing has been difficult," she explains, unbeknownst to any of them it's a byproduct of her lungs struggling to stay alive during her wandering of the island. "And I seek information on the three benders who came to town yesterday."

"I understand." He nods, before turning to her male counterpart. "Aklaq, I would like to speak with her alone, if you don't mind?"

"Of course, Guru. I am at your service." He bows before exiting.

"Walk with me?" He asks, and she obliges. "Tell me about yourself, On Jin?"

"What do you want to know?"

"Background, family, spirituality, whatever you'd like."

"I'd prefer to not."

"Oh?" He is surprised. "You mean to live amongst us as an enigma?"

She doesn't reply.

"This is a dialogue, On Jin," he explains. "If you can't share with me, I can't guarantee you a place amongst us."

"Alright. Fair," she concedes. "Here's On Jin: I'm 43, from the Earth Kingdom, Ba Sing Se as Aklaq said earlier. I don't have a coin to my name. My parents were never really in the picture, and when they were it wasn't positive. My wife currently lives near Chin Village and would like to join me here, but I need my own place to live."

"Wife?" He says, not really a question. "I suggest you refer to her as your partner. Calling her 'wife' could get you both in trouble here."

"I'll call my wife my wife, not hide it. Or find elsewhere to settle."

"Trust me, I know better than most," he pushes back. "But I'm telling you that you're better served keeping it to yourself."

Azula remembers discussing this with Siq. Him in a drunken stupor, hidden away in his abandoned home. He had told her, 'they're quite welcoming of gender betrayers, so long as you keep your mouth shut about it.'

Now she is here, she is experiencing that in real time. She hates it, but she'll survive for the time being.

"So," he interrupts her thoughts. "You're secretive, proud, unafraid of being yourself. Looking to start over. Did you do something in Ba Sing Se that required you to leave?"

"Indeed. I put the fear of Agni into some people."

"So you are faithful?"

"Not in the slightest, Guru."

"Well, On Jin, at least I can trust you are honest. That will suffice for now. Now what's this about your breathing?"

"It's been labored since I woke up here."

"What happened exactly?"

"I came to Linlaho by sea and got lost. I was already struggling to breathe before passing out. Aklaq and Miki found me and brought me back to life."

"I see," he hums. "Well, I don't have much but I may have a herb for you. You take it orally, and it'll take a couple of days to become effective, but some treatment should get the job done."

They walk through the village as it functions at high speed. They don't pause or break, just continue to idly meander through.

"That would be greatly appreciated." She thanks him

"If it's all the same to you, I'll drop it off with Miki later today when I bring her something else for the baby?"

"Reasonable," she accepts. When he doesn't say anything she presses onward, "Now, about the benders."

"What do you want with them?"

"Miki and Aklaq were telling me they're part of some larger group. They said you might know more about them?"

"They are part of the Children of the Fifth Nation now, but they originally were from Lonlhai. They're names are Keisuke, Binh, and Kallik. Keisuke, he bends fire, Binh, she is earth, and Kallik, he is water. They're 20, 18, and 16, respectively."

"Are all of the Children of the Nation young? Is that why they're called the Children?"

"No. That's a coincidence with these three. The Fifth Nation was from the age of Avatar Kyoshi. A massive band of pirates who ruled these waters and far more. They were ruthless and monstrous."

"So these are their descendants?"

"Somewhat. There's a great honor amongst pirates to claim to be of the Fifth Nation lineage. So this group has some of that, but is mostly just trying to resurrect the idea of the Fifth Nation. A way to instantly evoke fear, while recognizing that they're distinct from the legend."

'Not much different than the Kemurikage or Koh's Disciples.' Azula thinks.

"Okay, so benders of each kind. All from here?"

"All orphans from here. They lost their families young. So the pirate life appealed as a way to get out from under the thumb of the Warden and the rest of the life here. Much as how Siqniq sought to escape."

"Anything I should know about them?" Azula probes deeper.

"Keisuke and Binh were always close growing up, many believe Binh was in love with Keisuke and followed him to the Children. Kallik is the wild one of them. He, uh, sees things."

"Sees things? Like things that aren't there?"

"Yes. He was a masterful bender, never had any official training. Gifted, but he would talk to himself and then he eventually started telling people that he could still see his mother and talk to her. And not just her, but Spirits too. Which, in my line of work, is no joking matter."

Azula is thrown backwards in time. A poor girl lost in the backwoods of the Fire Nation, seeing her mother everywhere. Talking to her. Yelling at her. She doesn't know when the visions stopped, or how she recovered, but nonetheless she feels for the young water bender.

"That's sad." She comments, thinking of the boy.

"It is. They deserve a chance to come home and make things right. I know they would choose it if given the chance. But what do you want with them, On Jin?"

"I'm just curious."

"Tell me, are you a bender?"

"I am."

"Healer?" He asks, hope in his voice.

"Negative."

"Damn. Still, tell Thaki that when you meet with him."

"Thaki?"

"He's the Warden of Lonlhai. Ultimately he decides if you stay or not. Truthfully, I'm not sure why you want to though. Winter is coming and we're low on supplies. You're better off healing up and leaving before Keisuke, Binh, and Kallik return."

"I see. Well, maybe you're right. But I'll tell this Thaki that I'm a fire bender."

"Fire! Oh Spirits above! What a blessing!"

Suddenly they come to a stop. A man approaches them with a limp. This was the man that Azula saw on the ground yesterday. Ganzaya they say, or, rather, The Watchkeeper. He doesn't say anything, just stares her down from a few feet. Finally, Achak sighs and puts his hand on her arm.

"We'll pick up this conversation when I bring the medicine later."

Without another word the Guru walks away and joins the man across from them. The two of them walk away as On Jin is left alone with much information to digest.

Dearest Wife,

I write to you with aching, burdened hands. I've come to find the second place we discussed. I've now spent two nights and am writing to you on the morning of my third day. I'm uncertain if you should join me. I was warned this is a place with a violent background, now in my short time I've come to understand why. This is a treacherous place, with what feels like dangers lurking just beyond view. Like a fog clouding my vision, I can't make out the enemies, but I know they are out there all the same. Everything, even the people here themself, is telling me to move. To leave this behind. What do you think? Should I leave this quest behind and come home to you? Command me as such and I will do it. Everything I do, everything in my life, I owe to you.

What would you have me do?

Yours,

Dearest

It is twilight of the next day when the messenger hawk arrives with the reply. On Jin receives it on the outskirts of the village, allowing it to land on her arm. She plucks the letter away and unfolds it quickly.

Dear My Princess,

Do you know where the greatest oak trees in all of the Fire Nation grow?

Oak trees are a powerful reminder of perseverance. They're considered royalty of the forest. They take decades to grow into full strength, but their roots grow far deeper and sooner. This makes them immovable. No matter what man or nature throws at them. Rain, snow, changing seasons, not even fire will burn the roots down. You can knock the oak down, but the roots will remain. And the great oak tree will regrow. The tree will not be moved.

The greatest oak trees in the Fire Nation grow in the forest of Jingchan. A place you may remember well.

So when the rest of the world is telling you to move on, to leave them behind and never look back, if you feel it so, then I command you to put down your roots like the great oak trees of Jingchan. And you tell them, "I will not be moved."

I'll see you soon.

Love,

Your Dearest

Shortly after receiving Ty Lee's letter, Azula sits at the dinner table inside of Miki and Aklaq's home. They once again share the stew with a small cube of bread each. She remains quiet as they chat idly about their respective days. She is quietly contemplating the words of her wife. They were measured and meant to inspire hope, and they struck quite the cord. The Jingchan woods was where Azula had led her ragtag collection of acolytes after their failed attempt to coerce Zuko into tyranny via child kidnappings and discord. They spent months on the run and found solace in that forest, amongst the tall oak trees. Until one day when a fisherman from a nearby village came to find them.

Azula isn't even sure if Ty Lee is being honest about the trees. Nonetheless, the point sticks with her. The idea being to tie the Lonlhai Village to her past humble beginnings. She is not convinced but she now knows what Ty Lee would command of her. Suddenly, Miki unexpectedly groans at the table.

"Are you alright, my dear?"

"Yes, yes. Just some indigestion. I'm going to retire to bed."

Her doting husband fusses over his wife, who bats his hands and attention away. She won't be having any of his help, perfectly capable of moving along on her own. She reasons that if she can't get out of a chair on her own, how will she move about for the coming weeks while waiting for the child to be born. As she disappears into their bedroom, Aklaq and On Jin remain. He watches the door close and then turns his attention to his guest. He lowers his voice so it does not carry.

"Thank you for your help today, On Jin."

"Oh, it was nothing."

"The extra set of hands make a big difference."

"I'm sure."

"You can carry much more than I expected," he marvels. "Do you have a lot of experience with manual labor?"

"Sort of. I mostly just keep myself in shape."

"Well, regardless, your help does not go unnoticed."

"My bending hasn't come back yet, but I'm happy to help carry some shit around."

"I'm glad you're feeling stronger today. Everyday is a little closer to full recovery."

There's another comfortable silence as Aklaq works up the courage for this next part. He brings his hands together and interlocks his fingers as if to pray. He swallows a huge lump in his throat and then tells her.

"Me and some of the boys around town have been talking. The Watchkeeper ain't what he used to be. So we've decided that, if those benders come back around, we're going to fight," he says. The last part he mumbles, almost to himself more than anything else, "Strength in numbers and all that."

On Jin nods but doesn't reply. She has still been feeling weak, although better within the last day and a half. It's an excuse, but it allows her a reason why she doesn't commit. Despite Ty Lee's inspirational words, some small part of Azula wonders about what will happen if she lets fate take its course. Perhaps intervening will only give birth to further calamities. If Lonlhai is destined to fall, she was in no place to defy Agni or Yue's will or whoever the fuck it is that plays with their lives.

"If the three of them come back to town, and take the offering? Our people will die. That's not something I can have on my conscience, especially knowing I could've tried to prevent it. More importantly, I can't bring my own child into this kind of world."

Azula listens and nods as he passionately, but quietly pours his soul out to her. With focus and belief, he orates to her in a whispered secret.

"What you said has touched me greatly, On Jin. If I want a world that's different than the one Siqniq endured, then I have to do something for my home."

It's shortly after midnight when Azula is awoken by the sound of an ear-piercing scream. She quickly rises from her sleeping position and assumes a fighting stance, wary of an intruder. Prepared for this she has already identified all possible exit or entry points, as well as all items in the room which she could wield as a weapon, if necessary. She hears the dull sound of voices in another room before another yell.

"On Jin!"

She rushes forward and finds the bedroom, where Miki stands, one arm against the bed, one arm against her hip, legs spread apart. Aklaq is clumsily throwing a parka on. The floor is wet and it is quite apparent what has happened.

"On Jin! Perfect. I need you to stay with Miki while I go get Guru Achak!"

"I-uh, are you?" She stammers.

"Thank you, On Jin! I will be back soon!"

The feeling that Azula has at this moment is not difficult to explain. It is all the same familiar strain of her time traveling the Si Wong Desert when she fought against and alongside sandbenders. The ground was never steady underneath her at that time. Back then she learned to roll with the movement and use it as momentum where possible. Now though, there is no momentum to be had. Rather this feels like an advanced form of sandbending, where she feels like the ground might swallow her whole. The last time she was present for a birth was years ago in Lanxi, when she also witnessed death in its cruelest form.

"On Jin," She looks up at the cyan eyes, crying out for her. "Please help me."

The woman, twenty years her junior, reaches out a hand. The firebender, terrified and afraid like she's never been, does not hesitate. She moves towards the pregnant woman and places a hand on the small of her back, to help guide her away from the bed.

The sun rises to its highest point at noon above the Lonlhai Village. The clouds and sky are a nasty mixture of grey and pale blue, obscuring the beautiful sky of the Southern Water Tribe with their ugliness. It's been four days and now three benders arrive at the top of the hill overlooking the village. They've come back, as they said they would, for the offering owed to the Children of the Fifth Nation.

Down at the center of the quiet village, a man who celebrated his fiftieth birthday this year, who has seen much loss and dealt out his own idea of justice in service of his homeland, prepares for his next fight. He stands at the ready, his trusty longsword and dagger anchored in their scabbards at his hip, and he grips the handle of the longsword with a calm resolve.

Guru Achak had asked him to take the three of them alive. Three lost lambs, looking to come home, he'd said. The Guru asks so little of him that he will do what is asked, as much as possible. However, he fears that this may be too tall of an order. He will fight them with an injured leg, not able to extend to his full range of motion. Their fight before had seen him dispatched in short order, a result of their adept ability and as much as he regretted to admit it, his growing age.

'Death is on my doorstep. Will I answer the door today?'

The villagers scurry and whisper to one another. A small group begins to form. The three arrive at the center of town.

Keisuke, their leader, greets him. "Hello, old man 'Zaya."

He replies in his slow, deliberate voice. "Welcome home, children. Have you come to put your weary heads to rest?"

"No." Keisuke shakes his head, kicking a rock as Binh and Kallik stand behind him menacingly. "But maybe we can put yours down for you? Give us what we came for or we'll have to take it."

The fighters are unaware that less than thirty feet away, on the other side of a hut wall, a woman tries to give birth to her first child

"On three, you're going to give us a push, okay, Miki?" Guru Achak directs.

The sound of a mob is heard outside, as well as the floom of flames, the splash of water, and the rumbling of displaced earth. Azula knows the sounds of war, but the only thing she cares about is the woman crying out in pain.

"UGH!" Miki groans, the noise representing her best way to accept the conditions.

"One…two…three…push!"

"ARGHHHHH!"

The door to the home swings open, a common occurrence over the last twelve hours. There has been no shortage of helpers coming and going. This time they are no volunteer though. They are a messenger. A young boy, only twelve years old, coming to get help.

"Aklaq! Aklaq!" He rounds the corner into the birthing room. "Please! They've defeated the Watchkeeper! We need you!"

"Is he dead?" Guru Achak asks, concern in his voice, he stops focusing on the birth for a moment.

"I don't know! But we need you, Aklaq!"

"I-I-I can't." He stumbles, eyes turning to his wife, as she progresses through her labor.

"Go!" She commands him. "Go! Go and guard our home against the darkness!"

He releases her hand reluctantly and takes off to follow the boy who had come running in. In that brief moment, as she watches him disappear around the corner, Azula wanted nothing more than to leave with him. This represents a great reason for her to escape this torture. Go and find something or someone to hit. She's good at that, hitting and fighting. She might be the best in the world, and she's assuredly better than anyone in Lonlhai at fighting. Her feet mindlessly move her towards the door.

"On Jin," Miki's voice grabs hold of a woman she barely knows. "Please stay."

Azula does not fear death, at least not conceptually. She has lived a life and done much. She has tried to do good after doing much wrong. What she does fear though is loss. Time, loved ones, places. Motherhood is not a concept that has been fond to her. It is something she associates closely with loss, whether she realizes it or not. Be it Ursa, her Kemurikage, Alane, Yasuko, Aiwei, or Siq. She has lost much to people who have been mothers or who were like children to her. So when Miki asks her to stay, to not let her or her child be another lost one to Azula, it touches a cord deep within.

'Miki will not suffer the same fate as Alane. This child will not be damned to the same destiny as Yasuko. I will not bury another mother. This child will not lose as I did.'

"Okay," she tells her with a slight nod. Perplexed, against all of her better reasoning, Azula agrees. On Jin takes Miki's hand into her own again. "I'll stay."

Over the next twenty minutes, On Jin and Guru Achak work with Miki to push and then push some more. Outside, the Watchkeeper bleeds and prepares to answer the proverbial door to greet Death. Aklaq and the townsfolk give their all to create a new world for their children, but ultimately all fall down to protect what little they have left. The cold of winter comes for everyone in Lonlhai.

Finally, with the latest push in an endless stream of them, the streaming is interrupted by screaming. Guru Achak shouts with joy as he pulls a bundle of a tiny human out from beyond the covers. He reaches for a tool and then snips the umbilical cord. He turns to On Jin, "The cloth! Grab the cloth!"

"WAHHH!" The child cries.

Azula searches the room before finding what he means. She finally leaves Miki's side and grabs a towel. She returns to him and hands it off. He wraps her in it tightly and with sweetness in his voice he proclaims, "It's a girl!"

The joy is short lived. When the Guru and the Empress turn to the mother, she is unconscious, her head back against the seat.

"On Jin, take the child." Guru Achak says, pushing the newborn into her arms, its screams bleating into her ears.

The world seems to come to a halt as Azula feels her heart hit the floor. She holds the baby girl in her hands but doesn't even look at her, she stares dumbfounded at the sight before her. An image forever burned into her mind, she flashes back to almost fourteen years ago. She mumbles to herself to deny that it's happening. Just as she was before, she is still, motionless, unable to move or think or breathe. Guru Achak quickly grabs the back of Miki's neck and applies pressure to certain locations. Azula doesn't even hear the child screaming in her arms, she's so focused on what's before her. Another moment etching itself forever into her memory.

"Huhhh!"

Miki's head snaps forward, her eyes fly open and she inhales a huge breath. She grips the sides of her seats and then her hands start manically searching, reaching around her.

"What happened! What happened? Where's my baby!"

"Here!" On Jin shouts, her feet coming alive, her body moving forward instinctively. She rushes forward, and carefully delivers the child into mother's arms. "Here she is."

"A girl!" Miki shouts, a smile exploding onto her face. "Oh my sweet, baby-"

The audio cuts out for Azula. She stops listening to what's happening in the room as she sees the eyes of the child for the first time. They are as bright as their mother's and cyan in color. A ringing in her ears seems to drown out everything around her.

"On Jin? Are you alright?"

Solemn and determined like she's never been.

"Tell me her name again?" Azula demands.

Miki looks taken aback. Surprised by the tone and seriousness in her voice. Looking from the child to On Jin and then back again, her cyan eyes meet with the older, amber ones and answers.

"Senna. Her name is Senna."

Azula balls her fists. She turns and walks out of the room.

"On Jin? On Jin, where are you going? On Jin!"

Binh twists her torso around to check out the fur robe she is trying on. She sees how it flutters when she moves and sits when she stands. She hums happily to herself while part of the village burns around her. Kallik sits on a fence nearby, muttering to himself but utterly mesmerized by her beauty. Keisuke is the only one left still doing any work, as he takes inventory of the items they've collected. This is the sight that unfolds to the raven haired forty-three year-old woman who emerges out of nowhere, striding up to them.

"Kay," Binh wines when she sees the old hag approaching, getting the attention of her beau. "Looks like there's another one."

Ganzaya, lying on his chest, feels himself drawing closer to opening the proverbial door to death. His one eye is shut from his 'fight' with the three young benders, so he moves his one open eye to witness the latest challenger to enter the arena. He can't move to help, his longsword lying on the ground nearby but out of reach, if he even had the strength to move. He can only watch as the stranger from the other day stands opposed to his enemies. Her arms are up and at her side, extended out, inviting them to hit her.

Keisuke turns his attention away from the important work to look at her. He rolls his eyes as he tells her, "The slaughterhouse is done for today. Please come back another time."

"Lady, shouldn't you be, like, knitting a scarf or something?" Binh mocks.

Her serious expression and lack of response draws Keisuke's attention. He shifts the weight of his foot and groans. "Who are you now?"

"I'm the Fifth Nation's reckoning. Here to end the borrowed time you've all been living on." She speaks with a grave tone.

Keisuke motions with his hand. Binh whines as she comes to stand beside him. Kallik silently comes to join them both. The leader answers, "Now if I didn't know any better, I'd say that was a threat."

Kallik takes a long look at her and says, "You're not from Lonlhai. Who are you? Where have you been hiding all this time?"

"I watched from the shadows, but not anymore. Now, I am the guardian of this village."

Keisuke sighs. He looks over one shoulder at his partner, the earth bending Binh, and then the other shoulder at his deranged protege, the water bending Kallik. He turns to face 'the guardian.'

"Alright, y'all. Let's put one last shithead in the dirt, and then we can leave."

He reaches a hand back and forms a fireball. Binh moves her hands and then steps down into the ground, a small boulder rising up out the dirt. Kallik spins his arms in an arching fashion and prepares a blast of freezing water.

"HAAA!" Keisuke screams as he lunges forward, unleashing a torrent of fire, while his fellow benders send forth their own attacks.

In a flash, Azula summons a cocoon of protection with her blue fire, a trick she successfully once used against her brother, the Avatar, and his friends. The result is a massive blast of smoke, quickly expanding and engulfing the three fighters across from her. They become disoriented and cough roughly from the overwhelming volume of billowy gas. Kallik stops coughing and looks up. For the briefest moment he sees golden eyes looking at him through the fog. The next moment, a flash of light flies out and he is struck by a blast to his chest and shoulder area.

"Ahh." He tries to scream, but quickly the wind is knocked out of him.

The water bender spins and falls down, resting in the snow, stunned and shaking. Keisuke looks at this, the smoke quickly dissipating. He sees the sixteen year old Kallik face down and out for the count.

"What the fu-?"

Before he can finish that thought, a rising noise catches his ears. He turns in time to see a woman zooming through the air at him, fist-first.

"Oof!"

Keisuke takes the flying fist to the face. His head ricochets in ways it's not supposed to do. He splays out on the ground after twisting through the air partially. He is already disoriented, when he feels a weight, a kneecap, pressed into the small of his back. His breath quickly leaves him and his hair is pulled painfully back with one hand before another hand grips his forehead. His head comes up before it's forcefully pushed down into the snowy ground. His nose shatters on the first strike, blood spurting out. Before he knows what's going on, the motion is repeated. His head is smashed into the ground again and this time his front teeth shove into his lip and rip open flesh. It happens one last time, concussing him beyond apprehension.

"GET OFF OF HIM!" A girl's voice cuts through.

Azula feels the ground moving from under her so she rolls away and then into a standing position. Binh quickly kicks rocks at her. She dodges the first one with ease. The second one that is kicked out Azula swats away with a blue flames hand. She takes a half a second to assess the situation, then dashes forward.

"No no no!" Binh screams, as she reaches into her waistband and produces a pocket knife.

Azula comes within a foot of her before seeing the blade. She stops short and the girl starts swinging it wildly at her. The eighteen year old Binh has never been in a knife fight before, she is only used to bending her way out of trouble, and even then never in this sort of do-or-die nature. Azula recognizes the poor form and lack of technique. She crouches back, leans in and sweeps Binh's legs out from under her. Taking advantage of the tripped body, Azula twists the teenage girl, holding her arm away from her body in such a way as to keep the blade away from both women.

In this awkward but ultimately dominant position, Azula could probably get away with chi blocking her to disarm. However, Azula has no interest in giving the girl a chance to retrieve the blade later and do any real damage. She wants them to hurt. Azula twists her arm beyond her limits until finally the elbow snaps, the blade clattering to the ground as she screams out in pain.

"AHHH! You crazy bitch! What the fuck is wrong with you! Ahhh! Ahhh!" She sobs in pain.

Azula throws the girl down to the ground, her broken arm crashing to the earth, no longer a threat to bend. She turns around just in time to see Keisuke is standing up. Blood runs down his nose and mouth freely, as he staggers, completely obliterated, and tries to ready a sloppy fighting stance against his brutalizing opponent. He raises his fists up, feet stepping back, unable to find any footing, and he lets out a primal scream, while she moves towards him.

"RAGHHHHH!"

He throws his most powerful fire blast at her that he can manage. Azula blocks it easily with one hand, moving towards him while suctioning up the fire into her own hand. When the flames disappear from his view he doesn't have any time to react as she is upon him. Azula reaches out with one hand and grabs him around the neck. She lifts the twenty year old firebender up off of his feet. He reaches up to grab and scratch at her hand. He struggles for air as his blood drips onto her hand. With force, she chokeslams him into the ground.

"Uhh." He lets out the most difficult of groans.

Azula stands over Keisuke victorious. Her eyes turn to Binh, who whimpers in pain and defeat. Finally, she looks at Kallik, who whines and turns himself over gingerly to lay on his back against the snow. He buries his hands in it, hoping the cold touch will ground him from his shock. Azula strides over and stands above him.

"Oooh." He cries.

She looks down at him without emotion. She asks, "You're Kallik?"

He squirms like a sewer rat, and stumbles over his words.

"N-no," he replies. "I-I-I'm the Spirit of Death. You will fear me."

None of his words are intimidating. They lack the vague, haunting mystique that she's come to master over the years. He's terrified and hurt and not a threat whatsoever. It would be sad if it wasn't all so pathetic. She is reminded of what Guru Achak told her about this boy and the 'spirits' he talks to that aren't there.

"No. You're not," she shakes her head. "You're just some kid whose fucked up in the head."

Azula is not without compassion though. She remembers screaming into the sky at an apparition of her mother. The reflection in the mirror that used to keep her up at night.

"I've been there," She leans forward and offers a hand. "And I can help."

It is a peace offering. A gesture of goodwill that Azula offers only to the water bender and no other. A chance for both of them to make things right, the first step on the long road to redemption. He looks at the hand and then at her. His right hand moves to meet hers. Suddenly, his left hand flies up as well.

"YAHHH!" He screams.

He chucks a handful of snow into her eyes and blinds her.

"Gah!" Azula recoils.

Kallik pounces up and tackles her to the ground. When she hits the ground her head snaps back. He straddles her and quickly raises his hands to form an icicle above his head. Once it forms he grips it with both hands, holding it above her and prepares to end her life.

"DIE!" He screams.

With closed eyes and a damaged head, she grabs hold of him with her hands. Before he can thrust the icicle downward she fills him with lightning.

"Glug." He mumbles as he convulses and shakes atop her, until falling to the side.

Azula opens her eyes, and pushes him off of her. She gets up to her knees and looks down at him.

"Not today." She tells the barely conscious teenage boy.

She reaches a hand down and places her full palm on his face. Her fingers are extended out, her middle finger going across the bridge of his nose, her whole hand pushing his face down further into the dirt. He can feel this but can't move his body, too weak from the unexpected electric shock. She is furious that her gesture was met with an assassination attempt. She channels all of her fury into heating her palm. She singes the skin with her touch of the sun.

"AHHHHH!" He screams, but can't move.

Azula burns her handprint onto his face, marking him forever. However, it is not enough for him to suffer. It is not enough for him to be burdened with the print of her hand. She wants him to die, and so he will. She increases the flame, burning the skin as a smell starts, when an unfamiliar and gravely voice calls to her.

"Stop! Stop."

She releases and looks around. The elder man that calls himself the Watchkeeper is the one who demanded her to cease. He rests his head on a bank of snow, barely able to move. He is not fit to give instructions.

"No." She turns back to Kallik.

As she reaches her hand back down, the Watchkeeper persists, "It's what Achak wants. Let them live."

Azula remembers her conversation with the Guru as they walked around town. He believes, genuinely believes, that these three would come home if given the chance. She looks down at the boy, her handprint etched into his flesh. A reminder that she had offered him salvation and understanding, and he still chose violence. She shakes her head.

"Fine." She relinquishes. Looking down at him as he covers his face in pain, she spits words like venom. "Don't ever let me see you again."

She steps away from Kallik who exhales in relief. The thankfulness is short lived, replaced with resentment and rage, as he uses what little energy he has to push up onto his elbows. Azula walks away and sits on a heap of junk, legs spread apart, arms resting on her knees. She takes a deep breath in and looks down at her bruised knuckles, flexing them and checking them for strain.

In the distance, Kallik rises. He wipes blood and snot from his face as he comes to his knees, facing her. Azula turns to look at him and they stare at one another for a moment. His face is burned with her handprint but his eyes pierce her nonetheless. Finally, he speaks with diabolical intentions.

"I'll be back when you least expect it."

In short order, the three benders regroup and limp their way back up the hill, and beyond. They depart from Lonlhai for now, broken and battered, but filled with newfound homicidal purpose.

MANHUNT UNDERWAY FOR CONVICTED MOBSTER WHO ESCAPED REPUBLIC CITY PRISON

A Republic City mob boss has escaped from his maximum-security prison cell, igniting a city-wide manhunt late into the evening hours last night. The prison break was allegedly orchestrated by the gang members still loyal to their don.

Authorities deployed metal benders and blimps in the search for the inmate, Yakone, 53, who had been serving multiple life sentences for his criminal empire enterprises and illegal use of Blood Bending.

"As most of you know from his record and public exploits, he is very dangerous," Police Chief Toph Beifong said during a press briefing outside of Republic City Police Headquarters. "While [Avatar] Aang may have taken his bending away, this is still a person of considerable influence and with bountiful resources at his disposal. We are asking-"

Katara stops reading from The Republic Times and pauses. She closes her eyes and pinches her nose. It was only a few months ago that Aang had defeated Yakone in the streets outside of City Hall and stripped his bending away. Now the mobster was on the loose again. Suki, much to Katara's surprise, was uninterested in the whole affair, too busy with her newborn. Katara, on the other hand, has the time for it. What isn't reported in the article, and what she had heard through Aang, is that Yakone was already beyond the city limits. The latest he and Toph had gathered was that he was escaping the city to try to regroup.

Katara reflects on the various 'criminal masterminds,' who have allegedly 'ran the city' in its short period of existence. This most recent iteration was Yakone the Blood Bender, but surely someone else will fill his shoes soon enough. The first one, though, was the Dragon Empress, the one that Katara conquered on the day of Sozin's Comet, her last, greatest, and most important victory. If rumors are to be believed, Yakone was the only other person alive to defeat Azula in combat while she was alive — besides herself, of course.

It's hard to believe, as she sits in her warm home and sips her hot tea in the early winter months, that the world has known almost thirty years of peace since she subdued the lightning bender in the Coronation Plaza. Almost thirty years of a peaceful world, filled with growth, expansion, and revolution. A world she is partially responsible for building. A great pride swells inside her, until she remembers those who would seek to destroy it. Yakone and Azula. Scourges and villains, agents of chaos, set upon disrupting the balance and peace she has so delicately built.

Katara sits in her comfort and pays no mind to the Decimation of Kyoshi Island; the percolating Bender Supremacist movement; increasingly extremist counter group in the Equalists. The power vacuum left by Yakone was sure to be filled with others. Nevermind she's never once traveled to Lonlhai and is blissfully unaware of the troubles of the small village. She knew not the horrors of the psyche wards in the Fire Nation. She was never barred from marrying Aang from a century-old law.

These things and many others were never plights for the world's greatest healer, wife of the Avatar, and bearer of the first new Airbender in a hundred plus years. She is now in her forties, content at home on Avatar Island, reading about a prisoner escape and reflecting back on a happy life.

She sips her tea and wonders what went so wrong in her peaceful world that people like Yakone and Azula could rule with such fear.

A/N: Before you get too excited, Yakone went to the Northern Water Tribe upon escaping from prison, not the Southern Water Tribe (where Azula is now). Alright, now, let's discuss this Book. I'm so f*cking excited for you to read this book. Folks have been clamoring for Book 1 Warrior Azula to return, and I assure you that you're getting it in The Guardian and the Ghost. I can not tell you how hard I tried, how long I spent when I first started this back in late 2020, early 2021 trying to figure out Senna's age in TLOK. I wanted to reverse engineer it so Azula would arrive in town to create a formative bond with this child. The Yasuko thing had already been decided and then I had this idea of her going to the Water Tribe and protecting some small village for a bit, and then it clicked in my brain: Omg. If I time it right, she can help raise both Yasuko AND Senna. There is nothing canonically about Senna's age in TLOK, but it's clear she was a MILF so I figured she had to be somewhere in her 20's when Korra was born and I just went from there. So I'll admit that some of the Azula mindless wanderings and time wasted was so that these things could line up. There's other reasons too, and things still to come, but Senna's young age was a driving force. I also want to make one thing freaking clear: I chose the name Guardian long, long before the stupid tabletop game came out with their character named as such. I was FURIOUS when that happened that I didn't beat them to the punch. As mentioned above, I had the title and this book idea back in early 2021. I couldn't release info on the long term plans of DE:TLOA when the tabletop game stuff came out, so I just stewed and angrily told my wife, my old editor, my friends, FMTomiko, and a few others. Anyway, this book is packed with action. It's me, so there is still some Slice of Life going on, but by and large, Azula is going to kick ass this book. It's not all going to be good, it's not all going to be fun. But she is going to fucking wreck people. It's going to be biblical. I described one ass kicking to FMTomiko as "a religious experience" for me to write. So pleased with it. I hope you all enjoy it! Dragon Empress Fridays are back and better than ever with Book 4: The Guardian and the Ghost! This chapter's OST is "Wayfaring Stranger" by Ashley Johnson & Troy Baker.

Love always. Tyzula forever.

Notorious