Gladiator

by Seyary-Minamoto

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

330. Chapter 330: The Birth 2

The Birth

2

The arrival of meals lifted the spirits of the women occupying Azula's room: most of them ate in the dining room, giving Azula some space while she ate in bed. The stressful situation didn't encourage her to eat the full course meal, especially when she dreaded she might wind up vomiting if the strange tremors within her body continued to rush through her with further power and violence.

"Take it easy. Eat slowly," Song advised – she was the only one who had put off her own food and taken her seat by Azula's side, instead. "If you're not handling it well, it's okay to stop. You do need all the energy you can get, but you'll get none if you can't process the meal."

"I'll try," Azula said, breathing out slowly as she raised her bowl of picken broth soup. "Did… did you see my father, in the end? You said you'd let him know…"

"I did," Song confirmed, with a tense smile. "And he, uh… he took me by surprise for sure. He wanted me to convey his best wishes to you… and to let you know that he'll be in the temple, praying for a safe delivery."

Azula froze up. She frowned at Song, unwilling to give the words proper credit, and Song simply shrugged.

"I would imagine he's not lying, but it doesn't change the reality of, well… everything, I suppose," Song said, lowering her gaze. "It's probably a good thing that he might not be in the Palace when the baby's out and about, though… well, provided the baby is born today, of course. Which, at the rate at which I suspect you're moving along, it might be…"

"How will you be sure?" Azula asked. Song offered her an awkward smile.

"There's, uh, one way to check. You probably won't like it," she said. Azula grimaced.

"Well… heh. Considering you're going to have to pull a child out of me through that area, I suppose it's not something I should be too shy about at this point," she sighed. "Though knowing that won't make it any less awkward for either of us."

"If I may be so blunt and honest… this isn't the first baby I deliver," Song said, with a sad smile. Azula grimaced. "So… it will be way more awkward for you, I'm afraid. For me… it's just my job."

"Damn," she said, swallowing hard. "To think people act like healers are softer and weaker than most people, for some reason… yet you probably see more blood and gore than any warrior does."

"I suppose we might," Song smiled. "We probably have to be more steeled than warriors in some regards."

"And I certainly don't envy you for that," Azula smiled slightly, setting aside her half finished bowl of broth. "Anyway… will you check now or something?"

"Might as well. You haven't said it's too painful so far… so I assume you're not quite ready yet. But we'll check how far along you are anyhow," Song said, nodding sagely as she stepped closer to the mattress, helping Azula shed the blanket and sheets covering her so far.

Upon realizing what was going on behind them, Mai ensured both Rei and Ty Lee wouldn't glance back over the archway of the dining room, keeping her hands on either of their heads and forcing them to focus on their meals. Ty Lee, in particular, squirmed and complained, but Mai didn't stop as she ensured they'd all hear Song's final announcement.

"Well… it looks like you're about halfway there."

Azula shuddered as Song set her gown in place again, covering her up to her lap with the blanket. The Princess didn't meet Song's eye, though not out of bashfulness: halfway there, then. The baby truly was on its way.

"Take it easy," Song reminded her again, smiling and stepping closer to place a hand on her shoulder. "Though, uh… contractions are going to get more painful now. I don't really know what's the best way for you to handle them, but… don't clench up, if you can help it."

"I suppose that would make them more painful?" Azula asked, with a grimace. "How much longer do you think it's going to take?"

"Probably around… four more hours, give or take?" Song said. "Might be a bit more. And if that's the case, you'll have been in labor for around eight hours rather than a full day or so! That's quite efficient, if you must know…"

"It doesn't feel efficient," Azula sighed. "I don't know whether I'd rather keep the baby inside forever, or if I want it out of me right away. Though… I do want this to stop. My body feels like it's being pulled apart from the inside, somehow…"

"Well… it kind of is being forced open from within," Song acknowledged, with an awkward smile. "But you're handling yourself well, all things considered. Eat as much as you feel like, let me know when things start to hurt, and especially if you feel the baby is, well, moving. Once you feel it's lower in your body, when there's pressure around the level of your hips… that's when the final challenge begins."

"Huh… alright," Azula swallowed dryly, breathing out slowly afterwards before picking up her bowl of soup again.

"On the bright side?" Song said, with a sad smile. "You'll be free to eat spicier foods soon, you know? After the baby is born."

"Hmm…" Azula raised an eyebrow – small and simple as that remark was, that did sound like something worth looking forward to in the days following this particular ordeal.

Song placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently before turning towards the other three: as Mai had finally stopped keeping them focused on their meals, both Ty Lee and Rei were glancing back at the Princess and the midwife with uncertainty.

"No idea if you heard, but she's halfway there," Song repeated, with a weak grin. The others nodded, though Mai sighed.

"So, we'll still be here for a while," Mai concluded. Song's smile gained more strength – clearly, Mai was the only one with direct experience with labor and pregnancy.

"Exactly."

The tension seemed to rise and drop, like ebbing waves upon a shore. Azula's contractions intensified, as Song had suspected they would, but they eased up before long and allowed everyone to relax again, if just briefly. The Princess encouraged them to find something to do to pass the time rather than simply watching as she struggled with her contractions: Mai did as much by tutoring Rei in her studies for the afternoon, fulfilling her past offers to do so, while Song busied herself with checking and double checking that the birthing area she had prepared with Rei's help was fully ready, that there would be enough towels to help wipe Azula's sweat once the worst strain on her body began, enough linen on the floor, before the birthing area… and so, the Princess was left to sit with Ty Lee, who eyed her prominent belly with unease.

"No one's going to make you have one of your own, Ty Lee…" Azula sighed, and her friend smiled slightly.

"I know, I just… it's crazy that you're about to have a baby, isn't it?"

"Tell me about it," Azula said, setting a hand upon her womb.

"Everything was so scary for all these months… Mai and I were really worried about you," Ty Lee said, gazing at Azula with heartfelt concern. "I'm glad we can be here today… though I don't know if I'll be much use, heh. But whatever I can do to help, even if just keeping you lively by saying something silly, I'll do it gladly!"

"Right," Azula smiled slightly, rubbing her belly gently until she winced over a new contraction.

"Oh…" Ty Lee grimaced, watching Azula clenching her jaws until she eased them, forcefully, breathing out heavily as she tried to navigate the pain, rather than resist it. "Oh, Azula…"

The Princess shuddered as the contraction finally eased up. She could feel the child had moved, far more than usual… turning, perhaps, inside her. Song had explained that, while babies could be born feet-first, it was more common for the head to be the first thing to come out, instead. If only the baby had chosen to turn around before, when there was more room, though…

"Is it really painful?" Ty Lee asked, reaching to clasp Azula's hand. She breathed out slowly and nodded.

"It's getting worse. Which apparently is a good thing… but I don't think it's ready to go yet," she said. "Song said… it has to feel like it's moving lower? And so far it's just… stirring and turning or something."

"Like there's someone earthbending inside you," Ty Lee repeated, grimacing. Azula smiled.

"If the Avatar weren't back already, I'd be horrified to think I might just be about to give birth to the next Avatar, myself," she said. Ty Lee giggled.

"Knowing you, it could have happened," she said. "Well, you and Sokka. Can you imagine his reaction if his baby had been the Avatar?"

"Huh… he would have freaked out," Azula smiled. "He would have loved it, I suppose… but he would have probably panicked over being in the line of fire of a toddler who bends multiple elements. Though, as far as I know, most Avatars started by only bending their nation's element…"

"Oh, really?" Ty Lee said. "And how did anyone know they were the Avatar, then?"

"There were a few techniques to figure it out," Azula said. "Though… I can't say I remember them right now. A few things are harder to think about when you're in labor, I suppose…"

"Well, it's not like it matters anyway. Your little one's not the Avatar, which is probably for the best," Ty Lee said, reaching out to place a hand upon its womb and smiling upon sensing movement within it. "Hey there! It's your Aunt Ty Lee out here. Be nice to your mommy, okay? She's done her best to make sure you can be born, you know? So, uh… be very smooth on your way out, and cry with all your might, too! Show everyone you're as strong as your dorky parents, okay?"

"Dorky parents? We don't sound that strong if you put it that way," Azula smiled, and Ty Lee snickered.

"Still true that you were both those things, so don't pretend otherwise," she said. "I… I really don't know anything about childbirth, heh. I was as lost over it with Mai as I am now with you… so I just hope it will happen without too much pain. That both you and the baby are healthy… that everything goes as easily as it can."

Azula nodded, setting a hand upon Ty Lee's briefly. The two of them were as distinct as could be, with personalities prone to conflict since they first met as children. To think they had remained friends across almost twenty years of knowing each other… to think she sat by her side now, encouraging Azula to face her greatest challenge when they both felt nervous and insecure, uneasy about the reality of childbirth. The horrors Ozai had inflicted upon his daughter had certainly ensured that the Princess would consciously appreciate everything she had taken for granted in her life: Ty Lee was an unexpected element of stability, no matter how chaotic she could be, and her companionship was just as important today as that of everyone else within this room.

Still, her friend's chaotic streak didn't wait too long to rear its head anew: Azula attempted to rest and relax once Ty Lee stepped away, managing to even doze off for an instant – or what felt like one – before a new contraction jolted her awake violently. She tried her best to breathe smoothly through it, to not tense up… and while she was getting better at it, Azula feared the increasingly painful contractions might be too difficult to simply ride out, as she had tried to with the last ones.

"A bad one?" Mai asked now: only upon hearing her voice did Azula realize Mai wasn't with Rei anymore. She glanced to her side, where Ty Lee had been sitting before, to find her other schoolfriend standing by her bed.

"Kind of. I guess… napping's not advised when you're in labor," Azula concluded, grimacing as she squirmed slightly, once the last throes of the contractions eased up.

"Unfortunately, your chances to get full nights of rest will only decrease from now on," Mai said, taking her seat on the mattress. "At least, until the baby's sleeping cycle normalizes, which it won't for a while. You'll have to rely on Song and Rei quite a bit to make sure you get any rest at all."

"Fortunately, they seem quite willing to let me rely on them," Azula smiled, glancing about herself… to find Rei standing by her closet, a blush and a grimace upon her face. "Rei?"

"U-uh… sorry. She's just… raiding," Rei said, apologetically: moments later, Ty Lee burst out from the closet with one of Azula's oldest dresses, and the Princess eyed her skeptically while Rei blushed, covering her face with her hands.

"See, see? This one would look great on you too!" Ty Lee beamed, holding it up around Rei's shoulders. "Though I guess it's kind of small… bet Azula was a little younger than you when she wore this one."

"Are you really going to clean out my closet today, of all days, Ty Lee?" Azula asked, skeptical. Ty Lee grinned at her over her shoulder and nodded.

"I'm looking for things I can borrow, of course! Or things Rei would look cute in. Though… your clothes are so dignified, Azula, really! You should've been more risqué in your youth…"

"Why?" Azula said, curtly: Ty Lee snickered at her blunt response. "All the better this way. Even if you force Rei into any of my old clothes, at least it won't be anything embarrassing."

"But that's no fun!" Ty Lee giggled, rushing back inside the closet as Rei sighed in defeat.

"And I'll have to reorganize everything myself once she's done, too…" the youngest of their group pouted, glaring at Ty Lee reproachfully while Azula smiled sympathetically at her.

"You can't really expect Ty Lee to stay put for longer than a couple of hours," Mai sighed. "And she's been here for longer than that, too."

"Should I take it as training for the future, in case my child turns out to be as high-energy as she is?" Azula said, with a weak smile.

"For that matter, you've been training for it for as long as you've known Ty Lee," Mai smirked. "Though… yes, I suppose you might have a wilder child than you expect. Nobody knows how Yuudai is quite so energetic when neither Ruon Jian nor I were particularly active as children… you never know what you'll get, in the end."

"No amount of preparation will ever suffice?" Azula asked.

"I'm afraid not," Mai smiled. "Not for the rebelliousness and the noise, the constant activity... the recklessness and failure to recognize risks for what they are. Yuudai collects bruises, feels like… I have no idea how anyone can get hurt so often, but I suppose it's normal in children his age. Lots of scrapes on the knees, a few on the elbows…"

"It feels like yesterday when we were the ones getting hurt nonsensically," Azula said, with a weak grin. "I sprained an ankle once, when I was trying to do cartwheels with Ty Lee…"

"Oh, I remember," Mai smirked. "You were so stubborn about not crying… so you got mad, instead, and it was Ty Lee crying while you were hurt."

"While you just stood there watching like it wasn't any of your business?" Azula asked. Mai shrugged.

"It wasn't," she said, smirking still. Azula chuckled, shaking her head.

"Then Lo and Li showed up… and they dragged me to the physicians' wing so I could receive full treatment for such a ghastly wound," Azula sighed, with a weak grin. "I wanted to play still, but you and Ty Lee were sent home… and I was genuinely upset about it because it happened so early in the day, and I wanted to play some more. I didn't even process how dangerous any of it could be, I just found all the fuss terribly annoying… and now I'd be the one who'd make a fuss if my child took dangerous risks, I suppose."

"Adulthood is quite depressing in that sense," Mai smiled sadly. "In many senses, I suppose. But, with any luck, your child won't be as accident-prone as Yuudai is…"

"I fear even if it weren't, I'll still be panicking and losing my mind about keeping it safe," Azula said, a hand upon her womb. "I know every child is bound to be different, but… you won't mind sharing some advice about how to raise a baby, would you? More than you already have, I should say…"

"Well… if you insist," Mai shrugged enigmatically. "For starters… always keep a towel with you, a handkerchief, something to clean up at any given moment. You never know when you'll get drooled on, or vomited on…"

"Ugh, right," Azula grimaced, and Mai chuckled.

"It's not so hard once you get used to it… but it's terribly disgusting when you hear about it, huh?"

"I'm honestly shocked you decided to have a child when you'd have to make such efforts to keep your son on his best behavior," Azula said. "I suppose you wouldn't get bored by being a parent, but… it's a lot of work."

"It is, and it's exhausting. But while you'll curse your life's choices here and there… your child is bound to become your world before you know it," Mai said. "As much as Yuudai drives me crazy at times… I love him for it, nonetheless."

Azula smiled and nodded before Mai took a deep breath, hands on her hips.

"Okay, then… your clothes might not fit you for some time. I was back to my usual body type in weeks, but I don't know, you might not be so lucky…"

"Oh, please…"

Mai smirked at Azula's reaction, and the Princess glared at her skeptically as her friend continued to share advice, such as how to help the child once the teething began, how to anticipate to the baby's quick outgrowing of every clothing garment, even what kinds of toys were safer to keep the child entertained, as well as when would be the better timing to begin teaching it to walk and talk.

Their conversation lasted hours, and they were occasionally joined by the others too, who were fascinated and daunted by Mai's many revelations. In that period, new bursts of contractions bloomed within Azula's body numerous times. Mai would slow down whenever a new one happened, waiting for Azula to normalize before continuing with her spree of advice, but as much as she hoped to keep Azula entertained by thoughts of her child's future, it was difficult to do so once the Princess's discomfort started to peak and reiterate consistently. She breathed with more difficulty, she couldn't find any position in which something wouldn't hurt, even when contractions weren't happening…

"Hey…" Song approached, sitting by her bedside. "Want me to check one more time?"

"I… I guess it might be a good idea," Azula admitted, glancing at the window: the drapes were drawn, but the lack of brightness seeping through the curtains gave away that it was already nighttime.

Mai ensured to drag Ty Lee and Rei away and into the dining room once more, providing the Princess and her midwife with more privacy. Azula wasn't anywhere as reluctant about the inspection as before, squirming over pain while sitting upright against her headboard, legs spread awkwardly. Everything was uncomfortable, everything felt wrong…

"Okay… okay. It looks like we're almost there," Song announced, pulling back and dragging Azula's gown back into place.

"I… I really feel bad," Azula grimaced, hands on her prominent womb. "Is this normal? I… I really feel like I'm being torn in half from the inside, I…"

"As far as I know, it's normal. You're not used to it, though I don't know if anyone could be," Song said, reaching out to caress Azula's hair gently. "How's the movement? Do you think the baby's any lower yet?"

"M-maybe?" Azula said, gritting her teeth and pulling at the sheet again. "Fuck…!"

"Another one?" Song breathed deeply, reaching for the cloths she'd set on Azula's bedside table.

The others had overheard the conversation, and they ventured a glance outside the dining room as Azula writhed, letting out a few cries of frustration and pain as the last of the contractions' ripples ebbed away. Rei shivered as she watched her unusually vulnerable mother trembling under Song's careful wiping of the sweat on her brow.

"C-can I do something?" Rei asked, stepping closer to the bed. "Maybe… you need colder water for the sweat?"

"Yeah, change the basin's water if you can," Song smiled, and Rei did as she was told right away.

Ty Lee sighed, fingers intertwined as she brought her hands to her mouth. Mai breathed heavily, shaking her head.

"Scream," she told Azula, who huffed, glancing at her in confusion. "If it hurts, just… do that. It's bound to help more than holding it in and putting up a front of strength…"

"You didn't scream at all when you were giving birth to Yuudai…" Ty Lee remarked, eyeing Mai warily.

"And I guarantee that it didn't help," Mai said, curtly.

"I've heard it's a good idea to scream, too," Song said, smiling sadly at Azula. The Princess breathed heavily. "I know you won't really like doing it, but it's a way to exteriorize the pain and release it, rather than retaining it, if that makes sense…"

"I'm not sure it does," Azula said, breathing heavily before nodding. "B-but I'll try. Another one's bound to come soon, so…"

"Alright, try it when it does," Song said, biting her lip.

"We'll just cover our ears when it happens," Mai said, simply.

Ty Lee smiled awkwardly and shrugged as Rei returned, carrying a basin with fresh water that she placed right by the towels anew. Song smiled gratefully, dabbing the towel again and wiping Azula's brow once more.

"Feeling a little better yet?" Song asked. Azula grimaced.

"Maybe, but it's bound to get worse again, so…" she said, shuddering.

Another surge of contractions began then, and she whimpered at first: she had no memory of receiving Rhone's sword on her shoulder, but she had to wonder if the pain had been anything as intense as this. She couldn't even think to hold in the sounds that broke from her throat this time. The discomfort felt like outright torture, and she needed it to stop, needed everything to stop…

In all the shifting inside her, though… something else changed. Something new happened.

The baby's position was different. It had changed gradually through the day… but it felt lower now. Lower…

The pain didn't subside fully when Azula whimpered, turning towards Song with desperate eyes.

"It's… I-I think it's what you said. I-it moved down, Song, it… it's moving down. My… my waist hurts, Song, I…"

Song tensed up, eyes gleaming with determination. She nodded, squeezing Azula's hand gently before rising to her feet, facing the other three occupants of the room.

"Ty Lee, Rei…" she said. The youngest of them shook her head, trembling even while knowing she had no choice but to leave. "Everything's going to be fine, okay? Just… just wait outside. It's going to be better this way."

"Azula…" Ty Lee said, gazing at her friend with helplessness. Azula breathed heavily, closing her eyes briefly before turning her head towards her friend. "Good… good luck. You can do this! We all know you can, so… so don't worry about anything and just do your best, alright?"

"I… I'll try," Azula said, breathlessly.

Ty Lee stepped around Song quickly, offering her a gentle, encouraging hug before pulling back: Rei remained where she stood, eyes filled with tears that brought a smile to Azula's face.

"Now… no need to look at me like that," she laughed humorlessly. "It's okay, Rei…"

"I… I wish I could do so much more…" Rei whimpered, stepping closer and clasping Azula's hand "Please… p-please be okay. Please…"

"I'll be fine…" Azula said, with no genuine conviction. "I… I'll be complaining for days about the pain, I suppose, but… I'll be okay, Rei. I… I'll get through this somehow. It's okay…"

Nothing she said could soothe the crying girl, who raised Azula's hand to her brow, holding it delicately as she felt the world trembling underneath her: suddenly, the fear of losing her true mother, the one parent who had treated her with dignity and respect, was tearing into her chest and hollowing it out without mercy. She wasn't alone anymore, hadn't been for a long time, apparently… and yet everything was so fragile, so fickle: she couldn't imagine her life without Azula in it anymore. She didn't want to.

The memory of the one woman in the Scarlet Oasis who hadn't survived childbirth stung at her more violently than ever before. That couldn't happen to Azula. That couldn't happen to her mother, it couldn't…

"I… I'll be right outside," Rei said, reluctantly. "I-if you need anything, I… I'll be right there. I'm sorry I couldn't… c-couldn't help more. I'm sorry…"

"You've saved my life in more ways… more ways than you know, dear," Azula said, with an affectionate smile. "Don't apologize… just… just get ready, okay? Next time we meet… you'll have to put up with a crying, stubborn baby too, see?"

"Right… right," Rei laughed, nodding and squeezing Azula's hand. "We can't be two crying stubborn babies, so… I-I'll calm down. I'll greet… greet your baby with a smile. I… I'll be good. I'll be good. I… I feel the same way. I feel… I…"

It took her a moment to truly compose her thoughts, to calm down long enough to speak those words, the same ones Azula had offered her hours ago. Tears spilled down her cheeks as she held the Princess's hand, as she convinced herself, as best she could, that it wouldn't be the last time she would do so.

"I love you too."

Azula's breath caught for a moment, but she smiled fondly at Rei as the girl leaned in for a hug of her own. Azula's own eyes surrendered tears into that quick embrace, her heart pounding with affection for the young woman she had taken in, with whom she had developed a stronger bond she had ever imagined possible…

Ty Lee took Rei's hand once Azula's daughter pulled back. The Princess still managed to send her off with a smile, regardless of the pain threatening to erupt anew. Rei sniffed as she stepped closer to the door, as Ty Lee opened it… as she caught one last glimpse of her heroic mother, just before the moment of truth began.

The Princess threw her head back as another contraction took hold of her. She let out a helpless cry, knowing herself defenseless against the pain, against her body's treasonous attempts to force the child out from within her… or the child's rebelliousness, stubbornly seeking the outside world. Whatever the truth was, though, the next stage of labor was going to be the hardest of them all:

"Okay… okay. Mai, you'll take her left, I'll take her right," Song explained, stepping forward and slipping an arm under the back of the trembling Princess once the worst of the pain subsided. "We're taking you to the birthing, uh… station. I suppose that's a reasonable name for it, right?"

"S-station…?" Azula asked, opening her unfocused eyes and glancing towards the contraption Song and Rei had prepared for this very moment. "Heh. I… I suppose Sokka would've called it that, too…"

"Oh, so it's a terrible name then, isn't it?" Song asked teasingly. Azula smiled weakly as her friend hoisted her carefully into a sitting position. "No contractions right now?"

"N-not… not right now," Azula said: Song draped one of Azula's arms over her shoulders, and Mai did the same with her other arm.

"Okay. Let's go, then," Song said.

Song and Mai's arms wound up crossing over each other's as they held Azula by the waist, walking her to the fabric she'd cling to, once the worst of the pain began.

They were almost there when a new burst of pain struck Azula. She cried out, clinging to her friends and nearly collapsing on the floor once her legs felt too weak to hold her full weight. As sudden as it was, Mai and Song held their own, slowing to a halt until the contraction ended. Then, they finally reached the nest of towels and pillows… the fabric dangled from the firm contraption Rei had set up for this very occasion.

"Mai… you'll stand behind her," Song said. Mai nodded, obeying quietly and promptly as she relinquished her hold on Azula briefly.

Song helped Azula turn carefully before reeling the fabric in, almost enveloping both Mai and Azula in it. Song also loosened up Azula's robe, and it dangled open while she gripped the fabrics, getting into position while Mai clasped her waist, the role she'd have to perform to provide stability while Song directed Azula through the complicated process of birthing the child.

"Uh… okay, well, I did wonder if it'd happen on its own, and it did just now," Song said, swallowing hard: "Your water broke, Azula."

The Princess winced: something had certainly shifted inside her, something was spilling, perhaps… Song took care of it quickly, and in the process, Azula underwent new bursts of contractions, enough to weaken her as she clung to the fabric while Song, after cleaning her lower body as best as possible, fetched nearby wet towels too to wipe Azula's sweat again. The Princess's heart raced, her body wracked with unwanted sensations.

"Okay… I think this is it. You're ready," Song said, smiling reassuringly at Azula. "I'll let you know when to start pushing, okay? The baby will continue to descend, so…"

Azula shuddered and snarled: another contraction, and Song breathed deeply as Azula navigated it with difficulty in this new position. Her legs had seen so little action and exercise as of late... it felt like they would fold at any second, but fortunately, her grip on the fabric, as well as Mai's steady hold of her waist, provided Azula with the strength to stand upright still.

Song knelt and Azula breathed heavily as she waited for the expected next burst of violent, painful shudders in her body. Mai breathed deeply, holding her firmly.

"Hang on tight to the fabric, okay?" she said. Azula gritted her teeth and nodded.

A tremor in her body, and the intense pain began again. She threw her head back, and it almost felt as if she were being split open for good, as if she were losing all her grip on reality, on everything around her: flashes burst in her eyesight even as she closed her eyes. She cried out in desperation, finding only a smidge of relief upon doing so, relief that didn't last very long… whereas the contraction did. Tears burned in the corners of her eyes, her hands started to hurt, and all she could want was for everything to stop, everything…

Two hands, familiar and warm, upon her cheeks. She gritted her teeth, her heart racing over the strain of her circumstances… but that well-known sensation in her chest, the one that tickled her inner fire, had bloomed inside her once again, for…

"… Azula. Azula, is it happening now? Azula…!"

"You… you… oh, fuck you."

"A-Azula…?"

"It's… it's your fault! T-though it's mine, I know it's mine too, I should've thought about…! I should've remembered the tea, I should have, because now I didn't and look at what's happening…!"

"I… I can't really see it, but I'm sorry! Azula, I'm not…! Azula, I felt your pain, I had to try to reach you, b-but I didn't think it'd work and…!"

"W-well, maybe it just works better when I'm… when I'm under excruciating pain!"

"Fuck… shit, I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry, I…!"

"Oh, no. Oh, no! You're not allowed… n-not allowed to apologize. Didn't you tell me… didn't you tell me not to regret anything?! Well, then, neither can you!"

"But I hate that you're in pain! I felt it too, damn, I…! Azula, I'm so sorry I can't be there! I wanted to be, I was doing everything in my power to be, but…!"

"Y-you were, you damn… you fool… you dunderhead, you blockhead, you… I-I can't think of another insult… Damn it, I can barely think as it is, another one's starting now…!"

"Oh, Azula…!"

His arms went around her. She couldn't even try to hold in the painful cries as she found some strange manner of catharsis, of release, upon unfairly blaming and holding him responsible… she should have known better, but the pain really did a number with her senses.

It finally decreased… and she finally had a chance to let her heart's eyes open within that strange, flashing place. Where so much darkness enveloped her, with only bursts of light to help her see him. Where his gentle, well-meaning eyes fell upon her own with the affection she had long missed, just as she had missed everything about him.

"Sokka…" she gasped. He swallowed hard, pressing his lips to her brow. "Y-you're here. Y-you're…"

"I felt you. I… I felt something was wrong. Or… or right?" Sokka asked, uncertain. "Look, I… I really am sorry. I know I must have caused you so much grief and strife, I know my choices weren't the best ones, but Azula, I…"

"You should've… stayed put, you dork," Azula said, trembling as tears bloomed in her eyes again. "T-then… then you'd meet our child faster. I would've… w-would've brought it to you. Would've had someone bring it to you, rather, and then you could've raised it…"

"I… I could have," Sokka said, trembling too. "But I… I wouldn't have wanted to raise our… our baby without you. Our baby…"

"N-not like it would've been a bad idea, I… I'm going to be a mess of a mother…"

"And you think I won't be a mess of a father?" Sokka asked. Azula couldn't help but let out a burst of laughter. "See? There you go. So much for trusting I'd do a better job than you could, but even you know the truth…"

"M-maybe… maybe you're right, but still, y-you… you're crazy. You're reckless and crazy and you shouldn't have…" Azula said, cupping his face and shaking her head. "You should've waited. You could've waited…"

"I'm… I'm building a new world," Sokka said, and Azula shuddered in his arms. "The very world where you and I can have a child and nobody would get in our way. I… I wish I could've been faster, love, I really wanted to be, but…"

"I wish you could've been, too. I… I wish for a lot of things, but more than anything, I just want this to stop…! I…! Fuck…!"

Another contraction: she nearly collapsed even in that different dimension, even in that strange spiritual place in which they'd met once again, a place that shook as violently as she did. Sokka held her tightly, much as her real body was held upright by her friend…

"I… I hadn't… I hadn't chosen a name yet," Azula said, once the pain subsided briefly. Sokka's eyes widened. "But I had… I had an idea. Maybe… maybe you'll like it."

"Azula…" he said, and the Princess smiled sadly at him.

"I didn't let you give any suggestions, did I?" she said. "B-but… you can give some now, if you'd like. It's… it's your child too."

"Heh," Sokka smiled tearfully, caressing her face gently. "It's… oh, Azula, you're the one who's done the work to bring the baby to term. You're the one who should pick it. But if you want my suggestions…"

"I'm going to hate them, aren't I?" Azula asked, with a tender smile. Sokka chuckled and nodded.

"Of course you are. As you always do," he said, pressing his brow to hers. "I'll say… call it Jing if it's a girl, and Wentai if it's a boy."

"What…? No. That's too reasonable… that even has… it even has emotional significance, Sokka, damn it!" Azula laughed, and Sokka smiled fondly at her. "I wanted you to give me a bad idea, not a good one, damn…"

"What was yours?" Sokka asked, caressing her cheek. "What name had you thought about, love?"

Azula whispered the first of her ideas, then the second. Sokka's eyes widened, but just as he was about to speak, just as he was about to approve or disapprove…

The strange spiritual spell broke with the latest of Azula's cries of desperation: Mai clutched her firmly, and Song gritted her teeth as Azula pulled the fabrics violently.

"It's… it's almost here," Song said, breathing deeply and meeting Azula's tearful gaze. "Azula… you'll have to start pushing."

"I-it hurts…!" Azula gasped. Song nodded, reaching up to touch Azula's womb gently.

"I know it does… but you have to do it. I'll give you a rhythm, and you'll do it when I tell you to, okay?" Song said. "It'll be over faster, I swear. But it's…it's right there, okay? It's almost here. So… let's go. Breathe, Azula…"

"Breathe," Mai echoed, and the Princess obeyed: she closed her eyes again…

And in a small window, a sudden moment, she returned to that place. She returned to him, finding him anguished, desperate to contact her again.

"Azula…!" he gasped, and she winced as she wound her arms around his neck.

"It's… it's happening. I… I have to go. I have to… I…"

"I love you. You're amazing. You're the strongest person I've ever known…!" Sokka exclaimed, pressing his lips to her face: Azula smiled, tears spilling down her cheeks as he pressed his brow to hers. "I'm with you. I… I know how far apart we are, but I'm with you! I'm by your side, even now…!"

"I… I know. I know… I…" Azula said, smiling warmly at him…

She pushed herself the remaining distance: she claimed his lips with her own for one fragile moment…

She came back to herself then, and she pushed.

"Okay…!" Song said, nodding encouragingly even if Azula wouldn't see it, with her eyes closed. "That's good! Good start! Keep it up!"

Azula snarled, pressing herself further: her body seemed too weak for this strain, too helpless against this level of pressure… but it couldn't be. She had a duty to her child, one she wouldn't shirk simply because it was difficult. Never before had she fled from her responsibilities, and she wasn't about to start doing it now.

Her voice gained strength with her second push: it was a roar now, and her fists tightened around the fabric, pulling on it with strength as Mai, solid and stable as a rock, ensured to keep her in place…

"It's… it's crowning! We're getting there! Azula, push! Push!"

Song's commands fueled her strength anew… a surge of power she hadn't thought she could find seemed to bloom upon learning the baby was almost there. Her body hurt so badly, everything hurt, and yet she couldn't do anything other than carrying forward: a fire burned, bright and strong, in the center of her chest. A powerful need to keep going, to keep pushing forward against every obstacle, every hardship on her path…

She felt her strength waning, her body shaking painfully… and then she felt him again. His strength, his support, his loving words, his faith, his affection, his devotion…

He believed in her. He was the first person who ever had.

Every step forward was as heavy as lead. Every breath was labored and it escaped her too soon. But the baby was here… it would be here, as long as she reached the finish line.

With the most powerful impulse she'd felt so far, Azula pushed.

She threw her head back and screamed: as a dragon, free and strong, fiercely bursting out of a dark cave and blasting out into true freedom, she screamed.

Another voice joined hers.

A soft, whimpering voice, so fragile and so sweet… crying.

Azula stopped screaming as soon as she heard it, no matter if the pain was still ongoing, no matter if the contractions hadn't truly stopped yet: Song urged her to push still, to keep going, and yet she was laughing. She was…

The baby was here.

With another push, a softer cry than before, Azula's body succeeded at clearing the way for the child to slip out, into the open, into Song's waiting arms.

"There…! There we go! There you are…!" Song laughed, taking the child in her hands carefully.

Azula nearly collapsed in Mai's arms: she breathed heavily, panting and letting out a wheezing sound with every breath as her legs seemed to fail her. Mai, strained as she was after exerting so much of her strength to keep Azula stable, still kept her upright.

Azula opened her eyes, gazing about herself with difficulty, struggling to focus her gaze on anything whatsoever… but she spotted it eventually. The sound, that sound… the voice of a child. Of her child, crying out… calling. Calling for her? Was that… was that what it wanted?

Her child was here. Her child…

"Look at you!" Song laughed, tearfully, as she wiped the baby's fragile body as best she could, holding it delicately. "You're… you're a beautiful baby girl. A beautiful little girl…!"

A girl…?

A daughter. She had given birth to a daughter.

Azula gasped for breath, struggling to grapple with the reality she had known awaited her… with the need to hold that crying girl, even if her arms didn't feel strong enough to do so. The process wasn't over yet, either… something remained inside her, and her body squirmed and contracted again, eager to push it out, it seemed.

"Stay calm. Just… that's just the last part of this show," Mai said, and Azula nodded, closing her eyes. "You did it, though. You really did it, Azula…"

"I…" Azula gasped, letting herself go for one more moment. For one more instant…

She couldn't access that world fully anymore. The pain was not as intense now, and yet there was an opening. A small enough opening for her to reach him…

"It's… it's a girl, Sokka."

"It's…? T-then… you did it. You did it! Azula, w-we… we have a… a daughter?"

"Do you… do you really want that to be her name? Jing…?"

"No, no, I… I liked the one you said, right before you faded away just now, I…! Are you okay? Please…! Are you safe, love? Are you…?"

"I… I hope so. I'll try to be… But I… I have to go now. I have to go now…"

"I love you. I love you. You're my hero, Azula, you… you're extraordinary. I… I will come for you both. For you, and for…"

Azula smiled as the vision fizzled out, just as he spoke their child's name. She knew that, wherever he was, he'd be smiling too.

She returned to herself with another unpleasant contraction. She shuddered, feeling something was trickling out of her, still…

By then, Song had bent the cord that continued to connect the baby to Azula's body. Azula watched in disbelief as everything gained further focus… as that child, so red in the face, with dark hair, wept unconsolably in Song's left arm while she worked with the right, preparing to cut the cord at the appropriate moment.

"Just a second," she said, smiling knowingly at Azula. "You'll hold her in just a second."

Azula shivered, and she smiled too. Tears spilled down her face, much like they did down her baby's own, chubby cheeks…

She seemed so small now, even if she had appeared to be so large while inside her womb. Perhaps it was the way in which she crouched into herself, as if hiding away from a world she wasn't prepared to face… Azula released her grip on the fabric, raising her trembling hands towards the baby.

Song cut the cord then, and after wiping the baby clean one more time, she raised her into Azula's waiting arms.

A bark of disbelieving laughter left Azula's lips as her arms wrapped around that small, fragile body. The baby continued to cry as she held it against her chest…

"Talk to it," Mai said. Azula swallowed hard. "That's… that's how Yuudai calmed down."

"Hi…" Azula dared say, her voice weak, though her arms drew strength that she hadn't known remained within her. "We… we meet at last, little one."

Both Mai and Song smiled fondly at the mother and her child: Azula laughed, and the baby's cries eased as her mother pressed a soft, first kiss upon her brow.

"It's okay… it's okay. I'm here… I've always been here," Azula whispered, holding the small child lovingly against her chest, letting her small head rest against her heart. "We… we made it through. We made it…"

Tears spilled down her face as she held the child tenderly, as she kissed the top of her head and caressed her back – she still couldn't believe how small her daughter was, how fragile she felt… her voice had dwindled into soft whimpers now, and she moved a hand aimlessly, dropping it upon Azula's chest. That, too, was just so small…

"She's so tiny…" Azula laughed, raising a hand to caress the baby's warm face. "She's so… damn, I just…"

"She's adorable," Song said, smiling warmly. "A beautiful, strong little girl… so strong, just like her parents."

"S-stronger than us, I bet," Azula said, beaming fondly at the child.

Her eyes were still closed, and her whole body seemed so tender, perhaps even slightly swollen after the strain and struggle she had been through. But her daughter was here, in her arms… the worst of it was over, and as something heavy and awkward finally poured out of her, the last stage of labor ended.

"There we go…" Song sighed, smiling as she inspected the placenta carefully – no tears. She actually laughed upon realizing that, looking up at Azula in disbelief. "You… you are a miracle, you know? After everything you went through, across these months… and you somehow delivered a perfect baby?"

"You know Azula well enough to know that's how she works," Mai smirked, and Azula laughed at her remark. "Outdoing all expectations, going the extra mile with everything… she doesn't know how to be mediocre at anything. Stands to reason that she'd do that with her baby too, if you ask me…"

"It's… it's more important than ever with the baby, I'd say, so…" Azula said, with a gentle smile. "I… I don't care if I fuck up with anything else. If I can't… can't outdo expectations like this ever again. As long as… as long as she's okay, I…"

"Well… that's great to know," Song said: Azula winced, feeling a wet cloth up her thighs. "And I'm sorry for being so invasive, but I wanted to make sure to clean you up a little so you can go get rest. You really need it."

"I…" Azula said, breathing heavily as she cradled the child against her chest. "Okay… okay."

Within only a few more moments, Song and Mai helped her return to her bed – she could barely walk, struggling with the pain still, even if most her awareness of it had fallen to the wayside as soon as she had the child in her arms. Song dutifully tied her sash again, closing the gown properly before helping Azula climb on the bed, still holding the baby close to her chest.

"She's… she's quieted down," Azula remarked, smiling warmly at the baby. "I thought she might cry for longer…"

"She's just happy to be in your arms," Song smiled, offering Azula a small blanket. "There… should've had it at the ready before, but anyway, wrap her in it to make sure she stays warm, okay?"

Azula nodded, slowly enveloping the child in the smooth fabric while Song picked up some more wet cloths, dabbing at Azula's sweaty brow again, cooling her down after the extreme strain she had put her body through.

"How are you feeling?" Song asked. "Any nausea? A headache? Or, well, full body pain?"

"The last thing… for sure," Azula laughed. "That was… exhausting."

"You endured a lot," Song said, with a gentle smile that she turned to Mai, next: the other woman rubbed her arms with her hands, looking quite tired herself. "As did you. Thanks for your hard work…"

"You're the one who did the heavier work, so… we should be thanking you," Mai said, with a weak smile. "Everything's in order?"

"I think so," Song said, smiling at Azula. "Checked her thoroughly yet to make sure she has all her fingers and her toes?"

"Huh… I hadn't," Azula admitted, smiling as she hoisted the baby slightly with one arm.

With her free hand, she found the baby's own: the tiny fingers brushed against her own, but where the child seemed to be clueless at first over the contact between their hands, she sought it out once Azula seemed to withdraw it. A soft whimper left her lips, and Azula smiled warmly at the child's apparent curiosity…

"All the right fingers and thumbs over here, I see…" Azula said, raising the blanket and checking the tiny feet as well. "Oh, I can't handle how small she is, I… I can't believe you're so tiny. But… there we go. Ten tiny toes in two tiny feet, ten tiny fingers in two tiny hands. What else could a mother ask for, huh?"

She laughed, kissing the baby's brow once more: the child let out another soft sound, and Azula held her gently, unwilling to tighten her grip much more out of fear of hurting her daughter…

Her daughter. At long last, she had been born. She had wanted her to stay within her for so much longer, all be it to protect her further… now, though, she held her in her arms and her need to protect the baby in her embrace only grew stronger. She had been a miracle that had arrived in the least expected moment… a true blessing in ways Azula had failed to understand until this moment.

Reality slowly began to kick in once Mai and Song spoke quietly about cleaning up the mess in the birthing station – Azula didn't even dare look, suspecting there would be quite a bit of blood and who knew what other fluids scattered where she'd been standing. But out of the many things they spoke of, one of them was who would let Rei and Ty Lee know what had happened…

Renkai and another guard stood there, too. They would know… they would hear that her baby had been born.

Her baby that, while still affected by the natural swelling after birth, appeared to have a skin tone halfway between her own and Sokka's.

For now, Azula settled for holding her daughter against her chest. For breathing out slowly… for trusting that Song's plans to keep Ozai away from her child would pay off. It would be no use worrying now… no point when she should be cherishing every single moment she could spend with the little girl she had nourished and protected for nine months, a child with a light film of thin dark hair… she dared caress it, smiling upon sensing the smooth texture. Her ears were round and soft, her nose round, and her eyes…

Her eyelids were drawing back.

Azula gasped as the child opened her eyes for the first time. It was only for a moment, and it seemed as though the baby was uncomfortable by what she'd seen… so she closed them again. Even so, Azula caught a glimpse of gold… the traditional eye color of her family.

"Heh… well, then," Azula said, with a gentle smile. "Your father will be pleased…"

She chuckled upon saying so, easily picturing Sokka sitting beside her, smirking proudly because their child had her eyes rather than his own…

She had seen him while she had been in the middle of delivering their daughter. She had spoken with him, even if she hardly had a chance to convey anything properly to him. Even so… she had given him the child's name. She had told him…

… But had it been real at all? Perhaps it had just been her subconscious mind, protecting her by giving her something else to focus on while her body contorted and convulsed to deliver their daughter. Perhaps it had been nothing more than that…

But he had offered her relief, even if it hadn't been real. He had offered her comfort, love… he had sounded so much like himself, anxious and worried, encouraging her to deliver their baby, and Azula had drawn so much strength from the belief, the hope, that he'd be right there, by her side, regardless of the pain she had experienced. Perhaps it really hadn't been him… but his mirage had encouraged her, strengthened her, even so. If his initiative succeeded, if he returned to her again after everything that had happened, she'd make sure to tell him as much.

Within only a few more minutes, Song deemed the room was clean enough to allow the others back inside: Mai was the one who handled it, pulling the door open and finding an anxious Rei in the corridor, ready to spring into Azula's room at once.

"I-is she…?" she asked, face pale – overhearing Azula's screams had likely been terrifying for the girl.

"Azula is fine," Mai said, with a rare gentle smile. The tension Rei had been piling up so far decreased almost enough to see her toppling to the floor in relief… "And the baby has been born."

"W-we heard…!" Ty Lee said, smiling brightly as tears bloomed in her eyes. "Can we go inside? Can we see them…?"

Mai responded by stepping aside: the overwhelmed, anxious Rei rushed into the room without a second thought, approaching Azula's bed in a matter of instants.

Her mother sat against the headboard once more… but this time, there was a baby bundled in her arms, confused and unwilling to face reality yet, it seemed. Azula's smile was, perhaps, the most vulnerable and gentle Rei had ever seen upon her face… and it was quite easy to understand why.

Rei's breath caught as she gazed at the child… at the baby around which so much had happened in this room, in this Palace. The baby for whom Azula had been living for as long as Rei had known her…

"Rei…" Azula spoke, raising her gentle smile to her, next. Rei grinned, tears in the corners of her eyes.

"Congratulations," she said. "The baby… everything was okay? You're feeling well? I-is there anything I can do…?"

"For now…?" Azula smiled, gently cradling the baby, turning her towards Rei: "Meet your sister, Rei."

The words struck the young woman deeply, shaking her heart, stirring a tender affection she couldn't help but experience for both Azula and the baby in her arms. Her sister… she had never even imagined she could be a sister to anyone. The thought of having a family… a big family, with siblings, with a parent who loved her? She had never even dreamt of it, for it was impossible for someone like her… until she met Azula.

She let out a soft spree of laughter, tears spilling down her cheeks as she sat on the mattress, reaching out carefully to touch the baby's hand. Her fingers were so large compared to those of Azula's new daughter… but that didn't stop the baby from gripping her finger gently. Rei couldn't hold back a few more disbelieving laughs, gazing at the child in wonderment.

"I… I'm so happy to meet you like this now," she said, her eyesight blurry with tears. "So happy… so happy to be your big sister."

Azula laughed too, smiling warmly between tears as her two daughters met face-to-face at last. Ty Lee stood back, watching the moment with heartfelt joy, as did Mai, while Song continued cleaning up further.

Outside the room, the door had been closed after Rei and Ty Lee joined the Princess anew, but Renkai's partner bowed his head towards him, speaking words Renkai wished he could counter reasonably… knowing that attempting to do so would cast doubt over his intentions, over his loyalties, especially now.

"With your leave… I shall inform the Fire Lord now, Captain Renkai."

"Go on. I'll wait here."

Perhaps Ozai would simply hear the news and stay away. Perhaps he would understand that he shouldn't intervene, not right now… but Ozai had never made the most convenient, helpful choices. If anything, he was notoriously talented at picking the most controversial course of action, regardless of the discomfort and anguish he might cause other people.

The guard marched down the Palace halls, containing himself instead of breaking into a full sprint. It was the first time he'd offer the Fire Lord a personal, crucial report, and it was related to something as important as the Princess's health, and her newborn child… he smiled under his helmet as he made haste to the Fire Lord's study, only to find it empty.

His anxiety pertaining where the Fire Lord might be subsided after around ten minutes of asking any staff members for Ozai's current whereabouts. He rushed to the Temple upon finding an answer, racing up the stairs, then crossing the half-closed doors that signified the Temple was no longer meant to be open to the public, even if it would be available in case anyone required the Head Sage for any urgent matters, or the Fire Lord, for that matter.

Deep within a meditation room in the building, Ozai remained crouched and solemn, eyes closed, hands linked over his crossed legs on his lap. Perhaps he had dozed off a few times through the hours he had been here, but he had woken again quickly, lighting more incense and then praying and waiting for an answer… for news that his daughter had survived the ordeal of childbirth.

The sound of the door opening, however, sent a rush of fear into his heart. He turned towards it, immediately alarmed, immediately wary. After so many hours, it stood to reason to assume that it would be over by now, if there was anything to report. For, if Azula had spent over half a day enduring the tribulations of labor… the longer the process continued, the more dangerous it would be. So perhaps she was finished now, perhaps…

She had to be alright. She had to be out of danger. The frailty of Ilah came to mind far too many times during his meditative session, the mother he had barely known for a few years before she succumbed to her poor health… consequence of Ozai's birth, if Azulon's accusations were to be believed. He had never wanted to give that theory any credit, not when his mother had survived long enough for Ozai to reach his fifth birthday before she passed away… but it was even harder to fathom that something of the sort could happen to Azula. Not to his daughter…

"My Lord," the Head Sage's voice drifted into the room, and Ozai jumped to his feet at once.

"What happened? Is she safe?" Ozai asked, point-blank. "Is Azula…?"

"The Princess appears to be in good health, or so says the guard who has brought news," the Head Sage announced, and the primary weight in Ozai's chest lifted. "She has delivered a daughter."

"A…?"

Ozai's eyes widened.

It was done, then. Just as he had hoped… it was done.

The baby had been born… and it was a girl. A daughter, like his own. His granddaughter…

He stood in place, speechless, frozen cold, with an unresponsive body that seemed instants away from snapping back into focus…

He stepped forward. His legs carried him quickly to the door, and he spoke no words to the Head Sage, to the guards outside the room, to the man who had brought the news… for he saw none of them. The only certainty in his heart now was that he had to go back. He had to go see her, to check on his daughter, to confirm that her baby was born without any signs of trouble, that the two of them were in perfect health…

He knew those concerns deeply. He had experienced them personally one day, so long ago… the last time the Palace had witnessed the birth of a princess.

Lo and Li had explained the birth hadn't been easy. That the labor had taken a toll on Ursa, that she had struggled to deliver this time, in ways she hadn't when Zuko had been born. Then, the child had frightened Ursa and her attendants further when, in the midst of the fierce cries, a small but noticeable burst of flames had sparked from her throat.

The baby was a firebender, there was no doubt to be had, but most children wouldn't show any signs of it until months after birth. It was a hot day too, the summer solstice, of all days… did that have any effect on this child's surprising display of power? There was no telling if that had been the case, but it seemed quite likely. Even so, the chaotic situation Ozai had been told about was supposed to have been resolved by the time he arrived, bringing a toddler with him…

"Ma'!"

Two-years-old and still as attached to his mother as ever, Zuko had rushed to Ursa's bedside without hesitation: she had offered him an affectionate smile, though she remained pale and weakened after her efforts to deliver the child.

"My boy…" she said, smiling as Zuko jumped by the bedside – it was up to Ozai to hoist him carefully, setting him down next to Ursa. "And my husband, too. Oh, it's good… it's good to see you both. You're a sight for sore eyes…"

"I heard the delivery was difficult," Ozai said, reaching down to stroke her hair affectionately. "Are you feeling any better yet?"

"A little. I've regained some strength, I'd say," Ursa said, with an awkward smile. "She really took a lot out of me…"

"She…?" Ozai repeated. "Then… a girl?"

Ursa eyed him with uncertainty – it was well known that boys were always more prized in any noble family, but they already had a firstborn son. That their second child was a girl shouldn't be a problem…

And going by the look in Ozai's eyes, perhaps it wasn't.

"Ozai?" Ursa called him. He shivered, failing to stifle a smile.

"Our daughter, then," he said. "I… I see. I…"

"Ma'…" Zuko blurted out again, throwing himself on Ursa's chest. His mother laughed, caressing his back gently.

"Now, now, Zuko… I'm here, I'm fine…" she said, reassuring her son sweetly.

Perhaps Ozai should have cherished the moment further… perhaps he could have done so, but his feet took him away from Ursa's bedside instead. A small crib, one they had used for Zuko two years earlier, rested not too far from their bed. And inside it…

His breath caught at the sight of her. A small, squirming child with dark hair, and wide-open golden eyes.

"A… Azula," Ozai called her, a nervous smile spreading over his face as he reached into the crib, his hand falling upon her cheek. They had discussed names before, choosing to honor his father this time… but the baby couldn't take her grandfather's exact name, for she was a girl. Instead…

He smiled more earnestly, his fingers trailing over her chubby cheeks, watching as her small arms and legs wiggled slightly: those eyes were focused on him… and he couldn't resist a strange, powerful urge to reach into that crib and hoist her in his arms.

"Ozai?"

He turned towards his wife, the baby already in his arms. The smile on his face was quite unlike any Ursa had seen before… and so, she answered it with one of her own.

"A daughter. Our… our Azula," Ozai said, carefully holding the child to his chest, with proper support for her neck and head.

"That's right," Ursa said. "Though… I'm quite surprised that you've chosen to hold her this time. Going by how you reacted with Zuko when he was born…"

"I was much more inexperienced then," Ozai said, smiling at Azula. "Not that I'm too knowledgeable now, but… perhaps this way she will grow used to me far faster than Zuko did."

"Perhaps," Ursa raised her eyebrows.

"I… can I take a walk with her?" Ozai asked. Ursa's surprise mounted further. "I won't go far. I only… I suppose, as you won't be able to look after her while Zuko is demanding for attention…"

As if to prove his father right, Zuko's arms tightened around his mother. Ursa smiled fondly at him before nodding at Ozai. There would be time to hold Azula later… she had eaten only a few minutes before Ozai and Zuko had entered the room, too. And if Ozai wanted to involve himself in parenting from such early stages, why deny that right to him?

"Thank you," Ursa said, gently, before wrapping an arm around Zuko's small frame. "Now, now, no need to be so restless! I'm here, dear, I'm just a little tired…"

"I saw trudle ducks, ma'…"

"Turtle ducks, yes, Zuko… did you say hi to them for me too? I sure hope you did…"

Ozai glanced back at them only once before closing the door: Ursa smiled warmly at Zuko, letting him take up her attention now with his half-told stories about his adventures of the day. His vocabulary was expanding, though not as fast as Ozai would have liked… he glanced at the child in his arms, so small and serene, wondering if she'd be a slow learner like her brother had proven to be, thus far.

There was something different in his second child… something strange he hadn't sensed in Zuko. Was it because she was the second, perhaps, much like he had been? Was it all in his head? Or was he right to think that this puffy, awkward baby wrapped in blankets had a spark of curiosity in her eyes that he had never seen in Zuko's, so far? Was it maybe he wasn't looking carefully enough, back then? Perhaps that was it, and yet…

"Azula," he said, calling her name again. The baby didn't respond. "That is your name. I am Ozai… your father. And this? This is… our home. The Royal Palace of the Fire Nation. You are a princess, you see… the first princess to be born to the Royal Family in around a century."

The reality was that most princesses faded away from public life, from political importance, if they ever even gained any. Few would rejoice in the birth of a daughter, for a son would be much more crucial in order to secure the bloodline… and yet Ozai's smile was earnest as he gazed down at Azula's large, golden eyes.

"I suppose that's quite a lot to take for one day. You've had much to deal with already," he said. "What with being born so suddenly… but I shall be pleased to take you for more walks and explain more about the world you've been born to, whenever you wish."

She didn't respond, and Ozai didn't expect her to. She was a newborn, she didn't understand anything in the least… but she hadn't cried upon being in his arms. She hadn't reacted poorly to him at all. Ozai swallowed hard, raising her gently in his hold to further secure the baby in his grasp…

Her hand reached out from the blanket, so small and gentle, and it wrapped around the tip of his goatee.

Ozai froze: those tiny fingers slid through his hair, yanking it lightly, until she released his beard altogether. He blinked blankly, eyeing the girl questioningly… and then she did it again, gripping with a little more strength before letting go.

"U-uh… well. I suppose facial hair can be entertaining," Ozai said, blushing slightly as he gaped at his daughter in confusion: she appeared utterly intrigued by his beard, though, and she raised her hand towards it yet again.

He didn't know why he humored her, leaning in so she could clasp as much of it as she pleased – babies didn't measure their strength, and if she pulled violently he'd certainly flinch, then she might cry, and she'd wind up resenting him the way Zuko had…

"Uncle…? Oh, Uncle Ozai!"

The youthful voice of his twelve-year-old nephew startled Ozai: Azula's hand remained in the tip of his beard, and she let out another soft baby sound as she touched the hair… her father's attention, however, had been claimed by the young man who smiled wildly, rushing down the corridor to catch a direct glimpse of his new cousin.

"Wow! The baby's already here?" he asked, giggling and raising a hand that he withheld quickly. "C-can I…?"

"Be very careful. She was born a few hours ago, she is no plaything," Ozai said, stubbornly. Lu Ten giggled.

"I'll wait until she's older to play with her, don't worry," he said, beaming as Ozai lowered his torso carefully, allowing his nephew to see his daughter properly. "Wow… wow! And she's a girl, too? I kind of hoped she would be, there's too many boys in the family…"

Lu Ten smiled widely, raising his hands and placing them behind his head. Ozai smiled and shrugged.

"I was thinking the same thing just a moment ago," he said. "She's the first princess to be born to the Royal Family in at least four generations."

"That's so cool," Lu Ten said, daring reach up to touch Azula's hand now. The baby didn't respond to it right away, but her fingers relinquished her father's beard and fell upon Lu Ten's own after a moment. "She likes your beard?"

"Fortunately. So does her mother, so… it's good to know that I won't have to shave it for Azula's convenience," Ozai said. His cheeks flushed after he spoke – the very notion of changing his appearance just to suit his daughter's preferences, to ease her into peace, hadn't really registered in his mind until after he'd spoken the words.

"I don't know if we'd recognize you without it," Lu Ten giggled again, smiling brightly at his cousin. "Azula, then? She's… she's named after grandfather?"

"Indeed," Ozai said. Lu Ten grinned, showing his teeth.

"Well… welcome to the family, Azula!" he said. "You're very small, and very cute, too. I'm really happy to meet you."

A strange surge of emotion bloomed in Ozai's chest at the sight of Lu Ten, speaking kindly to Azula. At the very odd feeling that this was, perhaps, what common families acted like… and it wasn't such a bad thing. Azula had a cousin who seemed to be fond of her already: she wouldn't be lonely, isolated, the way he had been in his own childhood…

"Oh! Do you think Ursa is really tired?" Lu Ten asked. "I thought, well, maybe I can come for dinner today? I could bring my guzheng too! I promise I'll play very soft, maybe Azula will fall asleep better if I do…?"

"Did you learn new compositions?" Ozai asked. Lu Ten grinned and nodded.

"Learned two new ones today!" he announced. "Or, well, I learned one, I'm still halfway through another one. It gets trickier if the pieces are too advanced…"

"That's quite alright. You can repeat the ones you'd already mastered, too," Ozai said. "I'm sure Ursa will be thrilled if you can play for us today."

"I'll go clean up, then, and then I'll come back on dinnertime," Lu Ten announced, leaning in to smile at Azula. "You heard that? I'll be right back to say hi to you again! And you'll hear my guzheng, too! I hope you'll like music, Azula…"

"She will be as wise and cultured as her mother, surely… so I'm certain she shall enjoy it, provided you perform to your best," Ozai said, impressing some authority into his voice at the last moment. Lu Ten snickered.

"I'll try, Uncle Ozai," he said, grinning proudly.

He didn't leave right away, still thrilled to stand with Ozai, his hand gently holding that of his confused cousin – she seemed to be running out of energy again, and she gazed at Lu Ten with half-lidded eyes now…

"She's falling asleep," Lu Ten said, with a happy giggle. "That's so cool…"

"Falling asleep is cool?" Ozai smiled. "I'm quite certain we all do that… she will do it quite often, too."

"Still, though, she's so little!" Lu Ten laughed. "And she's so new, too. It's like everything she does feels cool because she was just born, hehe."

Ozai smiled – while he didn't want to say it out loud, he agreed with Lu Ten. There was something strangely charming and fascinating to everything his daughter did, something that he couldn't quite explain or pinpoint…

Lost in thought as he was, without paying much attention to Lu Ten's rambling, it was too late by the time Ozai noticed the multiple footsteps of a procession in the corridors. He raised his gaze just as the first of the guards marched past… and among them, naturally, walked the slender, cold-blooded Fire Lord Azulon.

Lu Ten gasped upon noticing him – he pulled his hand back then, and Azula seemed not to mind that much, tired as she was. The movement down the corridor caused Azulon to glance in their direction, scowling with displeasure even before his eyes fell upon his son and grandson…

His eyes narrowed further upon noticing Ozai held a child in his arms.

"Oh. It was already born?" Azulon asked, bluntly, upon stopping on his footsteps. His companions slowed as well, waiting for him to be ready to march anew. Ozai suppressed a shudder, the impulsive wince upon being in his father's presence…

"Yes," he announced the obvious, nodding in Azulon's direction. "The delivery was difficult, but my wife is safe."

"Is that so?" Azulon said – without so much as hiding his ambivalence over the news. Were the circumstances any different, Ozai would have likely had to make greater efforts to suppress the fury upon sensing his father's utter disinterest in the wellbeing of Ozai's family. "Is it a boy or a girl, then?"

"A… a daughter," Ozai confirmed, uneasy – unsurprisingly, Azulon's interest seemed to dwindle upon the news of having a granddaughter. "Lo and Li informed me that, upon birth, she wept with such strength…"

"Unsurprising that she would weep more than usual, for it is a girl… as well as your child," Azulon said, dismissively – Ozai's surging irritation was placated by his own intentions. By his knowledge that he'd put a stop to his father's dismissiveness with the actual revelation he meant to offer.

"Such was the power of her cries… that she breathed fire."

Lu Ten gasped. Azulon, at last, reacted with something other than dismissiveness and scorn: his brow drew together in disbelief and displeasure.

"That's not possible," he said, bluntly. Ozai resisted the urge to smirk.

"I'm afraid you may need to ask the ladies Lo and Li for confirmation. They would be the ones who witnessed this extraordinary occasion," Ozai said, perfectly serene. "It's quite a remarkable achievement… firebending upon birth? The mark of a prodigy, some might say…"

"Do not rush to such conclusions so recklessly, Prince Ozai," Azulon growled. Ozai smiled.

"Perhaps I shall be wrong to assume so, Father… nonetheless, that she may be the next prodigy born to this family has further persuaded me and my wife to name her in your honor. A prodigy, just like her grandfather: her name is Azula."

Azulon seemed moments away from losing his temper. His fists tightened – it was deeply insulting, of course, that Ozai would use his name on a girl. His father would have found offense to his choices somehow, no matter what… but he was cornered between outrage and flattery. For, whether he liked it or not, his son had honored him by choosing his name for a prodigy. The first potential prodigy born to the family, officially, since Azulon himself… for as talented as Iroh had been, as ruthless as Ozai's training regime might be, neither of them had ever reached the heights of Azulon's renowned status as a firebending prodigy.

Lu Ten hadn't been a prodigy either. Zuko, went without saying, had taken longer than any other living member of the Royal Family to give signs of being a firebender. It was, instead, the littlest of Azulon's grandchildren, the sole daughter, who seemed to carry the astonishing legacy of the merged lineages of two titans of firebending. Where her brother's potential might just shine in the future, hers had done so from the very first moment… proving Ozai correct, yet again, in having chosen Ursa for his wife. Proving Azulon's treatment of his son came from a place of resentment and bitterness, once more. Ozai had proven himself, his worth…

And his father had nothing to do or say about it. He had no excuses to diminish this extraordinary feat, no right to do so… no right to feel threatened by a tiny newborn resting in her father's arms. But the greatness of this child… it would far outdo his own. He had to know as much already…

Otherwise, he wouldn't have stormed off in a fury without another word, followed by his guards. Ozai finally allowed himself the smirk he had held back thus far: a victory. He hadn't collected many of those against Azulon across all these years… but it was quite gratifying to finally claim one his father couldn't hope to contest.

"Was grandfather… mad?" Lu Ten asked, glancing at his uncle in confusion. "And you think it's funny, Uncle?"

"Oh, it's quite amusing, yes," Ozai said, turning towards Lu Ten again. "But I'm certain your grandfather is quite pleased with my daughter's arrival. No doubt he will be looking forward to witnessing her growth in the coming years…"

"Did she really firebend right away?" Lu Ten asked, eyes wide and aglow with amazement. "That's so cool!"

"I can only hope she shall do so again soon," Ozai smiled. "It will be sufficient to prove it was no fluke, if that happens."

"Maybe the next time she cries she'll do it again," Lu Ten giggled. "I, uh, I'll be back later, then! I have some homework to do first, and then…!"

"Please, do. We shall look forward to your performance," Ozai said. Lu Ten beamed, raising a hand and touching Azula's gently.

"See you later, Azula."

Ozai continued to smile as he gazed at the child in his arms, as Lu Ten's footsteps echoed down the corridor: Azula had fallen asleep soundly, comfortable and quiet in his arms. He wondered if she'd bend fire again… he hoped she would, truly. The sooner his daughter proved to be the prodigy he was certain she could be, the more low blows Azulon would sustain…

"To think you've become such a reliable ally… and you've been in this world for scarcely a few hours," Ozai whispered. "In a single encounter, you've sent your wretched grandfather running with his tail between his legs. You are truly extraordinary, are you not, Azula?"

Even then, when the child could not hear him, when she was far too young to understand him, a strange, new attachment surged between them. A bond he had never truly experienced before… a need to see to the growth, the strength, the rise of his daughter. Never had he imagined that his heart could be moved this way by a child, a newborn for whom the world was still a confusing mystery she wasn't ready to confront… but he'd help her do so. He'd stand by her side and help her take her first steps, so that one day she'd grow into the splendid, brilliant bender and leader she could become, with his aid and support…

He had seen her potential since those days… he had understood her worth, where others might have only seen a newborn whose first firebending display had been just an accident. But he had known better… he had done his best for her because he had known better. He had raised her, and she had become a girl, then a teenager, then a woman…

And now her own daughter had been born. Now she had crafted a bond with the child she had just delivered, a bond much like his own with her.

He stood at her door. In that whirlwind of a race, all across the corridors of the Temple, and then the Palace gardens, into the marble hallways of his home, he had been consumed by memories anew, and now his hand rested on the doorknob he hadn't dared push yet.

Renkai stood tensely beside him, same as the guards who had followed Ozai dutifully from the Temple. The captain of the Third Squad appeared ready to react, even though he knew that doing anything would amount to a death wish… but the Fire Lord's presence was unsettling. His sudden arrival, rushing down the corridor at haste, had given way to a strange, stoic, somber silence and hesitation. He could simply turn the doorknob, and with just that, the situation would shift into darkness at once. Renkai knew it would, so…

"My Lord…" he said. "The Princess may… may need her rest."

The words were ill-advised for enough reasons, but he couldn't simply do nothing… not that his intervention had been worth anything, unfortunately: Ozai hadn't responded in any way. He hadn't so much as acknowledged Renkai, or anything around him other than the door. Renkai shuddered, unsure if he should speak up, unsure of what to do…

Ozai turned the doorknob.

The door was ajar only for a few inches, if even that. The room inside was lit by lamps and lanterns, and their glare revealed that Azula was not alone, still. Voices… he heard those voices, and he focused on them, hand still on the doorknob.

"… She is so cute! Those puffy cheeks, oh, I could just eat her…!"

"Ty Lee, don't threaten to eat Azula's daughter, for crying out loud."

"I'm not being literal…!"

"Weren't you the one saying you didn't want children merely a few hours ago, anyway?"

"Well, I may have said so, but I also said I'd love to be their fun aunt! And I want to be that for her, too… oh, she's beautiful, Azula, really!"

"A-are we sure she… she ate well? Did it actually work?"

"It's difficult to say, but the first meals are usually the trickier ones. We'll see in the coming days, okay? And if things aren't going so well, we can always call for a wetnurse to help too. But… I think you'll be fine, Azula."

"That's a lot of faith you're putting in me…"

"Oh, please, I just watched you push through a very intense labor, didn't I? I think that's well-deserved faith, if anything."

Soft laughter rang in the room… so softly that it didn't muffle a familiar sound that Ozai's ears had not heard in years.

The baby had cried out, and as expected, all the women within the room had busied themselves with checking on her and ensuring she was fine. Ozai swallowed hard, boldly daring push the door further…

Upon doing so, he caught a glimpse of the Princess, lying in bed, holding a child, bundled in blankets, who seemed to be as small as she had been, long ago. Ozai could not see the child's features from where he stood. The others, caught in their conversations and jokes, their relief, their peace of mind, failed to notice him.

Azula, though, focused only on the child. She spoke to it gently, reassuringly, and he couldn't overhear her words. Whatever she said, she said it for her daughter only… for the baby with whom she had established a bond as deep and strong as that which had bound him to her, once.

Even back then, she had been an asset. She had been useful, helpful in pushing forward his personal goals. As she grew, she had been his staunch supporter much as he had been hers. Where her mother had hoped to slow her down, Ozai had encouraged Azula to go forward at whatever speed she wished to. Where others dismissed and underestimated her, Ozai offered her the tools and means to achieve success, should she need them. Little by little, he had built his perfect heir in her…

Only for that heir to turn on him. Only for that heir to develop her own ideas, her own understanding of the world… only for her to become the greatest threat to his rule, to his ambitions, right after being the chief ally he had relied on, the one person he believed would never turn against him.

Would she make the same mistakes he had? The mistake of treating a child as an asset? As a helpful tool for success? Would she be outraged, too, should her child not live up to her every expectation? Would she be disappointed, should her daughter take to a path she had not charted for her?

Or would she understand? Would she set the child free… in ways he never had? Would she learn from his mistakes, in the same way he had attempted to learn from Azulon's, and seemingly failed at it?

His heart caught in his throat at the sight of her: she reminded him of her only sparsely, on occasion… but tonight, more than ever, the sight of his daughter brought Ursa to mind. It was that smile… a smile of pure joy, of earnest, innocent emotion, of affection towards her child, who had awakened thoughts and feelings she hadn't known until then.

A smile that Azula would never offer him, much as Ursa hadn't.

He had felt a pang of jealousy, followed by guilt, when he had realized this with Ursa. Today, there was no jealousy to be had. Guilt, however, he had in spades… he had been cultivating it, growing it into the vines that took root in his heart, consuming all his rage and reducing it to nothingness… for he didn't belong here. He didn't belong inside this room. He had done nothing to earn a right to meet the child… to meet his grandchild.

The joyful voices within the room, tired as they sounded, started to drown out as the door began to close, and just then, Azula raised her gaze. Her smile waned, and her eyes widened when she noticed the ajar door…

When she recognized the silhouette standing behind it.

She could see his features, to a fault. Her heart immediately clenched. He had opened the door, and he had stood there rather than rushing in to demand to see the child. To check for himself whether or not she would be a suitable heir for him…

Azula's grip on her baby strengthened as her eyes met his. She could scarcely see him, with shadows falling upon his features… but their eyes met, nonetheless.

For a moment, nothing else existed. For a moment, she forgot to breathe. For just that moment, she glimpsed something that could have been a mirage, a product of her paranoid mind…

Then, Ozai nodded.

She took in a sharp breath, and the door closed anew.

Her eyes wide, her hands trembling, her chest heaving… the others were fussing over her quickly once more as Azula closed her eyes: he had left. He had walked away. He had walked away…

Were they safe? Was her daughter safe? Was that a sign of his father's surrender? Of his acceptance? Did he understand the truth already? Had he chosen to respect it, for once?

"Azula… take it easy, okay?" Song's voice brought her back to reality, and Azula let out a deep breath, meeting her dark eyes now. "What happened? Is anything feeling wrong? Are you okay?"

"I… m-my father," Azula said. Song tensed up. "He was… h-he was right there. He was…"

The healer jumped off the mattress, where she had been sitting so far, and marched to the door. The others, so chatty and careless, fell deathly silent now as Song stopped right by the closed door…

She heard the footsteps walking away. Her heart clenched, for there were many footsteps… it could have been the Fire Lord with guards. It could have been…

She waited until the sounds were gone. Only then did she open the door… and she smiled enthusiastically at Renkai, hoping to give away none of her tension to the other guard.

"Captain Renkai. The Princess says she thought she saw… her father?" she asked.

To her utter horror, Renkai nodded: it really was him. Song barely could contain her genuine reaction, but she raised her eyebrows in feigned surprise.

"Is that so?" she said. Renkai breathed out.

"He… he says he'll await your report in his study, when you're ready. He believes he should not impose when the Princess is exhausted after a difficult day," the other guard responded. Song raised an eyebrow.

"Oh… then I should get going soon. I suppose one of you could accompany me? As the ladies Mai and Ty Lee might stay tonight, I figure you could also help me find more futons for them?"

"Certainly, Lady Wen," said the guard, bowing his head towards her. Song breathed deeply and glanced at Renkai again.

"You seem tired too. Perhaps you could rest for a few hours…" Renkai suggested, but Song shook her head.

"I'll rest after I've made sure everything's in order," she said. "Give me a moment, then."

The guards nodded, and Song closed the door again, returning to Azula's bedside. Everyone had overheard her conversation with the guards, and they watched her nervously now.

"No worries… just going to give your father a quick report," Song said, smiling awkwardly at Azula. "It was him, yeah… and somehow, it seems he only wants that report. I'll tell him about the quarantine, the idea we talked about…"

"Okay…" Azula said, breathing heavily. "Though… he could've come in here just now, seen her for himself…"

"Good thing that he didn't, right?" Song said, with a weak smile. "Say… have you decided on the name yet? I have the feeling he'll ask me, so…"

"Oh, right!" Ty Lee grinned, bringing her hands together happily. "If you haven't yet, we can spend the rest of the night coming up with ideas…!"

"No need," Azula said, with a weak smile that startled her friend into silence.

"You have a name in mind already?" asked Mai, perplex. Azula breathed deeply and nodded.

"You see… long ago, I met a fortuneteller," Azula explained, startling everyone with her seriousness. "I never wanted to believe in any such readings of my future, of course… this particular fortuneteller happened to see things in my future that I deeply hoped weren't true. She even talked about things in my past, and I… anyway, the point is she read something disturbing about my future at one point. She read that I was… that I was fated to lose everything."

If Ty Lee had meant to make jokes about Azula's newfound willingness to believe in fortunetelling, those words ensured she wouldn't do so. Rei's aghast eyes spoke for themselves, too… but Azula smiled reassuringly at her.

"In full, she said that I… I would be submerged, lost in darkness. That my only hope would be to find a light and cling to it… only then would I be saved," Azula said. "I shouldn't have been so disturbed over that prediction, and perhaps I would have gotten over it faster, if only I… if only I hadn't thought it was fulfilled on the very next night. When… when the White Lotus found us, and I had to save Sokka from the verge of death with my gold fire.

"Then… I thought it had been fulfilled again after Rhone hurt me, after my chi was corrupted. I even lost my inner fire for a moment… I couldn't feel it. It was the first time that happened since the eclipse. It felt like I had been at death's doors… and I thought I might have saved myself by clinging to Sokka. By wanting to live on, regardless of my condition, provided I could ensure he was safe, and that my nation was safe, too. So, I guess… I thought it might be fulfilled then, but it wasn't. I… I didn't lose everything, still.

"But I did a few months later. I… I truly lost everything I needed in life. I lost my life's partner, so many of my friends, I hardly had chances to see you, Mai, Ty Lee, I… I was at the lowest point I'd ever reached, with my dragon locked and under threat of death if I made even a single wrong move. And then… then you realized I might be with child. You realized it, Mai, and… and here's that child. The reason why I pulled through, for all those months, when the one thing I wanted to do at first was give up."

Azula smiled, her fingers trailing over her daughter's hair gently. Tears welled in her eyes, but she did her best to contain them.

"So… maybe the prophecy was fulfilled through her, huh?" she said, her eyes charged with affection. "For she was that light all along. In so much darkness, everything came together because of her. Because of this small light that I… that I have to protect now. That I mean to protect, with everything I have. One day, for sure, she'll be a stronger light, a beacon for so many to find inspiration, not just me. But for now… for now she is small, and fragile, and I will do everything in my power to ensure her light never goes out."

Ty Lee sniffed, weeping into her hands as Song smiled kindly at Azula. Even Mai seemed emotional by Azula's words, much like Rei was, sitting tightly by Azula's bedside…

"Upon remembering that prophecy, the idea of two names just came to me. One for a boy… one for a girl," Azula said, caressing her hair. "And she's a girl, so…"

She breathed deeply, smiling kindly at the baby, bundled safely in her blankets.

"Her name is Hotaru."

A gentle, reverent silence spread in the room as each of Azula's companions smiled at her decision. Song's affectionate smile gave way to a quick embrace she offered the Princess, who closed her eyes as she continued to hold her daughter.

"Perfect," Song said. "She's our little firefly, then."

"Exactly," Azula chuckled, a tear spilling down her face. "The most precious light of all."

It seemed unlikely that Azula would relinquish her hold on Hotaru anytime soon: Ty Lee took to sobbing happily, repeating the child's name while Rei sat closer to Azula and her little sister, gazing at the child in utmost wonderment. Even Mai smiled fondly, recalling her own, powerful feelings upon holding Yuudai for the very first time.

That beautiful image was what Song gazed at as she crossed the room's threshold once more. It was what she hoped to protect from Ozai's wrath, from his potential cruelty… and she had every intention of ensuring his dark reach would not tarnish this moment for Azula and those who cared for her.

To Song's surprise, Ozai appeared startled when she arrived in his study. She bowed, smiling with uncertainty, knowing her appearance was unkempt and inappropriate for visiting the Fire Lord – for as much as she had washed up after clearing Azula's room, her hair was bound to be a mess, much like her outfit was crumpled and likely stained. Nonetheless, Ozai made no mention of any of that as he stood by his desk, nodding in her direction.

"The child was born. It's… a daughter, as I understand?" he said. Song nodded.

"Yes, my Lord. The Princess has chosen to name her Hotaru," she said. Ozai raised an eyebrow.

"An… unusual name," he said, and yet he didn't reject it. Instead, he breathed deeply, jaw squared, and he nodded. "Suitable for her daughter, I should say. Are they in good health?"

"Well… the child arrived early," Song lied as convincingly as she could, and Ozai frowned. "And the Princess needs much rest after her strain today. All women require more rest after birthing a child, but as you know, her condition was not the finest even before the pregnancy, since her chi had been corrupted, as I understand…"

"Indeed. Is there… any sign that the corruption could have affected the child?" Ozai asked. Song swallowed hard.

"I intend to keep a close watch to ensure that's not the case," she said. "Nevertheless, the baby will require extensive, personal attention. Babies born before they're due can experience health issues, as their bodies aren't as developed as they're supposed to be. So, I intend to keep the Princess confined for another month, if possible, to ensure that she heals and recovers, and to ensure the baby's remaining development is achieved in a safe environment. I shall report to you about the progress of this situation whenever you request it."

"I… I see," Ozai said, frowning slightly before nodding. "I understand. Should they require anything, I shall ensure to provide it. May I ask, however…?"

"Yes?" Song raised her eyebrows.

"Did… did the child give any signs of being a firebender?"

"What…? This early?" Song asked, startled. "I… I'm afraid not, no. So far, she…"

To her surprise, Ozai smiled. His question was utterly perplexing, but the strange, tender expression on his face was even more confusing.

"Well, that may be for the better," he said. "Do not mind me. Though there is one more thing. In case… in case Azula is concerned on the matter, I will not push for the child's presentation at the temple until she is ready."

"O-oh," Song froze on the spot – yes, that had indeed been one of the Princess's concerns… but as it turned out, they wouldn't have to push Ozai on that front, in the end? That seemed surprisingly fortunate… "She did wonder about it, since… since the father is not present. It seems inappropriate to present the child at the temple this way, when she's of high birth…"

"It is inappropriate. Unheard of, save for cases of tragedies where the mother dies in childbirth, which I'm deeply grateful was not the case today," Ozai said. "Thus, let her know she has no need to be concerned about this for now. There's also the matter of the conflicts within her marriage, admittedly… there's much yet to be resolved, and I would rather handle that once Admiral Zhao returns from the north."

"Of course, my Lord. I agree entirely with this course of action," Song said, hoping she wouldn't sound too eager.

"This being said… the political situation we're in is precarious," Ozai said, turning a stern stare on Song, who suppressed a shudder upon hearing those words. "While I am content to allow my daughter her rest… I will request to see her once her condition has improved sufficiently."

"Naturally… I will ensure to let her know," Song nodded, a knot tightening around her stomach, another in her throat. Ozai nodded too.

"Then… thank you deeply for your services, Lady Wen," he said. "I do hope you may offer my daughter further guidance and assistance in the days to come. Wish her my best and… and relay to her my congratulations for her successful delivery, as well."

"I will, my Lord. She will be grateful for your generosity and your well wishes," Song said, smiling and bowing her head in his direction.

She breathed heavily as she left the Fire Lord's study, her heart clenched, as if by a metal hand. Perhaps Ozai had truly eased up… perhaps he simply needed Azula's aid in order to get out of the chaotic problem he was in, now that Sokka was leading forces against him. But would he force Azula to help him? Would he demand for it? Would Hotaru become a new hostage, a threat for Ozai to resort to in order to keep Azula locked down and subservient to anything he demanded?

Accompanied by the guard, Song collected the two extra futons necessary before returning to the Princess's room, head bent, heart still aching with discomfort… her very bones felt heavy after such a long day, and right now she only wanted to forget that Ozai had asked what he had. What could he want from her? What could he ask of her? Would Azula even have the opportunity to refuse? Would he give her that choice?

She managed to offer Renkai a weak smile before thanking the other guard for his aid: she reentered the room then, and her heart lightened immediately upon glimpsing the smiles of her friends, as well as Rei's bashfulness…

"I… I don't think I should hold her yet, I…"

"Well, you have to learn eventually," Ty Lee giggled. "But I guess you can learn tomorrow."

"If Azula ever lets go of her, that is," Mai smirked.

Azula would have responded to that, likely, but her gaze drifted towards Song once she heard the door opening. She raised an eyebrow, and her friend smiled reassuringly.

"Everything's in order," Song said: the others hadn't noticed her return right away, but they smiled too upon hearing that statement. Song approached the bed, handing a futon each to Mai and Ty Lee. "And here you go, it's kind of late to go home… so I guess I assumed you'd spend the night here."

"Huh. It's been so long since we last had a slumber party," Ty Lee grinned wildly at Azula, who smiled and shrugged.

"I won't eat all the mochi this time, I promise…"

"Might be we'd forgive you for it today simply because you only just had a baby. But for no other reason," Mai smiled, patting her on the shoulder gently. "To be honest, you're lucky the baby arrived when it did. My mom spent over a day waiting for Tom-Tom to be born… admittedly, I can sympathize with her side a little more now that I've had one of my own. But at the time, it was just…"

"Boring?" Azula smirked. Mai smiled and shrugged.

"I had to sit by her and hear her complain about everything for almost a full day with no breaks. You were far too considerate to us, believe it or not," she said. "And your baby is far cuter than my brother, too. Congratulations on that front."

Azula laughed, shaking her head as she gazed at Hotaru with heartfelt emotion once more. While the world hadn't been amended, while there was still so much wrong, so much that needed to be fixed, her heart seemed to have been soothed through her blooming love for the child in her arms… the child she had awaited, so impatiently at times, so nervously as well. She had been so fearful of having condemned her with her irresponsible behavior, dreading having damaged her without meaning to, when her body had been subjected to too much strain.

But everything suggested her daughter was fine, according to Song, who encouraged Azula to feed her one more time before everyone headed to bed. The process was awkward for the Princess still, for she wasn't quite sure if it was working properly, but Song insisted that she should simply relax and allow Hotaru to begin nursing by sheer instinct. Thus, within around five hours since she had been born, Hotaru appeared to have rested a little and, once Azula actually began feeling a reaction within her body, a tugging sensation within her breast, the baby ate properly for the first time, too.

"See? Told you there was nothing to worry about," Song smiled, sitting by Azula and helping her compose herself again, once Hotaru appeared to have her fill.

"When will we have to worry about… diapers?" Azula asked, raising an eyebrow. "I'm really sorry for my ignorance, I just…"

"Don't be," Song said. "I'm here to help, no need to put yourself down for not having all the answers with your firstborn. Now, then… we'll check in a couple of hours. As she's so small, and hasn't had a lot of food yet, the bigger horror stories with diapers are only bound to begin in a few days…"

"Right," Azula smiled awkwardly. "I suppose I should brace myself for that."

"For a lot of things," Song said, raising a hand to caress Hotaru's hair gently. "She seems quite calm, though. Hasn't cried much so far, just when she was born… must be because you keep holding her."

"Hmm. Then I can't let go, clearly, or else she will be sad. Simple as that," Azula said, stubbornly. Song laughed and shook her head.

"Well, you'll have to do it in order to eat and sleep properly, but I guess I can let you hold her for a little longer," she said.

The others had begun preparing for bed by then, enjoying a late dinner that Azula would eat in bed eventually… once she let go of Hotaru, of course. She truly didn't wish to do so yet, if ever…

"You need to eat too… sleep as well," Azula said. Song smiled and shrugged. "You've worked harder than anyone today…"

"That's clearly not the case. I'm not the one who pushed a whole baby out of my body, now, am I?" Song chuckled. "I'll go in a bit, I will…"

"Thank you," Azula whispered. Song raised an eyebrow. "For… for everything you've done ever since you got here. I... I really don't know if I could've made it this far if it weren't for you, Song."

"Now, now…" Song smiled, reaching higher now to pat Azula's head. The Princess smiled for it, too. "You're selling yourself short there. I've just… made things a bit smoother, I hope…"

"A bit?" Azula repeated, with a skeptical smile. "Song… you really have no idea how much better you've made my life in all this mess. How much I owe you for… for standing by me and letting me rely on you. I never even thought I could do this. Having a child? My own baby? Sokka and I talked about it so abstractly, I never really thought about the complications, the hardships… I would've been ambling in the dark with no clue of where I was going, if I was going anywhere at all, if it weren't because you were here to help me. You're not safe here… I hated that you wouldn't be, but honestly? Even when I know you might be better off elsewhere, I… I'm really glad you're here. I'm really grateful for… for you, Song."

The healer's tender smile warmed further as she leaned close, offering Azula a gentle hug. The Princess, emotional as she was, felt tears spilling down her cheeks as Song settled beside her, embracing her gently.

"Crazy as it may sound to you… this is exactly where I want to be right now," Song said, smiling kindly. "Of course, I… I'd love to be with my mother too, with Rui Shi… but I feel I needed to be right here, you know? You're grateful I helped you with Hotaru… and I'm grateful I had the chance to do so, too. So… rest assured, I'm not going anywhere. You're stuck with the insidious, annoying Lady Wen for as long as I feel like it, alright?"

"So, it's on your terms?" Azula asked, amused. Song smirked.

"Absolutely."

"Well… stick around forever, as long as I'm concerned. Feels like the insidious, annoying Lady Wen actually brings me luck, somehow," Azula said, closing her eyes. "Thank you for everything, Song."

She said the words again, and Song's heart churned as twin tears she hadn't quite allowed herself to shed finally spilled from her eyes. Back when they first met, she would have never imagined she would come to cherish the Princess as deeply as she did… but right now, the certainty of wanting to stand by her in every challenge she faced, now as a new mother, filled Song with strength and courage, regardless of Ozai's intentions. Whatever he wanted from Azula, ultimately, Song's role by her side would not end because the baby had been born… for she intended to be her confidante, her friend, her staunch ally forevermore.

As unwilling as she was to relinquish her hold on her baby, Azula's exhaustion got the better of her within a few more minutes. The room was fully quiet as Hotaru rested in one of the smaller cribs, set right by Azula's bedside while the rest of her companions slept on the futons, distributed across the room. Tired as she was, it still took Azula some time to fall asleep, and her eyes lingered on the crib until then.

It felt like she had dozed off for only five minutes when the soft whimpering voice of her daughter roused her. She pushed herself up awkwardly, her body heavy with exhaustion… but she didn't need to climb off the bed to collect her daughter. Tired as well, if not as weakened, Song climbed out of her futon, carefully picking up Hotaru before handing her over to her mother.

"Needs more food, I bet," Song said, with a drowsy grin. "Might be okay to check the diaper too, though."

"Uh, you'll have to explain how I should do that, actually," Azula grimaced. Song chuckled, shaking her head.

"It's definitely not as difficult as fixing your bedding to perfection, so you'll learn quickly," she said. Azula laughed softly and nodded, too.

Hotaru's crying eased into a smoother, whimpering sound, paired with pouting. Azula smiled fondly at her daughter as she undid her clothes, and with Song's help, she cleaned the child before dressing her anew, in a fresh diaper that would lessen her discomfort. Afterwards, a new nursing session began, and Azula had the distinct feeling that Hotaru was more energetic now, perhaps having rested better than expected after that last long nap.

The same couldn't be said, of course, of Song – the healer said she'd wait for Azula to finish nursing to then carry Hotaru back to the crib, but in doing so, she had wound up dozing off on the Princess's mattress by accident. Azula smiled at her, unwilling to wake her just as she was unwilling to part from her daughter, even after she was done nursing.

The room was only dimly lit by a single lantern, by her desk. Even that was enough for Azula to see her daughter's face, to appreciate details of features that were still taking shape.

"You know what?" Azula whispered quietly to Hotaru as she rested on her chest. Her eyes were open, taking in whatever they could in the comforting darkness of the room. "Doesn't matter if you have my family's typical eye color, you look so much more like your dad, Hotaru. He'd probably pretend otherwise, of course, but you agree with me, don't you? Yes, I think you do. I think you'd love him so much… no, rather, I know you will love him, so much more than you can imagine.

"You see, he's not here right now… but he wishes he were. He would love to meet you, to get to know you, to play games with you and make funny faces to make you laugh. If I had any doubts about how good I am as a mother, he would bluntly tell me I'm the best mother ever, and it wouldn't matter if I told him how biased he was, he'd insist on it and hear nothing else. He's a goofball that way, you see… he's wonderful that way, too. I love him, I always will… and you're here because I did, you see? Because he and I… we truly created something beautiful, no one can deny that anymore. Together… we created you. And you're… you're a wonderful blessing, one I might not deserve, but I do know that he does.

"You… you don't know how much I've been through in order to bring you to this world," Azula said, with a weak smile. "It's not just the labor pains, no, it's… the deceptions I've had to engage in, the dangerous moves I've had to make… the sacrifices. It was terrifying, more than anything, because I feared I might have made all those efforts for nothing. But… it wasn't in vain. Because after all that… I finally got to meet you. And you're… you're my daughter. You're my daughter, and I can't believe the way that makes me feel. It's… it's madness. It's a strange sort of euphoria and I… I can't wait to get to know you better. To know if you'll be a glutton, like your father… if you'll like spicy foods, like me, or even mochi? To find out if you're left or right-handed… maybe you'll be good with both, huh? That would be suitable…"

She chuckled, trailing her fingertips gently over her daughter's soft face. Hotaru let out a soft cry, responding to her touch, and Azula nodded.

"Hi. I'm your mom, yes," she said. "And you're Hotaru. That's your name. I'm really happy I could meet you at last, Hotaru."

She didn't contain the tears, the joy and the affection. There was no point in doing so: she kissed her daughter's brow carefully, softly, and Hotaru whimpered in that gentle, sweet way once more.

"He'll meet you too," Azula whispered, gently caressing her daughter's back. "He'll feel just as I do… he'll be overwhelmed by all emotion, overrun by feelings he never knew before. He says, all the time, that he's coming for us, dear… I don't really know how he'll go about it, but for better or for worse, your father is the most stubborn man in existence. If he says he'll be here… then I know he will be. And as soon as he meets you… oh, he's going to melt into a puddle, I'm sure of that."

She chuckled, simply imagining Sokka's reaction upon holding his daughter for the first time. More tears escaped her eyes as she caressed her baby's back again, holding her carefully, her head resting against her arm.

"So… let's be patient, okay?" Azula said, smiling gently. "Let's… let's wait for him. I know he's ready to meet you, Hotaru. We just have to wait."

Perhaps it was the fact that she had repeated the child's name many times, that so had the rest of her companions while they had been conscious… but shortly after speaking it anew, Hotaru reacted to the sound of her voice.

A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.

Azula's pounding heart ached even more powerfully with loving affection for the child in her arms. She couldn't hold back a few sobs, as she wept in unbridled emotion.

For the first time in far too long, a familiar feeling nestled in her chest. She didn't need to bend to confirm it… for she knew the sensation intimately, and she recognized it at once:

For the first time in what felt like forever, her inner fire burned gold.

---

The pain had subsided slightly. The chaotic sensations warring inside him had calmed down… leaving behind a strange joy, a peace he couldn't remember experiencing before.

He trembled as he came back to his senses, to his body. A hand fell upon his shoulder, helping anchor him to reality as he shivered, sitting where he did.

"Did it work? Could you… could you see her? Is she alright?"

Ursa's urgency sufficed to help Sokka stabilize: in doing so, he realized there were tears streaming freely down his face. No wonder she'd worry… no wonder she'd stare at him with utmost terror of what news he might bring, if he brought any…

Sokka smiled. He smiled genuinely, with an innocence and a purity that would have never suited a war general… and yet for that instant, Ursa felt she was seeing the most genuine, authentic side of Sokka she had ever known. A freer man… a blissful spirit whose heart, so chaotic and pained, had been quelled at last:

"I saw her. I held her, I… I encouraged her, even if I didn't know what to do. I saw her, Ursa, I…"

He laughed, dabbing at the tears, gripping his chest, where his heart seemed moments away from bursting over a pure happiness he hadn't experienced in such a long time… but he relished in it deeply as he conveyed the final words his lover had spoken to him before their connection ceased completely:

"We have a daughter… and her name is Hotaru."