"Your highnesses."
Azula's forearm was held up against her brother's, with smoke coming from both their palms, ready to firebend at each other; the two of them had decided to spar together, a little gathering organised by Mai, though the girl herself was not present. Their eyes both moved from each other's toward the servant that had entered the courtyard.
"As you can clearly see, we are busy, so get on with it." she warned the servant, hoping they would be succinct with whatever they wanted to say.
"The Fire Lord has passed."
The Princess tensed up, surprised by what she had just heard, even if she had been anticipating it for a number of years. Her grandfather's ill health was no secret in the palace, though he had tried to play it down for a number of months as he wasted away. Now, the fact rang in her ears, making her loosen up her form as it sunk in.
Iroh was now the Fire Lord, by virtue of his father's passing, something that had been a long time coming; her mind didn't, however, immediately turn to what he might be feeling about his own father's death, but to her own father. Prince Ozai was now Crown Prince Ozai, and the line of succession had shifted up, with Zuko and Azula now a step closer to the throne that at birth, neither was expected to inherit.
"That's..." her brother began, before shaking his head, softening his form as he stepped backwards, "We can do this some other time, Azula." he decided, his gaze momentarily meeting her own; perhaps he suspected that because he had stepped from the fight, she might take the advantage and attack him so she could win their spar.
However, Azula, despite having that thought in mind, didn't think it was a smart idea. Her mind was already on the funeral that they would have to attend in the coming hours. The Fire Lord's body would be burned, and her uncle would be formally proclaimed the new Fire Lord.
"I agree." she made her opinion clear, raising her palm towards him, "I'm not going to attack you."
"Good." he responded curtly before stepping closer to the servant, who was still looking at them, "Has our father been informed?"
"Yes, I just came from his office." he clarified, "He expects the two of you to be ready for the Fire Lord's funeral."
"That was already obvious." Azula spoke up as she stepped up behind her brother, flicking one of her bangs out of her face so she could eye down the servant, "Are our funeral garbs being prepared?"
"As is custom, they are. Just as was done when..." he began, before stopping himself and grimacing; the fear in his eyes seemed sudden, almost like he had walked into the den of a hungry beast.
Azula was confused for a moment, but the reason became apparent when she saw her brother's clenched fists, shaking with rage, she understood what he was about to refer to.
"Leave us." he demanded, his voice sounding less like the withdrawn and gloomy teen she knew and more like the father she both feared and admired.
"Of course, y-your highness." he accepted his command without delay and paced out of the training yard.
"So... you remember that?" she asked him, surprised that her brother might have actually remembered their mother's funeral, even at such a young age; he raised his chin up, glancing at the blue sky above their heads.
"It's- it's my first memory." he admitted, "And I hate it."
She usually didn't feel bad for her brother, but that stung her; she knew that she might have been involuntarily responsible for their mother's passing in childbirth, and that painful memory, it was because of her coming into the world. She did not feel guilt, because she had no choice in the matter, but she understood her brother's anger, and that it was often directed towards her. That anger was sometimes justified, given their competition in the line of succession: one of them would succeed their father, and both were intent on becoming Fire Lord.
She didn't respond, and just strode forward, towards the changing area, "We should get going, Zuko. Father's patience is not something to test." she warned him, and he nodded, understanding Ozai would want them dressed and ready for the ceremony in short order.
Her brother followed her into the changing area, and the two of them split up, each moving into their respective areas to retrieve their robes; Azula didn't waste any time, quickly dispensing of her training garbs, and slid back into her ordinary robes, before she pulled her epaulettes over the top, and slid her boots on. She quickly tightened her wrist bands, ensuring that her clothes were prim and proper before she was to walk back out into the palace halls. She had to get back to her room to get changed into her funeral garbs, which were quite similar to the robes she was already wearing, though they were coloured a stark white.
The Princess stepped back out into the open space between the men's and women's changing areas, where her brother was already standing, his robes a bit looser than her own. He was less concerned about looking nice and more concerned about getting back before their father had reason to reprimand them.
"Come on." he prodded her as he paced over to the doors, Azula following right after her brother.
Zuko led her into the hallway, where two guards stood ready to accompany them back to their quarters; they followed the royal siblings, who remained side-by-side, despite the apprehensive feelings between the two of them. They might have just been sparring, but that didn't mean they liked each other. They had been sparring at Iroh's suggestion, after all, and not because the two of them enjoyed fighting each other. She imagined that her brother did like the idea of winning a fight against her, though he was never capable of getting a victory that came out of anything more than mutual exhaustion.
"Uncle is the Fire Lord." she commented on the new state of affairs, and her brother just huffed.
"I have a feeling he isn't too happy about that." he acknowledged, and she nodded.
"Since Ba Sing Se... duty hasn't come easy to him." she observed how he had been acting, knowing that he was at first depressed and solemn over his son's death, and then relaxed and withdrawn in a de facto retirement.
"No, but he will rule." Zuko responded, sounding confident in Iroh's ability to rule; she felt he would do a good job as Fire Lord, because of his experience, cautious nature, and desire to solve problems peacefully, rather than to brashly lead Fire nation forces off into a new, arduous campaign.
Though she was doubtful the Earth Kingdom could be subjugated without more soldiers and suppression of their earthbenders, she knew that her uncle would likely go for a different approach to the one his father had been following for the decades he had while reigning as Fire Lord. The war had effectively come to a close with the fall of Ba Sing Se around five years prior, but with no end in sight to rebellions, and countless holdouts across the massive Earth Kingdom, she knew that eventually, she and her brother would be expected to go deal with those matters, whether on the battlefield, or in meeting halls.
That was what was expected of heirs, which was exactly what they were; before Lu Ten's death, she was far enough back in the line of succession that she hadn't personally considered the idea that she would become Fire Lord, and was more than comfortable serving their nation by leading their military to more victories against their foes. Now, with her father Crown Prince, she knew that she had a good chance of becoming the Fire Lord, especially if she was able to prove herself so thoroughly that she could be made Crown Princess over Zuko after Iroh's death.
However, she had more than enough time to deal with that issue, as her uncle was not that old, and Azulon had just lived close to the age of a hundred; so it could be many decades until she sat the flaming throne, let alone became Crown Princess. She knew that Zuko would hold issue with that, just as she expected her father held issue with having to wait to become the Fire Lord. He rightly saw himself as the stronger, more capable ruler out of himself and Iroh, and she expected that he'd call for an Agni Kai at the first sign of weakness from her uncle. Though she'd prefer that it didn't happen, she knew there was little she could do to dissuade her father from making use of his rights.
"For how long?" she asked her brother, implicitly wanting his opinion on the matter she'd just been thinking about; Zuko's grimace told her that he held the same view as she did.
"How desperate is Father?" he asked her, and she glanced back to the guards behind them, knowing that they could be in their father's pocket.
"How could I know? All I know is that Father is ambitious. He seeks to do great things."
"Like any heir would." he acknowledged, implying another thing that she had already been assuming; they were going to compete for their father's favour, and for Iroh's favour as well.
"Precisely, Brother." she agreed with his point, "I just wish that our uncle has a prosperous reign."
"The war is over. I don't think he could have had a better opportunity." he argued, glancing back ahead towards the doors they were heading for, which would lead into their quarters.
"There are still threats to his reign." she warned him, "The Water Tribes persist, and rebels continue to rally under the Earth Kingdom's banner." she reminded him, before raising a finger to her chin, "That's not even considering the Avatar."
"The one who's been missing for a century?" he scoffed, "I didn't take you to be one for jokes, Azula."
"The Avatar is real... the only question is where they've been hiding this whole time."
"Air Nomads were pacifists, so they probably just didn't want to fight." Zuko acknowledged, his expression seeming almost saddened, "After what happened during the last passing of the Comet, I would expect they are afraid of us."
"As they should be... but the Avatar is powerful, Zuko." she warned him, pushing the door open for them, leading him down the hallway towards their individual rooms.
"Maybe. But an all-powerful coward is as weak as the breeze." he suggested, making her snicker; his airbending joke didn't miss her, and she raised a finger to her forehead.
"That was a good proverb, Brother. Have you been hanging around Uncle too much?" she asked, and he raised his chin.
"He is a wise man, Sister. You should take some time to respect his words." he suggested, and she narrowed her eyes on him; Iroh was already worthy of her respect, even if she didn't disagree with all his actions.
"I respect his actions well enough." she argued, reaching for her door handle, before she pushed the door open, "So, I'll see you back out front."
"Yes." he confirmed, before glancing back down the hallway, towards their father's room, "I wonder how he is feeling?"
"About Grandfather?" she asked, her brother nodding; she just shrugged, knowing that her father might have respected Azulon, but he was more afraid of him than anything- with him dead, that was one person he didn't have to worry about any longer, "He was his father... though I don't know how much they cared for each other."
"I understand." Zuko mumbled, his glare cold and silently furious, before he stepped into his own room and closed the door behind himself.
Azula stepped through the doorway and closed the door behind herself, before she strode over to her desk, looking at the scrolls she had laying there. She had been doing some reading on the Avatar, and that was why she bothered to mention the idea to her brother; she knew that the Avatar was a great threat to the Fire Nation, albeit an unknown one, and now that her uncle was to be crowned Fire Lord, she realised that she would have an opportunity to breach the issue with him.
Requesting a ship, men, and leave from the capital would have been unreasonable to her grandfather, especially seeing that he wouldn't care enough personally and ask her father for permission, which he would refuse to grant. Ozai would want her around, so he could oversee her training, both firebending and political, and help ingratiate her into the court.
She didn't doubt her father's good reasons for wanting that, but she knew that there was much to be gained by travelling the world, learning about their enemies and the threats they posed, with the added opportunity of potentially finding their greatest enemy. If the Avatar came back to the palace with her in chains, she would have her position as her father's heir all but assured.
Standing behind Zuko, Ty Lee felt a sense of unease, knowing what had just happened; though she hadn't actually witnessed the executions of Kuraiken and his gang, the aftermath was a speech by the Prince, where he disavowed his father and swore to hunt down the traitors to the Fire Nation. Their bodies hung behind him, bags or their original masks covering their heads as the Prince laid out his plans quite publicly.
She had expected that the public would have been apprehensive, if not terrified by Prince's actions, given that he could just as well have ordered the deaths of civilians just as he had the criminal backers of his father. The guards had faced the same fate, though they were given the dignity of being killed before they were strung up. The servants were allowed to live, but they were not free, restrained and held in the Home Guard's base, to be interrogated by the Intelligence Service for their associations with Ozai, and potentially as members of the Intelligence Service themselves.
The public didn't know all she did, but they did know what crimes the criminals and guards were accused of; high treason, the same accusation which had been levied against her by Ozai when he wanted to silence her all those weeks prior. The public seemed more than supportive of the rebels being suppressed and publicly executed, and had begun to chant something she didn't expect to hear.
They were calling Zuko the 'Sword of the Nation', a title which seemed to mirror the epithet given to his uncle, the Dragon of the West. The Prince didn't seem to take any care for the name they gave him, but the respect seemed to put him in a better mood. It had only been a few hours since they attacked the estate, and he was still furious over how Azula had been attacked. She might have been happy to see the siblings show some care for each other, but she was more concerned by what had resulted from their plans- her plan.
She felt a growing sense of guilt over Azula's injuries, and the whole ordeal; if they had taken a different plan, and not gone on the progress, then they might have been able to seize or kill Ozai without so much fighting. He was still missing, and the Home Guard was still upholding roadblocks and checkpoints out of the area, though she doubted they'd stop the Prince; if he got out of the capital, where there was a far larger Home Guard force to actually keep him in, he could certainly get out of Kurosuna.
Though the fear of Ozai sending people after them lingered in her mind, she was more afraid of what the Princess might do when she recovered from her injuries; Zuko's rage was still palpable, even after the executions, and she knew that her friend had a temper herself- neither sibling was well adjusted by any measure. After nearly getting her face burnt off by her father, she would have every reason to be furious and go on a hunt for her father, though Ty Lee imagined that Zuko would beat her to it.
Mayor Huayu stood beside her and Mai, and with Zuko's proclamations over, the Mayor was allowed to step up to say a few words to the people she served; she gave a bow to Zuko, as was expected, before rising to the podium.
"People of Kurosuna, please, do not let the fear of these terrorists dictate your every action." she addressed them, "As you can clearly see, Prince Zuko has the rebels on the run, and soon enough, all of them will face justice for their treasonous acts. We should all take comfort in knowing that those criminal gangs working with the traitor Prince will not have the chance to enact any further terror against the innocents of our nation. We cannot let these traitors divide us... without unity, we would be barbarians... and we cannot let that happen." she tried to dissuade any fears the public might have been feeling, before she raised a fist up, "Long live the Fire Nation!"
"Long live the Fire Nation!" the crowd chanted thrice, before the Mayor turned her gaze, turning to face Zuko, and knelt down before him.
The crowd followed suit, and the Prince seemed a bit off-put by the act of deference, and he strode up to the podium, "I am not worthy of this honour... but I swear on my uncle's life that I will bring justice to the traitors." he declared, "Thank you." he added, before bowing to the crowd, who seemed more surprised by the act than their kneeling had been to him.
He turned around, and began to pace back towards the gates, leading him back into the Home Guard base; Ty Lee, Mai, and his guards followed right after, the two girls looking at each other. Though Mai was very hard to read at times, her emotions were clear; she was impressed, not afraid. Perhaps after all they'd been through together, she'd lost any sympathy she could have held for the traitors, Ozai's goons, who were trying and failing to kill them all.
"The rats scurry away from the fire." she poetically addressed their situation, "Ozai will not know comfort any longer... and every Houken and Zhong will know their fate."
"Because death looms over their heads just as it does ours." Zuko gave the reason for his father's presumed feelings, "Good. It is only fair."
Ty Lee held back any comments she might have lingering in her mind, because they wouldn't have gone well with the Prince; though she understood their reasons for mercilessness, she couldn't agree with them on principle. She knew that the enemies of the Fire Nation had to be destroyed, but that didn't seem right when their enemies were their fellow countrymen; the more she had considered the way they treated their enemies, the more she had become disgusted with the whole war and the views espoused by men like Ozai.
That didn't excuse Zuko from his actions, but she could only hope that he would return to his senses once his father was stopped; if the war should have taught them all something it was that violence would always lead to more violence, unless somebody was willing to make the hard choice to speak instead of bend. The Prince had chosen violence, and though she knew she had little choice, she wished that he hadn't been so brutal, no matter how deserving their foes might have been of his anger.
As they entered the Home Guard base, the three of them continued along to the infirmary, while the Imperial Firebenders fanned out to take their positions, ready to ensure that no assassins would ever even have the chance to get inside the base. She didn't doubt their skills, and their presence was no longer annoying, as it had been when they were just children; it was a comfort to know that somebody was always watching their backs, keeping an eye out when they couldn't muster the energy or attention to do so.
The infirmary only had a few people in it, those injured in the fighting at the estate, most of them having received some light burns or cuts from being attacked by Ozai's goons. The Princess lay behind some curtains at the back of the infirmary, constantly under guard by two Imperial Firebenders. When they entered, a nurse had strode up to Zuko and bowed to him.
"Your highness, are you here to see your sister?" she asked, and the Prince nodded.
"Yes... is she awake?"
The nurse shook her head, "The last time I checked, she was still asleep. She was able to eat some soup earlier today... it appears that the burns have made it hard for her to chew and speak properly." she explained, Ty Lee grimacing at the news.
"Will she get better? I mean, it'd really suck to not be able to chew or speak forever." she acknowledged, and the nurse nodded.
"Yes, her burns are serious and painful, but these are no worse than what one might receive in an ordinary Agni Kai. She should make a full recovery, in time." she explained what they should expect; Zuko let out a sigh, clearly relieved to hear that, before glancing down towards where she was staying.
"Can we go see her? If she doesn't awaken, that's alright... but we haven't seen her since last night."
The nurse nodded, and led them along towards the bed; when they reached the curtains, the guards acknowledged Zuko's presence with salutes, before opening them up to allow them inside. Her friend was still in a miserable state; the burns she had received were no longer fresh, but the bandages that covered them did not hide the tender redness around her neck and shoulders; she was wearing a plain red gown, and her hair was down, obscuring most of her face. Ty Lee could clearly see that Azula was not conscious; she had passed out not long after she received the injuries, and must have only awoken a few times, probably just to eat and relieve herself. The pain killing herbs that the physicians had given her made her far more dazed and fatigued than she might have been otherwise.
Zuko looked at her for a few moments, before turning to face the nurse who had led them in, "When do you think she won't be stuck in bed?" he asked, and she scrunched her lips.
"Usually for this kind of injury, it depends on the patient. If she desires painkillers to ease her recovery, she will likely struggle to do much physical activity for the next week or so; however, if she refuses, she might be up and about within a day or two, though I doubt she will be able to resume her training regimen for a few weeks. She needs to spend that time recovering."
"I'm sure she'll love to hear that." he sarcastically noted, before eyeing his sister, "Azula loves her training more than she loves me, that's for sure." he added more quietly, his words a joke, though they were clearly meant to be a truthful observation; that hurt Ty Lee, knowing that even if they had made amends, Zuko and Azula were far from close.
"I'll leave you now." the nurse spoke up, before bowing to the Prince and stepping out of the curtain, leaving the three of them with an unconscious Azula.
She wouldn't say she was extremely close with her own sisters, especially since she went to the circus, but they always had each other's backs, and cared for each other. It was just their rivalry for their parents' attention that got in the way of them being good sisters to each other. To say Zuko and Azula had a simple sibling rivalry would be the understatement of the century.
She knelt down beside Azula's bed, in front of the Princess's face, and looked at her, wondering what kinds of dreams she must have been playing with while lying there; she looked peaceful, but Ty Lee could only imagine the kinds of fears she would have after what must have been the most terrifying experience of her life. The idea that her own father had nearly burned her face off was disturbing beyond belief, and she knew that the Princess would not take it well; though she doubted Azula thought she was stronger than Ozai, the events at the estate might shatter her self-confidence, which had ironically been built up by the very man who just tore it down.
"She looks peaceful." she mumbled, and Mai let out a sigh.
"She is never peaceful." she commented, "She always has something to do, something to say... even now she's probably just thinking of all the things she might say to lambast the failure of a plan we enacted."
"In all fairness it was partly her idea." Zuko added, before cringing, "Sorry... I shouldn't blame her- I should have gotten there quicker."
"You were pretty fast, Zuko." Mai assured him, "As bad as it sounds, there's not much we could have done."
"I could have actually hit him." the Prince coldly added, "I'm sorry, Sister." he addressed Azula, who was in no state to respond, "I won't let it happen again." he declared, before striding away, parting the curtains, leaving Mai and Ty Lee there.
The two girls looked at each other, and the acrobat could tell that her usually stoic friend was not taking the events as well as it might have seemed back out in the town square; she glanced first to the curtains, almost grimacing, before she strode over to Azula, standing over her friend.
"She was stupid trying to face him." she mumbled, "She should have waited."
"I- I wanted to help... but by the time the explosion happened, I was occupied." Ty Lee gave her own thoughts, "Do you- do you want a hug?" she asked, and Mai just stared her down, her eyes momentarily darting to their unconscious friend, before she gave a stern nod.
The usually cheery acrobat rose to her feet, and gave her friend a soft hug, not like the usual kind where she'd nearly tackle her; she knew she needed that kindness after all that had happened.
"Thanks, Ty Lee." she whispered into her ear, "Don't blame yourself."
"I- well, I don't want to, but I know I could have stuck with Azula... I should have." she admitted her own failing; they had wanted to cover as much ground as fast as possible, fearing that Ozai would have found them, but it was clear now that Ozai had always been expecting them, so her confrontation was inevitable.
If it had been all three of them, the Princess could have at least held off her father with firebending while Mai and Ty Lee restrained him, and with chi-blocking and knives, she doubted he could do much if he was jumped by all of them at once. That fact frustrated Ty Lee, and she pouted, breaking the hug and turning to Azula, wondering if she would blame her for what happened; she fell to her knees, her face around the level of her friend's face, and held her hands on the edge of the bed.
"Please forgive me, Azula." she whispered to her friend, who was still silently sleeping, not even making a turn or shuffle after all the noise they had made; she must have been deeply sleeping, and that itself was a comfort, as it kept her friend away from the pain, and the coming realisations she would have to deal with.
"She won't blame you." Mai stressed, placing a hand on her shoulder, "She might love deflecting blame, but Azula is brutally honest with herself. She knows her father is the one who hurt her, who's caused all of this."
"Not all of it." she mumbled, knowing that Zuko's vicious response to the criminals was more than clear evidence that their side was not completely blameless; perhaps some people would fear that they would be next, and try to have him killed before the Prince's attention was turned their way.
The cycle of violence was more than apparent to Ty Lee, and knowing that Mai, Azula, and Zuko would probably do nothing to stop it made her sombre and hopeless; usually, she'd try to hold onto some inkling of happiness and hope in her heart, but she couldn't muster it with Azula in the state she was, and Zuko's mind in the state it was. The Princess was defeated, and the Prince was growing only more resolute in his intent to use any means necessary to defeat Ozai.
"We're doing the right thing, Ty Lee." Mai tried to reassure her, and she shook her head.
"You know that isn't true... maybe we're fighting for the right cause... but that doesn't make it right." she warned her, Mai's eyes sternly focused on her own.
"Nice and right aren't always the same thing." she warned her, "I thought you would understand that... the war has never been nice, but the Fire Nation is trying to build a better world."
"This isn't the war. This is the Fire Nation." she pointed to the ground beneath her feet, "And what world do we have? I want a better one... not this one."
"If you can't handle this... that's fine, but I'm trying to keep these two alive." she declared, gesturing to the Princess, "That requires tough decisions. Decisions I never wanted to have to make, but life isn't that easy. You don't get the easy way out every time."
Ty Lee nodded, and rose to her feet, knowing that even if they disagreed, her friend still had a point, "I know this hasn't been easy... I doubt it's easy for Zuko either." she realised, not really having considered what feelings were rushing through his head when he was making the decisions he had.
"No, it isn't." she nodded, "Now, I have to go make sure he's not going to do anything stupid."
"Like go after Ozai by himself?" she asked, and Mai nodded; though she'd never show her fear like a normal person, Ty Lee could see it in her eyes, and that told her how she thought the fight would go, if it ever came down to it.
"Exactly like that."
Azula's eyes opened, and the first thing the Princess noticed was an aching pain up the left side of her body; it was numbed partly, as if she had had her whole body doused in cold water, but the pain was still there. She blinked a few times, her eyes adjusting to the light; she was somewhere quite dim, and as she felt and heard the rumbling beneath her body, she imagined she was in a train again, though as she perked her head up, she realised that wasn't the case. The room she was in was dimly lit and clearly constructed almost entirely out of metal. The only comfort inside was the bed she lay on, which was not the kind she was used to, but a small, hard construction, reminding her of the palace infirmary or the infirmary on her ship.
"A tank train." she gasped out, her voice croaky and far quieter than she had expected it to be; she scratched at her neck from the ache speaking caused her, and realised that some bandages had been taped to the side of her neck.
Her eyes darted down, and she realised that under the tunic she was wearing were linings of bandages, covering her whole left shoulder and that side of her torso. She touched the bandaged areas lightly, and cringed from the pain that it caused. She turned her head around, wondering how long she had been out for. She recalled that she had been given medicine upon returning to Kurosuna, and soon after she fell unconscious due to the sedative effects; she had eaten and relieved herself a few times, but the memories were blurry, like a dream; all of her dreams and waking moments seemed to have blurred together, the real memories sticking out due to their mundaneness.
As she pulled herself up, she glanced around, wondering if there was a mirror anywhere nearby; after what had happened to her, she imagined the burns would leave quite serious marks on her skin, maybe permanently. Remembering her father's face, and what he had done sickened her, but she couldn't help it; her dreams were filled with things about the fight, and everything that had built up to it. All her decisions had led to one foolish encounter, which gave her nothing but a declaration of her uselessness.
She raised her left hand up, and attempted to conjure some flames; Azula was relieved to see that she could still firebend, telling her that her father had not emotionally affected her as much as she had feared he could. Her flames were dim, and only warm as an ordinary candle, unlike her usually hot, energetic flames. She clenched her palm shut and snuffed out the flames, before narrowing her eyes; she was still not at strength, and all she could do was recall the fears she held, which still hung over her. They might have strengthened her otherwise drained chi, but that did not tell her if she would be any good in a real fight.
Her father had made her freeze up, unable to really counter his attacks, though she had tried her best to hold a defence, remembering the techniques Lu Ten had instilled into her all those years prior. She could have fought for longer, but she lost her footing, and was made helpless against her father's flames. She'd nearly bent them back at him, but his drive was far stronger than her own at that very moment; his rage was understandable, given that in his eyes, she had betrayed him. Azula disagreed with the sentiment, knowing that he had betrayed them all first by sending assassins after his own brother, and then his own son. She did remember one very important thing from their conversation, which was that she had another brother; it was a surprise to be sure, but it made a lot of sense when she considered how willing her father was to dispense of her entirely.
Azula's train of thought was broken when she heard the door leading in the small infirmary open up; she glanced up and realised that it was the physician from her own ship, the one who had counselled her about her chi pathways and chakras all those weeks prior. It seemed like a lifetime ago, and she was admittedly pleased to see a friendly face, even if she would never say it out loud. She felt a slight pang of guilt as she realised she didn't know his name.
"It is good to see that you are awake, your highness." he acknowledged her state, before placing his hands behind himself, "It is unfortunate that we meet again under such circumstances."
"Yes, it is." she mumbled, before touching her bandaged side, "Will these injuries heal quickly?"
"Well, the burn ointments applied have prevented any infection and might lessen any scarring, but the body takes time to heal. Your inner fire has no influence over how much time you will need." he explained, before smiling, "In case you were imagining there'd be a way to hasten it by using your chi."
"It crossed my mind momentarily." she admitted, before letting out a sigh, "Do my wounds need to be dressed again?" she asked, and the physician nodded.
"They will, but I will let the nurse attend to that. It would be improper for me to do so." he acknowledged, before scrunching up his lips, "Unless you'd like to dress the wounds yourself."
"No... I'm far too tired to do that." she conceded, before sighing, "Do you know what happened?"
"I am sorry, your highness, I don't understand what you mean... specifically, that is. I came to Kurosuna on this vehicle, as we were trailing your personal train, which was needed in case of an emergency, of which we've had two." he admitted, before sighing, "I was not there... in the town or at that estate, to see anything that you might like to hear about."
"That's..." she began, before shaking her head, "I shouldn't expect you to know. You're a physician, not an intelligence service operative." she conceded that his role would make it unreasonable for him to gather the kind of information she wanted in the first place.
"Yes..." he mumbled, seeming a bit confused by the informal conversation, "In any case, I just came to check your vitals."
"As I'd expect." she acknowledged, before gesturing towards him, "Do what you need to."
"Your hand, please." he requested, and she offered out her left hand, allowing him to grasp her wrist, "I am just checking your pulse."
She didn't respond, letting him count up the heartbeats, before he nodded, "That's normal. Could you create a flame for me... let's say a candlelight, on one of your finger tips." he gave another request, and she complied, snapping her fingers to create a flame on her index finger.
He studied the flame, reaching his hand towards it, "Hold it in place." he added, Azula turning her focus towards the small flame, watching as he tried to bend it; she was able to hold it steady, and it retained its colour, which it clearly wouldn't have if he'd been able to bend the fire out from her control.
"Well, your strength remains, though... you clearly are drained. You have not eaten proper solids for two days now." he warned the Princess, who let out a sigh.
"I best start eating then." she acknowledged, before letting out a low yawn, "It would help with the tiredness, correct?" she asked, the physician nodding.
"It would." he confirmed, before he cleared his throat, "I want to check your chakras. Did you end up resolving your blockages that we discussed last time?"
"Yes." she nodded, recalling the elation she had felt when she was able to generate lightning again, "I found a way through illusion." she admitted what she had done, making him smile.
"That is wonderful to hear, your highness." he acknowledged her achievement, and gestured towards her back, "Could you turn around slightly? That will make it easier for me to reach." he requested.
Azula turned as requested, allowing him to begin tapping on her chi-pathway that lined up her back, "Please bend a flame in your hand. That will allow me to gauge your chakras."
She conjured a ball of fire in her left palm, the small flames dancing around rhythmically with her heartbeat; once the flame was present, he tapped the base of her spine, and the flames flickered out for a moment, before returning.
"Your earth chakra is blocked... your fears are controlling you."
"Tell me something I don't know." she scoffed, knowing that her fears about Ozai and what he had done to her would take time to disappear, "And how do I open it?"
"By accepting your fears, and not allowing them to control you." he explained, before scrunching his lips, tapping her sacrum; nothing happened to the flames, and he nodded, before moving along.
"I have to tap your stomach." he clarified, and she nodded, allowing him to do so; nothing happened to her flames, and he moved onward, raising his hand to her sternum, which he then tapped lightly, right above her heart.
Her flames flickered momentarily, and she narrowed her eyes, "What chakra was that?"
"Your air chakra." he clarified, "It deals with love, and is blocked by your grief."
"My grief?" she raised a brow, genuinely confused why she would feel grief; she had no one to mourn, but her mind turned over her life, and the events of the past few months, and she realised she did mourn something, the loss of her father, not in life, but in station, "Huh... still attached." she mumbled to herself.
"To your father?" he asked, and she nodded.
"It seems that old habits die hard." she whispered to herself, before shaking her head, "You don't need to check the other two. I know they are clear."
"If you say so." he nodded, not trying to press her to check the other two; she knew that the sound chakra was blocked by lies, and was concerned that it still might be.
She didn't want to admit that she wanted to lie, though not for any malicious reason; there were things that she didn't want to talk about with her brother, and perhaps not even with Ty Lee or Mai. Lies that had yet to be born, but were already festering in her mind. She turned her gaze back over to the door that led into the infirmary, wondering how much longer she'd have to stay there.
"How much longer do I need to stay here?" she asked the physician, who scrunched his lips.
"It depends. If you require painkillers, to soothe yourself while your burns heal, then you may remain bedridden for at least another week. However, if you do not find them necessary, you may be up and about, well, today." he explained her options, and Azula almost laughed.
"I'm not spending a week here." she assured him, and he made a sheepish smile.
"I assumed as such, your highness." he admitted, before raising a finger, "You would best avoid any vigorous training or activities if you are to be up and about. It will only cause discomfort, and may cause lesions to break out on your burned skin." he warned Azula, who resolutely nodded; even if she didn't like it, she would prefer for her recovery to be as easy as possible, without being stuck in bed.
She was sure that her brother would need her advice and assistance when it came to whatever new plans he would be fermenting to defeat their father; she imagined they would be heading back to the capital, and desired to deal with the Sozin issue as soon as possible, while she was cognizant and her brother remained unaware.
"Do you need to make any more checks?" she asked, and her physician raised a single finger.
"Just one. I would like you to test your mobility with your arm, and how well you can raise the volume of your voice." he explained his request, "Your burns might make it hard to do either, so I can gauge your recovery by seeing how well you can move and speak."
"Alright." she nodded, before clearing her throat; that involuntarily made her cough and sputter, her right hand darting up to cover her mouth, "I- uh, you have my apologies." she tried to be as formal as she could, realising it was more than improper to cough all over her physician.
"Please, have some water." he gestured over to a ceramic jug and cup that sat on the table beside her bed, fastened into moulds beneath to make sure they didn't spill from rough movements; she pulled out the cup, flipping it around, before she poured water from the jug into it.
Her right arm was working perfectly fine, and Azula hadn't expected otherwise; the pain from her left side was still noticeable as she moved, but it was tolerable. Once she had drunk the cup, she placed it back where she found it, and turned to face the physician.
"Speak these words back to me, as loud as you can without straining yourself: Volcanoes rumble in the hills, fish swim in streams, smoke bellows from chimneys." he gave her a set of phrases to utter.
"Volcanoes rumble in the hills." she spoke back, finding her ordinary speaking voice to be fine, so she decided to raise her voice, "Fish swim in streams." she spoke louder, the strain more noticeable as she struggled to hold back a cough, "Smoke bellows from chimneys." she spoke a little louder, but turned away to cough into her elbow.
"Is that as loud as you could speak?" he asked, and she nodded as she pulled her face away from her elbow, "That is still impressive, given the burn on your neck. I expect you'll still take a few weeks to get back to your usual speaking range."
"Do I have to be quiet for now?" she asked, using her ordinary speaking voice again, and he shook his head.
"What you're using right now is fine." he assured her, "If it doesn't strain you, use it." he gave his advice, before gesturing to her left arm, "Now, I just want to see if you can move that arm."
She nodded, and reached her left arm out; as her shoulder twisted she grit her teeth, almost letting out a pained grunt; Azula held her teeth clenched as she moved to bend her elbow, finding that easier, as her lower arm wasn't burnt, though she still had to flex her triceps and biceps, which were aching as she moved them.
"How much did that hurt?" he asked, and she narrowed her eyes, unsure what to actually say to that; she could bluntly tell him that it did in fact hurt, but that wouldn't allow him to give advice, "Oh, I meant on a scale from nothing at all being a one, and throwing up your guts a ten."
"Ah... well, at least a six. Maybe a seven with the shoulder." she acknowledged the degree of pain she was feeling.
"That is expected. Your burns were shallow, but that means that your muscles and skin are inflamed. You will struggle to move your arm easily while the skin repairs itself." he explained, the Princess sighing.
"So, I'm one-armed for the meantime, then?" she guessed, and the physician nodded.
"Unfortunately, yes." he confirmed, before he stepped back, "I believe that's all I needed to see from you. Did you have any requests for me? Did you want some herbal tea for the pain... it would be less extreme than the medicines you have been given already." he suggested, and she nodded.
"Yes, that would be good. I want to be able to move about." she argued, before narrowing her eyes, knowing that more than anything she needed somebody to talk to, not just about her injuries, but about what had happened, both at the estate and since then, "And Ty Lee. Could you retrieve her for me?"
"I can do that. Do you want the nurse to come and redress your bandages?" he asked, Azula nodding; with that, the physician stepped over to the door and left the room, leaving Azula to sit there silently; it was only a few moments before the nurse opened the door and stepped inside, bowing to the Princess.
"Your highness, Hojo said that you wanted your bandages redressed?" she addressed the request, and she nodded, realising that the physician had never actually given her his name; she found it a little odd, but she wouldn't hold it against the man for not introducing himself.
He was there, after all, to attend to her needs, and not for her to laud him and acknowledge his assistance; that was the nature of her relationship with all servants, and the physician was no different, even if he were far more skilled than the average palace servant.
"Yes, I do." she confirmed, and turned around, facing away from the nurse as she approache.
"Just remain still, I will make sure to be as quick as possible, but I will have to reapply burn ointment to your shoulder, neck, and arm." she explained what she was about to do, and Azula grasped at a loose bit of bandage around her right shoulder, unfastening it, telling the nurse to start.
The nurse first pulled off the tunic that she was wearing, revealing the all the bandages that covered her torso. She grasped the end of the bandage Azula had taken out, and began to unwind it around her body, speeding up as she took off more and more of the bandage, before she slowed at the very end as she took the last layer off of her skin; she cringed in pain and looked down at her burned flesh, noticing that the skin was already peeling in some areas, and remained inflamed throughout, especially around her shoulder and neck. She let out a sigh as she felt the odd sensation of the air touching her burn, which felt colder than it ought to.
The nurse turned around and opened up a jar of ointment, dabbing her fingers inside, "This will feel unusual, your highness." she warned her, before she began to lather it onto her shoulder, and then up onto her neck.
The nurse was correct, the sensation of the cold paste touching her skin making her hairs stick up, though she found the cooling sensation quite relaxing as it covered all of her burns, and in effect, covered up her more painful sensations. Once the ointment was fully applied, she pulled out a roll of bandage from underneath the bed and unfurled it, slowly wrapping the bandage around her arm, before she began to wrap it around her neck and shoulder, before tying it off. She then took a second length of bandage, wrapping that portion under her arm and then over her shoulder, before she tied it up at the back. With that done, she grasped Azula's arms, forcing them to face up towards the roof, allowing her to pull the tunic back over her body.
The Princess let out a sigh, and then turned back around to face the nurse, "Thank you." she gave the expected pleasantry, knowing that it would have been harder and more painful if she had tried to do it all herself, "You may go."
The nurse bowed to her, and took her leave, pacing over to the door; when she opened it, Ty Lee was standing right in front of it, frightening the nurse, who stumbled back, "Ah, my apologies, Lady Ty Lee." she addressed her with a bow.
"Uh... sorry. I probably shouldn't have just stood there." she conceded, before tilting her body so she could see Azula clearly, "Hi, Zula." she addressed her with a wave and a toothy grin.
"Hello, Ty Lee." she addressed her quietly, recalling what the physician had said about speaking loudly.
The nurse stepped past Ty Lee and glanced back towards her, "Your highness." she gave a curter bow than the first, before closing the door behind her friend as she stepped inside the small infirmary.
"So you got here as soon as you heard." the Princess admitted, before she sat herself up against the wall, no longer being inspected or tended to; she could have laid back down, but decided against it, thinking that she ought to at least give her friend the dignity of being looked in the eye.
"Azula..." she whispered her name, before stepping closer, seeing the dirty bandages lying in the bin by the bed, "Are you- are you okay?"
"No, not really." she conceded, "I am conscious, but that is not saying much." she noted that she was no longer sleeping, and had decided against taking too many painkillers, as they would effectively keep her bedridden for at least a week.
"I'm-" she mumbled, before stepping closer, and hugging the Princess; it was a challenge for her to do when she had to lean across the bed to do it, but Azula leant into the embrace, knowing that Ty Lee probably needed it more than she did.
The look on her face said it all: she felt guilty over what had happened to her, and Azula did not know what had really transpired after she was burnt. The memories were a blur, overtaken mostly by pain and the stark images of Zuko beating the man he called Kuraiken.
"You're feeling sorry." Azula spoke for her friend, speaking softly into her ear, "Don't."
"Wh-why not?" she asked, "It's my fault. I should have been by your side."
"I told you we needed to split up, Ty Lee." she reminded her, pushing her slightly back so she could see her face, "If you had been there, my father could have killed you."
"He tried." Ty Lee spoke up, "After he burnt you, he came down through the manor. I tried to stop him... but I failed. We didn't catch him." she explained what had happened, telling her everything she needed to know.
"So... we failed." she gasped, glancing up to the lantern that was hanging from the roof, "How predictable are we?" she rhetorically asked her friend, who just pouted, glancing down to the floor as she sat herself down beside Azula.
"Predictable enough." she mumbled, clenching her fists tightly, "I feel like such an idiot. This was all my plan... and it just went up in smoke."
"Not all of it was your idea." Azula clarified, knowing that even if the progress had been her idea to begin with, the plan to assault the estate had been decided by Azula and Zuko alone, "What happened?"
"What do you mean?" she narrowed her eyes at her, "After you passed out in that room?"
"Yes, that's exactly what I mean. None of the nurses or physicians that have seen me since have told me anything useful." she noted, emphasising her frustration as she mentioned those who had failed to give her what she wanted: the truth.
"Zuko went through with his promise." she clarified, her voice sounding distinctively unsettled; Ty Lee was usually so cheery and upbeat that it was concerning enough to hear her speak like that, "He had all of Kuraiken's gang, and the men guarding the estate, killed. Executed in the middle of Kurosuna."
"Does he realise that's most likely what Ozai wanted him to do? Make himself out to be as crazy as him... and as ruthless." she asked her friend, whose eyes turned away.
"I don't really know. He doesn't regret it... and the public seemed to approve. They were clearly afraid with the train being bombed and the stories they must have heard about all the attacks Ozai's supporters have done."
"Hmm... that sounds right." Azula mumbled, feeling that her brother was just tapping into the popular sentiment; they didn't want a war in the homeland, and they wanted Ozai and his supporters gone to achieve that, "So, the Home Guard must still be looking for my father."
"They are. We haven't gotten any good news in the past two days." she conceded, not sounding optimistic that they could actually find Ozai; after all the struggle it had taken to actually reach him in the first place, she agreed with the sentiment.
"If this won't make Uncle instate martial law, I don't know what will." she gave her thoughts, knowing that her uncle, despite his cautiousness, had a backbone when it came to protecting not just his family, but the people of the Fire Nation; if such restrictive measures would save lives, he would most likely enact them.
"Did you think he should have done it already?" she asked, and Azula sighed.
"It would have caused panic and frustration, and might have even turned the public against him. He wants the people to support him, not my father." answered her question, understanding well enough that the Fire Lord was not a man who would jump to the most extreme solution to start with, especially when it concerned such a dicey issue.
The Fire Nation's citizenry could only support the war against the Earth Kingdom so voraciously because they were not personally threatened by the Earth Kingdom, but rather, the nation's interests as a whole were. If their lives were on the line, there would be much less enthusiasm to fight, especially when it was against their own countrymen.
"So... do you want to talk about what happened?" Ty Lee pressed her, and the Princess raised her right hand towards her face.
"Do you think I do?" she asked, the girl getting the message, "But I do need to talk to you about something."
"So... not the fight, but something else?" she asked, the Princess nodding; after the fight, and the fear that dominated her mind, one could have excused her for forgetting why her father was so willing to kill her, but she could not.
"The reason my father attacked me." she clarified, "We are not his heirs."
Her friend scrunched her lips, confused by what she was saying, "Not his heirs? You and Zuko?" she asked, Azula nodding.
"Precisely. He has another son."
"An-" she began, her eyes widening, before she almost screamed, "You have a brother?!" she asked, the Princess throwing her right hand over Ty Lee's mouth.
"Shut up." she warned her with grit teeth, "Zuko cannot know."
"Wh-why?" she asked, and Azula leaned closer.
"Why do you think?" she pressed her, knowing that Ty Lee had been around 'the new Zuko' for long enough to understand her rationale; her face paled as she came to the same realisation Azula had.
"Who- who is your brother?"
"Remember the letter?" she asked, and Ty Lee nodded, her expression becoming more stern.
"Of course. You didn't know who put it there."
"I do now. It was Jia, the servant woman." she explained, before raising a finger, "She received another letter alongside it, from her son."
Ty Lee put two and two together, "He- is he your brother?"
"Yes." she nodded, "His name is Sozin. He is at the Caldera Boy's Academy. I was wondering how someone on a servant's salary could afford to send her child there, and now it is obvious."
"So... what are you going to do about it?" she asked, sounding nervous about her unspoken plan; she did not have anything in mind, as she wanted her uncle's counsel before she addressed the matter.
"Uncle will decide." she told her the truth, "I cannot be impartial towards him... and I do not want Zuko sending his own goons to have the boy kidnapped or worse."
"Zuko... Do you really think he'd do that?"
"I know he would. He has proved it through everything he has done so far. Just by existing, he poses a threat to the line of succession, even with Father out of the way." she argued, making Ty Lee turn away; she couldn't tell if her friend didn't believe her, or did, and was disgusted by the thought of it, "What do you think?"
"I think he wants to make sure your father can't rule." she mumbled, "If he has no heir, then what is the point of him ruling?"
"Precisely." she nodded, "I don't want to aid my father, but... this is something that should be up to the Fire Lord's discretion. He is his nephew just as much as I am his niece."
"Y-yeah... I didn't even consider..." she gasped, now considering the implication of Sozin's relationships with the whole royal family, "Have you ever met this kid?"
"No, I don't believe so. I can't remember, at least. Not that Father would just point and tell me that some random servant's child is my bastard brother." she noted, amused by the idea that he could have done so at some point, before raising a hand to her cheek.
"I wonder..." she began to murmur, thinking how she might have interacted with Sozin if she had ever known him as her brother; she had had such a poor relationship with Zuko that she could only think it might have been better, especially seeing that Sozin mustn't have been directly raised by her father, and thus, was saved from his torments and expectations.
"What is it?" Ty Lee leaned closer, and the Princess just sighed.
"Could I have had a better brother?" she asked, "A younger brother, at that."
"You would have just bossed him around." Ty Lee suggested, her idea rather accurate as Azula imagined herself bossing around the boy, demanding he learn firebending sets and techniques; she recalled how Lu Ten taught her and lamented that she would be a worse teacher.
"I can't believe I'm being expected to teach the Avatar." she mumbled, the comment unrelated to her bastard brother, but to how she imagined teaching him; teaching an Air Nomad would be even harder than teaching a firebender.
"You're pretty smart." her friend reassured her, "I'm sure you'll figure it out."
"I'm worried he won't be able to firebend... because he's too afraid, too passive." she acknowledged her feelings on the matter, before she recalled how he had skillfully escaped from him at the docks, his defiance impressive, even if it annoyed her to no end at the time, "But, he has had his moments. Maybe there is hope for him yet."
"What, do you want to shape him into the perfect warrior or something?" she asked, before leaning closer with a devious smirk, "Or something else?"
"I don't like your implications." she retorted, not wanting to even consider the kind of thing she was suggesting; boys and relationships, and anything of that sort were so far from her mind that it was but a mere curiosity, while a very real civil war was right there in front of her.
"Hey, I'm just kidding... I wasn't saying anything weird about Aang." she reassured her, before side eying her with the same smile, "Sokka on the other hand."
She almost lurched forward upon hearing that, "I do not associate with idiots." she retorted, holding back what would have otherwise been a shout; she knew it would hurt her more than hold back Ty Lee's incessant comments, "Stop it."
"What, he's cute, I can't deny that." she defended herself, and Azula rolled her eyes.
"Your standards are far weaker than my own." she warned her, and turned her face away, "Are you just trying to distract me with a stupid conversation."
"You got me." she admitted with a clearly amused voice, "I'm just looking out for my half-best friend."
"Half?" she raised a brow, confused by the specification.
"Well, I can't be mean to Mai. I like her as much as I like you." she argued, and tapped her lips, "I wonder if she thinks the same."
Azula doubted her friend would actually be considering who out of her and Ty Lee was the better gossip, more valued counsel, or more helpful friend; she had someone far more important in mind. Though she might want to deny the pedestal he had been placed on, and might have felt a tinge of jealousy over it, the Princess could not deny that Zuko needed someone so dutiful by his side.
"She's thinking too much about my idiot brother to even consider it."
The rumbling of wheels beneath Mai made it hard to relax, but she tried to do so anyway. After all that had happened, she just wanted to try and relax while they travelled home. The tank train was fast, and more direct than almost any other form of travel; only the biggest ships would travel as fast and directly, and coming from the western coast of the main island, there was a lot of land in the way preventing such a direct journey by sea.
She felt exhausted, her mind no longer able to focus on the various issues that were front and centre. Ozai was still on the loose, Azula was unable to fight or do all too much, perhaps for weeks, and Zuko was more than a little on edge. She felt happy that he was actually sympathetic towards his sister's condition, but given the circumstances, she couldn't say she was actually happy about anything. Being gloomy and dissatisfied was nothing new to her, but since Zuko and her had seized Zhong's ship, things were looking up.
She no longer was constantly looking over her shoulder; that fearless, upbeat outlook had lasted until the train they were travelling upon was bombed. Azula's defeat had only further weakened her confidence; she didn't doubt Zuko would be victorious but she was more and more concerned about what that victory would cost them. The Prince had been reading a document across from her, his eyes tracing down its contents; his calm face was a welcome development, though she doubted he would remain so for very long. They were going to return to the capital, where he'd inevitably be swamped by his duties, doing the very job that his father had been doing until only a few months prior.
"So, have you learnt anything new?" she asked the Prince, whose eyes darted up to meet her own.
"No, not really." he admitted, sounding frustrated by that fact, though his calm demeanour remained; perhaps he had exhausted his rage to the point that he couldn't muster the energy to get angry, "There's a lot of places that they've been looking for Father. Body doubles, abandoned hideouts, just as I expected. His methods... they've become predictable."
"But we can't find him." she mumbled, "Do you know why? Has he already gone to another part of the Fire Nation?" she asked Zuko, whose eyes turned to the paper in his hands.
"Well, maybe. I think there's more going on than just Father being good at hiding. The Home Guard have caught some odd people... and I think I they've had something to do with Father before."
"What do you mean?" Mai pressed, the Prince raising a finger up.
"Remember the White Lotus hideout we searched through in the capital, and that man who attacked us?"
"The one with the black robes and red markings. Looked like some kind of gang member." she recalled, and he nodded, a small smile forming on his face.
"Yes, I've gotten reports of those people being spotted at the hideouts, or near the fights between the Home Guard and my father's agents. They don't seem to be getting directly involved, but it can't be a coincidence that these same descriptions keep coming up." he explained his thoughts, "I will have to conduct a proper investigation with the Intelligence Service, but that must wait."
"That old man." Mai spoke up, remembering that he wore ragged robes, though the same kind of marking was too obvious to miss, "The one who tried to kill Kuraiken back in Kakouko... he might be involved with those people."
"But that..." the Prince began, scrunching his lips as he put the piece of paper down, "That doesn't make sense. He was trying to kill one of my father's lackeys... why would they be associating with my father?"
"Well, we can't be sure until we get one of them to talk." she argued, before gesturing to the stack of papers beside him, "Have any of the reports said anything about catching them?"
"No." he shook his head, "They haven't tried to attack the Home Guard, but they've been there. Watching, it seems."
"It's a bit weird for them to just watch and not do anything." she gave her thoughts, before glancing to her left, having heard the door opening.
She watched as Ty Lee stepped inside, followed by a heavily bandaged Azula, who despite being able to walk, still seemed to be in pain, and clearly not in the best of moods. It was good to see her up and about again, though she couldn't say she was happy with the result of the battle.
"Hey Mai, Zuko." the acrobat addressed them cheerily, while Azula remained silent; Zuko's eyes locked with hers for a moment, before he gestured for her to sit down with them.
"Come on, I'm guessing you want to hear an update?"
"No, not really." she mumbled, her inflection clear but voice strained.
Both her and Ty Lee sat themselves down at the lounge, with the royal siblings sitting beside each other, and the acrobat down with Mai.
"So, are you feeling much better?" she decided to ask the Princess, seeing that she was more lucid than the last time she'd seen her, after Ty Lee revealed she'd gotten up and been tended to by the physician and nurse.
She thought perhaps she was just in a bad mood then from her tiredness, but it seemed to have persisted; Azula just reached over to one of the rice crackers that lay on the table between them, and took a bite.
"I'll take that as a no." she observed, before gesturing to Zuko, "Why don't you just tell her about your idea?"
"Uh, yeah." he nodded, before glancing at his sister, "So, we've made some connections with things we've seen before. Men in black and red have been stalking the sites where Ozai's goons have been hiding; they were at the destroyed White Lotus hideout in the capital, and we think the old man who aided us might have belonged to the same group, though we don't really know what they want."
"Maybe they're looking for Father." she mumbled, chewing on the rice cracker before swallowing what was in her mouth, "He's earned himself a lot of enemies."
"I just think it's odd that we can't find anything about the organisation. No names, no links to crimes, it's... well, it's a bit concerning."
"That isn't a surprise. Do you think insurgents are going to let their identities and aims be known?" she asked her brother, before sighing, "Are you expecting helpful advice, Zuzu?" she asked her brother, her voice telling of her tiredness, not just physically, but when it came to the issue of hunting down everyone and anyone they thought might be a threat to the Fire Lord.
"I-" he began, his eyes turning to meet her own.
Mai could see his confidence crumble as he saw her face; her eye-bags, stiff lip, and hunched bag told him everything he needed to know about his sister's state.
"I didn't mean to press you." he tried to reassure her, offering a hand toward her own, not trying to touch her burned side, "I am... glad to see that you're not stuck in bed."
"Well, I am not much better than that." she warned him, before accepting his hand, "But don't get yourself worked up... there's not much you can do by yourself."
"Y-yeah, you're right." he admitted, releasing his grip before leaning over the table to pick up a rice cracker for himself.
"Well, here we are, a bunch of sad sods, all together." Mai commented on the state of affairs, hoping that at the very least, a joke could raise the mood; it surprised Azula, who almost snorted, before covering her mouth as she continued to chew on her rice cracker.
"This whole job is... it's not fun." Zuko admitted his own feelings, "I'm sorry for dragging the rest of you into this." he gave a sincere apology, his expression telling her such; he usually would be cordial and stern when apologising, like when he would do so to Piandao, given the danger they put the swordmaster in, but with them, he wore his heart on his chest, "I feel like such a fool."
"You aren't a fool." Azula mumbled, "A fool would have tried to reason with our father. You went straight to kill him."
"Huh." he mumbled, seeming surprised by her reaction, "Are you-"
"I won't make the same mistake twice, Brother." she reassured him, answering his question before he had the chance to ask it; she must have thought herself foolish for even trying to talk with Ozai, instead of getting Ty Lee and taking him down before he had the chance to escape.
In hindsight that seemed like a great plan, though given the letter they had received, Azula was justified to try and reason with her father, thinking that she was the one person he might trust and respect. That was clearly not the case, though she had not been there to hear what the Princess had said to her father.
"What did you talk about, might I ask?" Mai asked her friend, and her eyes lit up momentarily, locking with her own.
"His stupid decisions, mostly." she clarified; Azula was a good liar, so such a vague answer was immediately suspicious, though she wouldn't press it unless she gave any evidence against her candidness, "Father thought he was right, I thought he was wrong... there isn't much more to be said about it."
"And that gave him reason to try and kill you?" Zuko asked, before grimacing, "I don't mean to remind you... but it's already happened to me."
"I recall." she mumbled, "How often did you follow Father around?" she asked a question, which made Mai scrunch her lips; she was in a bad, dour mood, so it intrigued her that she had her own questions, especially about things that happened before the present conflict, which was front and centre in their minds.
"As often as I could." he admitted, "He was busy making those backstreet deals to get his throne... a shame for him that they went up in smoke."
"I wouldn't say that just yet." Azula gave her opinion, "He is still alive."
"For now." the Prince gave the expected comeback to that comment, before narrowing his eyes, "What, did you have suspicions about somebody he might have been meeting with?"
The Princess nodded, and momentarily eyed Ty Lee before she spoke, "Did he go anywhere more... unassuming?"
"Unassuming?" he raised a brow, "Like nobles' houses, public places, that sort of thing?"
"Yes, that's precisely what I mean." she confirmed, her voice still quiet, but sounding a little more confident.
"Yes, I did. I already gave the names of those nobles he'd been visiting to the Intelligence Service when I returned to the capital." he clarified, before narrowing his eyes, "But public places... that's a bit broad. I mean I saw him go to a lot of places wearing a cloak."
"Anywhere interesting?"
"Other than the hideout I nearly died in, not really." he gave an answer that Azula didn't seem to like, but she nodded.
"Alright. I thought you might have had some ideas where he could be meeting with his allies... discreetly but not, well, as obvious as some hideout in the capital." she clarified her thoughts, before picking up another rice cracker, "I am really hungry." she added, as if it weren't already obvious.
"I can have the cooks prepare you something." Zuko offered, and she raised a finger.
"Mochi. If they can make mochi, I want it." she declared her desire, making Ty Lee and Mai both glance at each other; it seemed that Azula didn't change that much, as mochi was still her go-to comfort food.
"I'll go see." he assured her, before rising to his feet, "Excuse me." he requested her to move, and she did, sliding off of the seat, rising up to her feet; her burns had not reached her lower body, making her more than capable of standing, though her sluggish posture told Mai that she still didn't want to.
She sat down back on the lounge when Zuko stepped through, and as he paced over to the door, she gave a quick wave to him; Mai and the Prince momentarily looked at each other, and she understood what he wanted. He wanted them to keep an eye on Azula, because they couldn't really discern her mental state after the fight; Zuko was shaken after the explosion that burnt his back and nearly killed him, and though he did regain his confidence, he remained cautious and reserved for quite some time, even more so than usual.
When the door shut, Mai leaned closer to the Princess, "Okay... you need to spill it." she warned her, "There's something you're not saying about your chat with Ozai."
Ty Lee just let out a laugh, before leaning toward her, "Hey, come on, give Azula a break. She's a bit shaken up, that's all." she argued, and the Princess sighed, raising a hand up.
"No, Ty Lee... don't bother." she warned her, her eyes meeting Mai's; that serious glare was quite familiar to her, though it hadn't appeared on her face since their trip to the estate, "There is a difference between lying and being vague." she admitted, telling her that there was something she had failed to mention, "It is in all our interests that Zuko does not know what Father told me, at least not yet."
"Is anyone in danger?" Mai pressed her, and she narrowed her eyes, "What could be so... serious, that you wouldn't mention it? Is it about your mother?"
"I wish." she blurted out, her face paling as she realised she had actually said that aloud, "Forget I said that."
"I won't say a word." Mai reassured her, though Ty Lee's amused looked told them she might not make such a promise; when both girls stared her down, her smile faltered, and she nodded.
"Y-yeah, I won't mention it."
"Good." she responded, crossing her arms before she cringed from the pain, and was forced to drop her left arm down, "This stupid arm is going to be an issue."
"Yeah... but that isn't what we were talking about, Azula." Mai reminded her, the Princess's lips pursing as she clearly showed her discontent; whatever she and Ty Lee were hiding, it was clearly something that personally affected her, "Please... just say something. I don't want you to... make a mistake."
"That's exactly why I don't want to tell you." she retorted, "You're my brother's... whatever you want to call it. I trust you, but not with things that he might want to know."
"So, he'll want to know." she realised, before narrowing her eyes, "You don't know where Ozai's going, do you?"
"Of course not. You think I'd want to give him a chance to kill us again?" she asked Mai, the anger rising in her voice, "It's about the line of succession."
"So... he's chosen one of you." she realised, and the Princess pinched her nose bridge.
"No... that's the issue, it's neither of us." she corrected her, Mai's lips scrunching as she darted her eyes around.
"Who could possibly succeed your father? Some random cousin? A relative of Sozin's?" she asked, and she shook her head.
"He's been hiding another son." she clarified, making Mai tense up; that explained Azula's line of questioning- she wanted to know if Zuko had followed Ozai to the other heir.
"Is... is he in the capital?" she asked more quietly, now understanding the delicacy of the situation.
"From my understanding, yes, but I expect that he will be whisked away in no time. I don't know how eager my father is to make him into a target." she admitted her own lack of knowledge, "He is twelve years old... and the child of a palace servant."
"And... and why can't Zuko know about this?" she asked, the Princess raising a finger.
"He will treat the boy as a threat, and I doubt he will be given fair treatment. Even if Father dies, the boy would remain a pretender that our father's supporters could place on the throne... making him just as much a threat as my father, no matter his actual opinions on the war. I only trust Uncle to deal with this situation fairly."
"He would." Mai agreed, understanding her rationale, even if she still thought Zuko ought to know about the boy; he might want to help him, though the inevitability of him being used as a proxy by Ozai or his allies was obvious.
Iroh was the only one in the position to deal with the boy, and make sure he was not just made a pawn of his father; if they were blood, then he was obliged some degree of care toward him, especially given the conflict was going to end with one of them burning in a funeral pyre, makeshift or not. However, Azula wasn't just being paranoid, she was just observant of court politics; a bastard wouldn't amount to much, but once Ozai recognised him as his legitimate heir, then it was only a matter of time before he would be publicly viewed as a candidate for the throne, despite his young age and common origin. Mai didn't know all too much about succession disputes from Fire Nation history, as they were mostly sanitised and simplified to make the winner look legitimate and fair, to secure the historic line of succession, but she was sure Azula had much more access to the true histories.
"Has something like this happened before?"
"History is not kind to the loser. Legitimacy can be torn up or bestowed in hindsight."
