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...

329. Chapter 329: The Birth 1

The Birth

1

"Ready?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Then… pull!"

Rei bit her lip before obeying with all her strength: beside her, Song did the same thing, each investing all their power on yanking a suspended, soft yet strong fabric, propped upon a rather unusual contraption in the Princess's room: a wooden frame held said fabric, attached to its crossbeams. It fell as an elegant curtain… unless it was being pulled violently, of course, which was what Song and Rei were doing to the cloth right now.

Azula watched them from her bed, raising an eyebrow as Rei and Song yanked the fabric without restraint, both snarling. Unlike the last three fabrics they'd tried out through the past days, though, this one appeared to be firmer, and it didn't rip under the strain and pressure the two women applied with both their hands.

"Okay, I think… I think this one will hold," Song announced at last, releasing her grip on the fabric. Upon seeing she'd stopped, Rei did the same, breathing heavily.

"You're sure?" Rei asked. Song smiled and nodded.

"And we were two people pulling at it, so I think it'll work well once the time comes," she declared. "The counterweights you set up at the other side of the beams are working perfectly too, Rei, it's not tilting over forward at all. You really have a sharp mind for these things, you know?"

"I… t-thank you," Rei smiled shyly, cheeks flushing with bashful glee.

Azula would have shown herself far more approving of their achievement in other circumstances, but she only gazed at the contraption in the corner of her room with wariness and dread – she didn't often feel grateful to be confined to her bed, but she knew what that thing was. She knew she was expected to do, why Rei and Song had been testing the strength of that fabric, why they were standing on a very awkward section of the marble flooring that had been lined with disposable linen cloths that would see themselves used once…

Once she gave birth.

The thought made her shudder. She had spent about nine months preparing for this, and yet it seemed this moment had arrived too soon. She should be ready, but she wasn't – she had grown used to this, to her body's strange changes, to constantly guessing at her symptoms, to her bodily exhaustion, to feeling the gentle motions of her child inside her…

It was safe where it was. It should just stay there, especially nowadays, when she took no risks and did nothing of note. She didn't want to confront the impending birth at all, not even when so many modifications and additions to her room were directly spelling out that she was bound to give birth to her child soon, whether she was emotionally prepared for it or not.

"It's… it's a soft fabric," Rei told her, with a reassuring smile. Azula hummed. "I mean, it still burns a little if you pull it a lot, but the last one was worse…"

"I still have a rash from that one," Song grimaced, looking at a reddened spot of her left hand. "And it ripped up, too. Good thing we could find this one, though… because now that we did, all preparations are complete!"

She smiled proudly, first at the contraption, then at the different cribs in the room, even at the tall chair they had managed to scrounge up in the storages and that they'd cleaned up thoroughly… a chair that Azula had probably used as a child, herself. Some cabinets that had been sitting empty for months, if not years, were now occupied with baby clothes and all sorts of implements Song decreed would be necessary for the child's health and wellbeing.

Azula breathed deeply and nodded in acceptance and approval of what they'd done – her anxiety, however, remained unshaken.

"I suppose… it's been a lot of changes in this room after, well, not changing it at all since I was a child," she said, with a tight grin.

"You don't have to pretend you're not nervous, Azula," Song said, with an affectionate smile. "Not with us, that's for sure. I know this is stressful and worrisome, but it's going to be okay. The baby's bound to arrive when it's ready, and for all we know, it won't be ready for a few weeks still… at least, going by my calculations."

"Say… what, exactly, is the source of those calculations?" Azula asked, with a grimace.

"Well… I kind of assumed that you conceived the baby at some point while you were on the Barge?" Song said, with a shrug. "Going by how complicated your body's state was, it's hard to say when the tea stopped having an effect… but I'm leaning towards it happening on the later days of the journey, which means you might still have a couple of weeks to prepare yourself mentally. And I think having all these things in here should help… once you get used to them, you might not feel as anxious as you are now."

"I'm not entirely sure I'm going to feel any less anxious in the future, to be honest," Azula grimaced, breathing deeply as she set a hand upon her womb. "This whole process has been… all too strange. And the weirdest part is that… I think I got used to being pregnant? And now I… I won't be, soon."

"True… and you'll have a little kid to take care of," Song smiled. "Rei and I will help you with that as well, of course, but I have the feeling you'll respond well to that change, to be honest. While you'll need to stay in bed to recover after the birth, you'll no longer be on a policy of constant bed rest as you have been as of late…"

"And I won't have to eat that annoying thing you've been giving me lately?" Azula grimaced. Song offered her an awkward, toothy grin.

"Ah. Speaking of which…"

"Ugh. I shouldn't have said anything," Azula groaned. Song chuckled as she pat Rei's shoulder.

"Alright, go sit with your mother… distract her, comfort her, tell her she'll be in great shape soon to take revenge for all the gross things I've made her consume over the past months?" Song said. Rei chuckled and nodded.

"I don't think she'll take revenge, though…" she said. Azula huffed, hearing them clearly from where she sat.

"Don't underestimate my vindictiveness, Rei," Azula said, shooting Song a playful glare that Song responded to with a chuckle, turning towards the cabinets where she kept her ingredients for Azula's pregnancy tonics.

Rei stepped up to one of the two chairs that constantly stood by Azula's bed. The Princess typically welcomed her to take her seat with a grin, but this time, her anxiety prevented her from doing so.

"How are you feeling?" Rei asked, despite knowing the answer wouldn't be positive.

Azula breathed out, relaxing against her pillows. For a moment, it seemed that sigh was her only answer, but she composed a verbal one after a moment.

"Like an idiot," she said, bluntly. Rei froze before grimacing in sympathy. "I've had… months. At least eight months? However long it's been, I… I've known this was coming and I have no idea why I feel like I'm not ready for it just now. I mean… I should be ready. There's no reason why I wouldn't be, is there? It's not like Song hasn't told me about what to expect several times, but I guess I just… I always felt like there'd be more time. That it was further ahead, further away… and it's not."

"Well… that doesn't make you an idiot," Rei decided, with a slight pout. "You've had a lot to worry about. It hasn't been the easiest pregnancy because of the circumstances, so… you're not an idiot for not being fully ready yet. And you still have a few weeks, right?"

"I… I suppose so," Azula said, gritting her teeth.

"It will work out," Rei said, with a happy grin that waned quickly. "I-I mean… I don't know for sure what will happen, but still… I think you'll be okay. You have Song and she knows what she's doing, so…"

"I suppose she does…" Azula said, arching an eyebrow as the woman in question worked to prepare a concoction that included roots and powder of salvia, ginseng, dark pepper, as well as wooly pig lard, of all things… "Though I still question that eating that thing on a daily basis could be good for me."

"It'll make the birth much easier on you, so yes, it will be," Song said, enthusiastically. Azula grimaced.

"You're sure of that? Do women who don't drink that thing really endure more difficult labor… or is it all superstition?" Azula huffed.

"Oh, want to hear about the things some midwives do over superstition?" Song smirked, turning towards Azula as she held the small cup in one hand, stirring the mixture with the other. "Let's see… there are some who work out the auspicious direction in which a woman must give birth in order to scare away wicked spirits. And I mean, they have to pick the auspicious room that's facing the auspicious direction and then set everything up to ensure the mother is also facing the auspicious direction so the baby is born that way…"

"Uh, what is… an auspicious direction?" Rei asked, puzzled. Song shrugged.

"It's just the north, east, south or west, and they use birthing charts in order to determine which one is auspicious at the time of the month," she explained. Rei blinked blankly.

"I… still don't understand, but I guess it's difficult," she said. Song smiled.

"To be perfectly honest, a lot of that has fallen out of use in the latest centuries and decades. As far as I know, the Fire Nation doesn't do that at all. I learned about it only historically in the Earth Kingdom, never put it into practice," she said. "Most current-day physicians believe it was worthless, I can't pretend I have any certainty about how believable it was or not… but my point is, that's a lot closer to superstition than eating the salvia paste."

"Right," Azula said, turning her skeptical stare to Rei. "Rei, as you love science, regardless of how this whole process turns out… I task you with investigating thoroughly whether this thing serves any purpose or not."

"U-uh… how would I investigate that?" Rei blinked blankly. Azula shrugged.

"I have no idea, but your mind is far more scientific than mine. Figured it'd be easier if you did it," Azula said with an awkward smile. Rei giggled and shrugged.

"Well… it might be that it does help," she said. Azula gasped.

"Don't take her side…!" she said, and Rei chuckled, shaking her head.

"It's just… well, at times, the ladies in the Scarlet Oasis would wind up with child," she said – her sudden willingness to think about her past, or even bring it up, surprised Azula and Song. "I think… well, Lady Meili decided sometimes that she wanted them to bear children? I never really knew why. But anyway, uh… most the ladies were still working while they were pregnant? And I don't think they had a midwife to help until the moment of birth arrived. Lady Meili would send someone to fetch the midwife… and the midwife would bring a lot of helpers, too. And then they'd be locked in the birthing room for hours, and everyone would be screaming…"

"Screaming?" Azula repeated, eyes wide. Rei winced.

"N-not of pain! Or fear! J-just… giving each other orders a lot? And just being really confrontational…?" she said. Azula breathed out in relief at Rei's clarification. "Though… though the lady giving birth would scream when the baby was ready to be born, I think. Usually when they started doing that, the baby would start crying not long after? But then the ladies would be very weak for weeks at a time, months even… t-there's one that didn't survive, too."

"U-uh, just the one, then," Song said, with an awkward smile – Azula's face paled upon hearing as much. "And like you said, they weren't well prepared or taken care of, so surely that's why…"

Rei nodded, noticing the mistake upon bring that up to the anxious Princess a little too late.

"T-they weren't prepared, not the way you are!" she said, clasping Azula's hand. "None of them would've had that salvia paste, so… maybe they had it worse. T-that's all I'm thinking…"

"Hmm. Well… I hope you're right," Azula swallowed hard, staring at her womb with uncertainty. "Though… I didn't realize you'd have witnessed births, to a fault. I mean, I suppose you weren't allowed into the room…"

"N-no… well, not until after it was done," Rei said, with an awkward smile. "I, uh… had to clean up after."

"You…?" Azula said, eyeing Rei warily. Rei's face paled slightly at the memory. "Oh, hell. They really made you clean that?"

"Well… I had to clean most everything?" Rei admitted, with a sigh. "But other things were easier, yeah. At least it didn't happen too many times…"

"Ugh, you poor girl," Song grimaced, stepping up to the bedside already. "Rest assured, no one's going to make you clean things up this time. I'll deal with that."

"B-but you'll have to do so many things already…" said Rei, surprised by Song's words. "If that's something I can do to help…"

"You can, I suppose, but to be honest… I'm not sure you should," Song said, biting her lip as she handed the paste to Azula.

The Princess sighed, accepting her friend's offer and tipping the cup to her lips. The thick, viscous preparation had such a strange, pungent taste… not even the fact that it was the first thing she'd consumed with any spices in months could dismiss the distaste she immediately felt for the strange concoction. She could only wonder if Sokka would have genuinely enjoyed it…

"See, one other complicated subject about birthing is the number of people involved in helping the mother deliver her child," Song said, taking her seat next to Rei. "Might have been another mistake made by the people in the Scarlet Oasis. Having too many people in the room, especially inexperienced ones, can be detrimental rather than helpful. There's even records of women who give birth on their own, with no help whatsoever, so…"

"So… you think I shouldn't be there when the Princess gives birth?" Rei asked, raising her eyebrows.

"I mean… you could be," Song acknowledged, biting her lip.

"But someone more experienced than me would be better," Rei concluded, with a sigh. "Though… who? Not Fei Rou…"

"Never Fei Rou," Azula growled. Song smiled.

"No worries, most men want nothing to do with labor and I'm sure Fei Rou would sooner hand in his resignation than involve himself in yours," she said. "Though… I do think maybe Mai could help."

"Mai?" Azula asked, raising an eyebrow.

"She's a calm person, very rational… and she's already had a baby of her own," Song said. Rei hummed. "I think, if possible, I'd have her join me when you're already about to deliver the baby. If I couldn't have her here, though, I would certainly ask you to help, Rei. But only if it really feels necessary, alright?"

"Alright," Rei said, with a weak smile.

"And about the cleaning, I'll handle that too, and that way you and your mother can enjoy the arrival of… of your new sibling," Song smiled, patting Rei's shoulder gently. Rei's cheeks flushed.

"I-I… I'm, w-well… not blood-related, so…" she said, flustered.

"Oh, now, that doesn't matter to anyone," Song smiled. "You'll be the best big sister that baby would ask for, we all know that, Rei."

"You… you would be."

Azula spoke the words, lowering the now empty cup as she gazed at Rei with heartfelt emotion. Rei's cheeks flushed too, a strange, giddy feeling taking residence in her chest.

"I know it could be awkward for you to feel like you're the child's sister, yes, but…" Azula said, swallowing hard. "Legally, you will be. And, well, as far as I'm concerned… you would be their older sister. Though it really hinges on how you feel about it, but… you'd be a great big sister. Probably the best one of all time."

"Certainly," Song grinned: Rei, predictably, blushed even more… and her lower lip trembled when the words and support truly sank in. "Oh, Rei…"

"I-if you're sure… t-then I… I will work hard to be a good big sister…" she sniffed, with a watery smile. Azula smiled too – she appeared close to tears as well as she reached for Rei's hand.

"Well, all things considered, with how much help you've been and everything you've done… you already are one," Azula said.

She would have tried to move further, to hug Rei, but a sudden discomfort, familiar and unnerving, bloomed in her lower abdomen. She grimaced, groaning as she pushed the blanket off her body.

"Bathroom break?" Song asked, with a sympathetic smile.

"Why can't our bodies be organized in a more efficient way?" Azula groaned, sliding her legs over the side of the mattress. "The womb presses into the bladder, is what you said…? The bladder should just be located elsewhere, damn it. This is so inconvenient…"

Song smiled as she and Rei rose to their feet, approaching Azula in case she needed help – she climbed off her bed often enough to go to the bathroom, but they were always ready to offer relief and support should she need any.

The past month had been markedly different for the three of them. It wasn't only that the impending arrival of the child had kept Song and Rei busy, preparing the room, at times going shopping to ready everything the baby might need, while Azula remained in bed – or visited the bathroom should she need to: the Princess's two companions had taken to sleeping in her room, too. After finding usable futons, the two women now spent most every day in the Princess's bedroom, always ready to provide anything Azula might need, no matter the hour of the day.

She was deeply grateful for their assistance, for while she was anxious about the baby's birth, she knew she'd feel far worse if she didn't have them by her side. Their companionship had lifted her spirits even at the earliest stages of this challenge, and that didn't seem likely to change in the coming days, either. As much as she might protest to Song's remedies, tonics and pastes, knowing she was being cared for, that she was being protected, sufficed to ease her heavy heart on the worst of days.

She entered the bathroom, taking her seat at the privy. Meanwhile Song smiled fondly at Rei, patting her shoulder still as the younger woman bit back a few more emotional tears.

"I-I suppose it was obvious… legally," she said, with a soft chuckle. "But since I don't really know what my place is in this family…?"

"Well, you may not have an official title, but you're your mother's daughter," Song smiled. "Which means you'll be her baby's sister, no matter how you look at it. Besides, you'll be caring for the child along with us, right?"

"Right… though I don't know if I'll be much good at it," Rei said, with an awkward smile. "I… I had to look after some of the children at times, but I never could get them to stop crying…"

"Well, I wouldn't think that would be your fault," Song said, with a grimace. "It wasn't a good environment altogether… you shouldn't have been raised there, but you had no choice on the matter. None of those kids should have been raised there either. Everything's safer here, or theoretically, it should be. We have more resources at our disposal, and I hope this place has become at least a little less stressful than the Scarlet Oasis used to be… though it does suck when things get complicated in the Palace."

"It's quieter… at least, mostly," Rei said, with a weak smile. "It's almost… almost peaceful, on the best days."

"That's right," Song said, with a bright grin of her own. "That's why I'm sure you'll be a great sister, just as I'm sure Azula will be a great mother, regardless of her fears and doubts…"

"She's the best mother," Rei declared, proudly. Song laughed and nodded.

"As determined by her daughter, too. All the more reason why she can't be down on herself and worry about how she won't be a good parent," Song said. "I'll probably walk her through the minutiae of what to expect when the time comes, though. Might be a good idea to explain everything in detail to the two of you before the day arrives. I figure you would know about a few things, but probably not everything, so…"

"That might help her," Rei decided, smiling. "She might be less anxious if you do that."

"That's the hope," Song said. "Once she comes back, we…"

"Song?!"

Both Song and Rei froze when Azula's voice rose, from the bathroom: in a matter of instants, the midwife and healer had raced across the room, pushing the bathroom door open with no regard for the Princess's privacy. The urgency and confusion in her voice had spoken for themselves: something wasn't normal, and at this stage of the pregnancy, whatever Azula had found could mean just about anything…

"What happened? What's wrong?" Song asked, stepping closer to the Princess, who was still sitting on the privy, an awkward look on her face.

"I… I don't know," she said. Song frowned as she stopped beside her. "S-something felt weird. Jolting, I guess, I… my body kind of felt strange just now. A-and then… something came out of me. I… I don't know what it is, I don't know if the baby just moved too much, or if maybe I just imagined it…"

Azula's golden eyes had never been ones for panic, but her nervousness spoke for itself right now. Song grimaced before offering her a placating smile and taking one of Azula's hands reassuringly between hers.

"Everything's going to be okay, Azula. This isn't something alarming," she said. "Could just be some discharge, happens sometimes in this stage of pregnancy. Or, well, it could be…"

"Could be…?" Azula repeated, trembling.

"Well… damn. I was just about to explain all this to you, what are the odds," Song said, with a slightly nervous grin. "Once the time is right, well, the pregnant woman's body starts to, uh… open up, you could say. And that means that there's this small thing, we call it the plug? It has kept the child safe and sealed inside you and, once the child is ready to get out, the plug…"

"T-this plug just spills out of the mother…?" Azula asked, eyebrows twitching. "N-no. No, that's not… no. I didn't lose that plug yet, I couldn't have, I…"

"You might not have," Song acknowledged, patting Azula's hand gently. "Though what you felt is… it's most likely your first contraction? At least, the first one you've noticed."

Azula's eyes widened. Rei, standing by the door, covered her open mouth with a hand.

"W-what the… what the hell?" Azula said. "You're not saying I'm already…"

"You might not be. Some people have contractions even weeks or months before the moment arrives…" Song said, with an awkward smile. "Though, uh, clearly it won't be months away for you, you're already close to your due date, so weeks at best, but…"

"S-Song…"

"What?"

"I have… something awkward to confess."

Song raised an eyebrow, and Azula tensed up as she withdrew her hand from hers. The Princess's cheeks flushed as she lowered her head, fingers worrying over the fabric of her gown while she sat at the privy… deeply unwilling to stand up and face the truth of whatever had fallen out of her, if anything had.

"Y-you're thinking… the tea stopped having its effect on the last days of the voyage at sea," Azula said. Song shrugged.

"I mean, it could have been earlier, but what are the odds that you'd be pregnant after the very first times you failed to drink it? It would be strange, I think," Song said. "It's not impossible, but I've heard of couples that are actually trying to have a baby and then they struggle to make it happen even after months of continuous attempts, so…"

"Bet the ones who aren't doing it on purpose end up making babies quite easily, though. Life's funny that way," Azula said, with a tight grimace. "But… i-if the baby decides to arrive now, it means it's a couple of weeks early, according to your calculations?"

"Well… yes," said Song, biting her lip. "Though admittedly… I might have been off about that. Not only did the Head Sage identify the baby when he did… Mai guessed at it too, much earlier than the Head Sage. It's not easy to make a proper guess of pregnancy when it's only been a week or two since conception… but you did drink the tea until the day Sokka defeated Toph, right?"

"Until… until that morning," Azula clarified. Song raised an eyebrow.

"That was never a problem for you guys, though," she said. "As far as I recall, you'd have some really wild days at times, and I don't remember you ever brewing the tea multiple times a day…"

"T-that's… not what I mean," Azula said, swallowing hard. "I-I'm just saying… if the tea's effect weakens quickly? If it fades faster than expected, uh… is it possible that it could have stopped affecting me within, well, two days?"

"Well… maybe," Song acknowledged. "But it was longer than two days until you made your escape, right? Are you wondering if maybe it happened right on your first nights on the ship?"

"T-that's not…" Azula said, cheeks flushing again. Song raised an eyebrow, perplexed by the Princess's apparent bashfulness. "I-if I told you…. Okay, if you say there's a chance that, if the tea stopped working two days after I last drank it, t-then if… if he and I, well… if we'd gone for it two days after, would it be possible the baby was conceived earlier than you thought?"

"Two days…?" Song blinked blankly. "That's… well, it would be around half a week earlier than my most extreme estimations? About a week and a half earlier than what I've had in mind, thus far… Azula, are you sure about that? Sokka had been captured, when would you even…?"

The answer presented itself in Song's mind just as Azula covered her face with her hands: hadn't Azula said she had visited Sokka in prison, at one point…?

The healer gasped, Azula groaned in utmost embarrassment, tugging at her hair. Rei, watching them with uncertainty from the door, let her eyes flicker from one to the other for a long moment as Song struggled to grapple with the reality she had only just grown aware of…

"Azula… that's the most unhygienic thing I've ever heard from you, and I know you two went at it in my kitchen!"

"I know, I know, I…!" Azula groaned, flustered and bashful, still unwilling to meet Song's gaze as she let out a bark of decidedly judgmental laughter.

"You two are out of your minds! You… in prison? A prison cell?!" she exclaimed.

"C-can we just focus on the more important part of all of this rather than… w-well, than shaming me for my most questionable life choices?" Azula grimaced, lowering her hands and closing her eyes still.

"Seriously, though…!" Song refused to listen to reason, it seemed, shaking her head in disbelief. "Even beyond how gross that place has to be…!"

"I… can't pretend I paid much attention to that…"

"You could've been caught by someone! I thought you'd visited him quickly…!"

"Well, I didn't know if I'd ever see him again…! I suppose we just got carried away, and before I knew it, w-well…!" Azula reacted, unsure of how to make any excuses for some of her boldest and most reckless behavior.

"You're unreal. The two of you are unreal, I…" Song said, shaking her head as she covered her mouth with a hand. "How didn't you get caught? I mean, maybe for once you were really, really quiet…"

"For once, heh…" Azula repeated, even if she couldn't deny Song's accusation reasonably. "Well, if you must ask for more details, Fei Li had cleared the way for me to go see Sokka anyhow, so, if anyone heard anything it was… w-well…"

"Fei Li?" Song said. Azula grimaced and shook her head in sheer embarrassment. "Wow. That's about the worst out of all the guards who could've overheard that, actually…"

"I know, but Song… focus!" Azula nearly pleaded now, and Song actually slowed down her judgmental spree to eye Azula with uncertainty. "Just… i-if it happened then, not that… that I want to think I conceived my child in prison of all places, I really hope I didn't! B-but… but if I had, is it possible that… t-that the due date would be…?"

Song frowned, quickly making the calculations in her mind. She couldn't be fully certain of anything right away, she might need to have a clearer grasp of the timeline than she did so far… but after giving matters some thought, she reached a conclusion that she suspected Azula wouldn't be eased by at all.

"It means the due date might very well be today."

Azula's eyes widened. Song bit her lip before sighing and clasping Azula's shoulders.

"Look… it's not impossible. It's lucky, kind of, since we only just set up the fabric and we made sure it works! But… it's also possible that this isn't right, okay? I still think it's far more likely that it happened later… even if your confession is certainly quite a shocker. But really… what are the odds that it'd happen the first time of carelessness, right?"

"Right," Azula said, with an awkward smile. Song smiled reassuringly, patting her head now.

"So… this is probably an early contraction and nothing to be alarmed by. And whatever you released… it's probably just some discharge, too. Your body is getting ready for delivery, so try not to panic much, take it easy and accept that a few strange things can certainly happen when you're about to give birth. So… get off the privy, clean up, I'll check if anything is out of order quickly, and you'll go back to bed and calm down. Alright?"

"Right. This doesn't mean much. I… I didn't conceive a baby in prison. I couldn't have. That would be… that would be unthinkable. It's ridiculous, I… no princess's child should be conceived in a prison of all places, so it couldn't have happened. It didn't," Azula said, with an awkward smile. Song chuckled.

"Who's superstitious now?" she said. "I have no doubts the direction of prison must be very inauspicious, whether for conception or for birthing…"

"Song…!" Azula nearly whined, dropping her head against Song's abdomen as her healer laughed, shaking her head in disbelief.

"If there's something that can't be denied about you, it's that you're full of surprises," she said. "Come on, then. Calm down, calm down, I'll try to stop judging…"

"Yeah, sure. You'll rub this in my face for as long as we live, won't you?"

"… Maybe so."

"And the worst part is I've asked for it," Azula whimpered, shaking her head before sitting upright again. "Ugh, fine. I'll get going. I… I'll go back to bed. None of this has to mean… mean anything. Early contractions. T-they're normal. That's normal. Everything's normal. N-nothing's happening today. Nothing's happening today…"

Her nervousness and hesitation to believe her own words accompanied her as she cleaned up after standing up from the privy. She even took care to splash some of her basin's water on her face – she was terribly prone to feeling overheated lately, and she suspected it wasn't the weather's fault –, and she wiped her face clean before glancing at Rei… who eyed her with slight amusement, cheeks red.

"L-look, I'm not proud of it…!" Azula huffed, and Rei giggled before stepping into the bathroom to hug her reassuringly. "And I didn't bring it up until now because I didn't really think it would matter. But I just…! I mean…! It doesn't make sense, does it?"

"Doesn't matter where the baby happened… because it's your baby," Rei said. Azula's cheeks flushed further as her daughter pulled back and smiled at her. "You've cared for me even if I was born to another mother, in a very unhygienic place too…"

"W-well, I… I would care for the both of you regardless of where you were conceived or born, yes," Azula said, grimacing. "I just wish I'd been… w-well, a little more dignified. In a sense. Otherwise, Song wouldn't have the perfect fodder to torment me for years…"

"I think she finds it admirable," Rei said: Song scoffed skeptically from further inside the bathroom. "You lived your life recklessly and passionately…"

"That's a rather flattering way to look at it. Though… what's the verdict?" Azula asked, eyeing Song warily from over her shoulder. "You should flush it if you don't see anything weird…"

Song breathed deeply as she finally pulled back, an uncomfortable grimace on her face.

"I, uh… I'm afraid your suspicions might not be off-base, Azula."

The Princess's eyes widened. Rei, still holding her, froze up as Song smiled at them awkwardly, hands on her hips.

"What you felt… it really was the plug, from the looks of it," she said, biting her lip: Azula gasped, gripping Rei with further strength. "So… you may have indeed conceived that baby in prison, heh? But most importantly…"

"No," Azula said, shaking her head. "No way. Song, don't say that. Don't…"

Song swallowed hard, eyeing Azula compassionately before uttering the very words the Princess didn't want to hear:

"I think the baby's coming."

Azula let out a strange sound, a mix between a shriek and a gasp, as her entire world seemed to crumble around her.

No, not yet. It was too soon, far too soon, she couldn't just deliver the baby right now…

"No, no, no, no… no! I…! I don't want it to get out! Not now! Not right now!" Azula exclaimed, looking at Song in despair. "T-tell it to stay there! Find a way! O-one of your tonics, it has to help…!"

"I… don't know of any tonics that would allow a child to stay in the womb for longer than intended," Song grimaced. Azula let out a cry of disbelief. "Azula, please… let's stay calm. Breathe slowly…!"

The recommendations weren't helpful at all: the Princess's hands rose to her hair as she tugged at it firmly – the world seemed to change colors, to twist and turn in weird ways, and she could barely tell if she was still standing upright or if she was losing her footing… though fortunately, Rei was still holding her, ensuring she wouldn't collapse over shock.

"Mom…?" Rei called her, hesitating over using the term a little too late – it didn't seem like reminding Azula of her impending motherhood right now would be a good idea…

Though the lack of visible reaction revealed that her potential mishap hadn't affected the Princess's already unstable state any further. Song sighed, shaking her head as she helped Rei in keeping Azula on her feet.

"Hey, Azula. I know this is a lot to take, and you weren't expecting this today…"

"I-if I'd told you about that before, w-would we have known sooner…?" Azula said. Song grimaced and shrugged.

"I mean… the plug could have loosened up a few days before delivery anyway. It doesn't have to mean the baby is right there, ready to be born yet…" Song said, with an awkward smile.

"Right," Azula said, swallowing hard and breathing deeply, her chest heaving. "It… it doesn't mean that. It might not mean that, I… I might be fine. I might be okay. The baby won't… w-won't just come out right now. It won't…"

She might have continued to cling to denial for longer… if it weren't for another sudden jolt inside her body. She clenched up when she felt it, and Song grimaced.

"Wow. That's… uh, fuck," Song said: Azula shot her a wary, paranoid glance. "Azula, I… I don't know. I mean… we have to be vigilant no matter what's going on, but I have to say that it looks like…"

"No, no, no, Song, not now, I can't just…" Azula mumbled, shaking her head as Song wrapped her arms around her.

"Look… we have to take it easy. Calm down, breathe… everything's going to work out for the best, okay?" Song said, with an awkward smile as Azula shrank in herself, her head on Song's shoulder.

Rei awkwardly held onto Azula's other arm, uneasily glancing between the two until Song eyed her helplessly.

"Rei…?" she said. "Do you think you could, uh… go fetch Mai and Ty Lee?"

"I…" Rei gasped, glancing at Azula in surprise: her mother stood upright again, staring at Song in chagrin.

"You're not saying it's really about to…?" she said, eyes wide. Song smiled awkwardly.

"You know, probably not? Labor lasts a long time, especially for first-time mothers! So… this is just a precaution, okay? It's entirely possible that the contractions will fade away and stop being a problem within a few hours, okay? And then it will mean that maybe the baby will come later this week… or even next week!"

"But it could also decide to come now," Azula finished. Song grimaced and shrugged.

"At this point…? Yeah. Anything is possible."

"Oh, fuck. Oh, fuck…!" Azula groaned, yanking her hair again as Song wrapped an arm around her waist, hoping to ensure the Princess wouldn't topple to the floor in despair.

Rei's eyes widened as she watched the Princess's reaction… as she met Song's eyes. The healer urged her to do as she had asked of her, jerking her head towards the door. Rei swallowed hard and nodded, stepping back and out of the bathroom slowly.

"I… I'll go get them. I'll be back as soon as I can," she said. Song nodded.

"I'll make sure to calm Azula down as best as I can, too," Song said. "Go and come back quickly so you can help me with that too… ah, go to Mai's place first. You can get there safely, right?"

"I… I hope so. I think so?" Rei said, already standing by the room's main door.

"Ask Renkai to find you a carriage if you're not sure you can get there alone," Song suggested, stepping out of the bathroom with a panicked, trembling Princess Azula.

"T-there has to be something we can do to…" Azula rambled, eyes out of orbit. "This isn't the right time… t-there's never going to be a right time no, but I just know this isn't it! C-can't we just put this off…!"

"Oh, dear…" Song sighed, rubbing Azula's back reassuringly.

Rei grimaced – the Princess's reaction wasn't truly surprising, but it distressed Rei to see her quite so afflicted, so unwilling to birth her child… solely so she could protect it best while it remained inside her, out of reach from those who might mean it harm.

They would protect the child once it was born too, Rei hoped… but for now, she had to find Mai and Ty Lee. Song believed Mai might be the best suitable candidate to assist her during the birthing process, and the sooner she could bring them here, the better.

"I… I'll be back," Rei said: she exchanged a quick glance with her frantic mother, and Rei offered her a quick smile before pushing the bedroom door open.

"Azula…" Song said, holding her upright still: the Princess shuddered, shaking her head and looking at her friend in desperate disbelief. "Look… anything's possible. The baby could be early for some reason, just as it might take days to arrive, even now. Let's just sit down and breathe, okay? I'll start you with a rhythm, and you'll follow, okay?"

"I… I don't know if I can follow anything right now, Song…" Azula said – Song shook her head as she guided Azula all the way to the Princess's mattress, where she breathed heavily, trembling violently. "I don't know what to do, I don't know what's going to happen, I… I don't know anything, Song. I don't know…"

"Shh… it's okay," Song said, helping Azula take her seat while rubbing her back and shoulders gently. "For now… you don't need to worry about anything other than breathing. Come now: in… and out. In… and out."

Azula seemed reluctant to follow the calming pattern Song was resorting to, but she forced herself to do as she was told anyway, trying to disregard her suddenly cold hands, her lightheadedness, the near disassociation of reality she had fallen into. She trembled and struggled… but she wasn't alone. Song was experienced, wise… she could help her. She was here to help her. Azula simply had to let her do it.

She followed the breathing rhythm, even if her heart was racing. Anticipation and fear blended into one… for she was not ready for this yet. Would she ever be?

Renkai was immediately startled by Rei's exiting the room without any warning. The guard standing by with him that day was visibly bored, but he stood upright when the Princess's maid and protégée stepped past that threshold, closing the door firmly behind herself.

"Renkai… C-captain Renkai," she corrected herself quickly, fearful of showing too much familiarity, even if she suspected it was too late for any corrections by then. Renkai frowned as he stepped closer to her.

"Is something the matter? Does the Princess need anything?" he asked.

"Can you… help me find a carriage? Or… a dragon moose?" Rei asked, biting her lip. Renkai frowned behind his helmet.

"You need to run an errand?" he asked, perplexed. Rei shook her head.

"I, uh… I have to find the ladies Mai and Ty Lee," Rei answered, earnestly.

Renkai was perplexed, and he didn't react outwardly… but the reality of Rei's request dawned on him gradually. He hummed before nodding, turning quickly towards his fellow guard.

"Stay here," he said. The guard tensed up. "I will be back shortly."

"Y-yes, Captain."

Leaving Azula and Song with only this guard wasn't reassuring, but Rei wasn't confident about asking him to help her, and it seemed that Renkai agreed with that notion – the man could easily force Rei into confessing what was happening within the room. Renkai's calm demeanor, and Rei's well-known shyness, might contribute to keeping things silent for a little longer… at the very least, long enough to confirm that the Princess was about to give birth.

Renkai only dared speak with Rei once they had left the corridor, marching into the main hall of the Palace. His long strides made it so Rei almost had to run to keep up with him.

"Is it really happening?" Renkai asked. Rei gritted her teeth.

"We're not sure, but… it might be," she said. Renkai hummed. "Lady Wen wanted me to find them so that they can help, if need be…"

"Understandable," Renkai said, simply. "How is she?"

"Uuuuh…"

"Nervous, then?"

"That sounds a little tame for, well, what her reaction was like…" Rei admitted. Renkai sighed.

"I'm certain she would have hoped to handle this in better circumstances," he said. "That being said… the Palace is less hostile to her these days than in the earlier months of her pregnancy. Perhaps there would be no better time for it than now…"

"Well… maybe," Rei said, biting her lip.

Renkai didn't lead her to the front gates of the Palace: instead, he requested a royal carriage for her. Within a few minutes, Rei had climbed aboard the vehicle while Renkai returned to the Princess's room at haste, to ensure that the other guard on duty wouldn't have attempted to spy on the Princess, or perhaps even invade the privacy of her room in a moment as delicate and serious as this one.

Being alone on the carriage daunted Rei. She had no recollection of ever riding anything like this without anyone else to lead the driver and give orders. If only she could have ridden a dragon moose, instead, she would feel a little less insecure… but Renkai had given the driver proper instructions, no matter if her insecurities scared her into believing otherwise: Rei sighed in relief once the carriage stopped and, with a glance out the window, she confirmed they were at Mai's house.

"I, uh, won't be long," Rei told the driver before climbing off quickly. The man gave her an affirmative answer, though she failed to hear it, rushing off the vehicle at once.

She walked up to the door, knocking on it urgently, breathing heavily as she waited for someone to open. She glanced about herself with uncertainty, at first nervous upon fearing Mai might not be home… but soon enough, the loud cries of a young boy protesting over one thing or another reassured Rei that, at least, the house wouldn't be wholly empty…

The door swung open, and Rei gasped with relief upon seeing Shuai, one of Mai's maids, had been the one to answer.

"Hi…" Rei said, with a nervous smile. Shuai smiled back reassuringly. "I-is Lady Mai available?"

"Oh, I believe so, lady Rei," Shuai said, bowing to her: Rei flinched, her cheeks flushing at the display of respect. "I shall let her know you're here…"

"I, uh, I need her to come with me to the Palace…" Rei said, with a nervous smile. Shuai's placid mood shifted quickly.

"The Palace? Now?" she asked. "Oh, dear… I shall let her know, then."

Rei smiled awkwardly and nodded – she didn't leave her position by the open door as Shuai went inside to look for Mai. After about a minute, though, Rei heard a ruckus of rushed footsteps down the stairs… and she raised her gaze to find a beaming Yuudai rushing her way.

"Rei!" the boy cried out happily, jumping to hug her legs. Rei smiled, leaning down to hug him kindly as well. "You're here to play?!"

"I'm afraid not…" Rei smiled sadly, caressing Yuudai's hair kindly. "I needed to call your mother… but I hope I can drop by for nicer things as soon as I can, okay?"

"But… ow," Yuudai pouted: by then, much more controlled footsteps had marched down the corridor then, reaching the vestibule.

Rei raised her gaze to find Mai's sharp, observant eyes: she was looking for Azula, perhaps even for Song…

"What happened?" she asked, point-blank, upon not seeing either of them. Rei grimaced.

"W-well… the Princess, eh, she went to the bathroom about, uh, twenty minutes ago? I don't know how long ago," Rei said, blushing upon realizing she hadn't conveyed what actually mattered yet. "T-the baby might be about to arrive."

"Now…?" Mai said, eyes widening slightly, but she narrowed them again quickly. "Damn it. Give me a moment, I'll be with you shortly. Yuudai…"

"No! I want to go with Rei!" Yuudai pouted. Mai sighed, leaning down and scooping up the boy in her arms.

"You'll tell your father where I went when he comes home," Mai said. "You'll be staying with Shuai and Li Fan until then. Understood?"

"But Mooooom…"

Yuudai's protests were quite audible as Mai backtracked into the house with him, and Rei still could hear them after about two minutes of waiting once more, while Mai sorted out everything in her house before she joined Rei anew. She seemed worried once she stepped outside again, closing the door firmly behind herself and ushering Rei to walk with her to the carriage.

"We'll… we'll fetch Lady Ty Lee too, right?" Rei said, nervously. "I… I don't know where she lives, though."

"Right. I'll instruct the driver, then," Mai said, ushering Rei to climb aboard first.

Rei released a relieved breath after completing the first goal of her mission. Mai joined her only a few moments later, and the wheels began turning once more. Mai breathed out slowly, having taken her seat by Rei's side, intent on speaking quietly so the driver wouldn't be likely to overhear them.

"Does the Fire Lord know yet?"

"I… I don't think so," Rei said, biting her lip. "It started just now, and… w-well, unless the other guard told him when Renkai was helping me get the carriage, I guess not yet. But…"

"But he's bound to learn of it soon enough. I'm sure Wen will have no choice but to report it," Mai sighed – as much as she didn't expect the driver to overhear them, she wasn't going to take any chances by using the midwife's real name. "How is she holding up?"

"Uh… she's panicking," Rei answered truthfully. Mai sighed heavily. "She says she's not ready yet, so… maybe you can help encourage her?"

"I would certainly try, but I don't think hearing stories about my own experiences will help her much," Mai admitted. Rei grimaced. "Azula's… well, strangely the strongest person I know and yet the most vulnerable when it comes to anything that can change her life for good. It's not only the pain that must worry her, it's everything that comes next."

"I know. She'll be a great mother, though… she already is," Rei said, with a shy grin. Mai smiled and nodded.

"It's not easy making sure she understands that, unfortunately," Mai said. "Were there any contractions yet?"

"Yeah… a couple," Rei nodded. Mai's frown startled her. "Is it that alarming…?"

"It… it can be. When did it begin? You said twenty minutes ago?" Mai asked.

"Might have been a little longer," Rei admitted, and Mai sighed.

"The sooner we get there, the better," she said. "From what I know, first-timers tend to take longer than those who've already done it before… but it's Azula we're talking about. I wouldn't be surprised if we get there and the child's already out and about, walking and talking and everything…"

"T-that… I hope not," Rei grimaced. "Because S… Wen says she'll need your help. If… if that's okay with you."

Mai's grimace seemed to indicate that she wasn't looking forward to her role in Azula's delivery, but she didn't protest it. Instead, she sighed and nodded.

"It's the way it usually goes," she said. "Friends, family who are close to the mother, are expected to offer support. I suppose that's not how it usually happens in royal households… but Azula is a special case these days."

"Have you ever assisted anyone before…?" Rei asked. Mai shook her head, and Rei grimaced.

"The only delivery I've experienced is my own son's… so I really hope I won't be a burden for Wen rather than a proper assistant."

"I hope so too," Rei said, swallowing hard – at least Mai knew what the process entailed, exactly, having been through it personally, most unlike Rei…

But she couldn't help but worry now. Would this be enough? Would Azula be alright without another experienced midwife like Song to assist her? Perhaps it would be better, even, since maybe more experienced people would have conflicts over how things had to be done… Song had said that the less people were involved, the better. Still, Rei couldn't help but feel uneasy as the carriage progressed onwards… they'd be back with Azula soon, but it didn't feel like it would be soon enough. A part of her had been alarmed by Mai's previous claim that, knowing Azula, she might just have given birth already… Rei didn't want to be absent for that, though. She wanted to be there, if just behind the door, waiting patiently for Song to say she could come back inside. She didn't want to miss it… even if she knew that, in a way, she'd miss it simply because she wouldn't be inside with Azula. But still…

After well over fifteen minutes of progress, they finally slowed at a house, and it was Mai who dismounted the carriage this time. She marched up to the front door, raising a hand to knock on it loud and urgently, hoping to convey to Ty Lee that there was no time to waste today.

Her friend had been indulging in the peace of a rather simple day by teaching Ran, her mother-in-law, some chi-blocking moves for beginners in the garden. The two of them bonded often during the day while Haru was out at work. Since Ran had confirmed her flowers were coming along nicely that morning, Ty Lee had decided to entertain her by instructing the older woman on techniques for self-defense over the rest of the day, most of all.

"So, you just have to sidestep, see? And angle your body back…!" Ty Lee said, showing Ran an evasive move that relied on flexibility the older woman lacked.

"Like… this?" Ran asked, attempting to do so, if not with the same finesse.

"Right! And once the neck of your opponent is exposed… you pinch the spot I told you like this, with a quick jab!" Ty Lee declared, beaming brightly as she struck the air before her. Ran blinked blankly before mimicking the move, much more slowly. "And there you go! Your foe will be writhing at your feet, for sure!"

"Well, then! That's something!" Ran laughed, hands on her hips. "I do hope I won't have to put this into practice in the future, however…"

"Nothing wrong with learning it even if you don't, though! Better safe than…!"

The loud sound of knocks on the door startled both Ty Lee and Ran. The experienced chi-blocker grimaced as she glanced in the direction of the urgent noise.

"Uh, I hope you won't need it all that soon. I'll check what that is…" Ty Lee said, and Ran winced.

"Be careful, dear," she said. Ty Lee nodded as she marched back inside, with Ran following only a few steps behind her.

Where Ty Lee had dreaded she'd find a soldier, however, she was startled to find Mai instead. She smiled instinctively, but the grin waned at the sight of a royal carriage parked in the street.

"Mai…?" she said, awkwardly. Mai breathed deeply.

"Azula might be about to give birth," she said: Ty Lee gasped, covering her mouth with her hands, and Ran froze in place behind her. "Song wanted us to be there, so… mind joining us?"

"Oh, go right away, Ty Lee!" Ran urged her, and Ty Lee glanced at her over her shoulder. "Do help the Princess if you can! And, well, say hi to her for me, as well. Oh, goodness… send her my best! And the best of luck to the two of you at seeing this through, as well!"

"Thank you…" Mai said, and Ty Lee grimaced as she glanced at Mai again.

"Should Ran come too, or…?"

"To the Palace?" Mai said, glancing at Ran – the woman's face paled, and she shook her head adamantly. "Well… I think Song is only expecting you and I, so I would assume not."

"Oh," Ty Lee said, smiling kindly at Ran. "Sorry. Well, wait here, then… and let Haru know what's going on. I hope I'll be back before dinner? Uh… is that too hopeful of me?"

"Might be, but with these things, you never know how fast or how slow it's going to go," Mai sighed, shaking her head and nodding in Ran's direction. "Ty Lee will be back as soon as she's able."

"Good luck, dears!" Ran said: Ty Lee offered her a quick hug before rushing after Mai.

Ty Lee leapt into the carriage without thinking twice of it: she gasped happily, however, upon realizing that it wasn't empty.

"Rei!" she squealed, rushing to sit beside her to hug her quickly. Rei smiled, patting Ty Lee's shoulder awkwardly. "I didn't know you'd be here too! Oh, goodness, you're the one who fetched Mai?"

"Yeah. I'm glad the two of you could come," Rei said, with a gentle smile. "Thank you."

"What's going on, though? How did she notice, how is she feeling, how is she going to do it? I honestly have no idea about any of these things…!"

"You certainly don't," Mai said, climbing aboard the carriage and closing the door behind herself. "But you'll be learning a thing or two once we get there anyway. Now, do calm down, loud voices can always startle carriage creatures…"

"O-oh… okay, then," Ty Lee pouted: Mai had taken her seat opposite to Rei this time around, and her words conveyed all too directly that Ty Lee, in particular, was better served by keeping her silence for the time being, at risk of giving away any information that the driver might happen to overhear.

All of which meant that the journey back would be more stressful still: the ride to Ty Lee's house had taken around fifteen minutes from Mai's, which meant that, by the time they were back in the Palace, Rei would have been gone for around an hour. What could possibly happen within that time frame? She hoped not a lot, and yet she dreaded otherwise. She feared otherwise…

Her anxiety was so apparent that Ty Lee took to hugging her and reassuring her with careless, cheerful words that she seemed to blurt out to reassure herself as well. Mai held her silence, but the slight frown on her face suggested she wasn't any less stressed about the situation than Ty Lee or Rei were.

After what felt like an eternity, the carriage finally arrived: the gates opened, the wheels stopped, and the door swung open: the driver bowed to them respectfully, and they thanked him politely before walking slightly too quickly towards the Princess's room. A few people saw them, and Rei might have been more worried about that if her concern for her mother's fate weren't the primary thing on her mind. She needed to go to her at once, she needed to be with her right now, and there it was, the grand crimson and gold door…

Renkai bowed towards them, opening the door: Rei couldn't hold back the urge to sprint into the room once the way was clear, her heart racing as she gazed into the room she and Song had prepared for the baby's arrival…

To find Azula sitting on the bed, propped on her pillows as usual, while Song sat right beside her.

Rei almost second-guessed everything that she believed was happening right then and there. Mai and Ty Lee, as well, were surprised by the strange feeling of normalcy in the room, and they eyed Azula and Song with confusion and suspicion.

"Azula…?" Mai asked. The Princess offered her a tight smile as the door closed behind her friends.

"Hello," Azula said, almost mechanically. "Guess you rushed here, huh?"

"You… uh, are you or aren't you about to give birth…?" Ty Lee blinked blankly, glancing questioningly at Song, who offered her a sympathetic smile.

"She probably will… but it'll take time," Song said, with a shrug: all three new arrivals stared at her in utmost disbelief. "Okay, I know you guys were alarmed and scared… but this is technically how a lot of labor processes go? Azula was a little scared when it started, but as you can see…"

"I'm… fine now. Totally fine. No… no need to worry about anything anymore," Azula said, still with that tense smile that indicated things were, decidedly, not fine.

"Oh, Azula…!" Ty Lee groaned, rushing towards her friend.

She sat by the bedside, hugging Azula as best she could – the Princess responded to the hug with a few pats to Ty Lee's shoulder.

"Sorry. Hope you weren't doing anything important," Azula said. Ty Lee shook her head.

"I could put it off. Ran and I can practice chi-blocking whenever," Ty Lee pouted as she pulled back. "We were worried!"

"Well, join the club. The only one here who's not worried is Song," Azula said. Song snorted.

"I'm worried in my own way. Nothing I've seen so far is abnormal, though, so I'm simply trying to ground you and not let your concerns and fears run away with you…"

"To be fair, you definitely need someone doing that for you, Azula," Mai said, raising an eyebrow as she approached her bedside as well. "No one's as likely to go wild with overthinking as you are… a well-known fact, established since you were a child, pretty much."

"Well… I wish I'd actually converted the overthinking to something productive this time. I suppose I've dropped the ball on the overplanning quite a bit," Azula sighed, dropping her head against the pillows. "But apparently… all we have to do now is wait."

"I'm afraid so," Song said, with a sympathetic smile. "We can't even be sure that it has begun… though it certainly feels like it."

"Does it? How are you so sure?" Ty Lee asked, genuinely curious.

"Well… the contractions," Song explained, setting a hand gently upon Azula's belly. "They're not too violent or painful thus far, but she's had at least four noticeable ones over the past two hours, and while they're not too rhythmic, it means they're happening at a frequency that generally means labor is beginning…"

"Woah…" Ty Lee said, grimacing.

"What's… what do the contractions even do?" Rei asked, puzzled. "Just… alert the mother that the baby is coming?"

"That's more of a side effect, if anything," Song said. "Their actual purpose and intent is to begin preparing the body for, well… pushing the child out. Which means they're meant for making room for a safe delivery…"

"And that's why it feels like someone's earthbending my insides. Nice to know," Azula grimaced, closing her eyes.

"Does it really feel like that…?" Ty Lee asked, shuddering. Mai hummed.

"It's… probably an apt comparison," she acknowledged. Ty Lee winced before shaking her head promptly.

"Nope. That settles it: I'm not having babies."

"Here I thought you liked earthbending quite a bit…" Azula said, raising a skeptical eyebrow at Ty Lee.

"I love earthbending…! Provided it's bending things outside me, not inside me, goodness. That sounds so unsettling," Ty Lee shuddered, shaking her head. "Feeling like my body is out of my control and doing weird things I don't want it to?"

"Admittedly, pregnancy is mostly like that, yes," Azula smirked. Ty Lee shuddered again.

"Nope. Not doing it. Nope," she declared firmly, and Azula laughed. "I'll just be the fun aunt to any of your kids, and that means any of you, Rei included…"

"M-me? I don't… I don't even have anyone to make kids with, I'm not included…" Rei said, blushing and shaking her head. Ty Lee smiled and shrugged.

"Well, if you do find someone, the offer's available!"

"So, you want to spoil kids rotten and play with them, without putting in the work of carrying them inside you or disciplining them and raising them properly," Mai concluded, staring at Ty Lee skeptically.

Her friend's response to the accusation was a guilty grin, and Mai rolled her eyes as the other three laughed at their exchange.

"Well, no one can tell you how to live your life… but you're ridiculous anyway," Mai smiled.

Before long, all four of Azula's companions had taken their seats at either side of her bed. The Princess breathed at the rhythm Song had established for her, or at least, she tried to do so – even now, over an hour after her initial reaction to the impending delivery, her heart seemed to be racing.

"Maybe… I could make some tea?" Rei suggested: Azula perked up at the suggestion, and Song smiled and nodded.

"Your tea was really good the last time we dropped by, too," Ty Lee said, with a happy grin. Rei smiled shyly as she rose to her feet, rushing to work on preparing the drink.

"Much better than weird pastes…" Azula sighed, shooting Song a begrudging glance. "I have to ask at least one more time: do you really think that thing is going to help now?"

"I really hope so," Song said, with a sad grin. "Tell you what: if things are really hard on you…"

"You won't make me eat it for my next pregnancy?" Azula finished for her, with a skeptical smirk. Song giggled guiltily. "Right. Because I'll be desperate to go right back to being pregnant, getting mood swings, cravings, greasy hair, body pain…!"

"I'm just kidding around, take it easy…" Song laughed, reaching out to pat Azula's hair gently. The Princess sulked in the cushions, shaking her head and covering her face with a hand.

"I shouldn't be so moody when my child might be born, should I?" she said. "Ugh. What day is it? What time is it? Someone jot it down. I'm not… not going to forget the baby's birthday. This is important."

"How about we wait until the baby is actually born?" Song said. "I'll write it on your calendar personally… or maybe Rei will. Nice calligraphy practice, right?"

"Right, but… what would she write? 'Baby birthday'?" Mai asked, skeptical. "What I mean is… do you have a name in mind, Azula?"

"A… name," Azula said, blinking blankly. Mai smiled quite sarcastically.

"You really dropped the ball with the overplanning considerably if you, of all people, don't have a name in mind."

"Oh, shut up," Azula groaned, covering her face with her hands. "I've had a lot on my mind. Besides, what if I pick a name that doesn't make sense once I hold the baby and look at its face? It might not fit. I can't pick a name until I've seen it. Rei can write down the name after I pick it."

"Shouldn't you at least have some ideas in mind, for starters?" Ty Lee suggested, with a whimsical smile. "Like, I don't know, naming the baby after your best friend…?"

Azula blinked blankly at Ty Lee's insinuation. The chi-blocker poked her arm gently, fluttering her eyelashes in a display poised for ridiculousness, fated to fail at its task, especially if used on Azula.

"Which one?" was Azula's devastating answer: Ty Lee gasped, eyes tearful.

"W-well…! The one who has been with you for the longest time…!"

"Mai?"

"Azula!" Ty Lee pouted: Azula actually smirked, briefly distracted from her moodiness by her friend's reactions. "Your friend who can chi-block, and whose favorite color is pink…!"

"Ah, Rei's been learning a lot of chi-blocking, and I think she likes pink too…"

"Ack! You're impossible!" Ty Lee huffed, folding her arms over her chest as laughter rang in the room. "Fine then! Name the baby after anyone but me, go on! I'll never let you live it down, I assure you, but go on and do it!"

"Oh, you're ridiculous," Azula smiled, shaking her head. "I'm not naming the baby after anyone. That's that."

"You… you won't? Not even after Rei?" asked Ty Lee, perplexed. Azula shook her head.

"I don't know what name I'll pick in the end… but I've made up my mind to not resort to simply naming my child after people who mattered to me, or people I admired. It's… it's a heavy burden to impose on a child," Azula said, breathing out slowly. "Especially when the child has no power or control over what their name will be, not until they're old enough to take up a new one of their preference, if they care to. But naming people after others is a tradition I'm determined not to continue. Being named after my grandfather certainly ensured that I won't be doing that to my offspring anytime soon."

"Oh… heh. Good point," Ty Lee said, with a weak smile. "Though you could choose to name your child after someone you actually like… but I get what you mean."

"Doesn't really matter if I like them or not," Azula said, closing her eyes. "I have no control over what another person has done or might do with their lives in the future. Say that the child happens to be a boy, and I choose to name him after my cousin Lu Ten: everyone will constantly associate the boy to my uncle's son, they'll constantly think of his illustrious relative rather than him when they speak to or about him… they'll burden him with the need to outdo the person he was named after, to prove his name is his own, all sorts of dreadful baggage that nobody needs. In short… no, I'm not doing that."

"Then I suppose you'll just pick a name with a 'Z'," Ty Lee decided, and Azula frowned in confusion once more. "What? Your family has a lot of names that have a 'z', including yours! Zuko, Azula, Ozai, Azulon, Sozin, Hizuo…!"

"Right. Huh," Azula's dry smile spoke for itself. "Thank you for pointing that out: now I'm going to make sure not to use 'z' in the name, either."

"What, really?" Ty Lee raised an eyebrow.

"Here I thought it was family tradition, or so," Mai said, eyeing Azula with curiosity as well.

"And I should be trying to preserve family tradition, shouldn't I?" Azula said, skeptical. "This child is… it's not just an heir to the Fire Lord. It's… it's Fire Nation and Water Tribe. Feels like I'd be crossing some really unacceptable boundaries if I chose a Fire Nation tradition when the father can't even be here to share his own culture's naming traditions…"

"Eh, that's a good point," Ty Lee pouted, and Azula sighed.

"I suppose I kind of regret cutting him off whenever he'd talk carelessly about whatever he'd name our future children," she said. "Might be I'd have some idea of what he'd want to name it, if I hadn't."

"You talked about that sort of thing? Really?" Ty Lee asked. Azula shrugged.

"Feels like we talked about everything," she said, simply. "But, to be fair… I didn't want to hear his ideas for our children's names because of his innate talent to pick ridiculous names for everything. Even if I'd heard him out… I might have thought his ideas were terrible and I would have rejected them right away."

"Oh, now…" Ty Lee pouted as Azula smiled slightly.

"He had the most extraordinary sword, with a sharp edge that could cut through solid metal and stone in a single swing…" she recited. "And he called it Space Sword because it was made out of meteorite ore."

"Meteorite…?" Rei repeated, blinking blankly.

"Is that the story of the sword's name?" Ty Lee gasped. "I always wondered about that…! But then, why not Meteor Sword? That might have been cooler!"

"Don't ask me," Azula sighed, still smiling slightly. "His mind just went straight to Space Sword. We once discovered a rather… chaotic ability of ours, he could channel my lightning attacks through that very sword. It was a rather useful skill too, in complicated situations. It saved us from the Dai Li that one time… and one day, I found out he'd taken to calling it the 'Electric Sword Trick.'"

"The…?" Ty Lee snorted, and a few of the others laughed as Azula rolled her eyes.

"Straightforward and blunt like a train-tank," Azula smiled. "His best was probably his attempt to name Xin Long Knightmare instead, but… I wasn't about to call him that anyway."

"Then, you don't think he could give you any bright ideas for this little one?" Song asked, smiling as she rubbed Azula's belly gently once more.

"The only ones he ever got to suggest for this particular scenario were Azula Jr. if it was a girl, or Sokka Jr. if it was a boy," Azula smiled, shaking her head. "Which I've already established I won't be doing anytime soon, so unfortunately, that won't be much help in picking a name for the child."

"Well… knowing him? He'd have said any name you picked was perfect," Song said, smiling kindly at Azula. The Princess sighed but smiled slightly, too.

"He was that much of a dork, it's true," she said, bringing the others to chuckle with her remark. "Either way, I don't know what name I'll choose and I suppose I'll just sort it out after. A-after it's… born. Oh, hell…"

"Ooh!" Ty Lee gasped, clapping her hands together. "You finally relaxed a little because you were thinking about him!"

"I… I suppose so? But come on," Azula groaned, covering her face with her hands.

"We should talk about him some more! Unless it hurts?" Ty Lee said, eyeing Azula warily. "But it might be a fun distraction while you're lying in bed! And maybe whatever's going on will calm down and the baby might stay put for a little longer!"

"I don't think…" Azula said… before clenching up.

Again, that wild, unsettling vibration thrumming across her body. Song winced, reacting quickly to the sensation as Azula ground her teeth together, fisting the sheets in her hands.

"Did it hurt?" Song asked. Azula breathed out slowly before shaking her head.

"Not… not really. It was just… more intense than the last one," she admitted, swallowing hard.

"Maybe… maybe this will help?"

Rei approached the bed again, with five teacups on a tray. She handed Azula her own, and the Princess offered her a grateful smile before taking her first sip and sighing in relief.

"Still the only good tea of all time…" she sighed, closing her eyes as she waited for the aftereffects of the contraction to smooth out completely.

"Feeling better?" Rei asked, biting her lip nervously until Azula nodded slowly.

"Thank you," she said, breathing deeply. "Going by your question… these will hurt eventually, Song?"

"Yeah," the healer admitted, eyeing Azula carefully. "Your body's shifting around to make room for the baby to get out, so…"

"Who even told it to do that…?" Azula groaned, glaring at her belly begrudgingly. "Hey, you. Stop taking after your father this late in the game and just… do as I say."

"Maybe that's what you need a name for: it might not know who you're talking to," Mai smirked. Azula huffed, poking her belly slightly with a finger.

"Seriously, though, this rebelliousness is uncalled for. I know I haven't been the most responsible mother ever thus far, but the past month was quiet and calm, wasn't it? I deserve… a lot more quiet and calm. Another year of quiet and calm, maybe…"

"You want to have the pregnancy of an elephant mandrill, then?" Song asked, with a sympathetic smile. "Those last almost two full years…"

"Yes!" Azula declared, proudly, disregarding the amusement of her friends. "That… that's ideal. That's exactly what I need. Two years… that's doable. Just… convince it to stay. I bet that weird paste you gave me is doing the exact opposite thing instead, so get ingredients that would switch that around…"

"Well, no, I mean, this doesn't induce labor… but it's supposed to smooth it over, once it starts," Song said, with a guilty smile. "It's meant to help with the pain and the length of the delivery, more than anything. Still… let's not think about that right now, shall we?"

"About how to turn me into a mandrill elephant?" Azula sighed, shaking her head. "I suppose we should have looked into it much sooner…"

"I don't think investigating it for months would have made it any more reasonable or realistic…" Song said, as Azula groaned and sank in her pillows.

"This is… this is all his fault," she said, finally.

"Who is 'he', exactly?" Mai asked. "Quite sure there's a lot of people to be blamed for…"

"Sokka."

The girls fell silent as Azula scowled, feeling a most vivid irritation she hadn't experienced in a long time… vivid, and familiar. It felt safe… for it reminded her of a much easier past. Of the much simpler frustrations caused by stolen kisses that should have never happened, by her weaknesses, by her failures to resist the charms of a man who had claimed her heart long before she had been ready to hand it over to him.

"W-well… I mean, he did knock you up, but… you probably weren't exactly unwilling, were you?" Ty Lee asked, with an awkward smile. Azula blushed and huffed.

"Evidently I wasn't, but that's not the point! S-Song, you said people tend to struggle to conceive children when they're doing it deliberately, right?"

"Right…?"

"Well, how the hell did it happen when we weren't even trying, huh?!" Azula huffed. "It makes no sense, and it's… it's much easier to say it's his fault."

"I mean… I suppose I can relate," Mai said, with a sigh. "Once you're facing the inevitability of labor… there's a strange period of time where your husband is a source of vexation, regardless of how well-meaning he may be. I must have cursed Ruon Jian about twenty times while I was pushing Yuudai out, so…"

"You did?" Azula asked, puzzled. "We… we didn't hear any of that though. Mustn't have been that painful, I figured, if you weren't screaming…"

"More like I'm better at enduring pain than you are," Mai said, with a dry grin. Azula groaned.

"Whatever. He should be the one carrying the baby, not me. It'd be much easier that way," Azula huffed. "The child would be safer, too! It's… it's perfect. Makes perfect sense! And he was much more ready to be a father than I was to be a mother, so…"

"All you've done to take care of Rei says otherwise," Song smiled, and Rei, taking her seat beside her, blushed and smiled at Azula. Azula pouted.

"It's… different. Rei is a wonderful girl and she made it too easy," she said. "But how am I supposed to take care of a baby? A… a screaming baby? My father, he… on one of his last visits? He told me Zuko just started crying and even shat himself the very first time he held him! How am I supposed to be ready for something like that…?"

"Zuko…?" Mai said, and she covered her mouth to hide a spurt of laughter.

"That… that makes so much sense, actually," Ty Lee said, eyes wide at Azula's confession.

"And then I have to… to clean it! And to make sure it's safe when it goes to sleep and feed it properly and…! And feed it. Uh. Feeding it? My father talked about that too and I… Song? H-how do I…? How does it start, exactly? How do I know if I can actually…?"

"Oh… well, that's somewhat spontaneous?" Song said, with an awkward smile as Azula looked at her in utter panic. "Look, it takes time sometimes, but you'll probably be fine, Azula…"

"Yeah… you look way bigger than you ever were, so there's probably no problem in that respect," Ty Lee said, with a teasing smirk. Azula huffed, glaring at her own chest.

"That… that better be the case," she said, as if scolding her own breasts before dropping her head back. "And see? It's really his fault. Why would I need to worry about breastfeeding if it weren't because he picked the most unfortunate timing to…? To…"

"To knock you up…?" Ty Lee finished, helpfully. Azula groaned, covering her face with her hands again.

"When he shows up again… because I know he will, stubborn fool he is, I'm going to yell at him for this. I really am," Azula decided. Ty Lee laughed as Song sighed at Azula's resolve. "And then… I'm making him change the baby's diapers for as long as the baby has to wear any, too. It's the least he can do after I carried it inside me for all these months…"

"Worst part is he'd probably be ready and eager to change all the diapers anyway, so I doubt that'd be much of a punishment," Song smiled. "Honestly… with how fussy he was about you, imagining him as a father is almost terrifying. If anyone so much as tried to touch the baby while it was asleep…"

"He'd just seize their wrist before they could do try," Azula said, nodding sagely. "And then use his coldest glare before scaring the life out of them… 'Thought to mess up my baby's sleeping schedule, now, did you? Yeah, didn't think so.'"

Song, Ty Lee and Mai couldn't hold back their laughter at Azula's spot-on imitation of Sokka's voice. Even she couldn't hold back a smile as she shook her head upon picturing her lover behaving as she had described him.

"You make him sound so dauting… and so silly at times," Rei smiled, eyeing the rest of the room's occupants with confusion.

"Dauting and silly? Hmm, yeah, that's about right. Though he used to be sillier than he was daunting, at least with his friends," Song smiled.

"On his better days, for sure," Azula said, with a sigh. "It sounds surreal, I guess… he could be the most terrifying man while being an utter goofball, the smartest man alive while being an utter fool…"

"And he ate as if he'd been famished, every single meal," Song said, with a weak grin. "I got used to making extra food, and he always found a way to eat everything anyway. Then he'd say it all went to his muscles, of course…"

"His perpetual excuse… though was it really one?" Azula said. "I mean, of course he had to exercise a lot in his line of work, but he never put on any abdominal weight, it felt like, and he only got buffer instead…"

"Hopefully the baby will inherit that, then!" Ty Lee said, cheerfully. "Ah, to eat to your heart's content without worrying that you'll put on weight… I always will envy that about Sokka, there's no denying that."

"Kid might take after him in more ways than that, though," Mai added.

"Oh? What are you thinking about, Mai?" Ty Lee asked, beaming brightly. "You mean something of his personality, or his looks? Maybe his hair's texture…!"

"Huh…" Azula frowned, blinking blankly. "You know what? I… I had a dream ages ago. The first time we were careless, I suppose…"

"Oh? Oh?! An interesting, juicy story?!" Ty Lee squealed, turning her attention to Azula again. Azula shrugged.

"We were just starting out, you already know as much about that as I'd ever let you learn of it," she said. "Still… what I dreamt was that I was with child, yes, and then it was born in a matter of instants, and… it had his wolf's tail."

"W-what? What's that? An actual…?" Rei gasped, eyes wide. Azula snorted.

"No, no, that's not… sorry. It's a hairstyle," Azula explained, smiling at Rei. "His hair would be shaved on the sides and back…"

"But the hair on top of his head grew out freely," Song said, nodding.

"And he'd tie it up, which was what his culture called a wolf's tail," Azula said, with a smile. "And of course, my newborn had one of those. Somehow."

"That's an image," Mai said, with a smirk.

"Of course, I panicked because it was clear that the baby would be his that way," Azula said, with a weak grin. "And my father would never let me hear the end of it if he found out, so… ah, it was a ridiculous situation, honestly. Dreams barely ever make sense."

"Well, if the baby's born with a wolf's tail indeed, it'll be a prophetic dream instead!" Ty Lee declared: Azula's eyes widened.

"The hell? That's not possible, Ty Lee," Azula scoffed, and Ty Lee giggled as she shrugged carelessly at her friend.

"Who knows? You might have the gift, somehow!" she said. "You've become a lot more open to spiritual matters in the last years than you used to be, so I wouldn't put it past you, Azula!"

"But that doesn't mean I'm any more willing to believe my dream was prophetic than to trust in the readings of my future by…" Azula started, though she slowed down when her mind brought her down a path it hadn't frequented much lately.

Yes, the fortuneteller's prophecy had always hung heavily over her… but she hadn't thought about it in earnest for some time. She frowned as she recalled more than the usual prophecy she remembered, more than the one she had been disturbed by…

Aunt Wu had predicted that her mind could be frail, and never had her mind been more vulnerable than it had been across the past months. The fortuneteller had wrongfully assumed, though, that Azula would never face serious health problems… quite the misfire on her part, though Azula supposed that meant the Bloodlust Spear's attack had been profoundly unpredictable, not a matter of destiny or fate, if either thing existed. Then, the fact that the fortuneteller had mentioned she'd have two marriages… one, unfulfilling and disappointing, another, long-lasting and filled with passion and devotion.

She hadn't wanted to believe it then… but she found it had been true, now: her marriage to Zhao had never felt real and she had never wanted it to, but the man had actively made matters worse constantly, even if Azula could acknowledge she made nothing easier for him, either. And then there was Sokka… her true husband, the man who still fought for her, whose heart beat in tune with hers, whose energy swirled in his body while attuned with her own. Whether the prediction referred to the beautiful relationship they had shared in the past, or to a future where they might return to each other, Azula didn't know…

But there was one other thing Aunt Wu had mentioned that stood out to Azula now: she would be a mother of multiple children. There were girls in her future, Aunt Wu said… maybe a boy, too. She shivered: Rei was already one girl… but the way Aunt Wu had phrased it, Azula would have more than one daughter. Even if she believed in that prophecy, there was no telling whether the baby that would be born soon would be a boy or a girl… but she already had one of her daughters, even if she wasn't her child by blood.

She hadn't noticed it until now, but many of the fortuneteller's prophecies had come true.

The darker one, however, still hung over her as a storm cloud might. She would lose everything… she already had. For once, she knew for sure that she truly had lost everything at one point in time. She had been so close to the edge, so ready to let go of life altogether… until Sokka had met her, in that place of light, in that spiritual connection they shared, however brief it was. The deep darkness that enveloped her… she had found a light within it, and she had broken free from the shadows thanks to that light.

That particular reading of the fortuneteller had chased after her countless times, seemingly presenting itself in numerous different forms… so perhaps there was another way to apply it to her reality, still. Perhaps there was another light she should cling to, another light that might free her from darkness…

Her eyes fell upon her womb, and her chest seemed to swell as tears flooded her eyes. A light… a small light. Perhaps that was the right way to go, when it came to that very vital choice of a name…

"Umm… Azula? You okay?" Ty Lee's voice eventually registered with her. The Princess breathed deeply, nodding promptly in response.

"I'm… fine. Just fine," she said, with a quick, nervous smile. "Guess maybe just… hungry."

"Well, we could have something to eat now," Song said, rising to her feet. "I'll make sure the kitchens can bring lunch for everyone. Going by your contraction rhythm thus far, Azula, this could be the last safe meal for you to eat before things get serious… but if things don't accelerate any further, it'll be okay for you to have dinner too before the baby arrives. Just letting you know beforehand…"

"Right," Azula said, breathing deeply and nodding. "Go on, then."

"I, uh… might also have to report to your father that this is happening, otherwise we might be in trouble," Song said, eyeing Azula warily. The Princess sighed.

"There's no keeping this from him, so… just remember to tell him the baby is early, of course," Azula said. Song nodded. "Half the time I think he already knows, but… sticking to the official story is better for everyone's safety."

"I'll do just that, then," Song smiled.

She set out briefly afterwards, and Azula was left to wait quietly while she rested across the bed, hands upon her womb – a soft nudge in her mind brought a small smile to her face, for Xin Long greeted her with a warm presence, asking if she felt okay. If she was about to lay her egg, too… Azula's smile gained strength as she relayed that the egg, if anything, was inside her somehow, and that the baby would be out of the egg once she was done with the labor, whenever it ended. Xin Long seemed startled by the notion… only to send further affection her way: she truly would be the greatest mother, a dragon who kept her baby so close by, so warm, that it was ready to leave its shell as soon as it was no longer inside her.

It was certainly one way to look at it, and Azula yearned for the chance to embrace him, to hold him… just as a wild thought materialized in her mind: the next time she visited Xin Long, the next time she hugged him at all, the baby would have been born. She hoped she'd have a chance to introduce it to Xin Long, too…

The dragon seemed giddy by the notion, and his enthusiasm was encouraging, perhaps more than most things had been, thus far. Even now, Azula was scared…

Ty Lee asked Mai numerous questions about weight gain during pregnancy, yet another of her strong reasons not to have a baby, while Rei reached out a hand to hold Azula's. The Princess offered her a fragile grin, as her focus returned to her womb: she wasn't sure she was ready yet, maybe she never would be… but a strange part of her seemed to have been jolted into consciousness now.

She wondered what it would be like to hold her baby. To hear its voice… to speak its name.

She was curious about what kind of person it would be. She looked forward to seeing how others responded to her child. Xin Long's excitement had stoked her own… for she wanted him to meet her baby. Him, and so many of her friends who couldn't be here today, even her brother…

But more than anyone, Sokka had to meet the child. If he were here, he'd be holding her free hand firmly. Song would have to drag him out of the room, and he'd be throwing a likely tantrum as he begged to be of help while she faced one of the most dangerous challenges women confronted. He'd be whispering encouraging words, lamenting not being able to be more useful, pledging to stay awake all night to look after their child, immediately hoping to teach it games, making silly faces to amuse the baby… she could picture all of it so easily, and while a part of her heart ached for his absence, she couldn't help but think of him fondly, with deep nostalgia that transformed into a stronger energy than she knew she had in her…

It was the determination, the resolve to ensure that all those things would happen. Sokka would hold their baby… Sokka would have the chance to be the wonderful father she knew he could be. Even if this was happening too soon, even if he should have been there at every step of the way, Azula knew he would meet their baby someday, and he would be the most devoted, affectionate and reliable father anyone had ever had.

"Are you feeling better?" Rei asked softly. Azula smiled, squeezing her daughter's hand gently.

"Yeah… sorry I've been so quiet suddenly. Just… my mind's going wild in many directions," she said. "Strange that thinking about Sokka would help now… it still hurts, but it's more comforting than painful, for some reason."

"Well, if you're not in as much pain, I'm glad thinking about him helped," Rei said, with an earnest smile. "I guess I was a little worried because… well, you were very anxious before I left. But I guess these things do take time…"

"And who knows how much more time it will be," Azula said, shrugging in resignation. "I'm so contradictory at this point… half of me hopes the baby stays put forever, and the other half can't wait for it to be out and about so I can meet it properly. I suppose I should've thought of these things sooner, but… I can't help but wonder if it will be like its father."

"That would be fun. I'd like to know Sokka too… it will be nice if my sibling helps me know him," Rei giggled. Azula smiled fondly at her. "But… it might be like you, instead. And that would be great too, because… you're the best person I've ever known."

"Well… I disagree, but that's neither here nor there," Azula smiled, reaching out to caress Rei's hair gently. "Guess you'll change your mind if you get to meet him, someday…"

"Would he think any differently than I do?" Rei asked, with a slight smirk. Azula frowned.

"Regarding…?"

"You being the best person in the world?" Rei asked. Azula scoffed.

"Well, no, but he's… he's notoriously biased. And you're biased too, I suppose, so…"

"Or maybe we're right, and you're too shy to accept it," Rei giggled, leaning in to offer Azula a gentle embrace. The Princess smiled, her throat tight with tears once more. "You'll be the best mother to your baby. I mean… you already are."

Azula gripped her too, rubbing her back gently. She suspected they'd still have several more hours of waiting, more time to think about possibilities in the future… so there would be more chances for Azula to lose her mind to nervousness and panic over her child's arrival, just as there was so much more to talk about with all her companions. For a strange, sudden moment of clarity, though, she grew convinced she had to cherish things for what they were… to cherish every instant she could spend with those who loved her and wanted what was best for her and her child.

"Thank you, Rei," Azula said, her voice fragile. "I… I know it might be I'm just… overly emotional right now. Pregnant woman, mood swings, you know how it is…"

"It's okay to be emotional," Rei chuckled, rubbing Azula's back gently too.

"Good to know you think so. Because I… I also know you haven't heard these words often enough," Azula said, her grip around Rei tightening, taking the girl by surprise. "I… I know I never had, when I was your age. But I… I love you, Rei."

The younger woman froze in her adoptive mother's embrace. Their tender moment wasn't overheard by their other companions – Ty Lee and Mai had been distracted by talking among themselves, but they were taking notice of what was happening with Azula and Rei now. The latter shivered, pressing her face to Azula's shoulder carefully before sniffing slightly. Azula, with tearful eyes of her own, smiled as she smoothed Rei's hair kindly.

"I… I…" Rei bumbled, and Azula chuckled.

"It's okay… you don't have to say it too," Azula whispered, echoing a sentiment she had long been privileged to learn from someone who had loved her dearly as well, without expecting let alone demanding reciprocity. "But it's the truth. And you deserved to know it."

"N-no, but I… I feel like that too, I just…" Rei whimpered, gripping Azula tightly. Azula laughed again, shaking her head.

"I know it's hard to say it, even if that's the case, dear," she said. "Take your time."

Rei sniffed again and nodded, shoulders shaking as she wept, holding onto Azula as though she might crumble to pieces otherwise. The Princess held her affectionately – Rei had proven to her, without so much as meaning to, that she could create deep, heartfelt bonds still, that she could care for someone beyond the point of self-sacrifice, regardless of all the pain she had experienced for it in the past. Rei was her first direct experience of motherhood… and without quite meaning to, she had helped Azula prepare for her newest challenge in ways neither of them had expected.

The baby would come, that much was a given… and the deep love Azula felt for it would only grow stronger once it finally arrived, once she finally held it in her arms as she now held the baby's older sister. That child, most unlike Azula herself, most unlike Rei, would not grow up craving love that no one would grant it. Even in the hardships that might yet come, that child would be deeply loved, protected and cherished by everyone who would fight against every unfavorable tide and every dark omen, ensuring that the small light within Azula would find a bright, beautiful future…

---

Shuffling through information regarding the chaotic situation in the Northern Air Temple, Ozai sighed as he read the report of the latest scouts: the enemy was gone, and upon approaching the structure, they found numerous soldiers and engineers who had been forced to abandon the three airships. Many recounted horror stories pertaining how the Gladiator had struck with a small group… including the Avatar, naturally. He had left with the refugees, presumably to Ba Sing Se, and he had taken War Minister Qin too – to no surprise, for he was an ideal prisoner, with a tongue as loose as his integrity.

The most unnerving part of the missive, however, revealed that the Gladiator had given orders to spend and then destroy the gas reserve under the temple. Of course he had… leaving Ozai with no choice but to seek the resource elsewhere. Which, perhaps, would be for the best. They already had the designs for the new weapon, and that would suffice. Finding a suitable gas might take some time, but once they succeeded, their weapons would be as functional and effective as Ozai had demanded for them to be.

The craftiness of this enemy, his versatility and his foresight, proved vexing. A foolish part of Ozai couldn't help but find it slightly admirable… only slightly, however. It almost felt, at times, as if he were fighting his daughter, instead. The choices the Gladiator was making revealed they shared an alarmingly similar intellect… just one more reason why they had been drawn together, Ozai supposed, but he didn't wish to dwell on that. Right now, he had to begin searching for the Fire Nation's better gas reserves to offer the airships the proper supply of fuel for their new weapons. That was all he had to do…

The door to his study opened, and Ozai scowled until the Imperial Guard on duty announced who his visitor was.

"The Lady Wen, my Lord."

Ozai frowned as the midwife stepped forward: she breathed deeply before offering him a nervous grin.

"My Lord… I'm sorry if I've interrupted you."

"Why have you?" Ozai asked, though not without concern. He frowned as he rose to his feet. "Is Azula alright? Has anything happened?"

"I… I've come to report about that, actually," Song said: her stomach twisted, she dreaded what the consequences of this damn report would be, even if she knew she had no other choice… how she wished she knew more combat abilities, in case Ozai's reaction was more dangerous or violent than anticipated… maybe she could ask Mai and Ty Lee to instruct her on more fighting techniques than the few swordsmanship ones she'd learned with Azula…

But it wasn't the time to reflect on that: she offered Ozai the most confident smile she could muster as she bowed her head respectfully towards him.

"It has begun slightly earlier than I anticipated… but the Princess has had her first contractions. If all proceeds smoothly, and I'm here to ensure that it does… the Princess's baby could be born tonight."

"To… Tonight?" Ozai repeated: he showed himself with surprising vulnerability right then and there, and Song smiled confidently in his direction until he composed himself. "I… I see. I understand. Then… very well. Go to her. Report back if… no, send Captain Renkai if you need anything. Stay with my daughter… stay there. Ensure that…"

"That your grandchild is born safely?" Song finished for him.

The word struck him deeply, differently than he had anticipated: the baby… Azula's baby. It was her baby…

His grandchild.

He gritted his teeth, trying to contain a strange onslaught of emotion unlike any he had experienced in recent times… an onslaught far too similar to the one he had experienced, long ago, when Azula herself had been about to be born…

"Yes. Please… see to it, Lady Wen."

She smiled and bowed again, and his heart remained clenched as she turned to leave. His fists clenched, his heart aching, his tension rising…

"Lady Wen!"

She turned, glancing at him over her shoulder to find him still anxious, still nervous, rather than threatening and terrifying. His next words were poised to floor her, too:

"Wish her… wish her my best. And let her know that I shall… I shall visit the temple now, to pray for a safe delivery."

Song's eyes widened, if only for a moment. She ensured to shift to a warm, welcoming smile, and she accepted his sentiment without hesitation, promising she'd convey it to Azula…

Ozai stood in place for minutes, trembling, after he was left alone once more. At least, as alone as he might ever hope to be…

"Should I stay close to the Princess's room, to ensure all goes well?"

The dry voice he was used to spoke from behind him. Ozai shivered… and he shook his head. Seethus eyed him with confusion.

"No… no. Come with me… and perhaps pray as well, if you expect your hopes for my daughter's wellbeing will bear fruit. Come."

Without another word, forsaking all plans and strategies to deal with the latest wrench thrown in the Fire Nation's conquests, Ozai marched to the door, knowing all too well that he had no place involving himself in the delivery, in the process Azula was going through, and that she might undergo for hours still. The best thing he could do now was hope, deeply, that she would survive the challenge ahead, and that her child would be born safely…

His grandchild.