The Return

by tubendo

The ice of the South Pole hides many things, and when Azula and Sokka are confronted by something far greater than themselves, the strength of their relationship is tested, and the Princess has to decide whose path she will follow: the path of her father or the path of freedom. (Sequel to Into The Fire)

36. Chapter 36

Ty Lee stood beside her friend, watching as she stood upon a makeshift podium made of earth, looking over a massed group of prisoners; they were surrounded by her own soldiers, as well as Earth Kingdom rebels and Water Tribe warriors, all of them ready to attack if they tried anything. She knew that Azula wanted to avoid giving big speeches, and it wasn't because she was tired, but because of her emotional exhaustion; she had been dealing with her fears about what could have happened at the base, and she seemed to be thoroughly done after speaking with the rebel leaders.

She wondered if it was because she missed Sokka, but she knew she'd get her answer once she slept and was refreshed the next morning. It was still early in the day, and there was much to be done, though she felt relieved that she wasn't capable of doing much personally. She could probably help Katara in the field hospital, given her own experience in treating burns from her own training with Azula. However, with waterbending allowing Katara to heal burns, that made her knowledge mostly useless. So, she remained behind Azula, who looked over the field full of prisoners in silence, before she began her speech.

"You are all here because you tried to attack this military base." she spoke up, raising her hands up, "Thanks to the strength of my troops, and the assistance of my allies, you have failed in your duties, and are now my prisoners." she observed the situation, and held her tongue for a few moments.

Ty Lee eyed her friend, wondering why she had paused, but realised that she was intently eyeing the prisoners right in front of her, who consisted of a number of officers who had been captured in the battle at the base, or by Sokka when he fought the other force attacking from the west. They had their hands bound and were kneeling on the ground, unlike the others, who lacked any restraints. It made sense, given that they were surrounded by well armed fighters who could put them down at any moment.

"Some of you have fruitlessly refused to see a reason to cooperate and join my cause." she gestured down to the officers, before raising her hand to the crowd, "But they are not who I am addressing. You are. The common soldiers... the people who have spent their blood and tears fighting for the Fire Nation." she declared, indicating a degree of respect; Ty Lee was unsure if she was truly speaking her mind, or if she merely wanted to appease them with platitudes to try and make them join her side.

"You might think you have dishonoured your nation by losing to my forces, but hear me. I am the Fire Lord. I wear the headpiece of the Crown Prince, something none of my predecessors had ever had the chance to. It was because they had dishonoured a man... a man you all know of, but lack any understanding of." she explained, and Ty Lee took a few moments to realise she was referring to Avatar Roku, "But I am not here to talk about history, I am here to tell you the facts. My war effort cannot continue on mere platitudes and ideological fervour... that is why I want to offer you a choice."

The prisoners looked amongst themselves, seeming surprised by her candidness; she held her tongue for a few moments, before snapping her fingers, Colonel Zhengyi handing her the scroll she had written up earlier to specify her commands, which she hadn't needed until that moment.

"You have three choices: one, you may join my forces, and will not face any repercussions for your actions against me. In this case, you will be sent to aid in repairing and protecting infrastructure across the colonies, and some of you will remain in our military installations, protecting them from attack. Combat duties will be of the lowest priority, as I cannot reasonably trust you all to faithfully support me. You did not do the same for my brother, the previous Fire Lord." she explained the first choice, and some of the men seemed to at least approve of it, their expressions changing from suspicious to interested.

"Two, you may be formally discharged from the Fire Nation military, and allowed to live in the colonies. However, if you take up arms against me again, you will be killed upon capture." she warned them, "Once the war is concluded, you will be free to return to the homeland, if you wish."

That offer seemed enticing as well, a few of them looking amongst themselves but most kept their eyes on the Princess.

"Three, if you refuse both, and seek to maintain whatever sense of honour you have, then you will be chained and sent to the colonies to labour under the authority of the military governors there. There will be no difference between you and other prisoners of war, and you will not receive any biassed treatment for your Fire Nation origins." she explained her last option, which clearly wouldn't interest anyone, but was offered anyway to at least allow those who were hard-line supporters of her father to have a 'loyal' choice.

She then raised her hands up, "So, if you take the first option, please stand, and you will be directed out. There are officers who will assign you new roles; you will depart the base at dawn tomorrow." she explained what would happen, and of the prisoners, around two thirds of them stood up at once, and were shuffled out of the field, directed by a few mounted officers to the sorting area.

Once they had cleared out, Azula eyed the crowd, "Those left, if you seek the second option, then you will have to remain here for a number of days. There are a large number of you, and thus, it will take time to process your discharge from the military." she explained, before pointing her right hand out, "Rise if you... for whatever reason, seek the third option." she declared, and most of the officers, who were still kneeling, tried to get up to their feet, as did a few of the other prisoners, though she could only count around a dozen; she guessed they were diehard supporters of Ozai, or simply didn't trust Azula to be fair to those who chose the nicer options.

If it had been the old Azula, Ty Lee could at least understand that rationale; the first two options sounded like tricks to try and lull the prisoners into a sense of security. However, she knew her well, and even if she didn't like those who fought against her, she was pragmatic as ever, and knew that they were needed.

"Take them to the tents." she directed her soldiers, before dropping her finger to point at two higher ranking officers standing before her, "Except them. They need to stay."

The soldiers grabbed those defiant prisoners, and took them away down a path to another part of the base; she imagined they were going to be chained up and restrained properly, though most of them, being officers, already were. As they were walked away, Azula's eyes fell upon the two remaining officers; one of them was a man with grey hair, an eyepatch, and a goatee, while the other was an otherwise uninteresting looking man who had been recently burnt, his side covered with bandages, and another across his forehead. She stepped down from the podium, and Azula reached a hand out towards Zhengyi, who handed her a jian sword. From what Ty Lee knew, she had never been trained in how to fight with a blade, but she doubted that would stop her from doing what she saw coming next.

"Do you have anything to say for yourselves?" she asked the officers, who looked at each other with contemptuous faces.

"You moron." the eye-patched officer derided his comrade, "You had one job, and yet, you still fucked it. How many ships did you lose?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Commander Cheol." the burned officer retorted, calm in his tone of voice, "You were the one who was meant to distract them. You failed to even destroy their airship."

"Oh, he's lucky he didn't." Ty Lee warned them, and their eyes turned up to the Princess instead of her.

"She's right, you know." Azula warned them, lowering the blade of the jian into the ground, "I'm not going to make ceremony of this... or needlessly torture you, if it can be helped."

"Do you think we are going to tell you what comes next?" the officer named Cheol asked her, and she shook her head.

"No, of course not. However, the first one to tell me will live. So... I ask you now, would you prefer to die now, or later?"

"Tell her." Cheol snapped at the man beside him, "I cannot stand having my honour besmirched any longer."

"I- I can't." the other officer admitted, "There is still time."

"Time for what?" Azula asked, raising the tip of the jian to his throat.

"For you to fail... but, our orders are our orders. We cannot reveal anything." he stressed his position, and Azula looked at him, seemingly with pity.

"This man is angry, but you are merely lost... why bother to resist when you have a chance to live?"

"Because I do not believe you." he narrowed his eyes at her, "I heard all the great stories about you, Princess Azula. You defeated the Dai Li, you've bested benders twice your age. You have mastered lightning generation younger than any in our nation's history." he acknowledged, "But you are not her anymore. You won't kill us."

"You are right." she smiled at him, "I know that ruthless fury can only get me so far." she admitted, before slashing the man across his face with the blade; she did it so quickly that Ty Lee only realised what she'd done when blood began to drip from the man's cheek.

"Argh!" he cried out in pain, raising his bound hands up to his now bleeding face.

"So, let me ask again..." she began, leaning in close, "What is the next step in my father's plan?"

"Your death." he declared, before the eyepatched officer leapt up, lunging his bound hands towards her; Azula grit her teeth and swung the sword down, but simply broke his chains, allowing him to reach at her.

Ty Lee was terrified, both of what was about to happen and how badly the man was going to get beat. She leapt into the air, and kicked him in the side, throwing him over the other officer, before he scrambled back to his feet, raising a wall of flames up.

"Oh, so one of you did volunteer." she smiled, before throwing the sword to the side, not needing it to fight Cheol.

The acrobat got ready to chi-block him, but Azula raised her left hand up, blocking her from moving any closer.

"Azula?"

"He's mine." she declared with a darkly confident voice, "That was for you too." she addressed Renshu, who had stepped up, and was ready to put down Cheol at once.

When she shot out her hands, the wall of flames turned blue, and burst apart, splashing the officer with flames. He bent the fire off his body, returning it to its natural colour, before he moved into form, "I will never let the likes of you disgrace our nation by sitting on the throne."

"What, because I'm a race-traitor?" Azula prodded him, "Yeah, I really... really, love the Water Tribes." she added, her words clearly a joke, though the others might not have understood her.

He grit his teeth and threw his hands forward, creating two fire whips which he used to grapple her arms, before rushing in to kick her; he struck her chest plate, and threw her down to the ground, but she launched herself back up with ease, throwing an flame-covered uppercut into the man's jaw. He stumbled back, his teeth clattering.

"You bitch." he muttered under his breath before spitting blood from his mouth; he was gathering flames in his right hand, but Azula wasn't worried about that.

"Tell me something that isn't true." she mocked his insult, before squatting away the fire blast he tried to hit her head with.

When he tried to rush her again, she blocked his flaming fist with her forearm, before pushing his arm into his face, blood spurting from his nose. He grabbed a hold of her with the other arm, but she kicked his legs from underneath him with a sweep. He fell down into the mud, and as he struggled back to his feet, he slowed, and began to laugh.

"What's so funny?" she asked him, standing over the dishevelled and clearly pained officer.

"How do you think the Fire Lord killed your brother?" he asked, and she narrowed her eyes.

"He must have been in his prison cell... he couldn't have tried it himself." she retorted, and Cheol shrugged, seeming to not care for her answer.

"You missed the joke." he mumbled, Azula's focus having been on his eyes and not on his hands, which were moving in a circular motion; she knew that form all too well, and when he raised his right hand up towards her, she kicked his hand as hard as she could, pointing it further up.

That was how she was able to narrowly avoid getting a lightning bolt shot through her head, Cheol's face shifting from one of confidence and amusement to one of terror as he looked at his now broken wrist. Without a moment's hesitation, Azula grabbed him by the scalp with her left hand, and lit her right alight.

"You're going to regret trying that." she warned him, before she set his face alight; he was just lucky she was burning the side where he was missing an eye, so it wasn't like he was about to be blinded.

Ty Lee couldn't watch and listen to his screams of agony, and even the other officer broke his serious, flat expression, and turned to face Azula.

"Please don't kill me." he begged as Cheol's screams filled the field.

She smacked him away casually with her flaming hand, throwing his head into the mud.

"Wait until your turn." she warned him, and continued to burn the Commander's face.

Ty Lee realised she wasn't going to stop, and grabbed her by the shoulder, trying to get her attention; she turned her face, her teeth grit and eyes filled with a cold fury, but that face faded as she realised how her friend had reacted. She let go of Cheol and let him fall back, his screams having lowered to a groan of pain.

"Spirits." Zhengyi muttered, clearly terrified by what he had just seen.

"Treason is treason, Colonel." she warned him, before pointing at the officer who was cowering in the mud, "You have already chosen to suffer, the question is, how much?" she asked, before laughing, "Was that the plan all along? Get a man who can shoot lightning close enough to me and hope it sticks?" she questioned him, only getting wimpers out of the fearful officer, "You clearly haven't met my uncle."

He turned around and eyed her with terror, "I- I- I have, your majesty." he mumbled, and she rolled her eyes.

"And now you didn't get the joke." she derided his lack of knowledge; Ty Lee doubted most people even knew lightning redirection was possible.

She stepped closer, and stepped on his leg, stopping him from scampering away, and narrowed her eyes upon him.

"I'd like my answer now. Or I'll get it later... when you presumably have less teeth and fingers. I'm not the one in charge of that... Renshu is, actually."

"Teeth first." the Captain clarified, and she was unsure if the threat was genuine.

"I- I just got my orders... from the Admiral."

"Chan, I assume?" she guessed, and he nodded frantically.

"We had to attack this base... take over, and then ensure that reinforcements could come and- uh, attack Shengchang. They're planning to attack again."

"With what army?" she asked, sounding sceptical of such a possibility, "This sounds less plausible than you should be hoping it should." she warned him, as if to aid him in his assumed lies.

That scared the officer even more, and he shook his head, "I'm- I'm not lying, I swear."

"Then give me some details."

"Th-they're planning to move the Eastern Fleet over this way, so the colonies can be secured. The east is a lost cause." he explained, and Azula scrunched her lips up.

"And what about the Dai Li?"

"Your loyalists were the ones holding Ba Sing Se." he reminded her, and she rolled her eyes, before punching him across the face; her knuckles looked a little sore from the beatings she was giving, and she waved her hand around to try and ignore that pain.

"Nice one, smart arse." she sarcastically applauded him, leaning over him, "Why haven't you tried to take the city?"

"It's- it's not as important." he tried to argue, and Azula narrowed her eyes.

"I don't believe you." she warned him, before snapping her fingers, "Don't torture him just yet. Let the image of this idiot simmer in that little head of his." she gestured to Cheol, "Speaking of which, take him to Katara. He isn't going to die... but he will learn not to commit high treason." she ordered, and her guards picked up both of the men; she turned back around to face Colonel Zhengyi, "So, do you disapprove of my methods?"

"They're... unconventional, but that did work, mostly." he acknowledged, before glancing at Cheol's unconscious body as he was dragged away, "He nearly killed you, your majesty... right in front of your guards."

"No he didn't." she assured him, "I could see the lightning coming... those forms have been drilled into my head."

"So... was that it?" Ty Lee asked her, and Azula nodded.

Her eyes turned up; the acrobat turned around to look at whatever had caught her eye, and she realised it was Aang, who was flying his glider over to their location. Once he landed, he looked around with a concerned face.

"As soon as I heard lightning, I had to come and check." he explained himself, before noticing the officers being dragged away, "Did- did they try to kill you?"

"One of them." Azula casually answered, and Ty Lee wanted to elbow her for not taking the situation as seriously as she ought to; she was usually the one goofing around, but the Princess just didn't seem in the mood to be concerned about her own safety.

"And... and you're fine?" he asked, the Princess snickering.

"Not a single burn on me." she gestured to her body, "Stop worrying about me, Aang. What you should be worried about are reinforcements coming to back our new prisoners up." she warned him, and his fearful expression remained just that, if not a bit more frantic.

"Stop scaring him, Azula." Ty Lee reprimanded her, before turning to face the boy, "Don't worry about it. I'm sure things are going to be fine... we already beat their attack, if that guy wasn't lying."

"He almost certainly was." Azula declared, before turning her heels, "I'm going to inspect the walls before I head back to the compound." she decided, turning her attention to Zhengyi, "I expect that if there are any reports, you'll have them sent to my room. I'll be there in due course."

"Of course, your majesty." he quickly bowed to her before pacing away, presumably to go attend to his duties as the commander of the base.

"So... somebody else shot lightning at you?" Aang returned to the topic at hand.

"Yes... what's so strange about that? You do realise that other people know the technique besides my family." she told him, as if the possibility of another firebender attacking her with lightning wasn't terrifying.

"I- I didn't realise that." he mumbled, before glancing around, "Have you ever met somebody who could do it?"

"Some of the master firebenders that my father hired to tutor me were familiar with the technique... either from studying manuals on it or practising it themselves. It's rare, but any powerful firebender should hope to master it if given the opportunity." she explained the state of the technique, which Ty Lee admittedly knew little about; she didn't know much about firebending, barring a few forms, sets, and specific moves that Azula liked to use.

"Well, maybe just let the guards handle the crazy assassin next time." she suggested to her friend, who scoffed; she was too prideful to accept that.

"Why would I? I am perfectly capable of defending myself, Ty Lee." she declared confidently, before turning to face Aang, "Are you going to follow us or will you go back to the compound?" she asked him, and he glanced around.

"I don't really have anything to do. I already did some earthbending work earlier to help fix up the walls. So... I'd like to rest for a bit.."

"The powerful never rest." Azula gave him a proverb that sounded a bit odd; Ty Lee assumed she made it up on the spot, but she was not qualified to argue that without making herself sound dumb.

"Don't you need to sleep?" Ty Lee asked her, "You got up at dawn this morning."

"And that man trying to kill me was the most exercise I got all day." she retorted, before beginning to pace off toward the walls, "I want to see these walls, and then I want to go get a spa. I promised Katara one, after all."

"So, you do need to rest." her friend declared confidently, finding that her excuse was just that, an excuse; she wanted to go to the spa because she was exhausted, mentally and emotionally.

"Quiet." she ordered her, and Ty Lee obliged only because she didn't want to be physically reprimanded; the Princess was clearly in the mood to fight if she had a reason to.

She mightn't have even hurt her if they did, but she didn't want to take any chances. How she had treated Cheol was cold and ruthless, and that was even by her own standards. The only thing that could have made the situation worse was Azula killing one of the officers in an attempt to frighten the other into giving up information; after seeing her casually fight off Cheol with a sword, she imagined that was going to follow, but her fears were luckily unfounded.

As they made their way through the outer part of the base, they quickly approached the walls, which had been repaired by the earthbenders over the course of the previous day since the battle; Azula had only been there for an hour or so, but even then, she was already getting ready to take over operations at the base. She guessed it was pure exhaustion that stopped her from removing Zhengyi's authority and stepping it to take charge entirely; she knew that would probably just offend the officer, who had clearly put in his all to defend the base. However, Azula preferred to control things hands on, presumably because of how Zhao had fooled her back at the Northern Water Tribe.

When they got to the walls, they turned and began to follow along the side, between the walls and the partially ruined camps. Most of them in that area were still in good condition, and soldiers were about, eyeing Azula with interest as she paced past. She was paying no mind to them at all, but instead had her eyes fixed on the village ahead of them. It stood out in the distance with its stone structures and flat roofs, in comparison to the brick and wood structures that were found throughout the base, which always had iron shingled roofs.

As they drew closer, Ty Lee noticed that there were a number of fighters and civilians working on the houses, along with an apparently new encampment which lay right outside of it. They were quickly moving slabs of earth around, fixing damaged houses and raising up new ones; though, she knew that they could probably do it even faster, having seen Toph bend enough times herself to have an idea at how agile earthbenders could truly be.

When they paced past the encampment, a few people got up and eyed Azula with interest; they were muttering things quietly, which she couldn't understand, but guessed that it had something to do with her.

"So, this is what you were helping build, Aang?" Azula spoke up as they began walking past the structures, and he nodded.

"Y-yeah, I was helping Toph and the others. A lot of the houses were broken in the fighting though." he explained, "Hopefully the refugees will move into the houses and can turn this into a real village."

"Yes, that is what I hope as well." Azula agreed, "I would prefer this to be a functioning settlement than a simple military base... that would suit my purposes better."

"To make yourself look better to the Earth Kingdom?" Ty Lee asked, and the Princess shrugged her shoulders.

"Well, I have to start somewhere. This is meant to stand as proof of my commitment."

"You didn't really do anything though." Aang spoke up, making Azula laugh; he cringed in fear and turned to face her, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it- uh... I mean-"

"You're right." she raised a hand up to his face to quieten him, "I am not responsible for this creation. That was Jianren's work and his plan. He deserves credit for it, but I have been facilitating this... I hope that he returns the favour, and I don't mean in terms of fighting for me here."

"So... you want him to come to Ba Sing Se." the Avatar realised, before nodding along, "Well, I think he can and should."

"As do I... but in building this, I've given him a greater responsibility. I can respect him not coming, but he's the one person amongst our new allies that I can trust."

"He's saved our butts more than once." Ty Lee noted, before smiling, "I never thought anything good would come of being ambushed."

"What can I say, I'm good at turning situations in my favour." Azula proudly declared, and she pointed to Aang, "Even you can agree with that."

"Yep... I've heard the story about you and Sokka. You're pretty good at flipping Pai Sho boards."

"I know you mean that metaphorically..." Azula began, raising a hand to her face, and Ty Lee snickered.

"You really are just spiting that game because of your goofy uncle, aren't you?"

"Goofy is underselling his skill." Azula raised a finger, before narrowing her eyes at the walls.

Ty Lee noticed that there was blood staining some lower portions which hadn't been cleaned off, and that unnerved her. She had been thinking about the battle mostly abstractly, and given how many prisoners there were at the earlier meeting, she thought that most of the attackers survived and were captured. She felt that might have been very far from the truth; the earthbenders beside them, building houses, might have only a day prior been massacring Fire Nation soldiers by the dozen

She knew they were her enemies, but they were still her countrymen; she felt that the whole bloody conflict was a bit frustrating and pointless at times, given that a compromise might have been possible, but Azula and Zuko had never tried to reconcile. She wondered how much Azula regretted that in hindsight, and the longer that passed since the news they received, the more she imagined that the Princess was growing to understand her brother's rationale. After all, he had overthrown Ozai, their father, and the very person they were trying to beat in their new war.

"Was all of this preventable?" she asked Azula, who let out a sigh.

"My father's idiot supporters in the navy did this to themselves. The men whose bodies lie beneath this very earth are merely victims of this conflict... I would have wished for more dignified deaths for soldiers of my nation." she admitted, narrowing her eyes, "All of them."

"Uh... Azula. You told me why your brother got that scar." Aang spoke up, and the Princess rolled her eyes.

"Yes, I did." she recalled, before eyeing him, "What, did you want me to say that he was right?"

"I mean, that's what you just said." the boy corrected her, and she almost laughed, increasing her strides as they followed after her, reaching the point where the wall turned away from the water and followed the beach.

"Azula." Ty Lee addressed her friend, feeling that she ought to be frank with them, "Please, don't just ignore it."

"Ignore what, that I feel like this entire conflict might have been pointless?" she asked her, her lips forming a snarl, "What do you want me to say to that?"

"I-" she gasped, unsure what to say, "I'm sorry." she apologised, stepping closer to her friend, and she reached in to hug her, "We shouldn't have brought it up."

Aang nodded and turned his eyes away, "Y-yeah, I- I didn't mean to make you cry."

"I'm not crying." the Princess retorted, though Ty Lee could clearly see that her eyes were irritated; if she hadn't started crying, then it looked like she might, "You're not meant to be here."

"Wh-what?" he mumbled.

"It's just bad luck that any of this happened... the war, what happened to your people, this whole thing with my family." she acknowledged the situation, "It's not your fault, it's not mine... it's just the world seems to hate us."

He turned away, seeming saddened by the thought of what happened to the Air Nomads, "Why couldn't he stop him?" he mumbled, Ty Lee a bit confused who she was referring to.

"Zuko?" she asked, guessing he was talking about how he had failed to stop Ozai from retaking power.

"No, Roku." he corrected her, "He could have stopped Sozin. I didn't need to be the Avatar... it could have been somebody else... some other time." he acknowledged something that must have been weighing him down; he never wanted to be the Avatar, he just wanted to be a normal kid.

"Aang." Azula addressed him, reaching her hand towards the boy, "I know who I am, who you are... I didn't even realise until you told me."

"Tell you-" he began, before his eyes widened, realising what exactly she was referring to.

"If my brother's dead... then I am the last living descendant of Roku... at least for all I know. My mother could have had cousins... but, I feel that they would have done something about this if they existed." she acknowledged, "They would have tried to stop Sozin, and my grandfather."

"You're the only one with the power to do anything about it." Ty Lee agreed, and her friend nodded.

"I know that." she declared coldly, "We have to do what we can."

He nodded, before looking down, "I don't know if I'm ready."

"Of course you aren't." she assured him, placing a hand on his shoulder, "You're a child. You haven't mastered the elements, and you haven't really figured out how to be the Avatar." she observed his present inexperience and lack of skill, "I will make sure you learn firebending, and then, you might be ready."

"For what?"

"To do what you have to." she warned him, the boy's gaze averting from her own, "I'm not- I'm not trying to put this on you. I of all people understand what responsibility can do to you."

"How did you figure out how to- uh, be you?"

"I didn't. It was forced upon me. I had no choice, and when I did, I carved a path for myself out of necessity." she acknowledged, turning to face Ty Lee, "The old me is not somebody you should look to for inspiration. She was raised to fight and conquer."

"But... isn't that what we're trying to do?" she asked her friend, "I'm not trying to say you're the same... but it's the same kind of thing."

"That's what I'm good at. Aang shouldn't expect to be. He's an Air Nomad." she stressed, eyeing the boy, who was looking at her with an uncertain face, "What do you want?"

"I- I want to be happy." he quietly admitted, scratching his black hair with an unsure look, "I don't want to see the world like this. I- I mean, I don't want to say I hate it... but if I hate anything, it's what the world is like now." he explained his feelings, and Azula sighed, before looking away; she fidgeted with her fingers, like she was trying to think of something to say, or hold herself back from acting.

"Azula?" he spoke up, eyeing her intently, and then, she leaned in and hugged him; Ty Lee's face contorted into one of joy as she watched her hug him.

She hadn't seen her act like that with anyone but her and Sokka, and once or twice Mai when they were younger; even then, that was a very rare occurrence, when her emotions broke out for whatever reason. It usually came with stress and unease because of some issue at home, given she excelled at school.

"I'm- I realise I'm the only family you have." Azula quietly explained herself, holding Aang, whose face was blissful, "I mean... real family. You aren't Roku... but you are."

"I get it." he mumbled, "I've- I've never had anything like it."

"I'm sorry your people did that to you." she added more quietly, "I hate my family, but I understand why you need them... Sokka taught me that."

He hugged her more tightly, and Ty Lee could see the solemn look on Azula's face; whether she was thinking about the tragedies of Aang's life or her own was irrelevant. She was in pain, and when the hug ended, she at least seemed to look a little better, a brightness appearing in her eyes.

"I didn't think you'd do that." she admitted, the Princess and Avatar turning to face her.

"I have denied myself basic emotions for long enough." she retorted, "And he needed that as well." she acknowledged, eyeing the boy, "You did well with the spirit. I know Katara was the one who solved the matter, but you should hear that."

"I tried." he mumbled, his eyes looking down at the ground with dejection, before smiling, "I guess that's all you can do sometimes."

"Precisely. Trying yesterday saved this base. Remember that." she raised a finger towards him, before sighing, "And did you have anything to say?"

"About what? The battle?" he asked, and she nodded, "I wish that you and Sokka were here. I mean, I trust Toph and Katara to protect me, but there was so much going on."

"And I wish we were here." she acknowledged, "This fight is not going to be kind to any of us. Ba Sing Se will be a test... it will be nothing like this."

"I know. It's a- well, the monks never had anything nice to say about it."

"With good reason. And now with the Dai Li in charge, without any pretences of serving their king, they will not relent on punishing the people there if they fight with us." she acknowledged what would happen, "So listen to me... if people get hurt... die... that is not your fault. It is our enemy's. I will try to end their rule without violence, but I cannot assure you that they won't hurt anyone."

"I- I get it. Other people have to fight. That's how the world works." he admitted, sounding saddened and frustrated about it.

"We are trying to build a world where this can't happen again." she gestured around her, "A better world." she admitted, her face forming a near angry grimace, "I feel like it's so foolish to think like this... but I know it's possible. If it weren't, then my brother wouldn't have been stupid enough to stand against my father and try to change our nation." she added, her lower lip stiff.

"I don't know much about how the world works... I mean with politics and war and all that, but I know people. If we give them a chance, maybe they'll choose to work with us and not fight. Fighting is effort... and nobody really likes effort when it doesn't help you." Ty Lee gave her opinion, making Aang chuckle.

"Yeah, I think that's true. War sounds really hard." he agreed, and turned his attention back to the Princess, who after expressing her feelings, only seemed to have exhaustion left.

"I want to get back to the compound now." she bluntly declared, turning heels, and Ty Lee chuckled, pacing right behind her.

"Spa?"

"Spa."

---

The palace in Agna Qe'la was like nothing Hakoda had ever seen before; he'd heard about the Fire Nation Royal Palace from Azula, and the Earth King's palace from Sokka, but he'd never seen those places. They were just stories, drawn from the memories of others; however, upon seeing the Chief's Palace, he couldn't help but feel a sense of awe. That awe became sadness as he realised how starkly different the Northern Water Tribe was from his own home.

When they had arrived in the city, the airship had been hailed by warriors, armed with spears or waterbending, who directed them to land in the outer part of the city, in an open field of ice, between the outer walls and another set. There they were searched for weapons and forced to come unarmed and unarmoured to the palace, escorted by warriors on a few canoes. The guards that had been accompanying his son were offended by having to remove their armour and show their bare faces; they seemed so intimidating and distant with their disturbing looking helmets, which made them seem more like some kind of walking machine than true human beings. Now they were just two other people, albeit two notably tall and well-built people.

The delegates from Shengchang were in awe of the place, perhaps never having seen anything like it; the other nations built their structures differently, but in the Water Tribes, ice was as common as stone and brick were to those more familiar with dry land. The Water Tribe people who saw them moving along the canals looked at them with awe, noticing that the group of foreigners included two Water Tribe men, though they presumably didn't recognise them.

However, Hakoda realised his son was recognised when they reached the steps leading up to the palace; the warriors there stood guard, but saluted Sokka when he stepped off the canoe. He saluted them back out of respect, and helped the delegates out of the canoes, which they seemed to be uncomfortable in. If any of them had ever been on the water, it would have been on large Fire Nation behemoths, which were steadfast and smooth sailing, making the waves and currents beneath them unnoticeable.

They were led up the stairs by the warriors, and taken to the palace; inside there wasn't much other than a few chambers, one for feasts, another for meetings, and another for the Chief to receive audiences. They remained in the meeting chambers, forced to sit down and wait around as if they were children being instructed. Though the guards were respectful, they remained distant and didn't say much, except to tell them that the Chief had been informed of their arrival and he would be coming soon.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the Chief arrived along with what had to be the local council of elders; in the South, they had a council of sorts, but it met so irregularly and held little sway over individual villages. Their approval was required for the warriors to come and go from the tribe on their expeditions, but it was effectively a mute point, as when the warriors of a village decided to fight, they would do it with or without the express approval of their elders.

Hakoda greeted the Chief, and they exchanged names and a few pleasantries, and then, they were all seated at the table. First, the elders gave out their grievances, retelling what had happened when Azula rammed a battleship into the walls, and Admiral Zhao took the first airship to the edge of the city. He failed in his quest to attack the two spirits sacred to their people, but the damage done to the city was substantial, not to mention the casualties the Chief's own guard suffered protecting the palace and the Spirit Oasis.

They did at least give Sokka credit for protecting the spirits and endangering his life for their sake, but that was a short few words, rather than the applause his son truly deserved. Sokka had been light on the details, but he made one thing clear when they had discussed the matter: he was not party to Azula's plan, and didn't seem to approve of it to begin with, and only thought she was going to trick him into making himself a prisoner of the North, rather than actually giving him a means to reach the spirits. Hakoda could not be sure if his son was just trying to cover his own rear end, but he understood he was honourable; he never sought to harm the spirits, and only wanted to bring the Admiral to justice.

When the topic turned back around to the war, which was the first thing the Chief wanted to personally discuss, things became more uneasy on the table; Hakoda had explained everything about what he and his warriors did. The destruction of their waterbending population, and the subsequent impoverishment of their people. The fights they won, and those they didn't, and eventually, how they were able to sway Azula to support them. Sokka also gave as much detail as he could to the matter of the civil war, remaining relatively impartial by noting simply who was fighting who, and where, and not lambasting his enemies, nor his former enemies, those who supported Azula's elder brother.

Once that had been explained, silence fell on the table, and then, after some brief whispers, one of the elders spoke up; it was Master Pakku, the man Sokka had warned him about. He had seemed to be a well-mannered and serious man, somebody worthy of his respect, despite how he had previously acted. He decided not to make any pointed remarks out of fear of turning the meeting into a shouting match, which despite his caution to not offend, Sokka would clearly enjoy it.

"Now, there is the matter of the South." Pakku addressed the table, "I know this doesn't have anything directly to do with why you have come here." he eyed the delegates, before his gaze fell upon Sokka and Hakoda, "But you two have come here representing your tribe, and we ought to give you the respect you deserve, Chief." he addressed Hakoda by his formal title.

"Do you recall the demand Azula made of you, Chief Arnook?" his son spoke up, and Hakoda cringed, remembering what Katara had already told him weeks prior; in the spur of the moment, Azula tied up her offer of aid to the North after Zhao's attack on the unilateral independence of the Southern Water Tribe.

Hakoda was unsure if that was the smartest move she had made, given that aid to his people would be more smoothly achieved with their 'subordination'. The Southern Water Tribe had always considered the Chief in the North their ruler, but that meant little in practice other than respecting him if he ever came south, and paying dues to the North when required.

Neither had happened since the start of the war, and the tribes hadn't been militarily aligned in any way for at least two centuries. Not that they had much reason to go to war, but if one tribe required aid, it was expected for the other to provide it. That was at least what the elders and his father had told him when he was younger, even though those promises meant very little in the face of Fire Nation attacks.

"Yes, I do, Master Pakku." he confirmed, "I agreed to the demand of Southern independence, though I doubt I would be able to enforce any laws on your people, Chief." he addressed Hakoda, who shrugged his shoulders.

"I am not too concerned with independence personally. That was the demand Azula made because she thought it was in our best interest." he explained away what she had done, hoping that it wouldn't harm any future relations between their people.

"So then... what do you want for your tribe, Chief Hakoda?" one of the elders asked him, and he raised his right hand to his chin; he had to be careful with his words, not wanting to offend them, but neither put his people in the compromised position when all was said and done.

Hakoda realised he had an easy out, and decided to use it, "My wants are not of too much concern to anyone. I am merely my tribe's military leader. I was selected amongst the village chiefs to command our forces while we are away."

"So, what happens when peace falls upon your tribe?" Pakku asked him, "You would have a council not unlike this one, and they would want somebody to lead your tribe, correct?"

"I cannot say. We might have had a Southern Chief, or at least, something like that before my time, but I never knew anything of the sorts. I believe the council were the ones with the real power, and I still believe they ought to have it. They have lived longer, seen more, and know more than I do." he gave his respects, knowing that the elders, his mother included, had more of a right to rule than he did.

"That is wise of you to say, Chief." one of the elders, a wiry old woman, acknowledged his words, "But here, the chiefly line is greatly respected... something that your- um, ally, might have failed to realise."

"Elder Siuppuk, please don't chastise him. Chief Hakoda is not from the North... he does not know our customs." Arnook warned the elder, "Neither does the Princess of the Fire Nation, or Fire Lord, as she likes to call herself now."

"I'd watch your words, Chief." Sokka spoke up, "I am here on a peaceful mission, but Fire Lord Azula is your equal, even if you don't think she is the legitimate ruler of her people."

"I care not for the legitimacy of a foreign regime." he assured him, "I meant no disrespect. What I am trying to say is that the demands for independence did not consider the customs of our people."

Sokka held his tongue, and turned to his father, allowing him to speak instead; Hakoda much preferred that, having easily figured that his son was growing restless and offended by the way they were speaking about Azula.

"Independence can be discussed at another time. I believe what- uh, Master Pakku was trying to breach, was that we are in desperate need of assistance. We have only a single known waterbender, my own daughter."

"We are aware." Chief Arnook nodded, "And now that she has been taught, I am sure that future generations of waterbenders will be able to learn from her, following our practice of the moon and ocean." he acknowledged what would come of her training; that kind of long term thinking was something Hakoda instantly recognised, and made him at least hope that Arnook was thinking beyond their own lifetimes- the South would need time to recover and rebuild itself, even if it never reached the level of grandeur he had witnessed in the North.

"Master Pakku has spoken quite highly of her abilities." the Chief added, "What is it that you seek, specifically?"

"I do not know what can be spared from your coffers." he conceded, "I am not asking for gold, for currency, that would only help us buy things. What we need is manpower. I am not asking for warriors, but for builders, smiths, architects, artisans, and fishermen. We need more people... and that's what you could give us."

"I cannot force anyone to travel to the South." Arnook warned him, "But I know that... well, the Fire Lord did not come and demand independence from the North just because she felt like it would give her more power. There must be those among you that distrust us. Your son's behaviour at least indicates I am right here."

"Yes, you are." he nodded, "Some of my fellow warriors, for lack of a better word, think you are a bunch of cowards." he acknowledged, "No better than those who live in the Upper Ring of Ba Sing Se... unworthy of calling yourselves our kin." he explained what he had heard, and turned his eyes away; he knew he might have offended the elders by saying that, but he knew it needed to be said.

"Is that-" Arnook began, but Hakoda raised a hand, not wanting the Chief to think he was trying to insult him and his people.

"That isn't my opinion... to be clear. I understand why you don't want to endanger your own people. But... can you claim to be our ruler if you wouldn't risk your safety for our tribe?" he asked, and the elders looked around; they understood the line of thinking he was using, and he realised that they seemed to agree.

"Chief Hakoda speaks the truth." one of them admitted, "I would have wished we could have done something... but we were incapable of acting. Fear of the Fire Nation is just too strong."

"We have prepared ourselves constantly... defences, armaments, mandatory waterbending training for every male who can." another acknowledged, "But your warriors weren't wrong... we are cowards. If we weren't, as soon as we had enough preparations, we would have sent waterbenders and warriors south to aid your tribe."

"I am glad you can come to understand how we see things." Sokka acknowledged calmly, before raising a hand towards Pakku, "So, Master Pakku, would you volunteer to go south? You say you want to help us."

"I do." he nodded, "I must find enough people to come along. It will be of no use if we are captured by the Fire Nation on the way there." he acknowledged, and Arnook raised a finger.

"I must give my permission first, Pakku. You are our most prized waterbending master... the best of the best. Who else can we trust to train the next generation?"

"You can find another." he assured him, "What of your nephew, Tulok? He is a good waterbender... if a bit young, but he shows enough promise. Certainly more than any of my other recent students..." he explained, before turning his eyes over to Hakoda, "Barring Katara, of course."

"I do not want to be seen as nepotistic." he raised a hand, "He may be skilled, but he has his duties in defending the tribe. He and his band of waterbenders have caught more than one Fire Nation ship coming too close to our waters." he argued, before sighing, "I'll consider it." he added, leaving open the possibility.

"Thank you, my chief." Pakku nodded, before glancing back to the table, "Well, we still have the actual matter to discuss: trade between our tribe and the continent."

"Yes, that is of interest to everyone here." Mister Takumi, the Fire Nation industrialist, raised his voice, "Do you hold issue with trading with the colonies here?"

"You are still Fire Nation." one of the elders spoke up, "We do not intend to offend, but we cannot reasonably trust you."

"No, that is fair." Sokka conceded, "But, you can trust us. We're trying to rebuild the world... the Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation, and the Water Tribes. Together." he explained their intentions, "Without trade between us, we cannot hope to gather the resources we will need to achieve victory."

"If not the colonies, why not the rebel territories on the mainland?" Cheng suggested, "A rebel by the name of Jianren and his allies occupy a coastal territory, and there's the city of Gaochao further inland. I'm sure you would benefit from trading with them, and them with you."

"You're not representing them." Arnook warned them, "They cannot speak for themselves, or whether they would work with the colonial settlements like your own."

"Jianren went to Gaochao with his men." Sokka clarified, "He said they were willing to cooperate with the Fire Lord."

"And this Jianren, does he work for Azula?" one of the elders asked, "The woman who led that fiend to our city?"

"He works with her. It is a partnership. She would never order him to do anything unless it was to save the lives of his men or his fellow countrymen." he stressed, and though Hakoda could not be sure if he were telling the truth, if Jianren was anything like the rebels he had been interacting with, he was sure to avoid directly following Azula's commands, and instead decide for himself what would be in their best interests and still align with Azula's goals.

Somebody like Jet would rather be caught dead than take actual commands from the Princess, and though he wasn't really representative of the other rebels' mindsets, none of them would want to betray the Earth Kingdom and their own ideals. The land they sought to retake, and the people they sought to protect, that was what concerned them, not the Princess's political aims.

"I don't know whether we can believe that." another elder admitted, raising his hands up onto the table, "But we have to believe you are not fooling us. If you were, then why would anyone be here?"

"Yes, that is the point you should all understand." Hakoda spoke up, "Sokka has helped protect your tribe, your spirits, and we don't want anything from you that we wouldn't give if the circumstances were reversed."

"Th-thanks, Dad." his son whispered to him, as the elders eyed them.

"Well, I believe that we could certainly work with these Earth Kingdom settlements, if we could receive free passage." one of the elders decided, and the others nodded along.

Sokka smirked, and raised a finger, "I cannot promise absolute safety, but our ships are patrolling the waters between here and the northern coast of the Earth Kingdom. It should be safe for your ships to travel south and dock at port. Nobody will seek to harm you, place tariffs on your goods, or tolls on your passage." he assured them, "You are not our enemies, and you never will be."

"Us being the Fire Lord and her forces, correct?" Arnook checked, and the young warrior nodded.

"Yes. Azula might not like you all, but she understands that we have common enemies and no reason to fight each other." he stressed, "Rebuilding the Earth Kingdom is going to take a lot of resources, and your help would be most appreciated, especially by those common people who would benefit from it."

"I can back that argument." Cheng spoke up, and Jiang nodded.

"As can I. Trade and investment between the nations will benefit us all, even if we don't trust or particularly like each other." he argued, and the elders seemed to at least understand the point, looking at each other with interested, but conflicted expressions.

"Well, I think it is fair that we ask what you intend to do with these benefits. Trade between our tribe, the Earth Kingdom, and maybe the Fire Nation colonies, it will give you resources which you can use to build up each other, but also pursue war. You intend to fight the rest of the Fire Nation, do you not?"

"Not immediately." Sokka clarified, "Our interests are to the east."

"Ba Sing Se." Kibo spoke up, "The Fire Lord wants to liberate it from the Dai Li."

"I feel you are using that term a little loosely." the only woman elder spoke up, sounding a little distrustful, "Liberate them from a police state, that we have heard rumours of, to what, her rule?"

"No, the rule of a new government." Sokka clarified, "One formed by the local people and rebels from throughout the Earth Kingdom. Without a unified front, we cannot hope to fight off Fire Lord Ozai in his attempts to subjugate the rest of the world... your tribe included."

"This coalition of forces that you speak of... rebels from across the Earth Kingdom, are they already assembled?" Arnook asked him, and Hakoda cleared his throat.

"I might be a little more qualified to explain this." he preempted whatever his son might say, and Sokka nodded, telling him to go ahead, "There are a number of rebel groups in the outskirts of the colonies who we have recruited, many of them either from Fire Nation prisons, or escapees. These people have every reason to hate our ally, but the Fire Lord's promises were enough to get them to come with me."

"Perhaps it is too good to be true." one of the elders mumbled, and Sokka laughed.

"Why would she gather them all then? They could just as easily kill her, if she did try to betray them."

"That wouldn't be possible. She is supposedly the greatest firebender alive, even surpassing Fire Lord Ozai." Pakku argued, his information presumably having come from Iroh; Sokka also made clear that he was in contact with the White Lotus, and thus, General Iroh, the close advisor of Zuko, and uncle to both him and Azula.

"You underestimate earthbenders, Master." Sokka warned him, and Cheng snickered.

"Yeah, you do." he agreed with him, "Earthbenders can handle firebenders just fine... it was technology that the Fire Nation used to win their war."

"He has a point." one of the elders agreed, "But that is besides the main issue. We cannot trust that the Fire Lord is going to actually fulfil her promises."

"She doesn't really need to at this point." Sokka argued, quietly enough that the elders seemed confused by his words; perhaps they didn't understand that the rebels were assembled, ready to go to Ba Sing Se and depose the Dai Li by force, if it were truly necessary.

"What are you trying to say?" Arnook pressed him, and the young warrior just shrugged his shoulders.

"I thought you were listening. My Dad has assembled all these fighters, who know what they can achieve- a united Earth Kingdom, if they just go to Ba Sing Se, and incite a popular revolt." he explained the situation as it stood, "They can go and do just that. I- Azula doesn't have to do a thing."

Even if Azula remained in her base, undertaking expeditions to take over and securemore colonies, the Earth Kingdom forces assembled at her behest would still go and enact the plans she had for them; it would be foolish to do otherwise while Ba Sing Se remained only weakly controlled by the Dai Li after their takeover.

Hakoda had heard the stories while in port: the Dai Li's various factions feuded with each other, killing leaders and slaughtering each other all under the noses of the Fire Nation, and when the winning faction came out on top, then, and only then, did they orchestrate their coup against the government Azula had left in charge. The internal conflict was hard to disguise, as bodies had been showing up on the streets, or signs of battles that had nothing to do with the Fire Nation authorities.

Now, the Princess wanted to do the opposite, and though he was unsure if it would be a lasting victory, he knew that something was necessary, and if enough people could be mobilised, nobody could reasonably stop or ignore the new government that would spring up in the stead of the Dai Li. His own experience with the elders of his tribe told him just that; they might have held authority over all of his people, but when enough men decided that joining the war to aid the Earth Kingdom was the only reasonable decision with the Fire Nation breathing down their necks, there was nothing they could do.

"Hmph, well if that's true, then why do we need her?"

"The Avatar." he answered his question bluntly and simply, "Aang is somebody you don't want to annoy, right? He and Azula are working together on all this. We all are. This isn't just one person trying to claim a throne. I'm not here just because I want her to become the Fire Lord... it's much more than that."

"We're trying to rebuild things better than they were before. Before the war, before Sozin, before all of the chaos I may have started myself." Sokka explained himself, and Hakoda cringed.

"I believe I also deserve some of the blame, though neither of us could have known what Zuko would have done."

"Most of the world was surprised to hear it... but the Fire Nation has gone back to its old ruler. How long will this new revolt last?" one of the elders asked, and the two southerners looked at each other, both father and son unsure how to respond to that.

"As... as long as it takes." Sokka mumbled, before raising his force and hardening his tone, "I won't give up, and we don't have much of a choice."

"What, because Ozai would have her killed?" Siuppuk guessed, and both southerners nodded, "I expected as such. We all pity her situation... but we are not in it."

"No, but you can help fix it. This isn't just about her. What do you think Ozai will do once he is done with Azula and the Earth Kingdom? We're all next." the younger of the pair argued; Hakoda had already seen it first hand, as the Southern Raiders were increasing their attacks on their villages, and it was only their harsh reprisals that kept them at bay.

Arnook grimaced at the thought of that, and seemed to believe Sokka's words, "Perhaps sending somebody south would at least ensure we can prevent that from occurring."

A few of the elders nodded along eagerly, Pakku included; the waterbending master raised a finger.

"We should take as many as we can to fight. I know it goes against everything we have worked towards for the past century, but Admiral Zhao made the decision for us. His relentless attacks over the past few years have caused nothing but pain and fear for our people. The only way to prevent that, as the Chief pointed out, is to be proactive and stop it from recurring." the Master stressed his point, and the elders seemed to approve.

"There's something else we need to settle." Sokka spoke up, "I don't expect you to just come south and aid us militarily... everything you've done so far says that you'd prefer to remain here behind the safety of your walls. What we do need from you is that ship, and all the prisoners you took aboard it."

"Why would we give you that ship? Your fool of an ally rammed it into our walls." one of the elders lambasted Sokka, who was barely keeping his calm.

Hakoda placed a hand on his son's arm, telling him to hold; he did, allowing his father to speak.

"I am no expert on what happened that day, but I have heard who you captured. Most of those on board were just sailors, who could not have even known that Admiral Zhao was going to betray the Fire Lord." he argued, "Therefore, they cannot be held here against their will. His lackeys, and the man himself, I think we can agree you can keep a hold of them."

"They sailed on a ship against our nation... and not just then." Siuppuk stressed, "You cannot claim they are innocent."

"I never will." Sokka assured them, "But I'd prefer them in our hands. Even if they aren't loyal to Azula, we actually can hold them prisoner, or at the very least, send them somewhere they won't pose a threat to your tribe. If Ozai's people reach this city, you'll have a far bigger prisoner revolt to worry about. They'll be more trouble than they're worth... for whatever labour you might be getting out of them." he argued, and the elders glanced around, seeming to understand his point.

"Sokka speaks truly here." Arnook agreed with a warm look on his face, "The prisoners are more trouble than they are worth."

"Then we should get rid of most of them. The Admiral must stay, however." Pakku gave his own opinion, and the other elders nodded along.

"Well, it's decided, then. You will receive the ship and the prisoners, but we want assurances that they will be punished... those that chose to aid the Admiral and tried to destroy us, they cannot go free."

"Azula is a stickler for rooting out traitors." Sokka assured them, before grimacing, "Sometimes it has harmed our efforts... but she is principled in that regard, believe me."

Hakoda raised a hand, "I promise that myself and my warriors will deal with them, if it is truly necessary." he assured him, "Take this as my promise of goodwill... because I understand your fear."

"We've heard about the Southern Raiders from Sokka." Pakku acknowledged, his face looking pained; he must have really regretted letting Kanna go, and then suffer through all that happened in the south, "Believe what he says." he commanded the other elders, who looked uneasy, but agreed to the demand, and with that, it appeared settled.

"The deal is struck." Arnook declared, "Thank you for your words, and we hope that you deal with our mutual enemies with as much vigour as the Princess- uh, Fire Lord, did the Admiral."

"We shall." Hakoda promised, and turned his eyes to his son, "Was that everything?"

"Well, we didn't settle if you will be trading with Shengchang."

"Please consider it." Mister Takumi spoke up, "The people have been suffering due to this war, Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation both, and we would all appreciate the opportunity."

"I might not like you, but I agree with you." Cheng added, "Please, Chief Arnook. The Earth Kingdom and North traded for centuries... the war has stopped that, but it can resume, to benefit us all greatly."

"We will deliberate on these matters. Trade, an expedition south, and aid that might be provided to the South and the Earth Kingdom." Arnook decided, "Elders, take as much time as you please, but consider that our guests are on a schedule. As Sokka said, the rebels will move on Ba Sing Se, with or without them."

Everyone rose from their seats, and Hakoda followed his son to the exit, followed by the delegates from Shengchang, as well as the Imperial Firebenders, who had been standing by the doors patiently waiting for them.

"You're an arse and persuasive at the same time, no wonder her majesty likes you." one of the guards, Ken, noted with an amused face; Sokka chuckled and pat him on the shoulder.

"Let's get some lunch." he suggested, "You're all welcome to come." he told the delegates, who looked approvingly.

"I am pretty hungry, and I've never even heard what you guys eat in the Water Tribes." Kibo noted with an intrigued face.

"It's probably going to be a little strange, I will admit." Hakoda warned them, "Perhaps avoid the stewed sea prunes."

"Is that the one she doesn't like?" Geng whispered to Sokka, loud enough for his father to hear.

He held back a laugh upon hearing that, and watched as the delegates stepped outside, before eyeing down the staircase.

"Do you know where to go, Sokka?" Cheng asked his son, who nodded.

"Yep, I found a few places while I was here with Aang and Katara." he confirmed, gesturing down the staircase, "We just have to go-" he began, before his attention was drawn by something else.

"Son?" he addressed him, unsure why he stopped, before turning to look at what he was looking at; Pakku had come out following them, and was standing still some distance away, though close enough to speak, with his head down, "Are you here to speak with me?" he asked him, and he nodded; Hakoda sighed, and gestured for his son to go down the stairs.

"Dad." he spoke up, and Hakoda sighed.

"No, you just go with the others to get lunch. I'll speak with Pakku and find you later." he assured him, "I can catch up... I'm not that old." he assured him.

Sokka seemed unsure, but nodded, accepting his request and gesturing for the others to follow him.

"Come on, it isn't far." he told them, and they all followed, a few eyeing Pakku before they made their way down the stairs.

"What is it?" the Chief immediately pressed him, not wanting to waste their time standing there awkwardly.

"I wanted to apologise, firstly." he admitted, stepping closer, their eyes meeting, "I was not a considerate partner, or a good man. I've regretted it for years... and those feelings made me into who I am today."

"You should be saying this to my mother, not me." he argued, crossing his arms, "What do you want me to say, that I forgive you, or something along the lines?"

"I- I don't know if you can, given the life that Kanna had to live after me, and what you had to endure. What your children have endured."

"We have all had our fair share of tragedies, but that isn't your fault. I'm standing here alive because of your flaws, Pakku." he acknowledged, before sighing, "There's nothing we can do about it, but I am pleased you are aware of what you did." he said what he needed to, hoping that they could move on and leave the topic at peace; he didn't want to think about how much his mother had suffered, along with his children, and the stupid cause of it all.

"I am sorry." he reiterated, before sighing, "That's why I want to try and make it up to her, to your people. I know you have suffered, and our people have remained silent throughout." he acknowledged, "Even in that meeting, they were aware of our great flaw, yet failed to act decisively."

"I am well aware." he commented, wanting him to get to the point, "And what do you want to do now? Persuade people to go fight in our name?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I want to do. I might be old, but I am the master of a generation of students. I know my waterbending, and my waterbenders. I can find those willing, and hope that the Chief allows them to go. If enough demand it... he will have to accept it." he argued for his idea, and Hakoda smiled, approving of it.

"I want nothing more than to see our tribes work together." he stressed, before glancing down the staircase, "And after this war is over, we might be able to rebuild the South together... I don't mean that personally, unless you want to."

"I don't think you understand, Chief Hakoda... I trust you already, because I know your mother, your son, what kind of man you must be. You don't need to tell me your every deed and flaw. I know what you will do, what you want for your people." he explained his thought process, "You are an honourable man... and even if you are working with such questionable people as the Princess of the Fire Nation, she at least seems to have matured since she met your son, from what I've heard."

"She certainly has. She had her men try to kill me the first time we met, but now... she's almost a second daughter to me." he acknowledged with a smile; though he wasn't as close with the girl as his mother or daughter, he felt that Azula truly had become part of their family in the time she spent in their village, "She has heart and drive like nobody else, and she has helped protect my people. They didn't trust her, but she did it anyway."

"Perhaps she really loves your son that much." Pakku suggested, and Hakoda narrowed his eyes.

"I don't think it's that simple." he countered, before sighing, "You were talking about gathering fighters. How long do you think it will take?"

"Agna Qe'la is not that big." he raised a finger, "I will have them as quickly as I can. I have training to do with my pupils, but once that is done, you will have them." he assured Hakoda, and he furrowed a brow.

"How young will they be?"

"There are some young people who would be of great aid in your efforts. I mentioned Tulok, the Chief's nephew... he is perhaps the most capable waterbender I know, barring your daughter. He's only a year older than your son."

"Hmph, well I think Arnook would find it hard to refuse him."

"Tulok is loyal to our tribe, but he has been fighting the Fire Nation for as long as that fiend Zhao has been violating our territories. He has the motivation and willingness to force Arnook to act."

"Do you want to undermine your Chief?" the southerner bluntly questioned him, finding it almost suspicious how willing Pakku was to try and manipulate the situation so that Arnook would comply with his plans.

"Undermine?" he raised a brow, "While we offer our Chief fealty here, and swear to uphold his authority, he is not an absolute monarch. The Council of Elders are just as important and I am a member." he explained, before crossing his arms, "I have no desire to make myself higher than the Chief himself. As you have already heard, I want to go south to aid your people, not remain here, swamped by my own guilt."

"I understand that... but what I just said and what you just said aren't mutually exclusive." he argued, wanting to be sure that Pakku had the right intentions in what he was doing; Hakoda understood what overly emotional thinking could do to someone- Azula, for all her pragmatism and ruthlessness, was a good example of that issue, "So, I want to know, are you trying to do this for the good of my people, or for your own self-esteem?"

The waterbending master turned his eyes away, seeming unsure of himself, and remained silent until Hakoda pressed him again.

"So, what is it?"

"Both." he mumbled, "I am doing it for both reasons. But not just my self-esteem, the honour of the Northern Water Tribe is at stake. You've made that clear."

"You are free to make your own choices." he acknowledged, not wanting to force them into joining a war that could very well lead to attacks on the North, something that Hakoda would much prefer to avoid.

"I have made my choice." Pakku stressed, before pacing away, back into the palace, "I will make sure theirs are made with the weight they deserve."

"Thank you." he gave a platitude that he felt the old man deserved; he seemed to be quite beaten up over the whole issue, even if his sympathy for him was limited by his previous misdeeds.

"No, thank your son and daughter. Without them, I would have remained blind." he acknowledged, "For a 'wise' elder, I was so consumed with traditions and my ideal image of our nation that ignored the truth... we are weak. I will make sure that is never the case again."

---

Toph was tired, and she had had enough of using her skills for mere manual labour. To begin with, it hadn't been an issue, but after the battle, she felt more and more exhausted from every single little task. She was just relieved that there were more earthbenders around to help her and Jianren's fighters, who had been doing the bulk of the construction work before. She

Now, she was walking back to the base, hoping that she could at least rest for a little before she had to do something else. She imagined it would be overseeing more of Aang's training. It had gone by the wayside since they went to Shengchang, and he had already told he wanted to work harder on mastering her element. She also was a bit hungry, but that wasn't going to become a nagging issue for a while; she'd rather spend her time in a hammock dozing off, or chatting with her friends.

She stopped her thoughts at that, realising that for perhaps the first time in her life, she actually had friends. When she lived with her parents, she was basically a recluse, her only social activity coming from Earth Rumble or the tutors her parents had made to instruct her in all the finer things in life. Aang and Katara were actually fun to be around, even if the former was a little immature and the latter lacked any sense of humour.

Sokka, Azula, and Ty Lee weren't bad either, though she hadn't been around them enough to confidently say she was friends with them. She certainly trusted them, even if she had reason to fear the Princess and her Water Tribe lackey, the acrobat less so due to her kind hearted and cheery nature. She had other acquaintances, such as the Freedom Fighters, or the other comrades she had grown to know in New Omashu; she knew them well, but their relationships were primarily professional, of comrades in arms, who she might joke around with, but focused on cooperating with. That was what most fighting was about: being in sync with the fighter to her left and right.

Then there was Hua, who was right behind her at that very moment, eating some snacks out of a jar, which she'd snagged from one of the warehouses while they were doing repairs. She liked her charm, and her wit; she was a fighter like her, but from almost a complete opposite background, rough as they came. She didn't dislike her for it, but found it charming, and a bit assuring, knowing the woman couldn't really lie to her or make a fuss out of how Toph acted, because she was just as bad or worse.

"So, what do you think of these new guys?" she asked Toph, who shrugged her shoulders.

"I know some of them, but most are just strangers. They seem like you and the others." she explained what she thought, and Hua snickered.

"So, untrained, then?" she asked, and the younger fighter held her tongue.

"I mean, some of them might have been in the army." she conceded, not knowing the past of every person she met; she did know from what they had said about themselves that they had all either been prisoners of or in hiding from the Fire Nation.

As earthbending was outlawed throughout the Fire Nation, they would have been arrested for the crime, or probably due to resisting Fire Nation occupation itself. She was under the assumption that earthbending was technically illegal but mostly ignored in the colonies, given the fighting ring beneath Cheng's bar must have been noticed by the authorities at some point. That wasn't even considering all the mixed descent people who might have been earthbenders but certainly considered Fire Nation citizens.

"I know why they fight... it's the same reason we all do." she added her own thoughts, "I hope that the other rebels we find are just as willing."

"What, like the ones up in the mountains, who still act like the old Earth Kingdom is around?" Hua asked, and she nodded.

"Yeah, those guys." she confirmed, having heard about them from Aang and Katara, as well as the few off-hand comments she'd gotten from Jianren's fighters about them; they supposedly were fighting Zhao's forces constantly until Azula drew them back away from the eastern frontier when she took over.

She had a feeling that they would be less willing to join Azula, even if they knew and trusted Aang; she was the cause of the overabundance of Fire Nation troops in the region, back when she had send her forces west from Ba Sing Se. All that fighting certainly had been caused by her prior actions, , even if it was not intentional on her behalf.

"Well, I'm sure we can sway them. There's a lot of Earth Kingdom to reunite, and I'm sure they'll like feeling important."

"Arrogance won't do anyone any good. I've already dealt with my fair share of that before... there's a reason I ended up in New Omashu and not out in the wilderness." she argued, and Hua hummed with interest, stepping up beside her.

"Really? What.. or who did you find out there?"

"Deserters... or you might just call them bandits. Whether they deserted the army or the army deserted them, it wasn't really important. They loved to harass villages and get all the coin and privileges they could out of them. I avoided them like the disease they are... but those people, they're going to be the kinds that will come when Azula forms a new government. They'll love to have a legal justification to continue being dicks." she argued, knowing that the bandits could just as quickly become the new protectors of their province, ostensibly supported by a few people in Ba Sing Se who wanted to secure it from the Fire Nation.

She knew that Jianren and his fighters could have just as easily ended up like those bandits, but because most of them were just peasants themselves, they had no good reason to harass the commoners, let alone try and rule them. There weren't enough people around to justify that, and the Fire Nation was the real danger for all of them.

As they drew closer to the gates of the compound, Toph's attention was drawn by what felt like bricks being moved along the ground, which was a bit confusing, as she didn't know anyone was doing works within the walls. Her senses drew back to Hua when she realised she had stopped walking and was glancing about.

"I need to go to the camp and clean myself up." the older fighter decided, "If you need a sparring partner, you know where to find me."

"Yep, I do." she assured her, before stepping closer to the gates, which were opened up by the guards stationed there.

They saluted Toph, acknowledging her position of authority which had been effectively granted on cronyism alone; she was Aang's master, and an associate of Azula, therefore she had to be treated with the level of respect afforded to one of her lieutenants. She stepped inside, and realised that the thumping she was sensing was Aang, whose heartbeat she immediately recognised once she wasn't focusing on Hua. He turned around, presumably seeing her, and waved her way.

"Hey, Toph!" he greeted her, "Are you finished with all the repairs outside?"

"Yeah, well, for today at least." she confirmed, before stepping closer, noticing that he had been bending slabs of earth out, presumably to practise using them as weapons, "What's the idea here?"

"Oh, well, when we were fighting yesterday I realised that you were using your earthbending to make walls and move them along the ground... I thought I should try that."

"I guess it's a useful technique. Helps you corner enemies and make them easier to pick off." she explained her reason for using it, and then placed her hands on her hips, "So, do you want some tips?"

He made an awkward laugh, and nodded. Toph raised her right hand up, pulling out a slab of earth in front of them, before shooting it across the flat courtyard into the wall, making a loud ringing noise as it struck the metal sheets. Aang cringed from that, but tried it himself a few moments later; he was able to create his own slab, and shot it out at speed, though it quickly broke apart before even hitting the wall.

She scrunched her lips, and turned to face him, "So, you've got to make sure it's levitating, just above the ground. Otherwise that is gonna keep happening."

"Can't I move the ground with it?" he asked, and Toph nodded.

"Yep, but that's harder. If you're trying to use more than one of these at a time, it's gonna get a lot more challenging." she explained why he should avoid that.

It was certainly a useful technique if one wanted to get a bunch of people away from oneself, but otherwise, she found it to be needlessly exhausting to shift the whole ground, not to mention the crumpling of the surface made it harder for her to walk around. Aang, with his airy steps, might find it less of an issue, but she was teaching him to fight like an earthbender, not like an airbender.

"You need to make sure your footing is steady. Moving the ground beneath you... that's just a recipe for disaster." she warned him, and he nodded along, before shooting himself up on a pillar of earth, towering above her.

"But what about this, I can see way better from up here." he argued, and she snickered.

"Yeah, I can't relate... plus, that makes you a really easy target." she warned, before throwing her open palm forward into the pillar, causing it to shatter apart.

Aang let out a fearful cry, but as the pillar crumbled, he landed nearby softly, his airbending ensuring that.

"That wasn't... well, I mean it was a little funny." he tried to get angry, but couldn't muster it.

She was glad he could see her sense of humour, but she wasn't there to joke; if he wanted to be taught, he needed to listen. Aang dusted himself off, before stepping closer to her, pointing her way.

"Okay, so are you gonna show me some new moves?"

"Moves?" she scoffed, "What you need to do is know how to earthbend correctly." she warned him, before pointing to her eyes, "Using these, for a start, is just a waste of time. Once you can see as I do, nobody will be able to stop you... and when I say nobody, I mean nobody."

"I mean, if I'm flying you can't hit me." he reminded her, and she laughed.

"I know that, dummy. You can see, which means you get the best of both worlds... and I want to make sure you can do it as well as I can." she argued, "If you're the Avatar, you've got to be the best, right?"

"I mean... I think it's more about dealing with the spirits and the four-"

"Yadda yadda yadda." she tapped her fingers together to imitate his talking, "I'm here for the bending... I mean, I want to make that nice peaceful world and all that, but first you need to be ready. And, you're not as ready as you could be."

"I know." he nodded, his tone not sounding overly confident; she knew Aang was worried about his responsibilities, and his circumstances, she was sure she would be as well, but he at least was willing to put in the work.

She couldn't tell if it was because he truly wanted to, or because he didn't want to disappoint his friends. Either way, Aang was constantly working on his waterbending and earthbending, and though she knew he didn't like it, the battlefield was the best training yard. What she knew was that he was getting better, and that was better than him being stuck unable to earthbend.

"Alright, how about we test your seismic sense again?" she offered, "You haven't shown me in a while."

He nodded, and untied the headband he had fastened around his wrist, and brought it over his face; she could only tell that was what he was doing due to all the rustling the fabric made as he shuffled around. Once he was ready he nodded and moved into a casual stance, telling her that he wasn't going to try and fight back, but simply remain focused on sensing what was going on beneath his feet. She turned around and strode away with her hands behind her back. She imagined what she could do while he was vulnerable like that, but knew it wasn't time to joke around. Aang needed to actually progress, and the only way he could was with hard work and a little encouragement.

Toph was never the nicest teacher, but she knew when he needed to hear something that wasn't just a shout or criticism. That had taken her a long while to figure out; he was in luck that he was not her first student, but one of many that she had helped train up. Of course, she hadn't tried to teach any of them seismic sense, because unlike all those run of the mill earthbenders, they weren't the Avatar. Even if he struggled to adopt their mindset, he had the raw power and finesse that told her he could abuse her technique to a malicious degree.

When she was far enough away, she spun around and immediately bent up a pillar of earth beneath him, though because she had to reach through the earth, he must have felt it, and weaved to the left, narrowly dodging it. He maintained his footing, and a smile formed on his face. She quickly wiped it off by smacking him in the but with a slab of earth, flinging him to the ground, where he rolled round for a bit before struggling back up to his feet.

"Ow..." he grumbled, before moving back into his initial stance, "Go again." he requested with a cautious tone, and Toph nodded, moving back into her offensive stance.

She reached both hands out, raising up two slabs of earth, both parallel to each other, with Aang lying in between; she then smirked as she pulled them close; she wasn't going to crush him, but she'd at least give him a pretty good fright. When the slabs started moving, Aang must have sensed them or at least heard them, and reached both hands to the left. Toph was a little confused by what he was trying to do, given that even if he could wrestle one slab free of her grip, she'd still have the other one. He grabbed one of the slabs off of the ground and then threw it right over himself; she couldn't sense it, but guessed its trajectory correctly. A moment later, before the other slab would have reached him, both smashed into each other, the rubble falling down right in front of him.

"Now, that was a good move." she acknowledged his skillful use of her own attack against itself, "How will you fare against something a little more subtle?" she questioned Aang, whose stance hardened, his hands out in front of himself, ready to strike at whatever she sent his way.

She shot up a pillar right behind him, making it slow enough to give him a chance to react; react he did, spinning his foot around and stomping down hard on the pillar, causing it to shatter before it could hit him.

He let out a grunt, presumably from the pain the forceful strike caused to himself, before another pillar came to strike him, this time from the front. He spun around again and weaved out of the way of the pillar, which he then chopped in twain, bending what remained back at Toph. She shattered it into dust as soon as it got close to her, and clapped her palms together, removing any dust that was left on them.

"Faster." she demanded, shooting up two pillars from either side in quick succession, Aang weaving out of the way of the first one and grabbing the second with his hands, before he shattered it apart, leaving what looked like a staff made out of hardened dirt and gravel in his hand; she could sense it only vaguely from the weight that was added to his form.

"What's that for?" she pressed him, and the Avatar just laughed, before moving into a fighting stance, "Oh, this is familiar for you, isn't it?" she realised, before pulling up a wall in front of herself, propelling it towards him.

She could sense him shifting his footing, before he lunged forward; the wall split in half, the top falling back as Aang leapt onto it as it continued moving through the yard. He jumped off, slamming the stone staff into the ground, letting her get a better sense for it as he bent a crack through the ground. Toph already knew that trick, as she was the one who taught him it.

She just stepped to the side, dodging the pillar of earth that shot up beside her, and she smirked, flicking up another pillar of her own, smacking Aang's staff, shattering it, and then tapping him in the gut, making him wheeze out for air. He stumbled over and gasped out, raising his hands up to indicate he was done with the training for now. Before she could tell him what he had done well and poorly, Toph heard some clapping behind herself, and a voice following it.

"Don't beat him too hard."

She realised from its timbre, and the associated heartbeat that she could feel in the distance, that the voice belonged to Jet, who was standing there by his lonesome, watching as they trained.

"Oh, and what, you want to have a go yourself?" she asked, wondering if he wanted to spar.

"I am just about to go train with my friends." he admitted, before stepping closer, "What is this, anyway?"

"I'm teaching him how to see without his eyes." she clarified, and Aang placed his hands on his hips.

"I can already sense things... you're just a lot faster than I am with earthbending, Toph." he retorted, and she felt the urge to make fun of him for rolling in the dirt a few moments earlier, but held her tongue.

"Then you need to get faster." she decided for a more productive suggestion, and Aang nodded, getting back into his stance.

"Did you even notice me coming outside?" Jet asked Toph, who shrugged her shoulders.

"I was focused on him." she admitted, knowing that when she trained, she kept her senses keen on what mattered, not the general environment.

In a battle, it was different, as she could be attacked from any and every side; while training she had the opportunity to hone in rather than forcing herself to remain aware of everything and everyone in her vicinity. With so many people around, she barely noticed most heartbeats, even of those people she was familiar with. Aang, Jianren, Katara, and Hua were the only ones that she had any reason to recognise.

"What, are you jealous or something?" she prodded him, guessing that he felt a little offended that she wasn't immediately calling out to him as soon as she sensed him, like she did in New Omashu.

He stepped back and laughed, though his heartbeat told her he was nervous, "No, of course not. I just thought it was- uh, unusually relaxed of you."

"I'm training him, not socialising." she retorted, before softening her expression; though she had some issues with the boy, she didn't dislike him as the others did, "If you want to hang out or something... we can do that later."

"Uh... yeah, alright. I was thinking of going on a little scouting trip through the hills with the Freedom Fighters tonight. You're free to join us."

"Night doesn't stop me like you stupid seeing people." she declared proudly, before nodding, "Yeah, I'll go." she agreed to the proposition, and Jet nodded, before pacing away, waving to them both.

"See you two later. Good luck with the earthbending, Aang."

"Uh, bye." he waved back, while Toph remained unsure if he could properly sense him; she only had her own seismic sense to base assumptions off of, so didn't really know how his might appear to him in his mind.

When he had gone out the gate, she turned her attention back to Aang, who was cleaning up the yard, removing any stray earth and compressing it back into the ground.

"So... do you like Jet or something?" he asked her matter of factly, making her snicker, amused by the suggestion.

"He's my friend, Aang." she retorted, "And I like hanging out with people that isn't just you and Katara."

"Hey, we're cool." he defended himself, "What, do I have to do something really stupid to prove myself?" he asked, "That's what we used to do in the Air Temple." he recalled, and she scrunched her lips, now a little intrigued by what he meant by that.

"What do you mean 'something really stupid'?" she pressed the Avatar, whose heartbeat sped up.

"Oh... I mean, like climbing up somewhere you're not supposed to be, or sneaking out of the temple to some secret spot. Like there's some pools and caves in the mountains where me and the other kids would go sometimes." he explained himself, "That was before we got our sky-bisons. After that, we could fly anywhere we liked."

"Like... anywhere?" Toph asked, unsure if he meant that in the way it came across, "The monks wouldn't stop you?"

"They'd tell us about places that were interesting to visit, and places we shouldn't go." he explained, "Like Ba Sing Se. They said it wasn't a very nice place... even if there were some pretty or interesting things. I was told we shouldn't make the people in charge there think the Air Nomads approved of how they treated the commoners." he added a topical example, making Toph snicker.

"Yeah, I doubt much has really changed there since then. My parents like the place, but... well, you can make of that what you like."

"Y-yeah..." he mumbled awkwardly, "When was the last time you saw them?"

"A long time ago now. Nearly two years I think." she recalled, not wanting to think too much about their last interaction; it hadn't been very amiable, and she had refused to go along with their demands.

They wanted to control how she lived, and ignored that she was a powerful earthbender, more than capable of taking care of herself. She had left without actually telling them where she was going, but made sure to tell one of the servants that she wasn't going to go off and become a criminal or anything of the sorts. She wanted to find her place in the world, where her skills would be valued, unlike in her family home. Though she was sure there were other noblewomen earthbenders, most of them could see, and would have likely had parents that were a little less frustrating to deal with.

"Well, I hope that when you see them again, you're able to- uh, not fight with them." he admitted, before stepping closer, "I don't really know what it's like to have parents, but I get that you don't want to be controlled by them. I understand that... I really do."

She turned away, feeling awkward as she realised what he was saying; he had run away from the Southern Air Temple, and then, when he returned, the monks were long dead and his culture vanished. He had nothing and no one then, other than his sky-bison; Toph, even without her family, had people she could trust, in Gaoling and across the Earth Kingdom in the places she'd visited.

She could sense the door being opened again out of the compound, and sensed the heartbeat at once; Jet had made her a little self conscious of her focus, but she knew at once it was Azula, "Zappy." she addressed her with her nickname, which made her scoff.

"Dirt eater." she gave an equally insulting address, before stepping over to her and Aang, "So, how's the training going along? Is she giving you a hard time, Aang?"

"N-no, of course not. Toph is a very good teacher." he assured her with a snappy response, as if to ensure there were no ideas about him thinking she wasn't good at her job.

"No need to get so worked up about it." she assured her student with a hand on the shoulder, "I'm trying to make sure he can use his seismic sense correctly." she clarified, and Azula hummed.

"That technique will certainly be of use, especially when we face the Dai Li. They're like molerats, hiding in the walls." she noted her ability's use; she was expecting the same advantage, given that they were earthbenders, and with their propensity to stealth, they'd likely use some of her own tricks.

"What about firebending?" Toph decided to ask her, and Azula stopped herself, crossing her arms as her attention turned to Aang.

"That's a good point... what about firebending, Aang?"

"I- uh, I can do it accidentally." he told her, making Azula laugh.

"That won't be nearly enough if you want to fight with it." she warned him, before sighing, "I've never taught anyone how to firebend before."

"You've trained with your guards though, haven't you?" Aang asked, "That's... close enough, right?"

"We'll see." she mumbled, before clapping her hands together, "We'll be heading off as soon as Sokka returns with the airship."

"East?" Toph questioned, and Azula nodded.

"We could take a ship down into the West Lake, but I believe that it'd be more productive to head into the mountains. That's where the rebels will be hiding... and we'll need more of them if we're hoping to take the city." she explained what her plans were, though none of that was a surprise; she knew that they had to get more rebels on side before they reached Ba Sing Se, and the areas directly to the east of the base were the first place they'd look.

"Are you going to bring your own soldiers along?" she asked, knowing that they might be of use, at least to deal with the Fire Nation garrisons around Ba Sing Se who were still occupying the area.

"I already have my own loyalists holding the walls, if the reports are to be believed. Either way, they won't help me ingratiate myself with the public of the Earth Kingdom, so I won't bother bringing them. They are best suited to securing our holdings here." she argued, before turning her head around, "We will need some ships to follow so we can get rid of Admiral Chan and his lieutenants. Either that or we'll need to assassinate them."

"Maybe not that." Aang pressed, obviously not wanting her to needlessly kill more people.

Toph was impartial, knowing that sometimes you needed to be ruthless to get the job done, but if it could be avoided, it would be preferred. Especially since Azula was threatening to kill other Fire Nation officers, those who might otherwise defect to her side.

"I didn't say I wanted to take that path. It's needlessly bloody and might earn me more detractors in the homeland." she argued against her own suggestion, as if to assure him she wasn't wanting to do it; given Aang's temperament, her words almost seemed like a necessity, though that made it unclear whether she actually wanted to avoid violence.

"Uh... yep." he nodded awkwardly, before stepping closer, "So, how will everyone follow? If we're going inland only so many people can fit on Appa and the airship." he reminded her of the space constraints they had; Azula hummed in thought and raised a finger.

"That's why the Water Tribe ships are so useful. They'll take the fighters around to make port north of the city. It's a longer journey, but if the winds favour them, I doubt it will take much longer than it will take us to reach Ba Sing Se while finding more rebels." she explained the route more specifically, "They could go south through the West Lake and East Lake, but I've heard the local fauna makes that a bit of an issue with smaller ships." she explained, Toph snickering.

"What, that serpent that supposedly lives at the bottom of the lakes?" she asked her rhetorically, having heard tales of that, though she realised that Azula's tone suggested she thought it was real, "Wait, you're saying it's real? I thought it was just propaganda to try and keep the Fire Nation from crossing the pass."

"No, I've read the reports on it. It's definitely real." she stressed, "It's just my luck that it didn't try and attack my ship as we crossed the pass last year." she added, Toph scrunching her lips; it took her a few moments to recall that she and Sokka had been in Ba Sing Se before they went to the colonies to face Zuko, and that was why she had read the reports- she had to get west as quickly as possible.

"Huh." she murmured, "So, do you have any idea what the Dai Li has been doing in Ba Sing Se?"

"I've only heard rumours. I assume they're restricting the movement of information. There were a few reports that came in her via messenger hawk from the walls, but for all I know, they could have been forged by the Dai Li to lull us into a false sense of security." the Princess clarified, "I cannot be sure of anything. They are masters of lies and deception, after all."

"I thought that was your bit." Toph joked, and Aang snickered.

"Yeah, you are pretty good at lying... Toph can't even tell when you're doing it."

"I mean I can. Context clues exist." she argued, knowing the Princess well enough now that she could usually just deduce if she was lying or not.

She hadn't had many opportunities to test that idea, and would prefer not to; if Azula was lying to her, then things had to be going terribly. She was pretty paranoid, but if she was going to the point of lying to them, the people she was expecting to help protect her and Aang, then she must have really lost it.

The stories she'd heard about her before she even met her never had the nicest sound to them. Azula was a ruthless conqueror, hellbent on avenging her dead father, with an army of radical Fire Nation supporters. That wasn't really the case anymore, though whether it was in the first place was unclear. There were only two people she could ask about that, and one of them was probably off reading or snoozing and the other was at the North Pole.

"You don't have a reason to, do you?" she asked Azula, who had just been standing there without saying anything.

"No, not really." she shook her head, "I find lying counterproductive amongst allies... unless I intend to deceive them."

"You shouldn't try to deceive me." Toph warned her, and the Princess sounded eager upon hearing those words.

"Oh, is that a threat? I like threats." she asked her with an unsurprisingly cocky tone, and the earthbender just shrugged.

"I'm not fighting you... at least, for real." she conceded, knowing that she wouldn't mind a spar against the master firebender every once in a while, "Aang, who would win in a, let's say, friendly spar between us?" she asked her student, who made a sheepish laugh, stepping back from both of them.

"Uh... I don't know... you're both pretty strong."

"If I can stand on a wooden or metal platform, then Toph can do just about nothing to me." she argued, and the earthbender raised a brow.

"Well, yes, but if we're sparring, it's going to be in a field."

"Where you have an extreme advantage." Azula retorted, "At least have it be on top of a building or something so you can't just ensnare my feet." she requested, before humming in thought, "Though now that I think about it, I'd enjoy the challenge. It would help me prepare to face the Dai Li."

"See, now you're thinking about it." Toph snapped a finger at her, "So, do you wanna go?" she offered, and the firebender turned to face the Avatar.

"No, Aang needs to be trained... and you're probably tired from all the work. I want a fair fight." she warned her, and the earthbender shrugged, understanding her rationale.

"I can agree to that." she acknowledged her point, before turning to face the Avatar, "Well, come on, let's continue. You're not giving up yet, are you?" she asked him, and he shook his head, "Good."

Azula stepped out of the way as Aang and Toph moved to create some distance between each other, Aang putting his blindfold back on, and moving into a defensive stance. She mirrored his moves, and got into her offensive stance, before deciding on her plan of attack.

"So, what exactly are you doing here?" Azula asked, "I wasn't here when you were actually training."

"Making sure Aang can see without his eyes." Toph stressed, before throwing up a pillar in front of Aang, who leaned back to dodge it.

He then smacked the pillar to pieces with a single swipe of his hand, and stomped a foot down to put the material back into the ground below. Azula nodded, seeming to approve, and the master decided her next attack, not really caring what she thought of her training methods. If she approved, that was fine, but if she disapproved, Toph wasn't going to change a thing.

She swept her left foot around, pulling up a number of walls behind Aang, who spun around to destroy them. Before he could try that, Toph pelted a boulder his way, ripping it out of the ground and throwing it at his back. Aang seemed to notice that, reaching out his left hand, palm outstretched. The next thing she sensed aws the rubble of the boulder hitting the ground, but by the time that happened, she had already forced the walls in closer, boxing Aang in.

"What are you going to do now?" she asked her student as she readied herself to tighten the box and force him to surrender; he instead shot himself up, making a pillar spurt out beneath him and break up the walls open.

As they fell to the wayside and Aang towered above, Azula began to laugh.

"Oh, well, this is a predicament. How are you going to stop him from airbending his way out?" she asked Toph, who scoffed at her words; Aang had learned long ago that using airbending was tantamount to cheating.

"He knows not to." she assured her, before shooting up a few pillars into the air to try and get Aang to react.

He threw his hands up and must have bent some of them off their course, as they were no longer in her grasp. The crashing of rubble on the other side of the courtyard not long after told her she failed, but Toph had a much more straightforward plan, and stomped her right foot down, sending a crack through the pillar, which began to slump over to the side.

"Ack!" she heard her student cry out, and as he slipped over and fell from the pillar, Toph was surprised to see Azula step in the way and catch him with her arms; she let out a little grunt from the force of it, but quickly tossed Aang aside so she could dodge the now collapsing pillar.

The master clapped at her efforts, even if she was a little disappointed in Aang not finding a way around the drop without trying to airbend.

"Would that count as cheating?" the Princess inquired as she dusted herself off, and Toph couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh, I guess it does, but I'm more impressed by your reflexes than anything." she acknowledged, and sensed Aang had got back to his feet, climbing over the rubble to approach them.

"Uh... sorry that you had to catch me." he apologised to Azula, who didn't seem fussed in the slightest.

"Well, if Toph was right, you weren't going to airbend... so I preferred to ensure you didn't end up with a broken arm or worse." she explained her reasoning, before crossing her arms, "Now, are you going to try again, without being so bombastic?" she asked, making Toph snicker.

"Yeah, that was a bit over the top." she noted, Aang turning around to face her.

"W-wait, the pillar? I needed to escape!"

"You could have gone underground." Toph argued, and the Avatar didn't seem to approve.

"Where you could crush me?" he asked, and she sighed.

"I wouldn't do that. I'd entertain your little badger mole game, and see what came of it." she argued, and Azula sighed.

"Yes, well, I agree with Aang. He wouldn't want to go underground because you're an earthbender. It only makes sense when he's facing people who can't." she argued, "The Dai Li, for example, might just try and suffocate you."

"But they don't have seismic sense." Toph argued, and the Princess hummed in thought.

"But do you know that for certain?" she asked her, and the earthbender held her tongue.

Azula was right; she could not know for certain if members of the Dai Li had developed seismic sense. Nobody she knew had figured out the technique, but given their propensity for stealth, it actually made sense that they, of all people, would discover and abuse the technique to their advantage.

"I think we'll find out when we get there." Toph said all she could about that, and she gestured towards Aang, "So, have you had enough?"

"Uh..." he mumbled, sounding unsure of himself, "Well, I thought Azula was going to and show me how to firebend."

"I said 'we'll see', not 'I'll do it today." Azula retorted, before leaning closer, "Though, if you're really so eager, then I can try and force you to firebend."

"Force me?" he nervously questioned her words, "What do you mean force me?"

"It won't come naturally to you... you're saying you only do it accidentally, when you're in a fight." she recalled what he had already told them, "So, you'll need to be in a situation where you have to firebend to actually get a grasp of it." she explained, before scrunching her lips, "Or, try and keep a fire from spreading. That's another technique I've heard of."

"How did you start firebending?" Aang asked, and Azula seemed dumbfounded looking at them both for a few moments before raising her hands.

"Like everyone else: I could just make fire one day, and started to be taught how to use it." she explained herself, "It must have been the same with your airbending."

"I just used it by accident one day." he recalled, before looking to the ground, a telltale sign of his uneasiness; his heartbeat was elevated as well, and it had been ever since they started talking about firebending.

"So... are you gonna start pelting him with fireballs?" Toph asked, and the Princess placed her hands on her hips.

"Don't be absurd, he won't just be able to deflect them away without any training. What he needs to feel is a need for control, and then, it will come to him." she explained her idea, before snapping her fingers.

"What do I have to do?" he asked, and Toph stepped closer, feeling the dim but constant heat of a small flame; Azula stepped over to Aang, and offered out the flame.

"Take the flame, and don't let it go out. It mustn't grow too large, because that will drain your chi needlessly, nor should it go out, which would tell me your concentration is lax." she told him the potential outcomes of the test.

"But what if I get bored? This sounds boring." he admitted, and Azula just scoffed.

"It is. Once you can control the flame, it should come to you instinctually, like being able to swim."

"I can't swim." Toph blurted out, realising only after the fact that was a somewhat embarrassing thing to say; Azula turned to face her, not making a single noise to indicate amusement.

"That isn't a surprise in the slightest."

---

Sokka hated the stairs up to the Chief's palace, but didn't complain, knowing he was going there with good reason. His father was right behind him, the two of them having just finished their breakfasts, and told the others to pack their things and head to the airship. The decisions of the elders would have already been formed, so they had no reason to wait around any longer. Those from Shengchang needed to go home, and the rest needed to return to the base.

When they reached the top of the staircase, he let out a deep breath before continuing towards the doors of the palace; his father had stopped, however, forcing Sokka to turn around and ask him why.

"Dad, are you coming or what?" he asked, and Hakoda crossed his arms, looking down upon the city; it was impressive, but Sokka had seen it enough times that it didn't give him any sense of awe.

"Just looking." he admitted, "It's not every day you see a Water Tribe city."

"Well, if things go right, you'll be living in one eventually." he argued, "We'll be able to make something for our people."

"That'd be nice." he mumbled with a smile, before turning around to follow his son inside.

He paced up to the doors, where the guards were already standing duty; they saluted Sokka, which was a little awkward with his father there, but he gave a salute back out of respect.

"Don't shout so loudly at the Chief this time, alright." one of them requested, and he held back a laugh.

"Yeah, I'll try my best." he promised, before stepping through the now opened doors.

They made their way down the hallway, and through another set of doors to the Chief's throne room. Arnook wasn't actually on the throne, but rather speaking with his daughter quietly nearby it, and the two of them turned to face them.

"Ah, Chief Hakoda, Sokka." he greeted them with open arms, "It is good to see you came here so early. I was worried I'd have to send a messenger out to retrieve you."

"We know you're a busy man, Chief." Hakoda acknowledged, "The Elders have given their judgement, I assume?"

"Yes, they have." he confirmed, before gesturing to a nearby table where they could sit down, "Please, let's sit. I don't want to keep you for long, but standing around is unseemly." he suggested; all four of them sat at the table, Princess Yue giving Sokka an off glance as they did so, though he tried to ignore that.

He didn't want to make things awkward, so he decided to get straight to the point, "What's going to happen, Chief?" he asked Arnook, who scrunched his lips up before drawing out a scroll.

"I had this written up so I could give you the details." he clarified, before drawing his eyes along the document, "Firstly, the Northern Water Tribe will begin trade missions with willing Earth Kingdom settlements, and any Fire Nation settlement loyal to Fire Lord Azula. The latter will be immediately cancelled on the chance that our traders and sailors are harassed or unfairly treated by the Fire Nation authorities." he explained, and Sokka scrunched his lips up.

"That's fair." he conceded, "What about the war?"

"I have been allowed to permit fighters to go south to aid the Earth Kingdom." he clarified, "But not to intervene in your Fire Nation civil war, unless it is to defend themselves or their Earth Kingdom allies." he added, narrowing his eyes, "You can make of that what you will."

"So, they won't aid us against Ozai unless they're in danger." Hakoda realised, "What's to stop them from just helping us anyway?"

"I doubt they'll want to face reprimands when they return to the North." he argued, and Sokka raised his hands to his chin, resting it upon them.

"Hm, and what if they don't return?" he asked, Arnook raising a brow.

"Sorry, what do you mean?"

"If they go to our tribe once the fighting is done with." he suggested a possible outcome, "If they're willing to risk their lives to help fight for the Earth Kingdom's freedom, then our people would welcome them with open arms." he suggested, "At least, I would." he clarified; he was aware of those in their tribe that held great distaste for the Northerners, mostly within the warriors who he had spent time with.

Most had never met a Northerner, but that was the precise point of the matter; they had never come to the South's aid, so rightly, they despised their 'kin', as they might call themselves, for their inaction and moral culpability for their suffering. Sokka wouldn't go as far to blame them for the death of his mother and the suffering of his people, but if they had sent people south, at the very least, more would have lived, the Southern Raiders might have given up, and they might still have some waterbenders besides his sister.

He wished that it wasn't the case, but it was the truth; he hated it, because it made him feel anger that shouldn't be there. The Fire Nation were the ones responsible, the Southern Raiders especially. He couldn't kill Fire Lord Azulon, because he was already dead. He could, however, work with Azula to make sure those responsible people would be punished for their crimes.

"I heard that some of your people might hate us... in such an environment, why would they come to join your people?" Princess Yue spoke up, and Hakoda let out a sigh.

"Because they'll actually work together and become friends. That's what happens in war; bonds are forged, and if those fighters can see the honour and dignity we have, perhaps they'll see us not just as allies but as fellow countrymen." he explained, quite succinctly, what Sokka hoped would happen.

"I will admit, I am not familiar with war, or the camaraderie it brings... but I am the Chief of our people. I want what is best for us all... if they choose to go South, and aid your people, that would be for the betterment of us all."

"As long as you aren't imposing your customs or government, I think everyone will get along." Sokka gave his thoughts, "Speaking of which, I'd like to make an offer."

"What kind of offer?" Arnook asked, and Sokka smiled.

"Well, I know you all hate teaching girls how to fight, but my sister, she's already pretty good at it. If there are women in your tribe that want to learn how to use their waterbending for things besides healing, suggest they come and join my people. I'm sure Katara would love to share what's she's learnt."

"You realise I cannot openly endorse that." Arnook warned him, and Princess Yue raised a hand.

"I can." she argued, "I cannot waterbend, but I can sympathise with the issues your sister and others might hold with our traditions concerning bending." she gave her own opinion, making the young warrior smile; he appreciated when he got his point across to at least one important person, "There should be an announcement. If not now, then when the fighting is done with and it is safe to migrate to the South Pole."

Her father's face paled, and he turned his eyes away, "Yue, I- I know you mean well, but the Elders will never accept such a thing."

"I am allowed to speak, am I not?" she questioned him, "If they are allowed to leave, then they should at least know of the opportunity. If Katara is really willing to teach, then those students shouldn't be denied... as she was."

"That was not-" he began, only to be cut off by his daughter, whose glare was surprisingly harsh; he hadn't realised at the time, but she'd obviously been frustrated about the whole situation with Katara's inability to learn since they first arrived at the North Pole, and now she had the chance to make those feelings clear.

"It was rude and disrespectful of our kin in the South. They have suffered for generations, and yet, you let Master Pakku have his way. If you had a spine, you would have had him removed from his position as head waterbending master, and replaced him with somebody who would have taught her." she argued her case for what should have happened; Arnook seemed pained to hear her words, and looked ready to get up and leave the room.

"Chief Arnook." Hakoda addressed him, "Please, don't try and save face here. I've had more than a few conversations like this with my own children." he admitted, before turning his gaze to Yue, "Thank you, Princess. It is kind of you to consider Sokka's proposal." he acknowledged her words, before turning his gaze back to the Chief, "But Chief, we did not mean to offend."

"I understand that." Arnook acknowledged, before his eyes narrowed, "But, I cannot allow you to undermine me, Daughter."

"I would not do it in any official capacity." she argued, "And you can't stop me." she declared, "I want what is best for my people, just as you do."

The Chief remained silent for a few moments, before sighing, "You will do what you will do."

"So, was that all that you needed to say?" Sokka asked him, and he nodded.

"Yes, you may go now." he directed them, before raising a hand to his beard, "Yesterday you asked for the release of the prisoners and the ship that crashed into the walls. That ship is being taken out of the drydocks as we speak. We made some minor repairs to make sure it wouldn't sink as soon as it return into the water." he explained, and Sokka smiled.

"Thank you. I'll make sure anyone who betrayed Azula is dealt with and can't threaten the North again." he promised, before rising back to his feet, "So what about the fighters you are permitting to join us?"

"I already informed Pakku. He's gathering them as we speak." he clarified, and Hakoda stood up.

"Well then, we better go and speak to them." he decided, Sokka nodding and turning back to the Chief.

"Thank you, Chief Arnook. We will not make a waste of their strengths." he assured him, and the Chief just sighed.

"I wish that it were not necessary, but you were right to warn us about the war. With or without Fire Lord Azula's intervention, the Admiral would have come for our spirits." he conceded, "They will try again, even if not with that plan in mind. So, if I do nothing, I might be in the same position the Earth King must have found himself during Sozin's Comet."

"Not that the Earth King had any power to begin with." Sokka added, feeling that the difference was quite important; unlike Arnook, who had the power and knowledge to act, the Earth King was probably left unawares until the Fire Nation forces breached his palace. "You don't have that same excuse."

"The Council of Elders holds sway over much of the decision making, but usually, I am dealing with bureaucratic matters or local disputes... the kinds of things I was expected to deal with. Not a war." he acknowledged, "My ancestors led our nation to great heights... and I am disappointed how far we have fallen. The South is in ruins, we are isolated, and the Fire Nation threatens us with absolute destruction. I do not want to fight, for the sake of those who might suffer, but... it is true. We are not as safe as we would like to be."

"It isn't your fault." Hakoda assured him, "You've been waiting for the Fire Nation to attack... we were doing the same thing in my tribe, but we never took the initiative until we decided to go aid the Earth Kingdom in their last hours"

"I know it is not my fault." he acknowledged, "I am just... This is not what I wanted for our people. I was blissfully unaware before your children arrived and unveiled the truth of your people's suffering to me."

Sokka turned his eyes away, "Well, you don't need to worry about that any more. We're going to end this." he assured him, and turned his heels, "Thank you for your hospitality, but we have to get going. We have people waiting for us back in the Earth Kingdom." he stressed the urgency of their departure, and Arnook nodded.

"I understand." he replied, before gesturing to the doors, "Please, don't wait on ceremony. I know you need to speak with those fighters willing to join you in the Earth Kingdom, so please, go."

Hakoda bowed to the Chief, "Thank you, Chief. I will try to keep your people safe... as I expect in return." he acknowledged, and Arnook nodded.

"I will do what I can to aid the South, and find those willing to help. You have my word."

"Getting rid of the Southern Raiders would be a nice start, but that is probably beyond your power." Sokka conceded, which seemed to confuse Princess Yue.

"The Southern Raiders?"

"The people responsible for the destruction of our tribe, and the kidnapping of our waterbenders." Hakoda answered her question, "On the honour of my ancestors and all that have died at their hands, we have promised to destroy them." he added, and Sokka nodded curtly, agreeing with the sentiment.

"Soon enough." he simply said all that needed to be said, and strode down to the entrance of the throne room, pacing through the doors as he raised a hand to wave farewell to the Chief and the Princess.

His father quickly followed after, and caught up to him by the time they reached the main entrance, the guards opening the doors for them again.

"Everything went well?" one asked him, and he nodded.

"Fine. We got what we wanted." he acknowledged, and continued down the stairs.

It took a while for them to descend down to the canals, and Sokka and his father remained silent throughout the walk. They were both moving as fast as they could without running, but slowed as they reached the end of the stairs, where a canoe was waiting for them, with two warriors sitting on either end.

"Sokka, Chief Hakoda." one of them addressed the pair, "Are you ready to depart?"

"Yes, to the outer walls. We have a gathering to join." Hakoda clarified, and the two warriors looked at each other with confused expressions.

"A gathering?"

"Fighters who are willing to join us in liberating the Earth Kingdom." Sokka clarified, and they looked surprised.

"Oh, I heard a rumour about that back in the barracks earlier in the day. I didn't think it was actually true." the other warrior commented, before gesturing for them to get aboard, "Well, we best get moving at once. If this meeting is going on now, you won't want to miss it."

"Yep, that's why we got here so fast." Sokka confirmed as he climbed aboard.

"That is understandable." the first warrior added, before beginning to paddle, as soon as Hakoda had settled his buttocks into the canoe.

"This city is truly impressive." he commented as they moved around and under an arch bridge, which was ornate and beautiful, but made of ice; it was an odd contrast to the simple and practical architecture at the South Pole.

"It is beautiful... at least compared to the village I came from." one of the warriors acknowledged, "You don't have anything like this in the South, do you?"

"Nothing of the sort." he confirmed, sounding saddened by it; Sokka was just hopeful that one day, they could have their own city, and he knew that with the work they were doing, it was actually possible.

For once, he was thinking more on the future of his own people, and not about Azula or some issues in the Earth Kingdom. That was a nice change, but it made him realise how much he cared about her cause; he didn't like the Fire Nation, to the contrary, he actively disliked them. However, that didn't mean that he didn't want to help build them into a better nation, a better place for people to live without a war constantly on their minds. Azula was the reason for that; if she could change her mind and see the wrongs of her people, then anybody could. He was even willing to admit that her own father might be included in that 'anybody', even if he was doubtful that it would be worth it.

He knew that just like how she could change, and the rest of the world could see another way, the constant state of misery and hardship his people endured could finally end. It would take time, effort, and hard work on the part of himself and every other person in his tribe, but he knew it was possible. It had to be, because if it wasn't, then he couldn't see a reason to do anything he had since he left the South Pole. If they were doomed to be stuck the way they had been since the Southern Raiders started ravaging their lands, then he couldn't justify helping Azula take her throne, or making sure Aang mastered the elements. None of it would matter, and he knew that to be true.

"We need to make sure all of this is worth it, Dad." he addressed the matter that was on his mind; he turned around, waiting for his father to respond.

Hakoda seemed deep in thought, and understood the implicit topic, "Our tribe is good at making friends. I think we've made enough to make it worth it." he assured him, "I know it doesn't seem like anything's happening yet, but if these fighters really do want to come aid our tribe, then we'll have all the help we need."

"Mostly the waterbenders." he admitted, "We have enough mouths to feed as is."

"I know, but every waterbender will be as helpful as a dozen polar bear dogs pulling our sleighs." he argued, "It'll be a lot easier to get things done when everything's made of ice and they can make it into something useful. Then, the warriors can do the rest of the work. You've always wanted to make tools, things to help us live easier... well, that'll be easier if we have more people to work on it."

"I'd like that." Sokka admitted, imagining his own expansive workshop within the confines of their own village, where he and other like minded Water Tribesmen could think up and build contraptions to help improve their lives.

He could imagine self-propelled sleds, steam ships to move food and other supplies between villages, new ways of weaving fabrics and other materials so that they could have cheaper access to the finer things of life- nice clothes, furniture, utensils, and bedding. That new world was just out of his grasp; all he needed was the resources and manpower to make it possible. The North might just be able to provide both, but he knew that he could always rely on Azula and her debt to the South. That was assuming she had some authority over her nation to make that possible, which even at that very moment was questionable; a few colonies were entertaining the idea of joining her side, former supporters of Zuko, while the rest of the Fire Nation was apparently firmly under Ozai's rule.

As they sailed closer to the innermost walls of the city, Sokka's eyes turned up towards the battlements, where he could see some waterbenders standing duty; they raised their hands up, bending the icy walls apart, allowing the canoe to move through a narrow gap. Once they were out of the walls, Sokka could see the airship laying off in the distance, as well as the group of fighters that Pakku was assembling. Many were still filing out through various gates by foot, but most were standing around in the icy field, chatting amongst themselves or simply waiting. When their canoe came to a halt, Sokka leapt out and made sure to clean any snow off his parka that he found.

He turned to his father, who climbed out after him, and had his eyes set on Pakku, who was elevated above the rest of the fighters on a small podium. The old man seemed to have spotted them, and hailed them down. The fighters noticed them as well, creating a parting in the crowd, allowing the pair to make their way straight for the podium. They whispered amongst themselves about them, but Sokka paid them no mind, and when he reached the podium, he stepped up to Pakku's side.

"Pakku." he addressed him, "Thank you for bringing everyone here."

"Well, I am a man of my word." he assured him, before gesturing for him to climb up.

Sokka did so, soon followed by his father, who remained behind him as he eyed out the crowd. He didn't have a speech prepared, so he just had to think of something to talk about on the spot. He'd talked about their plans in the Earth Kingdom enough times that it came quite naturally to his mind, though whether the words would come out as easy was the same question.

"Um, good day, everyone." he addressed the crowd, "You might already know who I am, but if you don't, let me introduce myself." he gestured to his sternum, before drawing out his boomerang, "My name is Sokka, and I am from the Southern Water Tribe. I fought the Fire Nation for a year with my father in the Earth Kingdom, and after a series of unexpected events, I found myself working for the Crown Princess of the Fire Nation. Then I knocked the lights out of the new Fire Lord with this weapon right here." he declared, knowing that people had heard about it, and would subsequently connect the dots, "Now, we're going to liberate the Earth Kingdom from the warlords and bandits that rule it now."

He let himself pause for a few moments, both to catch his breath, and put away his boomerang; the crowd seemed to actually be listening to him, despite his youth; that relieved him, so he continued.

"You're probably wondering how and why we're doing that, so I'll try and make it short. The Earth Kingdom might have fallen when Ba Sing Se did during Sozin's Comet, but people never gave up fighting the Fire Nation. We have been gathering those people together, so that they can coordinate efforts to reunite the Earth Kingdom." he explained what they were doing, "King Bumi of Omashu was the first to join our cause, and many rebels, either fighting against the Fire Nation or freed from imprisonment by my father, have now come to our side."

"Ba Sing Se." he heard his father whisper behind him, and he almost laughed.

"I'm getting to it." he whispered back, before turning his gaze back ahead, "Anyways, we're planning to converge on Ba Sing Se with as many rebel forces as we can gather, and bring down the regime of the Dai Li, who have ruled the city since they took it from Fire Nation forces a few months ago. You might not know of them here, but they are an oppressive police force and bureaucracy that has effectively ruled the city for centuries, ever since they were created by Avatar Kyoshi." he explained what was going on in the city, which the Northerners, given their isolation, might not have been aware of.

"You're all here because you're interested in helping the world, and trust me, we will." he declared, before clenching a fist, and raising it into the air, "We are not fighting to reinstate the Earth King, or the Council of Five. We are going to establish a new government- no more kings, no more Dai Li, no more rule by those who have no respect for the people." he explained with a growing smirk, and the crowd seemed enticed, "In the Water Tribes, we have long had respect for our elders and those who have the wisdom to rule, while the other nations have squandered themselves with ideas like birthright. Not anymore!" he added, which further riled up the crowd, who raised their fists into the air as he had.

"Only those with wisdom and the respect of the people should rule. This corruption has gone on for long enough, and the people of the Earth Kingdom need to see that there is another way." his father spoke up, standing up from behind him, "So, will you join us?!" he called out, and they all cheered out; there were many things said, but the one thing Sokka could clearly make out was 'yes'.

"The new Earth Nation will rise up, and will be able to draw more people to our cause against our true enemy, Fire Lord Ozai. He is responsible for atrocities untold and the continuation of the war that has caused the world so much pain." Sokka declared, raising his index finger up, "I do not ask you to fight him, but know this, once he is dead, Azula will claim her rightful place as Fire Lord and leader of her people, from where she can help the Four Nations rebuild and prosper... including your tribe, and mine. So, let us do this together, and make sure that there is a future beyond this stupid war. Let's end it!"

The crowd seemed to approve, and they raised their fists again, Sokka letting himself grin as he soaked in all the support. He felt glorious in that very moment, and wanted it to last forever. He stepped back, and let his father take the podium.

"Now, I don't expect you all to care as much about what I have to say as you do about the war, but it needs to be said." he prefaced himself, the cheers dying down, silence falling upon the crowd as they awaited what Hakoda had to say, "I am Chief Hakoda, the leader of the warriors from the Southern Water Tribe. Myself and some other village chiefs have been working together to fight the Fire Nation for a few years now, and appreciate the help you're willing to provide to us, but we need more than that." he explained, letting silence follow for a few moments, letting the words sink in; the crowd seemed attentive, and he continued.

"The Fire Nation has devastated the Southern Water Tribe. I don't even know what it was like before then, as it had already happened by the time I was born." he acknowledged, "Generations have lived under the oppression of their constant attacks, fearing every time a waterbender was born among our people that they would be whisked away by our enemies, as they had to every last one of them before I was born." he explained what they had experienced, and that seemed to rile up the crowd, "I do not blame your tribe for not aiding us, as the Fire Nation controls the seas, and has since the start of the war. It may as well have been a suicide mission... but now, there is a chance."

The crowd looked enticed, and after a few more moments of pause, Hakoda raised a hand up towards the crowd of fighters, "You can come with us, and help us rebuild the South. I am not demanding you do so, it is your choice, but every pair of hands will be appreciated. I see what you've built here, and only wish that the future generations of my people can experience something similar." he told them of his aspirations, which Sokka shared, "I admit I do not trust everyone's intentions. There are many wealthy nobles and clans in your tribe that would rather buy up our land and make our people serve their narrow interests... I know this, because it is how things work in the other nations... but we are not any other nation, we are the Water Tribes!"

The cheers were even louder than before, and Hakoda raised both hands up, "So, if you're willing to risk your lives for a people you don't know, then I can trust any of you to come and join my people. There might be tension, but fighting side by side will prove to both sides that we can work together. If you come, the South will accept you with open arms." he assured them, "Who is with me?"

The cheers got louder, and broke into applause, the cries and shouts almost deafening; Sokka stepped forward, and raised his fist up, "For the future!"

And with that, they shouted it back at him, and raised their own fists up; finally, they were actually getting somewhere, and with people that seemed to have the right intentions. He knew what it took to fight, and those who might have otherwise lived comfortable, safe lives in the North, deciding to risk it all for the greater good, were the people he wanted joining his tribe, to make it stronger than it had ever been.

Sokka turned around to face Master Pakku, who was clapping in approval, and as the cheers died down, he addressed them, "I am pleased that you were able to persuade them even better than I could." he acknowledged, "It seems that the kinship between our peoples is yet to perish."

"No, it hasn't." Hakoda acknowledged, "My mother might have fled this place, but at the very least, there are people who seem to agree with her mindset here." he acknowledged, "There is a world out there, and we can make a difference."

"Yes, yes we can." Pakku agreed, and turned his eyes toward Sokka, "I apologise for ever doubting you."

"What, did you just think I was some opportunistic race-traitor?" he asked him, and Pakku seemed a little embarrassed; the young warrior leaned forward and smirked, "Well, you'd be right. The difference is, I only want to better my people. That's what makes me different from some mere lackey."

"I'm surprised you said that." his father admitted awkwardly as he stepped away from the podium.

Ken and Geng were standing waiting for them to come to the airship, standing side by side, surrounded by understandably suspicious Water Tribe warriors.

"The kid doesn't know when to shut up." Ken argued, before gesturing to the airship that lay behind them, "So, are we going, or what?"

"There's nothing else keeping us waiting." Sokka agreed to the proposition, "Arnook's letting the battleship return to us... though I assume it'll take time to sort the prisoners out."

"Well, at least there's that to improve her majesty's mood." Geng mumbled, "What about the trade deal?"

"They're holding a tight leash, but they'll come south to make some deals." he added, "It's as good as we could have hoped for."

"And these men joined our cause. I'd say we're due for some celebrations." Hakoda acknowledged, making his son laugh.

"Ah, let's just wait 'til we get back to the base." he decided, "I don't want to get intoxicated on that thing." he gestured to the airship, before beginning to pace towards it; before he set off properly, he turned back around to face Pakku, "Make sure you get everyone sailing to the base in the next few days. That's all you'll have before we leave for the east. You're welcome to follow."

"I understand." he nodded, "Should I be the one to inform General Iroh of this development, or will you?"

"Feel free. We don't have the messenger hawk to spare." he allowed it, knowing he would probably do it anyway, though he could just as easily inform him, knowing that the rest of the colonies would certainly benefit from trade with the North, and that might ease their acceptance of Azula's rule.

He imagined the colonials would prefer her, if only due to the reception they'd received in Shengchang, but the entrenched elites might prefer neutrality or outright supporting Ozai so he maintained the status quo of inequality and Fire Nation rule over the Earth Kingdom and all their resources. Iroh might be able to sway more over to their side, given his own fame and respect throughout the Fire Nation.

"So then... we're going." his father realised, before glancing back towards the city, "This place was all I had imagined." he acknowledged with a look of awe, "I guess we might not come back here for a while... if ever."

"I mean, we'll need to have some diplomacy once the war's over. Even if we won't accept their authority, we still could use each other's help." he suggested, before pacing towards the airship; the delegates were standing outside, waiting for them, wearing thick parkas to help them tolerate the cold.

Once they got to the entrance, they eyed up Sokka and his father; Mister Takumi was the first to speak, unsurprisingly.

"So, has everything gone as you intended?" he asked, and Sokka nodded.

"Trade between the North, Earth Kingdom, and the colonies should be able to go ahead now." he acknowledged the outcome that concerned them, "I am sure that this will provide you with some more markets to sell to." he noted, and the industrialist smiled, before nodding.

"Yes, it will." he confirmed, "Well then, there's no point standing out here in the cold. Are we heading back to Shengchang now?"

"Well, we have to stop off at the base first. You'll be flown back to the city before the airship circles back to the base. Don't worry, the trip won't be as crazy as the last one." he assured them, and Kibo snickered.

"We might get attacked again." she warned, and Sokka smirked.

"And we got more bombs when we went to the base. I'm not worried about that... I'm more worried about what'd be going on below." he admitted his feelings, before climbing up the ladder and through the door, "Let's get moving." he directed them; everyone filed on inside, Sokka pacing his way back into the bridge, where the pilots were sitting, hands covered by fur gloves as they braced the cold.

"Even with the bloody engine on it's still cold as crap in here." one of them mumbled, "Are we good to go, sir?" he asked, and Sokka nodded, before he noticed something odd off in the distance; it was a Fire Nation man, wearing a parka, being shoved along by some warriors.

"Who is that?" he asked, glancing over at the pilots, "Do you recognise him?"

"That's- oh, crap." one of them mumbled, turning to face Sokka, "That's War Minister Qin."

"You mean the guy who got these designs in the first place?" he asked, both pilots nodding, "Huh, I guess he is probably one of the more important prisoners."

The warriors escorted him to the door, and he climbed up inside, pulling his gloves off as he glanced around, "By the spirits, I'm finally back among-" he began, glancing around the bridge with a confused face, eyeing the pilots, Hakoda, the unarmoured guards, and finally Sokka, "Wait, where is the Fire Lord?"

"Azula isn't here." he clarified, "But, we'll be heading back to the base in just a minute." he assured him, the man's expression shifting to one of relief.

"Wait, who are you, exactly?" he asked, gesturing to Sokka, "And you." he pointed over to Hakoda, "I thought her majesty abandoned the Water Tribes."

"No, that was a lie." Sokka corrected him, "She was trying to lull the Admiral into a sense of security... it seems it didn't work." he noted, and Qin's face shifted to one of confusion.

"Sorry, what?" he asked, "I knew that the Admiral had betrayed her majesty, but I didn't realise she was trying to play him as well." he explained what he knew, before grimacing, "Oh spirits, what did I do?"

"Well, don't worry, this technology is being put to good use." he assured him, "Now we're going to liberate the rest of the Earth Kingdom, and bring peace to the Four Nations."

His face paled, and he sat himself down on one of the free seats usually occupied by an observer on the bridge, such as Sokka himself, "By the spirits..." he gasped, "What is going on? They didn't tell me anything while I was in that wretched prison of ice and snow."

"Zuko is supposedly dead, Ozai controls the capital and half of the military, and the rest is either supporting Azula or used to support Zuko." he explained what had happened since he found himself captured by the Northern Water Tribe.

"So... what you're telling me is that I am now on the losing side of a civil war?" he asked him, and Sokka scoffed.

"What, you weren't already?" he asked, and Qin's already broken expression just soured further.

"At least... at least I have this thing." he mumbled to himself, placing a hand on the window beside him.

"Is everyone aboard?" a pilot called out, and after hearing a few affirmative responses, he gave his comrade a thumbs up; levers were pulled, and the engines hummed behind them.

As they began to rise into the air, Sokka stepped closer to War Minister Qin, "We aren't the losing side, I assure you. At least not yet. We've repelled multiple attacks towards the base, and seized the city of Shengchang."

"That is a start." he mumbled, "That will be not nearly enough industrial capacity to build up a fleet of these."

"The shipyards of Yingang are being retrofitted to construct more airships, and armaments are being manufactured in Shengchang. I assume the other colonies will start helping the war effort once we've secured control over them." he acknowledged, and Qin nodded.

"That might be enough." he acknowledged, "Spies will likely try to steal the technology... or already have." he warned him, and Sokka's glare hardened.

"I understand that." he assured him, "But already have airships in development, by the time they can replicate the technology, it'll be too late."

"We must hope so." he mumbled, and the Water Tribesman decided to ask him something else, knowing Qin got the designs from somebody else, "You got these designs from somebody else... the Mechanist, that's what he's called, right?"

"Yes, he was a useful piece in my works." he acknowledged, "Unfortunately his little community was mixed up in this conflict. Zhao had them expelled months ago from the Air Temple."

"Do you know where he is now?" he asked, and Qin chuckled, rubbing his hands together as he looked out the window, watching the city fall away towards the horizon.

"I believe he escaped the place. I imagine he's found somebody else to pay for his work, assuming he wasn't just killed by some bandits. The mountains are a rough and unforgiving place." he warned, and Sokka sighed.

"Well, I'd like to bring him into the fold." he admitted, "I admire the work he's already provided us, and I imagine there's much more where it came from." he added, gesturing to his forehead; in the mind of the Mechanist, there'd be far more designs that could help their war effort.

"I doubt he would be willing to serve us after what happened at the Air Temple." he warned him, and Hakoda scoffed.

"He didn't mean the Fire Nation... he meant the Earth Kingdom." he retorted, Qin's eyes widening.

"Who exactly do you serve?" he asked Sokka, who crossed his arms.

"My people, and the greater good. That involves defeating Fire Lord Ozai, and that will be impossible without the help of the Earth Kingdom." he explained himself, "The Mechanist was forced to serve your nation, but I think he might be willing to serve his own, especially if they can provide him with all the resources he'll need to make new machines to destroy those he's already made for them. I imagine that explosive-tossing, mechanised catapult was his idea."

"Oh, that one." Qin's eyes widened, "You didn't... uh, face it battle, did you?"

"Not me personally. The Avatar had to go all out just to destroy that one." he acknowledged, Qin's eyes widening with awe.

"Well, it seems that design wasn't a dud after all. I thought he was just trying to appease us with his lack of progress with the flying craft." he spoke his mind, "Perhaps we will still have a chance."

"You're already saying 'we'. I thought you might have been in on Zhao's plan." he conceded, and the War Minister cringed.

"I believe he thought I'd run my mouth... I happen to reveal things when under pressure." he admitted with an ashamed look, "I never intended to betray Fire Lord Azula... she was the only one to take my ideas and plans seriously."

"Well, that's where respect gets you." he noted, before leaning closer, "Now, let me give you a bit of advice: we aren't your servants, or Azula's lackeys, so don't think you can make us do everything you want. Respect goes a long way, as I said." he warned him, his dark tone seeming to make the right impression on the clearly terrified man, "So, do you understand?"

"You are crystal clear, sir." he nodded eagerly, and Sokka waved a finger in front of him; he was looking for respect, but not that much bootlicking.

"Sokka, my name's Sokka."

---

As sweat dripped down her forehead, Azula kept her mind focused on the fight and not on the growing exhaustion she was experiencing. Her guards had not lost their edge at all, and were proving more than capable of keeping up with her. Usually she'd train with other sparring partners against them, such as Ty Lee or Sokka, which made it a little easier with the aid of their chi-blocking and extra hands. However, she was by her lonesome, as she would expect to be if assassins ever went after her; if she could not at least stand against her Imperial Firebenders, she'd be rightly justified to fear for her own safety. If a full-blown naval assault would not work, nor two armies marching on her position, then assassins were naturally the next choice for her father to use.

So, she put in her all, not trying to even hold back for a second. The only thing different between the spar and an actual assassination attempt is that she would try to kill her pursuers immediately rather than letting herself get worn down. Because of that, Azula knew she would eventually lose, no matter her superior skills and strength when compared to any guard individually.

Azula weaved out of the way of another fire stream, and returned the favour, shooting out one from her right heel as she kicked her leg out in the direction of the attacker; he was blasted in the chest and thrown to the ground, but she had no moment of reprieve. Another guard lunged at her with a flurry of fireballs, forcing her to bend the fireballs herself, parting them to either side, the stray ones hitting a few of the other guards that were closing in.

She grit her teeth as she hardened her stance, waiting for him to get close enough, before she tripped him over by sliding her right foot in front of his left, before shooting a fire blast point blank into the back of his neck. He slammed down onto the gravel below, letting out a groan; there was a reason they were wearing armour, after all.

The next guard came in with a sweeping kick, the flames licking her robes, which were luckily fire-proof. That didn't mean that the heat itself didn't hurt her skin below, and she quickly moved to dodge the next attack, a fire stream aimed for her chest; she somersaulted forward, threw her right hand up and shot a charged bolt of blue fire right into his helmet.

That forced him back for a moment, which was all she needed. Azula only had to kick him in the shin, force him to one knee, and then send him to the ground by chopping him in the neck. She didn't even need her firebending to do it, though she quickly bent away any stray flames that surrounded her, before gesturing for her guards to continue the fight.

"Come on." she demanded, before swinging her hands around as she rotated her torso, bending up flames all around herself; three guards leapt through in time, while the rest had to try and contest with her flames.

The downed guards surrounding her tried their best to scamper away, not wanting to be caught up in what would follow even if they were meant to be playing dead. She spun her hands around, and bent the walls of fire inward, swamping them as they tried to hit her. When the flames inevitably came out of their hands to hit her, she dropped low, dodging the blasts, which hit the guards in their helmets as they were forced closer by the walls that drew inward.

She dispersed those flames so as to not endanger herself with the heat rising, before she kicked one of her guards in the side with a flame-covered foot. He stumbled back, but another lunged at her, shooting a fireball square into her forehead. The strike was sudden enough that she was dazed, if only for a moment, but recovered by somersaulting backwards and shooting up a narrow fire stream at that guard, who was blinded by the burst of flames.

He held his ground, while another made a sweeping kick at her while she was low; his flames burst up right in front of her, but she just bent them back his way, shooting a fireball into his gut. He didn't seem fazed, and shot his own fireball right into her face. She was just able to catch it with her open palm, squatting it before letting out a fire stream from her mouth. The flames coursed out and upward, startling him. Another guard must have realised she was vulnerable, and lunged at her, grabbing the Princess' arms, and holding her in a lock.

She scoffed, and elbowed him right in the solar plexus; he wheezed, and she was able to turn his grip around so he fell in front of the other guard, whose flames hit his comrade instead of Azula. He fell down to the ground, and the guard who missed didn't lose his focus, shooting a flurry of fireballs her way. She spun her hands around, dispersing the flames, before spinning round, shooting a firestream from one of her soles, having heard another guard trying to rush at her. He had flame daggers coming out of his fists as he lunged at her, only to find his momentum broken by her counter.

She weaved out of the way of his flame daggers, but he swung his hands around, almost setting her hair alight. She was lucky she had it pulled back, as she leaned out of the way of the flaming daggers. She was thinking of a counter when she felt her feet swept from underneath her, falling to her knees before a fire blast struck her in the side. She rolled herself over, shooting out a fireball from one of her soles, striking her attacker. She usually didn't recognise the guards in such a frantic fight, but realised it was Captain Renshu; he was the first one to actually get her to the ground so far.

He shot out a flurry of fireballs at her, and Azula was forced to spin around so he didn't hit her right in the face, holding her forearms above her head to block most of the hits. However, she was still a little disoriented after falling over, and could see a few guards rushing at her again. Their fireballs, and Renshu's at the same time, that was a little too much to handle, and she grit her teeth, rising up and spinning every flame she could grasp around her, turning them into a flaming tornado, which she dispersed after a few moments.

"I believe that was a sufficient show of your skills, men." she commended their efforts, and those that remained standing bowed to her in respect.

"Have you had enough, your majesty?" Renshu asked her, and she nodded.

"Well, I believe I was about to lose... I was expending too much chi just to hold you all off." she acknowledged the position she had found herself in, "If any assassins are close to you in strength... we might have an issue. I need to work on my endurance and dodging." she noted where she could improve.

"I'm sure Lady Ty Lee could help with that." he noted, and she agreed wholeheartedly.

"Precisely. I'll have her instruct me in some acrobatics training when she can spare the time." she decided, and he chuckled to himself.

"She doesn't really have all that much to do." he gave his opinion, which is not far from the truth.

Though Azula always made sure Ty Lee had some kind of task to do on any given day, unlike Aang, Katara, and Toph, who could all work on training him to master the elements, she had little to do other than aid Azula with her own work. Azula turned her gaze back towards the doors, knowing she ought to go wash up; unlike in the palace, she had to go all the way to her room, as there were no washrooms allocated for her training space. That was not a surprise, given that she was in a military base, not a palace. She imagined that if they ended up spending time in the Earth King's Palace again, she'd enjoy the access to all the facilities that existed there.

"I'm going to wash up. You can all do the same and then take up your stations." she ordered them, and they bowed, Azula turning her heels to head inside.

When she got to the doors, the guard stationed there saluted here, and she simply nodded before pushing the doors open; inside there were a few fighters speaking among themselves, leaders from the Earth Kingdom rebel groups, and they noticed her entrance. She raised a hand to greet them, and they did the same back. She didn't have anything to update them on, so she continued on her way towards the door that led to her quarters. Opening that door, she almost ran right into Ty Lee, who must have been going off to do something.

"Oh... did you just finish sparring, Zula?" she asked her, and she nodded.

"Yes, I did. You missed out, if you were wanting to participate." she acknowledged, and she shrugged her shoulders.

"You train all the time. If I want to spar, I'll spar." she assured her, before glancing past her, "I was going to go have lunch. Did you want me to wait for you?"

"No, go ahead. I'm going to wash up." she refused, and Ty Lee nodded, before stepping past her through the doorway.

"I'll see you later. Maybe we could write that letter you said you wanted to send to your uncle."

"I don't need your help writing the letter." she assured her, and her friend pouted.

"Well, I still want to participate. I want to make sure it's a nice letter... and know what you're going to do." she added, "I care about the future of the Fire Nation."

"And about if he has any more details on Mai and Zuko." Azula noted something else she was concerned about, and Ty Lee tilted her head.

"Y-yeah... that too. We haven't got any real info on that other than the propaganda your dad sent out, have we?"

"No, we haven't." she conceded, "Hopefully my uncle will be frank with us about what he knows." she spoke her mind, before pacing down the hallway, "We can talk about this later."

Azula got to her room in no time, closed the door, and quickly made her way over to her closet; she pulled her boots off, and sat them to the side, before taking off the armour pieces on her torso. After training with all her armour on, she was drenched in sweat and quite exhausted. She knew a quick wash would deal with that, and then she could get into her usual robes and head back out.

She would probably eat before considering writing that letter, and then probably send a letter to the North Pole, knowing that Sokka was in the throes of his diplomatic mission. She needed to tell him how things were going, and send him more personal messages. She missed him, and hoped that he felt the same; it was strange spending time apart as they had, given they had been stuck together since she herself reached the North Pole. It was only because of the diplomatic mission that they had parted sides, and she was waiting for the moment when that would end.

She didn't need him around all the time, but his counsel and assuring presence would help when they had to deal with the rebels. She was intending to send out messages to any nearby groups that were known to her men, and hoped that she could get them to talk with her, and cooperate on her plans concerning Ba Sing Se, just as she had been able to do with Jianren. She wasn't that optimistic that they'd just work with her, but she hoped that her coalition of rebels from around the western Earth Kingdom might be able to get them on side.

She paced over to the bathroom, and quickly dispensed of her robes; she had no desire to spend another moment in those sweat laden rags. With them off, she turned the shower on, and quickly got in, and started the task of scrubbing herself clean of sweat and dirt. She had already cleaned herself that morning, though without a shower, mostly to make sure she was clean and proper for her first meeting with the officers present at the base. Most of her subordinates were out at sea or in Shengchang, meaning that it was a quick meeting with few people, but there were messages to read out from those who weren't present.

The process was quite relaxing, and she allowed herself to sit down in the running water, sparking a flame in her palm to heat the water even more and create some steam. That helped her wash her face a little easier with a hot cloth, before she ran some soap through her hair. She was just done with that when she heard the door of her room open; she was about to chide Ty Lee for coming inside, knowing that she should have just gone to lunch without her, but she held her tongue, deciding to instead finish washing herself.

Once she had got rid of the soap, she turned the valves of the shower, stopping the flow of water, before she grabbed a towel and wrapped her hair in it, and then another to wrap her body, "Ty Lee, for spirit's sake, do you know any decency?" she asked her, and heard a voice she hadn't been expecting.

"Do you expect decency from a savage?" Sokka asked her; it was him, she was sure of it, despite not seeing his face.

"Of course you had to get here while I was in the shower." she grumbled, crossing her arms as she opened the door, revealing the Water Tribesman, who was standing before him in his usual tunic, though he had long-sleeves on instead of the sleeveless style he preferred when outside of the poles.

He had an eager smirk on his lips, "I'm more disappointed I didn't get here just a little earlier." he admitted, before stepping closer to her; she could tell he was ogling her body, his eyes quickly darting up and down her frame.

She was just relieved she had made sure to wrap the towel around her torso, but part of her wished she hadn't; she banished that thought from her mind, and let herself step closer to him, their faces only a hand's width apart.

"I'm sure Katara is going to be offended that you ran straight to my room." she warned him, knowing that if she hadn't heard his voice out in the hallway, he hadn't spoken with anyone else yet; he shrugged his shoulders.

"She knows I'll say hi when I have the chance." he countered, and Azula scoffed.

"What, are you busy right now?" she asked him, guessing what he might say in response; his eyes darted up and down once more before he put his hands out, with a bemused look in his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm busy." he confirmed, before leaning his head in closer, "So, are you gonna kiss me, or what?" he prodded her, and Azula rolled her eyes before grabbing him by the scruff of his neck, pulling his head down so she could kiss him.

The embrace was short, but impassioned; she had missed him more than she would like to admit, and was relieved to know he was going to be by her side once again. He put his hands over her towel-covered hair, and pulled it free, letting her wet tresses fall down free over her head. Although Azula felt like chiding him, she was too caught up in the moment. When their lips broke apart, she could see that he was smiling stupidly, as he liked to; she realised she was smiling too, but didn't break it, knowing that at least for that moment, she deserved to be able to express her feelings. No guards, no Ty Lee, nobody to watch them and make all the comments they would make.

"You're seeming chirpier than usual." he observed, "What, did I really just improve your mood that much?"

"My attachment to you is a curse at times, savage." she admitted, before hugging him tightly.

He hugged her back, a little more softly than she had, but she wouldn't hold it against him; he was probably afraid he'd untie her towel and leave her standing there as bare as the day she was born. She certainly was concerned about that, but it didn't stop her from embracing him.

"All this aggressive affection has... uh..." Sokka began, and snickered to himself; she knew what he might have said, and preferred if he didn't.

"I just had a shower. I don't want to have another." she warned him, before breaking the hug, "You were quicker than I thought you'd be. It's only been two days." she realised, and Sokka smirked.

"What, did you think I was gonna spend the whole time goofing around eating Water Tribe food?" he asked her, and the Princess' eyes narrowed upon him.

"I would not be surprised... not to mention you were dealing with people that seem to love hiding away behind their icy walls like it's a little Ba Sing Se." she noted, knowing that persuading the Northerners wouldn't have been easy, even with Hakoda there to help him, and the delegates to assure them of her good intentions.

"Yeah, but you know how a good speech gets people going." he elbowed her, and Azula rolled her eyes.

"Are you going to make one now?" she asked, wondering if he was going to try and woo her, or get her in a mood; she wouldn't put it past him, given his upbeat mood.

"No, I'd rather just do this." he replied, grabbing her by the side and pulling her closer so he could kiss her on the lips, "Next time, we'll fight together."

"Oh, now you're getting me excited." she admitted with a smirk, before her expression hardened, knowing that she was just standing there in a towel; it would not be a smart move to just keep standing around in and entertaining any possibilities in his head, "I need to get dressed... so, go sit on the bed." she gestured around the corner, and he sighed.

"Yep, got it." he agreed to her proposal with an understandably dejected tone, stepping around before he leaned back, now holding some of her robes, "These are the ones you were going to wear, right?" he asked, and she nodded.

He tossed Azula her robes, and she quickly closed the door, and turned herself around, grabbing the towel that had fallen to the floor; she used it to dry her hair as quickly as she could. It was a little frizzy after being dried so fast, but she knew she could just brush it before she tied it up. Then she dispensed of the towel and pulled her undergarments back on; the robes quickly followed, tightened at the waist, before being followed by her leggings and outer robe.

She rushed it a little, mostly because she didn't want to be standing there naked for any longer than necessary. Like Sokka, her mind was moving to unwise places while she stood there near-naked in front of him. When she stepped back out from the bathroom, Sokka was where she told him to be, seated on the bed, holding her headpiece which she had left there.

"So, do you think you'll just keep wearing this thing... even though you're the Fire Lord?" he asked, and Azula stepped closer to him, eyeing the ornate headpiece as she imagined how it might have looked on the previous Crown Princes and Princesses of the Fire Nation.

"My father presumably has the Fire Lord's headpiece." she acknowledged, "And even then, I like this one." she admitted, taking it from his grasp before she tried to try her hair up.

She realised that she hadn't brushed it, and put the headpiece back down on the bed, before gesturing to the bone brush that lay off on the small desk she had in her room, "Brush my hair." she demanded, and he snickered at her request.

"Just like old times." he mumbled, and she narrowed her eyes.

"You do realise your grandmother did it more often than you did." she reminded him, knowing that Kanna had been quite helpful with helping Azula do her hair each morning, though more often than not she had to do it herself.

"I had work to do." he defended his actions, and she scrunched her lips up; that defence didn't make much sense when he came from a village where the work was generally spread evenly amongst the villagers, barring the young children, who weren't capable of doing much other than maybe watching their parents do work.

"So did she." she retorted, and he hummed.

"Yeah, that's Gran-Gran for you. Never taking a break." he mumbled, pacing over to grab the hairbrush.

She sat herself down on the end of the bed, and Sokka sat himself beside her; she turned slightly and allowed him to start brushing her locks, straightening them out with each downward flick of the brush.

"So, how did it go?" she decided to ask, knowing that was probably the most important thing they could discuss.

"The North... or the fighting?"

"Well, I've already heard how the fighting went." she clarified, before raising a hand in his direction, "Go on."

"Uh... well, we got it done. Arnook was a little cautious, as to be expected, but it was really the council of elders that were giving him a hard time. They obviously don't trust the Fire Nation and didn't want to work with you." he explained, pulling the brush from her hair as he seemed to think about his choice of words, "But, he is allowing traders to go south... on the condition that the Fire Nation doesn't discriminate against them or interfere with their work."

"That is reasonable." Azula mumbled, "I would be making the same demand."

"Yeah, well, that was good-ish news. I mean that's why the delegates were there, but there's better news." he acknowledged that achievement wasn't even the one he was happy with.

"Oh, go on." she prodded him with a smirk.

"I got us even more people to join the fight." he declared, and Azula clenched her fist.

"Finally." she exclaimed quietly through her smiling teeth, "You know what this means?"

"What, that I can sway a bunch of Water Tribe fighters to see how much better a leader I am than their Chief?" he asked, and she snickered; she was thinking a little too much of her politicking side, though she had briefly thought about that when considering the possibility of them recruiting fighters from the North.

"No, not that. You've put your political skills to work already. You don't need to prove yourself... you already did." she explained her thoughts, "I think that with a few more successes like that, this war will be over in no time."

"I can only hope." Sokka smiled back at her, before scrunching his lips, "There's something else. I got the ship and prisoners back. They're sailing back as we speak... or at least, that's if the ship was seaworthy. Otherwise they must be repairing it." he added, Azula raising a finger to her chin.

"Well, one more ship won't do us much, but it is a fine vessel. It was Zhao's flagship." she acknowledged, "How did you manage that?"

"I asked nicely... and pointed out that Arnook has to waste resources imprisoning all those men when he could just give most of them back to us."

"Well, that's... surprisingly pragmatic of him."

"Oh, Arnook is pragmatic. That's half the issue with him... he's always considering the political effects of his actions, rather than just the value of them."

"Well, right and wrong are relative... and he's probably more concerned about ensuring that he remains Chief, not that he is the most upstanding man to ever lead the Northern Water Tribe." Azula noted, "I can sympathise... because that's what I'm mostly concerned with."

"But you do like pulling the 'I'm in the right' card on people, all the time." he argued, and the Princess smirked.

"Oh, I do, but only when it's useful. It's easier to make friends when you have some lofty goal to achieve together." she acknowledged, and turned around to look at her boyfriend, "Is it done?"

"I think so." he nodded, and got up from the bed, "So, are you gonna get properly dressed?"

"Properly? I'm wearing my robes."

"Yeah, but what about the armour, or the fancy stuff on top?" he asked, and she rolled her eyes.

"I'm not planning to leave this compound for the rest of the day." she argued, finding that the circumstances did not require her to wear attire that was any more formal than what she was already wearing; she only realised after thinking about it that Sokka was just being argumentative for the sake of it.

That usually got her to argue back, and she loved arguing; she didn't press it, however, because she mostly found it irrelevant. She picked up her hair, tied it up, and put her headpiece on top of her bun. She turned around and gestured to her hair.

"Is it as it should be?"

"I mean... I don't know, I preferred the shorter haircut."

"Shut your fucking mouth, idiot." she warned him with as harsh a tone as the words deserved, "I like my hair like this. The way it is meant to be." she declared proudly, and he just snickered.

"Same old Azula. Just making sure you haven't completely lost it." he acknowledged her nature, before pointing to the door, "How about a game of Pai Sho?"

"Do you think you can even win?" she asked, and he shrugged his shoulders.

"Eh, it's just strategy. Eventually I'll find a way to beat you."

"You need to learn the game's strategies, not just hope some real life analogy is going to save you after you fight enough battles." she warned him, and he pouted.

"Hey, let a man dream." he pleaded, before pushing the door open, "So, was that a yes?"

"I have nothing better to do... but I do want lunch."

"Oh, perfect, we can do both." he argued, and she held back a laugh.

"Of course you'd say that." she noted with a completely dry voice, Sokka acting as she would expect him to; thinking with his stomach first, always.

"Hey, I love spending time with you." he defended himself, sounding almost offended; he was just playing it up because he didn't want her to get mad- she wouldn't over that, as it was a tale as old as time.

"No, you love food, and are just pleased that it will coincide with being around me." she declared, knowing him well enough that food was among, if not his highest priority.

"I... I won't deny that." he conceded with a sheepish smile, and he stepped over and opened the door, "I have to get my Pai Sho set from my room." he clarified, and she nodded.

"Go ahead." she pointed to the door, and with that, he departed her room.

She glanced around for a few moments, wondering if he would have any hope of beating her; they didn't play that often, though she could tell he was improving with every game. Azula decided it didn't matter, knowing that the more he improved, the better his strategic thinking was; that would be vital in the coming battles, so she would indulge him with as many games as he liked. That was despite the fact all it made her think about was her uncle and his laziness, enjoying Pai Sho over doing anything practical.

She did realise, however, that it would be almost as useful as reading strategy manuals, and Sokka never struck her as the type to spend his days reading those. She hadn't asked, so she decided she might do that later, knowing that reading those together might actually be a productive use of their time that would allow them to sit together.

She stood up, pushing those thoughts to the side, and followed her boyfriend out the door, closing it behind herself before she paced over to his bedroom; she could hear him rummaging about inside, and a few moments later, the door opened, Sokka pulling out a foldable Pai Sho board and a bag of pieces.

"Here we go." he proclaimed his triumph, however minor, and began pacing down the hallway, "Well, we're going to go eat, aren't we?"

"The canteen is our only option." she realised, knowing that they weren't going to make food for themselves when there was perfectly fine food for them to eat there.

Sokka nodded, seeming a little disappointed, "Ah yeah, back to Fire Nation food." he mumbled, before smiling, "Ah, I can't say no to spicy pig-chicken though." he conceded, and carried out with a smile on his lips; he was usually in a better mood than her, but his overtly giddy state was almost amusing.

She had grown accustomed to eating blander food with her time in the Water Tribes, so didn't feel the urge to complain that she was eating what amounted to navy rations, while she had been eating planned meals made by expert cooks when she had her own ship. That itself paled in comparison to the kinds of food they ate in the palace; though they weren't constantly having feasts, which she had heard Ty Lee joke about when they were younger, the meals were always of the finest quality, with a variety of rare and delectable ingredients.

As they made their way out of the hallway into the centre of the compound, a few of her guards walked by, and bowed to them as they came by, though one punched Sokka in the back; he grunted, and then rolled his eyes.

"What, did you make friends with more of my guards?" she asked, and he nodded.

"Yeah, that's what fighting together does to you." he confirmed, "That's how me and Renshu became best friends."

"I know you say that sarcastically, but I doubt he actually has many friends to begin with." she noted with crossed arms, before tilting her head, "The canteen."

"Oh, yeah. I almost thought we were going to Appa to get the cooking gear." he conceded, his face flushed red with embarrassment, before turning around and heading the way she gestured.

Azula followed, and as they made their way down the hallway, she heard a gasp.

"Oh, here you are." Katara addressed them, before striding down the hallway towards the pair, "When I saw Dad I got confused and wondered where you were hiding." she commented with a snide look, Sokka scratching the back of his head.

"Uh... sorry, I just went straight to Azula's room."

"Wait." she mumbled, eyeing the Princess for a few moments, "She was in the shower, wasn't she?" she asked, and Sokka hushed her.

"H-hey, don't give anybody the wrong idea." he warned her, and Azula glared her down.

"Yes, I'd prefer not to talk about that when soldiers can hear us." she warned her, and stepped past her, "Were you coming or going from lunch?"

"Uh... well, I was looking for Aang, actually." she admitted, "I was just talking with Dad, and thought I should talk with him about what happened at the North Pole."

"Oh, you're beating me to it." Sokka mumbled, sounding amused, before he raised his hand up to his lips, thinking over her words, "I think I saw him gliding about by the edge of the base when we were coming in. Maybe he's out looking for something."

"Or someone... it's probably Momo. He likes to wander off." Katara realised, "But... so, you did it."

"Yeah, I did." Sokka nodded, before gesturing for her to move closer to the wall, "Maybe we can move out of people's way. It's a bit of an odd spot to stand." he warned her, and she obliged his request.

After that, he raised a finger to his little goatee and stroked it, "The Northerners are actually going to help us... or at least some of them are. All volunteers."

"You couldn't get Arnook to force some people to go fight?" Katara asked him, and Sokka grimaced.

"He's not going to take orders from outsiders, and I doubt their elders would have taken something like that lightly." he warned, before raising a hand to his chin, "But we've got people coming. I don't know how useful they'll be in Ba Sing Se, but it's better than having nobody, right?"

"Definitely." Katara agreed, "Did you speak with Master Pakku... you know, about the plan to send people to help the South?" she asked, and Sokka nodded.

"Yes, I did. Any of the people coming to fight with us are welcome to come aid our tribe once the fighting is over." he clarified, "Pakku will probably come south himself."

"Hm... I wonder if Dad's okay with that." she spoke her mind, and he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry about him. I think he's fine with it... I'm a bit more worried about how Gran-Gran is gonna react."

"Angrily, I would guess." Azula commented, and Katara grimaced.

"Well, I hope they can resolve whatever issues they have. It would be sad for them to not get any closure." she admitted, her expression becoming more uneasy, "Master Pakku's... well, his mistakes are the reason I exist, and the reason I could ever learn waterbending from him."

"Life is full of unfortunate things." the Princess added with a distant look, "It's better when you're the optimistic one."

"It's just sad, that's all." the Water Tribe girl clarified, "All of what's happened... to Gran-Gran, to our tribe, to our family. It's- it's not fair."

"We're taking control of our lives, Katara." Sokka assured his sister, "So, are you gonna find Aang, or what?"

"Y-yeah, I'll go and do that. Have a nice time, lovebirds." she farewelled them with a smug look; Azula's brow twitched, frustrated that she had to emphasise that, but she knew she was just observing the truth.

"I'm hungry." Azula reminded him, and he nodded; they paced down the hallway and entered the canteen, where as she expected, Ty Lee was still eating her own lunch.

She almost immediately launched to her feet and raised her hands up, "Sokka, you're back!" she exclaimed, and he awkwardly waved back at her.

"Yeah, I am." he confirmed, before gesturing over to where the food was, "I'll get the food, how about you set up the Pai Sho game?" he asked her, and she narrowed her eyes, grabbing the bag of pieces and board out of his hands.

"You better get me what I like or I'll make sure to embarrass you with how hard you'll lose." she warned her boyfriend, who perceived the threat, but kept his giddy look as he paced off to get their lunches.

Azula sat herself down at a table that was large enough to hold the Pai Sho set and whatever dishes Sokka brought over; as she unfolded the board and pulled out the pieces, Ty Lee had gotten up and strode over to stand by her side.

"So... you're in a pretty good mood." she observed, "What, did you and Sokka get up to naughty stuff since I last saw you?" she whispered to the Princess, who rolled her eyes.

"No, I'm just pleased that he's back." she assured her, "I knew it was a stupid idea to send him off with my father still breathing down our necks."

"But he helped protect the base with the airship, not to mention he captured those ships for you." Ty Lee reminded her, and she scrunched her lips up.

"I would have preferred to have been by his side." she stated her own stance, "No offence... but helping in the soup kitchen was nowhere near as productive as stopping an attack on the base."

"Y-yeah, I get that." she conceded, before slurping up some noodles from the bowl she had in her hands; once she chewed up her meal, she turned her eyes towards Sokka, "Anyway, I'm pretty much done. I'll leave you two to have your little date."

"It's not a date." she countered, "That would involve some actual planning and extravagance. We literally just walked to another room in the compound." she argued, and Ty Lee shrugged.

"It's still romantic." she argued, "Get him." she pointed at her, as if it were an order, before walking her dishes back to the canteen, where she'd leave them to get washed.

Azula was amused by her forceful words, but had little time to think about it as she quickly pulled out the pieces they needed to play with, before Sokka rocked up at the table with two dishes of steaming hot noodles.

"Noodles with roast duck, spiced vegetables, and some flatbread." he told her what he'd got them, and she nodded, finding the meal sufficient; he laid her bowl in front of her, and she quickly took a bite from the flatbread.

"Hmm." she murmured, appreciating the sustenance; she usually wouldn't be so open about enjoying her food, but after the hard session of sparring, she was in need of something to keep her going.

If she didn't have a full stomach, her mind wouldn't be up to the challenge of embarrassing Sokka so hard that he'd refuse to play Pai Sho for at least another week. The thought of it was enticing, and she smirked, before gesturing to the board.

"So, how hard do you want to lose?" she asked casually, knowing he was still quite confident in his abilities.

"You know, saying things like that makes me want to win." he warned her, and Azula let out a chuckle.

"You don't realise how much I'd like to see you win." she warned him, "I might hate losing, but your victory... it's mine." she declared with a clenched fist.

"What, so now you're claiming credit even if I win?" he asked with a pout, before narrowing his eyes as he picked up some noodles with his chopsticks, "Is this some mind trick? Are you wanting me to want to lose?"

"There are no lies here." she assured him, before pointing to the board, "So, make a move, and prove you're as smart as you act you are."

"You're gonna regret saying that." he warned her, and she stared him down; their eyes locked, and she felt a flutter in her chest.

"No, no I won't."