Gladiator

by Seyary-Minamoto

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

180. Chapter 180: Slave Riot 5

Their voices had seemed loud in what had otherwise been a quiet night. They had woken her, but then fallen silent once Song sat up on her bed. If the tone of their conversation hadn't been as serious as it was, she would have assumed the Princess had showed up merely to check on Sokka, and that they would be celebrating his success now… but after hearing only one set of steps climbing the stairs, she knew that wasn't the case.

She hadn't heard any sounds from the front door. Maybe the Princess had left stealthily… or maybe she was still downstairs. Song hadn't understood what had happened, and fear rushed through her as she stared at her room's closed door. Asking either of them might be a bad idea, but she couldn't quite help it. Not when it had something to do with slaves.

She climbed off the bed carefully and made her way to the stairs. One glance at the couch told her the Princess was sitting there, alone, her face in her hands, fingers in her scalp. Song trembled as she walked downstairs, fearing she would be sent away, but knowing that whatever plagued the Princess had to be serious if Sokka had left her in the living room like that.

"W-would you… like some tea?" her voice came out before Song could help herself. She didn't know what else to say, what else to offer… but Azula merely shook her head without so much as glancing at her.

"I'm sorry… I suppose we woke you" she said. Song gritted her teeth and shook her head too, taking her seat beside the Princess.

"It's not important" she said "But… is something wrong? Sokka told me, well… that he'd saved them. Why does it look like…?"

"He did" Azula whispered "He… he did a brilliant job. I have no doubts he did"

"Then…?" said Song "Were they caught after he left them?"

"No" Azula said, with a heavy sigh "My father just… found a scapegoat. Twelve of them, to be exact. He… he found other gladiators, from other Arenas. Executed them… in place of those Sokka saved. He pretended they were the same ones who had rebelled, and… and we all believed him, because we didn't know any better. I didn't, until Sokka said… until he said he'd saved them. So, it meant this group had to be…"

"This is… oh, it's horrible" said Song, eyes wide "He killed innocent gladiators because of…?"

"Because of what the others did in a bid for standing up for themselves" Azula finished "Hardly a crime, if you ask me. Rebelling against your tormentor is far from unreasonable…"

"But the Fire Lord doesn't care, does he?" Song said, frowning "All that matters to him is proving his might, right?"

"Quite so" Azula conceded, releasing her hair and dropping against the couch's backrest "He doesn't care about how far he must go to play the strong, unyielding Fire Lord who's not to be trifled with. I mean, it's hardly the first time he proves it, but this is just…"

She couldn't seem to utter the rest of her sentence. Even if she didn't, Song's mind only evoked the word "unforgivable".

"He executed them, then?" Song asked "I… I thought there was something going on in the center of the city today, but as Rui Shi hadn't said anything about an upcoming festival or a party, I figured it was none of my business…"

"It was better that you didn't attend" Azula said "I… I could barely stomach it. It would've only been worse for you"

"I guess" said Song, lowering her gaze "I'm sorry you had to witness that, though. You mustn't have had a choice…"

"I'm far sorrier that I had no power to put a stop to it" Azula said, shaking her head again "I just… I couldn't do anything but stand there, and I…"

Song bit her lip, glancing at Azula again. The regret in her eyes was gripping. The last time she had been with the Princess at a low point came to mind… when she had feared she'd lose Sokka for good in the festivals, over a year ago. Just as it had been back then, Song wasn't sure what to do to help her. Her chest felt cold, even when she was trying her hardest not to picture what she had described about the twelve executed slaves…

"Sokka didn't take it well" Song whispered at last. Focusing on them, on the Princess and her gladiator, would be best for now. Her personal grief over this disastrous event would have to wait.

Azula shook her head as an answer, and unsurprisingly, her misery only seemed to increase upon the mention of her gladiator. Song swallowed hard.

"You know… he's probably just keeping his distance because he's trying to protect you from his misery, in his own way" Song said "I… I doubt he blames you"

"He doesn't have to. I blame myself enough for doing nothing" Azula replied "I… I don't even know how to look him in the eye after this. I should've… I should've been able to act, to do something other than stand there while… while they died. And I didn't. I couldn't do anything because fear held me down. Fear… of my father. Of whatever he'd be capable of if I rebelled openly, now, saving slaves in front of his subjects. Even if Sokka could forgive me for being such a coward, it doesn't mean I can forgive myself"

"I understand" said Song, sighing "But… you did do something. You told Sokka. You couldn't have known your father would do something so horrible…"

"I should've. I… I shouldn't have underestimated him. As far as he's concerned, slaves are meaningless, all of them nothing but scum" Azula spoke with vitriol, her eyes glacial as she glared at the wall "Punishing the right or wrong ones wouldn't matter one bit to him. And even so, I… I don't even know how I could've saved them. I'm… I'm just that useless. There has to be a way, there had to be something, but I can't think of anything even now…"

"It's over" Song whispered "It's horrible, and… and we should all be in mourning. But Princess, it's… it's already over. I know it sounds cruel of me to say you can't beat yourself up over this forever, but… otherwise, we should be beating ourselves up for every slave who dies every day, every slave we can't save. Shouldn't we?"

"That doesn't make things any better" Azula said, rubbing her eyes with the heels of her hands "All it means is… is I should've been fighting harder to save every single slave and instead I just dealt with my own business, as though their lives didn't matter. That's hardly forgivable, is it?"

"It's more forgivable than you think" Song said. Azula frowned "You're not the one killing slaves. You're not the one tormenting them. Else… we wouldn't even be having this conversation"

"Of course it's not me, but… I should have a say upon this. I should've… I should've tried harder to make my father reconsider his stance, I should've pressured him to agree to my project back when I presented it, but I didn't" Azula said, her voice shaking "And because I didn't try harder, slaves are still dying, and they'll keep on dying unless I… unless I do something. Somehow"

"But it's easier said than done, isn't it?" Song asked. Azula nodded.

"If every life we save comes at the cost of the lives of anyone else my father chooses as a scapegoat… yes" Azula said "I don't know how to avoid this. I don't know how to save anyone without the consequences being equally bad. But if I don't do something, people will keep on dying, and…"

"And they've been dying for years. For long before we were born" Song whispered "Maybe they weren't slaves yet, but… it's been over a hundred years of senseless deaths over this war and its consequences. Saving twelve lives is more than what was saved through those hundred years… isn't it?"

"I guess it is, and yet… it doesn't feel right" Azula said, closing her eyes, her brow furrowed "Those twelve deserved to be saved, but so did the twelve I saw today. You just said it yourself, there's been more than enough deaths as it is. More than enough people have been sacrificed as it is"

Song sighed and nodded, glancing at the Princess with uncertainty. It was the first time they had held a conversation like this, about these subjects, in private. Barely a few days earlier, they'd sat in this same living room, with Sokka and Rui Shi, rejoicing in how far they'd come, and how much further they would go… all that joy, the feelings of accomplishment, felt so distant, as though they'd happened to someone else. What little happiness remained seemed meaningless next to the horror of what Azula had been a silent witness to earlier that day.

"You know…" Song spoke softly, her unfocused gaze lost in the horizon "I had no hope left by the time Sokka found me in the market. I assumed I'd be bought by a horrible nobleman, at my luckiest, and that I'd be treated as less than a person for the rest of my life, receiving no respect, my dignity stripped away and stolen from me. So many others had been through that kind of experience, so I was sure I wouldn't be any luckier. I didn't think… I didn't think there was any reason why I would be. I wasn't special, or better than anyone else. Much like what Sokka said a couple of days ago… it could've been anyone but me. But it was me"

"I… I told Sokka that day that, if he wanted to save all slaves, that would be his first chance to save one" Azula remembered, frowning "It was the only way to convince him to let me buy someone to help cook and clean for him, seeing as he had no idea how to do it himself…"

"You didn't think about finding someone who could be a healer, from what I could gather" said Song, grinning a little "Sokka seemed to start believing I'd be a good choice once I explained I'd been a healer back home in the Earth Kingdom. I was confused when he came out of nowhere, sneaking into the booth as he did. There were other slaves there, I never really understood how they were classified but the salesman had singled me out for the time being. I guess, if he hadn't done that, I might not be here now"

"There were a lot of factors at play" Azula said "Had any details been any different… it might not have been you. It might not have been Sokka either. And… I don't want to even imagine what my life would be like if that were the case"

"Neither do I. But I guess it's not so hard to guess how our lives would've turned out in both mine and Sokka's cases" said Song, biting her lip "We… we were the lucky ones. Even if it wasn't so obvious that we were when you hired him in Hui Yi and when he picked me in the slave market, but we were. And then… later on you helped Haru. And I don't know who else you've helped, but there's also the homeless people you've been working with, and the Earth Kingdom villagers whom you helped after taking down the Rough Rhinos… you have changed many lives. You have helped people ever since I've known you, whether because it was convenient or because you truly wished to, it makes little matter.

"I'm not the same girl I was that day, when Sokka found me in the slave market. I was terrified, I was sure that nothing in my future could be better than the blissful memories of my family, back when we were all still together. I had… I had no hopes. But within just a few days, the two of you brought my hopes back, little by little. Within a short time, I found myself feeling… well, safe, even when I never thought it possible in the Fire Nation. Within a few months, I realized soldiers weren't just faceless monsters, and I met Rui Shi, and… and by now, I've even visited my mother twice. I may not have regained everything I lost… but I gained new friends. I know my mother is safe, healthy and working for good people. And I know that, as hard as some things have been, good changes can come from the unlikeliest of sources"

"I'm glad we helped you" Azula whispered, glancing at Song with uncertainty "There's no point in hiding that I didn't quite feel strongly about you, one way or another, for quite some time. At first, I… I merely wanted someone to cook for Sokka so he wouldn't kill himself through food poisoning…"

"After all these years of trying to teach him basic cooking skills, sometimes I fear he might still do that" Song admitted. To her surprise, Azula smiled a little.

"Well, he has improved. Nowhere near your level, but still…" she said, sighing "In all these years you've become an essential member of our strange team. And… I seldom ever thanked you for it, did I?"

"You don't have to" said Song, shaking her head "In truth… the longer I spend with you guys, the more honored I feel about being the one Sokka chose that day, and the more determined I am to do my best so that I can feel worthy of this opportunity, even if it's been three years as it is"

"You are worthy" said Azula "As is he. There's no doubt in my mind about that. It's only…"

"Others aren't less worthy just because we are" Song said "And… well, like Sokka back in the day, you wish you could help them all, right?"

Azula nodded, but she smiled again after closing her eyes. Song raised her eyebrows.

"Something the matter?" she asked.

"Just… you brought up the day we bought you" said Azula "I somehow implied that maybe one day more people would share Sokka's sentiments over slavery. He taunted me about it, saying… saying maybe I'd be the first one he'd sway. If only all those slaves hadn't just been executed today, I guess he'd be happy if I reminded him of that. He was right, after all…"

"Yeah" said Song, smiling "We've all changed a lot, there's no denying that. And I know I'm grateful for it. And I also know not everyone has had that same opportunity, no matter if they do deserve them.

"You've been saving slaves, though, for all these years. No doubt, it's been a slow process… but you saved Sokka. You saved me, and Haru, and who knows how many others I've never heard about. So maybe you failed today, and surely you can't forgive yourself for it. But you did try, you came here, you told Sokka, he helped twelve people. Twelve others died, and it is a tragedy… but it's a tragedy that would have likely happened anyways. They were amateur gladiators, both the ones executed and the ones Sokka saved. Death was all that awaited them…"

"So, that Sokka could save a handful of them is something we ought to be grateful for" Azula sighed "Believe me, I am, but… watching them die is going to haunt me for the rest of my life"

"I wouldn't expect otherwise" said Song, glancing at her helplessly "And you of all people deserve better. After all you've done for all of us… you don't deserve to torment yourself about the slaves you couldn't save when they were executed by people who won't care one bit about having killed them. But… you care. You wanted to save them. And… I don't know how you'll do it, but… I'd like to believe you'll succeed at it one day. I wish it could be sooner rather than later, but it's much easier said than done… it won't stop me from believing that you can make this world better, though, if just little by little"

"You give me a lot of credit. Maybe I deserve it, but I can't say I feel like I do tonight" Azula said "Thank you, though. Not just for this, but… for everything else, too. You've been supporting Sokka for years, ever keeping him alive both by healing him and cooking for him, so…"

"Cleaning after him, too. He's a bit clumsy with his stuff sometimes" Song laughed softly "I know you mustn't feel like you should go to him now, and… maybe you shouldn't, I wouldn't know. But… he might appreciate knowing you feel as strongly about this as he does. Maybe if you talk about it, he'll know you're as eager to change slavery as he is to see it changed…"

"Maybe" Azula agreed, glancing wistfully at the stairs "I guess I should check on him. If he wants to talk with me, then we'll talk. If not, then I'll just leave him be. Sometimes he needs to be alone, and… I might not be who he wants to talk to right now"

"Well, I could be wrong, but if he doesn't want to talk to you then he surely won't want to talk to anyone" said Song, with a weak grin "You have no idea what he's like when you're not around, but…"

"But?" asked Azula, with a little amusement. Song laughed.

"He's unbearable. Back in the day he could tolerate being away from you a bit more, but by now it's an impossible feat for him, looks like" she said "Once he even bluntly asked me if I thought he could impersonate a nobleman to get away with marrying you…"

Azula laughed softly, and Song smiled at her. The situation was dark indeed, but at least the Princess might be able to find some peace eventually, even if it appeared impossible right now.

"He's a mess, but he loves you. More than anything in his life, most likely" said Song, pushing herself up and sighing "Anyways, I guess I'll make myself some midnight tea. If you'd like some, let me know. If not, that's okay too, Princess…"

"I think I'll… try my luck with talking to him" Azula breathed in, her eyes on the floor. Song smiled.

"Good. I hope he'll be in better shape than we expected…"

"Hopefully. And, uh… Song?"

"Yeah?"

Azula raised her eyebrows, looking at the young woman with uncertainty. Song only stared back, confused.

"I know we're not exactly the closest of friends, despite we know each other fairly well by now…" Azula finally said, with a small laugh "But you don't need to call me by my title anymore, unless you truly prefer it. It's fine to just call me Azula"

"O-oh. It is…?" Song said, glancing at her with uncertainty "Well then…"

She stared at the Princess, trying to build up her resolve. The amusement in her golden eyes was apparent, especially when Song couldn't help but blurt out:

"Princess Azula…" she said, dropping her head in defeat. Azula smiled and stood up.

"Well, I suppose it's a slow-going process" she said, patting Song's shoulder "No need to force yourself if you'd rather not do it, but I figured it was a good idea to let you know you're allowed some sort of familiarity with me. We did conspire together to throw a silly celebration party only a few weeks ago, right?"

"Right" said Song, smiling too "Well, then, I'll do my best. One day I might surprise the both of us by actually using your name"

"I'll look forward to that" Azula said, nodding "Thanks. I'll check back on you about that tea, if… well, if he'd rather be alone for now"

"Sure. And if he'd rather be with you… have a good night" Song said, bowing her head towards Azula before the Princess began climbing the stairs.

"Likewise, Song" she answered, still with a kind grin. The sort of grins she seldom showed people other than Sokka. Beyond their conversation, and the Princess's request, it was the sight of that smile what brought Song to believe, wholeheartedly, that the two of them were friends. That maybe they had been for much longer than either woman had realized they were.

Azula was quiet, hoping not to draw attention to herself before assessing Sokka's state. She hadn't heard any noises from his room at all, not raging screams nor crying. After all these years of knowing him as intimately as she did, though, she had a pretty good feeling she knew what his actual reaction had been instead.

Her first glance through the room surprised her, and not in a good way. She couldn't see him right away, leading her to wildly wonder if he'd jumped out the open balcony… until she noticed the night light from the crescent moon was falling not only on the bed, but on a hunched body sitting next to it.

He hadn't even bothered climbing on the bed. He was still undressed, facing the balcony, his hair in disarray. Only the subtlest movement of his shoulders betrayed that he was still breathing.

He had shut down, just as she had guessed he would. But this time Azula wasn't sure she had any right to coax him out of it. This time she feared she would only make things worse.

He had noticed her, though. His head moved ever so slightly, and his eyes glanced at her through the curtain of his hair. Azula felt the urge to run away, to leave, to hide in shame… but she didn't truly want to do that. If he was going to blame her, she might as well face him right now. She felt bad enough as it was… if he made her feel any worse, chances were she'd only be glad for it. The pain inside her was strong, but her conviction of deserving every bit of it was even stronger.

She didn't speak, she only walked towards him. Within moments she had taken her seat beside him, her armor clinking against the wooden bedframe. She didn't stare at him, merely sat by his side and waited. Sokka glanced at her on occasion, but he didn't speak right away either. By the time he finally did, Azula was starting to think they'd just sit on the floor, silently, for the rest of the night, or perhaps the rest of their lives…

"I… thought you'd have left by now" Sokka whispered, his voice broken. Azula swallowed hard, hating to hear him sound like that: everything about their current situation reminded her of that night at the Northern Air Temple, and that was certainly not a memory she wished to relive.

"If you want me to, I will" she said "Just… say the word and I'll go. I… I don't expect you'd want to talk to me now, but… but if I were wrong, then maybe…"

The more she spoke, the more foolish she felt. Was she a helpless child, hoping for a pat on the head, a kind smile even if it was half-hearted? Of course she was wrong. Of course she wasn't welcome beside him right now, if she ever would be again. Her entire body felt heavy, and her throat choked up. She shouldn't have been such a fool. Sokka didn't need her right now.

But maybe she was here because she needed him this time, instead.

She trembled, and closed her eyes. There was no point to this. There was no point in looking for comfort in any way, for she didn't deserve any. She should just…

"I don't want you to leave"

Her eyes snapped open. She didn't expect that. She knew for sure she didn't deserve that.

"But I… I'm hardly the best company to be around right now" Sokka continued, lowering his gaze "I'm sorry"

"You're sorry?" Azula repeated "I… I'm the one who should say that. I'm the one who… w-who barged in, ruined your night, I… after everything you must have been through, I shouldn't have…"

"If you hadn't told me right away, I would've found out later anyways. And I wouldn't have felt any better than I do now" Sokka said, running a hand through his hair "I just… shit. I can't… I don't even want to let myself think of it anymore, but I… I can't help it"

"Neither can I" said Azula, dropping her head against the mattress.

"You must've been… you must've been terrified" Sokka said. Azula clenched her fist over her lap "You thought they'd been caught… you must have thought they'd caught me. Didn't you?"

"It didn't make sense that they would have" Azula admitted, her voice shaky "And yet… you're right. I knew, if you'd been caught, I would've faced consequences for it right away. But I hadn't faced them. So… it meant you probably had gotten away somehow. That's… that's what I hoped. But at the same time, I didn't want to believe it. I didn't want to think you'd failed… and you didn't"

"I didn't fail the rebels" Sokka whispered, before sighing heavily "I just… failed everyone else"

Azula glanced at him, remorse plain across her face. Sokka didn't see her, fingers still gliding over his hair as his brow furrowed.

"I know you'll never forgive me for saying this" he whispered "And I'm sorry for that. But… I want your father dead"

He expected her to be indignant, or to ask him not to say such things so recklessly. He feared this would erupt into an argument, a massive one… but right now his heart's darkest side was raging with the urge to find the Fire Lord and put an end to this nightmare for once and for all. No matter the cost.

It was foolish, he knew so. He knew Azula wouldn't let him do that. Not only because she would protect him from jumping into that kind of danger, and because the consequences would likely be worse than Sokka could gauge just yet, but because she was loyal to her father, even if she was well aware of the error of his ways. For someone like Azula, the mere idea of killing her father would amount to the worst of all treasons… wouldn't it?

And yet her words took him aback when she finally spoke them:

"I understand"

Sokka glanced at her, the vacancy in his eyes receding slightly. Was that resignation? Was it agreement?

"W-what do you mean, you understand…?" he repeated. Azula sighed.

"I mean, I… I wouldn't have expected any less" she whispered "What's the point in denying it? Even I… even I have thought about it too. The world would be better if… if he weren't the one in power"

His eyes widened. Only now did he seem to take in Azula's presence and words fully, the sorrow in her features only akin to what he'd seen in her after Jeong Jeong had nearly killed him. What she'd seen today… her helplessness to act on her true urges, to save the slaves from undeserved doom…

Now that the vacancy was gone from his eyes could he see it reflected in hers.

"Azula…" he whispered. She gritted her teeth, pulling her knees up to her chin and burying her face in them.

"I'm a coward" she said "And I was… I was worse than useless for it. I was an accessory, a mere witness, unable to do anything, unable to save anyone. I waited, like a moron, expecting someone else to swing in and save the day in the middle of the executions, but no one did. No one… n-no one could have. No one would have. But because I was scared, because I didn't dare face the consequences, I didn't do anything either and… and…"

She didn't expect his hand to fall on her shoulder. She raised her eyes to meet his, and despite not wanting to find it, not even hoping for it… there was empathy, understanding, in his gaze. Her lips trembled as she sought words she wouldn't find.

"Sokka…" she said, but he silenced her when his arms pulled her closer, into an intimate, fragile embrace.

She couldn't fight the tears. Her hands fell upon his naked body, and it felt as though it had been ages since she had last touched him. The pain inside her was overwhelming, stronger even when he was holding her… how direly she had needed this, and yet she was still certain she didn't deserve it. That certainty only made everything hurt more.

"You don't know how to forgive yourself" he whispered. Her clenched jaws tightened further "And nothing anyone says will make you feel any better about how you acted. You had no choice? You keep thinking maybe you did. Maybe you should've done something else. Maybe you should've thought of a better possibility than just… going along with what some tyrant was forcing you to do. You wish you hadn't just closed your eyes, or your mind, or your heart… but there was no other way to keep moving forward. Because if you let yourself be overwhelmed by the sorrow of it all… you'd be even more useless than you already were"

Azula's fingertips clutched at him, nails lightly scraping his skin. Sokka didn't seem to care for the mild pain: instead, he caressed her back gently before releasing a deep breath and standing up, bringing her with him.

He pulled Azula close, ushering her to sit on the bed. She blinked blankly as he reached out to undo the bindings of her armor, lifting it over her head quickly, expertly, before removing her boots next. His movements were ceremonious, slow, far more graceful than when he stripped her naked when they were desperate to join their bodies. His intent was different this time around.

The last thing he removed, right after setting aside her belt, was her hairpiece. With a quick movement, her hair fell down upon her shoulders. She swallowed hard, waiting for Sokka to say or do something else.

"If you don't move forward, you'll never do right by them" Sokka said, breathing deeply "We're alive, and they're not. It might mean… well, they're free from a hellish existence, even if in the worst possible way. But it also means that those of us left behind, those of us who hate this kind of injustice, are the ones who have to do something about it. The past can't change anymore, but maybe… maybe the future is worth fighting for"

Azula clenched her jaw, in a hopeless attempt to fight the tears. Sokka's eyes were gentler now, and he cupped her face carefully.

"It won't help to hear it's not your fault" he whispered "I know, because no matter how many times I've heard it, it never makes me feel any better. But truthfully, Azula, it's not. It all boils down to one man, one wretched man and his mindless, cruel decisions. That's who we should hold responsible, and that's what we need to fight against"

"I know. I… I understand…" she managed to say, struggling to keep her voice level "But… how? I mean, how can we truly fight against him? The entire Fire Nation army is at his beck and call. He has far more political power than anyone else in the entire world, and he has some genuine loyalists that would chase after us if we ever did anything to him. I… I don't like the idea of doing anything to my father, even if he damn well deserves it, but… I like the idea of acting recklessly even less. If we'll cause more problems than we'll solve, would it be a worthwhile solution?"

"You're saying, for instance… if we staged a full-scale slave rebellion, the army would sooner kill all slaves than let them go" Sokka said "And… I guess arranging something like that wouldn't be easy either way. Slaves are, generally, well out of our reach"

"That's the problem" said Azula, lowering her gaze "We'd need something else. Slaves deserve better, there's no doubt about that… but if we want them to live, rather than die faster, they're not the ones who should be fighting with us"

"I… I agree" said Sokka, nodding "But if not them… who? Honorary citizens? Would they take the risk?"

"I don't know" Azula said "But we can't really count on it, can we? This is… this is so difficult, Sokka. And because it's difficult, because there are so many ways it could fail rather than work, my stupid cowardice keeps speaking up. I keep thinking… doing anything is so much more dangerous than doing nothing at all, but that's… that's stupid, isn't it? All those people who have died, who have been dying for years while I just…! W-while I just averted my eyes, while I pretended otherwise… they've only been dying because no one acted. Because everyone was too scared of the consequences to do… t-to do the right thing"

Sokka sighed and nodded, pressing his brow to hers. Azula's tears dropped down her cheeks again, as her chest heaved with every breath.

"I don't know what to do" she said "I… I know you're right. I know my father can't keep leading the Fire Nation if we want it to change, but… I also don't dare do what I think he did. I can't… I can't kill my own father. No matter how fucked up he is, I don't… I don't have it in me"

"I know you don't. I wouldn't ask you to" said Sokka, sighing and pressing a kiss to the top of her head. Azula let herself fall on his shoulder, tears falling on his bare skin now.

"So… what? You'll do it yourself?" she asked, her entire body weakening upon finishing her sentence. Something seemed to suck the life out of her at the mere thought of her father dying by her lover's hand…

"I… I would if there's no other way" Sokka said, sighing "I did say I want him dead, but that doesn't mean I'm going to behead him tomorrow or anything. I just… hate him more than I ever had. Which is saying a lot, considering I was raised to hate him…"

"He's far from innocent. I know that" Azula whispered "But… he's still my father"

"I know. That's the main reason why I won't be so impulsive" Sokka admitted, pulling away from her and grimacing "I doubt you'd ever forgive me for it"

"I… I'm not so sure anymore, truthfully" said Azula, her eyes on the mattress "I'd rather he doesn't die, it's true, but… what other choice is there? The best idea I had for helping slaves was in the project I presented to him, and he probably set the whole proposal on fire as soon as I left his office that day. Outside of that, I… I can't come up with anything. I'm at a loss for what to do. Any other ideas might bring so many casualties with them that I don't know what to do anymore…"

"Well… maybe there are other options" said Sokka, breathing deeply "Less straightforward ones, but still… options. I did consider liberating slaves everywhere, in small, lightning operations, so to speak… kind of like what I did this time. It worked, so… as long as I'm careful, it might work again"

"It might" Azula said, eyeing him uneasily "But you'll have to plan thoroughly each time. As things stand, it's likely all Arenas and markets will have even more security and…"

"That… that's something I wanted to talk about, too" Sokka said, frowning. Azula raised her eyebrows.

"What do you mean, exactly…?"

"Who took me to Hui Yi?" he asked "I mean, which guards were assigned to drag me there?"

"I… I don't know anymore" said Azula "I could ask them, I guess, it's unlikely that they would have forgotten about having done it. I didn't ask them to make deliveries to slave markets often…"

"Of course" said Sokka, sighing "Thing is, I… I wasn't really aware of what was going on for the most part. I guess I spent the trip blacking out and coming back to my senses so many times that it felt like a bad dream instead of reality. But the corpses of the guards at Fazhan's Arena… they wore the same uniforms as the guards from Hui Yi"

"The same…?" Azula said, frowning. Sokka looked at her intently.

"Amateur Arenas aren't exactly a whole, structured system, are they?" he asked "I never got the feeling they cooperated amongst themselves or anything like that. But I guess I don't know that much about what happened in Arenas outside of the fighting pit. Either way, I thought maybe it was chance, maybe it's just a popular kind of outfit, I don't know… but one of the guys I saved today, a kid called Yunru… he was taken not long ago. He told me the men who caught him wore that same outfit, and so did the guards in the slave markets. I didn't notice any guards when we bought Song, and I don't think we were ever in the Fire Nation's slave markets other than at that point, but… it feels like it'd be too weird a coincidence for all of them to wear the same outfits for no reason, right? So, I don't know, but… maybe that's what we have to take down. The system behind slavery, the system that employs those firebending guards and brings slaves to markets, and then protects the Amateur Arenas…"

"That… I mean, I guess I never thought it was that complicated because my father has always acted like slavery is an afterthought" Azula said, frowning "There's no official branch of our army devoted to the task of dealing with slaves, not as far as I know… that's why I proposed the formation of one in my project. But… maybe there's already some forms of control over slavery? But if there is, why wouldn't my father ever acknowledge it? Slavery is legal, by his command, so this system… why would it be some sort of dirty, unspoken secret if my father is fine with slavery?"

"Who knows?" Sokka said, shrugging "But slaves don't pop up out of nowhere. Someone finds them, someone brings them to markets. And from the looks of it, it's the same person. If we figure out what their process is, we could disrupt it and save… save thousands of lives, maybe"

"It might be a way to deal with this, but… what if my father's ultimately the one behind it all, again?" Azula said "If it were someone else, maybe they could be coaxed into stopping, or bought off…"

"I don't know. But slaves are transported here from the Earth Kingdom, right?" Sokka said, raising an eyebrow "If we acted like pirates, somehow, and attacked one of their transport ships to steal them away, an entire shipment of slaves could be sent somewhere safer than here. Their lives could be spared, and if your father, or whoever's behind this, lost not only slaves but profit, they might stop enjoying their secretive human trafficking network as much as they do"

"True enough" said Azula, breathing in and nodding "Well, that sounds… that sounds doable. It's not a permanent solution, but for now, maybe… maybe it could work, as long as we figure out how to be safe pirates, huh?"

"Maybe my new friends would agree to help with this" said Sokka, biting his lip "I don't know, it could be difficult and dangerous to provide them with a ship or something, they might have no idea how to sail or so, but they could be honorable pirates, if that even exists…"

"If it doesn't, they can be trailblazers" Azula said, smiling a little "Sounds like an alright idea, at least. It needs proper work, but… maybe by morning we'll be more level-headed, enough to decide on how to proceed"

"Maybe" said Sokka, nodding and clasping her hand in his "But as much as that might help new slaves, it does nothing for the ones who are already here. I suggested quick operations of extraction, but truth be told, doing those on my hot-air balloon is not bound to work unless it's, I don't know, two or three slaves rather than twelve"

"So… we should find a more permanent solution. That's what you mean" Azula said, sighing "A way to… depose my father, at least. Right?"

"Don't you think your guards would join us?" Sokka asked "They've always been so loyal to you, they might choose you over your father…"

"I can't fight what might turn into a civil war with ten soldiers against an entire army" Azula said, looking at Sokka matter-of-factly "Might as well fight it on my own, I'd die just as easily"

"You might underestimate yourself, but… truthfully I'd rather not risk your life" Sokka said, biting his lip "There's got to be something we can rely on, though. More than enough people hate the Fire Nation, right? So…"

"Uh… yeah, they do" Azula said, frowning "But… we happen to have a really bad relationship with the ones who hate it most"

Sokka's eyes snapped up towards hers. The uneasy grimace on Azula's face made his stomach twist up too.

"What… the White Lotus?" he said. Azula shrugged "That's… shit, that's madness. How would we ever join forces with them? How would they even agree to joining us at anything?"

"I don't know, but… don't you think that's why Piandao gave you that tile?" Azula asked. Sokka's eyes widened "He… he might have been counting on you reaching a breaking point one day. If those tiles are the way to manifest membership…"

"If they are, what of it?" said Sokka, grimacing "We don't even know where to find them. If we did, it'd be something else, but… having a tile doesn't mean anything unless you know who to show it to"

"Heh. Maybe you should show it to my uncle. That way we'd confirm if he's White Lotus or not" Azula said. Sokka snorted.

"That only makes me want to join them even less" he said. Azula smiled a little "Besides, he's not even in the city and who knows if he'll ever come back. Not to mention, if he isn't the spy, he'd probably rat me out to your dad about holding a tile and then Seethus would…"

"Xin Long and I would set the bastard on fire long before he so much as tries" Azula growled. Sokka smiled.

"That's good then. But I still wouldn't risk showing the tile to your uncle, of all people" he said. Azula sighed and nodded.

"Fair enough. Our other option was the Head Sage, but… that might not help much either" Azula said "He does want me to succeed my father, and he wanted me to stay on his good side because of that… but I don't know for sure that he could be another spy"

"Maybe the prisoners?" Sokka asked "Though they wouldn't be likely to help us at all…"

"No, they wouldn't" Azula agreed, sighing "I admit, if they have an army as big as what June described, they'd be the only force to hold a torch to the Fire Nation's military. Joining forces with them disgusts me, on a fundamental level, but… if that's the only way to put a stop to slavery, to prevent more senseless deaths, then…"

"Then we'd do it?" Sokka asked, uneasy "I mean… I know it's better to be open to all options, but those bastards might not be any help if they decide to stab us in the back instead…"

"I know" Azula said, her fingers slipping between his "Granted, this is all just theoretical. We can't know for sure that we'll be able to achieve any of this. If anything, it looks really unlikely, but… we should be ready for anything. We should explore every angle. I… I think I hate being powerless so much more than I hate the White Lotus"

"Yeah" said Sokka, nodding gently "If they're the only way we can stop slavery… then I guess I'll join forces with my worst enemy again, huh?"

"You do have a funny knack for doing that" Azula said, smiling weakly "Well, seeing how that turned out with me, maybe you really should join forces with the White Lotus. You might end up reforming them, making them rethink their course of action and helping them achieve their dreams… though the risk is they may fall in love with you for it"

"Ugh. No, thank you. The only enemy-turned-lover I need in my life is you" Sokka said, grimacing at the thought of White Lotus agents, Jeong Jeong in particular, developing romantic feelings of any sort for him.

To his surprise, Azula laughed at his reaction, even if just softly. He smiled at the sight before pulling her close, and her head fell on his chest as he held her gently. Within mere moments, the two lay together on the mattress, her head resting atop his chest as his free hand played with her loose hair. The other hand remained linked with hers.

"You know, I… I never wanted you to truly understand how I felt in the Amateur Arena" Sokka whispered. Azula bit her lower lip "I mean… I shared those stories with you, yeah, but I had hoped… I had hoped you wouldn't have to go through anything remotely similar. You didn't have to. You already knew slavery was wrong, you'd taken steps to put a stop to it even if your father shut you down…"

"I never thought I'd understand it to this extent either" Azula said "I… I stood there, even after everyone else was gone. My father, he… he left when they stopped screaming. I suppose he assumed they were dead by then, so… he just walked away. But I couldn't. I… I had to stay. I couldn't dare leave, even when it was killing me inside to watch the whole thing. Just imagining… j-just imagining being the one forced to kill them, I… I have no idea how you endured it. I really… I'm so sorry, Sokka. I never thought it would be easy, but…"

"It never was" Sokka acknowledged "Eventually you just… had to go through the motions. If I didn't do it, I was going to be forced to. The firebending guards were always there to make sure of it, so… I felt like I didn't have a choice. Just like you today"

"And I guess you'd beat yourself up for it later" Azula whispered. Sokka sighed and nodded "Always thinking… you should've had it in you to do something, to take a stand…"

"I guess I should have. But if I had… it wouldn't have ended any better than it did today" Sokka said "No one was going to swing in to rescue me. I would've been…"

Her grip on him tightened, and she buried her face in his chest. He didn't finish his sentence, knowing better than to do that when the memory of the executions was still fresh in her mind. Surely, the thought of him almost being one of them would torment her for a long time…

"You learn to live with it" he whispered, caressing her hair as reassuringly as he could, despite dreading the gesture would do little to appease her "You learn to forget about it, if just for a while. Then you remember you're too lucky, that life has dealt you too good a hand to waste it, but… you feel like you should've done better. That you should've been fighting to save them from the get-go. That not doing it means… yeah, that you're a coward. But as hard as it may be to believe it, Azula… your father was the one who allowed this. The one who condoned this. The one who would sooner execute innocent people and use them as scapegoats for the ones whose only crime was deciding they didn't want to kill each other anymore. Yeah, maybe we could have done better. And I'd like to think we will in time… but the true source of this outrage isn't us. Yeah, we'll do something about it, but don't lose sight of what really matters"

"I know you're right" Azula said, sighing "I know it, deep down, and yet… I just keep thinking it's not fair. Maybe one of them, standing in those pyres, meant as much to someone else as you mean to me. Maybe they could have achieved something remarkable in their lives, had they been free. The thought that so many lives have been lost in the same, senseless manner… it makes me think this world has lost so much more than we can ever recover. And yet we could lose even more…"

Sokka nodded, pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head. Azula shut her eyes tightly and hugged him, taking in his scent with each of her deep breaths. The horror she had witnessed today was bound to show itself in her dreams, and chasing it away would be just as difficult as putting aside the thought of Sokka's dying figure in that clearing had been…

"That we don't want to lose more is what should keep us moving forward. No matter how hard it may be" Sokka said, breathing in and rubbing her arm and back gently "This isn't easy to live with, I would know, but… but we have ideas. We may have proper plans soon, too, so… let's just work on them. Let's move forward. The more we linger on them, on the crimes we committed or didn't prevent, the more helpless we'll feel and the less likely we will be to change anything at all. Right?"

"Right" said Azula, stroking his flank "Though I guess… we're both too tired, too emotional to come up with solid plans just yet. Right?"

"Likely" Sokka conceded. Azula glanced up at him.

"Maybe… you can tell me about your trip" she said "About the men you saved. How did you do it? You said… you set the Arena on fire?"

Sokka smiled a little and nodded. The Princess raised her eyebrows.

"Sounds like that must have been fulfilling for you" she said, grinning too. Sokka chuckled.

"I admit, it was so much more cathartic than I expected…" he said, before beginning his tale.

Azula remained lying next to him, her head atop his chest as she gazed at him with loving admiration. The executions had been horrifying, but hearing about how Sokka had succeeded at saving those men was reassuring. It encouraged her, it convinced her that their small, barely hatching rebellion could stand a chance against her father's regime and armies. If they were careful, if they were thorough with their plans, there was a chance, however small as it might be, that they would save the slaves. All of them, this time without fail.

She couldn't help but think about how inconsiderate she had been about the whole subject back in the day. How little she had cared, how irrelevant the plights of slaves had seemed so long ago in her eyes. She had found it irritating, insulting even, when Sokka had diminished her problems back when they had met again in Hui Yi, when he had assumed nothing that plagued her could be truly important… but now, more than ever, she understood why that was the case. Now she understood why he had been so distraught about Suki's fate, upon hearing just how terrible a village Shu Wo was. Now she knew why he had wanted to protect her by making her wait outside that pub in the horrible rundown town where she had first met June.

Her problems weren't any less real than anyone else's, she had no doubt about that. But the tragic deaths of those men wrongfully executed, for crimes that not only should be no crimes at all, but that they hadn't even committed, made her old squabbles with Zhao feel small, meaningless in comparison. Even so, Sokka had opened his mind to her plights. He had understood her. He had agreed to help her, even if Azula wondered now if she truly had deserved it. Maybe she hadn't. But maybe if he hadn't helped her, if he had only focused on saving the slaves and their relationship hadn't grown as it had, she wouldn't have learned as much from him as she had. Maybe she wouldn't have questioned her father or his teachings. Most definitely, she would have never learned a damn thing about balance, let alone about why it mattered in their world…

Her father had indeed raised her to become the greatest leader in Fire Nation history, but he didn't understand everything the job would entail for her. It wasn't merely about boosting their nation's progress for her, it hadn't been about that for quite a long time now. She needed to protect her people, at any cost… and she intended to. She knew she had it in her to change the world, so long as she set aside her foolish fears and reservations for long enough to build a solid plan. And as she listened to Sokka's explanations about his daunting escape, the prospect of succeeding at their goal appeared all the more promising. He had saved those twelve: they would be saving many more before long, and her father would have no say upon the matter.

They lay together for hours talking, sharing their experiences and pondering their plans for the future some more. While the sorrow that weighed inside them was heavy, it was easier to endure it when holding each other as they were. Before long, their turbulent hearts had been calmed, the rage and fear finally settling down as they found at least a shred of peace in their companionship.

"You have to go home, though" Sokka said at last, once he realized dawn would break soon. Azula sighed.

"I can't say I want to" she said "I… I miss not going home"

"No surprises there" said Sokka, with a gentle grin "I miss that too. But if we want our wicked plans to work, you can't piss off your dad too much just yet, can you?"

"Might as well try" Azula sighed "Fits of rage could be dangerous in a man of his temper. His inner fire might snap out of his control and he could blow up…"

"That sounds gruesome" Sokka said, eyes wide "Has that ever happened to anyone?"

"Not that I know of" said Azula, with a small smile "But if he finds out that I've spent the night lying in bed with you, while you're fully naked… it might just be the first time it happens to someone altogether, huh?"

Despite himself, Sokka laughed and pulled her closer. His lips pressed softly to her brow before seeking her lips instead. Through the whole night he had refrained from kissing her fully, and although Azula wasn't going to complain about it, especially in a night like this one, she certainly had needed the caress of his lips against her own more than she realized.

"I'll walk you to the door… if you want" he said, pressing his forehead to hers. Azula nodded.

"Just… put on some pants, at least" she suggested. He smiled weakly "Just in case Song wakes up or so…"

"She's not likely to, but I'll do it…" he said, caressing her cheek gently.

Azula bit her lip and nodded, prompting him to sit up and stretch. It had been hours of lounging together without any genuine rest, and as it was, it would be his third night without sleep. He had been so troubled and miserable, though, that he had as good as forgotten about how tired he really was. The euphoria that had been keeping him awake earlier was well and truly gone at this point, and he wasn't sure he'd ever reclaim that joyful feeling.

He only bothered putting on clean trousers before accompanying a fully armored Azula to the door. By the time they reached it, the Princess looked as uninclined to leave as ever, if not more so.

"Hey…" Sokka said, clasping her hand in his "We can make things better, and we will. We've already achieved plenty of unreasonable things, haven't we? I mean… you tamed a dragon when they were supposed to be extinct"

"You saved the Northern Water Tribe by sabotaging my father's bombs affair" Azula conceded, with a small grin.

"And somehow people think I'm the strongest non-bender in the Superior League" Sokka said, raising his eyebrows. Azula's smile grew warmer at that "If… if we could do all those things, we can figure out a way to help slaves. To help… to help the entire world"

Azula nodded, fingers interlacing with his. Her eyes met his own, and she was enveloped by his gentle gaze as ever. There was pain in him, a kind of hurting she knew he would never recover from… but right now, the same kind of pain dwelled inside her, too. For once, she had felt the helplessness he had experienced in the past. It only encouraged her further to find a greater purpose than the ones she had laid down for herself in life so far…

"Get some rest" she said "You… you don't look as handsome when you spend days without sleeping, you know?"

"Heh? What, some bags under my eyes can really damage my image that much?" he smiled, and Azula grinned too.

"Had I told you as much back in the forest, would you have agreed to rest any sooner?" she asked.

"Not likely. We were trying to stop being attracted to each other back then, remember?" he raised his eyebrows. Azula laughed softly.

"Well, I'm afraid it would have failed nonetheless" she said, cupping his cheek "No amount of sleeplessness would steal your good looks to the point where I wouldn't find you appealing… but that's not a challenge, just so you know. Don't you dare not get any sleep just to test if I truly will continue being attracted to you"

"You just had to go and ruin my fun, huh?" Sokka asked, with a gentle smile. Azula chuckled "Get some rest too, Azula. As much as you can, and if you can't, well… maybe come back here as soon as you have a chance, and we'll just get proper rest together"

"Sounds like a plan" Azula agreed, nodding and pushing herself up to kiss him. Sokka leaned down, arms circling her waist to bring her closer "I… I love you, Sokka. More than anything"

"And I love you" he whispered "Tonight, more than ever"

Her chest churned upon hearing those words, and she hugged him tightly. He cradled her in his arms, pressing gentle kisses to her temples and the top of her head until she finally found the courage to pull away. Her eyes were misty again, but she didn't let the tears fall this time.

"I'll be back soon. As soon as I can" she said, pushing the door open clumsily, for she refused to break eye contact with him. Sokka smiled and nodded.

"I'll wait for you" he said, unwilling to step away until she had closed the door behind her.

Azula's chest ached as she finally left the house. Some part of her, the self-flagellating, ever unforgiving side of herself, assured her that she deserved no kindness, not from Sokka, not from anyone else. That what she'd done today, or rather, failed to do, was something that she would never atone for. That all the crimes she had turned a blind eye to through all these years, all the dying, tortured slaves she hadn't helped because it was too difficult, were something she should spend the rest of her life making amends for…

But Sokka's words rang in her head again. She would never forget this. She would always feel guilty for it. But ultimately… she had to move forward. Only by moving forward would she ever prevent this from happening again. Only by making up her mind to act, and to change their world, would she ever find the opportunity to begin amending her nation, and most of all, her father's wrongdoings.

She changed out of her armor quickly upon arriving in her room. Her bed wasn't as inviting as it should have been, even though she could feel the exhaustion wearing her down… she reached into a drawer for Sokka's bone necklace, knowing she would need to hold it if she hoped for any rest.

She tucked in by the time dawn was breaking. Her inner fire flared against the rising sun, but she tried to ignore it, turning around and keeping her back to her window…

A knock on her door startled her. She had barely closed her eyes as it was…

For safety's sake, she waited a little longer. Pretending she was asleep, and that the sound had woken her, would probably befit her better than rushing to open the door. Who could it be, at any rate? And why, at such early hours…?

After the third round of knocks, a voice accompanied the sound of knuckles against metal.

"Princess Azula?"

Her brow furrowed. No, not a servant. That voice was, without a doubt, Renkai's.

She rolled her eyes and climbed off the bed. Of all people, it had to be him. As if she didn't dislike him for enough reasons yet…

"Princess Azula, please open the…" he was saying, just before Azula turned on the doorknob and pulled the door open.

"What is it?" she hissed, her sleepless eyes glaring at his mask. Renkai held his composure regardless.

"The Fire Lord requires your presence"

The dumbstruck look on her face could not be held back. Renkai blinked blankly, never expecting such a genuine reaction from the Princess.

"My presence? But it's…! It's barely dawn, the sun isn't even fully up yet, why would he…?" she groaned, shaking her head before realizing who she was talking to. It was unbefitting to complain about her father's petitions, especially in front of someone like Renkai "Oh, never mind. Just… I'll be there shortly"

"I'll escort you" Renkai said, nodding "Be quick about dressing up"

Azula rolled her eyes before slamming the door shut. The Imperial Guard grimaced, both dreading the Princess's mood and, inevitably, empathizing with it. Being woken for an impromptu meeting with the Fire Lord couldn't be pleasant, especially if the meeting wasn't deemed urgent by Ozai. Nevertheless, he held back from empathizing too much. As much as he no longer found the Princess as unpleasant as he had in the past, he wasn't exactly eager to strike up a friendship with her, let alone to join in with the rest of his Imperial Guard squad in believing the Princess was marvelous, admirable and an example worth following. There were enough reasons to believe the Princess could be up to something bad, wasn't there?

In truth, there weren't, and he'd know: that was what the General had demanded for him to discover about the Princess. So far, Renkai had left his mission on the side while keeping to his general duties… but today the Princess was striking him as suspicious once again. As annoying as it might be to be startled awake at such early hours, why did it look like she had barely gotten any rest…?

He didn't ask, of course, but he couldn't stop studying the Princess as they walked together to Ozai's study. Her hairdo wasn't as perfect as ever, not without her servants to help her perfect it… but other than that, nothing else stood out aside from her tired appearance. Perhaps he should keep an eye on her nightly activities? If she was conspiring with someone, just as Shaofeng suspected, perhaps she was doing it when nobody expected it from her. When everyone thought she was safe and sound in bed…

He bowed his head towards Azula after opening the door to Ozai's study for her. He wouldn't escort her back to her room, deferring that duty to one of the guards standing by the study instead. No, Renkai had to speak with Shaofeng and bring this to his attention right away. Perhaps the man would shut him down again, but it was, presumably, a lead worth pursuing…

Azula frowned as she saw her father standing before his study's window, his back turned towards her. Whatever had prompted him to bring her here didn't seem to be quite urgent, if he would sooner stare off through the window rather than address why she had been summoned…

Or so she thought, until he turned around with a large stash of papers in his arms.

She didn't recognize them right away. They were bound now, perfectly neatly, into what came off as a thick book. All the same, her gaze was drawn towards the volume, confusion mixed with curiosity in her tired eyes.

"Princess Azula" Ozai said "Take your seat, if you would"

Azula obeyed, silently. Before long, that disapproving frown unique to her father's glares came through, but the Princess was hardly fazed by it.

"Did you not sleep at all last night?" he asked. Azula shrugged.

"I was tossing and turning the whole time" she claimed: it wasn't a full lie, she simply had avoided revealing she hadn't been in her own bed, or that she'd had company… "You needn't worry, I'm lucid enough for… whatever you wish to speak about"

"I should hope so" Ozai declared, as good as tossing the bound book on the desk.

Azula didn't take the gesture as anything but threatening bravado, and with the exhaustion that clung to her, she couldn't find it in her to be daunted by her father's attitude. Let alone when she found him less intimidating and much more frustrating every day…

But her eyes were inevitably drawn to the title of the book, handwritten by her father.

"What…?" she said, frowning before raising her gaze towards her father.

Her stomach lurched, albeit with uncertainty, nervousness, confusion. Ozai only met her stare with his own, unyielding one… and yet there was something else to his behavior, there had been all along. Something Azula hadn't noticed until now, for she had been too tired, too distrustful, to properly assess her father…

"You… you kept my slavery reformation project?" she asked, her voice soft "I thought… I figured you would've gotten rid of it after you rejected it"

"I didn't" Ozai said, his voice stern as he took his seat across Azula "Something stayed my hand. The suspicion that, if you were right about this, I would never hear the end of it…"

"I see" said Azula, with raised eyebrows. Ozai breathed deeply, and finally Azula understood what that unexpected quality in her father's semblance was.

It was defeat. A concept she had seldom associated with her father, if at all.

Her eyes were wide even before he spoke again.

"You have many responsibilities to handle as it is" Ozai said "And yet you wrote and offered this project freely, upon glimpsing a possible problem within Fire Nation society. While at the moment, it seemed unnecessary, it seems at least one of your predictions came true: a rebellion occurred, and the consequences… if you're right about those predictions too, this could become a problem of much larger and more complicated proportions than any we've faced coming from within our nation"

"It… it could" Azula agreed, nodding. Ozai raised his eyes to meet hers.

"Your project is ambitious, and it certainly seems you have covered most your bases" Ozai said "Nonetheless, the possibility of failure exists. If the execution of this project fails, Princess Azula, there will be no second chances. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for you, one that I am granting you based on your previous successes… but if you can't deliver results, I will withdraw and cancel the project at once. Am I clear?"

"Why… yes, you are" Azula said, staring at him in disbelief "I… I will be the one tasked to make the project a reality, then?"

"Who better for it than the woman who designed it?" Ozai asked, raising his eyebrows.

"I suppose that makes sense" Azula said, nodding as her gaze fell upon the book again. Her body shivered involuntarily, and Ozai's questioning glare prompted her to explain herself: "I'm sorry, I just… wasn't expecting this"

"Neither was I" Ozai sighed "But the situation does call for better measures than the ones that have been taken so far. I allowed slavery to be a loose system, and it would appear the time has come to tighten it"

"I understand" said Azula, blinking blankly and nodding "T-then… how will we proceed? The project is as full-rounded as I could make it, but…"

"But it needs to be debated by my council first" Ozai declared "Granted, any projects I propose are as good as approved immediately… which is why it's a certainty that the project will happen. Nonetheless, it will be up to you to present it to the council, to answer any questions they may have and to reach proper compromises with each member, should they present legitimate concerns about it. If you truly hope to lead this nation one day, you must learn how to navigate these hurdles as well"

"Of course" said Azula, nodding with determination.

"This will surely take several sessions…" Ozai sighed "But as it is, your success is as good as guaranteed. It is only a matter of negotiating all the terms to the full satisfaction of the council"

"All of them, then? Including… this section?" Azula asked, leaning forward and opening the book, flipping the pages quickly until she found the one she had in mind.

Ozai's frown didn't deepen. That had to be a good sign, Azula thought… at least, he wouldn't seem to be completely against the notion of expanding the recruitment efforts in a new way, right?

"Truthfully…" Ozai started. Her heart clenched "I have already sent word to the top officials in the Domestic Forces. They are expected to begin recruiting women for your Enforcers within a few days"

"You… you really did? Already?" Azula asked, astonished.

"I expect that should reveal just how urgent this matter is" Ozai declared "The sooner those Enforcers of yours are trained and competent enough to do their jobs, the smoother your operations shall be"

"Of course" said Azula, with a small smile "Thank you. Though, as I mentioned on the project, it would be necessary for some experienced officers to join the Enforcers as well…"

"I have specified that to the Domestic Forces as well" Ozai said "They shall act accordingly, or so I was told"

"If that's so… thank you, Father. Truly" Azula said, bowing her head towards him.

"You should be grateful indeed. Adding new branches to our armed forces is hardly child's play" Ozai said, shaking his head "I expect results within less than a year, Princess Azula"

"Then I shall endeavor to deliver them" Azula declared, straightening her posture again and looking at Ozai with determination "I understand this project can represent a risk for you, for all of us, but with your leave, I won't rest until slavery is well and truly under control"

"Well… yes, I suppose you're quite devoted to this task" said Ozai, his nose slightly wrinkled "But considering how tired you look already, I'd rather you do rest once in a while. It's unseemly for you to sport such fatigued appearance"

"I… well, you know what I meant" Azula said, lowering her gaze.

"I have already sent word to the pertaining members of my council" Ozai said "The first meeting to debate your slavery laws will begin by mid-morning. Try to nap beforehand, unless you believe you need much preparation to present your project…"

"I could use some more, but I believe I remember the project well enough, even now" Azula said, nodding "I will try to rest, then. Thank you, Father. This opportunity is… well, a surprise, to say the least"

"Do return the favor by surprising me with success beyond everyone's expectations, then" Ozai said, dismissively. Azula smiled and stood up.

"I will do my best" she said, bowing her head towards him.

There had been no warning, no chance to even imagine that her father would accept her slavery reformation project now, not after all this time. She had brought it up just the previous day, certainly, but she had never thought he might reconsider his stance on it. She had expected him to crack down on slavery, to become harsher, crueler… she didn't expect him to hand over the reins of the endeavor to her.

Then again, it wasn't much surprise. Her father had liked slavery as a concept, not so much in its execution, as far as Azula could tell. Slavery was undignified, ugly, dirty: Ozai had a very small, very silent conscience that seldom spoke up, so the injustices and afflictions of slaves would hardly concern him. Slavery was meant to be a punishment to those who hadn't wanted to bow down to him. In his eyes, that was all that mattered.

Azula wasn't foolish enough to believe that his philosophies had changed after Fazhan's slave riot. What had changed, though, was his perception of slaves as feeble and useless, and he finally understood they could be a threat. What better way to handle threats than by shirking them off to those who had already expressed an interest in dealing with them?

Well… there was one other way, Ozai had already proven as much once before. Azula had already reached the door by the time the thought crossed her mind, and she resonated quickly, to assess her surroundings properly.

She froze, the gruesome sensation lurking nearby. Oh, so nearby…

She glanced at the chair near the wall, her stomach lurching, no longer in a pleasant way. Perhaps Seethus was merely here to pass the time… but his presence made her uneasy either way.

"Now, now…" Ozai said, with a dramatic sigh. Azula was startled by his voice "You have just received a considerably big task, Azula. Please stop concerning yourself with Seethus. He can deliver a report without concerning you, can't he?"

"A report, huh? Well, the truth is, I was only wondering…" said Azula, glancing over her shoulder at Ozai "Why didn't you use him to deal with this situation? Why not… send him to handle the threat represented by those gladiators, if you were just going to kill them anyways?"

"Word had already spread about them, about what they were doing" Ozai said, simply "Had they vanished without a trace, the rumors would say they escaped… and that would result in much unrest throughout the Fire Nation, wouldn't it?"

She held back any instinctive reactions to those words. She doubted he was probing her, for his tone was not confrontational… but she wasn't about to give him cause to suspect that she had something to do with the actual escaped gladiators. So she nodded.

"Besides…" said Ozai "You seemed so certain, last time, that there was a better way to handle threats of the sort. This is your chance to prove you're right… and so, your chance to prove me wrong. Don't waste it"

Azula nodded promptly, allowing herself to glance at the invisible Seethus once again. The gleam of fractal light around him was faint, but she knew how to locate it by now.

"I won't" she said "Thank you again, Father"

"Be on time for the meeting, Princess Azula" he said, as she opened the door and stepped outside.

"I will be, for sure" she said, with one last bow of her head before closing the study's door.

She had barely taken two steps towards her room when she covered her mouth with her hands: she had no idea what Sokka would think of this, but she had to tell him. She knew his resentment towards her father was too strong to be dismissed as things were… but perhaps, just perhaps, he would feel slightly better about the progress of their mission to save slaves if he knew of this unexpected chance Ozai had provided her with. Of all reasons why he might have summoned her today, she would have never guessed it would be about the slavery project.

She couldn't rest after all, too determined to be ready for a meeting that she absolutely couldn't fumble. Make-up was the solution for the bags under her eyes, along with her usual dose of tea, in hopes that it might help her stay awake. All the same, she knew what she had to do. And she would do it, without hesitating, without failure. If she had somehow managed to sway Sokka into falling in love with her, despite the horrible start of their relationship, there was no way she would fail to convince her father's council that her proposed laws would only bring progress and further greatness to the Fire Nation, when she had no doubts that would be the case.

---

He had rushed through the guards' barracks, ignoring any soldiers or guards who spoke to him as he made his way to the General's office. Even when a servant warned him it might not be the best time to approach Shaofeng, Renkai had ignored him. This was the first possible breakthrough of his mission in months, and if he was successful… well, there was no telling what might happen, but it could only mean good things for his future, couldn't it? As much as his resentment for the Princess had decreased, it was merely because he had been swayed by Rui Shi's loyalty, by his comrades' belief that the Princess was a worthy leader to follow. So far, beyond his suspicions about her illicit relationship, Renkai was slightly more willing to believe that too… but if she was up to no good, he would bring her to task. That was his duty. That was what he had been meant to do all along.

He reached the office's corridor, sensing a noise of cluttering, falling objects, muffled by closed doors. He frowned at the sounds upon realizing that they seemed to drift out of the General's office itself.

It sounded like the man was moving his furniture around, and not very successfully. Papers brushing together, heavy objects falling on the floor… Renkai frowned until he noticed the door was ajar, if just slightly…

One glance was all it took to realize he was best off running away from the General at once, as the servant had told him.

He had never seen him quite so wrathful. The man was snarling, setting paper on fire recklessly – some of it was spreading to the furniture, half the carpet had already been blackened. His wild eyes were nothing like anything Renkai had seen in his level-headed, stoic leader before. Had he been fired? Had he lost something precious, too valuable to sacrifice, perhaps? What on earth was happening to the man he owed his allegiance to?

Suddenly, whatever reasons Princess Azula might have had to be excessively tired seemed meaningless. Hearing the General roar angrily while he carried on with his destructive spree only furthered the fear that had paralyzed Renkai where he stood.

And as he watched him silently, nervously, he couldn't help but wonder if perhaps the one hiding dark, terrible secrets that could destroy the Fire Nation from the inside wasn't the Fire Lord's daughter…

---

"You really don't look so good" Song said to Sokka by that afternoon. The gladiator huffed, resting on the kitchen table with his chin atop his crossed arms.

"I don't feel good" he admitted "Especially because she's not here yet. I'm two seconds away from making up my mind to go to that blasted Palace to find her"

"You don't really think something happened to her, do you?" Song asked, uncertain. Sokka sighed and shrugged.

"After the shit her father has proven capable of, I'm not sure of anything" he said.

"Maybe you should try to sleep again, if just for a little while" said Song "Time will pass faster that way, and when she shows up, you'll be happy and reassured that nothing happened to her"

"A nice suggestion, but I don't think I'll be able to sleep at all" Sokka groaned, shaking his head.

He actually had rested for a few hours that morning, but his worn-out body needed so much more than that. Either way, he hadn't provided it with further rest yet and he wasn't sure he should bother trying at all: the longer Azula was away, the more anxious he felt. She had said she'd be here as soon as possible, meaning, it wasn't possible for her to get here any sooner. Why? What could be delaying her?

Song had tried to appease him through the day, but by now she was running out of ideas on how to calm him down. He had offered to help her with some of her chores, if just to keep himself busy, and after a few cooking mishaps Song had confined him to cleaning duties while she worked on dinner.

He was glaring out the window, in the general direction in which he knew the Palace was, even if the buildings hid it from view… when he heard that soft sound his ears were ever perked for. His eyes widened and he jumped off his chair so fast he startled Song.

"Sokka?" she called him, but he was already running halfway through the living room and into the backyard.

Xin Long was there, and of course, so was Azula. Clad in her golden armor, looking beautiful, exhausted… and satisfied. Sokka's eyes widened. If nothing was wrong, why would she have taken so long to get here?

"Azula?" he called, as the Princess climbed off the saddle.

Her eyes found his, and she smiled weakly. He was the one who cut the distance between them, hands reaching out for hers.

"What happened? I thought you'd come earlier…" he said. Azula nodded.

"I wanted to, or at least I intended to, but… something happened" she said, looking at him intently "Something big. Something… you might be both happy and annoyed about. But, hopefully, you'll be happier than annoyed…?"

"Huh?" said Sokka, raising an eyebrow. Azula breathed deeply before confessing the truth:

"My father has approved of it. The… the slavery reformation project" she said.

His eyes widened. Her smile was uneasy, uncertain, as though she feared he would lash out at her… but when his jaw dropped, and he began shaking his head only to look at her with further confusion it was impossible not to laugh at his reaction.

"Woah, woah, woah… didn't he dismiss it before?" Sokka asked "I thought…!"

"So did I, but he had kept the project safely somewhere despite he had rejected it and…!" said Azula "It seems, well, he wants to give me a chance to… to do things the right way. To reel slavery in, to control it, to… to see to it that nothing like what happened over the last few days will ever happen again"

"You're serious?" Sokka asked, a tinge of hopefulness in his voice. Azula nodded promptly "You're…? Shit. I… I didn't see this coming. I thought…"

"I did too, and… and if you think this isn't good enough, I don't blame you in the least" said Azula, stroking his hands "I know that slavery won't end until my father's off the throne, and I know he's never going to stop doing dreadful things whether behind our backs or right in front of our eyes, but… but this is a start, right? It's… it's an opportunity to help people who need us. It may not be perfect, but it's… it's more feasible than finding the White Lotus and working with them, right?"

"I… guess" Sokka admitted, biting his lip "But… you do realize I won't stop believing your dad needs to go even after this, right?"

"Yeah, I… I know. I get it. I don't blame you for that" Azula said again. Sokka nodded.

"Will you be able to do everything as you planned, though?" he asked "You had some pretty sound ideas…"

"Most of the project is still in debate" Azula said "That's why I was so late, I was at this meeting with my father's council about the reformation laws, and…"

"And?" said Sokka. Azula smiled.

"Well, so far, so good" she said. To her delight, he smiled too "It's going to take some time for them to approve of everything, but I believe it can be done"

"And… what about the recruiting of new soldiers to enforce these laws?" Sokka asked "I think you had something like that in mind, right…?"

"Indeed. Female soldiers, in fact" said Azula. Sokka swallowed hard "My father says he's already sent word to the Domestic Forces so they begin recruiting them. So…"

"So, it's a done deal?" Sokka asked, eyes wide "He wouldn't be sending word for recruitment if…"

"He wants the project to happen, so it will" Azula said, with a small grin. Sokka actually let out a bark of disbelieving laughter "I know, it seems absurd, but that's how being Fire Lord works. All that remains is for me to negotiate the terms of each law with the council, and once all that's done…"

"Once that's done, we can save them" Sokka said, hope shining in his eyes anew "Granted, it's not the greatest of all solutions, but… they won't have to die anymore"

"And if we find evidence of slave mistreatment, they will be taken from their masters" Azula said, with a proud grin "So… hopefully this way things will start to look up for them. It might not be easy, but… if it works out, we will save countless lives. Lives that might not be saved otherwise, so…"

Sokka chuckled, taking her face into his hands and kissing her lips softly. Azula smiled, arms going around his strong body. He squeezed her tightly, burying his face in her neck as relief rushed inside him. No, it wasn't the final answer. It wasn't their end goal… but it was progress. The best progress they'd made to improve the lot of the slaves in all the years they'd been working together.

He would never forget the horrors Ozai had been capable of, even if right now he seemed to have made the right decision, for a change. He would never stop holding the man responsible for the crimes he had committed against all the people whose lives he had stolen, whose dignity he had trampled over… but this was a victory, however small, and it was worth cherishing nonetheless. One day, surely, Azula would achieve even greater progress, especially once Ozai was gone… but for now, this was a good starting point. As much as it meant more work, as much as it meant Azula would have to take up yet another massive undertaking that would be no easy feat, this was, indeed, a task worthy of the Princess. If someone had it in her to overcome impossible odds, to achieve the unthinkable, it was her.

For Ozai had never intended to change slavery before reading her project, and even for months after having read it. But Azula had overcome as good as every challenge before her, whether those poised by her father or by anyone else, and against even her own expectations, she had overcome them this time, too. And Sokka intended to stand right beside her through thick and thin in this new endeavor, supporting her in whatever capacity she might need him to, as he basked in the winds of change that his princess was powerfully blowing into the Fire Nation…

A/N:

And here we are, one of our darkest arcs so far is finished. It was really angsty, but I hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I did. There's quite a lot of important stuff coming in the next arc, though... stuff some of you have been asking for since, I don't know, chapter 2, maybe (?) Of course, I don't want to spoil (though I suspect some of you already have seen hints of what it is...), but I hope you'll enjoy it a lot too.

At any rate, Gladiator Week is happening on Tumblr right now still, if you'd like to join in, feel free... and if you'd like to read the next chapter's snippet, so you may have some idea of what the next arc will entail, just a $1 pledge on P / A / T / R / E / O / N will offer you an exclusive glimpse at the story's future next week!

Alright, thanks for sticking it out with me so far! See you guys in two weeks!