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It had been a few months since the fight with the Shadowpact, ending with half of the Palace burned down some of the Caldera scorched. Azula had stopped counting bodies when working with her sisters in digging out the rubble and trying to piece the Palace back together. After staying with Zuko and being assured he’d get everything fixed up, a task that Toph wanted in on since it was partially her fault half of the Palace was collapsed, Azula had returned to her new home on Kyoshi Island with Suki and the remaining Warriors, intending on a few weeks of rest.
For Azula, that didn’t come easily. The fight in the Palace reminded her of what she had to lose, and she didn’t want to see that future come to pass. Digging up some old Fire Nation traditions, the Princess had made up her mind, taking off for someone that she knew could help her in secret, even if his own girlfriend might blab to her Captain.
Azula sighed as she stepped off of the Airship, looking at the mountain range behind her. She hated having to lie to Suki about why she was coming back to the Fire Nation, but she knew her surprise would be found out at Shei’s workshop.
“Baby, please. Why can’t I come?” Suki asked, her arms around Azula’s waist at the Princess tried to pack.
“Because Zuko needs my help and you need to stay with your mom. She needs you more then I do right now. Besides, if you come, then we can’t have mind-blowing sex when I get back. You’re distracting and I wouldn’t be able to fly right if you were on the ship teasing me or toying with yourself,” Azula said, leaning back against Suki and kissing her cheek. “Trust me, baby. A couple of days and I’ll be home. You can keep out of trouble for that long, can’t you?”
“I don’t know. Might end up sleeping in your bed just to feel close to you when you’re gone,” Suki said, kissing Azula softly. “Just be careful, ok? I don’t want to lose you. I almost did with the Shadowpact, and that was scary enough. Don’t do anything stupid.”
“I promise,” Azula said, smiling against Suki’s lips and turning in her girlfriend’s arms, hands snaking down and squeezing her ass. “Give the girls hell for me.”
“No problem,” Suki said, watching as Azula cinched her bag and walked out of the room.
Azula turned and hefted her bag up onto her shoulder, biting her lip and making her way up the stairs to the mansion, knocking on the door. She stepped back and waited, the anticipation putting a pit into her stomach. The door opened and she was met with two people.
“Master Piandao,” she said, bowing her head in respect. “Tam.”
“Hi, Azula!” Tam grinned before rushing forward and hugging her Kyoshi sister. “Suki with you?”
“No,” Azula said, hugging Tam back and stepping back. “I’m by myself.”
“Why?” Piandao asked. “Is something wrong?”
“No, nothing’s wrong. I just need to do something, and I’d be found out at Shei’s workshop. Can I come in and explain?” Azula asked.
“Of course,” Piandao said, stepping back and pulling Tam back with him. “Please.” He shut the door after Azula walked in, leading the two women toward the kitchen. He started some water to boil, sitting at the table with his girlfriend and their guest. “What brings you all the way to my home, Princess?”
Azula bit her lip, opening her bag and pulling out a scroll. She unrolled it and Tam put a few apples on the corners to keep it flat. “I…I was going through some Fire Nation traditions, and I found one that struck my eye. Before Sozin, if anyone in the Fire Nation wanted to get married, they had to present a gift, sort of like the Water Tribe’s betrothal necklace.”
Piandao stood and looked at the parchment on the table, bringing a candle closer to it to see. “Azula. Are you sketching a betrothal blade?” he asked. Tam gasped from beside the Princess, her eyes widening.
“AZULA!!” Tam squeaked.
Azula’s face got red and she nodded softly. “I sketched it on the way here. I’ve got a bin full of ideas that I threw out before I settled on this one. After the Shadowpact, seeing what happened to Phuong and Qing, the citizens, the Palace Guard…I realized that if I waited, I’d never feel ready to ask Suki to marry me. I needed somewhere she wouldn’t question and coming to the Fire Nation was the only decision I could come up with. I…I humbly request to use your Forge, Master. All supplies and tools will be replenished when I’m finished.”
Piandao smiled. “Of course, Azula. Anything you need, you’ll have,” he said. “You remember how to run everything?”
“Yes, Master. I’ve been helping Shei on Kyoshi with repairing and making weapons for the Warriors since I’ve been there. I’ve gotten better then when I was a child,” Azula said with a small smile. “When can I start?”
“Tomorrow morning, first thing,” Piandao said. “Tonight, you rest after your journey from Kyoshi Island. We’ll make some dinner, get caught up, and then tomorrow we’ll get you set up in the forge.”
Early the next morning, Azula walked into Piandao’s forge, the master turning the light on. Everything was as she remembered from her childhood, and she couldn’t help but smile. “I’ll make sure to clean when I’m done, Master.”
“Alright, Azula,” Piandao said with a smile. “I’ll check on you throughout the day.” He gave Azula’s shoulder a squeeze, walking out and leaving her to her own devices.
Azula pushed her sleeves up and ignited one of the forges, blue fire sparking to life inside the metal. She grabbed some steel, thankful that Piandao didn’t throw scraps or broken blades away, and lined them up, using her firebending to weld the edges together before cutting some jagged edges off, making them smooth. She quickly welded a handle to the metal, looking over and putting it into the fire, knowing she needed to get it blindingly hot in order to pound out the material.
While the metal was heating up, she unrolled her scroll and pinned it down, seeing the shape of the blade she wanted. She grabbed some different materials, trying to see what a better fit in her hand would be, and then imagining Suki holding onto the blade. She finally settled on some Earth Kingdom wood, recognizing it from her time in Ba Sing Se. She looked over and pulled the now hot billet of metal out of the fire, making her way to the anvil to start hammering.
As the Princess worked on her blade, her mind wandered to Suki, imagining her girlfriend pacing the house, running to her mother when Shei called her, or even training with the Warriors. She worked in silence most of the day, looking up when she saw a shadow in the doorway to the forge. “Tam, hi.”
“Hey,” Tam said, setting a basket on an empty table. “Pi thought you’d be hungry. So, I brought you some lunch.”
“Shit, already?” Azula asked, jogging over before looking up, seeing the sun was past the halfway point in the sky. “Wow. After midday already. Have I really be in here that long?”
“Yep,” Tam said, opening the basket and starting to set things out for Azula. “How’s it going?”
Azula smiled softly, taking the flask of water, taking a long drink before she grabbed a clean cloth and wet it down, wiping at her face and hands. “It’s going great. I’ve just about got the blade drawn out where I need it, I’ve got my handle ready, and I just need a counterweight to ensure it doesn’t go flying out of Suki’s hand when she uses it,” she said. She tossed the cloth down, grabbing an apple and biting into it. “I just hope she likes it.”
“Of course she will,” Tam said with a smile. “She loves you. She’ll love the blade, too. Even if you did lie where you were going.”
“Oh, shut up,” Azula laughed, shaking her head. “I really feel bad about lying to her.” She set her apple down and grabbed the blade out of the fire with a pair of tongs, looking over before she slid the blade into a vat of oil, fire flaring up around her. Dunking the blade a few times, she pulled the blade out and set it on the side of the tank, grabbing a file and sliding it over the edge.
“Oh, girl, that sounds like a solid blade to me!” Tam said with a smile.
Azula smiled and nodded. “It’s hard. Now all I have to do is clean it up and sharpen the edge, put the handle on and find the right counterweight,” she said. “And hopefully a sheath to present it in.”
“Don’t forget a brand,” Tam said. “Shei always brands the Kyoshi weapons, and it’s her signature. You have to make a signature for yours, Azula.”
Azula nodded, biting her lip before grabbing a piece of charcoal and looking down at her parchment. She drew the base of a fan, bringing them up and twirling them like the Fire Nation symbol, smiling softly. “I got it.”
Tam looked over Azula’s shoulder and smiled. “I like it. How’re you gonna make it?”
“I…I don’t know,” Azula said. “Let me see…probably need a piece of wrought iron.” She walked over to the wall and looked at the pieces of metal strewn about, kneeling down and grabbing a piece. “Tam, go get Piandao, please? I’m going to need his help making the brand. My firebending is great, but I don’t have that kind of precision.”
Tam smiled and nodded, taking off for the door and heading for the house.
Azula pulled the metal up, testing its weight in her hand. She nodded, making her way over to the workbench and sitting down, igniting a candle and pulling it down before she grabbed some chalk and drew the outline of the shape she wanted.
Piandao walked in with Tam, making his way over to Azula. “She said you needed help?” he asked.
“Yes, Master,” Azula said, showing Piandao the bar in her hand with the outline she wanted.
“A Kyoshi fan and the Fire Nation symbol together?” Piandao asked. “Azula, if there is such a thing as a total declaration of love, I think that this would be it.” He smiled, patting Azula’s shoulder. “Get the blade cleaned up, get the scales put on and pinned together. When you’re done with that, I’ll be done with this and ready for the fire.”
Azula smiled softly and nodded, handing Piandao the rod. She grabbed the blade and some sandpaper, walking over and sitting down before she started sanding, the rhythmic sound of the paper against the blade sending a calming wave of her. She didn’t realize how fast her heart was pounding until her pulse faded from her ears with each pass of the sandpaper.
After almost an hour of sanding, Azula was happy with how the blade looked. With a tapered point and a slight wave on either side of the blade, she hoped Suki would love what she had done. Grabbing some wax, she slathered some on either side of the handle, lining up the wood with the holes she’d made for pinning the two halves together in the tang of the blade.
With her pins set in the blade, Azula walked back over, finding a piece of metal that would make for a good pommel counterweight. She checked the length of the tang she had left, nodding softly as she made a mark in the metal with her bending. Tossing the metal into the fire, the Princess wiped more sweat and soot off of her face, fluffing her shirt and trying to cool off.
“Gets hot in here, doesn’t it?” Piandao asked, looking over at Azula and smiling. “Tam finds me in here without a shirt most days.”
“And it jumpstarts her libido and nobody ever gets a weapon,” Azula said with a smirk.
Piandao laughed and nodded. “Yeah…you’re right about that,” he laughed, shaking his head. He blew on the end of the rod he was working on, getting the dust off of it and holding it up before tossing it to Azula.
Azula caught the rod and smiled. “It looks amazing, Master. Thank you so much.”
“My pleasure,” Piandao said. He watched Azula grab the metal in the forge, putting the brand in to get it hot in order to make it work, and he folded his arms. “Why do all of this?”
“It’s been six months since the battle with the Shadowpact,” Azula said. “Six months and all I’ve done is replay the fight with Zhang-Yi in my head. When he had Suki, when he stabbed her, and she was bleeding all over the floor. When I lost my cool for the first time in years and went insane, blowing them out of the Palace and through walls just to get to Suki. I realized after she woke up in the healing ward that I didn’t want to lose her. We’ve been together about a year now, Piandao, and…she’s the best thing to ever happen to me. I almost lost her twice. I don’t…I don’t want to lose her again. Not until old age sets in.”
Piandao nodded, smiling softly. “Azula, you have changed so much from that rude and impatient little girl who couldn’t wait to get out of the Forge when she and her brother and uncle came to see me. You’ve grown and matured into a wonderful woman, someone that would be able to lead armies and command forces through compassion instead of fear. I’m proud of being alive to see that change in you, and a lot of that change came from being with Suki. When you were with Sokka, you were happy, but it wasn’t anything permanent. You’d smile and laugh and then go right back to sulking. With Suki, when she makes you smile, the smile stays on your face. When you talk about her, you light up like she’s the only light in the cosmos.”
“Because she is. At least to me,” Azula said, hammering the metal down and forcing it into the shape she wanted. She fell silent as she fit the pommel onto the end of the knife, making sure it was going to fit before pulling it back off. She applied a bit of the wax on the end of the blade and inside her fitting, pushing them together again and tapping it on the table. “Ever since I stepped foot onto Kyoshi Island, Suki’s been there for me. Through assassination attempts, shadows of the past coming back to haunt us and even my capture by Zhang-Yi. I don’t want to lose her, Piandao, and if asking her to marry me is the way I keep her safe, then I’ll do it. I love her so much that the thought of losing her makes it hard to breathe.”
“Then that’s true love, Azula,” Piandao said, watching the Princess take the newly formed brand out of the fire and press it into one of her wooden handles. “What do have left to do?”
“Sharpen it and sheathe it,’ Azula said. She looked outside, seeing the sun setting. “And that’s a job for tomorrow. I want to take a bath before supper. Being in here all day made my clothes stick to me.”
“Go ahead. I’ll clean up,” Piandao said with a smile. As Azula walked past him, he shook his head. “You’re worrying she won’t like the knife. As long as it’s from you, it could be a hunk of metal and she’d still love it, Azula.”
Azula smiled softly and nodded. “I know. You and Tam have both told me that.” She walked out and headed inside, being careful not to touch more then she had to.
After a relaxing bath, dinner and a quiet night to herself with a book, Azula woke up curled up in her chair, the book on the table and a blanket over her. She yawned and forced her muscles to wake up, stretching and knocking the blanket onto the floor, hopping up and wincing as she did.
“Oh, fuck,” she mumbled, her back popping and making her wince. She changed her clothes and folded the blanket, setting it on the bed before making her way downstairs.
Quickly eating while listening to Tam talk about the news from town, Azula headed back straight into the forge to finish the blade, wanting to be done by midday and then leaving the next morning. She grabbed the blade, testing the weight in her hand and smiling.
“Balanced. This is going to be fun,” she said, sitting down and grabbing the leather she needed to sharpen the blade.
Working for a couple of hours let Azula’s mind wander, remembering some of her favorite moments with Suki.
Azula reached down and took her shoes off, feet hitting the sand. She sighed and giggled a bit as her toes dug into the coarse feeling under her feet. Her eyes widened as she covered her mouth, looking at Suki.
Suki cocked an eyebrow with a smile. “Did I just hear—”
“You tell anyone, and I’ll kill you,” Azula said, narrowing her eyes.
Suki smiled. “The Princess can have fun. New information.”
“Fuck you!” Azula said, shoving Suki into the ground where the captain laughed.
“And then Mahu attacked, trying to kill me,” Azula mumbled, shaking her head as she flicked her thumb over the edge of the blade. “Crazy bitch shoved me out of the way and took the club and blade. And then Shei wouldn’t even let me into the hospital to see her…”
She shook her head, grabbing a piece of parchment she had laying out, the blade cutting through the paper easily. Azula smiled, setting the blade aside and seeing a sheath sitting on the bench with a note on it.
“Made this for you. Keep my girl happy and we won’t have a problem, Princess.
Tam”
“You are a crazy little shit,” Azula chuckled, picking the blade up before sliding it into the sheath, feeling how snug it was. “Tam, that’s perfect.” She walked out of the forge, jogging back up toward the house and walking inside.
“How’s it going?” Tam asked with a smile, looking at Azula over a cup of tea.
“It’s finished,” Azula said, holding it up. “And you should know by now, Tamarind, I won’t let any harm come to Suki.”
“Oh, you saw my note,” Tam grinned. “I’m only playing around. She said the same thing to Pi, so…”
“Warriors looking out for each other,” Azula said with a smile. “I get it.” She sat down and handed the finished blade to Tam, watching her sister in arms take it out of the sheath. “What do you think?”
Tam smiled, balancing the blade on her fingers and flipping it up, catching the handle and swinging it. She spun her arm and wrist, the blade never losing speed before Tam tossed it up again and caught it by the blade. “Azula, this is perfect. She’s going to love it,” she said, sheathing it again and handing it back. “When are you leaving?”
“Tomorrow morning,” Azula said. “I need to refuel the ship and get some supplies for the journey back. Even if it is a day trip.”
Piandao smiled softly. “I’ll have someone stock it,” he said.
Azula took the rest of the day and rested, sparring a little with Tam in the yard and just having some fun while Piandao got her ship refueled and restocked. The next morning, Azula said her goodbyes and left, heading back for Kyoshi Island and hoping Suki wouldn’t be mad at her.
When she landed on the beach, Kikki and Phuong came running out to meet her. The two girls helped Azula unload everything she hadn’t eaten, the Princess taking her bag and slinging it onto her shoulder before she headed for Suki’s house. Phuong accompanied her, telling her Suki had been pushing them all harder in training since Azula left, doing it to keep her mind off of worrying.
“Hopefully, when she sees what I made for her, she’ll calm down. Or she’ll stab me in the face. Either way, she’ll settle down,” Azula said, hugging Phuong as she walked up to the house. “Bye, Phuong. I’ll see you and the other girls later.”
“Bye, Zu,” Phuong said, watching Azula walk into the house before she turned and took off.
Shei looked over as Azula walked in, smiling softly. “Hi, Azula.”
“Good afternoon, Shei,” Azula said with a bit of a smile. “Where’s Suki? I need to talk to her.”
“She is…in her room. She goes to train with the girls and then comes back. She’s been missing you terribly,” Shei said.
Azula nodded, sighing softly. “Alright,” she said. She walked upstairs and dropped her bag off in her room, taking the blade out and making sure it was wrapped before tucking it into the back of her belt.
She walked down the hall to Suki’s room, knocking softly and pushing the door open lightly. “Suk? Baby?” she asked. She walked over and laid behind Suki who was facing the wall, wrapping her arm around her girlfriend’s waist. “Hi, baby.”
“You’re back,” Suki whispered, wiggling back closer to Azula and wrapping her arms around the other woman’s, intertwining their fingers softly. “When did you get back to the Island?”
“Fifteen minutes ago,” Azula said, kissing Suki’s shoulder. “I have a confession.”
“Hm?” Suki asked, sitting up and looking down at Azula.
Azula sat up, making sure to keep her back to Suki. She sighed softly, biting her lip before taking Suki’s hands in hers. “I kind of lied about where I was going. I did go to the Fire Nation, but I didn’t go see Zuzu and there wasn’t anything bad going on.”
“Then why did you go?” Suki asked, pulling away from Azula and wrapping her arms around herself. “Why?”
“Because if I stayed here to do what I did, you’d have found out and ruined my surprise,” Azula said. “Here. Sit on the edge.” She got up and backed up, watching Suki scoot to the edge of the bed.
“Ok. Now what?”
Azula smiled softly, reaching behind her to take the blade out of her belt, putting it in Suki’s hands. “Unwrap it.”
Suki cocked an eyebrow, having felt the weight of the blade in her hands before she undid the wrapping and set it aside, her eyes lighting up. “A dagger?”
“Not just any dagger,” Azula said. She reached up and took Suki’s hand, kneeling in front of her. “A long time ago in the Fire Nation, it was customary to give daggers and blades like this to the person you loved. Similar to—”
“Water Tribe betroth—AZULA WHAT!?” Suki screamed, her eyes widening as she looked at the blade in her hand and the smile on Azula’s face. “WHAT?!”
Azula smiled. “Marry me, Suki. The blade is a betrothal blade. I forged it myself in Piandao’s forge. That’s where I went. I knew if I tried to do it here, you’d find out or your mom would spoil the secret.”
Suki felt tears falling down her cheeks, lunging forward and tackling Azula to the floor. “Yes, you moron,” she said, hugging Azula’s neck tightly. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”
Azula laughed and smiled, leaning up and kissing Suki. “I love you.”
“I love you,” Suki whispered, sitting up in Azula’s lap and unsheathing the blade. “Azula, this is beautiful…you did all of this?”
“Except the sheath and the brand on the bottom,” Azula said. “Tam snuck down and did the sheath the other night and I asked Piandao to make the brand for it. I brought the brand home, so now when I make weapons with your mom in the shop, I can mark them as my own work.”
Suki looked at the brand and smiled. “Is that Kyoshi Fan and Fire Nation emblem?’
“Mmhmm,” Azula said, resting her chin on Suki’s shoulder. “I’m glad you like it, baby.”
“I don’t like it. I love it,” Suki said, leaning back against Azula. “I’ll use it in battle if I have to. Gonna wear it on my uniform.”
Azula smiled, giving Suki a squeeze. “That’s my girl.”