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Chapter Text

Aang was saddened by what needed to be done. Yes, she was a monster. But she had started as an innocent child, her mind warped and perverted over time as her father pushed her to do more and more monstrous things. By the end, she was barely a shell of her former self. Zuko and Katara both had told him how she had wailed and gnashed her teeth while chained to the grate. Everybody turned a blind eye to the fact that it was Katara, and not Zuko, that had defeated her.

They turned a blind eye because it was clear that she was insane and could not be trusted to run the nation. And insanity was not treated kindly in the Fire Nation. She had been locked in a cold, dark cell for months before Aang had been allowed to see her. Now, she was barely a person. Non-responsive, her eyes unfocused, her body weak from lack of exercise.

But that wasn’t enough. The ruling parties wanted to make an example of her, to ensure that she would never challenge for the throne. Ozai loyalists had been making noise about ousting Zuko and placing Azula upon the throne. This caused Ursa and Iroh to persuade Zuko that her bending needed to be removed. Katara said the same thing. She was no longer the girl that Aang had been so infatuated with; she had been reforged into a near stranger. Aang was surprised that she left Azula alive. But Katara did and now Azula was a problem.

Katara had also persuaded Chief Hakoda and Chief Arnook that Azula needed to be stripped of her bending. She was set to become the Fire Lady two months from now, so her opinion had a lot of weight with the water tribes. And King Kuei needed no encouragement to endorse having her bending removed; he still felt the sting of Azula taking Ba Sing Se so easily.

The leading members of the Order of the White Lotus were also in favor of this action, with King Bumi being the only outlier. He had even offered to take her in as his ward, to try and help redeem her. But he was soundly outvoted. Adding insult to injury were the Kyoshi Warriors, who had volunteered to act as guards as a bit of revenge for Azula using their uniforms for her wicked deeds.

Aang had tried to get Azula turned over to Bumi, but he too was outvoted. The best that they had been able to negotiate was that King Bumi could have her after she had her bending taken. It broke Aang’s heart to do this. Ozai had been a monstrous foe, powered by Sozin’s comet. Taking his bending had been the lesser evil, since killing him was the only other way to end the conflict.

But this was a broken and shattered girl, not a monstrous threat. But Zuko and Katara had made it clear that they expected this to be done, or their cooperation with Aang’s plans would be greatly reduced or eliminated. The water tribes and Earth Kingdom issued similar threats. Even Bumi had capitulated to the group. There was no stopping this debacle.

Today was the day. All of those who had condemned her had arrived to witness the punishment. Bumi was there also as a witness, but more importantly he was to take her back with him to Omashu. He had promised to give her a place to mend, both physically and mentally, and recover her sanity. Had she been raised properly, perhaps her intelligence and leadership skills could have made a positive impact on the world. But unfortunately, that had not been the case.

Zuko stood, and all eyes turned towards him. His scar made his serious face look ominous. Aang couldn’t help but think he looked more and more like Ozai every day. “Today, we are gathered to watch the punishment administered against Azula, former princess of the Fire Nation, for her crimes against the world. She will have her bending taken away and will be henceforth banished from the Fire Nation.”

Aang looked around to gauge the reactions of the crowd. Everyone at least had the courtesy to not smile. Although, he swears that he sees Mai’s lips curling upward ever so slightly. That’s almost like a full-throated guffaw for her. He just sighed and hoped that he could get this over with.

“Bring out the prisoner.” Zuko called out. Aang heard them coming even before he saw them carrying her out of the darkened corridor. She had been chi blocked and was being carried into the meeting room, her feet scraping the floor as she was dragged through the doors. The two Kyoshi Warriors brought her up to the chair and rather unceremoniously dumped her in it. They had to hold her up as the chi blocking had left her conscious but unable to make any meaningful movements. They strapped her in and took their positions by the doors.

She looked at him with unfocused eyes, a little bit of drool leaking down from the right side of her mouth. She had been given a special shirt that exposed the chi nexus on her chest while otherwise protecting her modesty. She had done terrible things, but Aang had insisted that she be given basic decency while he was forced to do this.

“Avatar Aang, are you prepared to do your duty to the world?” Zuko asked. Aang didn’t think this was for the world. It was for Zuko’s floundering and unpopular reign. But he sighed and followed through on what he had agreed to.

“I am.” Was his simple answer. He walked over to Azula and pressed his knuckles and thumb against the chi nexuses on her forehead and chest. Both of their eyes began glowing as he reached into her and touched her chi, pushing into the very heart and soul of her bending. There was virtually no resistance. Ozai had been a fierce struggle that he had barely survived. Azula’s resistance crumbled like wet paper, and he felt her bending and severed her connection to it. But it felt wrong. Everything that was Azula disappeared and she felt like a cold, dark husk. What was happening to this poor girl?

The snowcapped mountain peaks were always a welcome sight. Azula smiled as she turned to look for Yotforbu. And the smile faded as she saw her mentor and the source of her unworldly power. She looked like she had aged a century, her usually youthful features wrinkled and her purple eyes glazed over with cataracts. She was seated, slumped against the pillar of the temple. Her skin was transparent and her limbs shrunken and shriveled.

“We won, Little Sister. You wielded the Scythe of Ashgenarrog with the skill of a warrior blessed by Agni’s Light. It cost many lives, but the Scourge has been destroyed. Thank you for being my vessel in the multiverse’s darkest hour.” Yotforbu said, her voice weak and raspy.

“I remember striking the blow and channeling all of your power that I could handle through the scythe as it struck All for One’s residual body, unfurling the Scourge just as we had planned. And then I was here.” She reached into her mind to track the link to her body, but there wasn’t one. “Where is my body? Why can’t I feel it?”

“I’m sorry, Azula, but your body was wrecked and ravaged by all the energy that I fed you.” Azula felt the tears form in her nonexistent eyes. Her soul was adrift without a body. It was a fate worse than death.

“But your body still lives, and I’ve transported it to the last Temple of Ascending Wisdom that remains in the void between the spheres of existence. Your body is being repaired, though I am not sure that it can be properly mended. But I have made arrangements for you to live another life in the meantime.” Yotforbu answered, probably reading the look of horror on Azula’s face.

“What do you mean, another life?”

“If your real body dies while your essence is in it, you will die too. I am tethering you to another Azula whose soul has been reaved. She was broken, but you will take her place. Do what you must to survive until your body is repaired. And if your body cannot be repaired, then this will be your new life.” Yotforbu’s body was becoming more transparent.

“You will be able to keep all of your chi powers and I will be able to grant you a small sliver of my power to rebuild her body and make it almost as strong as your original one. You will be surrounded by hostile forces and you will need every ounce of strength and cunning to make your way in this new world. Your allies will be few, though powerful, so I believe that you can endure.”

“Thank you for everything, Yotforbu. I never could have become what I am today without you.”

Yotforbu gave one last laugh. “The multiverse is in your debt, Little Sister. I have done what I can, but my time here is done. Be strong and brave, Little Sister. Remember, you are the Dragoness of the Golden Light, no matter where your soul resides.”

Yotforbu faded away and in moments she was gone, leaving Azula alone in the temple. Then she felt herself being pulled along the tether to her new world. May Agni have mercy on her, for she had no idea what she was getting herself into.

As quickly as he felt her defenses fade, a surge of incredible power pushed back against Aang. Her bending was gone, but he could feel the tremendous strength of her chi. He unlocked himself from her and stepped back. Even though she had put up no real resistance, it had been taxing. Aang stood up straight and turned to address Zuko and Katara.

“It is done,” he announced to the Fire Lord and his betrothed. Everyone cheered and clapped. Aang’s heart sank to see people that he otherwise thought were good and kind, reduced to celebrating the severe punishment of a fifteen-year-old girl. He sighed and turned to see how she was doing.

And he nearly stumbled back in shock when he met two bright golden eyes, watching him with an intense intelligence that seemed to be looking into his soul. And he knew something was wrong when she smiled. Not the smile of an insane child, but the smile of a confident woman who knew her strength and was not afraid to use it. But the shocks kept coming.

“Greetings, Avatar. Did you enjoy putting your hands on a real woman? You should have at least bought me dinner before taking such liberties. What would Monk Gyaotso say?” And her smile grew wider. “Now that you’ve had your wicked way with me, what is the next step in this sideshow? Since I’m tied down to a chair, I assume that this is some sort of court proceeding?”

The entire room had gone silent as they stared at her in confusion. She just raised an eyebrow at the assembled crowd. “I don’t have much faith in the leadership of the world if a conversation with a charming and articulate girl such as myself is all it takes to discombobulate you. Show a little self-respect, people.”

Zuko finally stood and spoke, although his voice was somewhat shaky. “Azula, you have been stripped of your status as princess and your bending has been removed. This is punishment for your crimes against the Fire Nation and the world at large. You are banished from the Fire Nation and are hereby remanded to the care of King Bumi.”

Azula listened to his words intently. She gazed around the room after he was done speaking. The way that she was looking at people was disconcerting; it was as if she was looking through people.

“I accept your terms.” Was all she said as she calmly looked up at the Fire Lord, like they were having a nice discussion about which tea to have with lunch.

“I’m not sure that you understand the significance of what I just said,” Zuko answered, staring at Azula.

“My bending is gone, I’m banished, and I have to stay with the mad earthbending king. What’s not to understand?” She answered. Zuko didn’t seem to know what to say to that, so she continued. “Do I need to remain in restraints? Am I leaving soon? Is King Bumi any good at Pai Sho? Feel free to chime in anytime with some useful information.”

“Don’t speak so disrespectfully, you crazy bitch!” Katara snarled.

Azula ignored her and kept addressing Zuko. “I’m beginning to think you have a water tribe fetish, Zuko. Well, are you going to answer any of my questions?”

“Do you promise to remain civil if we release your restraints?” Zuko asked.

“I swear before Agni and his intermediates that I will behave and commit no acts of violence except in self-defense.” Azula calmly answered. She was creeping Aang out.

“That isn’t good enough. There is no need for self-defense here.” The words were barely out of his mouth before Azula was laughing.

“Come now, Zuko. Nearly everyone in this room hates me and would gladly do me harm. They cheered that a teenaged girl just had her bending removed. These are people of low moral fiber and I have every right to defend myself if attacked. You’ve taken your pound of flesh. Are you, or are you not, going to release me?” A bit of steel entered her voice.

“Release Azula from her bonds.” Zuko ordered and Aang watched the two surly Kyoshi Warriors come up and roughly unstrap her.

“Ooooh, how did you know I like it rough?” Azula veritably purred as the warriors took off the last of her restraints, causing them both to stiffen in anger. “Now run along while I talk to the grownups.”

And they stepped back in shock as Azula easily climbed to her feet and stepped towards the audience. “Is there anything else that I need to know before I go on my way?”

“You’ve been playing us all along, you treacherous whore. I should have finished you when you had the chance.” Katara stood. Aang watched her move her hands towards the water skin.

“Yes, you probably should have.” Azula shrugged and smiled at Katara. “Live and learn.”

“Azula is in my custody until she is remanded to King Bumi. She has been given her punishment and it is time for her to begin her journey to wellness.” Aang spoke in the Avatar voice, causing everyone except Azula to step back a little. She simply smiled at him.

“Well said, Avatar. Shall we make our way out?”

“That’s probably a good idea.” Aang answered in his normal voice. What the hell was going on?

Azula assumes that she just played that whole thing wrong. Everyone seemed shocked when she started speaking and stood up. It looks like snark might not have been the best response. However, in her defense, she woke up in the body of a strange Azula with absolutely no memory of what happened nor any knowledge about what was going on. The first thing she realized was that Aang had his hands on her head and chest. She had no idea that he had taken this Azula’s bending until it was announced.

That’s when she realized she had it all wrong. Oh well, as she said to Katara, live and learn. She was saddened to see Zuko and Katara behaving as they did. She didn’t consider either of them to be in her inner circle of friends and loved ones, but she didn’t like this kind of animosity. And the burn scar caused her heart to clench. She sighed and continued walking alongside the Avatar.

He was older and hopefully wiser. He was fully actualized, although his fire and earthbending probably still needed work. Azula doubted it would be wise to offer to teach him. It would have been funny though. Speaking of funny, she sensed Toph ahead. She remained calm because she didn’t detect any actual animosity. Although, Toph was obviously confused.

“I didn’t expect you to be on your feet, Crazy Blue. You’re tougher than I thought.” Toph said, no real heat to her voice.

Azula laughed. “Apparently, I surprised a lot of people. Mai almost frowned. And I think you’ll need a new nickname for me; I nominate Gold-Eyed Goddess for your consideration.”

It looked like Toph was trying to find her words when Azula felt the approach of a group of people. Toph must have sensed it too, because she looked towards the door just as Azula did. Azula liked Toph. She was blunt and ill-mannered, but there was a wholesome and honest soul underneath the bluster.

King Bumi entered the room, along with Zuko, Katara, Mai and Ty Lee, the last of the group in her Kyoshi Warrior getup. Great. Zuko and Katara were a bit too serious in her world, but they were downright grim here. But it broke her heart to see the angry and hurt auras of Mai and Ty Lee. And Azula doubted that even her charm and grace, considerable as it was, would be enough to salvage any of these relationships.

Azula decided to play it cool and not do anything to inflame the situation. With Aang, Bumi and Toph on her side, so to speak, she felt comfortable with the strength of her position. But she needed to play it smart to ensure that they stayed on her side. She schooled her features to keep a neutral look on her face.

“You have a lot of explaining to do, Azula.” Zuko started ranting as soon as he was in the door. Azula contained her sigh. This version still had an anger problem, it would seem. “Why did you play us like this? What did you gain?”

“Play what, Zuko? How did you come to this conclusion? The Avatar took my bending, suddenly my problems disappear. And you assume I was playing you? It appears that whatever the Avatar did, it fixed whatever issues I have. I guess I owe you a thanks, Avatar.” Azula gave Aang her friendliest smile.

“Uhm, I guess that you’re welcome, Azula.” Aang said, clearly not sure how to respond. So Azula decided to help him out. She wanted to stay on his good side.

“And I mean that, Avatar. I can tell that you didn’t want to take my bending, and while I appreciate your concern, I think it is the best thing that could have happened to me. It is better to be a sane nonbender, than to be well, whatever I was. I don’t remember anything of what happened recently.” She better start laying the groundwork for her basically not knowing anything.

“Well, I’m glad it worked out for you, Pretty Sane. I didn’t think it was right to take your bending but I’m glad that you’re better.” Toph said.

“Thank you, Toph. You are now tied with King Bumi as my favorite earthbender. Speaking of which,” Azula turned to King Bumi, who was watching the proceedings with his typical crazy and wide-eyed look. “I would also like to thank you, King Bumi, for taking me in. I’m sure that your prison will be safer, cleaner and better lit than any of the ones that would host me in the Fire Nation.”

“Oh, you will not be staying in prison. You will be my guest at the palace. We thought that you would need years of help to recover, but it seems that our timeframe has been accelerated!” King Bumi gave a wild smile that she couldn’t help but return.

“Well, I would definitely prefer that to prison. And if there is any function that I can serve in your administration to help offset the costs of your hospitality, please let me know.” Azula gave Bumi a respectful bow. “I might even let you win a few games of Pai Sho against me.”

Both of their grins became wilder. But then Mai had to open her mouth. “You can’t trust her, King Bumi. She is a lying monster.”

Mai spoke to Bumi but she kept her eyes focused on Azula. Azula really needed someone to explain the backstory to her. She’s guessing this world had a Boiling Rock confrontation, but Azula didn’t know how to play it without the facts. So she simply raised her eyebrows questioningly.

Aang spoke up before the name calling could escalate. “The conditions have already been agreed upon. Azula, you are now formally remanded to the care of King Bumi. He is to act as your guardian until the Council of Nations decide that you may are recovered enough to live free of oversight.”

“I acknowledge the oversight and agree to comply with the conditions set forth.” Azula responded smoothly. She meant every word of it. This was the best-case scenario she could think of. “Thank you again, King Bumi, for your generosity and compassion.”

“It is my pleasure, Azula. I really do want to see how good you are at Pai Sho.” Bumi cocked an eyebrow.

“I look forward to showing you. I enjoy making grown men cry.” She smirked back at him as he laughed. She could tell by their auras that Zuko and Katara were about to lose their damn minds. So Azula decided to be proactive. “But as much as I will enjoy abusing you in Pai Sho, I would like to know what the next steps are for me.”

Aang spoke up first. “You will stay with King Bumi’s delegation until his departure in three days. The Kyoshi Warriors will serve as your guards here, and a smaller group will travel with you to Omashu to assist there also.”

“Sounds like fun. Maybe I can talk them into having a slumber party.” Azula smirked.

“This isn’t a game, Azula. The Kyoshi Warriors are serious. I’ve taught them chi blocking and they will take you down if you step even a toe out of line.” Ty Lee said, her voice angry but her aura showed she was still a little afraid of Azula.

“And we are all ready to come down hard on you when, not if, you take a misstep.” Katara hissed. Wow, this Azula must have really been a bitch to get everyone this pissed off. “I would love to take you down again.”

Oh. Well, we can’t have that kind of posturing. “Tell you what, Katara. Are you willing to put your money where your mouth is? You and me, full-fledged combat. You win, you can have me executed. I win, Zuko gets the boot and I’m the new Fire Lord. Sound good?”

“No, we will not play your stupid games.” Zuko all but shouted. “That is enough of this talk.”

Azula couldn’t help but smirk harder. “Looks like Zuko doesn’t have much faith in you, Katara. And he’s right not to.”

“Azula, I believe that now would be a good time to return to our section of the palace. I’m sure it has been a trying day and that you would like to relax.” King Bumi said. Azula could tell that he was terribly uncomfortable with this situation.

“Of course, King Bumi. I am ready whenever you are.” Azula fell in behind Bumi and Aang as they began walking, with Toph taking up a position next to her. Toph was amused by the situation.

“You know, Pretty Sane, for a second I almost believed that you could take SugarQueen back there.” Toph said with a smile.

“Make no mistake about this Toph, I most definitely would have taken her.” Azula said. Toph’s step stuttered a little as she looked over at Azula. Toph had heard the certainty in her voice.

Chapter Text

Aang watched the Pai Sho game with great interest. He thought that Azula had been full of bluster when she had challenged Bumi. Turns out that she was an absolutely phenomenal Pai Sho player. She and Bumi had played seven games over the past two days, with four draws, one win for Bumi and two wins for Azula. Each and every game had been a masterpiece of strategy and tactics.

“Hmmm, it looks like another draw, Bumi. Do you want to try and play it out or do you accept the inevitable?” Azula asked, her face a mask of concentration.

“Hmm, it appears that you are right, Azula. I accept the draw.” And they shared matching wild smiles as they looked up from the board. Aang just shook his head. Bumi, Toph and Azula were three wild dynamos, each distinct in character but all three big on personality.

They were about to start discussing the intricacies of the game when there was a knock at the door. No one was expected but Toph just waddled over from her seat and answered the door. There was a Fire Nation servant on the other side.

“I come with a formal invitation for Avatar Aang, King Bumi, Toph and Azula to join the Royal family and friends for a dinner party this evening.” Everyone in the room exchanged glances after the servant had issued the invitation.

Aang turned to Azula. “Are you up for this?”

“In the name of good relations, I will accept.” She must have caught the looks the others were giving her. “And out of respect for the three of you, I promise to be on my mostest, bestest behavior.”

Aang just looked at her but couldn’t detect any signs of deceit. He turned back to the servant. “Please relay our glad acceptance of the invitation.” The servant nodded and left.

Azula turned to them and sighed. “I guess I can’t put this off any longer. If I’m going to interact with these people, I need to know exactly what I did. I can feel the memories at the edge of my consciousness. But I need you to tell me the specifics, at least where you can. And don’t worry about my feelings. I know I did terrible things, but I need to understand them if I hope to make amends.”

Aang decided to get it started. “If you’re sure you want to know, then I’ll tell you. You were sent by your father to bring Zuko home and to capture me, so you forced Ty Lee to leave the circus and recruited Mai from Omashu, where Bumi had surrendered. You chased us down and you injured Iroh after pretending to surrender. You captured Suki and the Kyoshi Warriors and used their costumes to capture Ba Sing Se and the Earth King, with the help of Long Feng and the Dai Li. And well, King Kuei is very upset over the incident and apparently you were, uhm, well, somewhat cruel to Suki.”

Aang paused before he continued. So far, she hadn’t batted an eye at him, so he kept going. “Then, uhm, you convinced Zuko to join you and you shot me with lightning in the Crystal Catacombs of Ba Sing Se.” He paused again.

“Katara caught you before you hit the ground. And Iroh held the rest of us back long enough for you to escape.” Azula said softly, looking in on herself. “Please continue.”

“Ok. It sounded like you guys bonded, but then Zuko had a change of heart and betrayed Ozai during the day of the Black Sun. You distracted me, Toph and Sokka in the tunnels to keep us from getting to your father. Sokka and Zuko tried to break some people out of the Boiling Rock, but you showed up with your friends and apparently Mai and Ty Lee betrayed you. You did not treat them well in captivity, especially Mai.” Aang felt terrible telling her this.

“She loved Zuko more than she feared me.” Azula said, looking at Aang. “In the end it looks like she made the right call. But how did Zuko end up with Katara instead of Mai? Mai took a huge risk aiding him like that. And I hope that this isn’t a sore spot, but I kind of thought that you and Katara were a thing.”

Aang looked down. This was still a bit of a sore spot, but not as bad as it had been. But to his surprise, Toph spoke up first. “SugarQueen hated the Fire Nation. Zuko took her on a life changing trip so that she could get revenge on the man who killed her mother. Aang begged her not to do it, but in the end, she made her own choice and killed Yon Rha. And it changed her. She became harder and less forgiving. She’s not the same person we traveled with before that.”

“And she moved closer to Zuko. I don’t know exactly when they became a couple.” Aang said, looking down at the floor. “But they seem happy together, but they are far more militant together than they were apart. I know that they weren’t nice to you, but they are still good people.”

“The war brought out the worst in a lot of us, Aang. If I can be given a second chance, I am willing to give them one also.” Azula said, to the surprise of nearly everyone. “But tell me of the final battle. You defeated Ozai, did you not? What did I do?”

“You were about to be crowned the Fire Lord when Zuko challenged you to an Agni Kai. I’m not sure exactly what happened, but they said that you cheated and then you were defeated by Katara and chained up. Afterwards, you were thrown into a mental institution and treated poorly. You became nonresponsive, which is why your speaking and walking after I took your bending was so shocking.” Aang finished.

“I can imagine. Being hit with this much charm and charisma without warning must have been a shock to everyone’s system.” Azula laughed and gave everyone a warm smile. “But I’m glad that the three of you have been good to me. It’s far better than I deserve, and I greatly appreciate it.”

“No problem, Pretty Sane. You’re actually a lot cooler than I ever thought you could be.” Toph said with a smile. “But don’t let it go to your head.”

“Too late. Your softness and tenderness towards me have already been etched into my memory for all time.” Azula said and proceeded to punch Toph in the shoulder. And she smiled when Toph returned to punch with equal vigor.

“I too am happy with how things have turned out for you, Azula. I’ve been needing fresh blood for Pai Sho.” Bumi said with a wild smile. The four laughed and started making preparations for dinner.

Azula thought that she looked good in the formal Earth Kingdom outfit King Bumi had given her. May Agni and Gnolos both bless his generous soul. She had meant what she said about being on good behavior tonight. It was the least that she could do given the support that Bumi, Aang and Toph had given her.

Toph had gone with her normal earthbender outfit, although this one actually looked, and smelled, cleaner than her others. Aang wore his formal robes; she respected him for helping her, but by Agni that orange and yellow color scheme was terrible. And King Bumi looked madly handsome in his formal robe.

They chatted amicably as they made their way to the dining hall. Azula detected the fearful and angry auras of the servants that saw her. Another blight on her counterpart’s existence. But Azula let it flow off her like water off a turtleduck’s back. Soon enough, they were at the dining hall. She noticed that the wall hangings were different. Neither Ozai nor Azula were anywhere to be seen. And no Izuka. That part stung. They had started to become like real sisters before Azula had been forced to leave her Atla. And the only portraits of Lu Ten were as a teenager.

A good number of guests were already there. And they all stopped to stare as she entered with the rest of her party. Her smile never so much as wavered. She had put all her Mnaimonatic meditation training into this event. There would be no temper tantrums or unruly displays on her part. She was going to be articulate and charming.

Iroh was the first to approach. She wasn’t happy with any of the Iroh’s she knew at the moment, but for one evening she would play nice. “Good evening, Iroh. I trust that you are doing well. Have your teas been refined and tasteful?”

His eyebrows rose but he gave her a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes or his aura. “Why yes, my teas have been quite good lately. It is nice to see you out and about, Niece.”

“It is good to be out and about. This may be last dinner in the palace, so I hope that we are all able to have a pleasant visit.” Azula decided that she would try to put everyone’s mind at peace. His aura mellowed a little.

“Of course. Please come and mingle.” He stepped aside and gestured towards the main group.

“Thank you, Iroh.” She replied and made her way towards the main group. Azula decided that Ursa was the best choice to get started. She had good breeding and would hopefully pretend to be civil. And she was also joined by the only two people, so far, that she didn’t recognize. A middle-aged gentleman and an attractive dark-haired girl. Surely, Ursa would be polite in front of the girl.

“Hello, Azula,” Ursa spoke first. Her aura was nervous and a bit fearful and maybe a little angry. “It is nice to see you.”

“Thank you, Ursa. It is nice to be here.” She saws Ursa’s eyes widen and shock ran through her aura. This was a breach of royal decorum. But Azula wasn’t royalty anymore, so everyone can lick her asshole if they don’t like it. This woman wasn’t her mother. “And who is this handsome man and lovely girl?”

She felt the auras of numerous people around flicker to fear. But why? She decided to analyze. The man was obviously not of royal descent, but the girl could be. She had Fire Nation features and light brown eyes. Then she saw the girl reach out and grab Ursa’s hand. It all clicked. The girl did look a little bit like a young Azula.

She bent down to be on the girl’s level and gave a friendly smile. “Hello, there. I’m Azula. And what’s your name?”

“I’m Kiyi.” She paused for a second and then continued, her aura flaming with uncertainty. “I’m your sister.”

She felt everyone tense and their auras flare with worry. “That’s a beautiful name for a beautiful girl. I’m honored to have cute little sister like you. We can never have too many awesome young princesses running around the palace.”

“Yeah, I like to run and around and hide from the servants and then the guards come to find me, but I’m small so I can fit in lots of good hiding spaces and..” Her rambling was cut off by the man next to her.

“Little Turteduckling, remember what we said about breathing. You have to stop talking long enough to breathe sometimes.” The man gave Kiyi’s shoulder a little squeeze and flashed her a warm and loving smile.

“The palace is a wonderful place to explore. I bet that you will find all the best spots soon.”

“Yeah, the palace is awesome. You’re really nice.” Kiyi said, beaming at Azula.

“Why thank you, Kiyi. You’re a sweet little girl. Is this handsome man your father?” Azula asked, absolutely charmed by this wonderful little girl.

“Yeah, his name is Ikem.” The girl gave her father a warm smile. Azula stood up and addressed the man.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Ikem. You must be a good man to have such a wonderful daughter.” She put on her friendliest smile.

“It’s nice to meet you too, Azula.” He seemed to be at a loss for words after that, so Azula turned back to Ursa.

“You have a wonderful family, Ursa. I hope that they bring you joy and happiness. I’m going to continue mingling; I’m sure everyone is just dying to talk to me.” And she gave Ursa a wink. Pretty much just to mess with her. Who knew that being good could be so much fun.

“Of course, Azula. Maybe we can talk later.” Ursa replied, looking uncertain.

Azula picked out Suki, Sokka and Ty Lee as her next victims. By gosh, this was a hoot. “Good evening, how are you three doing tonight?”

Their auras were going haywire. Suki was angry, Sokka was nervous, and Ty Lee was afraid. “We’re doing well, Azula. How are you?” Ty Lee’s big brown eyes stared at her.

“I’m doing great. Toph is a hoot and I’ve played eight of the most exciting Pai Sho games of my life with King Bumi. It’s hard to believe that he can be so focused given his generally wild demeanor. It’s been a great couple of days.” Azula meant that. She really enjoyed playing Pai Sho with Bumi.

“That’s great. After all that you’ve done, you’re allowed to go free. You should be stuck in a jail cell for the rest of your life.” Suki blurted, catching the attention of everyone in the room.

“May I ask for what crimes? I carried out my missions on the direct orders of the Fire Lord himself, during a time of declared war. While I was fourteen years old. I have been nothing but loyal to the Fire Nation. Zuko, Iroh, Ty Lee and Mai all committed verified acts of treason against the lawfully selected Fire Lord, yet they suffered no consequences. So tell me, what would you charge me with? Being against you and your friends? Being too competent for my age? Being abused by the Fire Nation until the strain caused me to lose my sanity? I’m not sure any of those charges will stand up in a court of law.”

Suki’s mouth opened and shut, no words coming out. Azula waited patiently. “You’re a vile monster.”

Azula was terribly disappointed. “Perhaps. But you had better get legal counsel if you’re going to file charges against me. Your reasoning skills and elocution leave much to be desired.”

“You just can’t help but bully people, can you Azula?” Azula turned to face Mai.

“She made an accusation and couldn’t bring forth the facts to support her case. That’s not bullying, that’s calling out a person on their bullshit.” Azula was getting a little concerned that she was going to be harassed all night. “Is this why I was invited? So all of you could try to feel superior by chastising me?”

“That is not why you were invited, Azula.” Iroh stepped up next to Mai. “But perhaps emotions are running a little high. You can take some time if you need, Azula, to calm down.”

And his proclamation was met with laughter. “I’m sorry, Iroh. But I have the moral high ground on this one. I calmly presented facts and reasoned arguments and was met with name calling. Monster? Bully? But you’re right, their emotions are running a little high. Perhaps I should go find some adults to speak with, rather than try to civilly converse with these immature and petulant children.”

Iroh sighed. “Yes, maybe that would be best.”

“Of course. Maybe I’ll go talk to Chiefs Hakoda and Arnook. They should know how to behave like respectable adults.” And with that Azula made her way to her next targets. They were both obviously uncomfortable with her approach but were mannered enough to not show it.

“Good evening, Azula. You are looking well.” Hakoda said, giving a small smile. She always liked Hakoda.

“Good evening, Chief Hakoda. Chief Arnook. I am doing very well, thank you. I trust that things are going well with your respective water tribes? Hopefully, now that the war is over, the nations are able expand their trade networks.” Azula hoped they would take this as a friendly start to a serious conversation.

“Actually, we have seen an uptick in trade with the southwestern portion of the Earth Kingdom.” Hakoda responded, not exactly in a friendly fashion but not unfriendly either.

“One of the first things I recommended to King Bumi was to create economic councils for the different regions. This will let the different groups in an area meet, negotiate new trade contracts or update older ones. I think that a lot of economies would love to have new markets for their goods and to get the chance to receive goods they otherwise didn’t have access to.” It worked well on her world, so why not give it a try here?

They both looked at her like she had grown a second head. “I understand that you might be hesitant, but I think it would really help with the recovery of the nations and to build better relations between neighbors. Sharing of ideas and practices would be a nice bonus.”

Still nothing. She looked at them for a few moments, and when it appeared that they weren’t going to speak, she continued. “Well, those are my thoughts. I’ll move along now and hopefully find a group that is a little more socially inclined.” And she started to walk away when Arnook spoke.

“Our apologies, Azula, but we were just caught off guard. It was inconsiderate of us to be so rude. Your idea has merit. Would you like to discuss it some more.”

And for the next ten minutes she outlined her plan for potential economic regions for both the Northern and Southern Water tribes. The two chiefs actually seemed to warm to the idea as she continued to sing its praises. It was her idea, after all, so it had to be good.

It was going great until she sensed King Kuei approaching. His aura was filled with anger. Azula decided to ignore him until she was forced to interact with him. Which wasn’t long. He at least waited until she wasn’t actually speaking to burst in.

“No one wants to hear your hairbrained ideas, you pathetic child. You should still be rotting in a cell.” Kuei snarled, although Azula had a hard time taking him seriously. He was such a useless fop.

“I’ve already shot down one other person who said this. Now I guess it’s your turn.” Azula turned to face him, and she actually saw him recoil slightly. This man was a joke. “I participated in an uprising of your own people against you. You were an enemy of my people and I had been authorized by the rightful head of my nation to wage war against you. Did you get rid of all the Dai Li? Did every one of the traitors who joined Long Feng get put in prison or executed?”

His aura showed uncertainty and confusion, so she calmly continued. “Of course not. It’s easier to go after a mentally disturbed teenager from another nation than deal with the real problems facing your people. Your ineptitude is why you were overthrown and it is why you remain a weak leader.”

He pulled off a pretty good Suki imitation, his mouth opening and closing without words. She turned back to Hakoda and Arnook. “I apologize for my outburst. You have the basic outline of my idea. I’ll be happy to send further thoughts to you once I’m settled into Omashu if you like. But for now, I think it’s nearly time for dinner.”

Azula walked over to Toph, who was leaning back in her chair, feet up on the table, displaying the dirty soles of her feet to all. She loved hanging out with Toph.

“They’ve been kind of rough on you, Pretty Sane.” Toph said as Azula sits.

“It’s actually less aggressive than I expected, but far less articulate than I hoped. Instead of reasoned arguments, I get ‘you bad because we good’ bullshit.”

Toph’s booming laugh echoed through the room and Azula decided to laugh with her. “Man, it’s too bad you were on the other side during the war, because I think that you and I could’ve conquered the whole world if we had worked together.”

Azula laughed even louder now. “The Bad Bitches: Blue and Beifong. The world never would have stood a chance.” Azula knew that all conversation had stopped to watch them, but she couldn’t help it. Toph was awesome.

She felt their disapproving auras but didn’t care. Azula kept smiling as her brother started barking like a walrus-seal pup. “You’ve only been here twenty minutes and you’re already starting trouble. I knew it was a mistake to invite you.”

“You know nothing of the situation, Zuko. Half of your guests have behaved well and the other half have not. I will not be held responsible for their lack of self-discipline and unresolved emotional issues.” Azula decided to lay it out for him.

“Fire Lord Zuko, we are glad that you have joined us,” Iroh said. He may be a tea loving kook in this world but at least he knows how to wrangle Zuko. Although he didn’t want to let the subject go, Zuko finally relented and went to greet his uncle.

Katara continued to glare at Azula. Azula just stared back placidly. Iroh finally managed to get Katara’s attention, and she finally turned away. Azula continued to chat with Toph for a few minutes until dinner was called and everyone had to take their seats.

This ought to be interesting. Azula found her place three seats down from the Fire Lady end on the right side. She was between Ursa and Sokka, who sat to the right and left accordingly. She could live with that. Hopefully. Mai was across from her, with Kiyi to her right and Toph to her left. Katara sat in the Fire Lady seat at the end of the table with Ty Lee to her right and Ikem to her left. All the actual leaders, and Iroh, were seated next to Zuko. Looks like little Zuzu needed his security blanket Iroh to hold his hand.

Everyone sitting around her looked nervous, except for Toph of course, and Katara. She just seemed pissed. Oh well. She decided to make a peace offering by being nice to Sokka. “So, Sokka, how has life been for you? Are you staying in the Southern Water Tribe or did you move to Kyoshi Island?”

He looked a little put upon, but he eventually answered. “I’m staying with my tribe. They need all the help that they can get to hunt, fish and rebuild.”

“That’s good of you. Community is important and based on what I learned, you’re actually quite intelligent and thoughtful. I heard that much of the planning of the assault on the Day of the Black Sun was your doing. Color me impressed.” Azula answered. His aura glowed a light gold. Pride.

“Well, I don’t like to brag, but I’m kinda the idea man. I’ve got a lot of plans for rebuilding the tribe.”

“Ideas are a grand place to start. Every community needs someone like you to help foster new thoughts and promote growth.” Azula thought she was getting pretty good at this being nice to people who don’t like her thing.

“Tell her about the new whale hunting contraption.” Toph suggested.

“No, don’t tell her about the whale hunting contraption,” Katara said in a loud and stern voice. “It’s none of her business what’s going on in the Southern Water Tribe.”

Azula sighed internally. Damn, this girl is a bitch. “You’re right, it is none of my business. So, Kiyi, you can’t just spring it on me that I’ve got an awesome little sister and not tell me a little about yourself. How old are you? Do you like it here at the palace?”

Kiyi actually beamed, both in expression and in her aura. “I’m five years old and I love it here at the palace. Everyone is so nice and I love to feed the turtleducks! Did you ever feed the turtleducks? Mama takes me there and it is so fun. It…”

“Kiyi, dear, take it down a notch,” Ikem says good-naturedly, cutting off her speech and giving her a side hug.

“Sorry, Papa. I like it here, Azula.” She said in her cute little squeaky voice.

“I’m glad to hear that. The palace can be a lot of fun. Do you have tutors or do you go to a school?” Azula asked.

“Nobody’s asking for your advice on how to raise her.” Katara snapped again.

“And I’m not offering any. I’m trying to learn more about my adorable little sister.” Azula answered in an even voice. “But perhaps that should be done a different time. I cede the conversation floor to you, Katara.”

Azula had been curious about Kiyi but she didn’t want to traumatize the kid by getting Katara all amped up. She took a sip of water as she watched Katara gritting her teeth. Azula was kind of enjoying this. Soon enough, Azula would be gone from this and be able to actually do something productive with her time.

Katara continued staring at Azula, who just watched her with amusement. They still hadn’t realized what Azula was. As the Order of the White Lotus learned on her Atla, what you don’t know can hurt you.

“So, Ty Lee, how has the Kyoshi Warrior training been going?” Katara finally stopped staring at Azula and actually acted like a hostess.

“Oh, it’s been going great. The girls are still getting better at chi blocking. They’ll be great in no time.” Ty Lee’s good cheer couldn’t be held back for long. Azula was glad that it sounded like she was happy.

“You can tell us about their chi blocking, can’t you, Azula?” Mai said with the faintest of smirks.

“I was going to stay silent, but I think you need to up the amount of training you’re giving them, Ty Lee. I was able to stand up after being blocked only a few minutes earlier.” Azula responded. “But that’s all right, I’m sure you’ll get better as a teacher in time.”

Azula stared Mai down as she spoke, a small smirk of her own on her face. She felt a little bad about the grayness that overtook Ty Lee’s aura, but this one lay entirely at Mai’s feet.

“You have a fly on your shoulder,” Mai said her hand darting out and a blade flying at Azula’s shoulder. Azula kicked herself afterwards, but her reflexes took over as her left hand darted up and caught the small blade between her thumb and index finger.

“That’s all right, Mai. It’s not hurting anything.” But it was worth it to see the looks of utter shock and dismay on everyone’s face that had witnessed the occurrence. Azula made sure to keep her face neutral and not display the overwhelming smugness that threatened to burst forth from her very pores. “But I’ll keep this blade, just in case it does become a problem. Thank you for looking out for my welfare though.”

And she turned to see Katara’s eyes burning into her very soul. Azula just gave her a wink as she took another sip of water. The tension was broken as Toph started laughing uproaringly. The entire other half of the table, who had missed the entire scene because of their own conversations, looked to see what the fuss was about.

“Whoa, Pretty Sane, that was awesome! When did you learn to do that?”

“A lady never gives up her secrets, Toph.” Azula answered, causing Toph to laugh even louder.

“That was really awesome, Azula! You’re a really cool big sister.” That damn near melted Azula’s heart.

“And you’re a really awesome little sister!” Azula cheered in response.

She enjoyed the sensation of fear that emanated from the adults. That would give them something to think about now. Ursa, thanks to her good breeding, took over conversation duties and kept things going well. The food came and was excellent, of course.

Towards the end of the night, as dinner was about to finish, Azula decided to give the speech that she had prepared. After being accosted by the poorly trained lawyer wannabe’s in the crowd, it wasn’t as heartfelt as it could have been, but she still meant the words.

“Fire Lord Zuko,” Azula called out as the evening was nearly done. Once she had his attention, she continued. “May I have your permission to address the group?” She asked politely. She sensed the worry in Aang and Bumi and the trepidation in Zuko. Katara was still angry. Damn that girl could hold a grudge.

“Of course, Azula.” He said, already looking like he regretted the decision. Azula stood at her chair.

“First of all, let me thank the Fire Lord and soon to be Fire Lady for inviting me. Considering our past, it was magnanimous gesture on their part. I wish them much happiness and success in running the Fire Nation. But most of all, I want to apologize for the many terrible things that I’ve done in the past. The list is long, and with a child here I don’t feel that it is appropriate to go into great detail, but I am sorry for my deeds. I don’t expect any of you to forgive me, since words mean nothing. I hope you do, but that is for each of you to decide for yourselves. I plan to leave my old life behind and go with King Bumi and get a new start and try to undo some of the damage that I’ve done to the world. I feel like I’ve been given an undeserved second chance in life and I’ll do the best that I can to be worthy of the trust that Avatar Aang, King Bumi and Toph have placed in me. And with that said, I will take my leave. I hope that everyone enjoys the rest of their evening.”

And Azula turned and walked out. Technically, she was supposed to wait for the Fire Lord’s dismissal, but he could spit shine her sphincter if he thought there was any chance that she’d do that. The auras radiated surprise, but the vast majority were still negative. But she hadn’t done the actual deeds and they killed the person that did, so this was all they were getting.

Funny thing was, this was still only the second most awkward dinner party of her life.

Chapter Text

The palace had been nervous when Azula had asked to borrow wooden training swords and a staff. Azula’s reasoning was that now that she couldn’t bend, she wanted to hone her other skills and maintain good health. It was finally agreed to give them to her after Aang quietly agreed to keep watch over her.

Azula wanted to be on the training ground well before sunrise on the day she was to set sail. Aang agreed, since it seemed so important to her. The two Kyoshi Warriors that had guard duty didn’t look particularly happy though. Aang and Azula took their spots in the practice yard and began doing their warmups. Azula began doing some sort of weaponless combat moves that he didn’t recognize. But he clearly saw that she was fast and her moves sharp. He didn’t know if her form was correct, but he was willing to bet a large amount of money that it was.

He was about halfway through his firebending kata when he heard the whirring of the wooden blades. He had to stop his routine because he had a hard time believing what he was seeing. She was moving incredibly fast, the blades spinning and thrusting as it looked like she was fighting invisible foes. She was mixing in acrobatic flips and cartwheels, probably to simulate evasive maneuvers. But it was undoubtedly the most graceful thing that he had ever seen.

“You know, Avatar, it’s a little creepy to stare at a half-dressed woman while she’s trying to train.” Azula’s voice rang out, as she paused her routine. “Just because you’ve had your hand on my chest, I don’t want you getting any improper ideas.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…sorry.” Was his eloquent response.

“I don’t blame you either. If I was you, I’d want to watch my fine, muscular ass too.” And she laughed as Aang’s face turned red and he could hardly speak. He decided it would be better to continue his own training than to continue watching her and be the victim of her teasing again. But it wasn’t mean-spirited, like he would have expected from Azula.

The swords began whirring again as she restarted her routine. Eventually, she put down the swords and picked up the staff. She spun and twirled and the staff a more muted humming sound than the swords had. He finished just as the sun was peeking over the horizon.

Before long, the sun was halfway above the horizon and Azula finally stopped her training. He kept his eyes to himself but peeked a little to see her staring at the sunrise, head back, basking in the orange light that seemed to shimmer on her glistening skin. He pulled his eyes back to his own activities; he didn’t need to be thinking about her glistening skin.

She went through her cooldowns and stretches, and he was amazed at how flexible she was. He decided not to dwell on that either. Soon enough, she was done and they were ready to get cleaned up. “We should probably head back and get ready for breakfast. If we’re late, Sokka might eat all the meat and I’ll have to live off rabbit-weasel food like you.” Azula said as they made their way from the training grounds. Aang laughed along with her because that was actually a legitimate concern.

Aang met up with Bumi as they made their way to breakfast. Toph and Azula came in shortly after and joined them at the table they had snagged. They were all enjoying the good food and conversation when Aang saw Ty Lee heading towards them.

“Hi guys, is it alright if I join you?” Ty Lee asked, looking a little nervous. Azula was the quickest to answer.

“Of course, Ty Lee. The more the merrier.”

“Hell, yeah. Have a seat, Acrobat. I haven’t seen much of you outside of your official duties.” Toph said, kicking out a chair for her.

“How are you doing, Ty Lee? Are you excited to be heading back to Kyoshi Island?” Aang asked, trying to get the conversation started. He’s never seen her this meek and unsure before.

“Oh, well, that’s what I came to ask about. Well, Azula, since you’re doing so much better than everyone expected, Suki asked for more Kyoshi Warrior guards to go with you. I was wondering if you would be okay with me volunteering to come along?” Ty Lee looked at Azula with her big brown eyes.

Aang heard Azula sigh. “No, Ty Lee, I would prefer if you didn’t come along. You represent something I had once but is not available for me anymore. I’m cutting all ties with the Fire Nation that I can. I will always be from the Fire Nation, but I’m no longer of it.”

“Oh, okay. I’m sorry to bother you. Good luck with everything.” Ty Lee stood up.

“Thank you, Ty Lee. Good luck with you too.” Azula said and then started eating again as Ty Lee slunk away. “I wonder how many more Kyoshi Warriors they plan on sending? Did they talk to you about this, Bumi?”

“Yes. It was the council’s idea. They are worried that because you are so, well, recovered, that you might need extra guards to keep track of you.” Bumi said, looking downcast. “They don’t understand that I’m not offering you a gilded cage, but a real chance to try and heal.”

“It’s all right, Bumi. I know how you meant the offer to be. It just means that they’ll have less resources for whatever else it is they do.”

The rest of the breakfast went fine, as Bumi and Toph became more animated as the meal went on. Aang couldn’t help but laugh at their antics. But his thoughts strayed back to more serious matters after a few minutes.

A series of meetings among the world leaders had been carried out over the past few days, since they weren’t all going to come just to watch Azula be punished. Things had wrapped up, but Zuko and Katara had asked him to stay an extra day to talk about some issues the Fire Nation has been dealing with.

Mainly the Fire Colonies. Yu Dao and some of the other regions were becoming belligerent, with Zuko and Katara believing that the Earth Kingdom was instigating insurrection. They might be right, but there was no evidence to support it. They probably wanted his help, but the Avatar was here to help foster balance and general security, not help the Fire Nation rule over its colonies.

But he would hear them out and see what they had to say. It was the least he could do after they had all been through together. He was in a good mood as he left the breakfast room until he saw Ty Lee slowly making her way back towards the Kyoshi Warrior section of the palace. He jogged and caught up with her.

“Hey, Ty Lee. Is everything alright?” Aang asked. She was usually so chipper and upbeat. It hurt him to see her downcast.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Aang didn’t buy it for a second.

“Is this about Azula? I’m sorry she didn’t want you to come.” Aang chose his next words carefully. “But I’m a little surprised that you would want to go. It didn’t sound like your friendship ended on a good note.”

“You’re right, it didn’t.” She looked up at Aang with her big brown eyes. “She was controlling and kinda mean, but we had a lot of good times together too. But now, she’s different. She’s nicer, friendlier and better with people. She’s still scary but not in the ‘I’m going to burn you and all of your relatives to death’ sort of way. I kinda wanted to get to know the new Azula.”

“Do you want me to talk to her? I know she said that she wants to cut ties with the Fire Nation, but I think she could use more friends.” Aang asked gently.

“I don’t know, Aang. Maybe she’s right. Maybe she needs a brand-new start without the people from her past weighing her down. She knew you, Toph and Bumi, but none of you were Fire Nation and it was never a personal relationship.” Ty Lee just sighed. “I know she did bad things, but she was right when she said it was under the orders of her father. You saw what he did to Zuko for speaking out of turn in a meeting. What would he have done to Azula had she turned against him?”

“It is a complicated situation, Ty Lee. I’ll talk to her and if she shuts me down, I will let it go.” Aang said. “I think she needs good people like you in her life.”

“Ok, but don’t try to force it. Thanks, Aang.” And Ty Lee turned and walked away.

Aang sighed. He didn’t want to challenge Azula, since she was doing so well, but he did think it would be good for her to have another friendly face around. He decided that it was better to just bite the bullet.

Azula was in Toph’s room helping her pack. Aang smiled as he walked in. “Hello, ladies, how goes the packing?”

“I’m all done, and we’ll have Toph ready to roll in short order.” Azula said, returning his smile. “I hope you don’t get lonely without two beautiful ladies like Toph and me to keep you company. Although, I’m pretty sure that Appa smells better than Toph’s feet.”

Azula deftly caught the tunic that was thrown at her head, folded it, and had it packed away in about four seconds. Aang just shook his head. “Whenever, you get a chance, can I talk to you Azula?”

“I’m sorry, Avatar, but I am only interested in men with long flowing locks that I can run my fingers through. I hope that I haven’t broken your heart.” Azula said, leaning on her hand and fluttering her eyelids at him. Toph laughed and hooted. Aang just sighed.

“It’s about something kind of serious.” Aang decided not to allow himself to become flustered. She sighed in return.

“If this is about Ty Lee, the answer is still no. I will not try to stop her from coming if Suki orders her to, but I won’t give my permission for her to join us.” Azula said, all traces of good humor gone. Toph continued handing things to Azula. He guessed that Toph wanted nothing to do with this conversation.

“But Azula, she’s seen your change in attitude and wants to try and rekindle your friendship. Toph and Bumi are great, but there’s no reason you can’t have more friends also.” Aang reasoned.

“I don’t want to live in the past, Aang. You, Toph and Bumi were enemies, but frankly it was never really personal. You were obstacles in the path to me winning my father’s affection. But Ty Lee was something different. She betrayed me, Aang. I understand now why she did it, and I’m actually glad that she did. But I want to make new friends. I want to have new experiences, not relive my old life. I plan to never again to step foot in the Fire Nation. I sincerely hope to never again see Zuko, Iroh or Ursa. Never again will I firebend. There are a lot of never agains on my list. Let the past die, Aang, and let me move on with the cleanest slate I can get. This is not open for any further debate.”

Aang understood her logic, but it still saddened him. He raised his hands in surrender. “Okay, I give. But I think you should explain it to Ty Lee.”

“Did she approach you or did you approach her?” Aang looked down for minute to collect his thoughts, but she kept speaking. “I can see by your face that you approached her. You deal with it. I’ve already washed my hands of Ty Lee.”

“You’re right, Azula. I’m sorry for interfering.” Aang started to turn away, but Azula’s voice called him back.

“I know that you’re trying to look out for me, Aang. And I appreciate it. But I have a vision for my future, and none of the people here have a place in it. Only you, Toph and Bumi. Perhaps Kiyi someday, but that is the distant future.”

“I understand, Azula.” Aang turned to give Ty Lee the bad news.

Ty Lee was disappointed but not surprised when Aang told her that Azula had not changed her mind. Maybe it was for the best. Azula’s aura was so different now. She was calmer and more forgiving. She had watched as Aang did his super Avatar chi thing to Azula, and for a brief moment, Ty Lee could have sworn that Azula’s aura had completely disappeared. But then it came back and it was like a new Azula had arisen from the ashes of the broken and shattered girl that once was.

But she had her duties to attend to now. Suki had called together the girls to discuss who the extra warriors going to Omashu were going to be. When it looked like she was a lifeless lump of a human, only four of the girls were selected to go. Gira, third in command of the warriors, would go as the lead along with three of the younger girls to get them some experience with the wider world. But now that Azula was snatching Mai’s deathblades out of the air like some mythical warrior of old, it was decided that the number would increase. Probably by a lot.

Suki arrived just moments after Ty Lee and everyone took their place. Suki’s voice was strong and clear as she began speaking to her girls. “I just finished speaking to the Fire Lord and his betrothed. He has requested the employment of our entire contingent of girls here to travel to Omashu as guards. I know that many of you didn’t sign up for this, but once the routine in Omashu has been established, I’ll work on rotating girls in and out over time so that no one is stuck there against their will for extended periods of time. Everyone should be ready and packed. The Fire Lord has offered the Royal Barge to transport everyone since our group is so big.”

Ty Lee’s heart sank. Azula had just said that she didn’t want Ty Lee there, and now she will be showing up anyway. But Suki’s voice distracted her from her thoughts. “Ty Lee, may I speak with you for a moment? In private.”

“Of course, Suki.”

“Please come with me.” Suki led her down the hall towards the main part of the palace. Suki’s aura was a grayish orange. She was angry and conflicted.

“Zuko and Katara wish to speak with us.” Suki said as they approached the Fire Lord’s private office.

“Oh.” Was Ty Lee’s response. She had a bad feeling about this. Zuko and Katara hated Azula and she had the feeling she was about to get dragged into the drama. The guards opened the door as they approached. Inside, Zuko was sitting behind his desk and Katara and Iroh were seated in cushy armchairs talking with him.

“Ah, Ty Lee, it is nice of you to join us.” Zuko said with a smile. His aura said he was a little happy to see her, but there was something else.

“It is an honor to be in your presence, Fire Lord.” She answered. She was familiar with the protocol.

“No need for formalities here, Ty Lee. This is a visit among friends.” Katara said with a smile. And she knew that Katara did like her, and that she liked Katara. But this was no friendly visit. They wanted something. And she desperately hoped it wasn’t what she thought.

“That’s great. You’ve both been doing great things for the Fire Nation and I was so happy to hear about your upcoming marriage. Young love is so wonderful!” She felt her spirits rise at the thought of a royal wedding.

“Thank you, Ty Lee. But we have an important issue that we’d like to discuss with you. It’s regarding Azula.” And Ty Lee’s mood plummeted at Katara’s words. She knew what they wanted. “In order for her to really recover, she’s going to need great friends like you to help her. That’s why we’ve requested that you be the special Kyoshi Warrior liaison with Azula.”

“Excuse me, Katara, but I’m not sure that Azula wants that. I asked if she would be okay with me volunteering to join her security detail, and she told me in no unequivocal terms that she didn’t want me there. She wants to cut all ties with the Fire Nation and the people she knew there. Aang even talked to her about it, and she shut him down too.”

“I don’t care what Azula wants. You love the Fire Nation, don’t you, Ty Lee?” Katara asks.

Ty Lee wasn’t sure how she felt about the Fire Nation, so she decided to keep it neutral. “I wish the Fire Nation well.”

Both Katara and Zuko’s eyes narrowed at her less than enthusiastic response, and their auras shifted towards red. Anger.

“We are glad to hear that,” Zuko said in a calm voice. “And one of the ways to ensure that the Fire Nation is well, as you say, is by making sure that Azula doesn’t pose a threat to its security. This is why having a good person like you get close to her and monitor her activities is so important.”

“You want me to befriend Azula so that I can spy on her.” Ty Lee hoped that her unenthusiastic voice displayed her thoughts on this idea.

“It is not so much spying, Ty Lee, is ensuring Azula’s safety and well-being by making sure that she doesn’t engage in any risky activities with dangerous people.” Iroh said, his calm voice soothing her feelings a bit. Except his aura was green with worry.

“I will go on this mission if you request it. But Azula has changed, and I think that she truly wants to cut ties with the Fire Nation and make a new start. If she finds out that you’re trying to spy on her, it may anger her and cause her to lash out.” Ty Lee said, feeling sad for what she had to do.

“I hope so. She will undoubtedly step out of line and we will be waiting to take here down when she does.” Katara snarled, all pretense of being friendly with Ty Lee thrown out the window. Ty Lee just looked at her. This wasn’t going to end well.

Azula walked with Toph and Bumi to the carriages that would take them to the Royal Barge. She was used to traveling by ship, but Bumi and Toph weren’t nearly as excited. She had to laugh at the poor earthbenders forced to lose contact with their precious earth. They weren’t getting any sympathy from her.

Of course, there would be a procession to see them off. Aang gave her group a big, goofy smile as they approached. Iroh greeted Bumi and Toph warmly and even managed to give Azula a respectful nod, which she returned. But Azula’s heart melted when she saw Kiyi come bounding up to her, with Ursa and Ikem following allowing more sedately.

“Azula, Azula, you get to go on the big ship!” Kiyi yelled as she came up to Azula. Azula went down to one knee to be closer to Kiyi’s level.

“Yes, I do. It’s big and it glides through the sea,” Azula slides her hand through the air to mimic the sailing of the ship.

“And it rocks to and fro as it passes over the ocean waves.” She wobbles back and forth to simulate the rocking of the boat.

“And the whole boat shakes when I dance and party!” And Azula did a little wiggle dance, making Kiyi laugh and start dancing too. The two laughed and giggled as the others watched.

Finally, they stopped and Kiyi gives Azula a hug. “You’re a great sister! You should come back and stay sometime!” Kiyi yells as she finally let go of Azula.

“I’m going to be really busy, and I won’t be able to come back. But maybe someday you can come to Omashu, where I’m staying with these two hooligans.” Azula pointed at Bumi and Toph with her thumb, who were both smiling at the display.

“We wish you well with your travels, Azula. May you find peace and prosperity in Omashu.” Ursa said, giving Azula a small smile. Her aura was sadness. It surprised Azula a little. But Ursa was always a complicated woman.

“Thank you. May you and Ikem remain happy and keep this beautiful little princess in line.” Azula smiled again and pinched Kiyi’s cheek.

Of course, the true test was ahead. Aang stood next to the Couple Grim themselves, Zuko and Katara. She decided it wasn’t going to be her fault if things didn’t go well here. She put a smile on her face as she approached. Suki and Ty Lee were there also, both dressed in their official Kyoshi Warrior garb.

“King Bumi, we are glad that you are able to make it. Good luck with your travels and we wish you and your people prosperity.” Zuko said to Bumi.

“Thank you, Lord Zuko. And if I were ninety years younger, I’d be jealous of you marrying this beautiful and talented woman. May both your rule and marriage be prosperous and joyful.” Bumi responded with a crazy smile.

“Yeah, good luck, Sparky. You’re going to need it keeping SugarQueen in line. Or maybe she needs it to keep you in line. Who the hell can tell!” Toph exclaims as she gives both Zuko and Katara hugs.

Now it was her turn. She took the high road. “May the Fire Nation prosper under your reign and may your marriage be both happy and bountiful.” That sounded nice.

“Thank you, Azula. We hope that things go well for you also.” Zuko replied, short and sweet.

“Although we know it won’t. We’ll be waiting for your inevitable failure.” Katara said. So much for pleasantness.

Azula just smiled. “Resentment is like taking poison and expecting the other person to die. You can spend your miserable life worrying about me or you can forge a life that others will be proud of. The choice is yours, Katara.”

Katara’s face turned red and her aura indicated that she would have liked to kill Azula on the spot. Azula just turned and started walking toward the carriages. She was so done with this bullshit. She worried how the Fire Nation would do with these jackasses at the helm. Hopefully, it was just the case that she brought out the worst in them and they were actually competent.

Azula felt Suki and Ty Lee fall in just behind her as she walked. She kept her sigh inside. It seemed pretty obvious that Ty Lee was being ordered to come. Azula wouldn’t take it out on Ty Lee for following orders. Aang hadn’t gotten a goodbye, but he could come and visit if he wanted. The sooner she got out of this backwards nation the better. She was beginning to believe that the Fire Nation was doomed to be the bad guys in every world.

She felt a little bad about leaving Toph and Bumi behind, but she would get over it. Soon enough, she was in the carriage and ready to go. Suki and Ty Lee joined her, taking the opposite bench. Rather than sit and stare at them awkwardly, she decided to meditate. She pulled her legs into the lotus position, straightened her spine and closed her eyes. Their eyes were on her the whole time, but it didn’t matter.

She dared not meditate too deeply in the presence of her enemies; she doubted they would try to murder her, but she only had to make that mistake once to end up dead. But she took this time to clear her chi pathways and modulate the flow. The chi flowed smoothly, and it felt just a little different than her normal body, but it was good, nonetheless. She felt the motion of the carriage as she meditated. Just leaving the palace behind improved her mood and probably pinkened her aura.

She maintained the exercise of gently manipulating her chi flow until the carriage reached the docks. She opened her eyes the moment the carriage stopped, looking at her companions but not speaking. Suki didn’t like her, and it was doubtful that she had anything of interest to say anyway. This version was dourer than the one she knew from her previous life.

But Ty Lee was staring at her with her mouth slightly open. Azula guessed that her aura was glowing. So she masked her aura to prevent Ty Lee from seeing it. Ty Lee gasped as Azula gave just the subtlest of smirks and winked. Seeing the confusion on Ty Lee’s face and in her aura was highly amusing. She unmasked her aura when the door to the carriage opened.

Suki jumped up and exited first, with Azula going next and Ty Lee bringing up the rear. It was time for the next step of her journey to begin.

Chapter Text

Ty Lee was nervous as Azula entered the room. Azula’s aura was bluish-white, showing overall good mood and happiness. That made her feel a little better. Bumi, Toph and Suki were seated at the table with Ty Lee, while two additional Kyoshi Warrior guards were stationed just outside the door.

“Hello, all. Given the sourpuss looks on the face paint ladies, I’m guessing that there is something unpleasant that you want to talk to me about.” Azula said as way of greeting. Oddly enough, her aura didn’t shift.

“Well, yes, there is something that we wish to discuss with you that you may not like. Due to your, well, rapid improvement, the entire Kyoshi Warrior contingent that traveled to the Fire Nation has been asked by the Fire Lord to continue guarding you at Omashu.” King Bumi said. He paused, probably to gauge Azula’s reaction.

She shrugged. “Five, ten, twenty face paint girls, it doesn’t matter to me.”

Bumi looked a little mollified. “And also, in order to ensure the smooth functioning of the team, Ty Lee has been designated the special liaison between yourself and the Kyoshi Warriors.” Bumi paused again.

Azula’s aura showed amusement. “I’m sure that according to the dunderhead Fire Lord and his cantankerous water tribe companion, that seems like a good idea. Send someone I know to try and befriend me in order to weasel out my innermost secrets. I wonder how far they told you to go to get into my good graces?” Azula wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

Ty Lee felt her face get red. She went to speak but Suki chimed in first. “She isn’t here to spy on you. It was thought that having someone you know as the liaison would be most comfortable for you.”

“Suki, don’t try lying to a liar.” Azula gave a smug smirk. “You know as well as I do that I specifically told Ty Lee I didn’t want her to come on this trip, that I wanted nothing to do with anyone from the Fire Nation, and that I wanted a completely fresh start. But fear not, I am not opposed to this arrangement and I will cause no problems for Ty Lee.” Azula answered, giving a small smile to Ty Lee. That made Ty Lee feel a lot better.

Suki looked like she was about to speak but Bumi jumped in first. “Well, I for one am glad that you are accepting of this situation. I want you to know, Azula, that I believe that the security detail is overkill and that you will be a model citizen.”

“Thank you, Bumi. Of course, you don’t want to lose your favorite Pai Sho partner, either.” They both laughed and shared manic grins.

“Well, if there is nothing else, I’ll be taking my leave.” Azula stood and made her way to the door. “And Ty Lee, I hope that you negotiated for more pay to take this assignment. But don’t worry, I’ll make sure the fringe benefits are top notch. I’ve got quite a few ideas in mind to test just how far you were ordered to go in order to complete your mission.”

Azula gave Ty Lee a wink and proceeded walked out the door, leaving four dumbstruck people in her wake. They could hear Azula’s laughter echoing down the hallways.

Ty Lee, Suki and two other Kyoshi Warriors followed her as she proceeded down the gangplank. It had been a very productive trip so far. She had mapped out rough drafts of the economic regions that made sense for this world given the political environment. It was funny how things were different yet somehow so similar. The Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom relations were better here than her world, but they were deteriorating quickly. The northwest region of the earth continent was a trouble in both worlds, although Yu Dao seems to be the main focus here. And it was going to get bad quickly if she had to guess.

King Bumi had been very receptive to the economic ideas that she had for Omashu and the surrounding areas. He saw the benefits and brought some of his concerns to light and made some deep and insightful recommendations on how to make her plans better. This was almost as good as their Pai Sho games. Which she still held a slight edge in, with four wins, three losses, and eleven draws.

She had completed the augmentor engraving design for a new jevalda. She had already recruited Toph and her astounding metal bending to help with creating one once they got back to Omashu. That was going to be her first priority. Knowledge was power. She had already asked for Bumi’s permission to look into getting her own engraving equipment. He was bemused but readily agreed. Bumi and Toph were great, but she wasn’t ready to entrust knowledge of the augmentors to anyone on this world just yet.

This body was responding well to her physical and spiritual training. She loved sensing the awe, admiration and jealousy in the Kyoshi Warriors when they watched her morning routine. And she found a truly wonderful sparring partner with Toph. She obviously had to limit Toph to a certain amount of metal, but their matches had been spectacular. They both had learned to improvise and adopt new techniques to cope with the unusual skills of their opponent.

And now they were at the port city of Infa, about eleven miles from Omashu by road. The ship had docked midmorning, so by the time they got the carriages loaded and ready, she should be in Omashu by early evening. She was looking forward to this trip.

It would be bittersweet though. This will be her first trip to Omashu without at least one close friend or Azulinati member. But she couldn’t complain because Bumi and Toph had been more awesome than she could ever have imagined. All in all, she looked forward to this new start.

They were about halfway to the carriages when she sensed the disturbed auras. Anger and belligerence, with a good bit of anticipation. She could sense the nervous energy in their chi. She knew what was coming. She spoke quietly to the women around her. “Don’t draw attention to yourselves, but we are about to be attacked by fourteen assailants, all of which are relatively weak firebenders.”

She saw their auras flash to alarm, but to their credit they continued walking and didn’t do anything to tip off the enemy. Azula was moving as soon as the first attacker stepped out from the crowd, with three others behind him. It was obvious that they hadn’t expected a human projectile to be hurtling towards them at such a high velocity.

The front man barely had a wisp of flame coming from his hand as Azula’s chi enhanced foot connected with his chest, causing him to fly backward into one of his companions, knocking both of them to the ground. The other two tried to defend themselves but they might as well have been stationary as Azula darted between them, rapidly striking chi points. They were both down in just seconds.

She turned back to the two that she had knocked down. The one she kicked was still down. Not surprising, since she had felt his ribs break when she kicked him. The last man was trying to get up, but her chi blocking took him down just as easy as the others.

She immediately turned back to the others, but she already knew the situation was under control. These dipshits had attacked a group with the two strongest earthbenders in the world without a plan on how to deal with them. This fight was over almost before it began. She turned back to the one she kicked. He was struggling to breathe, but she chi blocked his limbs anyway. Let the asshole suffer.

By now the other Kyoshi Warriors had caught up and the entire area was secure. She saw that the two warriors that had been escorting her with Suki and Ty Lee had singed uniforms but no real injuries. But Suki and Ty Lee watched her warily as she approached.

“This was an amateur setup and most likely a means to probe our security. With Toph’s truth sense and intelligent questioning, it should be possible to get meaningful information from them. But there is a good chance that these were just low-level goons.” Azula said.

“How did you know they were going to attack?” Suki asked in a low voice. Wary, but not antagonistic.

“I’m a woman of exceptional talent with a significant amount of field experience. That is all that I’m going to say.”

Bumi and Toph approached, saving Azula from any more unwanted questions. Bumi addressed Azula. “It seems that you sniffed out our enemies and delivered a crushing blow to the would-be assailants. Toph is going to stay behind and assist with the interrogations while we continue on.”

“That sounds like a reasonable plan.” Azula agreed. She didn’t want to tip her hands to her interrogation skills just yet.

“Then let’s make our way to Omashu.” Bumi said and made his way towards the carriages. Azula proceeded with the entire contingent of Kyoshi Warriors following along in her wake like little turtleducklings.

Aang looked at the map again. Yu Dao was the most important city in the Fire Colonies. It was productive but had begun chaffing under the rule of the Fire Nation. Its mixed population had found a sense of solidarity in opposing Fire Nation rule and was engaging in low level rebellion against its overlord. It struck Aang as being more like a rebellious teenager trying to create their own identity away from that of their parents rather than trying to overthrow the whole regime. But the Fire Lord saw things differently.

“Aang, we will not tolerate the Earth Kingdom interfering in our colonies.” Zuko said. “This could lead to another war.”

Aang sighed. The treaty that the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom signed after the war had given some, but not all, of the territories of the Fire Colonies back to the Earth Kingdom. But neither side actually thought to ask the people whose national lines were being redrawn what they thought of the situation. And both nations were wary of having citizens of the other side in their midst. Pogroms had begun on both sides by zealots to ‘cleanse’ the mixed communities of the offending irritants. The good people of nearly all these regions fought back to protect their own. Tensions were high everywhere and neither Zuko nor Kuei seemed to have a well thought out and nuanced approach to solving the problem.

“There is no evidence that the Earth Kingdom is aiding these groups, Zuko. Their territories are facing many of the same issues with people calling for purity. Are you funding their groups?” Aang retorted. Only to have a blast of ice sent down his spine as Zuko looked at him with a little shame.

“We need to keep the enemy weak, Aang. This is the only way to maintain the balance of power and protect what is ours.” Katara spoke up. There was no look of shame on her face.

“So, you’re asking me to punish the Earth Kingdom for their unproven offenses, while ignoring yours?” Aang asked, astounded at the gall of these two.

“We ask you to keep balance, Aang.” That was the first that Iroh had spoken in quite some time. He didn’t appear happy with the situation.

“I am going to travel to both regions and discuss the matter with their leaders. I will look into the aggressors on both sides and decide on a proper course of action.” Aang turned away from the map, closing his eyes to collect his thoughts before speaking.

“Aang, don’t do anything rash. There are a lot of great things that you want to do for this world, and you will need our help to accomplish them.” Katara said. “We can’t help if we are tied down with this issue.”

“Then my ideas will have to wait. I will no longer allow you to hold your help over my head as a means to guide my actions. Taking the bending of a broken girl to bolster your popularity was the last straw. I will do what is right. If that is in contradiction to your wishes, so be it.” Aang expression darkened as he saw anger on Katara’s face. But he no longer cared.

“Of course, Aang. Do what you will. I consider you a friend and ally, but we both must do what we believe is right. Time will vindicate our stance. You will learn that we are the good guys here and that King Kuei is not to be trusted.” Zuko said, staring Aang in the eyes.

“You may be right. Time will tell.” Aang gave a nod. “But Appa is ready to go and I’ve imposed on your hospitality long enough. I will keep the pertinent parties updated on my progress.”

“Safe travels, Aang. We really do consider you our friend.” Katara said as Aang turned away. Aang smiled and turned to face them one last time.

“And I consider you my friends also. But friendship only goes so far.” And this time Aang walked away without turning back.

Guarding Azula wasn’t difficult. She had a steady personal routine that never seemed to deviate. And her official schedule was fairly constant. Bumi had given her an advisor role in his administration and she had gone to town discussing her ideas with the other people in Bumi’s government. Writing proposals, reviewing trade contracts and pouring over economic figures seemed to occupy much of her time.

There had been some concern after it was discovered that the group that attacked them in Infa had been Ozai loyalists that were determined to free Azula so she could help them free Ozai and place him back on the throne. Ty Lee had been shocked when Azula responded by saying that she would slice open his stomach, pull out his intestines, and use them to strangle him to death if she ever caught sight of Ozai outside his prison cell.

But Azula was confusing in other ways too. She had appropriated a small office in the palace near the library for her work. It was littered with scrolls and papers and books. That was to be expected. It was her private projects that had everyone perplexed. She spent a lot of time drawing symbols in complicated patterns. And she had taken up metal engraving. Ty Lee had no idea why Azula was engraving small metal bars with the symbols she liked to draw. Ty Lee had asked once, and she had been both shocked and embarrassed when Azula had told her that not even most lascivious application of her flexibility and hyperactive tongue would be able to pry that information from her.

And today was the big day that Azula and Toph were going to be finalizing the metal headband that Toph had crafted and that Azula had been engraving. Ty Lee and Pemtha, her fellow Kyoshi Warrior, just watched in confusion as Azula grew visibly excited when she completed the last engraving.

“All right! It’s time for the final fitting. Toph, if you could do the honors?” Azula held the flat band up in front of her head.

“No problem, Pretty Sane. But I wish you would tell us why you are so excited about this.” Toph waved her hands and the band bent to fit the approximate dimensions of Azula’s head. “And I swear to Gnolos, that I will beat you to a pulp if you tell me again that a lady never gives up her secrets.”

Azula laughed. “I will tell you someday, Toph. But please let me keep this to myself for now. There are devious eyes and ears everywhere that are trying to pry my secrets out of me.”

Toph sighed but backed off. “I got you, Pretty Sane. Try it on and let’s see how it fits.”

Ty Lee watched as Azula carefully put the prongs of the band through her hair and the whole piece slid onto her face. Ty Lee had to admit that it was a great look. It made Azula seem like a fabled warrior queen from the old stories she read as a kid.

“Ooooh, the jevalda fits nice, Toph. You are truly an artisan.”

“You can keep talking, Azula. I love to hear people singing my praises.” Toph smiled and stomped her foot, making a stone chair pop up out of the ground. She took a seat and slung her leg over one of the arms in a very unladylike fashion.

“We would be here all day if I tried to verbally express all of your awesomeness, Toph. But I do want to thank you for helping with this.” Azula gave Toph a warm smile that saddened Ty Lee a little. It was nice that Azula was being so pleasant, but Azula had never smiled like that at her. Not even as a child. This almost didn’t seem like the same Azula.

“Someday, I would like to hear you try.” Came Toph’s typical response. But here aura was happy and content. Toph truly enjoyed helping Azula.

“Maybe someday. I would like to help you start up your metalbending academy, though. Your skills are too awesome not to share with the world.” Azula said with a smile. “But for right now, I would like to try out my jevalda.”

Ty Lee watched as Azula went and sat on the meditation cushion that she had brought down to the workshop. “This is going to be a deep session, so I may be meditating for a few hours. You’re welcome to watch me if you like, but I can’t imagine it will be that interesting.”

Toph laughed. “I can barely stand to be around your boring ass when you’re awake. This would be torture. I’ll catch ya later.” And with that, Toph sunk the chair back into the floor and wandered off.

Azula pulled her legs into the lotus position and closed her eyes. The minutes passed by as Azula just sat there. Ty Lee and Pemtha decided to make themselves comfortable and sit on a bench near the engraving table.

They were quietly talking about a boy that Pemtha had met the other day when they heard Azula inhale sharply and they saw her eyes open wide. Both warriors gasped in shock. A soft golden light was emanating from Azula’s eyes. It was as beautiful as it was terrifying.

“Pemtha, run and get Suki and King Bumi. Go, go now!” Ty Lee ordered. And Pemtha ran like her life depended on it. For all they knew, perhaps it did.

The session had started out wonderfully. The symbology for the jevalda had worked beautifully and was even more advanced than her original model. Chi and auras both were sharp and clear. The biggest advancement was improving the acoustic sight. But she had also included a new function that allowed the jevalda to act as a meditation aid. It allowed her to concentrate her chi to her mind and guide it through her neural pathways, making it easier to ascend to the higher planes of thought, although it was nowhere near as potent as the chi reservoir she had used before.

But that was when things had gone sideways. She was at the fourth level of consciousness when she felt herself being pulled. It was so sudden that she didn’t have time to brace herself. Although she doesn’t know if she would have been strong enough to resist anyway.

Her vision was filled with a white light that allowed her to see nothing else. But then the light dimmed and she saw that was in a small clearing, next to the ocean. There was a mountainside to her left with a high waterfall cascading down its rocky face. She could feel a warm, gentle breeze tickling her skin and causing her loose hair to flow to the left. A fire was burning in a small stone pit. It was a tranquil setting that brought peace to her.

“We find that this setting is conducive to the tranquility of all our minds.” A female voice said. Azula turned to see four majestic figures looking at her.

It was clear at a glance that they somehow represented the four bending types. They each wore a style reminiscent of their respective nations but also the very elements seem to be part of their person.

“That is indeed correct, young one.” The woman in red and black robe with flaming blue hair said. She leaned on a large hammer that was at least six feet tall, making it about three feet shorter than the woman itself. “We are four of the intermediaries of the Great Spirits that your people worship. I am Mukaati, intermediary of Agni and the Guardian of the Blacksmiths and Hearths. It is a pleasure to meet one of my people, stranger though you be to this world.”

“And I am Terrathusi, intermediary of Gnolos and Overseer of Agriculture. We have never seen a member of your sect with strength such as yours. It is truly an honor to meet you.” He was only about seven feet tall with skin that had a sandy texture, but he was broad-shouldered and well-muscled. And he rested a jade scythe on his shoulder.

“It is indeed a pleasure to meet an accomplished young woman such as yourself.” An absolutely massive man said. At over twelve feet tall, he was well taller than everyone else and quite possibly three times heavier than all the others combined. He appeared to by a human-kraken hybrid, with eight shorter tentacles and two longer ones instead of arms. Instead of a human face, he had a rounded head with two exceptionally large eyes and a beak for a mouth. But despite his threatening appearance, his demeanor was friendly. “I am Methus, intermediary of Tui and La and the Protector of the Deep Ocean.”

“And that leaves only me, Denuskya, intermediary of Invina and the Bringer of Clouds and Giver of Life.” She was the smallest of the bunch, being only about six feet tall, but the fact that she was floating about two feet off the ground meant that Azula still had to look up quite a bit to meet her bright green eyes. She was slender and ethereal, with almost platinum white hair. “And we are here to discuss an important issue with you.”

Azula decided that politeness was the way to go here. “It is an honor to meet all of you. I know of the name Mukaati from my education as a child, but I must apologize for my ignorance of the remaining members of your esteemed party.” She gave a respectful bow. “What do you wish to speak with me about?”

“It is not surprising that you don’t know of us. We only interact with the material world indirectly now. And unlike the material world, we are unique to the spheres of existence, as you call them. So we have seen you in your original world.” Methus said, somehow smiling with his beak.

Azula’s heart jumped. “Then you know of my world. Are things going well? Were the nations able to keep the peace?” Azula stopped speaking as Mukaati held up a hand, much as Mistress Corvylyn did in Azula’s youth.

“I’m sorry, young one, but the Great Spirits told us not to share any information of your world with you. They worry about contamination between the multiverse worlds. Your presence here disturbs them, but they know of your extraordinary service against the Scourge and the great sacrifice that you made, so they will take no action against you. You are welcome in any world of the multiverse that you need to visit to make your way home.” Mukaati answered.

“But we have been asked to recruit you in a battle against a new foe that has infiltrated this world.” Denuskya’s mellifluous voice said. “Its name is Nikothan the Corrupter. It is a spirit that gains power and amusement by corrupting the souls of mortals and then feeding off the chaos and anarchy that follows in their wake. A fool by the name of Zhao allowed him to enter this world.”

Azula sighed. Her Zhao was a fool too. But then it was Terrathusi’s turn to speak. “He has corrupted two important people that you’ve met, King Kuei and Katara, and dozens of others that are not as powerful but are still influential enough to cause problems. We ask that you work with the Avatar to seek out and reseal Nikothan in his prison.”

That explains a lot about Katara’s behavior. And Kuei is just a jackass, so it’s hard to tell if corrupting him made him worse or not. “I am happy to help as long as I am on this world, but I wish to return to my own world at some point.”

“And the Great Spirits, as well as us, wish for you to return to your people also. Even if you cannot imprison him before you move on, if you can impart enough of your skills to allow the Avatar and his companions to continue the fight, we will be in your debt.” Mukaati said, smiling down at Azula. “I’ve watched you since you were a child. We do not understand why your firebending never kindled, but it is to the betterment of both you and the multiverse that it did not.”

“Help us with this and we will be on call to assist you if you ever need our favor. We trust that you will use this favor wisely and in good faith, so we will set no conditions upon it.” Terrathusi chimed in. “But now it is time for you to return. By working with the Avatar, we believe that you will learn to recognize the spiritual corruption of those affected by Nikothan. And while you may tell your allies of the personal circumstances which lead to your placement in their world, we ask that you keep the broader details of your world to yourself.”

“I will be selective in what details I share of my world. And as I said, I am more than willing to assist, but my situation is more complicated than that. I am basically a prisoner. I could easily escape, but I’m not sure that would improve the situation.” Azula began thinking of ways to counter this problem.

“Fear not, little one, it has been a while since we’ve interceded in human affairs, but in this one instance, we will.” Mukaati gave a wicked grin.

And on that ominous note, Azula was sent back to her body.

Chapter Text

A large group hovered around Azula as she meditated, her eyes continuing to glow. It was decided that since she didn’t appear to be in any distress, there was no need to interfere. But Ty Lee was worried. It had been nearly an hour since she started glowing.

And then, suddenly as it had started, it stopped. Azula blinked and then surveyed the group around her. “How long was I meditating for?”

Ty Lee spoke up. “About an hour, and your eyes were glowing for most of it.”

“Hmmm, that sounds about right. Oh, well. As you can see, I’m fine. There is no need to prepare the inevitable party that will be thrown after my death. You’ll just have to wait a little longer.” She laughed as she got to her feet.

“There will be no party after your death, Azula.” King Bumi said, looking far more subdued than Ty Lee has ever seen him.

“Bless your optimistic soul, Bumi, if you believe that. But as I said, the time is not now. But I need to get back to work. A lot is going on right now and I must be prepared.” Azula grabbed her cushion and started walking towards the door, leaving everyone stupefied. Except for one person.

“What were you doing?” Suki asked, wariness and annoyance in her voice, as she stepped up to Azula.

“What goes on in the privacy of my head is my business and nobody else’s.” Azula answered cheekily as she started to walk past Suki.

Suki grabbed Azula’s arm. It was hard to tell exactly what happened after that, because it seemed like the next thing Ty Lee saw was Suki’s wrist was twisted back and Azula began speaking with a terrifying voice that locked everyone into place. “I will say this one time and one time only. I accept your supervision and I will cooperate with reasonable requests. But touch me again without my permission and I will not let you live, consequences be damned. You’ve caught a dragon in your snare, Suki. I may no longer have my fire, but my teeth and claws are still razor sharp. Don’t test me again.”

Azula released Suki’s arm and stepped back. She brushed off the meditation cushion that she had dropped and once again walked towards the door. Nobody stopped her this time. In fact, nobody moved. Azula turned back.

“Ty Lee, Pemtha, I believe that you’re on duty. Suki’s in a bad mood now and you might get fired if you don’t perform your duty and guard me.” Azula raised an eyebrow. “Are you coming or not?”

Ty Lee looked to Suki, who’s aura radiated absolute fury. But she nodded anyway. Ty Lee and Pemtha ran to catch up as Azula continued walking.

Aang had just finished grooming Appa when he felt a calling, a spirit reaching out to him. He went and sat by the campfire. Momo was chittering at him, so he gave him a few nuts. “I need to concentrate now, Momo. I’ll give you some more later.”

He sat and meditated, letting his consciousness flow into the void within, he called out to Roku. But he was greeted by the face and voice of another.

“Greetings, Avatar Aang. This is quite the eventful day; I have not spoken to the Avatar directly in over six thousand years.” He envisioned a tall woman floating in the air before him, her green eyes and silverish-white hair giving her an exotic appearance.

“Greetings. May I ask who you are?” Aang didn’t know this spirit, but he could feel the power they radiated.

“Of course. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Denuskya, intermediary of Invina and the Bringer of Clouds and Giver of Life.” She laughed. “It is odd. I have not spoken to a human in hundreds of years and here I am introducing myself to two extraordinary people in one day.”

“It is an honor to meet you, Denuskya. May I ask who else you have spoken too?”

“You may, but I won’t answer just yet, for that information may distract you from the important part of my visit. An evil spirit named Nikothan the Corrupter is loose in your world. He himself is not particularly powerful, but his taint can lead people astray and cause havoc and chaos in your world. He has already corrupted numerous powerful people.”

Aang listened with his utmost attention. “How do I stop this spirit?”

“Even an experienced Avatar would have trouble finding him. He hides in the shadows and uses his influence sparingly. But there is an ally that can aid you in this struggle. Between the two of you, we are confident that you will develop a method to track Nikothan down. This is the person that I already introduced myself too.”

“Is this person willing to help? Where do I find them?” Aang asked.

“Yes, she has agreed to help. And this is why I waited to give her name. Her story is far more complicated than you know, but it is not for me to share her secrets. Azula will tell you her story when the time is appropriate.”

“Azula!” Aang yelled in shock. “But how? She’s a prisoner and was barely aware of the world a month ago.”

“That is true. But the other intermediaries and I are making arrangements to set Azula free so that she may help you. She could easily free herself but that would cause other issues. Go to her in Omashu. By the time you arrive, our plan should be set in motion. It will take some time to officially free her, but you will need time to plan anyway.” Denuskya smiled. “She is far more than she seems. Azula is the Dragoness of the Golden Light and she has the skills, knowledge and experience to help you on your path. She may not be able to stay with you the entire journey, for she is destined to walk another path, but she will teach you what you need to know to complete your mission.”

Aang was absolutely dumbstruck, but he believed Denuskya. Azula did seem like she was more than she was letting on. “I will do as you ask.”

“Thank you, Aang. And don’t let her get you riled up. She is a mischievous and impish girl. But she is your greatest ally. I have given her the names of the two most prominent people corrupted; it will hurt you to hear them, but heed Azula’s warning. This will be a battle not of overwhelming strength, but of cunning and intelligence.” Denuskya smiled again. “Good luck, Aang. You will undoubtedly need it dealing with both Nikothan and Azula.”

And Denuskya faded into nothing, her laugh lasting just a few moments after the rest of her had disappeared. He had to make his way to Azula.

Iroh was savoring the zanberry flavored jasmine tea when he heard the commotion. The ringing of the Fire Sage bells, as well as their distinctive chanting, could be heard outside the palace. Iroh, like everyone else, went outside to see the procession. An unannounced procession was only done when the intermediates of Agni commune with the Fire Sages directly. It has been hundreds of years since it had last happened.

Iroh turned and made his way to the throne room. This is where custom dictates that the Fire Sages meet the Fire Lord to announce the Will of Agni. He entered and saw Zuko on the throne, with Katara sitting to his right. Iroh saw Ursa standing in the section accorded to royal observers and joined her there.

“Iroh, do you know what this is about?” Ursa asked in a worried voice. These announcements had rarely brought good news in years past.

“No, Ursa, I don’t.” Iroh’s frown matched Ursa’s. “They will be here soon and we will find out what they have been told.”

They waited impatiently as the procession made its way. They could hear the bells and chanting become louder as they approached. Eventually, they were admitted to the Royal Throne Room.

The ArchSage led the procession, with the other six elder sages following behind him two by two. Behind them came the Urn of Agni’s Eternal Flame, surrounded by the Holy Adherents to the Flame of Truth.

The procession stopped in front of the Fire Lord. The ArchSage spoke, his voice loud and strong despite his advanced age. “Fire Lord Zuko, Rightful Holder of Agni’s Favor, I came to you with tidings passed on by Mukaati, the Guardian of Blacksmiths and Hearths, and Agni’s fiery intermediary. Are you prepared to receive her words of righteous knowledge?”

“I am, ArchSage.” Zuko answered simply. He had gotten better at masking his emotions, but Iroh had known him long enough to see exactly how nervous he was.

“Then I shall proclaim her will! May Agni’s Eternal Flame burn me for heresy should I deviate from her message.” Everyone gasped as the flame in the sacred urn flared up to twice its normal height and turned blue. “Mukaati has declared that Azula, former princess of the Fire Nation, be set right with the world and be given the freedom to travel as an Agent of the Great Spirits’ Will. Gnolos, Tui, La and Invina have all sent word to their people proclaiming her selection and calling for her immediate release. To refuse this call is to turn your back on the will of the Great Spirits.”

Agni’s Eternal Flame reverted back to its normal form, the orange and yellow flames now burning just as they did before the announcement. The ArchSage spoke again. “Fire Lord Zuko, do you understand the requirements set forth by Agni’s intermediary?”

Zuko gulped and looked at Katara, who looked to like she would combust herself. Finally, Zuko spoke. “I do.”

“And do you agree to the conditions required by Agni, Provider of Flames to the people of the Fire Nation?”

Zuko did not pause as long as before. “I do.”

“Then the favor of Agni will continue to shine on the people of the Fire Nation. May honor and glory come to you as you lead Agni’s people into the future.” The ArchSage said. He and everyone in the procession, barring the carriers of the urn, bowed to the Fire Lord. Then, the procession turned and made their way out of the throne room. No chanting or bells now, as the message had been delivered.

And by the look of hatred and disgust on Katara’s face, Zuko was in for a tumultuous couple of days.

Aang smiled as Appa landed and he could see his old friend King Bumi watching him from a terrace, a crazy grin plastered on his face. Aang hopped off Appa as Momo took to the sky. The palace staff all smiled and waved to him as he made his way through the courtyard. Bumi’s grooms were already moving towards Appa. Omashu felt as much his home as nearly anywhere.

By the time he made his way up the steps, Toph and Azula had joined Bumi, as well as several Kyoshi Warriors. But it was Azula’s appearance that caught his attention. She was wearing a metal band across her forehead, with side pieces that came down across her temples and upper parts of her cheeks. It was a relatively simple design, but it gave her a striking and exotic appearance. He realized that he had been staring too long when a teasing smirk crossed her face.

“Aang, I know that you get lonely flying on your great beast, but you can’t go around gawking at the beautiful women you meet with such wicked abandon. You need to show some self-restraint.” And then Azula’s grin turned wicked. “Or maybe less restraint by going out there and spreading your airbender seed far and wide to repopulate your people. I bet more than a few of the Kyoshi Warriors would love to be your babymakers.”

Aang felt his face flush, and his embarrassment wasn’t helped by Toph’s raucous laughter. He even noticed that the Kyoshi Warriors were looking down in embarrassment. He had only been here two minutes and Azula was already laying into him.

“Welcome, Aang. It is good to see you. Come inside before Azula’s teasing causes you to pass out in my courtyard.” Bumi said, a wide smile on his face. His old friend was enjoying his discomfort.

They all made their way inside, with four Kyoshi Warriors following along. Aang was guessing that Azula hadn’t won them over with her charm yet. Aang and Bumi chatted amicably as Azula and Toph followed along. Soon enough, Aang was seated with Bumi and the two ladies while the Kyoshi Warriors assumed their positions around the edge of the room

“So Aang,” Bumi stepped in, “what brings you to Omashu? We expected you to be helping with the Fire Colony situation for a while.”

“Well, I was doing just that, but then I had a spirit vision that directed me to come here. There is a danger looming and I needed to come here to begin getting answers.” Aang replied. Bumi and Toph expressed surprise while Azula just nodded.

“I’m assuming it was Denuskya.” Azula asked, no signs of humor evident in her face anymore. He nodded in return. Bumi and Toph were looking back and forth between the two of them.

“I’m not sure what the plan was but we can start the investigation here. We will need to put our heads together to figure out methods to identify those that are already affected.” Azula continued.

“That sounds good. The details are kind of vague though.” Aang replied. “But Denuskya said that she and her allies were making efforts to deal with your situation.”

“That has already started. The Earth Gnostics already approached King Bumi with information regarding me this morning.” Azula explained.

Aang was at a loss. “What information?”

King Bumi spoke. “The Earth Gnostics contacted me and said that Terrathusi, Gnolos’s intermediary, issued an order that Azula be set free of her sentence and be allowed to travel the world as an Agent of the Great Spirits’ Will. He also said that this order was being issued to the Water Priests and Fire Sages also.”

Aang noticed all four of the Kyoshi Warriors stand up straighter upon hearing this news. “I received this order from Invina’s intermediary also.”

“Well, I will walk the line until my freedom is official. But we need to keep preparing until then.”

“What in the name of Gnolos’s sweaty ass cheeks are you two talking about? What are you preparing? Why are you preparing?” Toph asked, her irritation getting the best of her.

“I must agree with Toph. I too would like to know what preparations are being taken in my palace.” King Bumi’s expression was more solemn than he’d seen since the war.

Aang opened his mouth to speak, but Azula beat him to the punch. “I totally agree. It is time that I filled all of you in on the information that I have. But it will have to be done without anyone else present, including the face paint chicks.”

“Done,” Bumi said, standing. He turned to the Kyoshi Warriors. “I appreciate your diligence, ladies, but I wish to speak with Azula and the others alone. Surely, you don’t believe that Azula is a threat to three powerful benders such as myself, Toph and Aang, do you?”

Ty Lee finally spoke. “No, we do not believe that she is a threat to the three of you. We will wait outside.” And with that the four guards walked out of the room, closing the door behind them. Aang used his seismic sense to ensure everyone was gone.

But Azula spoke first. “All right, everyone is out of earshot now. First, let’s start with my story first. It will help explain why I was approached to help Aang. The Azula you knew, the one that did all the terrible things during the war, died when Aang took her bending.”

Aang froze. How could this be. He was finally able to ask. “Then who are you?”

“I am also Azula, but one that was born in another world, a world where things turned out differently than here. A world where I was born a nonbender.”

“What?!” All three of her listeners shouted. She put her hands up to try and calm everyone down.

“Listen to my story to the end and then I’ll answer any questions.” Azula sighed and then began. “As in this world, I was the second borne child of Ozai and Ursa, but unlike the Azula you knew, my firebending never kindled. But as I grew older my intelligence and ability were noted by Li and Lo and my other tutors, and I was given an opportunity to receive specialized training to perhaps become an advisor to a future Fire Lord. Part of my training was conducted by an elderly Fire Priestess, who also happened to be a Disciple of the Arts Esoteric, and…”

Azula was cut off by King Bumi’s exclamation. “I knew a Disciple of the Arts Esoteric. Mistress Pul’a!”

Azula smiled. “I’m glad that you had a chance to meet her, and perhaps you can tell me about her later. My training went very well, and I was officially allowed to join the Order about two years before Mistress Corvylyn’s passing. My training with the Arts Esoteric allows me to do exceptional things with my chi. I have learned to enhance my intelligence and emotional control, as well as significantly improve my physical attributes such as speed, strength, endurance and reflexes. That is how I was able to catch the blade that Mai threw at the dinner party. My training also allows me to read the chi and auras of others.”

“With the help of talented cohorts, I also learned to make devices that improved my senses and further enhanced my physical capabilities.” Azula paused for a moment and took off her tiara and turned it around. Aang could see a bunch of symbols engraved into the back of it. “These engravings allow me to enhance my chi and aura sight as well as allow me to see acoustically like an aardvark-bat. And it serves as a meditation aid. I can create other items as well.”

“I traveled my world extensively and it has been to my great fortune that I also encountered a Goddess of Wisdom and Knowledge named Yotforbu. That wasn’t her real name, but she liked it, so it stuck. She recruited me to join her in a struggle for the security of the multiverse and gave me the gift of Bitok, a magical interface that enhances my memory and other mental skills.”

Seeing their confused faces, she explained the concept. “The multiverse is the name for the collection of different worlds that are similar yet distinct. Like how my world is very similar to yours, but things played out differently. My younger sister Izuka was not born here, while another sister, Kiyi, was. And there are different multiverses with different types of worlds. And they are very different than ours. Long story short, I became an avatar to channel Yotforbu’s power while wielding a powerful weapon forged by Yotforbu’s brother, the Scythe of Ashgenarrog. With this, and the help of my incredibly powerful allies, we defeated the Scourge that was threatening the multiverses.”

“But as with most battles, there was a price to be paid. My body was broken and nearly destroyed by channeling so much of Yotforbu’s energy. It is being repaired, but there is a good chance that it is beyond redemption. But as a parting gift, my consciousness and chi were infused into this Azula’s body just after she died while having her bending taken. I had a little bit of Yotforbu’s power left, which allowed me to strengthen this body until it was nearly as capable as my original had been.”

“And you all know the story after I awoke in this body. I had no idea what was going on or I would have played it much different then. But I have a unique set of skills and abilities due to my training and also because even though my firebending never kindled, I was born with the full amount of chi that every other Azula was born with.”

Aang was still reeling from all the information just dropped in his lap. “Did you know me in the other world?”

“Yes, I helped you with your earthbending. You were having a tough time with it. Since I can see chi, I was able to coach you how to open and utilize your earthbending chi pathways, with Toph and Bumi teaching you the actual earthbending movements and techniques.”

Aang was absolutely dumbfounded. He was having a hard time finding words to adequately convey his confusion. Since no one was speaking, Azula tapped her tiara and continued. “As I mentioned, this jevalda was a meditation aid, and the intermediaries contacted me as I used it to attain higher planes of consciousness. That was why my eyes were glowing the other day. I spoke to all four intermediaries, and they asked me to work with you, Aang, to defeat the threat facing us.”

“This explains a lot of your behaviors since you arrived here, Azula.” Bumi said. “The ease with which you became accustomed to being a nonbender, your need to engrave and the creation of your jevalda. You said that the intermediaries know of your world; did they tell you anything about what was happening there?”

“No,” Azula replied sadly. “They were concerned about cross contamination between multiverse worlds. This is why I was very vague on most of the points in my story. And why I won’t tell you anything of the terrible visions I had of the other Azula’s in the multiverse. These things are my burden to bear.”

But then Azula perked up. “But I am here to help you with an evil spirit called Nikothan the Corrupter. It is a spirit that gains power by corrupting the souls of mortals and then feeding off the resulting anarchy. We will need to figure out how to find him and those that he has corrupted. I know of two that were corrupted. None of you are going to like these names, but I swear that they were given to me by the intermediaries.”

“It’s alright, Azula. Denuskya told me that I wouldn’t like the names also.” Aang said, afraid that he already knew one of them. “Is Katara one of them?”

“I’m really sorry, Aang, but yes. Katara is one of them.” Azula paused. “And King Kuei is the other.”

Aang felt the blood leave his face as he thought about the implications. “This could be an epic disaster. Those two could set the whole world aflame.”

“Yes, I think that the threat would have to be that serious for the intermediaries to become involved. But I believe that we can imprison Nikothan before he turns the whole world against itself.” Azula paused, with a very serious look on her face. “But I don’t know that we’ll be able to fix the people that he has already corrupted. However, we owe it to them to try.”

“Thank you for sharing your story with us, Azula. I’m sorry that you are stuck in our world with our problems. After all that you’ve done, I think that you’ve earned the right to return home.” Bumi said.

“Whether I am able to return to my world or not, I appreciate all that the three of you have done for me. You are all wonderful people and I’m glad that I got to meet you. Win, lose or draw, I will fight as hard for your world as I would for my own. Even though your people all seem grumpier than mine.”

Ty Lee waited outside with the other Kyoshi Warriors. Suki would probably be mad, but there wasn’t any way to tell Bumi, Aang and Toph that they couldn’t handle Azula. And she knew Suki would be irate if Azula was freed and allowed to travel unsupervised. Ty Lee had mixed feelings about the situation. Azula had her bending taken away, which every bender acted as if it was like losing a limb, yet she actually seems happier and far less homicidal. She couldn’t see this Azula doing the evil things that she had done when she was a bender.

Well, her opinion didn’t matter. It sounds like the Great Spirits themselves were intervening on Azula’s behalf. She had been waiting for about half an hour when the door finally opened and the object of their security came out, along with her three powerful friends. If Azula had access to powerful friends like this instead of just nonbenders like her and Mai, the war would have undoubtedly gone a lot differently.

“Ah, you’re all awake. Excellent, I won’t have to tell Suki that you’ve been sleeping on the job. Although I should probably check your breaths to make sure you haven’t been drinking.” Azula smirked at the Kyoshi Warriors, and Ty Lee saw her friends’ auras turn red with anger. Azula’s, of course, was purplish-blue with smugness, for lack of a better term. “Alright, let’s get this show on the road. We’ve got a lot of work to do, ladies! And you’re most definitely included in that statement, Twinkletoes.”

Azula just laughed at the despondent sigh that escaped Aang’s lips, but she didn’t let her amusement slow her down. She paused long enough to allow King Bumi to beg off whatever she was up to, while promising to keep him informed. Once he turned away, she marched swiftly down to the makeshift workshop she had setup.

Once they were all down in her workshop, Azula frowned at how crowded it had become. “Alright, ladies, I’m willing to put up with quite a bit, but four of you in my workshop is too much. I’ll allow up to two guards to stay, with the caveat that Ty Lee has to be one of them. I don’t like any of you other girls, so the second guard can’t be any of you. Tell Suki to come down if she wants a second guard. No one else will be permitted.”

“Azula, you don’t get to boss us around.” Ty Lee reminded her. “We’re here to protect others, not you.”

“Avatar Aang, please get rid of everyone but Ty Lee.” Azula said, staring at Ty Lee the whole time. Ty Lee swallowed when Azula’s aura disappeared again, just like in the carriage.

“I appreciate your effort, ladies, but Ty Lee, Toph and I can keep Azula in line. Well, as much as anyone can keep Azula in line.” Aang said, sighing again. “Suki can come talk to me directly if she has a problem with this order.”

It was Ty Lee’s turn to sigh. “Jimna, please go inform Suki why the three of you have been relieved of guard duty for the time being.” And Azula’s aura reappeared. Smug purple-blue, of course. Purpler and purpler as she watched Ty Lee’s fellow warriors trudge out the door.

“Excellent, now we can get down to business. Aang, can you summon spirits? Avatar based or otherwise?” Ty Lee saw Aang blink at the suddenness of the question.

“Perhaps, depending on your definition of a spirit. I can call forth previous incarnations of the Avatar. That might count.” He finally answered.

“Alright, I want to test a theory. Please call forth an incarnation, without telling me who it is, and have them remain intangible for now. I have a meditation pillow over there if assuming a lotus position helps.” Azula said, pointing to the object.

“Sure, why not.” Aang grabbed the pillow, assumed the lotus position, and began meditating. Azula stared intently, although her eyes didn’t seem to be focused on Aang. Suddenly, she smiled.

“Hello, Kyoshi. Your face paint knockoffs would be creaming in their panties if they could see you like this.” Ty Lee felt her blood pressure rising a little at Azula’s offensive statement. But she didn’t have time to be offended as Kyoshi, the Kyoshi herself, appeared in front of Aang. Not fully solid, but enough that you couldn’t really see through her.

“Your impertinence is unbecoming of you, Azula.” Kyoshi said, her seven-foot frame towering over Azula.

“Perhaps, but I’ve earned the right to be as impertinent as I want. I’m doing this world a favor, not the other way around.”

“Indeed. And for that I thank you. It appears that you can see spirits even when we’re intangible.” Kyoshi replied, much more respectfully than Ty Lee imagined she would.

“It’s not that simple. I attuned my jevalda to the spiritual energy that I picked up from Aang, assuming that any spirit manifestations would align with that signature. I’m not sure if every intangible spirit can be seen with this method. But if I can analyze one of the corrupted with my jevalda, I should be able to figure out the energy frequencies needed to see Nikothan, intangible or not.” Azula replied, also more respectively than Ty Lee expected.

“That is very clever of you. What is the distance that you can see with your jevalda?” Kyoshi asked, still looking down at Azula in a rather condescending way.

“Not far enough, which is why I’m designing a second device to track our target once we get the frequency dialed in. This will require more chi power and spiritual awareness than I have, so I will have to configure it for Aang’s use. He will also have to be the one to work the trap too.”

“It’s good that you know your limitations.” Kyoshi said, smirking.

“Thank you. Unless you’d like to say something encouraging to your mini-me over here, I think our business here is concluded.” Azula jerked a thumb at Ty Lee.

Ty Lee’s breath caught as Kyoshi turned and looked at her. “You are a skilled and noble warrior, Ty Lee. Don’t let Azula get under your skin. I am very pleased with you and all the other Kyoshi Warriors and I’m honored to have you carry on my heritage.”

“Thank you, Avatar Kyoshi. Your words mean a lot to me and the other warriors.” Ty Lee responded, bowing low. And when she straightened up, Kyoshi was gone.

Azula smiled at her. Not one of her smirky or condescending smiles, but what looked to be a genuine one. “I know that I give you a hard time, Ty Lee, but Kyoshi was right. You are skilled and noble and the Kyoshi Warriors should be happy to have you.”

Ty Lee was speechless for a moment. “Thank you, Azula.”

“All right, enough massaging your ego. Back to work!” Aang and Ty Lee just looked at each other and rolled their eyes as Toph started snoring in the corner.

Chapter Text

Aang was absolutely astounded by what Azula had been able to accomplish in the past two weeks. He thanked the Great Spirits that this Azula hadn’t been their foe during the Hundred Years War; had she been in charge of the Fire Nation then, the entire world would be under her boot.

“Alright, let’s try this out. Ty Lee, are you ready to scribe? Session 2, Test 4.” Azula called to the Kyoshi Warrior, who had her pencil and paper ready.

“Session 2, Test 4, go.” Ty Lee called back. It had been a slightly uncomfortable conversation with Suki about bringing Ty Lee onto the team. But Azula claimed that they sent Ty Lee to be a spy and liaison, so she might as well be front and center. Plus, Azula was familiar with her skills, which Aang had to admit were considerable. Her martial arts skills combined with her agility and chi blocking made her a formidable opponent.

Azula pointed her arm, palms forward, towards the test dummy. The test dummy, an invention of Azula’s, was a metal cylinder that could hold a small amount spirit energy. Through trial and error, Azula and Aang were able to figure out how he could push spirit energy into it.

“Fire in the hole!”. She yelled, as always. Nobody knew why she said that, but it seemed to amuse her. The energy pulse caused the spirit energy trapped in the test dummy to dissipate.

“It worked!” Aang yelled. This was the first time that the Spirit Repulsors, as Azula called them, was able to dissipate the spirit energy.

“Yes,” Azula yelled, smirking. “I knew that we’d get there. We’re almost ready. Have we heard from the Earth King yet about my release?”

Aang sighed. All of the other leaders had heeded the call of the Great Spirits’ intermediaries and authorized Azula’s release. “No, not yet.”

“Well, he’s got about another week, by my estimate. It’s time to bring Ty Lee fully into the group, if she’s willing. I need to get her trained up if she’s going to be a help and not a liability.”

“What do you mean, bring me fully into the group?” Ty Lee asked, looking puzzled.

“Do your thing, Aang. It would be better coming from you. I suggest that you explain it to both of them together. It will save time.” Azula shrugged and turned back to work. “But it’s up to you. I’ve got a lot to do before then.”

Aang sighed. She was right, as usual. “Ty Lee, can I talk to you and Suki together. In private. I would like to ask for your help on our mission, but it means taking you away from the Kyoshi Warriors for a time.”

“Of course, Aang. Suki should be up in the office now.” Ty Lee said, her wide expressive eyes looking up at Aang. He smiled at her and she smiled back.

They make their way up to the office and find Suki there, discussing something with Gira and a few other warriors. But when she saw Aang and Ty Lee approaching, she quickly finished up and sent the girls on their way. She waved them in.

“Hi Suki, do you have a few minutes to talk with me and Ty Lee?” Aang asked, closing the door behind him. Suki’s right eyebrow lifted but she nodded.

“Of course, have a seat. Does this have anything to do with our soon to be paroled monster?” Suki asked, staring Aang directly in the eyes.

Aang stared directly back. “Yes. Azula and Toph will be accompanying me on a very important mission once her parole is finalized. Or in one week, whichever comes first. But I would like to request that Ty Lee accompany us on the mission also. It will take her away from her Kyoshi Warrior duties for a time, so I wanted to discuss it with both of you together.”

“I see. And what is so important that Azula is being freed and you want to snatch my most skilled girl out of my ranks?”

“I have been directed by the intermediaries for the Great Spirits themselves to hunt down an evil spirit that is plaguing our world. The longer that it is free, the more havoc it could cause. A reignition of the Hundred’s Year War is a possibility.” Aang said.

“And what does this have to do with Azula and Ty Lee?”

“Azula was directly approached by the intermediaries to assist me. She is literally the only person with the skills and knowledge needed to find the spirit in question. She, Toph, and I hope, Ty Lee, will accompany me as I hunt the spirit down and help me trap it. Ty Lee’s acrobatics and exceptional dexterity will be a huge benefit. Azula would like to fit her with special gear to make her even more exceptional. But she needs time to train and get acclimated to the gear.”

Ty Lee looked interested, but Suki was difficult to read. Finally, she spoke. “I don’t trust her, Aang. She will stab you in the back. I dealt with her more than you did.” Aang knew that Azula didn’t treat Suki well in captivity, so he decided to make a judgement call.

“I understand that. But I will ask Azula to explain why she was selected to help me. After listening to her story, I believe that you will be convinced. I will ask her to tell you what she told me, Bumi and Toph in private when I first arrived.”

Suki continued to stare at Aang, while Ty Lee looked between them nervously. “Fine, but I don’t think she’ll change my mind. Ty Lee can decide for herself.” And with that they all made their way back down to the workshop, where Azula and Toph were busily constructing the spirit trap. Azula just watched them as they entered, doing that weird looking through people thing. He’s tried telling her that it creeps people out, but she just smiled.

“Azula, I would like you to tell your tale to Suki and Ty Lee. I think that will resolve a lot of the trust issues they have.” Azula stared at him for a moment and then sighed.

“Why not? We need allies.” Azula went and sat on the bench near the worktable and motioned for the others to sit. “Toph, do you need a break or do you want to keep working.”

“I’ll keep working, Pretty Sane. I’ll amuse myself by listening to their heartbeats. You’re about to rock their world.” Toph said, cackling as she continued to bend the individual pieces of metal in the wicked looking contraption.

“Alright, ladies. Let me tell you how the Azula you know died and the Azula you see before you came to be.” Aang couldn’t help sighing at Azula’s melodrama. But he was still enraptured by the tale of her homeworld, where she couldn’t bend and how she developed so many new skills and abilities. And he could tell that Suki and Ty Lee were entranced also, once they got over their initial disbelief, he could see how it was changing their perception of her. But they weren’t quite convinced.

“So, you really expect us to believe all this?” Suki said. But Aang could her the shakiness of her voice. She didn’t want to accept this, but she did.

“Would it help if I took my Yotforbu form? Four eyes, four arms, four boobs?” And then Azula smirked. “You’ll have to take my word about the yotzu. Or at least request a private audience.” She winked at the two girls.

“Y-you can still do that?” Ty Lee asked, her voice definitely shaking.

“Yes, it’s mildly painful to convert and I don’t get the size boost, but I get extra eyes, boobs and appendages. My shirt is big enough to accommodate the extra torso. You might get to see my belly button but nothing too scintillating. Unless you asked nicely.” Azula laughed. Aang could tell that she was enjoying herself.

“What the hell, Pretty Sane, how come you didn’t show this to the rest of us?” Toph demanded, all focus on her work lost.

“Well, you can see it now. So to speak.” And she closed her eyes and then Aang could feel the energy in Azula’s body shift. Everyone gasped as the two new eyes formed under her old ones and her torso elongated. The shirt was slightly oversized, so it wasn’t dramatic, but Aang could see the outlines of two new breasts. And then he saw extra fingers poking out from the bottom of the shirt.

“Holy shit, Pretty Sane! That’s fucking incredible.” Toph screeched.

“Does this help my case, ladies?” Azula asked, her voice deeper than usual.

“Y-yeah, it does,” Suki finally answered.

“Good, I’m changing back now. I definitely need to remember to wear baggier pants the next time I change. My four balls are totally squished.” And with everyone gaping at her, she reverted back to her normal appearance.

Afterwards, she bent over, trying to work out some of the pain. It sure looked like it would hurt to change your body like that. “That was actually a lot better than the first time I tried with this body. My guess is that I need to continue doing it and get this body acclimated.”

“I’m sorry, Azula. For how I’ve treated you.” Suki said, bowing her head.

“There’s nothing to apologize for; your anger and distrust of me is understandable. I’ve seen visions of what the firebending Azula’s have done. I don’t know exactly what this one did to you, but based on the visceral hate I’ve received from so many people, I’m guessing she was one of the more abusive versions of myself.” Azula sighed, but then continued speaking. “I know it sounds like excuses, but every Ozai I saw pushed an already unstable girl into committing terrible acts. I would have probably suffered a similar fate if I didn’t have someone to watch out for me. My perceived weakness became a source of strength by removing me from Ozai’s care.”

“But that is neither here nor there. I have a plan for helping rid your world of Nikothan the Corrupter. Now we just have to finish our preparations.” Azula said, lifting the mood of the group. Then she gave a wide grin. “Ty Lee, will you assist us in our venture? I’ve got some cool toys for you to play with.”

Ty Lee looked at Suki, who smiled. “If you want to help them, Ty Lee. Go ahead. You will always be welcome back with the Kyoshi Warriors when you return.”

Ty Lee smiled and turned to Aang. “Well, it looks like I’m part of the team. Can I wear by pink acrobat costume?”

Ty Lee was having the time of her life. The cloth tentacles were absolutely awesome. It was an amazingly simple yet effective design; metal gauntlets, formed by Toph, were engraved with Azula’s special magic chi symbols and could be used to manipulate bolts of cloths like tentacles.

Ty Lee didn’t have enough chi to effectively manipulate the cloth tentacles by herself, which is why Azula created special augmentors with chi reservoirs. Azula and Aang, but mostly Aang, had been feeding chi into the gauntlets for the past two weeks, which Ty Lee could then control along with her own chi. It had taken a few days to figure out how to work them, but the tentacles enhanced her already awesome jumping skills, although she had nowhere near the speed and launching power of Azula.

And the jevalda that Toph and Azula made was super awesome too. The range at which she could read auras with the jevalda was much larger than what she could do unaided, but just as awesome was that she could lock onto specific auras and track them over long distances. Ty Lee felt sadness that this Azula was knocked out of her home and might have to live in another Azula’s body. But she was glad to see that not every Azula was destined to be a monster.

“You’re getting the hang of it, Ty Lee. Just remember to coordinate your pulls with your jumps for maximum effect. I think your time in the circus is paying off!” Azula cheered as Ty Lee made her way through the everchanging obstacle course that Toph made for her, with Azula throwing an object at Ty Lee every once in a while to keep her on her toes.

“All right, that’s a wrap. Shut it down, Toph.” Azula finally yelled. Ty Lee was exhausted. “That was great, Ty Lee. I think we’re finally ready to get this show on the road.”

“Hell yeah!” Toph cheered, punching her hand with her fist. “I’m ready to get out there and kick this Nickel Ham’s ass.” Ty Lee exchanged a glance with Azula. This had to be Toph’s worst nickname yet.

“I agree, Toph. We haven’t received word of my freedom from the Earth Kingdom yet, but my ass is in need of a good licking, so it looks like the job is theirs.” Azula said, gathering her materials. “We’ve got everything set and ready.”

“Appa is rested and ready to fly. I suggest that we get a good night’s rest and head out first thing in the morning. We’re headed to the Fire Nation first, so the Earth Kingdom has additional time to send word.” Aang chimed in.

“Are you sure you know how to reseal him in his spirit prison, Aang?” Ty Lee asked. She wanted to help but she had never dealt with spirit juju before.

“Denuskya taught me the method and I’m good to go. That’s the easy part. Finding and trapping him is the conundrum.” Aang replied with a comforting smile.

“Well, we have tools and a stategy. We only have one real clue to work with, so that’s where we start.” Azula smiled at the group. “I’m glad that I’ve got such a good team to work with. This would be even more difficult without talented folks like you to carry our plan to completion.”

“Thanks, Pretty Sane. Working with you has been a hoot. I really think that we could take over the world.”

“Sorry, Toph. When I seize power, I intend to rule alone on high. You can be my Bootlicker-in-Chief.”

“As if, Pretty Sane! Just for that, you’ll be made into my Asslicker-in-Chief, since you seem to have such a sphincter fetish.” Toph blusters. Ty Lee tunes out the good-natured ribbing that Azula and Toph seem to enjoy so much. She went up to Aang.

“Are you ready to do this, Aang?” Ty Lee asked. She was more than a bit worried.

“Yes, I am, Ty Lee.” Aang gave her a warm smile that made her heart skip a little. “Azula is remarkably competent, and as she said, we have a strong team to hunt down Nikothan. We just need to find him. And as sad as it makes me, Katara’s our best bet.”

“Then tomorrow the hunt begins.” Ty Lee responded. She shared another small smile with Aang before they turned their attention back to the two squabbling children, as their banter was becoming more heated and the insults more creative.

Aang looked down on the Fire Nation palace as Appa made his way in for a landing. With Azula’s guidance, everything was prepared. All four of them wore jevaldas that would, hopefully, allow them to detect the spirit corruption and track Nikothan once he was in close proximity. And Azula and Ty Lee had their tentacle gauntlets and spirit repulsors packed away for use once they found Nikothan. And the larger tracker and spirit trap were strapped down in Appa’s saddle. They were ready to face Nikothan. But first they had to track him down.

It was one thing to find the two people corrupted by Nikothan. It was another to lock them down so that they were no longer a danger. This was going to be a tough sell to Zuko. Especially since Azula was going to be standing by Aang’s side. But Aang was the Avatar and Azula was an Agent of the Great Spirits’ Will.

As Appa landed in the courtyard, Aang saw Zuko and Katara watching them. He really hoped that Azula was as smart as she seemed to be. She had attuned the other three jevaldas to hers, somehow. He had made the mistake of asking how and he had gotten a complicated explanation with words like resonance and frequency modulation. But they had been able to follow his Avatar projections even when they were intangible by being attuned to Azula’s jevalda.

They had decided that it was best not to try and actually capture Katara right now. They weren’t sure if Nikothan was somehow linked to her or not. Azula would get the readings and attune the other jevaldas and the larger tracker to Nikothan’s energy signature. Aang was going to pull Zuko aside and give him a heads up about Katara. He didn’t expect that conversation to go well.

Aang hopped off Appa as Azula, Ty Lee and mainly Toph untied the larger tracker and lowered it to the ground. He shared a big smile with Zuko and Katara as they approached. They didn’t smile back.

“What the hell is she doing here, Aang? And what they hell are all of you wearing on your heads?” Katara all but snarled, speaking to Aang but giving Azula a death stare. Aang turned to see Azula giving Katara the creepy looking through you stare and then suddenly Aang’s jevalda felt warm and he saw Katara’s spirit energy.

There was a swirling mass of purplish-black energy all over her, with most of it around her head. And he saw a single strand of energy moving off into the distance. That had to lead towards Nikothan. He looked back to Azula and she gave him a nod.

Apparently, he took too long to answer Katara because she started yelling. “Why the hell did you bring that monster to our palace! Why isn’t she locked away in Omashu? What the hell is wrong with you Aang?”

Aang sighed but answered. “Azula has been decreed an Agent of the Great Spirits’ Will. You acknowledged the proclamation. She, along with Toph and Ty Lee, is assisting me in a matter of great spiritual importance. My mission has been sponsored by the intermediaries of the Great Spirits themselves.” He turned to Zuko. “May I speak with you alone for a few minutes, Zuko? It is important to my mission.”

“Anything you need to say to me, you can say to Katara also.” Zuko answered.

Aang sighed again. “Not this time, Zuko. This is for your ears and your ears only.”

Zuko gazed at Aang, seemingly trying to gauge his sincerity. Katara had turned her attention away from Azula long enough to glare at Aang. “What are you trying to pull here, Aang? She is violating the terms of her banishment and you have the unmitigated gall to tell me that I’m not good enough to listen to your conversation. I am going to be the Fire Lady soon and you don’t get to sideline me.”

“This is Avatar business, and I’m sorry if you don’t like it, Katara, but you don’t get to have a say in this matter. I am working to help the entire world face an enormous threat and I don’t have time to deal with you.” Aang turned back to Zuko. “Will you speak with me in private or not?”

Zuko glanced at Katara, who looked ready to spontaneously combust. He sighed and finally spoke. “Yes, I’ll speak with you in private.” He held up his hand to forestall Katara’s incoming rant. “I trust Aang and if he says that it is for my ears only, there must be a damn good reason. You had better be convincing, Aang. Come, we can talk in my study.”

Aang turned back to Katara, who was glaring daggers at him. “I’m sorry, Katara. This is just a unique set of circumstances. You are my friend and I’m sorry that I can’t include you right now.”

She was still staring at him as he turned and followed Zuko into the palace. At least there hadn’t been any violence. But now he had to worry about how Zuko would handle the news. After just a short walk, they were in the Fire Lord’s study and the guards were outside. He used his seismic sense to check for eavesdroppers, but there were none to be found.

“What is the meaning of this Aang? Why did you bring Azula here? Why can’t you talk with Katara?” Zuko asked, so far managing to keep his temper in check.

“I am in pursuit of an evil spirit known as Nikothan the Corrupter. He had the ability to alter the minds of people, in essence corrupting them, and then feeds on the resulting chaos. I was sent to Azula by Denuskya, Invina’s intermediary, because Azula is literally the only person in the world with the skills to track down Nikothan. And having worked with her, I have to agree that I couldn’t do it without her.”

Zuko pinched his nose. “How the hell does my insane sister have the skills needed to track this spirit? And what does this have to do with Katara?”

Aang braced himself. “Azula’s secrets are not mine to share, but let me assure you that she indeed has the skills needed for this job. And the reason we can’t include Katara is because she is one of the two people that we know of that have been corrupted by Nikothan.”

Zuko just stared at Aang for several long moments. “What do you mean by corrupted?”

“We’re not really sure. We believe that it enhances the negative and harmful emotions of the person, causing them to do things that they normally wouldn’t do. As Fire Lady, Katara could do a lot of damage if she is corrupted. The other person that we know is corrupted is King Kuei.”

Zuko looked down, obviously thinking over what Aang had said. He finally spoke. “Are you sure about Katara? And King Kuei?”

“I’m sorry, Zuko, but yes. The intermediaries told Azula and then told me to trust her. And you can see how Katara’s changed. She’s still Katara, but she’s not like she used to be. But once we track down and capture Nikothan, we think that we can help her.”

“Did you just come to warn me about her?” Zuko asked, still looking down.

“That was one aspect of our trip. The second aspect is that we can use her to track Nikothan. These jevalda,” Aang tapped the metal band on his head, “allow us to see the spirit energy on Katara. And I can see that she is corrupted. But more importantly, it will allow us to track Nikothan back to his lair. Once I send Nikothan back to his spirit prison, we will see if we can undo whatever he’s done to Katara and King Kuei. And the dozens of other people that are in lesser political positions. We will do everything that we can to help them. She shouldn’t be a danger to you or anyone else right now. But I wanted to let you know so that you can keep her from doing anything bad while we hunt Nikothan.”

“I’ve wondered why she changed so much. I thought it was because she killed Yon Rha. It was a mistake for me to take her to him.” Zuko said softly.

“She made her choice, but that doesn’t mean that she deserves to be corrupted by an evil spirit. We will try to help her Zuko. I promise.” Aang answered.

“You never told me how Azula has the skills to track this spirit.”

“That’s not my story to tell. After our mission, maybe she’ll share that with you.” Aang answered. “But let’s get back to the others. The sooner that we start our mission the sooner that we can try to help Katara.”

And with that the pair made their way back out to the courtyard.

Katara had been staring at Azula ever since Aang and Zuko had left. Ty Lee decided to go talk to her; thankfully Toph decided to come along.

“I know that this seems weird, SugarQueen, but Azula has been designated an Agent of the Great Spirits’ Will, so she’s just helping out for a while. We’ve got everything under control.” Toph assured Katara. But it didn’t seem to have the desired effect.

“She’s brainwashed all of you. I knew that I should have killed that stupid bitch when I had the chance. I’m not going to let her get away with this.” Katara started to step forward, but Ty Lee blocked her way.

“She is an official traveling companion of the Avatar, Katara. You’re not allowed interfere.” Ty Lee said, as Katara stared her down.

“And I’m going to be the Fire Lady. Do you want to test yourself against me, Ty Lee? There is an imbalance of power here, don’t you think.” Katara snarled. “It seems a little weird though. She was all bravado and bluster a month ago, but now she’s hiding behind the two of you like a little scared turtleduckling. Not so big and bad without Aang to protect you.”

“We have a mission, Katara. I am not seeking a quarrel with you. We will be on our way as soon as Aang is done talking with the Fire Lord. Let’s just agree to ignore one another until then.” Azula said in a surprisingly calm and collected voice. Ty Lee looked back at Azula and and saw that her face was neutral and her posture relaxed. “As you said, you’re going to be Fire Lady. You are respected and have the opportunity to do many great things.”

“Yes, I am, and you’re just a two-bit psycho that should have been put down like the mad mongoose-lizard that you are.” Katara snarled, not seeming to calm down.

“I’ve said my piece, Katara. I wish you well, but I am not going to deal with you. I’m getting back on Appa. We will be departing as soon as Aang returns.” Azula proceeded to start climbing up Appa to the saddle.

“Don’t do it, Katara.” Toph said, taking an earthbending stance. Katara had her waterskin open and a took bit of water out. Ty Lee took a fighting stance.

“Don’t attack Katara, ladies. I’m in the saddle now and she can’t reach me with the water she has. Let’s use our heads and stay cool here.” Azula settled back into the saddle. “I’m sure Zuko and Aang are nearly done and will be out momentarily.”

“Once I’m the Fire Lady, I don’t ever want to see you on this archipelago again.” Katara said, returning the water to her flask.

“I never intended to set foot on this Agni forsaken island again, but I was called to it. If we never meet again, I think that we would both be better for it.” Azula responded, voice calm.

“For once we agree on something.” And to Ty Lee’s relief, Katara turned and walked back into the palace. Both she and Toph relaxed when Katara disappeared inside the building.

“I’m impressed, Pretty Sane. You really kept your cool there.” Toph said. She lifted the larger tracker back into Appa’s saddle and then climbed up herself, Ty Lee right behind her. They had the tracker tied down and ready to go in just a few moments.

“Aang and Zuko are on their way out.” Azula said, causing everyone to turn towards the palace door. And Zuko and Aang walked out moments later, talking quietly. They approached Appa and Zuko turned and looked at Azula.

“I hope that Aang and the others are right for trusting you, Azula. If you hurt them, I will hunt you to the ends of the world.” Zuko said in his Fire Lord voice. Ty Lee had to admit that she was a bit intimidated.

“Don’t mistake my willingness to help for weakness, Zuko. That was your only freebie. Don’t ever threaten me again.” Ty Lee felt an icy chill run down her spine. Azula’s voice had sounded absolutely terrifying.

Zuko appeared to be shaken but quickly pulled himself together. “I wish you luck on your mission.” And with that he turned and walked back towards the palace.

Aang flew up into the saddle and approached the larger tracker. “Is it attuned?” He asked Azula.

“It should be. Push your chi into it like I trained you and follow the spirit threads. It should work.” Azula answered. Aang sat down in front of the tracker and put both of his hands on the engraved metal bar. His eyes and tattoos glowed for a second. Then he turned and stared out into the distance.

“I can see the spirit thread. It looks like your plan is working.” Aang said as he walked forward and climbed onto Appa’s head. “Let’s get the mission started. Yip-Yip.”

Ty Lee and the others settled in as Appa took to the sky and began heading northeast.

Chapter Text

The aura of disgruntlement was nearly tangible. The conflicts, the strife, the anger and the hate. Nikothan savored the flavor of the chaos. Yu Dao was a tinderbox ready to be set alight. The discontent was growing and Nikothan knew that it wouldn’t be long now. He had chosen well. The bigger fires were sweeter but took longer to set. These small flames would fuel enough chaos to sate his hunger until the big ones took hold. Patience. Yes, patience was a virtue. He had been captured when he was young because he wasn’t patient. He was older now. He understood patience.

He took his human form so that he could go and walk amongst the chaos. Ignorance and petty squabbles were how it almost always started. Fan a little flame here, share a little indiscretion there. If he reached out and manipulated the strings of just the right people in just the right places, the anger and resentment grew. Until he finds the incident that pushes the city over the edge. Yes. That was how it worked.

His human form wasn’t perfect. But he didn’t need it to be. It was like a little appetizer. The dread and uncertainty of the people when he walked amongst them. They looked at him and they just knew that something wasn’t right. But they never knew exactly what it was. The anxiety and alarm whetted his appetite for more.

The full moon was high in the sky as he walked through the slums. People scurried out of his way. The bums and the derelicts hid their eyes and tried to make themselves invisible. Anything to avoid looking at him. It never ceased to bring a smile to his face.

What do we have here, he thought to himself as the young woman approached. Short and petite, she was a delectable little morsel. Young women like her were always creeped out by him, their thoughts going to the fear of the unknown and what he might do to their chastity. If only they knew that he was neither anatomically correct nor interested in their weak and mortal forms. No, he savored the fear and anxiety.

He smiled at her. She smiled back. And he felt uneasy. Her gold eyes watched him, her tiara glowing in the moonlight. He stopped walking as she continued to approach, her unnatural gaze upon him, like she was trying to see through him.

“Hello, Nikothan. I’ve been dying to meet you. You’re not supposed to be here.” The girl said. No fear or anxiety. His skin was starting to itch. No, no, no, no! This wasn’t right. “I’ve been wondering how this was going to play out. Will you run? Will you grovel? Will you fight?”

He began to turn and run as she raised her arms and he saw a brief flash of light. Nikothan stumbled and screamed in agony. It burned! His skin burned from the flash!

He changed to his spirit form. His body extended and his twelve lizard-rat legs extended from his body. His human face morphed and mandibles formed on his pointed head, the four antennae scanning the city, trying to sense a way to escape his pursuer. No one had ever hurt him like that before.

He turned intangible and scrambled up the side of a building and his sinewy body swished and undulated behind him. But he could sense her chasing him. She was in the air. How? There! She had tentacles! What was this creature?

He didn’t have time for more thoughts as he saw another bright light from a side street and again his body burned, much worse than before. He switched back to his tangible form and the pain lessened. He was fully panicked now. And then he detected two more pursuers. An earthbender and another girl with tentacles. But he could see that she wasn’t as fast as the other one.

Wait. Where was the other one? He felt her before he saw her. He quickly ducked down a side street. The fast one was coming up behind him while the pair were working in tandem to cut him off; the earthbender would launch the girl high in the air and she would run and bounce and jump and swing across the rooftops until she jumped back to the earthbender when they needed to change direction. Nikothan was faster than them. But he wasn’t faster than the other girl.

He screeched in pain as another light flashed and his back legs burned. He jumped and ducked and dodged. He scuttled up buildings and jumped to another when her line of sight was broken, becoming intangible again. But she always found him and burned him. And the burn was so much worse when he was intangible.

But then he saw his opening. The pair was trying to cut him off from the right; the fast one was trying to herd him towards them, but he was just a little too quick. He cut to the left at the last moment and scurried across the open courtyard. It was flat and the fast one had to run to catch him. She wasn’t nearly as fast without the tentacles pulling her through the air.

She fired two more flashes but he barely felt anything. But then he sensed it and his heart filled with terror. He would recognize the spirit power of Raava anywhere. Nikothan had been so worried about his pursuers that he didn’t think to watch for what was above him. The Avatar fell from the sky and flung a metal sphere at him. He went to dodge but he wasn’t fast enough as the metal sphere struck him and he instantly felt himself stuck to it.

It weighed him down and he couldn’t run anymore. The Avatar’s eyes and tattoos started glowing and the sphere glowed too. Nikothan watched in terror as light tentacles reached out and wrapped themselves around him and began pulling him into the sphere. He fought and clawed but there was no escape.

Suddenly, the pulling paused. Nikothan couldn’t escape, but he wasn’t actively being pulled in anymore. The fast girl approached him.

“Nikothan the Corrupter, you are again being banished to your prison in the spirit realm. But how you spend eternity is up to you. Answer my questions, and you will be granted freedom of movement as before. Lie and you will be bound for all eternity, forever locked in place until you go mad.” The girl said.

“I’ll answer. I’ll answer.” He pleaded. No, he didn’t want to be locked in place. Torture. Yes, that was torture.

“How do we undo your corruption after you’ve been sealed away?” The girl asked.

“You need to pull the spirit line clear. Yes, yes. It will take some time, but they will be free. But I only make the mind follow where it wishes to go. The corruption is already there.” He answered.

“Will it harm them to have the spirit line pulled clear?”

“At first, they will convulse, but they will be fine after the spirit line is finally pulled clear. I promise. Please do not lock me in place.” Nikothan pleaded.

The girl looked to the Avatar, who simply nodded. She spoke again. “Nikothan, you are being resealed in your spirit prison, but you will not be locked in place. But if we find that you’ve lied, the Avatar will visit your prison and not only lock you in place, but blind you so that you will never see again. Are you telling me the truth?”

“Yes, yes!” He screeched. This girl terrified him almost as much as the Avatar.

The Avatar began began waving his arms again, and the tentacles again pulled him further into the ball. Nikothan wept for the cruelty of his fate, but there was nothing to be done to stop it. Further and further, he was pulled until all he could see was the blinding white light and then he felt himself being pulled back to the spirit world. Back to his prison. Back to his home.

“Well, I thought that went pretty well, Avatar. This is a damn fine team.” Azula said, smiling at everyone.

Ty Lee couldn’t help but smile back. It had worked just like Azula had said it would. They easily found Nikothan two nights ago, but they decided to watch and observe. And both nights they had watched him walk through the city, seeming to thrive off the fear and anxiety that he caused.

So Azula created the plan. Attack him and herd him towards one of the open courtyards. Azula would initiate the contact and Toph would work with Ty Lee to make sure he didn’t flee deeper into the city. The spirit repulsors worked just like Azula said they would. Aang had been right about her; they should all thank the Great Spirits that this Azula hadn’t been their enemy during the Hundred Year’s War.

“We should go and try to free the minds of the corrupted here in Yu Dao.” Aang said, looking at the group. The larger tracker had been able to trace two others in the city that had been corrupted as well. According to Denuskya, Aang could use spirit manipulation to pull the remnants of the spirit corruption free. Nikothan admitted as much while being interrogated by Azula. It was good to have confirmation.

“Yes, yes, that would be good, but we wish to speak with you first.” A voice behind them said. They all turned and froze in shock, especially when they heard the second voice. “Yes, yes, we have important news to share with Azula, Little Sister and Dragoness of the Golden Light.”

Ty Lee had never been more flabbergasted in her entire life, because in front of her was a tall two-headed muscular woman with three naked breasts to go along with her six arms. Both faces were conventionally beautiful, with large almond shaped eyes and a pert nose. The right head had long yellow hair while the one on the left had short red hair.

“It is an honor to meet you! I am Orka!” The head on the right spoke again since all the humans were speechless. The left head chimed in immediately afterward. “And I’m Haalu!”

Azula was the first one to speak. “I am Azula, also known as Little Sister and the Dragoness of the Golden Light. May I ask why you wish to speak with me?”

“We wish to speak with you because you are good and strong and interesting.” Orka said, followed by Haalu. “We watched you wield our father’s scythe and we were amazed!”

“You are Ashgenarrog’s daughters?” Azula said. “That would also make you Iscanthanalia’s nieces.”

“Yes, yes. You understand!” Orka answers with a smile. But then both frown when Haalu speaks. “But we come with news.”

“What news?” Azula answers in the smallest voice that Ty Lee had ever heard her use.

“We are sorry, young one, but your body cannot be repaired. It is lost.” Orka said, frowning. But Haalu tried to cheer her up. “But we have brought you all of your possessions. You should have them back.”

And before the group a pile of items appeared on the ground. A pair of hook swords lay next to an enormous bow, a quiver full of arrows and a small bag. Ty Lee watched as Azula kneeled next to the bag and pulled out some sort of amulet. It appeared to be a black dragon with gold highlights on the wings and back. Azula just looked at it for a moment and then the eyes began to glow a bright gold, illuminating the small smile on her face.

“But you have a strong body now, yes? We want to make you an offer.” Orka says much more calmly than before. Haalu speaks in a soft voice as she continues. “We will help you travel to your home, but you have to help other worlds on the way.”

“What’s the point?” Azula answers, with more doubt than Ty Lee believed Azula was capable of. “I am hated and feared on every world. No matter what I do, people turn against me. They all fear me for who I am, what I can do, what I might become.”

“Some fear you, yes. But Yotforbu said that you were strong and good. Your world needs you.” Orka stated, followed by Haalu. “But there is much to learn. Travel with us and we will help you grow.”

“Can I have some time to think on it? I want to help Katara first, even if I decide to go.” Azula answered.

“Yes, yes. We will wait. We are patient.” “Meditate deeply and say ‘OrkaHaalu, we have decided.’ And we will come.” And then the strange being was gone.

Everyone watched as Azula tied her hook swords to her waist and mounted the giant bow and quiver of arrows on her back. By Agni, she looked even more intimidating than before.

“Come on guys. Let’s remove the corruption from these two before we go help Katara.” And Ty Lee and the others watched as Azula began to walk away. Ty Lee’s heart was breaking. Azula’s aura was so gray and dingy.

“You heard Pretty Sane. Let’s start fixing this mess.” Toph said in a flat voice. And all three walked behind her.

Aang was worried about Azula. From the moment she began speaking after he had removed the bending of the other Azula until the arrival of OrkaHaalu, she had been a one-woman wrecking machine. No challenge had slowed her down. No bending and surrounded by people who hated you? Do your own thing and run roughshod over any and all obstacles. Called upon by the actual intermediaries of the Great Spirits themselves to track down an elusive spirit? Recruit allies and whip up a bunch of fancy spirit contraptions.

She had helped Aang remove the corruption of Nikothan from the two people they had tracked down in Yu Dao. But it wasn’t force of nature Azula. It was going through the motions Azula. And now she was sitting in Appa’s saddle, knees pulled up to her chest, staring off into space.

Everyone had tried talking to her, but she just kept repeating that she needed time to sort things out for herself. But he needed her to have her head in the game as they approached the royal palace of the Fire Nation. Once again Aang saw Zuko and Katara watching them as they landed. He knew it wasn’t real, but he swears that he can smell Katara’s hate for Azula.

“Aang, it would be better if the three of you did this without me. My presence will only make things more difficult. I would like to stay behind and meditate.” Azula said, not looking at anyone.

Aang wanted to protest, but he knew that she was right. She had helped guide him as he helped the two people in Yu Dao. But he was comfortable enough to do it on his own now.

“Of course, Azula. We’ll be back to check on you after it’s done.” Aang answered. Toph and Ty Lee didn’t say anything as they climbed down from Appa’s saddle. They were deeply affected by Azula’s gloom too.

Zuko spoke as they approached. “Hello, Aang. Was the mission successful?” Aang detected the glimmer of hope in his eyes and in his voice.

“Yes, it was. We resealed Nikothan the Corrupter back into his spirit prison. And we removed his taint from two people in Yu Dao.” Aang answered. Katara was looking between them, trying to make sense of what they were saying.

“Well then, let’s go inside to my study where you can tell us more about this trip.” Zuko said, turning to go back inside.

“That would be great, Zuko. There’s a lot to discuss.” Aang said, keeping things simple. Katara knew they were acting weird, but he doubted that she understood why. At least not yet.

“Isn’t the conniving bitch going to be joining us?” Katara asked as they walked.

“No, she doesn’t feel that her presence would be appreciated, so she decided to remain with Appa and Momo.” Aang responded. He knew that part of this was the corruption speaking, but he couldn’t help thinking back to what Azula had said after OrkaHaalu had made their offer. She was hated and feared wherever she went.

“She’s finally showing some sense. Soon she’s going to realize that no one wants her around.”

None of her companions said anything as Zuko led them into his study. Aang had already worked out the plan with Toph and Ty Lee. They would make it as quick and easy as they could.

The door was closed behind them after the five of them walked to the center of the room. Then he turned to the others. “It worked well and we figured out exactly how to fix the problem. It is quick but looks worse than it is.” Aang nodded to his companions.

“What are…” Katara’s voice was muffled as Ty Lee poked the chi point at the base of her neck, preventing her from speaking. Toph quickly restrained her with three metal bands. One around her ankles, one that pinned her hands by her stomach and a final one that held her upper arms in place.

Aang immediately started making the swirling motion with his arms, feeling the noxious taint of the corruption. He slowly began pulling it out. Katara’s eyes began glowing a faint purple and the purple taint could actually be seen leaving her body. Zuko stood there, wide-eyed, as Aang completed the process of pulling the corruption from her body.

He began to panic as her body began convulsing. But Ty Lee jumped in before he could say anything. “It’s part of the process, Zuko. She’s alright. I promise.”

Aang wasn’t sure if Zuko believed Ty Lee or not, but she distracted him long enough that Aang was able to complete the removal. She stopped convulsing and Zuko helped support her as Toph removed the restraining bands.

“I’m sorry about the suddenness, Zuko, but Katara’s a powerful bender and we didn’t want to have to use any more force than necessary.” Aang said as Zuko laid Katara down on the small couch.

“Will she be like she used to be?” Zuko asked in a small voice.

“Probably not.” Aang answered in a small voice of his own. “The corruption magnifies an aspect of the person, distorts it to be even worse. But the aspect has to be there to begin with. But we hope it will be better. That’s why Azula stayed outside; she seems to be a major trigger for Katara and she didn’t want to cause you or Katara any additional stress.”

“That’s remarkably considerate of her. That doesn’t sound like the Azula I know.” Zuko frowned when all three of his guests laughed like he told a joke. “May I ask what is so funny?”

“Well, Sparky, in many ways, she’s not the Azula you know. She really is a different person now.” Toph answered with a smirk.

Toph’s telling the truth, Zuko. Azula’s not what she used to be. She is actually a really good person now.” Ty Lee confirmed.

Zuko just looked at the three of them like they had just grown a second head. Which was kind of a fun analogy now that Aang had seen what it really looks like when people actually meet someone with a second head.

“It’s not our place to reveal Azula’s secrets. Perhaps you could talk to her sometime.” Aang said. “But not right now. Katara needs you. She will be a bit befuddled and confused when she comes too.”

“Well, if she helped you as much as you say she did, perhaps I will talk to her sometime.”

Azula had been considering her plight for some time now. Her real body was gone and that caused her very soul to ache. But this body was perfectly acceptable. With the training that she had been doing and the upgrades she gave it with Yotforbu’s power, it was nearly indistinguishable on a practical level. She knew the differences if she looked for them, but they were inconsequential.

And she had weighed her options regarding staying here versus going home. And it came down to one thing really. Bonds. She was feared and hated by some people on both worlds. She had powerful enemies in both places, but she had people that she cared for and loved on her home world. She liked a few of the people here, but she didn’t love any of them.

OrkaHaalu wanted her to travel and help other worlds, like she had helped this one. It made her feel good to help these people. And she had learned so much by applying her skills to a new problem. Perhaps she would continue to grow on her journey. And she wanted to see her people again. Lu Ten. Ivaku. Izuka. Li Nu. Hun Ro. And many others. She had decided.

But she wanted to tell her friends the news in person. She assumed that OrkaHaalu wouldn’t just snatch her up and ship her to another multiverse, but they were pretty strange and she didn’t want to take the chance.

She saw her crew leaving the palace and making their way to Azula. She climbed down from the saddle and waited for them as they made their way back to Appa.

“It worked just like the others. She’s resting now.” Aang said.

“I’m glad. Zuko’s going to need a strong and competent Fire Lady to help run the nation. Without the corruption, Katara may be just the woman he needs.” Azula answered with a smile. The Katara she knew was good-hearted and competent. Maybe this one was too.

“Zuko might want to talk to you once Katara is settled.” Ty Lee said, looking at her with those wide eyes.

“There’s not really anything to say. I’ve decided to accept OrkaHaalu’s offer to help me return to my world. I wanted to tell you in case she just snatched me and ran.”

The three were silent for a few moments. “I figured you would, Pretty Sane. Your life would be tough here and it sounds like you have a lot of friends and family to return to. But we’re sorry to see you go.”

“Thank you, Toph. I’ve enjoyed spending time with all of you, and I really appreciate those of you that stood by my side when you thought I was the Azula from your world.”

“Is there anything you need from us before you tell OrkaHaalu? Did you want to see King Bumi?” Aang asked.

“If I’m not snatched up, maybe. But I know that the three of you have to go to King Kuei and then round up all the other corrupted. It might be easier to just make a clean getaway.” Azula said, sadness in her voice. “I appreciate all that you’ve done for me, and I’m glad that I could help you also. But I think it would be best if I contacted OrkaHaalu and made my escape before Katara wakes up if possible. She may not be corrupted anymore, but I can almost guarantee that she still hates me with a burning passion.”

“You might be right, Azula. I wish that others could see the Azula we know.” Ty Lee said, tears in her eyes. Azula stepped up and gave her a hug.

“That’s not meant to be, Ty Lee. It’s enough to me that the three of you, Bumi and Suki know. Let the others think me a monster if they must. It is for the best if everyone else moves on in life and forgets about me. Make new memories, don’t rehash old ones.” Azula answered.

“I’m going to miss you, Pretty Sane. You’ve been the best partner in crime that I’ve ever had.” Toph said, giving Azula a punch on the arm.

“You’re great too, Toph. And you really do need to open that metalbending academy. Your gifts are too awesome not to share with the world.” Azula gave her a hug too.

“Thank you for everything, Azula. I’m sorry for what’s happened to you, but I hope that you find your way home.” Aang said, pulling her in for a hug.

“Thank you, Avatar. You’re a good man and a great Avatar. You’re exactly what this world needs.” Azula answered after he let her go. “Could I get a ride out of the city? I’m not sure you want to explain to Zuko what happened if OrkaHaalu appears from nowhere here at the palace and starts jiggling her three breasts before carting me off into the multiverse.”

All three laugh at the image. It very well might have happened.

Appa landed in the courtyard yet again. It had been a short trip to drop Azula off in a clearing just outside the city. She would be safe enough. With her swords, giant bow, jevalda and cloth tentacles, Aang couldn’t imagine too much besides an ancient dragon being a threat to her. He climbed down and entered the palace.

The guards led him to the Zuko’s study again. He found all his friends gathered together there. Katara was awake and watched him as he entered.

“What did you do with her?” Katara asked. But it wasn’t with the visceral hate that she had before. Dislike and contempt perhaps, but not hate. That was a good sign.

“I dropped her off in a clearing so that she can make her way to a new adventure. You’ll never have to see her again.” Aang answered, sadness filling his heart.

“Did she really help heal me of this corruption?” Katara asked in a small voice.

“Yes. She’s not the Azula from the war. That Azula died when I took her bending. This is a new Azula, one that is a better person.”

“Why is she so different? How did taking her bending change her so much?” Katara continued, questioning Aang.

“I will tell you if you truly wish to know, Katara, but wait a few moments first. Azula will be leaving soon and she wished you both well. She wrote this letter for you, Katara, as we made our way out of the city on Appa.” Aang handed over the small letter. Katara opened it and read it out loud.

Dear Katara,

I know that you don’t like me, and that this goes far beyond just the corruption that you were afflicted with. But I want you to know that I respect you and I believe that you could do a lot of good for the world by helping Zuko lead the Fire Nation into a peaceful and prosperous future. All that I ask is that you allow yourself to heal and then put your natural charm, grace and intelligence to work to bring harmony and balance to the world by ensuring that the Fire Nation doesn’t fall back into its warmongering ways.

I am going away now, so you and Zuko need not fear that I will try to undermine your rule. I have told Avatar Aang that he and the others may tell you of my journey if they believe it is helpful. I am sorry that we couldn’t be friends in this life, but I know that you will make a wonderful Fire Lady.

Best Regards,
Azula

Katara stared at the letter for a few moments after she finished reading it, then she looked at Aang. “What is this about Azula’s journey?”

Aang looked at the others and then he began to speak. “This must never leave this room. Only Toph, Ty Lee, Bumi and Suki know her secret, and only one other should ever know of it after we tell you. She said that we could tell Kiyi when she’s an adult if she ever asks. The Azula that did all the terrible things on our world died in that chair when I took her bending, and a new Azula took her place. Let me tell you how it happened.”

And Aang proceeded to tell his incredulous friends of how a nonbending Azula saved the multiverse but lost her body and was forced to take the place of this world’s Azula. And how she was the most terrifyingly competent person any of them had ever met.

Azula waited until Appa was long gone in the sky before she sat down to call upon OrkaHaalu. She used the meditation aid built into the jevalda to ascend to higher planes of consciousness. She called out the words she had been told to say. ‘OrkaHaalu, I have decided.’

Suddenly, she felt herself being pulled. And she was back at the small clearing next to the ocean. And before her were the four intermediaries and OrkaHaalu.

“Yes, yes, we knew you would come!” “It is good that you have decided!”

“We agree with our excitable guest that it is good that you have decided.” Mukaati smiled down on her. “Your life has been difficult, but there is so much good that you could do in the multiverse. We can see that you wish to make your way home.”

“Yes, I would like to go home. But apparently saving the multiverse isn’t enough to get a free trip back to my world.” Azula said, her voice tinged with bitterness.

Denuskya sighed before she spoke. “If it helps, we agree with you that you should be immediately returned home. But there are worlds that are on the verge of going so far out of balance that they threaten the sanctity of entire timelines. The Great Spirits wish for your help to fix them.”

“Yes, yes, and we will help you on your journey too.” Orka said, immediately followed by Haalu. “Your journey will help the multiverse, but we will make sure it helps you too.”

“What do I have to do?” Azula asked with a sigh.

“You will be given a Transit Compass. When you are able to travel, it will call to you and then you can use it to guide you to the next world on your journey. It will transport you and your possessions, even if they aren’t physically on your person. But you must complete the mission before you can go. You will not be asked to fight all of these battles to the very end, but you are the impetus that will reroute the timeline to a better course.” Terrathusi said.

“Yes, yes, they are not allowed to interfere directly.” “But we will help you as you go. Yes, yes, you will like our help.”

“Thank you, OrkaHaalu. I wish that I could say that I’m happy about this, but I will do what I must to return home.” Azula answered. She felt exhausted. After all that she had done, she had to jump through more hoops to fix the problems of others. As always.

“We are truly sorry for this, young one, but the Great Spirits have a plan and it is not for us to interfere.” Methus said, somehow conveying honest regret through his kraken-like features.

“I understand and I will do what is needed to complete these missions. How many are there?” Azula asked.

“We do not know. But they are finite, and you will still be but a girl when you return to your world. That is all we know.” Mukaati said. “When you wake up, the Transit Compass will be hanging around your neck. If lost, all that you need to do is call to it and it will return. It cannot be stolen or used by anyone but yourself.”

“Thank you for the gift. Is there anything else I need to know before I begin my journey?”

“We know that this seems unfair, but we believe that you will thank us one day.” Denuskya answered.

“Yes, yes. You will thank Orka!” “And Haalu too!”

“We have refreshed your body and you will be ready to travel when you return. Good luck, young one.” Mukaati said.

Azula awoke feeling completely refreshed and energized. She looked down at the compass hanging around her neck. It was made of some sort of gray stone and she could feel the divine power radiating from it. She picked it up and she could hear the words speaking to her in her mind.

“Greeting, Mistress Azula. Are you ready to travel?”

Azula stood and gathered all of her gear and weapons. And then, against her better judgement, she answered the question in her mind. “Yes, I am ready to travel.”

And the forest around her disappeared and she was in an entirely new world. A very different world.

Epilogue

They watched as the man’s family hovered around him. He was talking with them and he seemed to be in relatively good spirits. Ty lee smiled at the scene. It was like this for a lot of the corrupted that they had saved. Friends and family wondered why a person began acting so differently, and they were usually filled with relief when they were told it was a spirit possession and could be fixed.

It had taken five months, but Aang and Ty Lee had found all of the corrupted. They had been scattered around the nations and Aang had to take a break from the search every once in a while to do other Avatar things. And Ty Lee had helped him with those other tasks as well. She had become so much associated with Aang that she even had her own Avatar nickname, the Pink Partner.

But now there were no more to find. After capturing Nikothan, the larger tracker could be used to point to the remaining corrupted. After Katara, there had been thirty-one threads to follow. And this had been the last thread. The mission was complete.

They said their goodbyes to the family and made their way back to Appa. Momo landed on Ty Lee’s shoulder. She smiled as she reached up and petted him. But the smile didn’t reach her eyes. Sadness was threatening to make her aura turn gray and dingy.

She didn’t want to stop traveling with Aang. The work was hard and sometimes scary, but he was such a kind and generous soul. She thinks that she was starting to fall in love with him.

But he was the Avatar. He had a duty to the world. He didn’t have time for a relationship with someone like her. She wasn’t like Katara or Suki or Mai or Toph. She was just Ty Lee. She would go back to Kyoshi Island and Aang would go on his way to keep doing the Avatar thing.

She was brought out of her thoughts when Momo chirped and jumped off her should to fly up to Appa. She couldn’t help but smile at that. Two friends that enjoyed each other’s company despite their many differences.

“It looks like that is the end of the hunt for the corrupted.” Aang said, looking off into the distance. The sun was just starting to set. It was a beautiful scene. And Aang looked so handsome in the orange light. He was noticeably taller than he had been even five months ago.

“Yeah, I guess it is. I’m glad that we could help those people.” Ty Lee said as she went and stood by him. She gave a little laugh. “I hope that Suki will take me back. I’ve been gone for a while.”

“I’m sure that Suki would love to have you back.” Aang said with a smile.

“Yeah, she probably would.” The thought didn’t bring as much joy to Ty Lee as it used to.

“Do you know what the last thing Azula told me when I left her in that clearing all those months ago?” Aang asked.

Ty Lee was surprised. Aang had never really talked about that trip before. “No, I don’t. Was it something inspiring?”

“Not really, but it was something that has occupied my mind ever since. She told me that I have a great duty to the world and that I must remain strong to guide the world back to harmony and balance.”

When he paused, Ty Lee answered softly. “Remaining strong does seem like an Azula kind of thing to talk about.”

“But then she shared the words that a young woman had said to her, right after they had their first kiss together. She told Azula to not forget to take time for herself, that she should find someone she wants to be with and enjoy them. That companionship isn’t too much to ask for, no matter how much power and responsibility a person has.” Aang said, staring at sunset. And then he turned to Ty Lee and took her hand in his. “You’ve been my companion for five months and I truly enjoy you. If you want to go back to the Kyoshi Warriors, I will take you. But I’m offering you a chance to continue traveling with me, as my friend and companion. And, I hope, perhaps something more.”

Ty Lee felt the tears come to her eyes as she looked up at Aang. “Yes, Aang. I would like to travel with you as your friend and companion. And I too hope that it will become something more.”

She stepped forward and pulled him down for a kiss, which he warmly returned. It was the first of many that they shared in their life together.

Chapter Text

“You’re a pathetic fool, Avatar. Surrender now and avoid the embarrassment.” Azula taunted as the Dai Li surrounded the Avatar and the water peasant. She watched as the emotional boy’s eyes flicked to the water wench and then he suddenly earthbent crystals around him, forming a little stone hut. And said hut began to glow.

A malicious smirk made its way to Azula’s face. The end of the Avatar cycle was at hand. All she needed to do was be smart about it. She had been practicing with the spear. The Traveler said that it could be guided by the mind, and indeed it could be. And she had honed her skills until she was a master, of course. Anything less than perfect was unacceptable.

She had moved herself off to the side to get a better angle on the pathetic boy. The Avatar emerged from his little stone hut and began levitating into the air, the very human embodiment of wrath and justice. She saw Zuko and the Dai Li step back in fear. But the flying glowworm-snake didn’t frighten Azula. She had a weapon that could fell even a god.

She thrust the Spear of Canto at the foolish boy and grinned in manic glee as flew through the air and pierced his chest, the barbed tip deeply embedded between his bony ribs. Her smile widened as the poor fool screamed in terror, anguish and pain. His eyes and tattoos glowed brighter and brighter.

Her smile began to fade as the light became too bright for her to see; she turned away and shielded her eyes, but they continued to burn. And then she felt her entire body heating up, her very blood seeming to boil, ready to cook her alive. The pain became excruciating, like a thousand ant-weevils were trying to chew their way out of her body. She screamed in pain, the agony unbearable. But the pain changed and became a hunger. A lust. A desperate need.

She had to feed. She stumbled towards the tunnels that had brought her here, the pain pushing her on even though she was still blind. Desperately, she clawed her way along the wall of the cavern until she found the path and began climbing to the surface, her hunger pushing her ever faster and faster. She heard the others behind her, but she didn’t care. They were other but not food.

She only craved food. All other thoughts of self were gone. She never even recognized that her skin was gray and her hair was white. The only thought was to find her meal. The hunger must be satiated. That was all there was for Azula now. An irresistible urge to feed.

Navisi was growing tired from the strain of holding herself in the two-finger handstand for the past hour; it wasn’t holding up her bodyweight that was the problem, it was the constant effort of continuously channeling her chi to the tips of her fingers that was the issue. It had taken nearly two years of practice before her tactile chi control was strong enough to hold up her bodyweight.

But with Mistress Lista’s encouragement, she had kept practicing and was now quite adept at controlling her chi. According to the scrolls, it should have taken her years longer to gain even this much control. But Mistress Lista said that the old fuddy duddies who wrote the scroll had never had a student like Navisi. She didn’t want to sound immodest, but she had always been ahead of the pace set by her scrolls.

“Excellent work, acolyte. Your progress is astounding. But don’t let it go to your head. I’m not afraid to take the spoon to you if you get out of hand.” Mistress Lista said, waving said wooden serving spoon at Navisi with a scowl. A scowl that lasted until Navisi rolled her eyes. The guffaw that came from her mistress took away from her air of intimidation. “Yes, I know that you’re getting too big and strong to be threatened with my spoon anymore. But you still have to listen to my words of wisdom.”

“Of course, Mistress Lista. Your words provide my soul with nourishment; I would be lost in the wilderness of despair without you.” Navisi answered with a bow. And promptly ran from the room laughing as Mistress Lista stepped towards her with the spoon raised.

“Alright. Go get cleaned up, we’ll be eating soon.” Navisi heard Mistress Lista say. She couldn’t help but smile as she washed up. When Mistress Lista took her in off the streets of Ba Sing Se three years ago, Navisi never could have guessed how her life was going to change. She had made enough as a street performer to buy food, at least most of the time.

But she had seen Mistress Lista watching her for nearly a week, no matter what part of the slums in the lower ring she performed at. You didn’t survive on the streets for long with your person and possessions intact without becoming expert at assessing people. Mistress Lista hadn’t seemed threatening, but it always paid to be cautious.

But then she approached Navisi with a proposition. Mistress Lista explained that she was an adherent to an ancient but nearly dead sect, and that she was looking for a student to pass her teachings on to. And she told Navisi that she had never detected chi as strong as Navisi’s in a nonbending child. She said that Navisi had the makings of a strong Disciple of the Arts Esoteric.

It had taken months of lessons before Navisi overcame her skittishness of Mistress Lista and became a full-time student, giving up her career as a street performer. She knows now that it was the greatest decision of her life. With a steady supply of food and a safe place to sleep at night, she had been willing to humor the nice lady. But then she found that she really was a great fit for the Arts Esoteric. Mistress Lista’s specialty had been chi kinetics, the art of using chi to move oneself or other objects through the power of thought.

And it meshed with Navisi’s skillset perfectly. She could hold herself up on one-finger, if necessary, among other skills. But she had even learned to levitate herself off the floor by about two inches for nearly two minutes. Mistress Lista had been astounded by what she could do; Navisi could almost match all the feats of Mistress Lista. At the age of eleven with just under three years of training. But more than that, Mistress Lista took care of her and kept her safe. Not that anything bad had ever really happened to her on the streets.

Yet.

But living on the streets had been a precarious existence. Girls, and sometimes boys, just disappeared. There were too many of her friends and acquaintances that just stopped showing up on their street corners. The older kids had tried to look after the younger kids, but there was only so much anyone on the streets could do. She was thankful that part of her life was behind her.

She was making her way back to the kitchen when they heard the commotion. She exchanged a glance with Mistress Lista and they both grabbed their wooden defense sticks. They were nearly to the window when the pile of dirt and stone smashed through the wall; luckily, it missed both of them as they quickly dropped to the floor.

They laid their quietly, trying to get a feel for what was going on. Gang fights and riots weren’t uncommon, but this seemed too random. They heard the screaming and the panicked voices coming from outside. Mistress Lista stealthily made her way to the window and looked outside. Navisi became alarmed when her mentor suddenly inhaled.

“We have to go. Grab essentials and pack lightly, we need to get away from here. Go, go now.” Mistress Lista ducked low and began grabbing food and supplies from the kitchen. Navisi didn’t question her mistress. She just ran to the small room they shared and began packing clothes for the both of them and then grabbed the few weapons they had.

Mistress Lista came in with her supplies before they were done. “We need to get to the roofs and make our way towards the outer wall.”

“What is out there, Mistress?” Navisi asked, not able to mask the fear in her voice.

“I don’t know what it is, but it is unnatural and dangerous. We need to be smart and avoid the crowds if we can. Everyone is in a panic.” Mistress Lista put her hand on Navisi’s shoulder to help calm her down. “We need to keep our heads. A cool head makes wise choices.”

“Of course, Mistress.” Navisi began the calming mantra that she had been taught. She wasn’t very good at it yet, but it still helped some.

“Very good, young apprentice of mine. Let’s climb to the roof and survey the situation.” Navisi nodded and they tied the sacks to their backs and made their way out of their third-floor apartment and climbed to the roof. Navisi had done a lot of climbing in her homeless days and the skill came back with ease.

From there they stayed hidden but surveyed the commotion below. And Navisi’s heart clenched in terror at what she saw. People with gray skin and white hair were frantically running through the streets, attacking anyone and everyone they saw. But it was their chi that terrified her. It was diseased; it made her feel unclean to just observe it. And she gasped in shock when she saw one of the wild gray people grab Jo Lim as he was earthbending a defensive wall to shield himself from another gray woman. The gray man knocked Jo Lim to the ground and then started scratching and biting him.

Navisi was terrified because she saw the disease being spread to Jo Lim. It was just a little, but she feared what it would do to him. And then she saw something that nearly made her wet herself in terror. Bi Yon was a young girl from down the street; a nonbender like herself. She saw a gray woman knock her down and then push her fingers into Bi Yon’s back.

The poor girl screamed in agony and it only became louder as Navisi watched the unholy creature start pulling the fucking chi out of Bi Yon’s body. Frozen in fear, Navisi could only watch as every bit of chi was taken, leaving Bi Yon’s pale dead body on the ground. The gray woman stood and an insane smile of ecstasy spread across her face. The fresh chi swirled and mixed with the black and diseased chi for a few moments until it all turned black.

Then the gray woman earthbent a rock and used it to smash Bi Yon’s head open. And to Navisi’s horror, she began digging the poor girl’s brains out of her head and started eating them. Navisi had to look away and empty the contents of her stomach. She turned to see the horrorstricken look on Mistress Lista’s face.

“We have to run and hide. Now.” Mistress Lista said. And with that they began scurrying across the rooftops, looking for a safe place to hide. And praying to Gnolos and all of his intermediaries that such a place existed.

Jin watched as the three pots boiled over the fire, occasionally using her wooden spoon to stir the stews to ensure even heating. It wasn’t much, but at least they had been able to trade for a little bread today. Meat could be hunted, but none of their pod had been able to get access to the supplies needed to make bread. It was a welcome change of pace. Not that she should complain; this pod was better than her last two. They made an attempt to protect the women from the men, unlike most others.

“How is the stew coming along, Jin?” Shur Zi asked. Tall with a beautiful round face and an air of nobility, she was undoubtedly the reason why this pod was better than the others.

“It will be done in about twenty minutes,” Jin answered, smiling at the Boss. That was what everyone called her. She had escaped the Turning with several of the guards that had been serving her family at her estate. They were good men who respected Shur Zi, and that respect seemed to transfer to other women. Women approached them, offering favors in order to get favorable treatment and such. And the men often accepted these advances. But the men never forced themselves on women or allowed the other men of their group to do so.

“Thank you for preparing dinner, Jin. Without a wonderful cook like you, morale would be even worse than it is.” Shur Zi’s smile brightened Jin’s mood. The woman just had that effect on people. Shur Zi moved along to encourage others in the group. In the seven months since the Turning, this had been the first time that she felt like she had a community that she truly belonged to.

“Hey, Jin. Do you need a taste tester? The food smells great but we have to make sure the taste is good too.” Smellerbee said with a smile, coming to sit next to Jin.

Jin smiled back. “Maybe in a few minutes. I’m putting extra love into tonight’s stew. We’re going to be having bread with it!”

Smellerbee licked her lips and Jin heard her stomach rumble. “This is going to be better than dining in a nobleman’s hall. Stew and bread. I can’t wait.”

And Jin knew that she was telling the truth. Everyone was thin since food had been so scarce once the stores that everyone had grabbed immediately after the Turning had ran out. But there were many fewer mouths to feed now, and groups of survivors had started banding together. A sense of community had been reformed, and an uneasy peace between the different pods had developed.

The groups had to remain fairly small, no more than twenty people or so, otherwise they became targets for the Turned. Navisi said that the Turned detected chi. Navisi knew more than anyone about evading the Turned, so Jin believed her.

To that end, Navisi had taught everyone how to tamp down their chi so it wasn’t as easy to see. Apparently, Navisi could see chi too and could tell in an instant if someone was Turned or Infected. The Infected were immediately killed; they either died of the affliction or Turned. That was a chance that no one was willing to take.

“Five Turned incoming from the northeast!” Navisi’s call echoed through the camp.

Jin grabbed her knife as Smellerbee was on her feet and moving to intercept the invaders. She was one of the best fighters in the group. Jin most definitely was not; she was the cook and chief forager. Smellerbee had been training her to use the knife to defend herself; but the thought of stabbing someone, even the Turned, horrified her.

She gasped as she saw them running out of the woods, already throwing rocks and dirt at the camp. Most were newly turned; she could tell by the poor coordination and weak earthbending. But there was a Titan among them! She was faster and more coordinated and her earthbending was far stronger than the others; though not as strong as a normal earthbender. She must have fed a lot to get that strong. She would be a formidable foe for most pods.

But most pods didn’t have an archer of Longshot’s ability. The arrow struck the Titan in the eye and she collapsed to the ground, unmoving. The other four Turned didn’t even slow down. Two more fell before they reached the camp. But it was now a melee as the final two made it to the pod.

Jin watched as Smellerbee and Ki Ton attacked one of the dead with their swords. The Turned were already dead, but their undead attacks could only be stopped by damaging their brains. But if you hacked off their limbs, you could at least stop them from bending. Which is exactly how they dealt with their foe. The arms were cut off and then Smellerbee put a dagger through the eye.

Three soldiers were attacking the remaining Turned when a glowing blade flew through the air and pierced the eye of the Turned. Jin didn’t even have to look to know that Navisi had been the one who took down the Turned. She was a girl of great skill and ability. Jin thanked Gnolos nearly every day that Navisi had come to their pod.

Jin looked around and was happy to see that everyone seemed to be okay. With Navisi around, the Turned couldn’t sneak up on the camp. At least while she was awake. But with Navisi’s warnings and the military discipline of the camp, they had survived the last four encounters with the Turned without a single injury.

Jin quickly turned back to her stews. They would be a little burnt but not bad. She began dishing out the stew while the Turned were dragged out of the camp to be disposed of. The sad thing was that she’d probably forget about this encounter entirely in a week or two. This was just the story of her life now. All of their lives now.

Do what they needed to in order to survive in the new world they found themselves in.

Chapter Text

Azula stood on a stone spire jutting out of a seemingly endless bleak landscape. It was night but her surroundings were illuminated by the incredible sight of four small moons and one giant cloudy one. With rings extending around it. It was a beautiful and absolutely astounding sight.

“Actually, that is the planet and this is one of its many moons.” Orka said. Haalu quickly followed up. “Beautiful though, no matter what name it was given.”

“Where am I?” Azula asked, still basking in the wonderous beauty before her.

“Humans from Earth call it Mimas. The giant planet with the rings is Saturn.” “You would be dead if we did not provide safe haven. But it is beautiful.”

“Why did you bring me here?”

“To talk of the world you are visiting.” “A sad tale it is.”

“What do I need to know?”

“A malicious demon named Ginhaphous has spread terrible weapons to some of the worlds of your multiverse. The Spear of Canto can warp and twist the power of spirits. It is very powerful and terrifying.” Orka answered, looking more solemn than Azula had ever seen her.

“It was given to an Azula bent on gaining her father’s love. But instead, she has warped the people of her world and threatened to destroy all human life as they know it.” Haalu of course followed up.

“It is no wonder that I’m feared and hated. What do I need to do?”

“She used it corrupt Raava, the spirit which merged with the Avatar to give him his power. Aang’s body is dead, but the spear is holding Raava on the mortal plane, corrupting her and causing her to corrupt the benders that she has come into contact with.” Orka explains.

Haalu continues. “The corruption is like a disease, corrupting the chi of those it affects, changing them into mindless monsters that feed on the chi and brains of nonbenders.”

Azula felt sick. It tickled a memory though. “This sounds like zombies.”

“Yes, this is a time when fiction is too close to reality.” “A horrible fate for the infected and their victims.”

“How do I fix this?” Azula asked, almost afraid to get an answer.

“You must remove the Spear of Canto from the body of Aang. This will prevent the chi infection from spreading.” “Then return the spear to us so that we can protect it.”

“Can I get infected or pass on the infection? I really don’t want to carry this back to my world. Or any other.”

“No, you cannot get infected or transmit the infection.” “Only bender chi can become infected.”

“And let me guess. I should try not to get eaten?” Azula asked with a sigh.

“That would be best. But all is not as bleak as it seems. The zombies are fast and ferocious but have lost their skills.” “They are guided to targets by chi sense. Skill and stealth will be your ally.”

“Well, thank you for the heads up. I don’t suppose that you are going to put me three feet from the spear?”

“No, it would corrupt our magic. We will place you where you need to be.” “We have faith in you, young one. Go forth and save this poor world.”

A luminous mist formed in front of Azula. She looked to OrkaHaalu but they just smiled and nodded towards the glowing cloud in front of her. She just sighed and stepped forward.

And found herself near the outer walls of Ba Sing Se. At least, what was left of Ba Sing Se. Every building that she could see had at least some structural damage. But she decided that she needed to see with more than just her eyes. She expanded her senses with her jevalda and began to search for chi. And she was alarmed at the speed at which six creatures were running towards her. They might have been human once, but their chi was now like a putrid and disgusting sludge. She watched as the first gray skinned, white haired monstrosity come into the open.

Then she had a thought. If they had chi sight, she was probably broadcasting like a bright bonfire on a dark night. Shit. She could mask her aura easily, but she’s never really had a need to mask her chi. She could hide its flow, but not its existence.

She pulled the bow off her back and shot the first zombie through the heart. It didn’t even slow down. Fuck. She fired again and put the arrow through the eye. It dropped and didn’t get up. Well, that was good to know. She took down three more in rapid succession, before taking a moment to quickly analyze the two remaining attackers.

The chi was flowing clumsily through their bodies and she detected no auras. They were blanks; meat puppets masquerading as pseudohumans. Their movements were strong but jerky and not very coordinated. They would be moderately strong benders too, but slow and cumbersome. She decided that she needed to see in person what they could do. She reattached her bow into its place on her back and drew her hook swords.

They sprinted at her. Even tainted, she could see how the chi flowed and how they were going to move. She anticipated their attacks as they were made. She smoothly stepped and ducked to the side as the first rock flew by. She rushed forward as the second zombie attempted to kick a dirt wall at her. All attack and no defense.

Azula got to the wall as it was being raised and stepped on it and pushed off, allowing the earthbending motion to amplify her jump as she launched herself at the first zombie. It was rushing forward and trying to summon a rock. Trying, being the operative word. Azula’s blade cut clean through the zombie’s neck, decapitating the unholy creature.

Azula touched down and sprinted at the second zombie as the first zombie’s body was still falling towards the ground. She easily dodged two more stones as the zombie charged forward, trying to get her hands on Azula. It was fast compared to normal humans but slow compared to her. Azula easily side-stepped and raised her hands and unleashed a blast from the spirit repulsors.

The creature screamed in agony and fell to its knees, but it was up again just a moment later. Just in time for a hook sword to cleave its head from its neck. The chi taint was some sort of spirit manifestation, but the pain from the attacks had only a minimal effect. But it may be useful in some circumstances. Anyways, knowledge is power.

She scanned her surroundings as the zombie fell at her feet. But she didn’t detect any more zombies. She quickly retrieved her arrows; these gray monstrosities could be defeated with hook swords but striking from a distance was probably the wisest course when available. Perhaps this would be a good time to figure out how to hide her chi. She made her way to an abandoned building that had several rooftop escape routes. There was a good room on the second floor that could be barricaded.

She set up there and began the process of hiding, or at least dimming, her chi. She scanned through Bitok’s stored scroll database but there wasn’t anything directly related to chi hiding. But there were some incidental references that she might be able to follow up on. She had Bitok scan the perimeter with her jevalda while she began manipulating her chi.

After an hour of meditation, she felt like she had dimmed her chi, but it would still stand out. But she knew that she wouldn’t finish her mission hiding in this apartment building. It was time to go out and get the lay of the land. How many zombies were there? What range did they have with their chi sense? Hopefully less range than her jevalda. Could they coordinate their attacks? The final pair she fought didn’t seem to have any overarching strategy. Where was the Spear of Canto and Aang?

She had a good idea about that last question. In nearly all the visions she had of the potential futures of the other Azulas, they all had fought Aang in the crystal cavern beneath Ba Sing Se. That was a good place to begin looking. But first she had to get the lay of the land.

She quickly and deftly made her way out of the room and onto the roof, relying on good old fashion physical prowess and no chi enhancements. She could dim her chi if she kept it dormant, but she had a feeling it would make her an easy target if she used it to enhance her physical capabilities or power her cloth tentacles. She would have to take her chances with the jevalda though.

One good thing about Ba Sing Se was that the city was so populated that the buildings were pretty much all adjacent to each other. She would be able to go a long way without touching the ground. She kept her senses attuned to any chi activity, human or zombie. And she would keep an eye out for supplies. Aang had provided some food and water before she left his world, so she would be ok for a while. And thankfully she had brought her engraving equipment too.

The sun was getting low in the sky when she detected the first untainted human chi. It turns out that her jevalda had better range than the zombies and she was able to evade them easily. But the thing she noticed was that the zombies seemed to congregate towards the city. She feared that there would be more and more as she went deeper into Ba Sing Se.

But the detection of the humans was a welcome occurrence. She had feared that all of the humans had been lost. But during her training to fight the Scourge, she had heard people talk of zombie apocalypses, and they said that one of the tropes of the stories is that the surviving humans devolve into monsters themselves. First contact had to be handled delicately so that she could get a read on the people.

There were four of them. And she noted that their chi was muted. Not completely hidden, but much harder to see than usual. One was an archer that took a position on one of the buildings overlooking where the other three were moving. She studied them with her jevalda for several minutes as the three people went in and out of buildings, seemingly searching from room to room. Foraging, perhaps?

After about twenty minutes of watching, Azula carefully approached the archer. Stealth was something she was good at but probably not world class. She climbed through a window to reach his floor. His aura was still calm but focused. She was at the door of the room when the floor creaked ever so lightly.

She was impressed with his reaction time. He turned, raising the bow and notching an arrow. But Azula’s thrown knife severed the bowstring before it was even halfway drawn. He just stared at her with big eyes until she started speaking.

“I mean neither you nor your companions any harm, but I felt that a one on one first meeting would be for the best. You may call me Asundra.” Azula decided to go with a pseudonym; she didn’t know how famous the other Azula was, but she was pretty sure that the response would not be positive if she was recognized. “Do you have a name?”

The young man just stared at her. He was tall and had a thin face and dark hair that was mostly hidden by the large round hat he wore. Azula patiently waited as he studied her. “I’m Longshot.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Longshot. I’m new to town and I have a mission. I was hoping to gather intelligence about the situation from you and your cohorts. Are there just the four of you or are their more I could talk with?”

He stood there watching her again. She just stared back. Finally, he spoke again. “What sort of mission?”

That was a fair question. She would probably have to give information to get information. “I’m here to put an end to all the zombies. I have information on what caused them, and my mission is to correct the situation.”

His eyes widened. He looked pensive for a few moments before he spoke. “Do you mean the Turned?” After Azula nodded, he spoke again. “There are more of us. But there are rules.”

“Every strong group needs rules. Any that I should be worried about?”

“Every person passing through our area has to pay a toll. If you want to join our group, you have to surrender all weapons and food until you are deemed trustworthy.”

“I’m more of a passing through kind of gal. What is the toll?”

“You must surrender half of your food.”

“Do you confiscate weapons?”

“No, we wouldn’t deprive people of their right to defend themselves. We wouldn’t wish that on anyone.” Longshot answered.

“It’s good to know that there are standards. Your friends are heading back; does that mean that it’s time to return to your base? If so, may I tag along? I will discuss the toll issue with your group.”

He watched her some more. Someone needs to tell this guy that he’s a bit creepy. “Yes, we are returning and you may join us.”

“Excellent! Let’s go meet your friends.” Azula answered with a smile. And they walked together in silence down to the ground level where she detected his friends waiting.

All three of them gasped and took defensive positions when they saw her with Longshot. She decided to try and make a good impression. “Hi, I’m Asundra. It is nice to meet all of you. Longshot and I had a nice talk and he agreed to introduce me to your group. I was hoping to travel with you back to your larger group.”

They just continued staring at her, so she analyzed them. The androgynous looking girl with the brown hair and face paint had two wicked looking knives pointed in Azula’s direction; based on her chi paths, it seemed pretty clear that she knew how to use them.

That wasn’t the case for the other girl. She was taller than the androgynous girl and had dark brown hair and a pretty face. But it was clearly evident that she was uncomfortable with the dagger she held. But she was trying.

The short man also had dark brown hair and a thick mustache had his sword out and pointed at her. Azula assumed that he was the leader of this little expedition; his sword form seemed decent but nothing dangerous to her. She waited.

“He didn’t have the right to give you permission. I decide what goes.” The man answered. Staring at her with what she assumes is supposed to be a menacing glare.

“I am on a mission that will benefit your group. And these young people may allow you to decide for them, but I am not relinquishing the right to make decisions for myself. And I’m going to meet the rest of your group, with or without your permission. And I will pay no toll.” Azula responded. She thought that was a logical response.

“Remove your weapons and prepare to be restrained.” The man said, moving closer with his sword.

“Halt.” Azula answered, pushing chi into her voice. She saw the shift in their auras. Fear. “I don’t like to repeat myself. I don’t take orders from you. This is your only warning.”

She sighed internally as he lunged at her with the sword in his right hand. She simply stepped aside to her left faster than he could hope to counter and grabbed his wrist with her own right hand and twisted sharply. As the sword was falling from his hand, she pulled him forward and slammed her left fist into his jaw, hard enough to rattle him but not hard enough to render him unconscious. She released her grip on his wrist as he dropped face first to the ground. He tried to get up but his limbs weren’t responding like they should. He’ll be fine in a few minutes.

She looked at the others. “I will allow you to help him back to your base, if we leave together peacefully. Attack me and I will leave my assailants unconscious on the ground to be found by whomever. Choose wisely.”

The three of them watched her silently before Longshot spoke. “We will lead you back peacefully.”

“Excellent choice.” Azula responded. She pulled the man to his feet and pushed him towards the two girls. “He’ll probably need a little assistance until he gets his full motor skills back. Lead the way.”

Navisi felt a new, untainted chi approaching. She detected the telltale signs of it being muted, but it was still powerful. She notified the rest of the group. “There is someone returning with the foraging group.”

The guards grabbed their weapons and everyone took a ready position. One person shouldn’t be a problem. The protocol was to disarm the person when they were brought back to camp. But people who had survived on their own were often the most dangerous sort. They had usually done and seen things that warped their minds.

Shur Zi approached along with Pihnvan, her lieutenant and lead enforcer. He was a dangerous man that made sure that no one in the camp got out of line. They watched as the group emerged from the woods. And it was clear to all that something was wrong, because the short, black-haired woman with the tiara was fully armed. She had a large bow strapped to her back and two hook swords at her waist. And she was leading the procession, seemingly without a care in the world.

Navisi felt everyone around her tense up. Not only was the girl armed, but she just gave off an air of danger. The way she moved and looked back at the group. She wasn’t afraid. Everyone was afraid nowadays. How dangerous do you have to be fearless in times like these?

The girl and the procession walked into the camp and approached Shur Zi. Navisi was nervous and she saw Pihnvan tense up. He recognized what she was too. A predator.

But to Navisi’s surprise, the girl spoke very respectfully. “Greetings. My name is Asundra. I encountered your foraging team in the outskirts of Ba Sing Se and arranged to speak with them, and then to you.”

“It is nice to meet you, Asundra. I am Shur Zi, leader of this pod. May I ask why you wish to speak with us? Are you alone or are you representing your pod?”

“I am very much alone. I am on a mission to eliminate the source of the Turned, so I am seeking information from groups that are familiar with Ba Sing Se and the surrounding areas. I would like to gain an understanding of your knowledge of the Turned as well, to see if you have any information to supplement my own.” Asundra answered, giving a friendly smile to Shur Zi.

“Traveling on your own must be very difficult. May I ask why you don’t have a pod? You appear very well armed and would be welcomed by many groups.” Shur Zi questioned.

“My mission requires speed and stealth. I would be willing to work with a small team of competent soldiers, if necessary, but I have no interest in joining any larger group. It is easy to see why a group would like to have me, but larger groups have little to offer me.”

Navisi had to blink at the audacity of that statement. She decided to put her two urvans in. “A warrior, no matter how skilled, can be overcome by the Turned if the numbers are great enough.”

“True, but I possess skills that negate many of the advantages given to the Turned by their numbers. I can see that you have some of these skills also.” Asundra said, giving Navisi a strange look. It was like she was trying to see through her.

“Did the group tell you of the toll that must be paid to pass through our territories? You were also supposed to be relieved of your weapons.” Pihnvan said, his hand gripping his sword.

“They did and I respectfully decline to pay a toll or relinquish my weapons. And let me make this perfectly clear to each and every person here. I am by far the most dangerous person you will meet in these trying times. You simply don’t have the manpower to relieve me of my weapons and your pod won’t survive the encounter if you try.” Navisi gasped as Asundra unmasked her chi. She had never seen such a powerful chi, not even in the most accomplished of benders. Navisi’s own chi was strong, but this girl was a whole different level.

“Shur Zi, I strongly recommend we listen to what this young lady has to say. There is no need for violence yet.” Navisi counseled. Asundra looked at her again and dampened the power of her aura again. And she then proceeded to wink at Navisi.

“This encounter need not be unpleasant. I am asking only for information. I will not partake of your food or drink, and I am willing to sleep on my own outside your encampment.” Asundra reassured Shur Zi.

Navisi knew that Shur Zi couldn’t afford to look weak. But this girl before them was more than she seemed.

“Come then. We will sit and discuss the situation.” Shur Zi gestured to the campfire. Asundra smiled, nodded her head and began walking to the ring of logs around the fire that everyone used as seats. No rocks or stones of any sort were kept inside the encampment.

Soon enough, Asundra was seated. Navisi sat to her right and Ing Fon sat to her left. And he looked very angry; he had been the leader of the foraging party but didn’t seem very happy that Asundra returned with them. Shur Zi sat on the opposite side of the fire, with Pihnvan between her and Ing Fon.

“Please tell us more about this mission and why you think that our group would be interested in helping you.” Shur Zi started.

“I have it from a very trustworthy source that the Turned were created when a spirit weapon was used to kill the Avatar; it corrupted the benders in the area, who in turn corrupted others. I need to remove the weapon from the Avatar’s body; this will end the ability for new Turned to be created.” Asundra said, looking at Shur Zi with a very serious expression.

Shur Zi seemed unsure what to do with this information. “We had heard that the Avatar has returned. Does this mean that he has died and that we need to wait for the next Avatar?”

“I’m sorry, but the Avatar died while in the Avatar state, meaning that the cycle is broken and that no new Avatars will be born. All that is to be done now is to end the spread of the spiritual infection causing benders to become Turned.”

Navisi felt a hollow pit in her chest. Everyone had hoped that the Avatar would be able to fight back the Turned and end the scourge upon their land. Navisi had a question of her own. “How do you know this?”

“I am in contact with spirits, for lack of a better term, that have given me this quest because I am perhaps the only person on Atla with the skills to complete it. But I need information. And possibly supplies.”

“What do you have to offer us for our aid?” Pihnvan asked, still looking wary. But he didn’t seem nearly as antagonistic as before.

Asundra looked directly at Navisi. “If you can mask chi, you can probably detect chi. This jevalda that I’m wearing allows me to detect the tainted chi of the Turned from nearly a quarter click. I have a second one that I’m willing to give to you that, with training, will also increase the range that you can detect the Turned. That should be of great benefit to the pod. I would also like to receive training on how to shield my chi as effectively as you do.”

Navisi didn’t know what to say. Asundra seems to know how to read chi too. And she can dampen her chi, although not to the extent that Navisi could. But a tool that extended the range of her chi senses would be fantastic.

“We would have to verify that this device works as you say it does before we would help you.” Shur Zi responded. She recognized the value of the device as well.

“That seems reasonable. But if I show you that this device works, I want food and supplies also. I will receive training on shielding my chi while I provide training with the device. I believe that would be a worthwhile arrangement for both of us.” Asundra answered, locking eyes with Shur Zi.

Navisi could see Shur Zi considering it. It doesn’t look like she completely trusts Asundra, but the potential benefit is great.

“I agree to your terms. You will be permitted to stay at the edge of our encampment.” Shur Zi finally answered.

“That is acceptable.” Asundra responded and then turned to Navisi. “It looks like we are going to both be broadening our horizons. I look forward to learning from you.”

“As do I.” Navisi aagreed. And she found that she truly meant it.

Chapter Text

Asundra slept at the edge of the encampment that night and consumed her own food and drink. Navisi awoke the next morning to find Asundra in the lotus position, performing some sort of meditation involving chi manipulation. She went about her own morning meditation routine. Soon enough it was time for breakfast. She felt bad that Asundra remained on her own, but trust was something that needed to be earned. And Asundra hadn’t exactly been willing to play by the pod’s rules.

After breakfast though, Shur Zi pulled her aside. “Are you sure it is a good idea to trade techniques with her?” Shur Zi asked, watching Asundra warily as she performed some sort of calisthenics on the other side of the camp.

“Her chi is incredibly powerful, Boss. I’ve never seen anything like it. And she has knowledge of chi manipulation. But I’ll make sure the device is legitimate before I train her to hide her chi.” Navisi answered.

Shur Zi smiled and patted Navisi’s shoulder. “That sounds like a good plan. It will be to both of our favors if this works out. Good luck. We’ll be watching.”

Navisi smiled at Shur Zi and then made her way over to Asundra. The girl smiled at her as she approached. “Good morning, Navisi. Are you ready to begin learning to use a jevalda?”

“I believe so. Although I’m curious how a device can help with chi.” And she felt a little insecure when Asundra’s grin got even wider.

“I fully understand your reluctance. Let me show you the principles before we get started.” Asundra reached into her bag and pulled out another tiara. This one was more ornate and looked to be much more expensive. Asundra turned the item around and Navisi could see that a huge number of symbols had been engraved into the back of the tiara. “I’m able to enhance my senses by pushing chi into these engravings; these symbols are designed so that certain actions are performed.”

“How did you come up with these symbols? This looks very complicated.” Navisi asked. She couldn’t make heads or tails of the complex design.

Asundra gave a quiet laugh as she reached into her bag again and pulled out a metal cylinder. It looked to be about fourteen inches long and five inches in diameter. “Let me show you. This is the artifact that I first encountered that had symbols. It’s called a chi reservoir. Can you sense the chi in it?”

Navisi stared at the device in awe. She could indeed feel the chi. It was a powerful sensation; but it was clearly not like human chi. It was almost as if it was shielded until activated. She was astounded that something like this even existed. “That is incredible. I can feel it.”

“I had the same reaction when I first encountered it. But as I used it to aid with meditation, I discovered that the symbols engraved across the surface actually had specific purposes. I studied it for weeks before I was able to start writing out the mathematical structure of it. But it wasn’t until a found an absolutely brilliant logician that we were able to create a symbolic language that could be used to create devices. I call these devices augmentors, since they are designed to augment capabilities that we already have.”

Navisi stared at the device. If this worked as Asundra said it did, it would be absolutely astounding. “How do I work it?”

“Let’s go through the symbols and how they work and then I’ll work you through some training exercises. You seem like a bright girl, so I think you’ll get the hang of it sooner rather than later. Here’s the basic way to work it to improve your chi sense.” And Asundra began to explain the symbols and their pathways. It was the most incredible thing that Navisi had ever learned about.

Asundra explained about how to adjust the wavelengths and focus and how to use the directional guide. She said that it had lots of other features, but the chi sense was by far the most important given their situation.

“All right, now that we’ve covered the theory, let’s do a little real-world practice.” Asundra put the jevalda on Navisi’s head. “Now push a little chi into the jevalda. Then try to sense the path for the chi sensing.”

Navisi pushed a little chi into the jevalda and she could feel the difference. It was like she had paths that she could take, just waiting to be explored. She clumsily guided the chi down the path Asundra had written out. And suddenly she could see the chi of everyone in the area; even partially masked, they could be clearly seen. But it was fuzzier than she was used to. Asundra said that would probably be the case. So she tried to change the focus.

She adjusted the settings and the vision wobbled until it suddenly snapped into place. She audibly gasped as she marveled at its beauty. She could see the muted chi flows of each person. But she also saw seven points of light in each person; she watched as the chi would go to the points and then barely move. They seemed to be controlling the flow of the chi.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it? I know that I gasped the first time the jevalda snapped into focus. Can you see the chakras?” Asundra asked in a quiet, almost reverent voice.

“Chakras? Are those the points of light?” Navisi asked, still amazed at what she was seeing.

“Yes, there are seven chakras that control the flow of chi through the body. I was lucky enough to encounter a guru who showed me how to open my chakras and enhance the flow of my chi. It was an amazing experience.” Asundra said, a smile evident in her voice.

Navisi turned her chi sight onto Asundra and indeed, she could see how the chi flowed unobstructed through her chakras. “Could you teach me how to do that?”

“I’m not sure if I’m spiritually adept enough, but if we have time, I’m more than willing to try.” Asundra answered. “But for now, I want you to try and extend your chi sight as far as it can go. Like you are looking through a seeing glass.”

It took a few minutes for Navisi to work through pathways to extend her vision, but she finally managed. And she was astounded. She could detect a sentry about two hundred yards away. It was Longshot. She could recognize his chi, even muted. This was incredible.

“This is absolutely astounding. I can’t believe that people can do this.” Navisi whispered.

“I understand entirely how you feel. When my mistress taught me how to control my chi, I never imagined that I would ever use it to power and utilize outside devices.” Asundra answered.

“May I ask what type of training you have had. It seems somewhat similar to mine in some ways, but different in others.” Navisi asked, continuing to scan the area around the encampment with the jevalda.

“Mistress Corvylyn taught me methods that I could use to wield my chi to enhance my intelligence, emotional control and physical attributes. The discovery of this artifact came after her death. With her passing, I became the last know member of my order, the Disciples of the Arts Esoteric.”

Navisi’s head snapped to her so quickly that Asundra looked at her in alarm. “The Arts Esoteric? That’s the order that my mistress belonged to.”

A wide smile spread across Asundra’s face. “You don’t know how that warms my heart to hear. It seems that our order has grown so small that each mistress goes through life thinking that they may be the last. It is truly a pleasure to meet a fellow disciple. As you mentioned, our areas of study are similar in some regards but different in others.”

Navisi felt a wide smile spread across her face as well. She too had feared that she was the last of her order. “Well, it is an honor to meet you. It seems that we have different areas of study. My primary focus is to use what my mistress called chi kinesis. I can channel chi in order to move myself or other objects. There is a limited distance that I can act over, and it works best if I’m direct contact with the object in question.”

Asundra looked intrigue. “What sort of things can you do to yourself and others?”

“I can lift heavier weights. I can disrupt chi with a touch, although only for a few seconds. I can make myself levitate, but only about two inches off the ground for a couple of minutes.” Navisi stopped speaking upon seeing the look of shock on Asundra’s face.

“That’s incredible! There are numerous symbols on the artifact that we couldn’t interpret; I wonder if some or maybe even all of them are related to the skills of your branch of the Arts Esoteric.” Asundra exclaimed, looking happy. “This may be something to investigate; your skills sound considerable and if we can create augmentors to enhance them, the strength of our order could grow by leaps and bounds.”

“That sounds really cool! I would love to learn how to enhance my skills. And I’d love to learn how to utilize some of your skills.”

Asundra laughed. “You’re a young woman after my own heart. But first, let’s finish your training and get you comfortable with the jevalda. Then you can show me how to more fully hide my chi.” And they proceeded to get back to work.

Azula had to admit that she was impressed by Navisi. She was very smart and exceptionally talented. And her chi was exceptionally powerful; she wasn’t at Azula’s level, but it was already considerably stronger than Mistress Corvylyn’s had been. Azula suspected that Navisi had suffered the same fate as her.

She had been born a bender but the ability had never manifested.

And the things she could do was exceptional. Mistress Corvylyn had told her that other branches of the Arts Esoteric had been lost. It would be wonderful if she could add these techniques to the skills she could take back to her own world.

In the two days that they had been working together, Navisi had become adept at using the chi sight aspect of the jevalda and Azula and Navisi could now both completely hide her chi; combining their teachings had made Navisi’s technique even more powerful.

And the rest of the pod was slowly warming up to her. It had been a shock to see Shur Zi. And seeing what a strong leader she was in this world made her heart break even more for what had happened in her home world. Shur Zi was exactly the kind of woman that Lu Ten would have needed by his side had he become Fire Lord.

But she pushed those thoughts aside. Dwelling on the unchangeable past wouldn’t solve the problems she faced today. The pod finally agreed to share what they knew of the Turned and what they suspected of the situation in Ba Sing Se.

Shur Zi sat on the same log as the first night they met, so Azula took the same one as well, placing her as far as possible from Shur Zi. The group was very protective of their leader, so Azula played along. Navisi sat to her right and Ing Fon to her left, with Pihnvan taking the log to Shur Zi’s right.

Azula decided to start things off. “I have a good idea where the Avatar’s body is. There is a crystal cavern below Ba Sing Se; inside the inner ring but closer to the middle ring than the palace. There are tunnels that lead to the cavern that were formed by the Dai Li; however, they were designed to be opened and closed and there is a chance that there is no direct underground path to my destination. My plan is to sneak through the ruins of the outer and middle rings before descending underground near the cavern.”

“That is a difficult endeavor. From what we understand, many of the Turned came from the direction of the inner ring. Once they have fed enough and there are no new food sources nearby, they hibernate, for lack of a better word, until a new food source arrives. And then they attack with huge numbers.” Pihnvan explained. “None of our foraging parties, nor any from any pod that we’ve spoken with, have been able to forage anywhere near the walls to the inner ring. The number of Turned is simply too great.”

Azula thought about this. “This is indeed a problem. But there are several paths around it. With my jevalda, I can locate any Turned long before they detect me, especially now that I’ve learned how to make my chi nearly invisible. So I may be able to thread the needle. The second option is to risk going underground. Chi can be observed through rock, but it requires much greater focus and effort. But I run the risk of having to go aboveground anyway. And the location of the exits may not be favorable.”

“If you go alone, do you think that you can make it?” Navisi asked.

“Well, I believe it would be better to go with allies. And either way, it will be prudent to do a reconnaissance trip to get a better estimate of the difficulties. Those I would do alone. I am far faster than any of the Turned.”

“You seem very sure of that. Do you have a lot of experience with the Turned?” Shur Zi asked, her voice showing her skepticism.

“I prefer to avoid them, but I’ve engaged them enough to understand their capabilities. They are physically fast but their bending is slower and weaker than a normal bender. An arrow to the heart did not even slow them down, whereas an arrow through the eye or decapitation fells them. I don’t know the exact range of their chi sense, but it is far less than mine.” Azula explained.

“Have you faced a Titan?” Pihnvan asked.

“I have no idea what that means.” Azula answered truthfully.

“The more nonbenders that a Turned feeds upon, the stronger they seem to become. We’re not sure if it is chi feeding alone or the brains they consume along with it. But there are some Turned that become exceptionally powerful and we refer to them as Titans.” Navisi answered.

“Can you tell a Titan by their chi?” Azula turned to Navisi.

“To a degree. Their chi is stronger than most, but a part of the improved bending seems to be an improvement in physical coordination. That’s where eating the brains may be necessary to improve their functioning.”

“That makes sense. Bending strength is heavily influenced by skill.” Azula responded, thinking how she would approach this new wrinkle. She hasn’t studied enough of the Turned to determine skill through chi flow yet. “Is there anything else that I should know?”

“There are pods that consider various parts of the outer ring to be their territory. Their tolls, so to speak, are not as enlightened as ours. I would avoid contact with them if possible. This situation has brought out the worst in many of the survivors.” Shur Zi answers, staring back at Azula.

Azula can imagine what they would do if they got their hands on a delectable young morsel such as herself. They will never get the chance. “Thank you for the warning. Tomorrow, I will begin scouting.”

Navisi watched Asundra go to her little area at the edge of the encampment. Navisi decided to follow. Ever since she found out the Asundra was a Disciple of the Arts Esoteric, she couldn’t help but want to know more about her.

Asundra smiled as Navisi tentatively approached, before waving her over. “It’s alright, you’re more than welcome to join me.”

“Thank you. I don’t mean to bother you, it’s just that, well, I’ve never met another Disciple of the Arts Esoteric before and I can’t help but be curious.” She paused, trying to choose her next words carefully. “And, well, you’re obviously Fire Nation, so I was wondering how you came to be here.”

Navisi paused, hoping that she didn’t offend her new friend. And she did consider Asundra a friend. They had shared so much of their teachings with each other. But she was also more than a bit intimidated by Asundra. She had told everyone the first time that she stepped foot into their camp that she was dangerous.

But Asundra just smiled. “Yes, I am Fire Nation. And for what it’s worth, I’m very sorry for the death and destruction that my nation had caused here. My teacher, Mistress Corvylyn, was a Fire Priestess. She was one of my tutors, but I excelled so much under her tutelage that she ordained me into the order a few years before her death. As for how I came to be here, my life experience has allowed me to have many adventures and to make many unusual friends.”

“You do seem like someone that would make unusual friends.” Navisi chimed in. Asundra laughed.

“You are correct about that. But not all of the friends I made are human, and one of them directed me here to correct this problem. And I promise you that I will do everything that I can to ensure that the battle is won and that the Turned will no longer be able to corrupt others.”

“Well, I believe that you can do it. You seem like the most competent person I’ve ever met.” Navisi admitted.

“Thank you, Navisi. But don’t underestimate what you’ve accomplished. You’ve done great things to help your pod and I can see that they all value and respect what you’ve done for them.” Asundra smiled at her. “As I would expect from a fellow member of the Arts Esoteric.”

Navisi felt a bit of pride in hearing that someone like Asundra thinks that she is doing well. The talked quietly for a few more minutes before Asundra said that she needed rest. She was going to get up well before dawn to begin scouting the town.

A single Turned was standing outside the wall separating the outer and middle rings. She had stealthily moved closer to it. It still hadn’t detected her chi even when she was twenty yards away. That was good to know, but there was still a few more things she wanted to find out. She notched an arrow in her bow and held it ready.

She slowly extended her cloth tentacles, and the creature immediately became fidgety, but didn’t make any moves towards her. Perhaps it could detect the chi in the cloth but didn’t recognize it as being human in origin. The creature settled down once the cloth tentacles were again wrapped around Azula and deactivated. Not great news but not terrible either. One more theory to test. Keeping the arrow notched, she stepped out from behind the building.

The creature instantly sprinted at her the moment it saw her. The arrow through the eye took her down before she had made it six steps. Azula sighed at this finding. They recognize a human on sight. Was it because she wasn’t gray with white hair. What if she applied gray makeup and a white wig? Where the hell would she find gray makeup and a white wig?

Azula would keep an eye out for a theater or novelty shop, but she seriously doubted that she would find what she was looking for. She removed the arrow from the downed monstrosity and cleaned it off before putting it back in her quiver. The wall was cracked and broken in many places, so she climbed to the top of the wall, staying hidden as much as possible. She didn’t detect any of the Turned nearby but better safe than sorry.

She extended her chi sight and was dismayed to see that there were a lot more Turned here than in the outer ring. As with the one she had just dispatched, they all appeared to be stationary. Moving along the wall, she was able to find a section of the city that was more intact than the others. She carefully climbed down the wall and made her way to a nearby building. In less than two minutes she was on the roof and making her way into the middle ring.

Getting through the outer ring of Ba Sing Se had been quite easy. The middle ring was going to be much more difficult. She had carefully snaked her way along the rooftops where possible, but there was actually a lot more damage here. Azula suspected that the fighting was more intense here since there would be more soldiers and police officers present. It also appears that a great many fires had destroyed entire sections of the city. Numerous buildings had been completely knocked down and the Turned were too numerous for her to cross some of the open areas on foot without being spotted.

But her biggest concern was that she was able to detect a few of the Turned in the underground tunnels. Not enough to be of concern to her in a brief battle. But if she got trapped underground and reinforcements came, she might be in trouble. And even more concerning was that the number of Turned seemed to be increasing as she got closer to the inner ring. And she observed at least three Turned that were probably Titans.

The afternoon was edging towards evening and she didn’t want to sleep in the middle ring tonight, so she decided to start heading back. Based on what she’s seen of the city, it would probably take about three days to make it to the crystal cavern; more if things were substantially worse in the inner ring. It would be a slow and methodical trip. But there was one more thing to look for while she was in the middle ring.

She had spotted the signs for the metalsmith shop a few blocks back. There was Turned about forty yards away, but Azula was able to make her way inside the shop from the roof without being spotted. She was looking for any items that might be suitable for engraving. Shur Zi’s pod didn’t seem to have any smithing capabilities, so she would have to take any fabricated items that she could find.

As quietly as possible, she looked through the disorganized shop. It appears that a scuffle occurred here, but she didn’t find any corpses so it might have been looters who didn’t kill anyone. But then she found something. Gauntlets. The looked like something that the city guard might wear. They had plenty of space for engraving on the inside portion of the metal guards designed to protect the forearms. It seemed like a good idea to add two pairs to her bag of supplies. She also grabbed a few small metal plates; they would be adequate for testing a few theoretical symbol combinations. Nothing else really struck her fancy, so she decided to make her way back to the roof and head back to the pod.

Chapter Text

Jin was afraid. The seven men had staked out their position just outside the camp. Rovers. These groups were nearly as feared as the Turned. Usually ex-soldiers, they were groups of wild men that traveled from place to place, plundering the assets of any pod not strong enough to defend themselves. Which were most.

Pods had more numbers but many in the pods were support people like Jin. There were usually only ten to twelve actual fighters, at most, in a pod. And they had to protect their weakest members. The Rovers were absolutely bloodthirsty and had no problems killing anyone that opposed them. The routine was the same in nearly every encounter. Give them what they want, and your pod walks away alive. Resist and they will kill everyone they could and have their way with the rest. It was standard terror tactics.

“It’s easy, love. We want food and one girl. We’re not greedy.” The tall, scarred man said. “But she has to be young and pretty. That one there will do.” And to Jin’s horror he was pointing at her.

Jin watched Shur Zi considering. Longshot, Smellerbee and Ing Fon were hunting. Navisi and Pihnvan were the other strong fighters, but the Rovers had archers. They might be able to fight them off, but it would cost a lot of lives to do it.

“One bag of food and the girl. You take her and your men back off, then we give you the food.” Shur Zi answered. Jin nearly passed out. They were giving her to them!

“I knew that we could do business, love.” The scarred man said. He turned to Jin. “Come here, darling. Come quietly or I’ll make sure you scream real good tonight.”

Jin couldn’t stop herself from sobbing as she made her way over to man. She gasped as he grabbed her roughly by the hair. He pulled her head up so that she was looking him in the eyes. “Do what I say and you’ll live. Maybe I’ll even let you come back to your pod when we’re done. Fight me and it will be a very long end of your life. Do you understand?”

Jin was frozen in terror. The man just smiled and turned back to Shur Zi. “I’ll be taking my leave. Set the bag near the edge of the forest after I’m gone and one of my men will take it with him. Don’t double cross me, bitch.”

Jin felt herself being dragged off as the man marched her towards the woods, her insides cold and her mind numb. She thought that she had been safe. They gave her away. She kept crying as the man dragged her through the woods.

The man with the bag of food caught them before they had made it back to the camp. The seven men were laughing and hooting, filling Jin with even more terror. It was nearly nightfall when they made it back to the Rover camp. It was filthy and disorganized, much like the men themselves.

“You know the routine, boys. Jun Mi and Kinma, you’ve got watch. I’ll have the boys spell you in a bit once they’ve had their turn.” The scarred man turned to Jin. She couldn’t keep herself from falling to her knees and weeping.

“That’ll be enough of that! You should be honored that I chose you. It’s a compliment!” Jin continued crying as the other men just laughed. “I’m sure that you’ll love all the attention.” The men laughed again.

“I’m sure that you’ll love all the attention.” The course voice of the asslicker grated on Azula’s ears. She sat in the tree overlooking their camp. She had observed the bandits threatening the pod when she returned from her scouting trip. They had been spread out and with their arrows there was a chance some of them would open fire on the pod if she had interfered then.

But now they were together and Azula was going to enjoy this. There were no Turned within the range of her jevalda, so she could go all out. She prepared her cloth tentacles as she took aim at the sentries moving out of the camp with FarStrike. She activated the targeting pathways of the jevalda and two arrows sailed straight and true in rapid succession. The asslickers dropped like rocks.

But Azula was already moving. The asslickers had heard the arrows but in the dim light they didn’t know exactly where they had been fired from, but they would know the source of their doom soon enough.

With her acoustic vision guiding her through the trees, the near darkness was her ally. She was moving faster than a running ostrich-horse when she came flying into the clearing. Her chi enhanced kick to the first man’s chest sent him flying backwards, head over heels until he bounced off a tree. The cracking of his spine indicated that he would never walk again. She was on the second man with her hook sword before he even realized what the hell was going on. The slice to the neck would ensure that he died from blood loss, but not quickly enough for him to blackout right away. Suffering was good for the soul.

The dagger was out of her right hand and into the leader’s shoulder before his sword was completely out of its sheaf. She then grabbed him by the neck with the tentacle from her throwing hand and yanked him hard, flinging him at one of the two men still standing. The guy was fast and nearly made it out of the way before the leader hit him. It was a glancing blow but she heard bones crack. She’d check who’s in just a minute.

She charged the final combatant, who had managed to unsheathe his sword. “Who...who are you?” He asked, fear evident in his voice. He was right to be afraid.

Azula didn’t bother to answer. He attacked with decent form, but he was a novice compared to her. She simply hooked his sword and pulled it down and punched him in the throat. She felt the cartilage collapse from the impact. He dropped immediately, grabbing his throat and flailing on the ground, trying to take a breath that would never come.

She turned and walked back to the man she had thrown the leader at. His left arm was hanging limp, but he had made it to his feet and pulled a knife with his right arm. He decided to try and negotiate. “You can take whatever you want. We won’t stop you.”

Azula didn’t even bother to answer him either. She simply walked up to the man, and when he tried to stab her, she grabbed his right wrist with her left hand, twisted his arm back and then slid a knife between his ribs. She looked him in the eye until he tried to spit in her face. That earned him a chi enhanced headbutt to his face, breaking his nose. She released him as he collapsed to the ground.

She turned back to the young lady that they had kidnapped. She was still sitting on the ground, crying. Azula walked up to her and spoke as gently as she could. “Hey, you’re safe now, Jin. I’m going to take you back to your pod.”

The girl looked up at her for a few moments before she jumped into Azula’s arms and hugged her. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.” And for the second time in her life, she held a sobbing girl in her arms. But thankfully, this time she had been able to intervene before the terrible deeds had been done.

After about ten minutes, the girl seemed to be composing herself. Azula spoke to her softly. “I’m going to need your help, Jin. When we leave, I’m going to need you to carry the sack of food back to the pod. I’m going to make sure these heathens never bother anyone again and gather any supplies that I think your pod might be able to use.”

“Okay.” Jin answers quietly.

Azula makes her way among the fallen heathens. Those that weren’t dead were taken care of. She took any weapons and gear that she thought might be useful. In the end she had a big stash of supplies that Jin’s pod may or may not want.

“Let’s make our way back. We can go as slow as you need to.” Azula told Jin.

“I’m okay. Nothing bad happened.” Jin started choking up again. “Thanks to you.”

Azula gave her another hug. “I’m sorry that this happened to you. Your pod didn’t want to give you up, but they were in a bit of a tough position.”

“I know. But thank you again for helping me.”

“It’s my pleasure, Jin. Let’s make our way back to your pod so that you can get some rest. Your pod will be happy to see you.”

And with that the two girls made their way through the woods.

Navisi had cried all the tears that she had. The foraging group had come back less than an hour after the Rovers left, but Shur Zi told them that it wasn’t worth the risk. Rovers were nearly always seasoned veterans of the war and were absolutely vicious. They were willing to die to get what they wanted.

Navisi had warned the pod of their approach but there wasn’t much to be done. They had come in fast and with bows. If Longshot or Asundra had been there, it might have been worth the risk to fight. But the other archers were half-trained, so Shur Zi had no option but to capitulate. The mood in the camp was solemn. Jin was gone. And Asundra hadn’t returned either.

She continued scanning, making sure that the rovers weren’t returning. But she quickly stood when she detected the muted chi of two people approaching. “Asundra and Jin are approaching from the east, they’re about a quarter click out.”

Everyone jumped to their feet, hope and relief on their faces. They were still nervous, but this had to be a good sign.

Everyone smiled and quietly cheered when two emerged from the woods; it was too dark to make out their features by sight by Navisi knew them by their chi. Navisi and Smellerbee ran out to greet them. Jin was carrying the bag of food that they had sent with the Rovers while Asundra was carrying a pack full of weapons. Jin set the bag down and accepted the hugs from Smellerbee and Navisi.

Asundra smiled. “Sorry I’m late. But I saw that one of your pod was in an unpleasant situation, so I decided to intervene before returning. Let’s get everything back to the encampment so that Jin can rest. It’s been a trying day.”

Navisi just looked at Asundra, who smiled back and winked. Smellerbee grabbed the bag of food and they walked bag to the encampment, where the others came out to meet them.

Shur Zi came up and hugged Jin. “I’m sorry, Jin. I didn’t want to give you up but there wasn’t any other choice.

“I…I know, Boss. But thank Gnolos the Benevolent that Asundra showed up when she did.”

Shur Zi turned to Azula. “What of the Rovers? Do we need to worry about them?”

“No. Neither you nor anyone else will ever have to worry about those asslickers ever again. Here are some extra weapons I took from them. I’m not sure if you would like to keep them or not, but I figured that it wouldn’t hurt to offer.”

“You killed all of them?” Pihnvan asked, incredulity evident in his face.

“Yes. Each and every one of them. And I made sure they suffered.” Asundra answered, voice even. Navisi felt a chill go down her spine at the matter-of-fact way she had stated that fact. No remorse. No regret.

“Well, I for one appreciate your intervention. Are you injured, Jin? Did they hurt you in any way?” Shur Zi asked. And it was clear what kind of hurt she was referring to.

“I’m tired and a little bruised. But Asundra attacked them as soon as we were back at their camp.” Jin shot a look of gratitude at Asundra, who smiled back. “They never got a chance to do anything else.”

“I thank you again, Asundra, for your help. How did you know where they were?” Shur Zi asked. She still didn’t quite trust Asundra.

“I returned at the tail end of your negotiation and watched them haul Jin and your food off. I followed them back to their camp. It was easier to wait for them to be gathered in a group to deal with them. That reduced the chance that any would be able to escape.”

“We are glad that we met you, Asundra. It seems that you spoke true when you told us that you were the most dangerous person we’d meet.” Shur Zi answered with a smile.

“That is true. I’m glad to help. But now that this situation has been resolved, I’d like to retire for the night. I covered a lot of ground today and I’d like to rest.” Asundra said, but then she turned and looked at Navisi. “But I found something that I hope will be useful to our sect. But we can discuss it tomorrow.”

“Of course, Asundra.” Navisi answered with a smile. Anything Asundra wants to talk to her about will probably be exciting.

“As I mentioned during one of our early discussions, there are symbols that I haven’t been able to map the output for. I was hoping that you could try and see if they are related to your skill set. When I visited the middle ring yesterday, I found a metalsmith shop. I grabbed some gauntlets that might be of use in the future. But these plates will be good for testing a few engravings. Are you willing to give it a try?”

“Of course, Asundra. What do I need to do?” Navisi answered. She seemed eager enough. If she was like Azula, she’d want to push the bounds of her abilities, both for her own personal satisfaction as well as for the betterment of the Arts Esoteric.

“I’m going to engrave a few symbols that I can’t figure out the function of. If they are related to your teachings, then maybe you can figure out how they work. From there, perhaps we can make augmentors designed to handle your skillset.”

“That would be great, Asundra. Do you think that the symbols are really related to my teachings?”

“Maybe not all of them, but if even a few are, it could make a huge difference in the way you wield your gift. Let me engrave a few and then we’ll start.” They both shared a smile as they thought of the possibilities.

Azula explained her theory as she slowly and carefully engraved the plate. She would include standard engravings like modulators and regulators, but she would add the unidentified engravings as she went, allowing Navisi to test each one individually. Based on that, they could decide whether any combinations were needed.

“Alright, here’s the fourth symbol. Same process as before, try it with the standard symbols first; if that doesn’t work, start incorporating it in with the other new symbols.”

The first three had been interesting but not really useful. Navisi had been able to feel a power build up when the third new symbol was used in combination with a modulator symbol and the first new symbol. But nothing could really be done with it. Azula had been keeping meticulous notes on each experiment, using the system she learned from Master Novae to denote causality and relationships. May Agni and Gnolos both continue blessing that wonderful woman for her brilliance.

“Here goes.” Azula watched the chi flow through the symbols. The fourth new symbol alone didn’t do anything, so now she was going through combinations. The order of the symbols mattered when chi was being channeled, so Azula and Navisi had written out the proscribed combinations to ensure that everything was covered. It was time consuming, but the details mattered.

Navisi was working through the sixth combination when she gasped. “I feel it, Asundra. Something is here.” Azula was excited; she could feel the energy trying to escape. She watched with her chi sense as Navisi tried push the energy out, but it seemed to be stuck.

Until Navisi bypassed the regulator and sent the chi straight to the modulator. Asundra jumped back in shock as a disc of golden light appeared around the plate, hovering about three inches above the flat surface. It looked like there was writing inside the light ring, but Azula couldn’t read it. But she recognized the geometry of the light ring.

It was the same geometry that she had seen when she learned to use magic from Dr. Strange. She was by no means a master of the mystic arts, but she knew enough of spellcasting to see the relationship between this light ring and magic.

Navisi’s eyes looked like they were going to burst out of her head. “This is wonderful, Navisi. I knew that studying with you would be a worthwhile endeavor. You can release it now.”

The light ring disappeared and Azula stepped in and gave Navisi a hug, which was heartily returned. “That was awesome, Asundra! There was something missing, though. I could feel that the ring could be manipulated, but I didn’t have the right tool.”

“Fear not, young lady. There are still several symbols left to evaluate.” And the two shared another manic grin.

Chapter Text

They identified a total of seven symbols specifically associated with Navisi’s skillset. By the end of the third day since she had wiped out the Rovers, they had figured out the basics of the light sigils. That was the name they had developed for the symbols that appeared in the geometric patterns of light.

They could do some basic push and pull and made some weak light shields. Nothing that was terribly useful right now but these augmentors had the potential to be powerful. The way that the chi was channeled through the body affected the performance also. They channeled chi differently; Azula’s was great for using standard augmentors while Navisi’s was more suited to using the light sigils. The difference only seemed to matter for chi output like the cloth tentacles and telekinesis; both ways seemed to work fine with inputs like the jevalda. Just another aspect of their talents that they would have to explore in the future.

But it was nearing time for Azula to make her move. She had gathered all the evidence that she could from Navisi’s pod. They’d even made contact with two of the other ‘friendly’ pods; no pods were truly friends but there were some that were neutrally aligned. Mutual non-aggression rather than cooperation.

She broke the news to the pod that night. “I appreciate all that you’ve done for me, but it is time for me to move forward and complete my mission. I plan on leaving before daybreak. This will allow me to get to the middle ring before dark and scope out a place to rest for the night.”

She knew that the pod didn’t really believe in her mission; they respected her but thought that she was a bit touched in the head. They were not spiritual people. But they saw the value of her abilities and wanted her to stay. With both her and Navisi in the group, they could expand their numbers and provide greater safety to the pod.

But that wasn’t what Azula had been sent to do. She had been sent to deliver these people from the death and destruction that the Turned had caused. And she would do that. She liked and respected these people and wished them well, but she wanted to go home.

“I would like to come with you.” Navisi said in a quiet voice.

Azula suspected that she might, but she had done nothing to encourage or dissuade the young girl from making her own decision. This was more than she could ask of someone so young.

“Navisi, no. You can’t do this. I mean no disrespect, Asundra, but this might be a fool’s errand. Your pod needs you.” Shur Zi said, passion in her voice.

Azula said nothing. This was Navisi’s battle. She answered quickly. “I believe Asundra; she has chi techniques and skills that I’ve never seen before. She is not crazy. It is worth the risk if it will save the world from the Turned. We’ll never rebuild if the threat of the Turned is always hanging over our head.”

Shur Zi stared at Navisi for a few moments before turning to Azula. “Did you put her up to this?”

“No, I did not. I will gladly accept her help, but this decision was made entirely of her own accord. I cannot promise success, but with Navisi assisting me, I feel even more confident that the threat of the Turned can be eliminated.”

“With Asundra’s backing, I know that I couldn’t stop you even if I tried.” Shur Zi said to Navisi. And to Azula. “Please look over her. You are undoubtedly the most dangerous person I’ve met since the Turning, but even you have limits.”

“I promise that I will watch over her. I will have her back as she will have mine.” Azula assured Shur Zi. She sincerely hoped that would be enough to save the day.

The midday sun was hot as they made their way through the wreckage of the outer ring. It had been more eventful than Azula had expected. They had spotted another band of Rovers sifting through the leftovers, trying to forage for supplies. Navisi assured her that this was common behavior. Many of the Rover gangs had specific territories that they patrolled and controlled.

They decided to take a slightly longer route to bypass them; Azula had no interest in fighting for the sake of fighting. She had a mission and they were just another obstacle in the way. She had no qualms about going through them, if necessary, but it was easier to just go around in this instance.

The density of the Turned gradually increased until they were to the wall to the middle ring. The found a partially broken spot with no Turned nearby, so they quickly scurried over and made their way into the middle ring. They had to be more careful here; the urban environment had significantly more damage and there were many more Turned. But with the jevalda to guide them, they easily made it about a third of the way through the middle ring when Azula spotted an abandoned building that was relatively intact.

And to top it off there were only about a dozen Turned in range of her jevalda. They quickly and quietly made their way into the building and claimed a spot on the third floor. The sun was nearly down and they settled in for the night. They had rationed enough food and water for five days. They had no idea whether there would be any opportunities to forage this deep into the city.

They sat quietly for a while until Navisi softly spoke. “I’m sorry if it seems like prying, but you mentioned that your mistress passed away. Did she die during the Turning?”

Azula smiled. “You’re not prying. I’m happy to talk about my mistress; she was a great woman and made me what I am today. To answer your question, no, she didn’t die in the Turning. Mistress Corvylyn died in her bed at the age of one-hundred and ten. Another student and I were there with her when she passed. It was peaceful and she died content with her life.”

Tears came to Navisi’s eyes. Azula could read her aura. Sadness and regret. Azula spoke again, softly. “I take it that your mistress did not pass as quietly?”

“No, she did not.” Navisi wiped her eyes with her sleeves. “It was about two days after the Turned had arrived in our portion of the outer ring. The initial feeding frenzy and battles had started to wane. The outer walls were still locked down so that no one could escape. We scurried across the roofs and rationed our food and water. We could do nothing to help with the battle.”

She paused to collect herself. “The soldiers killed anyone that tried to approach the walls, it didn’t seem to matter whether they were human, Turned or Infected. They killed all that came their way. But the people were desperate, and thousands joined forces to storm the gates of the wall near where we were hiding. There were a lot of earthbenders and violent people. The battle was long and harsh. We watched in horror from our rooftop. But they battle attracted a swarm of the Turned.”

Tears flowed down Navisi’s face. “It became a bloodbath. The soldiers and people tried to hold the Turned back but it was simply too chaotic. The people were too packed to properly defend themselves. But then, our building was knocked down during the battle. We tried to jump to another building but ours collapsed too quickly. I was pinned under some debris.”

“I wasn’t strong enough to pick up alone. Mistress Lista pulled it off of me and told me to run. Those were the last words she spoke to me before two of the Turned pulled her down and put their fingers into and began trying to pull her chi. Her scream was terrible, but she had enough chi control to slow down the theft. More Turned were coming. I did the only thing that I could think of.”

Azula reached out and put a comforting hand on Navisi as she started to cry. “What did you do, Navisi?”

“I…I…I killed Mistress Lista so they wouldn’t take her chi.” And she sobbed even harder. Azula pulled her into a tight hug.

“That was the bravest and most thoughtful thing that you could have done for her. You were a hero to her, Navisi. She would be proud of what you did.” And Azula meant that. She had read what it was like to have your chi pulled out against your will in one of the most ancient of documents she’d studied. It was an absolutely horrific one-time experiment that, to her knowledge, was never willingly repeated.

She held Navisi until she finally calmed down. “You get some sleep. I’ll do a light meditation while you rest; that will reduce how much sleep I’ll need later.”

“Okay.” Navisi answered quietly. Navisi laid on her side and Azula laid next to her and put her arm over the younger girl’s stomach, like how she used to do with Ivaku. Not every meditation needed to be done in a lotus position. Eventually, the girl settled down and fell to sleep. Once she was settled, Azula had Bitok setup a perimeter alert and settled into a Gorfan meditation.

The going was much slower now. The devastation was immense, meaning that they had to sneak and slither their way through the burnt-out husk of the middle ring. But, if there was an upside, it was that the density of the Turned no longer seemed to be increasing. If there was a downside, it was that there seemed to be a lot more Titans.

The wall between the inner ring and the middle ring was more imposing than the previous wall had been. But it was also heavily damaged. But that wouldn’t matter much if the tunnels were clear. Azula had found a clear entrance and they were going to go underground. Even if they couldn’t make it all the way to the cavern, hopefully it would take them under the wall and a lot closer to the entrance to that cavern.

Azula knew several ways to the cavern, so as long as they could get close, they should be able to make their way in. They found an entrance to the underground tunnels and quickly made their way down.

It was quiet and dark. Luckily, with their acoustic sight from the jevaldas, they could find their way. They didn’t make a lot of sound, so the vision was a bit fuzzy, but they didn’t detect any Turned. Walking at a quick pace, they made good time until an obstacle finally appeared to block their way. A literal earth wall was across the path, with no side avenues to follow.

“It looks like our underground adventure has come to an end.” Azula said with a sigh. “There was an exit going aboveground about a quarter click back. I didn’t sense any turned next to it, but we need to reevaluate.”

They trudged back and made their way up to the entry door. And the could both detect a large amount of Turned within about forty yards of the door. That wasn’t a good sign. Azula opened the door just a tiny way to see if there was any cover, and all she saw was an open space. There were several Turned within easy view. She quietly closed the door and they made their way back down to the tunnel.

“Let’s try the door back about two hundred yards.” They repeated the process. The Turned were a little farther away and when she peeked out the door, they were shielded behind some sort of shed. She opened the door and slipped out, Navisi following close on her heels.

They scanned their surroundings and found that although the brick building next to them was knocked down, it still provided a good amount of cover. They slipped through a hole in the building and began slowly making their way deeper into the inner ring.

The sun was close to the horizon when they found an old military outpost that wasn’t completely destroyed. They decided to stay on the second floor; this was a secure location where they could sleep well tonight and then make their way to the crystal cavern tomorrow. There were three entrances to the underground cavern system less than a click from their location, if this world had the same setup as her own. That wasn’t a given.

They went with the same sleep pattern as the night before. Navisi slept first while Azula laid next to her again. The girl was very brave, but her aura had been getting yellower as they went deeper into the city. This many Turned was starting to freak her out. But so far, Navisi had held strong.

They made their way out just before after sunrise. This was the day that they made their push. Azula led them through the ruins to the closest entrance she knew about but was disheartened when they arrived. It might still be there, but it was buried under the remains of a building. So they slowly made their way to the next entrance. This was the large hole that the Dai Li had made to get to the underground system. And it had a lot of Turned around them. But not an overwhelming amount. A plan was starting to form in her mind as she reviewed the possibilities.

But there was still one more entrance. But while it was clear, it was surrounded by far more of the Turned and she door would probably have to be forced open. That was a nightmare scenario to be considered as a very last resort. They made their way back to the hole created by the Dai Li. She surveyed the surrounding area and located the tallest nearby structure. The watchtower was partially knocked over, but there was still around forty feet of it still standing. They needed to get to the top of that.

She surveyed the Turned. Most appeared to be Titans, if she was reading the chi right. That made sense; these were probably among the first to be turned and most likely caught their prey unawares. But she saw two things that disheartened her. One was a Turned in a horribly tattered blue and white dress. Katara.

But it was the second that broke her heart. She had seen more than a dozen versions of herself wearing that Dai Li uniform in her visions.

A Turned Azula.

But the human Azula didn’t have the luxury to worry about the tragic mistake of her Turned counterpart. “We need to make our way up to the top of that tower.” She very quietly said to Navisi, pointing to said tower.

“Why up there?” Navisi answered, confusion clearly evident in her face and aura.

Azula smiled. “Surprise and speed are our greatest allies. And that tower is the key to both.”

Chapter Text

The climb to the tower went more easily than Azula had expected. There had been plenty of cover and the Titans may be powerful once they get going, but they seem more lethargic when at rest. Maybe they were just fat and happy and would allow Azula and Navisi to just waltz in and grab the Spear of Canto without any opposition.

But Azula didn’t dare count on that. She had explained the plan to a horrified Navisi and they were getting ready to boldly go into the zebra-lion den.

“Are you sure about this, Asundra?” Navisi asked, resting on Azula’s back, where she had been securely tied.

“Fortune favors the bold and the skilled, my good woman. We are both. Remember, stick to the plan.” Azula advised. She had manually uncoiled her cloth tentacles and was laid them next to where they would hook to the watchtower. “And please don’t scream. Here we go.”

Azula unmasked her chi and powered up the tentacles and waited as the Turned figured out where she was. Once the Turned were getting close, the cloth tentacles hooked the watchtower stones were activated and they launched her and Navisi high into the air. She looked down and saw that every Turned had begun running towards the watchtower. She masked her chi again once she was airborne, counting on their limited intellectual capacity to not know exactly what to do with them.

The pair soared through the air and the Turned stopped running towards the watchtower and started to chase them as they passed. But they would arrive at the hole to the underworld well before any of the Turned could catch up to them. When they were about twenty feet off the ground the cloth tentacles hit the earth and slowed their descent. It was still a jarring landing, with Azula’s chi enhanced legs running forward as soon as she touched down.

She quickly untied Navisia and pulled FarStrike off of Navisi’s back. “Get the spear!” Azula commanded as they ran into the tunnel. There were two Turned running up from the cavern; the arrows went through the eyes and into the brains of both in less than four seconds.

She could hear the galloping horde descending from above. Azula turned and began opening fire; she had to keep them at bay long enough for Navisi to get the spear. She stopped to fight when the narrow tunnel open into a larger space; not the main cavern but a smaller one. One where Azula had locked up Iroh.

She turned and began to fire her arrows as fast as her chi enhanced prowess would allow as she slowly retreated. Which was one arrow about every two seconds. Humans would hesitate upon seeing their fellows fall with such rapidity. The Turned probably didn’t even notice. She took down sixteen before they came too close. She rehooked the bow and drew her hook swords.

She had been unsure about one thing before heading into Ba Sing Se to fight the zombie horde. Did the hook swords affect the output of the spirit repulsors?

Luckily, the answer was not enough to matter.

Three started to swarm her as she fired a double blast of the spirit repulsors. It caused them to stumble and hesitate, which was all Azula needed. She began near decapitating the Turned at a prodigious speed. She didn’t need to take the head completely off, she just needed to cut the spinal cord to keep the brain from communicating with the rest of the body.

She read their chi as they attempted to attack. She flashed the spirit repulsors and slashed with her hook swords. Dodge. Flash. Slice. Again and again. But she was being driven back. She needed Navisi to complete her part of the mission.

Navisi had never been more terrified in her entire life. Asundra had just flung them off a watchtower so they could fly over the head of hundred or so Turned, which was terrifying enough. But now said mob was being held back by the skill and prowess of one young girl. And terrifyingly talented and recklessly brave one. But a single young girl, nonetheless.

There were four Turned in the crystal cavern. She had no trouble seeing them by the glow of the Avatar. It was both beautiful and terrifying. If Asundra could battle a mob, she could handle four of these monsters.

She waited until they got close and launched two chi kinetically enhanced blades into the first pairs eyes, causing them to drop. But the other two were too close and she had to dodge the rocks that they threw at her. But she drew the sword that Asundra had taken from one of the Rovers.

She used chi kinetics to make it lighter and swung it at the first Turned that got close. The arm went flying with ease. Navisi quickly turned and stepped to her right while backing up, keeping the injured Turned between her and the other one.

The injured one tried to bend but she tried a technique that she had worked on with Asundra back in the camp. She pushed chi power into her hand and landed an open hand smack to the injured Turned in the chest, using chi kinetics to push it backwards. It flew backwards and into the other Turned, knocking them both down.

She rushed forward and cut the head off the uninjured Turned as it tried to get to its feet. But she took a rock to her ribs for her trouble. She dropped the sword as she stumbled back. The one armed Turned struggled to its feet and charged her.

It hurt like hell but she got a throwing knife out and flung it into the eye of the Turned. It dropped and lay motionless on the ground. She grimaced at the pain but was brought out of her stupor by the sound of the battle back in the smaller cavern.

She ran to where the Avatar lay glowing on the ground. His tattoos and eyes glowed, but it was clear that his body was decomposing. She pushed aside her disgust and grabbed the spear and pulled with all her might. Asundra had told her not to use any chi techniques on it. So she put her foot on the Avatar’s chest and pulled with all her strength.

She felt sick at the squishiness of the body beneath her boot but finally the spear was free with a sickly thwacking sound. She smiled for a moment before all hell broke loose.

Azula was getting tired. She’d been hit with four rocks and slashed with a water whip. She had put Katara out of her misery shortly after that. But she was nearly back to the larger cavern. She desperately retreated to keep from being surrounded.

And then suddenly all hell broke loose.

Every Turned screamed like they were being tortured by the power of Agni’s righteous flame. And then the entire cavern began to shake and then a wild blue flame surged through the chamber, burning at least a dozen of the Turned. Azula sprinted towards the main chamber as the walls began to collapse. The chi of the Turned was going wild, like their chi was on fire and the impurities were being used as fuel.

They earthbenders were pulling the entire cavern down upon them while the other Azula burned herself and many of the Turned to a crisp. But she didn’t kill enough to stop the destruction.

Azula entered the large cavern and saw Navisi with the spear, looking terrified as the room shook and rocks began to fall from the ceiling.

“Come on, we have to get out of here!” Azula yelled, grabbing Navisi with a tentacle and pulling her towards a cave close to the waterfall. She ran and dragged Navisi along with her, using her acoustic vision to avoid the ever-larger rocks falling from the ceiling. She heard the cracking of the stone walls just before the entire ceiling collapsed.

Azula flung Navisi into the small cave and dove in just afterwards, narrowly avoiding being crushed by the collapsing cavern. They laid there as Azula took stock of the situation. This cave was a dead end. It had partially collapsed but there was enough space for her and Navisi to rest here relatively comfortably. But they were trapped. It would take an earthbender of Toph or Bumi’s caliber to get out of this situation.

Air would be the first thing that they had to deal with. Then food and water. Especially the water. Dehydration was a terrible way to die. But her thoughts were disrupted by a voice in her head.

‘Greetings, Mistress Azula. Are you ready to travel.’ The Transit Compass. She had completed her mission.

Azula looked at the terrified girl laying next to her. She couldn’t see her face, but her aura told the entire story. She was absolutely terrified. There was no way to escape this situation. Navisi won the war but had lost the battle.

“Asundra, what are we going to do! We can’t get out, Asundra! We’re trapped.” The girl was becoming more and more hysterical.

Azula reached out and grabbed her. “I need you to trust me. Can you do that? Use your mantras to help settle your mind. Control your breathing and center your focus. Just like Mistress Lista taught you.”

“Okay, Asundra, I will. I’m sorry for panicking.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry for. Your concern is understandable. But I need to meditate also. Can you give me a few minutes to center myself?”

“Of course, Asundra. I’m sorry.”

“As I said, Navisi, there’s nothing to be sorry for.”

Azula closed her eyes and used the jevalda to aid in the meditative techniques required to reach a higher plane. She ascended to the fourth layer before she sent out the psychic summons.

“Intermediaries, answer my call!”

Suddenly, she felt herself being pulled to the clearing between the ocean and the mountain. The four intermediates stared at her with neutral expressions.

“We were surprised to hear your summons, young one. You can use the Transit Compass to move on.” Mukaati said.

“Greetings, intermediaries. When I assisted Aang and the others to capture Nikothan, you said that I could call upon you if I ever need your favor. Do you intend to honor your bargain?” Azula asked.

The four stared at her, expressionless, until Mukaati spoke. “What favor do you wish?”

“I wish for Navisi to travel the multiverse with me, to return with me to my world, as my apprentice. I know that the Great Spirits dislike cross-contamination, but her death here is meaningless when there are great things that she could help accomplish, both in the multiverse and my home world.”

The four intermediaries stared off into the distance, unblinking for several moments. Terrathusi spoke first. “Your favor is granted. However, you must still negotiate with OrkaHaalu; she is the one in control of your Transit Compass.”

Azula breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you, intermediaries.”

“You are welcome, young one. You should return and make your travel arrangements.” Methus said, and suddenly Azula was waking in her body. She sensed Navisi still quietly meditating.

She spoke to the Transit Compass mentally. ‘Can I speak with OrkaHaalu?’

‘Yes, Mistress Azula. If you travel, you will go to her now.’

‘Can I bring Navisi.’

‘No, Mistress Azula. I am only permitted to transport you.’

Azula sighed. This would make things more difficult. “Navisi, I need you to trust me again, okay? I have a plan to get us out of this, but I need you to remain calm until I return.”

“Until you return!” Navisi almost shrieked.

“Yes, Navisi. I hope to explain everything to you soon.”

Azula silently communicated with the Transit Compass. ‘Take me to OrkaHaalu.’

‘Of course, Mistress Azula.’

A gold light enveloped her and her heart ached as she saw the look of terror and dismay on Navisi’s face as she disappeared. She was back on the moon looking at the beautiful rings of Saturn.

“Wonderful job securing the spear.” Orka said, grinning at Azula. Haalu chimed in immediately afterward of course. “It was an inspired and daring plan.”

“Yes, it was. But I’ve come to bargain. The intermediaries have given me permission to travel with Navisi. Will you allow her to come with me?” Azula asked, her heart clenching in anxiety. OrkaHaalu seemed like a good being, but she was eccentric.

“Of course she can travel with you.” “But a toll must be paid.”

“What sort of toll?”

“You must both give us the amulets you were awarded by your mistresses.” “Your dragon and Navisi’s bird.”

“Why would you want those?” Azula was truly baffled. She never expected something so strange. And petty.

“That is our concern.” “This is our toll.”

“We agree to your terms.”

She couldn’t stop herself from crying. Asundra had saved her by bringing her to this cave. And then she had asked Navisi to trust her. And then the golden cloud appeared and Asundra just disappeared.

She wanted to trust Asundra but she was so afraid. More than afraid. She was terrified of dying alone and forgotten, buried alive far beneath the surface, never to be found. But they had completed the mission. Perhaps now all the Turned were dead and her people could rebuild. Shur Zi and her pod could lead productive and meaningful lives again.

She scooted back in terror as the gold cloud appeared again. And then Asundra was kneeling before her. “I told you I would return. I’ve come to take you from this cave. But you will have to leave this world. And you will have to give up the amulet that Mistress Lista gave you.”

Navisi’s brain wasn’t functioning. She heard the words but couldn’t quite put the meaning together. Finally, she was able to speak. “Where would I go? Why do I have to give up my amulet?”

“Second question first. I don’t know, but I have to give up my amulet also. And as for your first question, we will travel to other worlds, much like this one, that are having troubles. And we will help them fix whatever is wrong. And I would take you as my apprentice.”

Navisi’s heart soared. She would love to have Asundra as a mistress. And she would die if she stayed here.

“Okay. I would like to come with you.”

“I don’t know where we’re going next, but it will be an adventure. And I’m happy to have you with me. Let’s go see what fate has in store for us.” Asundra held her hand out to Navisi, who gladly took it. The creepy golden cloud appeared again and they stepped through it together, the Spear of Canto still in Navisi’s hand.

Epilogue
Mai watched as the beautiful woman was brought into the tent. Tall, with a regal bearing, she was definitely from a privileged background. But that was in the distant past. The woman was dressed in near rags and looked far too thin.

Mai spoke once the girl was inside the tent. “The guards say that you may have information regarding the demise of the Turned? Shur Zi, is it?”

“Yes, ma'am. A few weeks ago, a teenaged girl appeared to our group, alone but highly skilled and heavily armed. She claimed that she was on a mission to end the Turned. Ten days ago she, along with another member of my pod, went into Ba Sing Se on that very mission. Two days later the Turned went wild and died. The very day that the girl said that she would arrive at the source of the Turned.”

Mai looked to Toph. “Every word is true, Blademaster.”

“Did this girl say what the source of the Turned was?” Mai asked. Anything that could explain this blight on the world would be appreciated.

“She…she said that a spirit weapon had been used to kill the Avatar, and that this act of violence corrupted the benders near him. Asundra said that if she could remove the weapon from the Avatar’s body, it would end the ability for new Turned to be created. She didn’t say anything about them going berserk.” The tall girl answered.

Azula’s spear. Azula used it to kill the Avatar. She had brought this down upon their world. Mai hoped she burned in Agni’s flame for all eternity for what she’d done.

“Did this Asundra return?” Toph asked.

“No. Neither she nor the girl from my pod returned. Whether they lived or died, I don’t know. But I believe with all my heart and soul that they delivered us from the curse that had been placed on us.”

“Then they have our thanks.” Mai answered. And she meant it with all her being. “The Turning had reached every known place except for the most isolated regions. Even the Northern Water Tribe has been overrun.”

“Then we should thank the Great Spirits for Asundra.” Shur Zi said. “The world might have fallen if not for her.”

Chapter Text

Amon glided out of the way of her airbending attack, but Korra charged forward as she spun and launched a flame kick. He again dodged with that uncanny movement of his. And then she felt herself gripped with his power. She was helpless to move against him. Her body was forced to her knees, back arched and neck pulled back, exposing her forehead as Amon walked behind her.

“Don’t touch me, you despicable monster.” Korra raged. But it did her no good.

She had never been more terrified in her life. Her body was bent and held in place, despite all her efforts to break free. His left hand gripped her neck from behind while he placed his right knuckles and thumb on her forehead. She fought with a desperate fury; she could feel her bending but she couldn’t make the moves to summon it. And then it was gone.

Ice filled her veins as she desperately searched for it. But there was nothing to find. Amon released her and she collapsed to the floor; her body was sluggish and it all felt wrong. Like an integral part of her was missing.

“Such a shame, Avatar. Now you understand what it means to have something taken from you. To not be whole. You…urk.” Korra was blinded by the flash of lightning that struck Amon. He convulsed and his body shook, and the smell of ozone and burnt flesh filled her nostrils. The electricity stopped and Amon fell to the ground, twitching as a few remnants of the lightning flashed. And then he was still. She looked over to Mako, his outstretched fingers still pointing at his fallen foe.

Amon’s mask had fallen off and he stared vacantly into the distance. She crawled to him and checked his pulse. Nothing. He was dead.

She just sat there, numb to everything. She had trained so hard to learn all four elements. She’d only had airbending for a few weeks. And now everything was gone. She truly was a failure of an Avatar. She couldn’t stop the tears that fell from her eyes. Mako tried to comfort her as she sat there crying. But there was nothing to be done for her. They had won the battle, but she had lost the war.

The giant ringed planet was as beautiful as ever, but Azula was more concerned about the mental health of her new apprentice. If the girl’s head didn’t explode in the next two minutes, Azula would consider it a major victory.

“Wh…Where are we?” Navisi asked, clutching onto Azula’s arm for dear life.

“This is a meeting place. I’m going to introduce you to a very special friend of mine. She’s not like us, but there’s no reason to be frightened. She has shown herself to be a wonderful friend.”

“Yes, yes, we are here to help you.” Orka said from behind them. Haalu chimed in as the two girls turned to look at the speakers. “It is a pleasure for Azula to have a travel friend.”

And as expected, Navisi’s entire body locked up and she appeared to go into complete panic mode. The two heads and three boobs were disconcerting enough when you were ready for them. To be caught off guard was even worse.

“Navisi, let me introduce the Goddesses of Chaos, OrkaHaalu. Orka is the beautiful face on the right, Haalu is the gorgeous face on the left. They are good friends of mine, and they are the ones that allowed me to save you from the cave you were trapped in.”

“It is an honor to meet you, young one.” “Very glad indeed that Azula found you.”

“It…it is nice to meet you, too.” Navisi managed to spit out after a few moments.

Azula decided that a hug was in order. She quickly embraced the girl and then stepped back. “Perhaps I should explain the situation to you.”

Azula told her how she was born on another world. Her trials and tribulations and being recruited to fight the Scourge. Of the damage to her body and then being called upon to help worlds in need. And how she was sent to Navisi’s world.

“And I used the favor that I earned from the intermediaries to save you so that you could travel with me. I will ask you again. Do you wish to travel with me as my apprentice? I will ask OrkaHaalu to send you safely back to your world if you wish to remain there.” Azula asked. She was afraid what the answer might be.

“I wish to travel with you. It sounds like you are doing great things and there is so much that I could learn from you.” Navisi finally answered.

“And there is a lot that I could learn from you. We can push each other to be much more than we could ever be alone.” Azula answered.

“Yes, yes, this is great!” “You are much stronger together than apart.”

“Well, I admit that I feel good about helping Navisi’s world eliminate the Turned. What is the next mission. Maybe return a cute and fuzzy ostrichhorse foal to its rightful owner?” Azula asked.

“There is a world in need.” “But first our deal must be honored.”

“You want our amulets?” Azula asked and sighed as the two heads nodded in agreement. “May I ask why?”

“That is our concern, young one.” “It is a small price to pay for young Navisi to travel with you.”

“Yes, it is a small price to pay.” Azula took her amulet from around her neck. She watched as Navisi tearfully did the same.

“Thank you both.” “You may lay them on the rock.”

“Alright, what is the next mission?” Azula asked, feeling exhausted.

“A bending thief is loose in the world.” “A great danger in a potential future.”

“A bending thief? What is that?” Navisi asked.

“A forbidden technique taught to a young woman, much like yourselves. She was meant to be born a waterbender, but it never kindled.” “And now she has the ability to steal the bending of others; once stolen, she can use them or gift them to others.”

Azula was filled with fear and anger. It reminded her too much of another foe she had faced. “How do we stop this?”

“A fully actualized Avatar would be strong enough to find and fight this foe.” “But the Avatar on this world has had all four elements locked away from her control.”

“Was her bending stolen?” Navisi asked.

“No, it was blocked by a rogue waterbender using a bloodbending technique.” “He was dangerous in his own right, but the world he created will now be exploited by this new foe.”

“This sounds terrible, but it doesn’t sound as catastrophically bad as the Turning.” Azula replied. She assumed that she was missing something.

“For now, it is not as bad. But a time of change is approaching this world.” “Harmonic convergence is coming there, and it will magnify the girl’s power a hundredfold.”

“In what way can the girl’s power be magnified?” Navisi chimed in this time.

“For now, she can only hold one stolen copy of each element and she must make skin to skin contact with her victim. A copy of an element must be given away before another copy of the same element can be taken again.” “But after harmonic convergence, she will be able to hold hundreds of copies of each element and will be able to steal them from a distance.”

Azula and Navisi let that sink in. Orka spoke again. “The copies are additive. Two copies of the element will make her twice as strong. A hundred copies will make her a hundred times stronger.” “With the power that she steals, she will be far stronger than any Avatar. And she will become essentially immortal.”

That is bad indeed. That kind of power could do incredible damage. Earthquakes, floods, tornadoes, raging firestorms could smash her enemies into oblivion. And immortality too. That much power, coupled with that much time, will undoubtedly make this person a monster.

If she hasn’t already become one.

“How do we stop this person?” Azula needed some sort of clue.

“Help the Avatar regain her bending and teach her to reach the Avatar state.” “Help the Avatar learn to track this foe. She is not a spirit, so it will be much harder for you than Nikothan.”

“You keep saying her, so I assume that Aang is not the Avatar.”

“No, the Avatar cycle has moved on in this world. It is seventy years after you left your world.” “This Avatar is a waterbender and is very different in temperament to Aang.”

“Great. Just great. Anything else that I need to know?” Azula didn’t have a warm fuzzy feeling about this mission.

“Learn what you can about the airbenders and their culture.” “It is good information to have. You may rest for now. You have been busy girls.”

Navisi didn’t know what to make of this situation. Mistress Asundra was actually Princess Azula. A different one than the one that killed the Avatar and unleashed the Turning on Ba Sing Se. But she was like Navisi; a bender who’s bending never kindled. And it sounds like she had done so much to help so many people. She had lost her entire body and been forced to take over the body of a dead Azula.

“Mistress Azula, I’m not sorry that I chose to travel with you, but I’m a bit scared. How are we going to find this waterbender?” Navisi asked.

“I would worry about your sanity if you weren’t at least a little afraid. We will have to get the lay of the land when we get there. But I’ll warn you that if we are traveling to a future world, it may be more technologically advanced than ours. I’ve seen much more advanced technology than we’ll encounter, but we still need to be careful to learn the new rules.” Azula answered.

They laid in silence for a while as Navisi pondered over the new situation she was in. But it was hard not to be distracted by the incredible sight of the ringed planet above them. And she could almost see the other moons moving through the sky.

“I’m sorry to take you from your home. But I really do think that working together we can push the Arts Esoteric to heights it had never even dreamed of achieving before.” Azula suddenly sat up and looked at Navisi. “Can you read Lincum Arca?”

“Yes. I’m not very fast but I can read it if given time.” She answered. It had been a struggle to learn, but she had slowly become more proficient.

“Excellent! I will make sure that you have lots of practice. On my home world, I have access to a lot of documents that we can study. And there are still libraries that I haven’t found yet. I second set of eyes will make review go so much faster. With any luck, we’ll find lots of documents relating to your skills. And maybe some that neither of us have yet.” Navisi couldn’t help but grin at Azula’s enthusiasm.

“I look forward to learning with you, Mistress.” And Navisi meant that with all her heart.

Navisi slept surprisingly well that night. When she awoke, she went through her morning meditation and chi practices. She had discussed training techniques with Azula, and they were both eager to start incorporating some of their new partner’s training practices into their own routine. But they had decided that for now, a sense of normalcy by doing their standard routines was in order.

And Navisi couldn’t help but be amazed by Azula’s physical skills. She watched a part of Azula’s twin hook sword routine and was impressed by her agility and speed. There was so much for Navisi to learn to be even half as competent as her new mistress. But the gap only strengthened her resolve to improve.

After washing up with the water and soap OrkaHaalu provided them, they dressed in the new robes that OrkaHaalu had made for them. They were black with gold trim along the sleeves and the sash. The robes were quite comfortable and were very practical for movement. After dressing, they had breakfast and prepared to begin their journery. But OrkaHaalu had a few more items and words of advice before they began their journey.

“We have provided money and additional robes and other clothes for your travels. This mission will require patience and cunning.” “You are spiritual travelers offering your services to the Avatar and her allies.”

Navisi and Azula had gathered their travel packs and weapons and were on their way. Azula looked like they were going on a calm evening stroll, but Navisi’s heart felt like it was going to beat out of chest. She had been nervous facing the Turned with Azula, but that was a known foe. The unknown aspect to this mission frightened her.

She froze when Azula pulled her into a hug, but then relaxed. Azula spoke to her as they embraced. “It’s okay to be afraid. You are so young and this is all so new. But we’ll be fine and this will help both of us become more skilled and capable in the Arts Esoteric.”

“Thank you, Azula.” Navisi answered after they had separated.

“And it is best to continue calling me Asundra. The other me may or may not be alive, but the name may still be remembered.”

“Of course, Asundra.” Navisi was rewarded with a smile.

“Yes, yes, that is very good.” “You are ready to travel.”

“I don’t suppose you’re going to put us right on the Avatar’s doorstep, are you?” Azula asked.

“Yes, yes, that is a good idea.” “Air Temple Island is the place for you both.”

Azula and Navisi exchanged glances. The time was now. The gold cloud appeared before them and the crazy two-headed goddess looked at them expectantly.

“Go now and fulfill your mission.” “We look forward to seeing you when you are done.”

And without further ado, Navisi and Azula walked into the gold cloud.

Jinora sighed as she looked out onto the water. The mood was somber on Air Temple Island. They had just returned from visiting Grandmother in the Southern Water Tribe, but even she couldn’t restore Korra’s bending. The Avatar was gone. The grownups had gone into the house and were talking about what to do. A few guests were going to spend the night but most of the others would be heading back into Republic City on the last ferry.

Jinora had decided to come out and sit upon her favorite rock and meditate. Well, try to meditate. She was having trouble focusing. Korra was in so much pain right now and it hurt Jinora’s heart to see her so downtrodden. The sun had just dipped below the horizon, but even the beautiful sunset she had watched did little to improve her mood.

But she was distracted from her thoughts when a glowing, golden cloud formed about thirty feet from her. And her jaw nearly hit the ground when two girls stepped out. They were both wearing black robes with gold trim, as well as tiaras that covered part of their foreheads and parts of their lower faces. But that was where the similarities ended. The shorter of the two looked to be just a bit older than Jinora, with dark brown hair, green eyes and a pretty face. She was carrying a simple travel pack.

But the taller girl was several years older and stunningly beautiful, with dark black hair and gold eyes. She too had a travel pack, but it was the giant bow and twin swords that she carried that set her apart from her companion. She looked dangerous.

Jinora’s heart jumped into her throat as she noticed the two girls watching her. She felt a little calmer when they both smiled at her. The taller one spoke first. “Greetings. My name is Mistress Asundra and my traveling companion is Disciple Navisi. It is a pleasure to meet you. By chance, would you be able to direct us to the Avatar?”

Jinora blinked in surprise. “I..I don’t know if I’m supposed to. You’re not supposed to be here. This is a private island and you were not invited here.”

“That is true and I apologize for our intrusion. We are on a spiritual journey to assist the Avatar and we were provided an unorthodox method of travel. Could you perhaps take us to an adult in charge or bring one to us if that’s your preference?”

She reviewed her options. She didn’t want to let these two out of sight, but she most certainly didn’t want to take the girl with all the weapons into the buildings. A plan formed in her head. “I will lead you to our main building, but you aren’t allowed to come inside until I call for the adults to come out. And could you set your weapons down; they are making me nervous.”

The older girl, Asundra, considered for a moment. “Those are reasonable requests.”

Jinora watched as Asundra set her hook swords on the ground and then removed the giant bow and the quiver of arrows and set them aside also. She turned back to Jinora. “Please lead us to where you wish for us to stand while you call for the adults.”

“Come with me.” And Jinora led them towards the main temple building. And then froze when Meelo came running out.

“Sis, you won’t believe what I just found, it…” Meelo stopped speaking when he spotted Asundra and Navisi. “Hey, who are you? What are you doing here? How did you get on my island? You better explain yourselves!”

Asundra smirked at Meelo’s outburst. “I certainly hope that this isn’t the adult that you were leading us to?”

“Meelo, go get the adults.” Jinora ordered. Meelo went to speak, but Jinora cut him off. “Get them now and tell them that we have uninvited guests.”

Meelo hesitated and glared at the two interlopers but then ran off to grab the others. Jinora turned back to watch her visitors.

“Are you related to Avatar Aang?” Asundra asked.

Jinora paused but then decided it couldn’t hurt to answer. “Yes. He is my grandfather.”

“May I ask who your grandmother is?”

“She is Master Katara of the Southern Water Tribe. Why are you asking these questions?”

“Just satisfying my curiosity. I mean no disrespect.” Asundra gave Jinora what seemed to be a friendly smile.

Jinora and her guests all turned to watch as the crowd of people came up the group. Father was the first to speak. “Jinora, please come back here and stand next to your mother while I discuss things with our guests.”

She walked back and stood next to mother as the group took up positions around Asundra and Navisi. Jinora saw about ten White Lotus guards form a larger ring around the group, although they stayed farther back. Navisi looked to be nervous, but Asundra gave off an air of amusement. Once they were surrounded, Father began to speak.

“Greetings. I am Master Tenzin, overseer of Air Temple Island. May I ask what business you have here?”

“Greetings, Master Tenzin. I am Mistress Asundra and this is Disciple Navisi. We have journeyed to your fine island as part of a spiritual mission to assist the Avatar.” Asundra asked, turning her head to look directly at Korra. It was a creepy look though, like she was trying to look inside of her. “It is a pleasure to meet you Avatar, although I wish it was under more pleasant circumstances. Please forgive my ignorance, but may I ask your name?”

Everyone just looked at her with confusion before Korra finally spoke. “I am Avatar Korra. How did you know that I’m the Avatar if you don’t know my name?”

“That is a long and complicated story, but suffice to say that I have spiritual techniques that allow me to see chi and auras and I could tell at a glance that you are the Avatar, even if your bending is currently blocked.” Asundra answered. And then the turned to look at Lin. “And I’m sorry to see that you also had your earthbending blocked.”

Everyone continued looking at her in confusion, but they all knew that she was right. Father finally broke the silence. “What is your spiritual mission? And how did you get to our island?”

“Second question first. I don’t know exactly how I got here. I stepped into a golden cloud where I was at and then stepped out of a golden cloud here. The young girl, who I assume is your daughter, can verify the cloud aspect of our arrival.”

All heads pivoted to look at Jinora. “Yes, I watched them step out of a glowing gold cloud.”

Asundra began speaking as soon as Jinora finished. “As for my spiritual mission, there are two things. First, I am supposed to help Avatar Korra regain her bending and learn to attain the Avatar state. The second part of my mission is to help the Avatar and her allies deal with a new threat that is coming. I’m not comfortable discussing this new threat with a large group, especially one that includes children. I will discuss it with a group of the Avatar’s choosing.”

“That is an intriguing offer, Mistress Asundra. May I ask what you’re a mistress of?”

“Disciple Navisi and I are members of the Order of the Arts Esoteric. We are both nonbenders that are able to wield our chi in advanced ways.”

“Well, Mistress Asundra, you have given us a lot to think about here. But how do we know that you aren’t part of the Equalists, trying to infiltrate our group?”

The two girls exchanged a glance and then Asundra spoke. “If you explain to us who the Equalists are, perhaps we can set you mind at ease. As you may have gathered, we aren’t from around here.”

Everyone just stared at her for a few moments before Lin spoke up. “The Equalists were a group of radicals that hated benders. They were led by a man named Amon. He claimed to be a nonbender but he was actually a waterbender. He’s the one who took our bending.”

“If the information I was given is correct, he used bloodbending to lock away your bending. If I was an Equalist, what would I have to gain by coming here? So long as the Avatar’s bending is blocked, her ability to influence affairs is limited. Killing her merely restarts the cycle with a new Avatar birth.” Asundra answered.

“You seem to be knowledgeable about some things but very ignorant of others. How did this come to be?” Lin asked.

“I was given some information regarding the situation by spirits, for lack of a better term, and was transported here to assist. Said spirits don’t like to share too much information. Don’t ask why not; that’s just how they are. I will be happy to discuss this with the group selected by the Avatar.”

“Why did you have so many weapons if you aren’t here to hurt anyone?” Jinora asked.

All heads swiveled back to Asundra. “Because the world is a dangerous place and I’m a dangerous person. I will not lie to you. With the Avatar’s bending blocked, I probably am now the most dangerous person in the world. And I relinquished my weapons at your behest, did I not?”

“Yes, you did.” Jinora admitted.

“Well, remember this.” Korra said, looking at Asundra. “Dangerous as you are, we have you surrounded and will take you down if need be.”

Asundra sighed and stared at Korra. “Listen, and listen well, because I don’t like repeating myself. I have come to offer my assistance. Accept or decline as you see fit, but that will be the last time you threaten me or my disciple.”

Jinora felt an icy chill creep up her spine. Without changing the pitch or timber, Asundra’s voice suddenly sounded terrifying.

“But my intent is not to threaten you. I sincerely wish to help you and the earthbending maiden over there recover your bending. And there is truly another threat coming that you will have to deal with. We are willing to conform to reasonable requests in the name of security.” Asundra responded.

“I think that a compromise can be arranged. If you could enlighten us about this new threat and how you intend to help Korra and Lin regain their bending, that would go a good way towards establishing your goodwill.” Father said, trying to reduce the tension of the group.

“Of course. As I said, I’m willing to comply with any reasonable requests.” Asundra looked to Korra, who was still staring back at her. “I understand your distrust and I know that it will take time before you and your allies trust us.”

“Pema, perhaps it would be best if you took the children out to the stables to assist the acolytes with their chores.” Father said, his eyes never leaving Asundra.

“Yes, I think that would be best.” Mother answered. “Come children, this excitement doesn’t mean that you get out of your chores.”

“Jinora, if you and your group could gather my weapons and keep them safe, I would greatly appreciate it. You don’t even have to tell me where you’re keeping them, so long as they are stored properly and securely.” Asundra said, looking at Jinora. “Thank you for your assistance.”

“Of course, Mistress Asundra. It was nice to meet you.” Jinora answered as she led Mother and her siblings towards the weapons that Asundra left back by her meditation rock.

Chapter Text

Korra watched the girls like an eagle-hawk. So far, the younger one hadn’t spoken a word, but the older one seemed like trouble. Before she had her bending taken, she might have been amused by the girl. But she didn’t have the luxury of being complacent now. She didn’t have her bending to protect her friends.

But another part of her desperately hoped that this girl truly was sent by the spirits to help her. She didn’t seem dishonest, but Korra had a hard time believing that this girl could help. Asundra seemed young and Navisi was barely more than a child.

Korra stewed in her thoughts as the group led Asundra and Navisi into the main living quarters where they would all be able to talk. Besides herself, Tenzin, Lin, Asami, Mako and Bolin were there with the two guests.

“Please have a seat while we discuss the information that you’ve shared with us.” Tenzin said once everyone was in the room.

“Thank you, Master Tenzin.” Asundra and Navisi took the two chairs on the right side of the room while everyone else spread out onto the remaining chairs and couches.

“So, you said that the spirits sent you. Who are these spirits and why did they send you?” Tenzin began.

“I said spirits, for lack of a better term. They are neither human nor spirit; they are beings from a different plane of existence. But they sent us because the new threat facing you could grow to a large enough proportion to completely overwhelm your world.” Asundra answered.

“And what is this threat?” Lin asked, going into cop mode. “And I’ll know if you’re lying.”

“Perhaps before your bending was taken, you could have monitored my heartrate, but not now. Please stop posturing.” Asundra answered, scowling at Lin. “But there is a bending thief on the loose. Unlike Amon, who could block bending, this new threat can actually steal someone’s bending. From there, they can use it themselves or gift it to another.”

Korra was flabbergasted. “There is no way such a thing can be done. You’re lying!” She all but shouted.

“I admit that I don’t understand how it is done, but I trust my source with my life. There are limits to the bending thief’s abilities. Only one copy of a bending type can be held at a time, and skin to skin contact must be made for the bending to be stolen.” Asundra explained, looking around at the group. “But the thief’s powers will multiply exponentially after Harmonic Convergence. This is why she must be stopped now.”

“You said she. Do you know the name of this person?” Lin asked. Korra didn’t think that she looked convinced but was following the lines of the interrogation.

“My source only mentioned that it was a girl that was born like Navisi and me. Our thief is a waterbender who’s bending never kindled. Somehow, she learned an ancient and forbidden technique for stealing another person’s bending.”

Korra just stared in shock. “What do you mean like you and Navisi? Are you saying that you were supposed to be benders?”

“Exactly. I was supposed to be a firebender and Navisi was supposed to be an earthbender.” Asundra answered calmly.

“How do we know that you aren’t looking for this thief so that she can give you bending?” Mako asked. That was actually a good question.

“Easy. I don’t want to be a bender. I was born with all the chi of a very powerful firebender, but since I never kindled, I can use this chi for the skills developed by my order. If I become a bender, my chi will be locked into firebending pathways and won’t be available for my other skills. There are millions of benders but only a few people like us. Bending would lessen me.”

“Are you saying that you’re better than benders?” Korra asked.

“Not at all. What I’m saying is that I’ve cultivated skills and abilities that I believe are best for me. I am very happy with who I am and I have no interest in changing. Benders and nonbenders alike should work to maximize what they’ve been given in life.” Asundra answered.

“How do we find this bending thief?” Tenzin asked.

“That is going to be the difficult part. I was told that the Avatar can develop the skills needed to track down the thief when her bending is returned. Until then, we will have to do old fashioned detective work.” Asundra looked at Tenzin. “I noticed a large city across the bay. Are there a lot of water tribe and waterbenders there?”

“Yes, Republic City has thousands of inhabitants of water tribe descent.”

“It may not just be water tribe. I’ve heard that there are pockets of other waterbenders around. For instance, the Foggy Bottom Tribe.” Asundra replied. “We can’t afford to narrow our focus too much. But Navisi and I may be able to tell if a bender is natural or stolen. It will be very easy if we see someone with more than one bending style.”

“You can tell a bender by looking at them?” Asami asked.

“Yes. Nonbenders too.” Asundra answered, staring back. She then began pointing to the members of the group. “Nonbender. Firebender. Earthbender. Airbender. And I’ve already told you two what your status is.”

“You said that I would be able to tell also?” Korra asked. She didn’t really want to, but she was starting to believe that this girl was telling the truth.

“Yes. I’m not sure how, but I’m guessing that your spiritual nature would allow you to sense that the bending is wrong. I don’t have the kind of spirit awareness that the Avatar has, but I know some aspects of these matters. Which is why I wish for us to work on unlocking your bending while we start looking for the bending thief using ordinary methods.”

“And how would you begin trying to unlock my bending?” Korra couldn’t help but ask.

“It’s complicated, but basically your chakras are blocked and the chi flow to the bending pathways is stopped. It will take time and some innovative techniques, but I believe that we can unblock your chakras with diligent effort. But it won’t be quick, and it will require a lot of work on your part.” Asundra said.

“No offense, but you claim to have all of these skills, but we’ve seen nothing but talk and bravado.” Bolin said, raising an eyebrow at Asundra. “We believe that you’ve got to put up or shut..eek!”

Bolin didn’t have a chance to finish the sentence as Asundra crossed the ten feet between them before anyone else could react and was now holding a knife to his chest. “You seem like a good enough fellow, and killing the Avatar’s friends probably won’t sway anyone to my cause, so I’ll allow you to live. But I have another trick up my sleeve.”

Everyone gasped as Asundra pulled the knife away from Bolin but then a bolt of cloth extended and wrapped around him, pulling him up off the chair and suspending him about four feet above the floor. “Those are just two of my skills. But I hope that it’s enough to show you that I have talent and that I can be a valuable ally.”

“That’s great but can you put my brother down, please.” Mako said, looking agitated.

“Since you asked nicely.” Bolin was gently returned to his chair. “Your parents must have been attractive to have two hunky sons like you. Got any other siblings, maybe one or two closer to my age?” Asundra asked, winking at Mako. “No offense, but you two are kinda old.”

“Old! I’m only sixteen!” Bolin shouts in outrage.

“Really?” Asundra all but purrs. “I bit older than I like but maybe I’ll give you a shot. You are a cutie.”

Korra has to hide a smirk as Tenzin looks like his head is about to explode. He kept his cool as he addressed Asundra. “Perhaps we can discuss dating arrangements at another time. You are offering to help Korra unblock her bending and to capture the bending thief you described. What do you get out of this?”

“That is also a long and complicated story, but suffice to say that Navisi and I get experience and a chance to learn new skills. We are also very interested in learning more about Air Nomad culture. The supernatural beings I am in contact with points out situations like this where my skills may be useful.”

“I have never heard of your sect; for all we know you are just charlatans masquerading as mystics.” Lin argued, looking Asundra straight in the eye. “How old are you?”

“I’m fourteen and Navisi is eleven. But my experience is far greater than my age belies. Navisi had been training since she was young also and will undoubtedly became a great mistress in time. And you don’t have to accept my help. I have no doubt that we’d find this bending thief all by ourselves sooner or later.” Asundra shrugged. “I’m happy to give you time to think about it, if you wish. But if you’re going to take time to consider, I’d like us to make our way into the city and get accommodations.”

“Actually, the last ferry will be coming soon.” Asami said.

Korra was torn. This girl seemed very confident and sure of herself, and those moves were fast and the cloth trick pretty cool. She decided to trust her gut. “I think we should accept her help and let her stay here on the island.”

Everyone, except for Asundra and Navisi, looked at her aghast. Asundra just gave her a wink and a cheeky smile. “I can tell that I’m going to like you, Korra. You’re a woman who trusts in herself.”

As she expected, the group went wild and the discussion became quite heated, with Korra feeling that her decision was more right as she went on, while Mako was her main opponent. Finally, Tenzin called a halt to the discussion.

“Mistress Asundra and Disciple Navisi are welcome to stay here at Air Temple Island; frankly, based on your ages, I feel very uncomfortable sending you into the city alone. But,” he looked at the two young woman, who stared back with neutral expressions on their faces. “You will follow the rules of the island and you will cause no problems for me or the other acolytes.”

“We accept your stipulations. What are your room rates?” Asundra asked.

Tenzin seemed taken aback by the question. “We are not a hotel. We are allowing you to stay as guests. If you are able to help Korra and Lin regain their bending, then it is more than a fair bargain.”

“Thank you for your gracious hospitality. We were serious about learning more of Air Nomad culture, so we are happy to help with any chores that you feel are suitable for us.” Asundra answered, giving Tenzin a bow of respect. “And I also would like to have access to my hook swords for my morning training, unless you have any practice swords I can work with. I will be happy to return them after my training.”

“We have wooden training swords. I’ll ask one of the acolytes to make them available to you.” Tenzin answered in a solemn voice.

“Thank you. I know that you don’t trust us yet and that there is no particular reason you should.” Asundra said. Then she turned to Korra. “I would like to begin trying a few techniques to gauge the extent of your blockage tomorrow, it that works with your schedule.”

“Yeah, that should be okay.” Korra had asked for this, so she was stuck going along with it. Asundra just smiled back at her.

“To do this right, I’ll need to set up a base of operations. I would also like to buy small blocks of metal that I would then engrave; I won’t really need a lot of space but if you have a really sturdy table that would be great. And if you have access to an engineer and/or metalsmith that would be awesome.”

Korra noticed Asami perk up at that request. “I’m an engineer. What sort of work are you planning?”

The cloths around Asundra’s arms unwound a little and started wiggling. “I’ll give a better description later, but I can create devices that can be manipulated with chi. Until we analyze Korra’s block in more detail and get more information about the bending thief, I don’t know exactly what kind of devices I can create to help us. But Navisi and I already have some ideas for items that might be useful.”

“Well, I have to admit that you seem like a talented young woman, Mistress Asundra. We will see about getting you space and materials as the situation unfolds.” Tenzin answered.

“I hope that you’re as good as you claim to be.” Korra answered. “You do seem like a pretty impressive person.”

“Oh, make no mistake about this, I am every bit as good as I claim to be.” Asundra said with a rather lascivious wink. Korra felt herself go a little bit red in the face.

Navisi contorted her body to work her core as she held herself in a two-finger handstand. Mistress Lista had always told her that a strong body assisted in the channeling of strong chi. When food had been scarce, she couldn’t train as hard as she would have liked. But now she was determined to become a model of peak physical performance like Azula.

Well, maybe not quite like Azula. Her mistress was an absolute beast of a physical specimen. The whirring of the wooden training blades roared across the quiet island. Navisi easily tuned it out. But she smiled to herself as she discreetly observed the island residents that were watching from their hiding spots.

Tenzin at least had the honesty to watch them out in the open, but his three kids were hiding in the bushes. They had snuck down and hidden themselves minutes after the whirring of Azula’s blades began. Navisi guessed that they were impressed by Azula’s workout.

The sun was almost completely above the horizon by the time Navisi and Azula had completed their morning routines. Navisi was stretching when she felt one of the hidden kids slowly moving towards her.

“You and your siblings can come out and speak with us, Jinora. We don’t mind questions about our training.” Navisi said, hoping to inspire a little good will towards herself and Azula. She caught the smile and wink that Azula gave her after her announcement.

Jinora came out first, with the other two following afterwards. “Good morning, Mistress Asundra and Disciple Navisi.” Jinora gave a slight bow.

“Good morning, Jinora.” Navisi answered. Azula had mentioned to her that the kids might be more inclined to approach Navisi since they were closer in age. “But you don’t have to use my title. Navisi is fine.”

“Oh, okay, Navisi. Do you do this every morning?” Jinora said as the three kids came and sat and the ground in front of her.

“Pretty much. Our training focuses a lot on the physical prowess of our bodies. Much like with bending, our techniques require our chi to be channeled through the body, so the stronger and more capable the body, the more effectively we can use our chi.” Navisi answered with a smile. “And I haven’t been formally introduced to your sister; I had the honor of meeting Meelo very briefly last night.”

“I’m Ikki! It’s nice to meet you. Your training is so cool. How long can you stand on your fingers? Why were you twisting so much? Doesn’t all the blood go to your brain?” Ikki started directing rapidfire questions at her.

“Two hours, to strengthen my core and improve balance, I can control my blood flow enough for it not to bother me.” Navisi answered quickly.

The three kids just stared at her for a few moments before Ikki started speaking again. “Can you teach us to stand on our fingers?”

“Maybe. I don’t know much about airbending but I’ve heard that you guys are really agile and light on your feet, so I bet that you already have good coordination and core strength.” Navisi smiled at how their faces lit up.

She felt Tenzin approaching. “Please don’t bother our guests while they’re training.”

“It’s alright, Master Tenzin. This is just the cooldown and stretching part of my routine. We’re willing to share information about our sect with those that our curious. We hope to learn more about airbending and Air Nomad ways, so it would be hypocritical not to be willing to share information about ourselves.” Navisi answered, giving Tenzin a smile.

“Well, it is good to know that you are open to the exchange of ideas. Do you meditate? We are preparing for our morning meditation session in about an hour and you are welcome to join us.”

“Yes, we do actually. I can’t speak for Mistress Asundra, but I am very interested in joining you.” Navisi looked over to Azula.

“I would love to join you as well. Although we should definitely clean up first; we worked up quite a sweat from our workouts.” Azula too smiled at Tenzin and the kids.

“Of course. Your workouts both appeared to be quite rigorous. I look forward to exchanging information about our groups.” Tenzin gave Azula a small nod of respect.

“As do we. But for now, Navisi and I should go get cleaned up.”

“Of course. We hold our morning meditation session at the veranda at the bluff overlooking the bay.” He pointed to the small structure in the distance.

“I look forward to meditating with you, Master Tenzin,” Navisi said as she stood and bowed.

Navisi and Azula washed in the area provided. Having running water was a luxury she could definitely get used to. They were cleaned up and ready to meditate in short order.

Navisi saw a bleary-eyed Korra making her way out to towards the veranda. She decided to be the one to greet her. “Good morning, Avatar Korra. Are you meditating with Tenzin and his kids too?”

Navisi’s smile widened as she Korra’s tired face turn to look at her. “Yeah. I love meditating in the morning.”

Navisi and Azula both laughed at her obvious lack of sincerity. Azula was the first to answer. “Well, meditation will be part of the training program that I’m going to put you on the unblock your bending. Maybe after breakfast we can do a more in-depth examination of your blockage.”

Korra just huffed. Navisi and Azula exchanged glances. They recognized how despondent Korra sounded. Navisi decided to cheer her up. “I know it seems like a dire situation, but I truly believe that we can help you. Your bending isn’t gone, just stored away.”

Korra looked at them with, well, Navisi wouldn’t call it hope, but something akin to it. “Well, you’re the first ones that I’ve talked to that seem to have any plan for helping me. I appreciate your willingness to help me solve this problem.”

“It’s our pleasure, Avatar. I’m not a bender, but I can empathize that it must be difficult to lose something like that.” Azula said, her voice more solemn than Navisi was used to hearing. “But even without bending, you can be a positive force in the world. You are more than your bending, Avatar.”

“Thank you, Mistress Asundra. I know that I’m not just my bending, but it is a big part of being the Avatar.”

They walked the last minute or so to the veranda in silence. Korra seemed introspective and Navisi didn’t want to intrude on her thoughts. Tenzin welcomed them as they entered.

“Welcome, everyone. Please take a meditation mat.” He gestured to the numerous mats set out in the veranda. Navisi and Azula took two spots in the second row, just behind Ikki and Jinora. Korra took a spot in the front at the end, next to Meelo.

“Mistress Asundra and Disciple Navisi, may I ask what form of meditation you practice?” Tenzin looked at Azula expectantly.

“I practice mindfulness techniques, as well as specialized meditations to improve cognition and emotional control. There is also an active chi manipulation meditation that I do on occasion.” Azula answered, turning to Navisi.

“I practice mindfulness meditation and a chi manipulation technique.” Navisi answered.

Tenzin raised his eyebrows. “You sound like you have a great deal of meditation experience. I would be interested in learning some of these techniques.”

“As Navisi mentioned earlier, we are very open with exchanging information and training techniques.” Azula smiled back at Tenzin.

“Very good then. I will be leading a mindfulness meditation technique today. I will be interested in learning how it compares with your methods.” And Tenzin began going through the process of clearing the mind and focusing attention on the inhalation and exhalation of each breath. Navisi found it very relaxing. This was very similar to the methods she had been taught by Mistress Lista.

The session went well, although Navisi could sense that Meelo had fallen asleep and Korra was fidgety and unable to focus. Given her troubles, it was understandable that she was having trouble being mindful. Although, Navisi guessed that mindfulness meditation didn’t come naturally to Korra. She seemed very much to be a more action-oriented person not given to a lot of introspection. The chi manipulation meditations would probably be more to her liking.

She would have to discuss this with Azula and get her thoughts on the matter.

Chapter Text

Korra didn’t really know what to expect when she agreed to be evaluated by Asundra and Navisi. Tenzin had agreed to allow them to use his private study for the evaluation. The two girls were wearing their tiaras; Korra found it really interesting that the one that Navisi wore looked like it cost a whole lot more than the one on Asundra’s head.

Korra was getting antsy and wanted to get the show started. “So how do you want to go about doing this? Do you need to poke or prod me with anything?”

Asundra smiled at her. “No, nothing like that. The basic concept is that we’re going to evaluate the state of your chi manipulation and the extent of your chakra blockage. Navisi has only been my apprentice for a few days, but the mistress that she had before me taught her a set of skills that are similar to mine but somewhat different. So, to start with, Navisi is going to try a few of her techniques while I observe. Based on what I see from her testing, I may try a few of my techniques while Navisi observes.”

Tenzin spoke up while Korra was considering this. “What are the differences in your approaches, if I may ask?”

“Navisi, why don’t you give an explanation of how our skills differ.” Asundra suggested.

“Of course, Mistress. Mistress Asundra is very adept at using chi to directly enhance her physical abilities; the chi is intertwined with the muscles and bones to improve her strength, speed and mobility. My skills act on myself and other objects externally. This means that I channel the chi to the point on my body and then I use it to affect the world. A demonstration may make things easier to understand.”

Korra watched as Navisi walked over to a small table next to a chair. The girl put a single finger on the tabletop and then proceeded to pull the table about six inches off the floor. She held it for a few seconds and then set it down.

“I used my chi to attach my finger to the table as I used my muscles to lift it. It is easier to act on outside objects, but I can use it on myself to a lesser degree also.” She closed her eyes and then levitated herself about two inches off the ground.

“That is astounding!” Tenzin exclaimed.

“Thank you. With practice I’ve learned to use my skills to enhance my physicality. So, for evaluating Korra, I can use my chi to test her abilities as Mistress Asundra watches. The very nature by which we control chi is different, so there may be a chance that one method is better for evaluating Korra than the other, but there is no way to know until we test it.” Navisi concluded.

“Our skills are different in the way that we use our chi to affect the world, but similar in the way that we use it to receive information. My cloth tentacles are difficult for Navisi to use with her chi manipulation techniques, but we are both able to use the jevaldas effectively. It is our hope to begin building augmentors that are more suited to her skillset. And these augmentors may be what’s needed to help you, Avatar.” Azula chimed in.

Korra felt her confidence in these two growing significantly. They seemed to have skills to back up their talk. “Okay, so how do we get started?”

Navisi and Asundra both grabbed a chair and put them face to face, separated by about eighteen inches. Navisi sat in one and gestured for Korra to sit in the other. Korra shrugged her shoulders and took a seat across from Navisi, their knees just touching.

Asundra reached into a bag and handed a metal cylinder to Navisi, which she held with two hands. “Alright, Avatar, here’s how I plan for this to work. This cylinder is a chi reservoir and I will gently circulate the chi from the reservoir between us, observing how it flows through your chakras and your chi pathways. Are you okay with that?”

“Well, I’m a little nervous. No offense but the two of you are children and I’m a bit worried that this is just a big hoax. That you’re just going to get my hopes up for them to come crashing down.” Korra felt her frustration pouring out, but she was helpless to stop it. “I hate this mumbo jumbo and I wish there was someone to punch in the face.”

Navisi just stared at her for a moment before speaking. “I won’t do anything that you’re not comfortable with. As for punching someone, I’m not a fighter by choice, but Mistress Asundra is probably the most dangerous nonbender to ever walk the face of Atla, so you can try to punch her in the face if you like.”

“Thanks, Navisi. Your concern about the health and wellbeing of your mistress is truly touching.” Asundra answered with an eye roll and a smirk.

Korra couldn’t help but grin a little at the interaction. “Alright, let’s see how this works.”

“Please grab my wrists. It may feel a little tingly as I push the chi through your chakras and pathways, but I promise that it won’t hurt you.” Navisi said. Korra hesitantly reached out and complied with the request.

As Navisi mentioned, she felt tingly. The tingle started out spread throughout her body, but slowly moved from the base of her spine and progressed upwards until it reached the crown of her head. Then the tingling spread across her body again. And then the tingling was gone.

“You can let go of my wrists now.” Navisi said to Korra and then turned to Asundra. “Did you see all of that?”

“Yes, I did. Navisi is exceptionally skilled and that was incredibly informative. I could see the blocks on each chakra and exactly which pathways were shut down.” Asundra said to Korra. “Excellent work, Navisi. There is no need for me to try my technique.”

“Thank you, Mistress.”

“Does that mean that you know how to fix it?” Korra asked hopefully.

“Yes and no.” Asundra answered, irritating Korra. “We can see the blockages and how to go about eliminating them. But the actual method to do it needs to be figured out.”

“What the hell does that mean?” Korra yelled.

“Korra, please calm down.” Tenzin said in an even voice.

“Think of it this way, Avatar. It’s like a knotted rope; we can see how the rope curls and twists to make the knot. We know where to pull on the rope to undo the knot. But right now, we can’t physically reach the rope to undo the knot. We need to figure out how to reach the blockages in your chakras.” Navisi said in a calm and soothing voice.

“This is where augmentors will probably be needed. As you mentioned, we’re young and we simply don’t have the knowledge yet to do this. But we have skills and a target; we know what to do and now we need time to figure out how to do it.” Asundra held her hands out in a placating fashion.

“Listen to them Korra. They seem to be very skilled, and I believe that they may be on the right track. They are the only ones that we’ve met that have a plan going forward.” Tenzin said, stepping up to Korra and putting a hand on her shoulder.

“Please give us a chance to help you. We need to train you in chi manipulation to assist us with this endeavor. I believe that we will need your help pulling on the rope to untie the knot.” Asundra put a hand on Korra’s other shoulder.

“You’re right, guys. I’m sorry for snapping at you. I’m just so tired of feeling helpless.” Korra answered in a small voice.

“We will help you solve this, Korra. I promise.” Asundra said.

“Thanks, Asundra. I appreciate you and Navisi trying to help me.”

Tenzin set them up on a spare table in one of the mechanical workrooms; it seemed study enough for the engraving that they needed to do. He was also able to provide them with a couple of old chalkboards for them to work with. With the help of a couple of acolytes, they had them hung on the wall in short order and they were ready to get to work.

“The first issue we need to resolve is how to safely have an augmentor directly interact with the chakras. I believe that we will need Korra’s help to unblock the chakras, but external manipulation will probably be required to get the correction started.” Azula said to Navisi. Her disciple looked thoughtful.

“In a way, it looks a lot like how I would go about manipulating an outside object using chi kinesis, but on a much more refined basis. I also have a technique for kinetically disrupting chi flow; could we refine that to be chi control instead?” Navisi answered.

“That is a damn good question. Let’s start by completing the mapping of the symbols you used to create the light sigils. Let me show you how to write out the pathways using symbolic logic. We can do a lot with just theory.”

Navisi was quite bright and caught on to the basics of the mapping process pretty quickly. It would take time to become fluent in the logic, but Azula had no doubt that her gifted disciple would get there. It was doubtful that either of them would ever become as skilled at the practice as Novae, but they could become good enough to solve a lot of problems.

They both lost track of time as they mapped out what they knew and designed experiments that might narrow down how the unknown symbols worked. They had managed to work out about twelve combinations that would provide a lot of information; a lot of the work was based on the earlier experiments done with Nova and Si Har on the Royal Barge.

“Alright, Mistress, I’ve transcribed the symbols, it’s okay to erase the board.” Azula erased the board for the fourth time that day. They had continuously filled both boards with new ideas and had to transcribe the information to paper occasionally so they could erase the boards and start over.

They both turned at the sound of someone clearing their throat behind them. They both turned to see Tenzin and Asami watching them. People had been coming and going all day, so she had not been paying attention to the identities of those that were around them.

“That looks like Pathway Architecture symbology. I had to learn about it in school. We use it to map out complicated circuits for our more advanced machinery.” Asami said as she walked down and examined the unerased chalk board.

Azula felt her smile threaten to break her face in half. “So this is known? That’s wonderful. Master Novae was a brilliant woman and I’m glad to see that her work is appreciated.”

“Yes, both her and Master Lo Ruon were brilliant. It’s a shame that their Mechanical Thinker was never completed. Her death when the White Lotus retook Ba Sing Se seemed to take the wind of Lo Ruon’s sails; their prototype was destroyed in the battle and he never seemed to have the will to continue the work.”

Azula could barely contain the fury she felt. It appears that the Order of the White Lotus were a bunch of fucking asslickers in this world too. She used her Mnaimonatic meditation technique to calm herself before speaking. “That is indeed a shame. Do you have any books on the subject that we could study? I have a working knowledge of the subject but I’m not as advanced as I would like to be.”

Asami gave a wide smile. “Two, actually. I would be happy to loan both of them to you. And you also mentioned that you were in need of an engineer. I am busy rebuilding the company that my asshole father nearly ran into the ground by supporting the Equalists, but I can provide raw materials and some technical assistance.”

“That would be wonderful. We have a series of experiments that we’d like to carry out to figure out some of the unknown symbols we’ve encountered. They appear to be related to Navisi’s branch of the Arts Esoteric.”

“I’m happy to help. Please let me know what you need and I’ll see what I can do.”

Azula was about to explain the experiment plan, but Tenzin jumped in first. “I’m very happy to see that you are making a plan, and the fact that Asami recognizes what you’re doing only impresses me further. But dinner is nearly ready and you are undoubtedly hungry since you missed lunch.”

Navisi’s stomach growled to put truth to Tenzin’s words. They had been so caught up with their work that they had forgotten to stop to eat.

“Of course, Master Tenzin. It’s inhumane of me to work my disciple through lunch. Thank you for inviting us to dinner.” Azula said, nodding to Tenzin.

“I understand. You two seem very focused and industrious. I’ll send people to make sure you don’t miss meals again. But please, let’s get cleaned up and have dinner.”

With that the four of them made their way out into the courtyard and began making their way back to the dining area. A question popped into Azula’s mind as they made their way. “What became of the Order of the White Lotus after they retook Ba Sing Se?”

Tenzin spoke up immediately. “They continued to work with my Father to help reestablish balance in the world. And then they helped identify Korra as the new Avatar and trained her. They still act as guards here. They are the ones in the blue and white uniforms with the white lotus symbol on their headbands.

“I see.” Was all Azula said. She gritted her teeth and kept her opinions to herself. These weren’t the same people that tried to capture her or killed Novae. But she still didn’t have to like them.

Korra watched as Asundra and Navisi entered the dining room alongside Tenzin and Asami. Tenzin seemed to be engrossed in a conversation with Navisi while Asundra and Asami were engaged in a very intense discussion.

“Navisi, would you like to come and sit with us?” Ikki said loudly, stopping both sets of conversations.

“I would love to, Ikki.” Navisi answered with a smile and went and sat with Pema and the kids. They all began their hyperactive talking while Pema just sat and observed with a contented smile on her face.

Tenzin, Asami and Asundra came at sat at the main table with Korra, Mako and Bolin. Korra greeted them as they got comfortable. “It’s good to see you again, Asundra. We worried that you had fled the island when you didn’t make it to lunch.”

“Yes, Tenzin scolded us for working through lunch. We got so involved in the mathematics of our work that we lost track of time. Tenzin has promised to send people to check on us if we miss any more meals. We know how stressful it would be for everyone if we expired from starvation on your island.” Asundra answered with a smile.

“Indeed, you and Navisi seem to be very dedicated.” Tenzin said, taking a sip of tea. “But balance in all things is for the best.”

“Well, I am very intrigued by the work you were doing. The symbolic architecture you were designing looks absolutely fascinating.” Asami said, beaming at Asundra.

“You seem very intelligent, so the fact that you recognized what we were doing makes me feel better about my progress. I may want your input for the physical designs of our augmentors; an engineer’s perspective may significantly improve our design.”

“You really like to flirt with everyone, don’t you Asundra? I thought we had something special last night.” Bolin joked, winking at Asundra.

“We do have something special. You can be my handsome boytoy. But that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate Asami’s intelligence and feminine beauty too. And you have to at least take me out for dinner and dancing before you start getting clingy.” Asundra joked back at him.

“Don’t worry, Asundra, I won’t get jealous if you appreciate Bolin’s manliness. I very secure with who I am.” Asami chimed in, giving Asundra a shoulder bump.

“As well you should be. Beauty and brains are a very enticing combination.” Asundra grinned as she returned Asami’s shoulder bump.

“You do realize she’s eighteen, right? I thought Bolin was already too old for you?” Mako chimed in, sounding a bit sour. Korra felt her own blood pressure rising. Was he seriously getting upset over a girl flirting with Asami? Was he still stuck on her?

Korra saw Asundra’s eyes flicking between Korra, Asami and Mako. “It’s all just in good fun, Mako. Bolin and Asami both seem like cool and interesting people, and I freely admit that I enjoy a little harmless flirting. But don’t worry, I know that Korra is off-limits; I promise not to steal her away from you.”

Mako looked to be getting mad but thankfully Tenzin spoke up to change the topic of conversation. “It certainly seems that you are talented young lady, Mistress Asundra. Can you tell us a little bit about your background and training?”

“Of course, Master Tenzin. I was trained in the ways of the Arts Esoteric by a Fire Priestess. I came from a wealthy family and my talents were recognized at a young age. Upon the passing of my mistress, I began traveling the world to learn and gain experience; it was only by chance that I happened upon Navisi. Her mistress had passed away and I was in a position to assist her, so we began traveling together.”

“You just said a bunch of words and told us nothing.” Mako replied, heat in his voice.

“I am a bit concerned that two girls your age are traveling unaccompanied,” Tenzin said, holding up a hand in appeasement. “I don’t mean to disparage your abilities, but you are very young.”

“I understand your concern, but I was cast out by my family for being a fire witch, as the superstitious heathens liked to call me. And I refuse to allow another person to ever hold dominion over me again. Friends and allies I appreciate. Overseers and guardians, I do not.” Asundra answered, all traces of good humor gone from her voice.

Tenzin sighed. “I traveled extensively with my father, and I’ve heard that term used derisively towards some women in the Fire Nation. I am sorry that this happened to you. I am friends with the Fire Lord; perhaps I could speak with her about your situation. Surely the Fire Nation would want to make sure that a talented young woman such as yourself is taken care of.”

“I appreciate the offer, but I am very content with the trajectory of my life. I travel, I learn, and I teach. The Fire Nation has nothing to offer me.”

“Of course, I don’t mean to pressure you.”

“I understand your concern, and I know that you mean well. But we don’t want any outside interference with our journey.”

“Of course. But can you tell us of the work you were doing today? Perhaps tone it down so that those of us that aren’t as mathematically inclined as Asami can understand.”

Asundra smiled, her good cheer seemingly reestablished. “I’d be happy to. Here’s our plan of attack.”

And Asundra spend the rest of the meal describing the devices she can build, their exploration into the symbols they discovered, and gave the outline for what kind of augmentors might be able to help Korra. It was a pleasant meal.

Lin had been called down to the interrogation room by Detective Yumga. His note had been cryptic but mentioned that it might be related to the Equalists. She took her cup of coffee with her as she entered the observation room.

“What have we got, Yumga?” The detective was a tall, stocky man that looked like he could lift a Satomobile without breaking a sweat. His imposing physique made many people underestimate his intelligence.

“This is Jo San, an enforcer for the Tremor Alley Triad. He was considered to be one of the strongest earthbenders in the criminal underworld.” Yumga answered, turning to look at Lin. “But he was found unconscious in an alley. Medics show up and it turns out that he’s fine, except for one thing. His bending is gone.”

Lin felt icewater fill her veins. Amon was dead. “Are you sure about this? What does he say happened?”

Yumga pressed the intercom button and spoke. “Have Jo San repeat the tale of his date with the girl?”

Lin watched through the glass. With the intercom on, she could hear what was being said.

“Jo San, if you want us to figure out what happened to you, we need every detail that you can remember. Let’s go over it one more time.” Pon, the detective interrogating Jo San, said.

“I don’t know how many times I gotta tell you this. There was this dame. Her face was pretty enough but damn she had boobs and legs for days. Well, I saw her at the Henfish Saloon, over on third. She was coy and played hard to get, but I could tell that she was into me. She kept giving me the look, ya know? You know what I mean by the look?” The jackass wriggled his eyebrows and then his smile disappeared.

“Well, I bought her a couple of drinks and things were going well, so I invited her back to my place. She agreed, of course, so we left the Henfish and began walking to my building. She held on to my arm as we walked. She was warm and smelled so good. It was dark and I saw her look around. I turned and looked too, just to see if there was someone following us. But there was no one in sight.”

“And then the next thing I know is that I’m in that shithole alley with a bunch of medics looking at me. And my bending was gone. Nothing there. It was like I never had it. That’s all that I remember.” Jo San shook his head. “I don’t know what she did to me, but if I ever find her, she’s gonna squeal real good.”

“What did she look like?” Pon cut him off.

“She had a dark complexion, really tanned. Probably water tribe since she had bright blue eyes. And like I said, okay face but a big rack and long legs. She was tall, maybe about five eight without heels. Long dark hair was tied back in a fancy braid. Not really much else to tell.”

“Thank you, Jo San. We’ll continue looking into this case.” Pon said.

Lin shut off the intercom and looked at Yumga. “Have we verified that he had his bending after Amon’s death?”

“Yes. He was arrested four days ago after a smalltime squabble with some shopkeepers over in the riverward. He smashed a glass window with an earthbent rock. Six witnesses attested to it.“

The pit in her stomach was making her feel nauseous. Those two girls had warned that a woman, possibly of water tribe descent, could steal quirks. And then this happens. Coincidence? Were the girls involved in this somehow? This girl was way taller than either of them, and Asundra had bright gold eyes while the young one had green eyes. The worst-case scenario was that they were telling the truth and a bending thief is on the prowl.

But this wasn’t enough to get panicked over. But she would make it a point to find this girl. The risk was too great not to take the warnings of Mistress Asundra and her young disciple seriously.

“This design is based on the mechanisms used by the metalbenders on the police force. I just increased the size of the binding mechanism to better fit the style of cloth that you like to use.” Asami explained to Azula as she strapped the mechanism onto her back.

Azula was pleasantly surprised at how quickly Asami had put together the new design; Azula had barely been able to finish engraving the augmentors when Asami had shown up with the prototype. Having tentacles mounted on her back will add extra mobility and versatility because it potentially frees up her hands for weapon use. It she can figure out how to make Navisi’s kinetic gauntlets work too, she could have a formidable combination. She has some ideas of how she’d like to make everything work together, but there is still a lot of work to do.

“Alright, Asundra, you’re ready to go! Let’s see how they work.” Asami said as they stepped out into the courtyard. Bolin had prepared an earthbending obstacle course. The augmentors for the back tentacles were pretty much the same as for her normal gauntlets so she pushed her chi into them.

The tentacles smoothly rolled out and she wiggled them about. The kids all oooohed and aaaaahed. She moved them around to get a feel for them, but it was actually really easy; they handled just like the normal ones on her gauntlets. She got a running start as she made her way towards the obstacle course.

She grabbed a dirt pillar and used it to pull herself into the air and alternated between tentacles as she swung around the course. It was the same sensation as her normal tentacles, so she decided to see if she could handle more.

Azula lowered herself to the ground and unwound her gauntlet tentacles also. It was a bit unwieldy at first, but with Bitok’s assistance, she felt comfortable with the coordination pretty quickly. Now for the real test. She used all four tentacles to push herself off the ground and remained stationary about eight feet in the air. Then she slowly used them to start walking. It took some practice but after about ten minutes she was able to gallop about as fast as an ostrichhorse could run.

One last test. While running, she lowered herself to the ground and then pushed off with the tentacles with as much power as she could generate. And promptly flew about sixty feet in the air. And she used all four tentacles to brace her landing. The jump and landing had been a bit jarring, but she’d get better with practice.

“Wow, Asundra. You really know how to use those!” Jinora yelled as she came running up to Azula with Navisi and the other kids in her wake.

“Thanks, Jinora. Asami’s wonderful engineering made them a breeze to use. After a few minutes of practice, they felt just like my normal tentacles.”

“I must say that your mobility is first rate with those. You are truly a remarkable person, Mistress Asundra.” Tenzin said, a small smile on his face.

“Thank you, Master Tenzin. I appreciate that.” Azula felt at peace with the world. She knew it wouldn’t last, but it was nice while it lasted.

Chapter Text

Navisi had never experienced anything like working with Azula and Asami. She couldn’t come everyday, but when she did, Asami’s knowledge of mathematics and engineering was marvelous and allowed them to advance so much more quickly than otherwise would have been possible. In three weeks, they progressed farther than Azula had projected for two months. Navisi had worked hard every single day, but the thrill of the chase made her feel so alive.

They had also began learning about airbending and the Air Nomad culture. Tenzin had allowed them to study the airbending scrolls that his father had created. Azula was using Bitok to memorize the scrolls and Jinora was actually able to demonstrate thirty-two of the thirty-six forms of mastery for them. They girl was a prodigy and would undoubtedly master the rest of the forms soon. Tenzin had promised to demonstrate the other four forms for them. Knowing that Azula had actually worked with Aang in her world made the study even more personal.

And they had also been given chores. They brushed and cared for the air bison, learned to cook vegetarian foods and memorized all the important festivals and celebrations of the Air Nomads. Navisi had absolutely no interest in becoming an Air Nomad, but it was still interesting to learn about their culture and beliefs.

But as fun as that was, today was the big day on the augmentor front. Gauntlets and kinesis stones. This combination, with some tweaking and experimentation, might be what is needed to unblock Korra’s charkras. Navisi couldn’t wait to see how they worked now that the engravings were completed.

The gauntlets, if they worked as designed, would allow Navisi to project her kinesis using the light sigils they had seen in the test back on her world. Azula said that they were similar to how magic was wielded by sorcerers she fought with against the Scourge. The kinesis stones would allow her to interact with the chakras of other people; they were calibrated to interact with the Air and Fire chakras.

Azula would be the test subject for the evaluations; her personal chi control was so strong that Navisi had very little chance of harming her even if things went horribly wrong. She was laying on the tabletop with the two kinesis stones situated just above stomach and heart, homes of the Fire and Air chakras. The only strange thing was that she had insisted on having banana and onion juice before she would allow Navisi to use the kinesis stones to affect her chi.

Navisi was set and the gauntlets were in place. “Are you ready, Mistress?”

“Yes, I am. Let’s see what your new augmentors can do, oh great apprentice of mine.” Azula said with a smile. Asami and Korra watched from the side of the table. Navisi could almost feel the anticipation in the air.

“Pushing my chi into the gauntlets.” Navisi guided her chi through the initial gates and checked all the connections. The flow was good, so she checked the gates. “Gates are unlocked. Moving to protocol checks.”

Navisi guided her chi to the modulator and regulator gates and slowed ramped up the power on the gauntlets. The potential increased until it reached the target setting. “Activating light sigils.”

She heard Asami and Korra gasp as the light rings formed around her wrists. She rotated the sigil configurations through the full rotation process. Everything was good. “Connecting to the kinesis stones.”

She rotated the sigil ring until she felt her chi extend to the stones on Azula’s chest. The sigils reflected her chi patterns, rather than causing them. They could be used to teach actions and spells to students just learning how to control their chi like she does. She felt the mechanisms of the stone and connected.

“I am now connected to the stones and I’m ready to synchronize the stones with your chakras. Please let me know if this is uncomfortable.” Navisi said.

“I’m not bashful about letting my feelings be known.” Azula responded, the smirk evident in her voice.

“That is very true. Synchronizing now.” The sigils rotated on her arms as she manipulated the configuration of the kinesis stones. It was like the augmentors were an extension of her. They just felt like a part of her being. It was incredible.

Navisi carefully modulated the kinesis stones until they aligned with Azula’s chakras. She was a bit surprised when Azula spoke. “I can feel the connection.”

“Me too, Mistress. I’m going to go through the chi manipulation exercise like we practiced.” Navisi began manipulating Azula’s chi, pushing it through the chakras and then spreading it through her body. She would increase the levels in Azula’s arms and then shift the chi to her eyes. It was all scripted. Finally, the exercise was done.

“I am disconnecting the stones from your chakras.” She easily decoupled the connection. “Connection to the stones is being severed and the gauntlets are deactivated.”

“That was incredible Navisi! I could feel you manipulating my chi. It was so smooth. You are very skilled at this.” Azula removed the stones from her chest and stomach and got off the table. Then to Navisi’s surprise, she pulled her in for a hug. “I want you to know that I’m very proud of you.”

Navisi couldn’t stop the wide grin that spread across her face. It made her feel so good to know that Azula appreciated her and valued what she was doing.

“I’m impressed with all that both of you have done.” Asami said, stepping forward with a smile.

“It looked super awesome! I know that you said it was too soon, but are you sure that you don’t want to try and unblock my chakras?” Korra asked, more than a little pleading in her voice.

“We need to review our results and refine the technique. And you need to continue practicing your chi manipulation.” Azula said, causing Korra to pout. “But I believe that Navisi can help you improve your manipulation skills with the kinesis stones. A little hands-on guidance should make your progress even more rapid.”

Korra’s smile wasn’t as heartfelt as Navisi would have liked, but they had to do this right to make it work. Korra needed to improve her chi skills to untie the knot blocking her chi.

“Asundra makes a good point, Korra. I can help you move up the timeline significantly.” Navisi gave Korra the widest smile she could.

“Thanks, Navisi. You guys are great. But what else can the gauntlets do?” Korra asked.

“I think I can use them to move things kinetically.” Navisi pushed her chi back into the gloves, causing the light sigils to appear again. She focused on the table and guided her chi through the pathways, causing the light sigils to swirl. The table glowed faintly and she was able to lift it about three inches of the ground before she lost her control and it fell back to the floor.

“Holy shit, that was awesome, Navisi!” Asami shouted. The four girls all giggled and crowed over how much progress had been made. Navisi loved this life.

“Come with us, Asundra! All work and no play makes Asundra a dull girl! You don’t want to be a dull girl, do you?” Korra pleaded.

“If she says she doesn’t want to go, you shouldn’t force her. She’s too young to hang out with us anyways.” Mako replied, scowling. Well, trying to scowl in order to cover up his smirk.

“Please, as if you old fuddy duddies could keep up with me when I start partying. What are you up to?” Azula asked. She was itching to get off the island and do something fun for once. All work and no play was making her a dull girl.

“Dinner at the new water tribe place on the riverfront. We’ll see after that.” Bolin said, grinning at her. “You know you want some of that sweet tuna-mackeral filet. It’s to die for.”

“One condition. Dancing afterwards.” Azula answered. She had saved the fucking multiverse; she deserved a night of dinner and dancing.

“You dance?” Mako asked skeptically.

“Of course, my fine stiff and wooden friend. Watch yourself or I’ll make sure Korra won’t be able to take her eyes off me.” Azula smirked as started shimmying and undulating, waving her arms sensually.

“Damn, girl. Save some for the dance floor or Bolin will be too hot and bothered to enjoy his favorite eleven water tribe dishes.” Asami said with a giggle.

“She might have a point, Mako. I’m not sure I’m going to be able to take my eyes of her. You had better up your dance game.” Korra laughed and grabbed Mako’s arm. He rolled his eyes at their banter.

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll admit that it looks like you know how to shake your assets. Dinner and dancing it is.” Mako said with a smile. “If half of what Korra and Asami says about the work you’ve doing is true, you’ve earned a night out.”

“Hell, yeah I have!” Azula answered. “Let me get changed and tell Navisi she’s on her own tonight.”

Navisi just grinned and told her that she’d earned the right to have a good time; just not too good a time. Azula laughed and got out the only outfit she had that was suitable for a night on the town. Asami had talked her and Navisi into buying some clothes for urban wear; they didn’t have to look like monks all the time. Azula was glad that Asami had been so persuasive.

The five chatted and talked as they rode the ferry over to Republic City. The night air was warm and comfortable to Azula. She enjoyed the nice breeze that came in from the south, and the lights of the city beckoned to her as the sun had finally dipped below the horizon.

Azula felt a little naked without her jevalda and cloth tenatacles. She didn’t need them, but they had almost become fashion accessories. But she didn’t want to stand out that much. Tonight was about fun and relaxation and just being one of the common folk. Azula had no intention of fading into anonymity, but she had to admit it was nice to be able to go out and about just as herself. No titles and no pressure.

“You know, Asundra, you better watch yourself. Mako and I are pretty famous probenders; lots of women may be throwing themselves at me, so try not to get too jealous.” Bolin said, his most charming smile on his face.

Azula just laughed and grabbed Asami by the arm. “If that happens, I’ll just have to throw myself onto Asami’s mercy so she can help me create a master plan to destroy the insolent boy who would scorn my affection. Your doom will be ensured. Bwahahaha!”

Everybody giggled at Azula’s melodrama as they made their way into the crowded restaurant. Normally, Azula hated being around this many people, but she decided to treat it like the Night of Tianokk. She doubted that she’d have that good a time, but she was determined to have fun.

She scrunched into the booth between Asami and Bolin, which wasn’t all that bad in her book. Mako and Bolin told some crazy stories about their wild and wooly youths, with each story becoming more and more unbelievable as the meal went on. The food was good, if a little bland by Fire Nation standards. But she felt a bit of nostalgia as she popped a couple pieces of whale blubber into her mouth. It still tasted rubbery, but it was flavored with memories of a simpler time.

“All right, let’s hit the Royal Decree dance club down by the wharf. It’s got a Fire Nation motif for our little monk.” Mako stated as they went out onto the street.

“Thanks, Mako. It’ll be nice to have a little flavor of home. Even if most of the people I knew there are asslickers.” Azula said, hoping that her smile took some off the edge off her mostly true observation.

Not enough of the edge, since their auras and laughs were a bit uncomfortable. Bolin finally broke the silence. “They’re supposed to have one of the best dance bands around.”

It was only about a fifteen-minute walk before they were at the club. Azula had to admit that it looked pretty stylish from the outside. They could hear the band playing from outside and Azula could already feel her body instinctually start moving to the beat.

Once they were inside, she didn’t even try to stop herself as she swayed and twirled as they made their way to a table. There were already a lot of dancers on the floor. Azula studied them to see what was popular; she didn’t want to stick out like a sore thumb by doing a grandma dance. The girls shimmied and shook in a faster and jerkier fashion than she preferred, but it certainly looked fun.

“Alright, ladies and gents, I’m hitting the dance floor. You’re welcome to come along if you think that you can keep up.” And with that declaration Azula made her way onto the floor and started to move to the music.

She danced alone to start with, but as expected, a short but muscular young man soon joined her and they gyrated to the music. She moved deeper into the crowd as a new song played and swayed with the masses. Girls, guys, couples. It didn’t matter to Azula. The contact and heat of the dances made her feel alive. It had been a long time since she had let loose like this.

Eventually, she ran into the others from her group. She danced with Mako first, and she had to admit the man had some decent moves. She danced with a short, stacked girl before she shimmied and shook her goods with Asami. The woman was a work of art. Bolin worked his way in, no doubt jealous after feeling the heat that her and Asami had generated on the dance floor.

After dancing with a few more locals, she came across Korra. Korra didn’t seem as comfortable on the dance floor, but Azula made sure to put on a show and encourage Korra to have fun with her. Korra loosened up a bit and was getting into it by the end.

Azula laughed as the song ended and grabbed Korra’s arm and dragged her back to the table. “We better take a break and get something to drink. Mako’s head might explode at the sensual sight of us dancing together two songs in a row.”

“Most of the guys and a few of the girls look like they’re going to combust watching you dance, girl.” Korra giggled as she drank from her bottle of something alcoholic. “I thought you monk types lived in monasteries and meditated for fun.”

Azula laughed. “Tenzin’s probably not a good example of this, but from the reading I’ve been doing, the Air Nomads were a pretty open and loving people, if you know what I mean.” Azula wiggled her eyebrows at Korra. “They were into pretty much anything that was consensual. I think that’s a pretty good philosophy.”

Korra laughed. “That is a good philosophy, but you’re right, Tenzin doesn’t really fit into that mold.”

“Look, it’s Princess Azula! Watch out, she’s gonna burn us!” A drunken female voice said from behind Korra. It took all of Azula’s Mnaimonatic training not to flinch.

“You’re not going to burn us, are you?” A drunken male voice said beside Azula. She turned to look at the couple. “You’ve aged pretty well.”

Azula’s eyes followed where he pointed. And there, on the wall in the corner of the room, was a copy of a fucking portrait of this world’s Azula wearing armor. She just looked mean.

“Please!” Azula shouted, drawing the attention of the crowds around her. “That spoiled princess only wishes she could dance like me.”

And she started to shimmy and shake and the drunk girl started dancing with her. Azula reveled in the attention as nearly every guy, and most of the women, in the area watched the two girls sway and gyrate. It felt great to be alive.

The night went on and Azula danced with any and all that would move to the music. She was dancing up close and personal with a freckled young woman with really short brown hair and emerald-green eyes when she saw Asami waving her over. She reluctantly left her little green-eyed beauty when the song ended and made her way back to the table.

Asami spoke up. “It’s getting late and some of us need to get up in the morning. Why don’t you crash at my place tonight; there aren’t any more ferries back to the island tonight.”

“You guys suck! You invite me out and then have to go home early. I told you that you fuddy duddies couldn’t keep up with me.” Azula teased. She put her hand on Asami’s bicep. “I’m just kidding. I’d love to crash at your place.”

“I’m honored you would come back to my place.” Asami said with a smile. “You could go home with just about anyone here that you wanted.”

“I know. But I’d still rather go home with you.” Azula gave Asami a wink that brought a blush to her cheeks and some interesting colors to her aura. She’d have to follow up on that later.

Soon enough they were outside. Asami flagged down a cab and Azula had to laugh as all five of them were crammed into a just barely big enough Satomobile. But it got them safely to Asami’s house.

And Azula had to admit that she was impressed. She knew that Asami came from money, but this house was something else. Soon enough they were all inside and ready to go their separate ways.

“I want to thank you guys for inviting me out. I had a great time tonight. It felt good to get out and socialize.” Azula said. And she meant it. This was the first time that she’d really gone out on the town for an evening of fun in a long time.

“You’re welcome, Asundra.” Korra said and then pulled her in for a hug. “You’ve been working really hard to help me. It’s the least we could do.”

And Azula slept well that night. For one evening, she had felt like a normal girl instead of a multiversal agent of the Great Spirits and the crazy-ass goddesses of chaos.

“We’ve got two more cases, Chief.” Yumga said, closing the door to Lin’s office after he stepped inside.

It was getting harder and harder to keep this under wraps. This was the eighth case. A girl of water tribe descent had been implicated in the first six, but they hadn’t been able to find hide nor hair of her.

“What have you got?” Lin gestured for Yumga to take a seat.

“Two probenders. They were partying when a dark-haired and leggy girl approached and enticed them to leave with her. A constable found them passed out near the bar they left. Assumed they were just drunk until they woke and started claiming they couldn’t bend.”

“Show me on the map.” They walked to the map that Lin kept on the wall to mark the spots where these events occurred. Each incident seemed random. Sometimes a day or two apart, and there was a ten-day gap until these two. Yumga marked the map; it was nowhere near the others.

Lin sighed. They had nothing to go on but the description of the girl. She appeared randomly and enticed horny young males. Never females, but that could be because her charms were less likely to succeed. Or maybe whatever she did doesn’t work on women. Or maybe it’s a sisterhood thing. There was no way to tell without facts.

“And the President would like to speak with you.” Yumga said, looking glum. Lin sighed even louder. With the dissolution of the United Republic Council, Raiko had been elected President and had shown no qualms about using his new power as he saw fit.

“Thanks, Yumga. I’ll phone over in just a minute. Give me all the details that you have first.” Which didn’t turn out to be much. Everything was as before. After getting the barebones details, Lin called the President’s office and was told to come straight over.

It was only a short walk over and she was seated in Raiko’s office less than a half an hour later. “Hello, Chief. Please have a seat. I must admit that I’m a bit concerned about whoever is blocking the bending of our citizens. Did these latest attacks shed any additional light on the situation?”

“No, Mr. President. It has been the same routine performed randomly across the city. A tall and attractive female, possibly of water tribe descent, entices young men to leave with her and then they wake up without being able to bend. We’ve been unable to identify the young woman.” Lin answered. She understood why people were getting rattled.

“It’s getting to the point where we won’t be able to keep this quiet much longer. Do we have any idea how the bending is being blocked? Is this a disciple of Amon?” Raiko asked.

“No, we don’t know how the bending is being blocked.” Lin said. “She may be a bloodbender like Amon.”

Raiko sighed. “Are you sure that you’re up for this, Lin? We can’t let this be personal for you. I’m going to ask for assistance from our allies. Without the Avatar, we need to bring in other experienced teams to help track this monster down.”

“I’m not compromised, Mr. President. I promise that I can do my job as effectively as ever. As for the Avatar, there are two mystics on Air Temple Island that believe they can unlock her bending, but it will take time.” Lin answered.

“Why wasn’t I made aware of this? Who are these people? How do you know they are trustworthy?” Raiko asked, getting to his feet.

“Tenzin trusts them and he says that they’ve diagnosed the issue and are making progress towards a solution. I was actually going to talk with them to see if they have any insight into this new perpetrator.” Lin didn’t feel bad about this lie in the slightest. It was time to talk to them.

“If they can be of help in the investigation, that would be appreciated. But I’m still calling upon our allies to see what assistance they can provide. We don’t need another Amon getting the people riled up again.”

“Of course, Mr. President.” Lin dutifully answered. It was time to check in on the underage mystics.

Azula watched as Navisi guided Korra through the chi manipulation exercises. And as Azula predicted, the kinesis stones had dramatically improved Korra’s ability to manipulate her own chi. Navisi was a very good teacher; she got a little flustered sometimes when Korra got cranky, but she was shaping up to be a wonderful guide.

It would probably only be a couple more days before they would be ready to seriously attempt to unblock Korra’s bending. The chi manipulation skills would also help Korra with her bending once it was returned.

Azula detected the incoming pair long before it reached the workroom. Tenzin and Lin. Maybe there had finally been a report of bending theft. She was surprised it had taken this long. But maybe OrkaHaalu had actually placed them ahead of the event in order to give them a chance to prepare. And prepare they had.

“Tenzin and Lin are approaching. I’ll meet them outside so that it doesn’t interrupt your session unless they need to speak to you, Korra.”

“No problem, Asundra. I’m getting pretty good at this.” Azula couldn’t help but return Korra’s beaming smile. She was a moody person, given to wearing her heart on her sleeve. But she had a good soul and would be a great Avatar someday.

Azula was closing the door behind her as Tenzin and Lin approached. “Korra and Navisi are in the middle of a chi manipulation training session. We can interrupt them if need be, but I thought I’d see what was up before disturbing them.”

“Actually, I’m here to talk to you. There have been cases of bending gone missing.” Lin said, looking rather grim.

“I warned you that this would happen. I’m surprised it took this long but hopefully we can figure out how to track this girl down.” Azula didn’t miss how Lin’s aura changed. Regret? Shame? “Shit. This didn’t just happen, did it? You’ve kept me out of the loop. How long?” Azula used her training to keep her anger under control.

Lin sighed and looked down as she spoke. “The first was a couple of days after you arrived here at Air Temple Island. But we don’t know if it’s bending theft or blockage.”

“Navisi and I could have told you that at a glance.” Azula let a bit of her anger flow into her voice. She can’t help these people if they don’t give her the opportunity.

“Alright, I messed up. I admit it. Would you be willing to come in and help us work the case? You can examine the two young men that showed up this morning without their bending.”

“Of course.” Azula turned to Tenzin. “I may need to cut back on the chores we do here at the island.”

“That’s not a problem, Asundra. You and Navisi have been wonderful guests. This case is important and it sounds like your skills may be very useful to the investigation.” Tenzin replied.

“Thank you for your understanding.” Azula then addressed Lin. “Korra’s session will be done in just a few minutes and then we’ll change into our formal robes and provide our assistance with the investigation.”

“Your formal robes?” Lin asked, looking perplexed.

“Those robes represent our order. I will not hide who we are.”

“Of course, Asundra. You and Navisi are fine representatives of your order and they do provide you with some gravitas. Not to be offensive, but your youth may cause some people not to take you seriously. I would like to attend as well.” Tenzin added.

“Precisely.” Azula agreed. She felt the kinesis stones being disconnected. “Navisi and Korra and finishing up. Let’s go fill them in.”

The three of them entered the workshop and explained the situation to Korra and Navisi. Korra wanted to join them; she was still the Avatar and should be involved with these kinds of threats. Lin agreed and soon enough everyone was changed and on the ferry into Republic City.

Navisi marveled at the city every time she came here. It was nothing like the Ba Sing Se she had grown up in. She had seen the tall buildings from Air Temple Island, but they were spectacular up close. And the layout was so open and the streets were all paved. And the Satomobiles! It was always marvelous seeing them in action.

Azula seemingly paid no attention to the surroundings besides getting the lay of the land; from the story she told of staying in Shangri La, this technology must seem backwards and primitive. But Navisi thought it was fabulous.

What wasn’t fabulous were the two men sitting in the room talking with the officers. Navisi would have assumed that they were just normal nonbenders had they not been pointed out as the victims of the bending thief. And it was theft. Navisi could see the bending pathways in Korra and Lin; they were still benders but the ability to use it had been blocked. It was like comparing paralysis to amputation. These two simply weren’t benders anymore. The glance she shared with Azula told Navisi that she had come to the same conclusion.

Afterwards, they were escorted to a meeting room where a map of the city was hanging on the wall, with seven pushpins marking locations. Navisi wasn’t familiar with the physical layout of the city, so the locations meant nothing to her. They were ushered to their seats as a large, blocky man with dark brown hair walked in.

“Everyone, this is detective Yumga, he’s been working closely with me on this case.” Lin said as way of introduction. “Detective, this is Master Tenzin, Avatar Korra, Mistress Asundra and Disciple Navisi.”

Navisi caught the way Yumga’s eyebrows rose as she and Azula were introduced, but he was polite enough not to say anything.

“Mistress Asundra and Disciple Navisi are members of the Order of the Arts Esoteric and have unique skills that may be of assistance in your investigation.” Tenzin chimed in. Navisi liked Tenzin. He was stern and serious, but he was a really good and nice person.

“So, Asundra, what can you tell us about the two victims that you just observed?”

“Their bending is gone, not blocked. It is as if they were never benders at all. Their situation is totally different than yours or the Avatars.” Azula said, looking around at the assembled group. “I have heard from the spirits, for lack of a better word, about people with the ability to do this. A bending thief. Someone who can take bending from others, use it themselves or gift it to other people to use.”

Yumga just stared at Navisi for a few moments. “The fact that you have Master Tenzin and Avatar Korra vouching for you means that you are trustworthy, but that is a difficult thing to believe.”

“I understand, Detective Yumga, and there’s no proof to back up our claims. Yet. But Disciple Navisi and I have unusual skills and we may be able detect the person that can steal bending if we are in range when she uses her skills. I propose that we join patrols and observation groups in the areas where another attack might happen at a suitable time.” Azula suggested. “Looking at the map, it appears that the assailant doesn’t strike close to the location of the previous targets. We probably can’t narrow it down to a specific street, but surely there are some areas more likely to be targeted next.”

Yumga glanced at Lin, who nodded to him. He sighed and began speaking. “We’ve picked out four areas that may well be the assailants next hunting ground.”

“Well, I recommend that Navisi and I each join a surveillance team and roam through the areas in question.”

“We have teams in place and surveilling these areas, so it doesn’t hurt to have them tag along.” Lin said.

Yumga shrugged. “Welcome to the team, I guess.”

Navisi decided to chime in. “Do I get a badge?”

This was the third night of surveillance and everything as still quiet. Lin glanced at the young girl meditating on the seat in the back of the car. And a smile came to her face as she spotted the badge the girl loved to wear.

So far, Asundra and Navisi hadn’t spotted anything unusual. If the victims were indistinguishable from nonbenders, there was a chance that anyone gifted bending would essentially be indistinguishable from other benders. But it was a hypothesis that needed testing.

“Pull over the Satomobilie! I just detected someone with both waterbending and earthbending chi.” Navisi said, her eyes wide as she stared into a building.

“Are you sure?” Lin asked as the driver did as Navisi commanded.

“Yes, second floor of that building, towards the back. There are two other people inside, an earthbender and a nonbender. All three are male.” Navisi kept watching the building.

“We have to make sure they don’t get away.” Lin suggested. But Navisi distracted her from her thoughts.

“I’ve locked onto his chi; I can now track him for nearly a click before he’s out of range. I can lock onto two people at a time this way. Mistress Asundra can track about six like that. These people might be able to lead us to the assailant.”

Lin considered. This was the first break they’ve had. If the girl was right, and there was no reason to believe that she wasn’t, then these people weren’t the assailant but might be in contact with her. She made her call.

“Alright, we’ll set up a perimeter and monitor who makes contact with these three. Maybe the assailant comes to them or they go to her.”

“I’ll monitor the chi everyone approaching the building and let you know if I detect anything unusual.” Navisi answered, settling back into the lotus position.

The girl seemed very bright and had useful skills. Perhaps Lin could convince her to continue wearing the badge in the future.

Chapter Text

Korra was excited; she was getting really good at manipulating her chi. Today was the day they were going to try and unblock her chakras. Tenzin and Asami watched from the corner while Asundra sat much closer to the table, so that she could intervene if necessary. She said it was just a precaution.

Korra laid on the table with the two stones above her Fire and Air chakras. Navisi was on the stool next to her; she would be working in conjunction with Korra to try and untie the knots, as they described the process.

“Are you ready, Avatar?” Asundra asked.

“Absolutely. I’ve been waiting for this day.” Korra exclaimed. She couldn’t help but be excited.

“Well, don’t be too disappointed if this doesn’t work. It’s a complicated procedure and it may take more than one try.” Navisi warned her. The two girls had tried to get Korra not to get her hopes up, but she wanted it so bad that she could taste it. She was tired of being a failure.

“Let’s begin.” Navisi said as the light rings formed around her wrists and began rotating. Korra was used to it now. Just as she was used to the sensation of the stones connecting to her chi. Asundra stared at her with that creepy gaze of hers; Korra still wasn’t quite used to that. It made her feel naked and exposed.

“Let’s begin the exercise. Carefully push the chi through the chakras and try to engage the blocked paths.” Asundra said. She would be the guide for this exercise, allowing Korra and Navisi to spend their energy following through on her instructions.

Korra pushed her chi while Navisi simultaneously pulled it. The key was going to be connecting with the blockage; from there they would be able to work the knot free. Once one knot was untangled, it should pull all the others free.

Again and again, they pulled on the blockage of the Light chakra; Asundra said that was where the primary blockage was formed. It was at the forehead, which is where Amon had put his thumb and knuckles when he took her bending.

And she could feel it; she was so close. Again and again, they tried to pull on the thread to unravel the knot, but it just kept slipping out of her grasp.

“Calm down, Korra, your control is getting wild, you’re going to tighten the knot if you keep doing this.” Asundra said.

No, Korra didn’t accept that. She had to keep trying. But then she felt Navisi opposing her, blocking her from pushing.

“You have to let me do this!” Korra screamed as she sat up. She felt Navisi hastily disconnect the stones and stumble from her chair and fall to her knees.

Asundra ran to Navisi and caught her as she started to slump over. Asundra held her for a few moments before Navisi finally spoke. “I’m ok, Asundra. It just really hurt.”

And Korra understood what happened. They were connected through the stones and the rapid disconnection must have really messed with Navisi’s chi.

“I’m sorry, Navisi. I shouldn’t have done that.” Korra said as she got off the table and went to Navisi.

“Stop.” Asundra’s voice froze Korra in place. It felt like icewater was flowing down her spine. “We offered to guide you and help you regain what was lost. But I will not tolerate you acting like an entitled brat and risking the health and safety of my disciple. Do something like this again and our offer of assistance will be forever withdrawn.”

“I…I’m sorry, Asundra. I shouldn’t have done that. I’m really sorry, Navisi.” Korra stuttered.

“It’s alright, Korra. I know how much this means to you.” Navisi answered, slowly getting to her feet.

Korra saw Asundra take a deep breath. “I know also, Korra. But I stand by my statement; heed our orders or our assistance is withdrawn.”

“You’re right, Asundra. I really am sorry.” Korra felt so small. She was still a failure and had hurt her young friend who was trying to help her.

Which is why she was surprised when her young friend proceeded to give her a hug. “I know your frustrated, Korra. But we’re close.”

“Yes, Korra, we’re almost there.” Asundra said as she too pulled Korra in for a hug.

“Thanks, guys.” Korra was angry with herself for losing control. But she would keep trying until she got it right.

“It’s good to see you, Izumi. I was surprised to hear that you were coming in person to hear about our case.” Lin said, smiling at her friend. Izumi gave a small smile back. She was never a very demonstrative person, so this was a big deal for Lin.

“This is something that could affect the entire balance of the Republic and possibly beyond. I would like to hear what we’re dealing with and how this might play out in the bigger picture. The world has grown more unsettled over the past few years and I’m worried that this actor could have a political agenda.” Izumi answered.

“As of right now, we know nearly nothing of the thief’s political aspirations. We’ve been tracking the comings and goings of one person with dual bending, but so far, it’s been more of a professional convention than a criminal organization.”

Izumi frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Nearly everyone that the dual bender interacts with is a professional with some sort of advanced or specialized training. Several doctors, engineers, architects, and such. Otherwise, no real connections.” Lin answered with a shrug. “We haven’t even found a person with any sort of criminal record. They’re all pretty clean. Except that many of them were previously nonbenders but now are benders. As determined by our underage mystic consultants.”

“I had heard that there were mystics helping the Avatar regain her bending, but I didn’t realize that they were underage. Are you sure that they can be trusted to help with this case?” Izumi gave Lin a discerning look. “I don’t mean to be insensitive, but are you perhaps hoping that they can help the Avatar, and by extension you, regain your bending?”

Lin sighed. “I do hope that they can help me, but Tenzin and Korra both trust the two and they are very impressive kids. I promise you that I’m not compromised.”

“I believe you, Lin. But this seems like far too important a matter to leave to children. May I at least meet them?”

“I don’t see why not. They should be coming in for stakeout work in about an hour. Mistress Asundra is from the Fire Nation; Tenzin told me that she was trained by a Fire Priestess and that she was kicked out by her family for being a fire witch. Disciple Navisi is the one who identified the dual bender, and Asundra independently identified him too.”

Izumi pinched her nose and let out a long breath. “I swear that the uneducated and misinformed fools of my country caused me to go gray before my time. If she is as talented as you say, perhaps I can entice her to return to the Fire Nation.”

“Perhaps, but she seems like the independent type. But here’s the breakdown of what we know and how we know it.” Lin proceeded to go through the cases and review how the mystic girls had detected the dual bender and the comings and goings of the group after that. Then she walked Izumi through the chart of nonbenders who became benders and how it matches up with the stolen bending. There were still two stolen bendings unaccounted for.

Lin was just finished going through the stakeout plans for the night and Izumi was reviewing the map on the wall of Lin’s office while sipping coffee when Lin heard Korra’s loud and boisterous voice.

“It looks like Korra and the mystics are here. Are you still interested in meeting them?” Lin asked with a smile.

Izumi just smirked back. “I’ve come this far. It seems a shame not to meet one of my esteemed countrywomen and her disciple.”

Lin opened the door for Izumi and they made their way out to the group who were already getting the lowdown from Yumga. Asundra had her back to Lin and Izumi, looking at some documents on Yumga’s desk. Tenzin’s face lit up when he recognized Lin’s guest.

“Izumi, it is great to see you! I didn’t realize that you were coming to visit.” Tenzin exclaimed.

“It’s good to see you too, Tenzin. I’ve heard you have some talented young people staying on your island.” Izumi answered, giving a small smile to the group.

Everyone turned their attention from Yumga’s desk to look at the new arrival. And Lin would have had to be deaf not to hear the gasp from Izumi.

Asundra sighed. “I’ve been told that my resemblance to my grandmother is quite striking.”

Everyone was silent for a few beats before Tenzin asked the question on everyone’s mind. “Your grandmother?”

“Yes, my grandmother, the former princess Azula of the Fire Nation. Daughter of Ozai and Ursa. Wielder of the blue flame. Insane sister of Zuko. Need I go on?”

Tenzin’s face became red. “Why did you hide this from me? What are you trying to pull here? I trusted you and this is how you repay me?”

“What did I hide Tenzin? And what difference does it make? I’m not a firebender. I’m not insane. I’ve done nothing to harm you or your wards. All that I ask for is to be judged by my deeds, not my heritage. If you can’t accept that, then I’ll move my stuff off of Air Temple Island tonight.” Asundra answered calmly.

“Let’s not do anything hasty,” Korra interjected, putting her hand on Tenzin’s arm. “She’s right, Tenzin. She’s done nothing but try to help me and hunt down the bending thief. We’d have almost nothing without the help of Asundra and Navisi.”

“Father has spent years searching for Azula. How did she evade him?” Izumi asked, still looking uncomfortable to Lin’s eye.

“I mean no disrespect, Lord Izumi, but I am not going to share any information about my family’s history. Your father won. He became Fire Lord. Let the past go.” Asundra answered, staring Izumi straight in the eyes.

“I don’t accept that.” Izumi answered.

“I don’t care what you accept. This is how it’s going to work. If Republic City wants my continued involvement in finding the bending thief and helping Korra regain her bending, then you will not probe into my family history. As I said, your family gets to rule the Fire Nation and mine does not. These conditions are not negotiable.”

“Who do you think you are to speak to me like that? I am the Fire Lord, and as a citizen of my nation I demand your respect.” Izumi answered, anger in her voice.

“Citizen? Where did you hear that? Show me the records saying that I’m one of your people.” Asundra smiled malevolently. “Who I am is Mistress Asundra of the Order of the Arts Esoteric and I am beholden to no nation. I am here to complete my mission and then I will move on. Nothing more, nothing less. That is all that I have to say on the matter. Navisi and I will wait outside while the four of you decide whether or not you want our help.”

And with that, Asundra and Navisi turned and walked out the door. Yumga, who had been standing off to the side trying to blend into the woodwork, muttered something about evidence and made a break for it too. Lin didn’t blame him one bit.

Lin didn’t know what to think. The Chief had told her tales about Azula and of course she’d heard the wild and wacky stories that all the old timers told about their adventures, but she had a hard time getting worked up over the fact that the girl’s grandmother was Azula. If Azula had been Lin’s grandma, she probably wouldn’t tell anyone either.

Korra was the first to speak up. “Who cares if her grandmother is Azula. She’s really smart and skilled and willing to help us. Why are you people making such a big deal about this?”

“Because Azula was a monster, and I don’t feel safe having her family popping up to interfere in important issues like this. She might even be setting this up to gain popularity and support.” Izumi responded in a heated voice.

“I agree that Azula sounded like a terrible person, but Asundra is not Azula. And Korra’s right; she’s been nothing but helpful. It was wrong to snap at her the way I did.” Tenzin answered, looking a bit downcast.

“I prefer that she doesn’t have anything to do with the case or with Korra.” Izumi responded with a glare. “She’s just another wildcard that we don’t need to deal with right now.”

“You mean that you’re afraid that she’s going to challenge for your title?” Korra hissed. “You don’t know the first thing about Asundra; all you care about is your precious title and what this means for you. You don’t get to tell me who to associate with.”

Lin jumped in before Izumi could retort. “Korra makes a fine point. You’ve branded Asundra as dangerous without knowing what the girl has done for us. That’s not fair and you know it, Izumi. Like she said, let the past go.”

Izumi glared at the three before Tenzin spoke in a calm and soothing voice. “Izumi, at least speak with Asundra and see what she offers us. Your grandfather was Fire Lord Ozai, someone who was by all accounts an even greater monster than Azula. Is it fair to judge you by your relation to him?”

Lin could tell that Izumi wanted to say more, but that last bit took most of the wind out of her sails. “Fine. You’re right; it was a bit harsh to judge her by her grandmother.”

“I’ll go out and retrieve the girls so that we can have a calm and rational discussion. Is that acceptable?” Lin asked, making her way to the door.

“Yes, that’s fair.” Was Izumi’s quiet response.

Lin made her way outside and found the girls sitting on the steps in the lotus position. Apparently their young, bony asses didn’t have any trouble sitting on concrete for extended periods of time.

“Alright, we got Izumi to calm down and agree to speak with you rationally and calmly.” Lin told the girls.

Both their eyes popped open and Asundra spoke. “Excellent. Let’s get this meeting going so we can work out our schedules for this evening.”

“Great. Can you at least try to be a little respectful towards her?” Lin asked.

Asundra just smiled. “The night is too young to make promises like that.”

Korra watched as Lin and the two girls entered the main room and started heading towards her office. Lin addressed the group as she continued walking. “Let’s have this discussion in a little more private setting than before.”

Everyone followed her lead and made their way into Lin’s office. Asundra and Navisi stood off to the side while Lin took the chair behind her desk. Korra, Tenzin and Izumi each took one of the guest chairs.

Izumi was the first to speak. “I would like to apologize for my heavy-handed approach earlier. It was unfair to judge you based on your grandmother. As Tenzin pointed out, Ozai was my grandfather and I’d rather not be judged based on his record.”

Asundra gave a small smile. “I accept your apology. I understand that my appearance out of the blue was probably a bit of a shock. But for what it’s worth, I’ve never met my grandmother and I have absolutely no idea what became of her. I no longer have a relationship with my parents and, as far as I know, my mother was Azula’s only child and I’m her only child. There aren’t any usurpers in my family tree looking to vie for your title.”

“Well, that is good to know. Lin said that you were cast out by your family for being a fire witch?” Izumi asked.

“Yes, but that is neither here nor there. As I’ve discussed with Tenzin before, I have no interest in any type of guardianship. Navisi and I wish to remain free to come and go as we please. But that is all that I have to say about my family. Do you wish to continue receiving our aid in searching for the bending thief and helping Korra regain her bending?”

“Yes, we do.” Korra answered. She wasn’t going to let these people chase Asundra and Navisi away. They were so close to a breakthrough with Korra’s bending.

“Then perhaps it would be best if we remained on task.” Asundra answered with a smile and a wink at Korra.

“That’s probably for the best. Here’s tonight’s plan.” And Lin proceeded to go over the patrol routes and assignments. It was a professional discussion and everyone was on board.

But Korra had a feeling that this wasn’t the last discussion that they’d be having about Asundra’s past.

It had been two days since the Fire Lord had strolled into town and upset the balance that Azula had created. Azula had hoped to never need the granddaughter lie. But this was her life.

And now she was certain Izumi was up to something. Azula just didn’t know what. There didn’t seem to be any actual malice, just a lot of distrust. Azula could live with that.

Azula was in the Satomobile with Yumga and Officer Hu Von doing their evening patrols. They had just turned into the Shakkur district when she felt something odd. A brief and unnatural surge. It had only been for a moment.

“I just felt something.” Azula announced to the pair she was with. “But I need to hurry and find it. I’m going by tentacle.”

Azula was out of the car before the pair could even say anything. Her tentacles were unfurled and she was racing through the streets, swinging above the gawking people and slow moving Satomobiles stuck in traffic below as she searched for the sense of unnaturalness that she had detected.

But there were too many people around and nothing stood out as unnatural. But then she felt it. It was like an aftershock. It was fading but she headed towards the source.

She found the man laying unconscious in an alley behind a bar; she could hear the loud band and smell the alcohol wafting out of the place. Her landing was soft and she quickly checked him over. No signs of violence. But it was his chi that set her teeth on edge. It was like watching the ripples on a pond fade into nothingness. His waterbending chi was gone and she was just seeing the remnants.

Azula went to the back door of the bar and pounded on it until someone answered. He looked angry but a few select words infused with chi and he agreed to call the police and an ambulance. Not that either of those would help.

The remnants were gone and it was like he had never been a bender at all.

Navisi, Jinora and Korra were sitting on the veranda, going through some chi manipulation meditations. It turns out that Jinora was a very spiritually attuned person and took to the chi manipulation meditations with ease.

She was already better at it than Korra, although they had both agreed not to tell Korra that. Korra was brash and brazen in many ways, but she was surprisingly vulnerable to self-doubt about her spiritual abilities and her perceived ‘failure’ as an Avatar.

But as she watched Korra pulling at the knot blocking her chi, she knew that she was close. She would discuss it with Azula tonight and recommend another dual session tomorrow to help Korra untie the knot. It would be a welcome distraction from the stress that Izumi was causing everyone.

She was polite enough, but she was always tense around Azula and Navisi. Her aura was filled with distrust. Navisi felt bad for her mistress; no matter how much good she does, even being associated with Azula seems to be enough for people to dislike her. At least it wasn’t out and out fear and hatred. A powerful adversary like the Fire Lord was something to be avoided.

Eventually, the chi manipulation meditations were done and the three girls made their way inside in good spirits. Spirits would have been even higher if Azula had just been a little closer last night when the bending thief struck. It was painful knowing that she had just missed out on taking the thief captive.

Because Navisi had no doubt that if she had found the thief, no amount of bending would have been enough to free her from Azula’s grasp. Even had she escaped the initial encounter, it would be nearly impossible to evade Azula’s tracking afterwards.

But now they were on their way to have dinner. Izumi had asked to join the group for dinner tonight; this made Navisi nervous because Izumi typically avoided associating with Navisi and Azula whenever possible. Lin had decided to give the ‘underage mystics’ the night off while they followed up on other police leads; since the bending thief had never struck on consecutive nights, that they know of, it was decided a break was in order.

Navisi appreciated that. She enjoyed wearing her badge and feeling like part of a team, but it would be nice just to hang out. Ikki had suggested having a slumber party with Jinora and Navisi, and she had gladly accepted the invite. It was nice to just be a kid once in a while. Sneaking around being a multiversal secret agent was exciting and all, but she was looking forward to the break.

She could smell the food as soon as she walked into the main living area. Becoming a vegetarian had never been something that interested Navisi, but she had to admit that the cooks here made all the meals flavorful and filling.

Navisi smiled when she saw Azula talking with Asami and Bolin. The three of them were laughing as Bolin looked to be telling some wild story. Her smile dimmed a bit as she read Korra’s aura when she spotted Mako talking with Lin, Tenzin and Izumi. Apparently, they had a tiff about something and were not really speaking, unless they were forced to be together, but only if they weren’t alone. Or some teenaged bullshit like that.

Navisi hoped she wouldn’t be so emotional and melodramatic when she started dating. But that was a worry for another time. She saw Ikki waving to her and Jinora, so the two of them made their way over to Ikki’s table. Pema gave her a motherly smile and Navisi couldn’t help but smile back. She’d never really had a mother, and she knew that Pema wasn’t actually her mother, but she looked after Navisi and made sure she ate enough and wasn’t working too hard. It was close enough to being mothered in her book.

She was getting ready to sit down when she felt it. Her head snapped to the southwest and she noticed that Azula had done the same thing. They were both frozen in place.

“Mistress, what the hell is that?” Navisi called out across the room.

“I only have one guess, but I thought that all the dragons were extinct.” Azula answered as they both continued to watch the huge chi mass draw close to the island. There was a noticeable trembling of the earth as the beast landed.

“That would be Druk.” Izumi said, her expression smug.

“What the hell is a Druk?” Azula responded.

“My father’s dragon.” Izumi’s smirk and her smug aura actually made Navisi want to punch her in the mouth.

“I will not meet with him.” Azula snarled, standing up and making her way to the stairs that led up to her room. She flashed her chi three times, two quick flashes followed by on long flash, signaling Navisi. Azula was leaving the island; probably by boat.

Navisi stood and prepared to run interference. Azula typically didn’t wear her gauntlets and back tentacle holders while having dinner. She would need a little time to get them on and make her way to the rowboat. And unlike Azula, Navisi wears her gauntlets most of the day.

She was standing guard at the base of the stairs when an old man entered the living area through the front door. Everyone else was standing now as well, seemingly uncomfortable with this unexpected encounter and dramatic exit.

Izumi, Tenzin and Lin made her way to the door as the old man, presumably Zuko, smiled and greeted them. “Tenzin! Lin! It is great to see you again. And it’s always a pleasure to see you, Turtleduckling.”

Navisi needed all of her training not to smirk. The old man had just called the Fire Lord of the actual Fire Nation turtleduckling. It’s really a shame that things were so serious because that was pretty damn funny.

“It’s good to see you, Lord Zuko.” Tenzin said with a smile and a small bow. “Although I wish that we had known you were coming so that we could have made arrangements.”

“Well, Izumi told me that Azula’s granddaughter may not be eager to see me. But if I showed up unannounced, surely it would be much easier.” Zuko said with a smile. “I assume that she respects her elders and wouldn’t avoid me.”

Yeah, that’s not going to work out like he expected. Azula was still in her room, but she was undoubtedly nearly ready to bolt. They had worked out contingencies in case they needed to leave the island quickly, but they never expected Zuko to be the reason Azula bolted. Navisi was pretty sure that she was allowed to stay though. But she hadn’t decided whether or not she wanted to.

“Yes, well, Mistress Asundra detected Druk before you landed, and she made it quite clear that she wasn’t interested in speaking with you.” Tenzin admitted, looking quite uncomfortable.

“She detected Druk before he landed? How did she do that?” Zuko asked in surprise. Every head in the room that wasn’t attached to a Fire Nation royal swiveled to look at Navisi.

Navisi just smiled back and then addressed the old man. “It is an honor to meet you, Lord Zuko. I am Disciple Navisi of the Order of the Arts Esoteric. Mistress Asundra and I are able to detect the chi of people and animals and well, Druk has a rather large chi that’s easily observable to us.”

“That is an impressive skill. It is an honor to meet you, Disciple Navisi. I look forward to meeting your mistress also.”

“Well, not to be rude, but she has no interest in meeting you.” Navisi tried to keep her voice even and not abrasive. She had nothing against Zuko. Izumi could lick her asshole, as Azula would say, but so far Zuko has done nothing to get on her shit list. Well, maybe show up out of the blue to ambush Azula. Even though he knew she didn’t want to see him. Not quite an asslicking crime just yet though.

Zuko just blinked. “No offense, young woman, but that’s not your call to make.”

“I’m afraid that it is very much my call to make. She made it clear to me, and everyone in the dining hall, that she would not speak with you. I’m sorry that you made this trip for nothing; a long flight like that couldn’t have been easy for a man of your advanced ancientness.”

Everyone under the age of twenty thought it was at least a little funny, but the older than twenty crowd was less amused. But that was alright. Azula had flashed her aura and Navisi had felt her jump out of her bedroom window and start making her way to the rowboat. She would have loved to see Azula use her tentacles to row the boat with four oars, but she was going to be busy running interference for a while longer.

“That is quite enough disrespect, Disciple Navisi.” Tenzin said. “You need to apologize to Lord Zuko.”

“I will not. He and his conniving daughter set out to ambush Mistress Asundra after she had made it perfectly clear she had no interest in discussing her family situation. This is the height of disrespect towards someone that has done nothing but help. You can cast me out if you feel that I’m being disrespectful, but these two don’t deserve my respect and they will not receive it.” Navisi announced. Azula was in the water and nearing the edge of her chi sight.

“Please go get your mistress so that we can discuss things like rational adults.” Izumi ordered.

“No. Asundra and I are children, and in this instance, we are content to act like it. I will not retrieve her and neither will anyone else.” Navisi announced to the group.

Navisi sensed the extreme discomfort in the room, especially among the guests. They all liked and respected Asundra, but they had no desire to go against the combined scowl power of Tenzin, Zuko and Izumi. She decided that it was time to make her power play.

“Asami, it appears that I will no longer be allowed to stay on Air Temple Island. May I crash at your place tonight? I promise that it will only be for one night.”

Asami’s aura was radiating discomfort but she appeared polished and poised at the surface. “Of course, Navisi. You’re welcome to stay as long as you like. Asundra also.”

“I can’t speak for my mistress, but I appreciate your hospitality. I shall go and retrieve my possessions and wait at the dock for the ferry.” Navisi turned and began walking up the stairs.

“Navisi, there is no need for the drama. I am not asking you to leave.” Tenzin called to her. But Navisi kept walking. She needed to buy time for Azula. She was out of the range of Navisi’s jevalda but the bigger the head start the better.

Navisi sensed Jinora start up the steps behind her, so she hurried and entered the room and locked the door behind her while she gathered her things. It was sad that things were ending like this on Air Temple Island, but she chalked it up to the hazard of being a multiversal secret agent.

Chapter Text

Lin’s head was starting to hurt. She had to give Asundra and Navisi credit though; they had pulled off this getaway with panache. Izumi had been livid and Zuko had been absolutely dumbfounded when Jinora had come back down and announced that Asundra had fled the island.

She had a lot of respect for Izumi and considered her to be a friend, but she had played this entire situation wrong from the get-go. The Chief had told her tales of Azula, but there wasn’t much in the way of real animosity; she had been a powerful foe and the only one that had been able to lie to her. But Asundra seemed like a completely different person than the tales Lin had heard of Azula. They were both beautiful, intelligent and driven. But whereas Azula had strived for power and wielded her influence with cruelty and callousness, Asundra had been nothing but helpful.

But that didn’t change the fact that Zuko looked heartbroken and dejected. He had tried to reason with Navisi to persuade Asundra to speak with him, but she had held firm. Lin suspected that there was more to the story than they underage mystics were telling them, but Lin decided to respect their privacy. Navisi had left with Asami, Mako and Bolin to catch the ferry back to the city. She had taken all her possessions with her.

And now Zuko was explaining why he had come. “Azula had done a lot of bad things, but she was disturbed, and we didn’t know how to deal with people like her back then. I’m not sure we really do now, but the psychiatric care system was terrible back then. Even the best care we tried to provide was barbaric by today’s standards. And she was hated by many of the staff and cruelly abused. I didn’t find out until afterwards.”

“I know it sounds like an excuse, but I just didn’t have the time or ability to help her back then. It was a struggle just keeping the Fire Nation afloat after the war. But then she escaped and disappeared. But we were never able to find her. I…I just wanted to know that she was able to pull herself together and live her life. And hearing Izumi telling me about her granddaughter gave me hope.” Tears had started falling from his eyes.

Tenzin was the first to speak. “I’m sorry that Asundra doesn’t want to speak with you, Zuko. But you have to look at her from her perspective too. She was cast out by the family that raised her and she has to deal with the stigma of being the granddaughter of someone as notorious as your sister. Mistress Asundra is striving to build a life independently of both things, and she seems to be doing very well for herself. Perhaps it would be best just to let her be.”

“I still believe that she needs to be investigated. Asundra has made a lot of claims, but nobody has verified any of them. Are we to just take her word for it?” Izumi asked.

Lin decided to chime in. “As far as we know, she’s not a firebender. And based on what what I’ve seen and what Korra and Tenzin have told me, the girl is absolutely brilliant and been nothing but helpful.”

“It still seems suspicious to me, that she’s here trying to help you find someone that can steal and gift bending. I think we should consider the fact that she’s trying to find this person so that she can be gifted firebending and challenge for the Fire Nation throne.” Izumi retorted.

Lin just looked at her with an incredulous expression; she was glad to see Korra and Tenzin wearing them too. Tenzin spoke first. “Izumi, I understand your suspicions, but I feel that you’ve totally misjudged Asundra. She claims that being a firebender would greatly restrict her and not allow her to utilize all of the skills that she’s developed using the techniques of the Arts Esoteric. I believe that you are way off base.”

“And you are too trusting, Tenzin. If she won’t deal with us of her own accord, I’ll take steps to deal with her in other ways.” Izumi answered cryptically.

“What do you mean by that, Izumi?” Lin asked.

Izumi stood. “I’m sorry but you’re too close to the situation to see it objectively, Lin. You will understand soon enough. Come along, Father, I’ve made arrangements for you to stay in the city near me.”

And with that, Izumi and Zuko stood and made their way to the door. Zuko looked back apologetically but Izumi kept walking and was quickly out the door.

Korra felt bad about the entire situation. On one hand, she understood Lord Zuko’s desire to reconnect with his grandniece. On the other hand, she understood Asundra’s desire to be left alone and forge her own path in life, completely independent of the baggage that came with being the granddaughter of such a notorious historical figure as Azula.

And Asundra seemed confident that she would win this struggle. With her jevalda, she was able to detect Izumi and Zuko long before they could come anywhere near her. And no one knew where she was staying; Navisi had crashed at Asami’s last night, but Asundra had hid somewhere in the city.

But that was a problem for another time. Right now, her two friends were working with her in Asami’s spacious backyard; Navisi had just guided her through a more advanced chi manipulation exercise and now she was doing some independent practice. Her control was getting much better.

Again and again, she pushed her chi through the chakras, reveling in the feeling of peace that came with the chi control. And as always, she pulled at the knot. She brushed against it as she moved her chi, each time just gently reaching out to grab it.

She was so close to gripping it, but it always just evaded her grasp. But as her chi began moving more steadily, her reach had begun extending. It was so close that she could almost taste it. And then she felt herself grab and hold the cord of the knot; she almost let go in shock, but she was able to control her emotions.

She felt it and she knew what to do. She gently pulled and felt her chi slowly leak through the Light chakra back into her bending pathways. And then with a solid pull the knot was free and she felt her chi rushing through the pathways like a torrential river down a narrow chasm.

She was whole again.

Navisi had been watching the chi flow through Korra’s pathways during the exercise; she was getting good at manipulating her chi. And then she saw the blockage start to loosen and Navisi knew that the moment of truth had arrived.

And then the blockage was gone and all hell broke loose. Korra’s eyes glowed white with incredible spirit and chi power. The wind began swirling around Korra and she rose in the air as both Navisi and Azula scrambled back in surprise. Korra flung her arms out and two massive bursts of flame shot from her hands and into the sky.

Navisi had heard the tale of Azula’s vision battle against Avatar Aang. The power of the Arts Esoteric against the power of the Avatar. Navisi couldn’t believe that someone as skilled and powerful as Azula would fear any person.

But now she understood why Azula had been afraid; and she knew that Azula had been right to fear the power of the Avatar. Even with their new augmentors and their most potent skills, their might paled in comparison to that of Avatar Korra.

And then the very ground beneath their feet began to move and sway as Korra pulled huge chunks of earth into the air, while nearly all of the water in Asami’s large pool was pulled into the air in a giant column before it was released and came crashing down. Korra’s chi radiated like a small golden sun. It dwarfed even Azula’s powerful chi, which had been the strongest that Navisi had encountered until this moment.

She looked over and saw the wide smile on Azula’s face, which mirrored the one she had on her own face. All the hard work and focus had finally paid off for Korra. She could wield her mighty Avatar powers once again.

They watched as Korra slowly lowered herself to the ground. Navisi gasped as the figure of an air nomad appeared behind Korra. Then other figures appeared too. Aang. Roku. Kyoshi. And dozens of others. They smiled at Navisi and Azula and gave respectful nods, which both girls returned.

Korra released the Avatar state and all the figures disappeared. Both girls rushed to engulf the smiling Korra in a huge hug. And Navisi felt the ecstatic auras of Asami, Bolin and Mako come running over too. Soon it was a giant hugfest. Tears of joy fell down Navisi’s face; it felt so good to help her friends and this world.

But she was pulled from the joyous moments when she heard a voice in her head. ‘Mistress Azula and Disciple Navisi, are you ready to travel?”

Navis turned to look at Azula, who looked sadly back. Azula turned to the ecstatic crowd. “I am so happy for you, Korra, but now that you have your bending back, it is time for Navisi and I to continue on our travels. I know that you will be a great Avatar and that you’ll be able to track down the bending thief.”

Korra looked flabbergasted. “What the hell do you mean, you have to continue your travels? You can stay with us; you are both so awesome and we could really use your help. You need to help Lin get her bending back.”

“I’m sorry, Korra, but it was never our destiny to stay here with you. And I can’t help Lin, but you can. You know how to manipulate chi and energybend now; you’ll be unable to untie her knot easily with your skills. Touch the chi nexuses on her forehead and chest and you can restore her bending. I would love to see you do it, but unfortunately it is time for us to move on.”

“But what about the bending thief? We need your help to catch them.” Korra retorted.

Navisi chimed in this time. “You have the spiritual awareness to find the bending thief now. We have faith in you, Korra. We wouldn’t leave if we didn’t know with certainty that you could do this.”

Their friends tried to get them to stay, but Navisi knew that it was a lost cause. It was time. But Asami came up with one final request.

“Let’s get a picture before you go. You’ve made such a big impact on everyone. We need something concrete to remember you by.” Asami said.

“That is a wonderful idea.” Azula agreed in a quiet voice. One of Asami’s staff took a picture of the whole group and then one of just Navisi and Azula. It warmed Navisi’s heart to know that there would be something to remember them by.

After the pictures were taken, Navisi gathered her things and they made their way to the little hotel where Azula was staying. It was nice enough but it sure wasn’t as nice as staying at Asami’s place. Navisi definitely got the better deal last night.

Azula gathered her things and soon they were ready. Navisi was sad to go, but Navisi realized that this must be even sadder for Azula. How many times had she done this? Azula had left her own world. She left Yotforbu and her allies that fought with her against the Scourge. She left her friends after defeating Nikothan. She left Navisi’s pod. Again and again, she was forced to say goodbye.

Navisi reached out and grabbed her hand. Azula looked at her in surprise, but Navisi just smiled at her. Just to let her Azula know that no matter what, Navisi would always be there for her.

“Are you ready, Navisi?” Azula asked in a quiet voice.

“I am, Mistress.” Navisi answered with a sad smile.

“We are ready to travel.” Azula announced. A golden cloud appeared in the small room and the two girls stepped forward and disappeared from the world of Korra and her friends.

Lin’s blood was absolutely boiling. It was probably a good thing that she didn’t have her bending because she wanted to wrap Izumi in metal and hang her from the ceiling.

She had just left President Raiko’s office, where she had met with the President, Izumi, Zuko and Tenzin. And where she had been informed that Asundra and Navisi were to be taken into protective custody and would no longer be able to assist with the bending thief case. Their young age meant that they were to become wards of the state.

Izumi and Zuko had tried to talk to her afterwards, but Lin had pushed right past them; she didn’t trust herself not to say something that she would regret. Probably not regret, but something that would be used against her later. At least Tenzin had the good sense to oppose this idiotic order.

“I’m sorry this happened, Lin. I understand where they’re coming from, but I sincerely doubt Asundra will do well under this sort of system.” Tenzin said as he followed her into the station.

“No, I doubt that she would. Frankly, the bigger issue is just taking her into custody. Those tentacle things make her incredibly fast and agile. But I don’t believe for a moment that she would leave Navisi behind, so we may be looking at a serious fight.” Lin responded despondently.

Tenzin sighed and was about to speak when they heard Korra calling out to them. Lin looked over to see a wide grin on her face. “Tenzin! Lin! I got my bending back!”

“What!? How?” Tenzin spluttered.

“I was practicing the chi manipulation exercise that Navisi had guided me through when I was able to grab the knot and untie it.” Korra exclaimed, beaming. “Look!”

Korra held out her hand and a flame sprang into existence. Then she extinguished the flame and punched her fist out, shooting a blast of air that knocked a bunch of papers off the desks of the now irritated detectives.

“Sorry!” She called out, looking a little sheepish. “And I can get your bending back too!”

Lin felt her heart jump into her throat. Her bending. She had missed it so much but was afraid that she’d never be able to recover it.

“How?” Lin asked in a small voice.

“Here, let me try.” Lin froze as Korra reached over and put her knuckles and thumbs on her forehead and chest. And then she felt energy course through her body. She was disoriented for just a moment as Korra removed her hands from Lin.

But she felt it. She extended her hand and made a pulling motion, focusing her bending on a metal paperweight. It came flying to her and she caught it in her hand; she could sense the metal just like she could before. It didn’t work as well in a building, but she could feel the heartbeats of those around her too. It was all back.

“Thank you, Korra.” Was all that Lin could say. She didn’t trust herself to say more without becoming maudlin. She had an image to uphold.

“You’re welcome, Lin.” Korra said with a smile. Lin looked around.

“Where are the mystics?” Lin asked, causing Korra to frown.

“Once I got my bending back, they said that their mission was done and that it was time to move on.” She answered. “Then they gathered Navisi’s stuff from Asami’s place and disappeared.”

Lin was absolutely dumbfounded. Tenzin spoke first. “They just left without saying goodbye?”

Lin could hear the hurt in his voice, and frankly she felt it too. Korra sighed as she answered. “I don’t know why, but they felt the need to leave right away. They told me to apologize on their behalf. All of you were their friends, but Asundra said that there was no easy way to explain why they had to leave. But they both said that they were glad to meet all of us and that they wish everyone nothing but the best for everyone. Even Izumi and Zuko.”

“But what about the bending thief?” Tenzin asked, even though he knew as well as Lin did that they weren’t going to be allowed to assist with that anyway.

“They both said that I will be able to track down and find the bending thief now that I have my Avatar powers back. They were both adamant that I didn’t need their help anymore.” Korra said, looking down. But then her expression brightened. “Just like they said that I’d be able to restore Lin’s bending. So I bet that they’re right!”

“I bet that they are.” Lin answered, a smile on her face. The underage mystics seemed to be right about a lot of things.

Lin watched the building as Korra monitored the dual bender that had entered the premises an hour ago. Korra’s head snapped to the side, and she stared at a woman walking down the street.

“I think that’s our assailant. She can bend three elements and her spirit energy is just wonky, for lack of a better word.” Korra said.

Lin put the magnifier to her eye and observed the figure in question. There were three people walking together, but only one was a woman. And she most definitely fit the description. Good looking but not stunning, she was leggy and pushing the constraints of that tight dress with her impressive cleavage. Tenzin would probably even give her a second look.

“What about her companions?” Lin asked quietly.

“Firebender and a nonbender. The firebending is natural.” Asundra and Navisi had been right about Korra. She could detect the spiritual energy of those that had been gifted bending; she said that it felt unnatural.

“Understood. I’ll call it in. This could be our chance to take her.” Lin said.

“I can track her now. Now that I know what to look for, it will be very difficult for her to hide from us again.” Korra answered. The girl and her companions entered the building.

Lin put in the call and dispatch said that the others would converge on her location in about fifteen minutes. Then she heard Korra gasp. “There is another dual bender approaching the building. Another earthbending and waterbending combo. The other girl is an earthbender. The waterbending is gifted; both are natural earthbenders.”

Two girls this time. Very similar appearance and height. Probably sisters. The only question that no one had an answer for was whether or not the gift of bending just transferred the ability of the original bender of the recipient also gained their skills. They had been prepared for the possibility of more people with multiple bending. A lot of bending officers were on their way and Zuko was flying over the city on his dragon. But with Korra’s bending restored and her ability to enter the Avatar state, this was a battle they were sure to win.

“The tyranny of benders is going to come to an end. We have the power now!” Kayami exclaimed as her inner circle cheered. “Bending will be given to the worthy. With it, we can give waterbending to actual doctors rather than half-trained mystics from backward tribes. Earthbending can be put in the hands of skilled artisans and builders, people who can use those skills to improve our world. I’ve taken from criminals and spoiled probenders who squander their gifts and I’ve given them to educated and talented people who can wield them for the greater good.”

Her followers cheered. This is the world she wanted to build. Too many thugs and assholes had become enamored with the power of their bending, lording it over those who were weaker. But now, nonbenders who spent a lifetime becoming educated and skilled could have access to those abilities. Dr. Yindo had predicted that using a bit of earthbending in conjunction with waterbending could heal bone injuries and speed up recovery.

There was a multitude of things that could be improved upon if the right people were given access to bending. A reward for those people that excelled and trained themselves to give back to society at the highest level. Those were the people that deserved bending.

She was about to speak again when the door burst open and her most trusted assistant, Binla, came running in. “We just got a tip from an informant, the police have us surrounded. They are going to raid us!”

Kayami sighed. She hadn’t been expected to get caught this quickly. There was only one thing to do. “Miv Youn, Kanavi and Ron Ki, please join me.”

The three nonbenders were caught by surprise, but they all stepped forward. “You are all exceptional people and were so close to completing your studies. I was hoping to gift you at a more appropriate time, but that doesn’t seem like it will be the case. So please accept my gift early.”

Korra watched the people inside the building from the neighboring rooftop. And she knew the instant that their energies changed that something was up. And then she felt the bending being shifted and she was filled with horror. It felt so unnatural. Three bending types to three different people.

And then the bending thief moved towards the front door. She jumped off the rooftop and used her airbending to land safely on the street. The woman they had been searching for watched her with wide eyes. “That was a very impressive landing.”

“Thank you,” Korra responded. It felt like the compliment had been real. The girl was a nonbender now; she had given all of her copies away. “May I ask why you’re out here? You knew that we were coming, yet you gave your copies away. Do you plan on fighting without any of your stolen bending?”

The girl just smiled. Korra was confused. She looked to be at peace. She addressed Korra. “I was told that it would take longer for you to get your bending back. It is a shame that you are a tool of the oppressors. If you put aside your preconceived notions of the world and our place in it, you would have understood what I was trying to do.”

“And what is that?”

“Create a better world for benders and nonbenders alike. To take from the unworthy and give to the deserving. Every gift I gave was to a person who spent years honing their mind and improving their skills but were held back by society because they weren’t benders. Every person I took from was a criminal or a useless drag on society that wasted their gifts on stupid activities like probending.”

“And who are you to decide how bending should be distributed? What gives you the divine right to take from the unworthy and reward the deserving?” Korra asked. Who the hell did this girl think she was to do that to people?

“The Traveler told me that my ideas were worthwhile and taught me the methods for acquiring and gifting bending. I never intended to keep these gifts for myself. I am merely the conduit.”

“Who is the Traveler?” Korra asked in confusion.

The girl shrugged. “He only called himself the Traveler. He was neither human nor spirit, by his own words. But that is neither here nor there. My journey has ended, but my followers will show why my ideology was right. There is no law against what I’ve done, and my followers have broken no law by receiving the gift of bending from me. My followers have agreed to surrender peacefully, so please tell the officers not to harm them. But I know what will happen to me if I allow myself to be taken. Goodbye, Avatar.”

The girl bit down on something as Korra rushed forward, but the damage was already done. She was foaming at the mouth as she fell to the ground, a creepy smile on her face. This had been a zealot who gladly gave her life for the cause. Korra felt her life force leave her body and she was now just an empty shell.

Lin and the officers came running up as Korra looked down on the girl. She hadn’t even got her name. Korra turned to the officers. “The girl said that her followers would surrender peacefully.”

Lin looked down at the girl and then up at Korra. “If they do, we’ll go easy on them.”

“What will you charge them with?” Korra asked quietly.

Lin stared at her. Korra stared back before speaking again. “We need to charge them with something to make sure they don’t go free.”

“What was done here was unnatural. Surely, everyone can see that.” Lin replied as the officers moved past her and into the building.

“I hope so.” Korra said as she turned to enter the building. “Taking someone’s bending away is a terrible crime and should be punished.”

Epilogue

Lin was high on life. Korra had kicked the crap out of that asshole Unalaq and his spirit pet Vaatu. According to Korra, the chi manipulation and energybending techniques that she’d learned working with Asundra and Navisi had turned the tide in the battle.

Lin didn’t know about all that spirit mumbo jumbo, but Korra had been a force of nature since she got her bending back. And Lin knew that she owed a debt of gratitude to those young girls. Gratitude that she’d probably never be able to express. Just as they had mysteriously appeared out of thin air, they seemingly disappeared into it as well.

Her musings were interrupted by Yumga. “Chief, you won’t believe this. But you remember Jo San, the enforcer that lost his bending? He just got arrested.”

Lin sighed. “What the hell is so surprising about that?”

“He was arrested for earthbending a rock into a Satomobile. Multiple witnesses have attested to it.” Yumga said.

They looked into all the other cases and found that each and every person that had their bending stolen got it back. And then there were the reported cases of new airbenders. Lin was happy for every new and recovered bender; she knew as well as anyone what it felt like to lose your bending.

But this complicated the situation with the recipients of said stolen bending. Despite their being no laws against receiving bending from another person; everyone that could be verified as receiving stolen bending had been locked away. It was determined that the dual benders especially, would never again see the light of day.

It made Lin a little uncomfortable to think about it, but she knew that it was right. They were unnatural and needed to be locked away for the protection of others. Some things went beyond the law and became a matter of justice.

Chapter Text

Aang sat quietly on the veranda of the beachhouse, looking out to the ocean. Four candles were burning on the small tray in front of him. Zuko had just told him and the others that Ozai was going to burn the Earth Kingdom to the ground under the power of Sozin’s comet.

He wasn’t ready to face the Fire Lord, especially not with the power of Sozin’s comet enhancing his strength. Everyone wanted him to kill Ozai; to save the world by spilling his blood. But the monks taught him that all life was sacred. Aang just didn’t know what to do.

Momo came flying in and sat next to Aang, looking up at him with those big expressive eyes. “Hey, Momo. I don’t suppose you know what I should do?”

Momo just continued to stare at him. And Aang nearly jumped out of his robes when he heard the voice coming from behind him. “Your flying lemur companion does appear to be quite wise, but if you are unsatisfied with his advice, I believe that I may have the solution to your problems.”

Aang turned to see the tall, good-looking man behind him. Dark black hair and a short, neatly trimmed black beard, his brown eyes twinkled in the candlelight as he gave Aang a friendly smile. His robes were brown with green trim; he could have been a member of any number of Earth Kingdom groups.

“I am willing to listen to any advice to deal with my problems, but may I ask who you are? And how you came to be here?” Aand asked, getting to his feet and facing the man.

“You may simply call me the Traveler. I roam around and offer solutions to the worthy people I encounter. And you, Avatar, are a very worthy person indeed. I know of the upcoming attack on the Earth Kingdom by Fire Lord Ozai, and I believe that I have a way for you to solve your problems peacefully.”

Aang lit up. “And what would that be?”

“You are in tune with the spirit world, are you not? Well, there are many wonderful, and powerful, things in the spirit world that can be used by the Avatar to restore balance. I can offer you the Collar of Q’Infadel, a wonderful spirit artifact, to frighten Ozai and force him and the Fire Nation to change their wicked ways.”

“But everyone knows that he wants to control everything. Why would he want to change?” Aang asked, hoping that this man would be able to convince him to spare the Fire Lord.

“Because Ozai only respects power. And the Collar of Q’Infadel will allow you to control power far beyond anything this world has ever seen. Five dragons of immense power; the mere sight of them will force Ozai to retreat and sue for peace. There will be no need to even use them, since their presence is more than enough to force any foe to surrender.”

“I don’t think Ozai would just give up.” Aang hoped he would, but he had a hard time believing it.

“Even if he doesn’t, the dragons will contain him and his forces to the Fire Nation until after Sozin’s comet. Wasn’t that your original plan, face him after the comet, when his powers weren’t amplified?”

“Yeah, it was. How did you know that?” Aang was suspicious that this man was much more than he seemed.

“I have access to spirit artifacts because I am in contact with spirits. With these dragons, you can end the war without violence. And if violence is absolutely necessary, it will be brief and you will control the battlefield. You can protect your friends and limit the damage of the war.”

“What do I have to do?” Aang asked. He didn’t like this idea, but it was better than betraying his principles and killing the Fire Lord.

“The Collar of Q’Infadel requires a person of great chi power and spiritual training to control. That sounds very much like an Avatar to me.” The man smiled down at Aang. “You call forth the dragons and you control them, guide them with the power of your mind and will. They can move faster than any man or machine on this world. None can oppose them.”

“Okay, it sounds good. But I need to talk to my friends before I use them.”

“Of course, Avatar. I will leave them with you. If you decide not to use them within one week, they will return to the spirit world. No harm, no foul.” The man smiled at Aang. “The choice is yours, Avatar.”

Aang thought about this. If he decides not to use them, it will be no different than now. But if he decides this is the best way, he can use the dragons to send Ozai scurrying back to the Fire Nation. It sounded like a perfect compromise.

“I will accept the Collar of Q’Infadel.” Aang answered at last.

“Excellent!” The man said, clapping his hands together in joy. “Let me show you how they work.”

Azula and Navisi found themselves staring in awe at the sight before them. A large spiral galaxy filled nearly two thirds of the night sky; even the reflected light of the three moons paled in comparison to the beautiful white light that illuminated the temple they were standing in.

“Beautiful and majestic, this is a planet that exists in a small cluster of stars just outside what the humans on Earth call the Milky Way galaxy.” Orka said, with Haalu chiming in immediately afterward. “It is a gorgeous sight and makes one feel wonder and awe.”

“It is indeed wonderful. Thank you for showing this to us.” Azula said, unable to take her eyes off the incredible sight.

“It is our pleasure to share the beauty of the universe with you.” “You have earned the right to relax and regroup.”

“What do you mean relax and regroup?” Azula asked. She finally turned away from the beautiful sight in the sky and looked at OrkaHaalu, who were both smiling back at her.

“Including the capture of Nikothan, you have wonderfully completed three missions.” “You have learned new skills, but you need to grow further to face the challenges ahead.”

“What sort of challenges?” Navisi asked.

“The next mission is potentially the most dangerous you will face. Ginhaphous has given a dangerous artifact to a desperate people.” “If it is used, it could destroy the entire world and unleash an incredible danger on the entire multiverse.”

Azula just sighed. “What sort of artifact is it?”

“The Collar of Q’Infadel is an exceptionally powerful artifact that calls forth the Five Dragons of the Apocalypse.” “They are weapons of last resort that can only be controlled by those with specialized training and mystic skills.”

“And let me guess, Ginhaphous didn’t offer the collar to an appropriate wielder?” Azula proposed.

“No, he did not. In all the Atla multiverse, only you have the skills needed to safely wield the Collar of Q’Infadel.” “Not as much skill and training needed as to channel Yotforbu’s power, but more than any other in this sphere of existence possesses.”

“Have the dragons been unleashed?” Navisi chimed in.

“The recipients are not yet desperate enough to wield them. We will send you to the world before they are used.” “But the collar is held by a strong force, and you will need all of your skills to retrieve it, whether it has been used or not.”

“That sounds fair. There is a lot of work to be done to improve our understanding of the light sigil augmentors. And I’ve got some ideas how to create devices that use both of our skills.” Azula couldn’t keep the manic grin off her face.

“That is good to hear. We will give you time and resources to improve your devices. Time is different here and moves much slower than on your world. A little gift of our magic.” “But we also wish to give you a gift from our father. Yotforbu has told him of your wielding of his scythe and he was impressed.”

Both girls froze upon hearing that. Their father, Ashgenarrog, was an incredibly ancient and powerful entity. Any gift from him would be extraordinary. OrkaHaalu picked up an ornate box that had been hidden from sight.

“He was impressed with the skills you displayed as Yotuforbu’s avatar.” “Impressed with Navisi as well. He has created these for the two of you.”

Azula and Navisi both gasped as the box was opened to reveal the amulets they had paid as a toll. But Azula could feel the aura of divine power that radiated from them. She had worked with enough artifacts to sense their nature.

“A token of appreciation for you and your order.” “Navisi, please take your amulet.”

Navisi looked at Azula and then slowly walked forward and took the amulet out of the box. Azula heard her gasp as she gazed in wonder at the bird. “Omnisae.”

Suddenly, a large green and blue form came into existence in front of Navisi and took the form of an eagle-hawk. It flapped its wings and rose into the air as Navisi and Azula stared in shock. According to Bitok’s calculation, the body nearly five feet tall and it had a thirteen-foot wingspan. It flew high and then dove towards the ground, rising out of the dive at the last moment and then changed shape and landed on the ground. It was now a large panther.

“Your new friend is indeed named Omnisae. She is wonderful creation that can transform between bird and panther.” “But she can do more. She can also teleport to anyplace you can envision.”

Suddenly the panther disappeared and reappeared in front of Navisi; both girls took a step back at the rapidity of it. Navisi spoke in a reverential tone. “She is a wonderful thing. I am connected to her. I can feel her thoughts and see through her eyes if I try.”

“Indeed. You are connected and she will be your lifelong partner.” “You are a good friend to Azula and Ashgenarrog wanted you to be able to assist her.”

Tears fell from Navisi’s eyes Omnisae approached her, and she leaned down to pet and caress it. “Thank you so much for this gift.”

“You are welcome, young one. You will help Azula complete her mission and rebuild her order.” “But now it is time for Azula to take her amulet.”

Azula reached out and took the dragon amulet from the box. The divine power radiated from it as she held it in her hand. Then she heard it. The name.

“Kivathrystan.” Azula said aloud and suddenly a large black and gold shape shimmered in the air before her. She was astounded as a long, sinuous dragon took shape, and like Omnisae before it, flapped its wings and took to the air.

It was majestic. About forty feet long with a thirty-foot wingspan, it soared into the sky and then glided back to the ground and landed gracefully before Azula. She too was crying and she walked forward and gently placed her hands on the immense head. ‘Hello Mistress’, she heard a sweet feminine voice in her mind.

“Kivathrystan is a wonderful ally and friend for you to have going forward.” “She is strong and brave and good, like you. But she makes you like the other Azula’s too.”

“The other Azula’s?” She couldn’t keep the look of incredulity off her face. “Why would I want that?”

“All of the other Azula’s are known for one thing more than any other.” “Creating blue fire is their signature move.”

And with that, Kivathrystan reared back on her haunches and extended her head towards the sky, unleashing a massive plume of blue fire into the air. Azula just watched, astounded.

“Our father has not presented a gift to mortals in a very long time. Appreciate them and cherish them for what they are. You can allow your companion to communicate with the other amulet holder if you wish.” “If they are injured beyond what they can endure, they will return to the amulet to heal. They do not need to rest but you will need to return them to the amulets when you travel between worlds.”

“Thank you, OrkaHaalu, for bringing these wonderful gifts to us. We will cherish them forever.” Azula answered, still numb from shock.

“And please thank your father for these gifts. They are truly marvelous.” Navisi chimed in, still petting Omnisae.

“Yes, yes, we will pass on your thanks. But you have training to do.” “Your new allies and your new methods must be enhanced to face the dangerous mission ahead.”

“Of course, OrkaHaalu. We will prove ourselves worthy of these gifts.” Azula answered. She truly meant it.

Navisi flung herself sideways and then launched herself directly into the air, just clearing Kiva’s attack. She fired three psion bolts in quick succession, but Kiva was far too fast. Navisi formed a lightboard under her feet and airsurfed through the rocky spires; the tight fit meant that Kiva had to go slower and couldn’t simply divebomb Navisi.

However, she underestimated just how quickly Kiva could move on the ground with her wings folded down. She barely had time to erect the light shield to defend against Kiva’s fangs. The impact still sent Navisi tumbling. She caught herself before she hit the ground using light tentacles, but the battle was over as Kiva caught her in one of her massive paws.

Then the dragon had the audacity to wink at her.

Navisi laughed as Kiva released her and they both made their way back to the temple. Azula sat on the temple steps, petting Omnisae. OrkaHaalu grinned at Navisi as both she and Kiva landed in the temple courtyard.

“You have gotten much stronger and faster, young one.” “We are very impressed with your skills.”

“Thank you, OrkaHaalu. Azula and I have both learned a lot over the past two months.” Navisi answered. And they had. With an endless supply of metal to engrave and time to design new pathways, they had developed a whole new set of incredible augmentors.

Navisi had learned to channel her chi through newly designed augmentors to create psionic constructs that she could then manipulate. Light shields, psionic airboards, light tentacles, psion bolts, to name just a few items. And that didn’t even include the advances in the kinetic stones, which had been renamed healing stones, since that was the primary use Navisi had found for them. But she knew that she had only scratched the surface of what could be done.

“I guess that means that I’m up now?” Azula asked, getting to her feet. Omnisae stretched and made her way into the courtyard too.

Navisi loved watching Azula fight. Her body control and fighting skills were top notch. She had already pushed her tentacle augmentors as far as she knew how too; but unfortunately, Azula couldn’t wield her chi in the proper way to completely master the light sigil augmentors.

But she had figured out how to build a few basic light sigil augmentors that made her agility and cloth tentacles the stuff of every enemy’s nightmare.

“Prepare for combat!” Orka yelled as Omnisae and Azula readied themselves. Once they were set, Haalu shouted. “Begin.”

Azula leapt to the side as Omnisae jumped and teleported in panther form. She landed where Azula would have been had she not moved. But Azula was just getting warmed up. Her four cloth tentacles were out and Navisi saw the tip of the tentacle coming from Azula’s left gauntlet glow. Azula launched herself into the air; Azula created a light construct anchor that she could then pull on with the cloth tentacle.

Again and again, she created light sigil anchors and used them to maneuver through the air; with four tentacles, she could move in all three dimensions easily. But she also wore augmentors on her feet that allowed her to create small light platforms that she could step on to further enhance her agility. The combination meant Azula was incredibly fast and agile in the air.

Omnisae pursued her, teleporting to and fro. She quickly changed between her bird and panther forms as she continually stalked Azula. And as fast as Azula was, even she had a hard time capturing Omnisae.

They chased each other through the sky, with Azula continuously changing direction and making herself difficult to predict. But she lost track of Omnisae for just a moment and that was all the time the bird needed. It dove and grabbed one of the tentacles coming from Azula’s back and yanked hard, causing Azula to tumble backwards.

She quickly righted herself, but Omnisae teleported and rammed into her in panther form, wrapping her limbs around Azula and giving her a playful bite to the shoulder. The match was over.

Omnisae released Azula and teleported back to the courtyard while Azula used her cloth tentacles to quickly swing her way back. Despite both of the girls losing, Navisi knew that they had made incredible gains in creating and utilizing their new augmentors.

“Excellent work, Azula. You are truly a formidable opponent.” “Yes, yes, your enemies should cower in fear.”

Azula laughed. “Perhaps all enemies except Omnisae and Kiva, that is.”

“Yes, yes, they are strong allies.” “Good friends they are.”

“They very much are that.” Navisi said, giving Omnisae a rubdown.

“You are both strong and capable.” “You are ready for your next mission.”

Azula and Navisi both sighed. They knew that this time was coming, and sooner rather than later. But they were both thankful that they had been given the time to cultivate these skills. They were being forced to traipse through the multiverse to face dangerous threats, but OrkaHaalu seemed to care enough to make sure that they were prepared for the upcoming battles.

Chapter Text

“Aang, you can’t just accept magic artifacts from some random guy that breaks into your house!” Zuko shouted.

“But this can be a way to end the war with minimal bloodshed. I can feel the power of the Collar of Q’Infadel; it is far stronger than anything I’ve ever encountered before.” Aang retorted. He was starting to get mad. All that everyone ever wanted him to do was kill the Fire Lord. Why can’t they see that this is a better way?

“Twinkletoes has got a point. With these dragons, he can keep the Fire Lord on his own islands while we retake the rest of the Earth Nation.” Toph interjected. “And if he doesn’t do what we want, then Aang can unleash his pet dragons on them.”

“Well, I don’t know about that, Toph.” Aang said, but others were already latching onto Toph’s idea.

“Look, it’s going to be tough to fight the Fire Nation with the power of the comet enhancing their strength. This can be a safeguard just in case things go wrong.” Suki suggested.

“No offense, Aang, but I think we need to talk to someone who knows more about spirits. Uncle is the only one I know that might be able to shed light on this.” Zuko said, looking around at everyone.

“That’s all great, but how are we going to find him? You said that he broke out of jail and then disappeared.” Sokka asked.

“Don’t worry, I know just the person to find him.” Zuko said cryptically.

Suki could actually smell the stench of piss and beer wafting out from the bar. What the hell was Zuko getting them into? Everyone followed him as they walked into the building. An attractive dark-haired woman was sitting alone, leaning back in her chair with her feet propped up on the table. She appeared to be nursing a drink; Suki thought it was a bit early in the day to be drinking.

“She’s the one to get the job done. Her name is June.” Zuko said as he crossed the room to approach her, with everyone else following in his footsteps. “She can track anyone to any part of the globe with her shirshu.”

“Oh, it’s you. Is your creepy uncle hiding outside?” June asked, taking another sip of her drink.

“Actually, he’s the one we’re looking for. Can you find him?”

“Of course, I can find him. Can you pay?” June retorted.

“Of course.”

“Then let’s take our business negotiation outside; your underage crew is too sweet and innocent to frequent a dump like this.” June led the way, and everyone was soon watching Appa growling at some weird pointy nosed animal. That must be the shirshu.

“Easy there, Nyla. These are paying customers.” June said to the beast in a surprisingly soothing voice. “Do you have a scent sample?”

“Yeah, let me grab it.” Zuko disappeared and returned moments later with a nasty smelling sandal.

“You saved your uncle’s sweaty sandal?” Sokka asked incredulously. Suki held her nose and desperately tried not to gag on the stench. Where the hell had Zuko been hiding that during the trip? June led Nyla over to the stinky sandal and the shirshu gave it a couple of sniffs and then turned around.

“Let’s do this.” June hopped on Nyla’s back and grabbed the reins. Before anyone could say anything, the shirshu galloped off, leaving her customers scrambling to get on Appa and follow her.

Suki was impressed with the speed of shirshu because it took a few minutes for Appa to catch up. They followed the galloping beast for mile after mile, hour after hour. It was early evening before the shirshu approached the outer wall of Ba Sing Se.

Appa landed as June simply sat on the shirshu. “Your uncle should be just on the other side of this wall. Nyla is very active so he must be very close. You can take it from here.”

“Thanks, June. We appreciate your help.” Aang said with a smile.

“No problem. Good luck.” And with that June rode Nyla back towards the way that they came.

Everyone piled back into Appa’s saddle and he was airborne just a few moments later. They flew over the wall and everyone surveyed their surroundings to see where Iroh might be. But the only thing there was a camp in the flats not very far from the wall. They decided that that was the most likely place for Iroh to be.

Aang set Appa down about a quarter click outside the little tent city; it had a very military feel to it. They quickly dismounted from Appa.

“I can feel people coming.” Toph said, pointing towards the camp. And sure enough, they could see five figures walking out of the camp.

The group waited as the figures got closer. And then Aang started jumping for joy. “Bumi! Pakku! Jeong Jeong! Piandao!”

Zuko looked less excited. “Uncle?”

“Hello, Zuko. I am very happy to see you again. I am glad that you found your way.” A stout man with Fire Nation features answers. The famous Uncle Iroh. Suki thought that he didn’t look nearly as intimidating when the Fire Nation wasn’t trying to burn down her island.

“We are all happy to see you, Aang, but why are you here? Shouldn’t you be preparing to face the Fire Lord?” Bumi asked.

“Well, you see, I was preparing, but then a guy showed up at the beachhouse we were staying at and told me a way we could defeat the Fire Nation without me having to kill the Fire Lord.” Aang said in a rush, undoubtedly causing more confusion than clarification.

“Perhaps we should step inside and gather to discuss the situation.” Iroh said. “And it might help to make introductions since many of the people here haven’t necessarily met all the players in both parties.”

Suki was grateful as introduction were made and she could actually put faces to some of the names that she had heard in all the wild stories told by the rest of the Gaang. She could only sigh and cringe at the GrandPakku suggestion though; she truly believed that she loved Sokka, but boy does he have some bad ideas sometimes.

The group gathered together so that they could discuss the incredible artifact that Aang had been given. Aang described how the strange man had appeared on his veranda and offered him a weapon of such power that Ozai would be forced to surrender. He went into more detail about the dragons than he had previously.

“The Collar of Q’Infadel will allow me to control the five dragons. Each dragon has a unique power set that makes them virtually unbeatable apart, and completely unstoppable together. First of all, each of them is immune to bending. The first dragon is named Zeig and he is a flying dragon that breathes and controls ice. It has special powers that allow it to freeze all water in a four click radius.” Aang said, looking uncomfortable with the idea.

“But it doesn’t have to freeze that much. Adanthi is the second dragon, and it moves through the earth and controls lava; it can melt any ground, stone or metal it comes into contact with. There is nothing that can stop it. The third dragon is Vahydris, the water dragon. It has tentacles like a kraken and controls water like a waterbender, but on a scale thousands of times larger.”

“Psilum is the electrical dragon. Small but incredibly fast, it can shoot dozens of lightning bolts at a time. And the final dragon is Norveer, the berserker dragon. It is another ground dragon, but contact with even the smallest amount of its venom turns the victim into a berserker that it controls. They will fight for Norveer in a mad rage until they die of exhaustion. This dragon uses the enemy’s soldiers against them.”

Suki’s mouth hung open in horror at the thought of what these monsters would do if unleashed on the world. Aang says that he can control them, but what if he’s wrong?

And Suki wasn’t the only one in shock. Even the members of the Order of the White Lotus looked taken aback by what they had been told. Bumi was the first to get his bearings.

“Aang, I know that you want to end this conflict peacefully, but I fear that you won’t be able to control these terrible things. Ozai is a monster, but he is human and can be defeated by human means. These dragons are supernatural forces that we can’t hope to contain if they escape your control.”

“But that’s the great thing. I don’t have to use them, I just have to scare Ozai with them. Surely, he wouldn’t want to fight those dragons?” Aang retorted, desperately looking for someone to back up his decision.

“My brother is far too conceited and intoxicated by his own power to ever relinquish control. I don’t believe intimidation will work. You will have to use them to force him to stand down.” Iroh said, a sad and grim frown on his face.

“You don’t understand. I’m connected to the collar and I know how it works; I will show their power to Ozai and he will see reason.” Aang exclaimed.

That caught everyone’s attention. Katara spoke first. “What do you mean, you’re connected to the collar? How, Aang?”

“When the Traveler showed me how it worked, I connected to it. I see their power and I see how to control it.” Aang was growing more agitated. “I don’t have the Avatar state. Everything will be lost if the Earth Kingdom is burned to the ground. We have to stop him. And this is far stronger than even the Avatar state. I have the strength and power to reestablish balance in the world. I can fix all of my mistakes!”

Aang was shouting at the end, his face turning red. Everyone stared at him, growing concerned. This isn’t how Aang normally acts.

“Aang is not wrong.” Piandao says, looking calm and collected despite the gravity of the situation. “He may not be able to access the Avatar state, but he is still the Avatar, with years of spiritual training. If anyone can guide these dragons, it is him. All is indeed lost if the Fire Lord burns down the Earth Kingdom.”

“What other options do we have?” Pakku asked. “We could sabotage the airships? Perhaps try to overthrow Azula before she’s crowned the new Fire Lord.”

“No, those ideas aren’t needed. The dragons will do this for us. None of you need to risk your lives when I can save everything.” Aang shouted.

“Order of the White Lotus! I have come to speak with you about the Collar of Q’Infadel!” A loud booming voice from outside the camp caused every head to turn towards the eastern part of the camp.

“Who the hell is that?” Zuko exclaimed.

“I have no idea. The only way to find out is to talk to them.” Bumi responded.

“An honor guard should go and talk to our guest and see if it is safe to bring them to consult with Aang. This could be a trap.” Piandao suggested. It was quickly decided that Piandao, Toph, Jeong Jeong and Suki would go meet the new player.

Suki was nervous. How did this person know about the Collar of Q’Infadel? Why show up without warning? Were they hostile? Were they a friend?

What they were was a young girl. Suki couldn’t believe her eyes when she saw that the booming voice came from a young green-eyed girl with medium length brown hair, obviously of Earth Kingdom descent. Cuteness that might become beauty in time, she was wearing a black robe with gold trim. And the girl looked very confident in herself. But the most striking part of her outfit was the fancy tiara she wore. It covered a good part of her forehead and then had pieces that came down and covered parts of her cheeks. And she was carrying a medium sized wood and metal box with a complicated set of engravings all over the outside.

“Greetings, guest.” Piandao stated, giving a polite bow. “May we ask why you are asking about some sort of collar? Loudly. That is an unusual request, especially from a young maiden such as yourself.”

“The Collar of Q’Infadel is about eighty yards that way,” the girl answered, pointing to where Aang and the other were sitting. “And if you don’t know what it is, then I should be speaking with Avatar Aang, since he’s the one currently connected to it.”

Suki’s heart jumped into her throat. This girl knew. Did she have a spy in the camp? Why go about it this way? What was she playing at?

“Are you sure of that, young girl? I didn’t catch your name.” Piandao responded.

“That’s because I didn’t give it. I am Disciple Navisi, and I’ve come to give a warning that the Collar of Q’Infadel is dangerous and that Avatar Aang doesn’t have the training or skills needed to control the Five Dragons of the Apocalypse.” The girl turned to Toph. “Am I lying?”

Toph’s face paled. “She’s telling the truth.”

“Perhaps it would be better if I spoke with the rest of your group.” Disciple Navisi said.

“I believe that would be a good idea.” Jeong Jeong announced. And with that they led the young girl back to where the larger group was waiting.

The girl walked calmly and serenely behind Piandao and Jeong Jeong and was sandwiched between Toph and Suki. Everyone watched curiously as the group approached. It was going to be interesting to see how this played out. This girl was definitely against Aang using the collar to control the dragons. But was it because she feared for the safety of the world or because she wanted Ozai to win?

Piandao handled the introductions once they had joined the main party. “This young lady is Disciple Navisi. She wishes to discuss the Collar of Q’Infadel with the group.”

Disciple Navisi gave a respectful bow. “It is an honor to meet all of you.”

“I will be happy to give a quick introduction of the members of our group.” Piandao said.

“That’s not necessary. I know the identity of the major players here. The main one I need to speak with is Avatar Aang.” The girl responded quickly, turning to face said Avatar.

“It is nice to meet you, Disciple Navisi. May I ask what you’re a disciple of?” Aang asked politely.

“I am a Disciple of the Arts Esoteric.” The girl replied easily.

“I knew a Mistress of the Arts Esoteric! Mistress Pul’a!” Bumi exclaimed.

“She was well before my time, but I have heard of her name from my Mistress. Unfortunately, our order has grown so small that many followers of my discipline believe that they may be the last of our order.” Navisi answered with a small smile.

“Well, we welcome your input, but you seem very young. You mentioned your mistress; why did she not come as well?” Iroh said, looking quite untrusting.

“It is a complicated situation, but she entrusted this task to me.” She turned to Aang. “The Traveler is preying upon your youth and naivety by offering the Collar of Q’Infadel to you. You do not have the experience and skill needed to handle the Five Dragons of the Apocalypse. You will doom the world if you try to unleash them.”

“No, I don’t believe that! I can end this war without violence and destruction.” Aang shouted back, his face turning red in anger. Suki was taken aback by his vehemence.

“The Collar of Q’Infadel corrupts those who don’t have the spiritual and mental training needed to handle the dragons. This is why you are growing angry; you feel the pull of the dragons, seeking to be set free. You feel it, don’t you, Avatar?”

Aang glared at her. “I will call on the dragons and there isn’t anything you can do to stop me.”

Everyone sat, shocked and dismayed by his words. Suki feared that the girl had spoken truly and that he had been corrupted.

“Avatar Aang, please listen to me. I know that you are a peaceful soul who wants to end this war without violence and bloodshed, but using the Collar of Q’Infadel isn’t the way to do that. No good ending can come from using this terrible artifact. If you put the collar inside the specially designed box I brought, it will sever the connection between you and the collar. You will be free of the corruption.” Navisi tried to reason with Aang. “And we are willing to prevent the airship fleet from reaching the Earth Kingdom in return for you surrendering the Collar of Q’Infadel.”

But it didn’t seem to be working. “No, you were sent by Ozai because he wants to take over the world. He fears me and doesn’t want me to embrace my true power.”

Fear was on the faces of everyone in the group. Navisi put her hands up in a placating manner. “I have issued my warning and made our offer of assistance, Avatar. It is up to you to decide how to go from here. But I implore you to not do this. But I have said all that I came to say, so now I will take my leave.”

“I’m afraid we can’t let you do that, Disciple Navisi. We are at war, and we cannot allow you to potentially share our secrets with the Fire Nation.” Iroh said. Everyone else looked grim.

But to Suki’s surprise, Navisi just laughed. “Mistress Asundra warned me that the White Lotus was full of fearful old men who cower at the thought of facing someone they can’t control. You are the worst of the lot, Iroh. You failed the Fire Nation when you abandoned your duty and allowed Ozai to become Fire Lord. The course of this war lays on your shoulders more than any other.”

“You know nothing of my trials, little girl.” Iroh roared, getting to his feet.

Navisi just smiled at him. “Oh, I think I know you better than you know yourself. But this is the only warning I will give to you and your fellow cowards. Move against me if you will; surely the combined power of this group can overwhelm me. But then you will learn true fear when you face Mistress Asundra, the Dragoness of the Golden Light. Considering how much she detests the Order of the White Lotus, it will be amusing to see how many of you she would leave alive.”

“Enough!” Bumi shouts. “I am sorry you think so poorly of us, Disciple Navisi, but we do need to keep you here for security reasons. Please let us not resort to violence.”

“You may restrain me if you like, but it changes nothing. The Order of the White Lotus cannot stand against Mistress Asundra and her powerful allies. Am I lying now, Toph?”

Everyone turned to Toph. “She believes every word that she’s said.”

“Indeed, I do. Please, Avatar Aang. It’s not too late to disconnect from the Collar of Q’Infadel.” Navisi requested one last time. But all that she received from Aang was an angry glare. The girl just sighed. “I didn’t think you would, but we made the offer out of respect.”

“I’m sorry, young lady. But we promise not to mistreat you while you’re in our custody.” Pakku said gently.

“Not as sorry as you will be.” She answered cryptically.

Chapter Text

Zuko didn’t know what to think of the girl in the black and gold robes. She seemed to know a good deal about the Collar of Q’Infadel and was adamant that Aang wouldn’t be able to control them. But she was angry and apparently didn’t like the White Lotus in general, or Uncle in particular.

He understood her attack, but it seemed wrong to criticize Uncle for the choices he made as a heartbroken father. Uncle had welcomed Zuko back and told him that he was happy that he had found his way. They both cried at the reunion.

But they both agreed that they needed to learn more about Disciple Navisi and this mythical Mistress Asundra she keeps referring to. Zuko decided that he would talk to King Bumi first and learn more about the Order of the Arts Esoteric.

Zuko made his way over to one the campfires that had been set up. The sun was already starting to dip below the horizon and it would be dark soon. Bumi was sitting with Jeong Jeong, Toph, Sokka and Suki.

“Ah, Prince Zuko, come and join us! Your friends have told me that you’ve become quite the member of the group. Snort!” Bumi said by way of greeting to Zuko.

“Thank you, King Bumi. It is an honor to join you.” Zuko took a seat between Jeong Jeong and Toph. Ever since the night he found Sokka in the tent with a flower in his mouth waiting for Suki, he’s preferred to keep a little distance from them when they were together.

“Lighten up, Sparky. I’d have thought that you would be in a better mood after having made up with Uncle Iroh.” Toph said with a laugh.

“I am happy that Uncle forgave me. He is a great man. But I’m worried about Aang and the Collar of Q’Infadel. And about the girl that showed up. And about the girl’s mistress.” Zuko could feel himself becoming more agitated as he spoke.

“Yes, many of us are concerned. Disciple Navisi spoke to our concerns quite vehemently. She has refused to answer any more questions since she has been taken into custody.” Jeong Jeong said. “Surely she exaggerates the power of her mistress?”

“You met a Mistress of the Arts Esoteric, didn’t you, King Bumi?” Zuko asked. Everyone turned to Bumi expectantly.

“Yes, I did, but it’s been nearly seventy years since I last saw her. She was a nomad and a bit of a hermit that practiced advanced meditation and cognition techniques. Exceptionally intelligent, she was also a talented fighter but by no means professional. She believed that she was the last of her order; the student that she had been teaching to succeed her died of a fever the year I last saw Mistress Pul’a.” Bumi said, looking back in time.

“What kind of skills do they have that makes this Mistress Asundra so dangerous?” Zuko asked.

Bumi shrugged. “I don’t know of any. Mistress Pul’a was a scholar and a mystic, but only cultivated combat skills for self-defense. She was not nearly as skilled as Piandao or many other weapons masters.”

“Then we need to interrogate this Disciple Navisi and determine what she knows, how she knows it, and what exactly this Mistress Asundra is capable of.” Sokka exclaimed. Zuko was glad that at least someone was on the same page as him.

“She’s refused to speak to anyone.” Suki said quietly. “I don’t think she’ll speak against her mistress.”

“We have to make her understand that we need find out what’s going on so that we can help Aang.” Sokka answered.

“We will make her speak, one way or the other.” Everyone just stopped and stared at the words Zuko spoken. Didn’t they understand that information needs to be gained.

“Let us try talking with her again. Peacefully. Perhaps we can persuade her to speak with us; she wasn’t hostile until she was arrested.” Toph interjected.

“You may speak with her, Zuko, along with the other youngsters that came with Aang. She dislikes the White Lotus but may be more receptive to speaking with you.” Bumi said with an air of finality. “But speaking is all that you will do.”

“Of course, King Bumi. I think that we can make her talk.” Zuko answered. “Let’s find Katara. I think Aang should sit this one out for now. Disciple Navisi really seemed to get him wound up.”

“That’s probably a good idea, Sparky. I’ll grab SugarQueen and meet you the holding tent.” Toph earthbent herself to her feet and wandered off.

Zuko looked to Suki and Sokka. “Are you willing to go speak with her?”

“Yeah, let’s go.” Sokka sighed and got to his feet.

“And remember to play nice, boys.” Suki reminded them.

Suki wasn’t sure that she liked the way things were going. Aang had some spirit weapon that unleashed what Disciple Navisi had called the ‘Five Dragons of the Apocalypse’ and seemed hell bent on using them. Plan B counted on Aang defeating the Fire Lord in combat, without the Avatar state, while Zuko and Katara took down Azula. While that was going on, Suki, Sokka and Toph were to take down the airships at the same time the White Lotus retook Ba Sing Se. A lot of that didn’t seem plausible.

And now Bumi was leading the way for Suki and her friends to go interrogate a child. They stopped outside the tent and waited for Toph and Katara to join them. Toph’s truth sense would be helpful in determining whether the girl was telling the truth or not. The two ladies joined them a minute later.

“You may ask the young lady questions, but you are not to try to extract any information from her by force.” Bumi said, looking directly at Zuko. “Do I make myself clear?”

“Of course, King Bumi.” Zuko answered. But Suki didn’t think he sounded sincere, and she noticed that Toph was looking at him askance.

“Well, then, go see if your charms can persuade our little bird to sing.” Bumi snorted and watched as the Suki and the others entered the tent.

The inside of the tent looked spacious enough. There was a sleeping mat set up at the back and a tray with water and some fruit and bread on a small table. Not much else in way of furnishings. There were two guards stationed just inside the doors, watching the girl.

Not that the girl seemed to mind. She was seated in the lotus position towards the back of the tent, facing the door. Disciple Navisi didn’t so much as acknowledge their entrance. She looked to be at utter peace. Suki wished that she felt any sort of inner peace at all.

“We want to know how you know about the Collar of Q’Infadel and what this Mistress Asundra is going to do?” Zuko barked once they were inside the tent. Suki contained her sigh. This wasn’t the way to get information.

“You’re not very good at this, Zuko. You should let Suki or Katara try; from what I hear they have the best people skills of your group of misfits.” Disciple Navisi answered, not bothering to move a muscle or even open her eyes.

Zuko started to step forward, but Sokka put a hand on his chest. “If the girl would like to speak with Suki and Katara, we should let her speak with Suki and Katara.”

Zuko gritted his teeth but finally spoke. “Fine. But you better tell us what we want to know.”

Suki and Katara exchanged a look; it was up to them to find out what they needed to know. The walked forward and sat on the floor in front of the young girl.

Suki spoke first. “We don’t wish to be combative, but you must understand that showing up unannounced at the camp and proclaiming you know about the Collar of Q’Infadel put everyone on edge. May I ask why you approached us this way?”

The girl opened her eyes and smiled at Suki. “Yes, you may. We were sent on this mission by the intermediaries of the Great Spirits themselves. They may not interfere directly in the world, but they have agents such as us that can act on their behalf in the direst of circumstances. The Collar of Q’Infadel represents one of those circumstances.”

The girl paused for a moment and then continued. “We were sent to this location as part of our mission; we didn’t know the exact situation until I entered the camp and spoke with your group. We were truly hoping to resolve this situation peacefully and in a manner that would allow you to continue your upcoming fight against the Fire Lord.”

Suki thought about this answer. There was a lot to unpack there. But Katara started speaking while Suki was still pondering. “You mentioned that your ally, Mistress Asundra, was very powerful and that she was offering to assist us in return for the Collar of Q’Infadel?”

“Yes. But the Avatar has been compromised by the artifact. I fear that it will be too late to convince him to give up the collar willingly.” Navisi answered. “If he tries to use the collar, it will be necessary to take it from him by force. As I said before, if the collar is placed in the box I brought with me, the connection between Avatar Aang and the Collar of Q’Infadel will be broken. We do not know the state of his corruption, so care will need to be taken.”

“And what help would your Mistress be able to provide?” Suki asked.

“She would be able to stop the airship fleet from reaching the Earth Kingdom. We are not allowed to interfere any more than that.” Came the answer. “But that is only if you help us detach the collar from the Avatar. If we are forced to do it ourselves, you will receive no assistance.”

“And how would you stop the airship fleet?” Katara asked.

Navisi smiled. “We will not lay all of our cards on the table just yet. You have our offer. If you help us remove the collar from Avatars Aang’s reach, we will stop the airship fleet from reaching the Earth Kingdom shore. If not, we will not offer any assistance.”

“You’re in no position to bargain with us,” Zuko exclaimed from the back. Suki and Katara both sighed, but Navisi didn’t seem offended.

“I know that you’ve had a tough time and that you are all concerned about the upcoming battle. But the Five Dragons of the Apocalypse are far worse than anything Ozai could inflict on you.” Navisi answered, suddenly looking very young. “The Collar of Q’Infadel must not be used. If you agree to hand over the Collar of Q’Infadel, we will share how we plan to stop the airship fleet.”

“You will tell us now how this Mistress Asundra would stop the airfleet.” Zuko demanded in an angry voice.

“Not until you agree to hand over the Collar of Q’Infadel. I have made my offer; go speak with your people and discuss the matter. You have until midnight to make your decision. And this conversation is over.” Navisi closed her eyes and appeared to begin meditating again.

“You don’t get to tell us when the conversation is over. You are our prisoner.” Zuko shouted and started walking forward. But the girl just sat there. Suki wanted to stop him, but she knew that they needed answers.

He knelt in front of her and reached for the front of her robe. Zuko’s body was blocking Suki’s view of exactly what Navisi did but the next thing she knew was Zuko was flying backwards through the air. He soared over Suki and Katara and nearly hit Sokka and Toph; Zuko sailed right between the two and went bouncing through the entrance flap and out of the tent.

Everyone, including the guards, just looked back and forth between the girl still sitting on the floor and the tent flap that Zuko had been bounced through.

“Mistress Asundra isn’t the only one with combat skills. That was your only warning. Touch me again and you may not live long enough to feel my mistress’s wrath.” Navisi said, her voice flat and emotionless.

Toph’s words broke the silence. “She’s telling the truth.”

The group filed out of the tent as Disciple Navisi continued to sit quietly on the floor of her tent. Katara ran to Zuko to check on him. There was a large bruise on his back from his apparently not so gentle landing and he was a bit dirty and disheveled, but all in all he wasn’t too injured. A few applications of glowy water healing magic and he was good as new. Except for his pride; Suki doubted that any amount of Katara’s glowy water would be able to heal Zuko’s bruised ego.

“Nephew, I take it that your talk with our young guest didn’t go as planned.” Iroh stated, finding a little humor in this situation. If the situation wasn’t so dire, Suki would have found it a bit funny too.

Katara jumped in before a Zuko rant could get started. “Actually, she told us a few things of interest. Disciple Navisi reiterated that Mistress Asundra is willing to take down the fleet of airships for us if we turn over the Collar of Q’Infadel to her.”

The White Lotus members looked intrigued by that. But Suki decided to put her thoughts in. “She made an interesting offer but there is more to her background than she said earlier. We should sit down and discuss what she said in more detail.”

“That is a wise plan, Suki. Let us bring the others together to discuss our options.” Iroh suggested.

Zuko sat in around the campfire with the rest of the Gaang and the senior leaders of the White Lotus. Katara spoke as soon as the entire group had been seated.

“Disciple Navisi was actually quite cooperative until Zuko attempted to intimidate her.” Katara stated, glancing at Zuko. He felt his blood boil at the dishonor of being tossed out to the tent so easily. “But she told us some very interesting things before that. She claims that she and Mistress Asundra are acting on behalf of the intermediaries of the Great Spirits.”

“That is preposterous!” Pakku roared. “Tui and La would never call upon a mere child as an agent of their will.”

“She said that she and Mistress Asundra are only asked to intervene in what she called the direst of circumstances, which is what she called Aang using the Collar of Q’Infadel.” Suki interjected.

“And we confirmed that Mistress Asundra would be willing to help us in our battle against Fire Lord Ozai if, and only if, we help retrieve the collar from Aang.” Sokka said.

“What help would she provide?” Bumi asked, looking quite solemn and serious.

“Disciple Navisi said that Mistress Asundra would be willing to prevent the airship fleet from reaching the Earth Kingdom.” Toph interjected, looking around at the group. “And she fully believes that her mistress is capable of doing this. She told no lies when speaking to us.”

“How do you know that she’s not fooling you like Azula did?” Zuko couldn’t help but ask.

“Maybe she is, but why?” Toph answered. “This is an odd way to do things if they didn’t want to get the collar peacefully. It will be much harder to take the collar by force if we know that Mistress Asundra is coming.”

“And what are their skills? It appears that Disciple Navisi launched Zuko clear out of the holding tent, while seated in the lotus position.” Jeong Jeong asked.

Everyone turned to Zuko. “It didn’t feel like a physical force; she didn’t punch me or bend air. She put her fingers on my chest and I felt myself pushed. And I think that her hand glowed a bit.”

“Hhhmmm, it seems that the Arts Esoteric has progressed significantly since I last saw Mistress Pul’a.” Bumi said with a loud sigh. “Although, I’m not sure that Disciple Navisi is even of that order. The bigger question is how do we know that Disciple Navisi or Mistress Asundra won’t try to use the Collar of Q’Infadel? What if this is just a tactic to get the collar in their possession. If Aang can’t control the dragons, why would we believe that they can?”

“I feel that there is something bigger at play here than just stopping Ozai. Why did this strange man appear out of nowhere to assist Aang? And suddenly Disciple Navisi also appears unannounced at our doorstep? Both are interested in the Collar of Q’Infadel. Why?” Jeong Jeong said, looking solemn and grim.

“This does feel odd to me. Perhaps we should hold the collar ourselves, safe from both Aang and this Mistress Asundra.” Pakku had a hard look on his face. “We have to make sure that balance is maintained. I fear the power of this weapon in the hands of anyone but us. There are few others that we can trust.”

“I’m sorry to say it but I believe that it has corrupted Aang.” Katara said, her head hanging down. “I truly worry that he won’t be able to control the dragons if he unleashes them.”

“I agree with Katara. Aang is a good kid, but I don’t believe that he’s ready for this task. We should take it from him.” Bumi agreed, looking very solemn.

“Let us put it to a vote.” Iroh said.

It pained Zuko to doubt his friend, but he was truly afraid that the Collar of Q’Infadel would doom them all.

Aang didn’t understand why his friends didn’t understand that this was the best way to return balance to the world. And there wouldn’t be any need for violence and bloodshed. Ozai would have to bow before the power of the Five Dragons.

He felt the three of them approaching with his seismic sense. Katara, Toph and Bumi. Hopefully they had come to their senses and realized that he was right.

“Hey, Aang. We thought we’d come keep you company.” Katara said with a smile. But it put Aang on edge.

He barely jumped out of the way as Bumi tried to encase him in stone and Toph sent a pair of metal chains at him trying to tie him down. He launched an airblast launching him up and over as Katara pulled the water out of four waterskins. He prepared to bend her strike away.

But he realized too late that he wasn’t the target. The water tendril shot out and grabbed the box holding the Collar of Q’Infadel. He tried to use his bending to grab it before it reached Katara, but he was forced to defend himself from Toph and Bumi. And suddenly he was dodging fire from both Zuko and Jeong Jeong too.

Katara had the box and was running towards Suki and Sokka, who were carrying a box of their own. Disciple Navisi’s box. He tried to intercept her but was blocked at every turn by stone and fire. He couldn’t break through their defenses.

He saw Katara open the box but Toph’s earthwall blocked his view and he couldn’t see what happened. He bent Zuko’s flame aside and was in the middle of launching an airkick at Jeong Jeong when he felt his connection to the Collar of Q’Infadel broken. The shock caused him to lose his bending and fall to the ground.

The anger and sheer shock to his system caused his chi to swell and the very energy within him to swirl with unbridle rage.

And the blockage that had prevented him from achieving the Avatar state was broken.

He felt the Avatar state trying to control him, to persuade him not to pursue the Collar of Q’Infadel. But he cared nothing for the useless braying of the dead. He was alive, and with both the Avatar state and the five dragons, the world will be forced back into balance.

They may hate him now, but they will understand in the future.

Chapter Text

Zuko knew that they were in a lot of trouble. Aang illuminated the darkness, the glow from his eyes and tattoos looking incredibly menacing. He had seen Aang like this before, but he’d never seen him radiate with this much malice.

“False friends and White Lotus, you have taken something that belongs to me. Return it immediately and I will allow you to crawl away with your pitiful lives intact. Oppose me and you will be severely punished for your crimes.” Aang said in his terrifying Avatar voice.

“I’m sorry, Avatar,” Uncle said. “But with your Avatar powers returned, you no longer need the dragons to defeat the Fire Lord.”

“The dragons are my destiny and birthright. I am the Avatar, bringer of balance and the restorer of the world. I have a vision to rebuild the world, to make it whole again. With my dragons by my side, an era of peace and prosperity will reign.”

“Aang, don’t you see, you don’t need the dragons, you can do it by yourself. You have the Avatar state!” Katara screamed in desperation.

“No! What I see is that you are all warmongers who only believe that killing is the answer. I see my destiny now. I am the one that will finally bring balance and order to the world! There will be peace and prosperity for centuries. War will be a thing of the past. I am the future!”

The darkness was illuminated by three powerful streams of fire that burst forth from Aang towards the groups in front of him; they curled and swirled as if they had a life of their own. Zuko and Jeong Jeong desperately tried to bend the two columns closest to them while Bumi erected a giant stone block to stop the center column.

And they successfully held strong until Aang suddenly surged forward and a huge gust of swept them all head over heels. Zuko landed near Toph.

“I can’t feel him in the air.” Toph bemoaned, getting to her feet.

“Try to counter any earthbending that you feel and we’ll try to keep him off of you.” Zuko answered as he launched a counterattack. All the rest of the group joined in the attack.

For all the good it seemed to be doing them. Aang stayed in the air and his insane mobility meant that he was nearly impossible to hit. He was all but invisible to Toph and the arid landscape meant that the waterbenders weren’t able to contribute much to the fight.

Jeong Jeong and Bumi were fighting in tandem. Two dozen of the White Lotus benders joined the fight, but they were still horribly outmatched. They simply didn’t have the firepower to stand against the full power of the Avatar.

They needed reinforcements. He found Uncle shielding some of the soldiers from Aang but he was being pushed back. Zuko ran and joined in the battle. But his flames merely swirled around the ball of air surrounding Aang.

Suddenly a wall of earth rose and headed straight towards Zuko and his group. They were only saved when smaller but still powerful earth wall was erected in front of them, diverting Aang’s attack.

Toph had saved them.

“Uncle, we have to ask Navisi and Asundra for help. We’re being overwhelmed.” Zuko shouted, trying to be heard over the thunderous roar of the battle.

“I agree. I don’t trust them but it’s doubtful we’ll survive on our own.” Uncle answered. “Where is the box with the collar?”

Zuko turned and looked around. He finally saw Suki, Sokka and Katara running from the battle. With Aang trying to make his way towards them.

Bumit launched several large boulders at Aang, but he just redirected them at Pakku and some of the less fortunate members of the White Lotus, all of whom were promptly crushed by the brutal attack. And the distraction allowed Aang to make it by Bumi and pursue the box.

But suddenly Aang paused when a second glowing figure ascended into the sky; beautiful geometric rings of lights circled the figure’s wrists, twirling and twisting. He couldn’t really see her face, but Zuko recognized the black and gold robe on the illuminated figure.

Disciple Navisi.

“Avatar Aang! Your connection with the Collar of Q’Infadel has been broken. Take your place as this world’s savior and do your duty. The Five Dragons of the Apocalypse are not yours to command!” Navisi’s voice boomed through the night, distracting Aang from the battle.

“You are no match for me, little girl!” Aang’s voice roared in return.

“I know. I’m the distraction!”

And Zuko was astonished as a bright plume of blue fire erupted from the sky, engulfing Aang.

The blue fire nearly caught Aang by surprise; luckily, the swirly ball of air he wrapped himself in dissipated the flames long enough for him begin firebending them away. Was this Azula? It shouldn’t be. These flames came from the sky and were far stronger than anything he had ever seen her use.

It didn’t matter. He would crush this threat just like all the others. But his eyes did widen in surprise as the black and gold dragon flew by him. It curled to the right and appeared to be circling to launch another attack. He had been watching it for too long.

The air in his sphere instantly changed and he felt the searing pain of the skin and muscle along his back being torn as he rapidly turned and knocked the attacker away. Some sort of green and blue panther was sent flying and then just disappeared. What the hell was going on?

Suddenly, he saw bands of light form around his wrists and ankles; he could feel the bands trying to pull his arms and legs together. For a moment his air sphere weakened as he fought against the pull. But the air sphere was still strong enough to at least partially deflect two objects hurled at him.

One dagger just missed his shoulder by an inch while the second one sliced his ribs and bounced off. His Avatar power flared, and he pulled himself free of the light bands and launched a massive wall of air at the two humans he saw in the sky. The glowing girl was knocked back about fifty feet. But he turned his attention to the girl with the knives.

She went sailing through the air and began tumbling towards the ground. But then he saw flashes of gold light form at the ends of four long scarves and the girl was suddenly moving through the air at an astounding speed. She was using the light as anchors and then pulling herself through the air with the scarves. He had never seen this kind of bending before.

But it didn’t matter. He would kill her just like all the others. He began chasing her; she was fast but not quite as fast as him. Suddenly a series of boulders were launched at him from the ground and Aang was forced to deal with them. He waved his arms and glided between them, taking control of a medium sized one. He clenched his fist and the boulder was instantly shredded into hundreds of fist sized rocks, which he then launched at the position where Iroh and Jeong Jeong were pathetically trying to reach him with their flames.

The pathetic firebenders tried to use their flames to disrupt the attack but the rocks were too many and too fast to all be stopped. Jeong Jeong was torn to bits as a handful of rocks hit him. Iroh deflected more of the rocks but Aang watched him be struck down all the same.

Aang didn’t have time to celebrate as the panther attacked again. But Aang was more prepared this time; he used the air from the sphere to push the panther away as soon as it materialized. It’s deadly claws couldn’t reach him.

There wasn’t time to wonder how the panther was attacking though. The two sky girls were attacking again along with the dragon. The blue flames came again but Aang moved towards Navisi with all his speed. She wasn’t nearly as fast as the dragon and scarf girl

She launched glowing objects towards him; they were able to make it most of the way through his air sphere but not all the way to Aang. He responded with a powerful blast of concentrated fire directly towards her. His concentration was disrupted as a blue and green bird suddenly appeared directly in front of him, its huge wings spread wide and its large talons diving towards him.

He momentarily took his eyes of Navisi to watch the bird but then it disappeared just before hitting his air sphere. He looked back to see that Navisi was using gravity in combination with her glow powers to rapidly dive towards the ground and evade his fire columns.

The scarf girl was still pursuing him, but he wasn’t concerned about her. She was fast and agile but didn’t have the firepower to harm him. The dragon was his biggest concern. He looked around but couldn’t see it at the moment.

They were just distractions. Aang needed to find the box with the Collar of Q’Infadel. He felt himself becoming a bit sluggish. He needed to finish this battle off as soon as possible and prepare to call upon his five dragons to bring balance to the world.

There! He saw Suki and Sokka running towards the camp. Toph, Katara and Piandao were with them. No matter. There was no escape from the Avatar. He quickly accelerated towards them. A rock wall suddenly rose up in front of him, but Aang didn’t even slow down. A blast of hyperfocused air weakened the stone and Aang simply smashed through it.

He could see the terror on Suki’s face when she saw Aang coming for her. It didn’t bring him any pleasure to do this, but he needed the Collar of Q’Infadel. Why didn’t they understand what he was trying to do? The survivors would thank him some day.

He launched a huge wall of flame at the fleeing traitors; the Collar of Q’Infadel could not be harmed by any mortal attacks. Toph raised an earthen shield to protect the others but there was simply too much fire. The shielding to the right and left of Toph collapsed under the onslaught and Sokka and Piandao were instantly killed, along with several White Lotus soldiers.

It broke his heart to see Katara get burned but she had made her choice to betray him. They could have ruled over a world of peace and harmony together, but she didn’t have the vision required to stand by his side. Aang saw it now. Only he was a true visionary. All the others were destined to be ruled over. It was people like them that had brought the world to this state.

He was brought out of his musings as the dragon fell from the sky again and breathed fire. But Aang had anticipated this. He dropped to the ground and immediately launched twenty stone javelins at the great beast. Its fire deflected a few but it couldn’t stop them all. Aang smiled as he knew that the creatures doom was near.

His smile faded as the dragon disintegrated and the javelins sailed through the space the creature had just occupied. His vision was slightly blurred, and he had trouble believing what he had just seen.

Suddenly the panther was on him again and this time Aang’s reaction was just a bit too slow. Claws ripped into his face just before he sent the beast flying with a blast of air. He fell to his knees as the horrible pain engulfed him. But it wasn’t enough to keep him down. He felt them coming with seismic sense. Bumi was nearly too him when Aang put all his strength into a condensed blast of the hottest flame he could create.

He launched a single bolt of this concentrated fire at Bumi, who raised another earthen wall in defense. But for naught. The superheated blast burned straight through the rock and struck Bumi in the chest. Aang felt him fall to the ground; a burnt hole where his heart used to be.

Aang was suddenly gripped by the light bands again and pulled backwards to the ground. He felt Toph earthbend stone to encase his arms and legs, trying to lock him into place. He had enough of this. His vision was doubled but he saw the scarf girl falling from the sky towards him. Her hand extended downwards and he saw a glowing object launch from her hands and sail towards him.

He felt the impact of the object she threw as it hit his chest at the same moment he unleashed his full Avatar power, launching a wide assault of flame, stone and air in all directions. His blurry vision saw the blast hit the scarf girl as she raised some sort of light shield while she turned and desperately tried to flee.

She was knocked from his sight, but he felt her hit the ground about eighty feet away. She was still alive. He felt that many of the others were still alive too. But they were all hurt.

Aang tried to get up, but he couldn’t find the strength. His limbs felt like they were made of lead and his chest burned terribly with every ragged breath. He looked down at his chest and saw the handle of a dagger protruding from between his ribs. The edges of his vision were becoming dark and it was really hard to concentrate.

He tried to reach for the dagger, but his arm wouldn’t cooperate. The Avatar state was just out of his reach; he felt it fighting him, resisting his call.

He saw a vision of Roku, Kyoshi, and the other previous Avatar’s looking down at him sadly. It was Roku that spoke. “We’re sorry, Aang. But we cannot allow you to access the Avatar state again. You will be dead soon, and we must prepare for a new Avatar.”

No! Tears fell from Aang’s eyes as he realized that the battle was lost. Why didn’t they understand. He could have saved them all. He could have brought peace and prosperity to the world.

His vision darkened and he knew nothing more.

It took all of Suki’s training and discipline to withstand the pain. Toph had protected her as much as possible, but that last blast had been so powerful that even her defenses hadn’t been able to hold.

Suki knows that she had no right to complain as she looked around at the hellscape that surrounded her. She didn’t see many people moving. The box. Where was the box? She found it about twenty feet away, charred and cracked but still closed. She breathed a sigh of relief.

“He’s dead.” Suki turned at Toph’s heart wrenching words. “Aang’s dead.”

Tears fell from Suki’s eyes at the news. Yes, he had been corrupted, but he was supposed to be their savior. Aang was dead. The White Lotus was all but eliminated. There was no one to stop the Fire Nation.

Suki heard the sound of footsteps. She turned to see the beaten and battered form of Disciple Navisi making her way towards Suki in the dark. The girl held out her hand and suddenly a small ball of light appeared and rose into the air about fifteen feet, softly illuminating the area around them. The girl looked like death warmed over; her robes were burnt and tattered and she obviously had significant burns and abrasions over a good part of her body.

Then Suki heard a thud as the ground shook a little. She turned to see the black and gold dragon staring at her and Toph. Her heart froze in fear.

“We fought together as allies. I’m sorry that it was necessary, but Avatar Aang is dead. It was the only way that we were going to get him to stop his attacks.” Disciple Navisi said.

“I…I understand.” Suki answered. “He was a good person, but he was warped by the collar.”

“Yes, he was.” Disciple Navisi started walking away. “I’m going to Mistress Asundra. She was badly hurt in the battle. But please don’t panic when you see her. I promise you that she’s not evil and we will explain everything. And we will discuss the fate of the Collar of Q’Infadel.”

Suki watched as the girl created another ball of light hobbled off into the rubble, the glowing sphere hanging overhead. While she waited, she made her way over to Toph. “How are you doing, Toph?”

“My leg is broken and I’ve got a few burns, but I’m lucky compared to most of these poor saps. There’s only a dozen or so people left alive. SugarQueen could use some help. She’s unconscious and seems pretty beat up.” Toph answered, pointing to a spot about thirty feet away.

Suki carefully made her way over to the spot and her heart broke when she saw poor Katara. The entire right side of her body had been severely burnt and Suki could hear her raspy and labored breathing. She was alive, but there was no way to tell for how long. Tears fell from her eyes as she looked at Katara and thought of the others. She had seen Sokka die. Her sweet, goofy, loveable Sokka.

She turned as she saw Zuko making his way over to her. He looked absolutely terrible. His hair had been singed and he was holding his right arm close to his body as he hobbled over. “Come, sit down, Zuko. We have to figure out what to do next.”

She helped him sit on a rock. He flinched when he looked over and saw Katara. They exchanged a look. They both knew it was probably more merciful if she never woke up.

They remained there in silence for a few moments before Zuko spoke. “I came towards the light. I can see the dragon too. I take it that Disciple Navisi is still alive? What about this Mistress Asundra?”

“Navisi was going over to help her. You can see the light over her head.” Suki pointed towards the glowing light. They saw a figure bending, but the ground was too broken and uneven to see exactly what was going on. “She said that her Mistress wasn’t evil and that we shouldn’t panic when we see her.”

“Okay.” Zuko answered softly. “What about Aang? Is…is he dead?”

“Yes,” Suki replied quietly. She wanted to say more but then she saw Navisi’s light display and a golden platform rose up, carrying a figure. Navisi and the floating figure both made their way towards Suki and Zuko.

The two watched as the figures came closer and finally stopped about fifteen feet from Suki and Zuko. Navisi spoke first. “As I said before, please don’t panic. We are not from this world.”

Suki and Zuko were trying to figure out what she meant when Navisi set the figure down and helped prop her up on a rock. And they both gasped when Navisi stepped back and they saw the identity of the figure leaning against the rock.

“Are you guys alright?” Toph asked. “Your heartrates just went through the roof.”

“They’re fine, Toph. My appearance is an awe-inspiring event for many people.” Azula said with a crooked smile. “I am glad to see that the three of you survived. That was a brutal battle.”

“You…you. I thought the blue flames came from the dragon.” Zuko spluttered.

“They did come from Kivathryskan. As Navisi said, I’m not the Azula from your world. I’m not a firebender.”

“You’re lying! What are you playing at?” Zuko got to his feet and was immediately met with a loud growl from the dragon, the blue and green panther appearing from nowhere, and rings of light forming around Navisi’s wrists.

“Everyone! Let’s calm down and discuss this rationally. There has been more than enough violence this evening. We need to discuss how to proceed going forward.” Azula answered calmly.

“Are you Mistress Asundra?” Suki asked. She was terrified about what this turn of event would mean for the war. Although it was clear that the girl wasn’t a physical threat at the moment; she had a long cut that started just under her left eye and curled down her cheek and back along her jawline and towards her cheek. And she just looked beaten and exhausted.

“Yes, I am. I take that name because the name Azula inspires fear and hatred. But once again, let me reiterate, I’m not the Azula from your world. Can your Azula manipulate cloth tentacles?” One of the cloth things she had moved out and began wiggling.

“But how can this be?” Zuko asked.

“There is something called the multiverse; a collection of worlds much like yours but where things are just a bit different. On my world I was born a nonbender. On others, perhaps you didn’t survive the Agni Kai with Ozai or maybe Sokka and Katara didn’t find Aang. I have led a somewhat unorthodox life and I was selected to be an Agent of the Great Spirits’ Will to intervene in situations like this.”

“What do you mean by unorthodox life?” Suki asked.

“That is a very long and complicated story that I don’t wish to tell. The point is that I am asked, along with Disciple Navisi, to intervene in situations where the world is so far out of balance that it endangers not only the one world, but possibly others. And this is one case. The Five Dragons of the Apocalypse are far worse than anything human.” Azula answered.

“Mistress, will you be okay if I go assist the others that are injured?” Navisi asked.

“Yes, Navisi, help those that you can.” Azula paused for a moment before speaking again. “Is there anything to be done for Katara?”

“I’m sorry, Mistress, but she’s beyond my ability to help. If there are any waterbending healers, perhaps they could assist her.” Navisi answered in a small voice.

“I understand. Go and help those that you can.” Azula turned back to Zuko and Suki. Toph made her way over and sat on a rock not too far from Zuko. Everyone watched as Navisi slowly walked away, the panther by her side.

“What do you want from us?” Suki asked.

“We are going to take the Collar of Q’Infadel, with or without your permission. We fought together and your cause is nearly lost. But I will honor the agreement that Navisi made. Resist us and we will take the collar by force. Hand it over willingly, and my dragon Kiva will intercept the airships before they reach the Earth Kingdom. That is all the help that we are allowed to provide.” Azula looked at the three of them.

Suki was torn. Azula was right; their forces were in shambles and there was no way to stop the Fire Nation attack without assistance. And Suki had seen the black and gold dragon with its blue fire. It could stop the airships.

“How do we know that you won’t just take the collar and leave?” Toph asked.

“I will remain here with the Collar of Q’Infadel while Kiva intercepts the airfleet. You are welcome to send an observer; Kiva is quite comfortable to ride on.” Azula turned to Suki. “You appear to be in the best shape of the survivors of this battle, so I would recommend that you go as the observer.”

Suki felt herself tense up as she observed the dragon, which in turn was looking back at her. And then the dragon winked at her. The thought of riding on that monstrosity didn’t fill her with joy.

“Why would you help us fight the Fire Nation? You’re Father’s favorite.” Zuko demanded. To the apparent amusement of Azula.

“I’ve told you, Zuko. I’m not a firebender. Do you really believe that I grew up on my world as Ozai’s favorite? My younger sister, Izuka, was born ten months after me. That should tell you all you need to know about my status.” Azula said with a wry grin. “But to answer your question, the Fire Nation is full of egocentric warmongers that have lost their moral compass. I believe that the tyranny of the Fire Nation must be contained. They have lost all sense of balance.”

“We will need to speak with the survivors of the White Lotus.” Suki said.

“No. The White Lotus is full of asslicking cowards and I will not deal with them. I will take the collar by force if they attempt to intervene in these negotiations. The only member I respected was King Bumi, and I saw him fall in combat.” Everyone flinched at the venom Azula directed towards the White Lotus.

Azula kept speaking when it became clear that no one else knew what to say. “You may consult Iroh if he lives, but that is the only concession I’m willing to make. Perhaps you should help the survivors while you decide.”

The box with the collar remained where it fell. Toph stayed behind with Azula while Suki and Zuko went out to see what assistance they could offer.

Chapter Text

“Do you think that we can trust her?” Iroh asked. He was the only high-ranking member of the Order of the White Lotus left alive. And it was unclear if he would ever recover from the wounds he received from Aang’s terrible onslaught. Three stones had struck Iroh, destroying his right arm, his left leg and tearing a part of his chest open.

Disciple Navisi had been able to close his wounds, but Iroh would never be the same again. But he could still give them counsel as they decided what to do with the Collar of Q’Infadel. Zuko was afraid that there was no way to keep the collar from Azula. The dragon and panther were a terrifying pair of opponents and even though they were injured, Azula and Navisi still gave off vibes of danger.

“Yes.” Suki finally answered when no one else seemed to speak up. “They have the power to take the collar right now if they wanted to. We were in complete disarray after the battle and, frankly, we have no answer to her dragon and panther. They are still offering assistance even though they have all the power.”

“They claim to be from a different Atla, one where Azula isn’t a bender. And I admit that I haven’t seen her bend. And she used those cloth tentacle things to move through the air.” Zuko chimed in. “She’s not like the Azula we know. She calmer and far less confrontational.”

“Perhaps her tale is true. Perhaps not. But I don’t believe that we have any option but to accept their assistance.” Iroh responded with a sigh. He turned to Suki. “Are you willing to ride the dragon and verify the destruction of the airship fleet?”

Suki looked uncomfortable but answered affirmatively anyway. “Yeah, I can do it. We need every bit of help we can get now to stop those airships.”

“Are we really going to give her the collar?” Zuko asked.

“We will need to determine our options while Suki is verifying the destruction of the airship fleet. I don’t trust them with the Collar of Q’Infadel. I feel that we are the only ones that can be trusted to keep it safe.” Iroh responded.

Zuko agreed with that. He had to do what was right for the world. If the Collar of Q’Infadel was as powerful as Aang and Navisi described it, then he couldn’t allow it to ever fall into the hands of Azula. Any Azula.

“I’m sorry, but I disagree with your assessment. That’s not the same Azula that held me prisoner. We would all be dead had she willed it. At the very least they could have taken the box with the collar and there’s nothing we could have done to stop them. It’s wrong for us to betray them.” Suki said.

“No, Suki. You don’t know Azula like I do. She can’t be trusted.” Zuko didn’t like having to go back on his word, but the fate of the world may be hanging in the balance. “We have to keep her from getting the collar.”

“I will have no part of this. If you betray them, you will suffer the consequences. I will not betray them based on your fear and speculation.” Suki stood up and walked off.

Zuko started to stand and go after her, but Iroh called to him. “Let her go, Zuko. She needs time to think and consider the circumstances. We must begin preparing.”

Navisi had done some healing on Azula and Suki and offered to help Toph as well. Suki was watching as Toph laid flat and two stones were placed above her Air and Fire chakras. Or so Navisi said. And now Navisi was manipulating light bands that had formed around her wrist; the stones on Toph’s chest glowed too. Suki watched in fascination for several minutes.

Suddenly, the stones stopped glowing and then the light bands around Navisi’s wrists disappeared. “You need to be careful for a few days but the break is realigned and healed. You’ll be really hungry and a little tired. I suggest you eat as much milk rich foods as possible.”

“Wow, that actually feels pretty good. Maybe Suki and I should go kick Crazy Blue’s ass while your dragon friend crushes the airships.” Toph jokes as she makes it to her feet. “But you’re right. I’m starving. I’m going to try to find something to eat.” And she wonders off in the general direction of the camp.

“It’s not for us to tell you what battles to fight. All we care about is getting the Collar of Q’Infadel to safety.” Navisi said with a smile.

Suki felt worse and worse about Zuko and Iroh’s plans for betraying Azula and Navisi. She never thought that she’d ever encounter a scenario where she’d side with Azula over well, pretty much anyone.”

She watched as Navisi went and checked on Azula. The infamous princess had been sleeping for a while. Navisi had already cleaned and healed many of her wounds enough so that they shouldn’t get infected. She hadn’t tried to heal Katara; she told them that there was nothing to be done for her except to make sure she never wakes up. The burns had been too extensive and her internal organs too damaged to heal.

Katara had died just under an hour ago.

Suki decided to try and satisfy some of her curiosity. “If you don’t mind me asking, how did you come to travel with Azula and your incredible allies?”

Navisi smiled and stood up. She gestured to the rock next to Suki. “May I?”

“Of course.”

Navisi takes a seat. “I lived on a world out of balance; a terrible disaster had already befallen my people when Azula arrived. I’m not allowed to talk about the specifics of the other worlds, but it was a horrible place and I’m not sure humanity would have survived another five years. But then Azula arrived.”

“What did she do?”

“She found the source of the disaster that had occurred, and I joined her when she went to fix the problem. We are alike. We were both supposed to be benders, but for some reason our bending never kindled. But we were lucky that we were found by our mistresses as children, who trained us to wield our chi using the techniques of the Order of the Arts Esoteric.”

“I’ve never heard of it. Is it a secret organization?”

“Not really. It’s just that there were so few mistresses left scattered around the world, everyone thought they might be the last of their order. But Azula found me and our teachings, while similar, have very real differences. We’ve taught each other so much during our time together.” She paused to look at Suki.

“I don’t know what your Azula has done, but my mistress is good and trustworthy. She was selected by the Great Spirits themselves to help worlds like yours and mine. Mistress Azula has told me a little of the visions she had of the firebending Azulas, how they were cruel and often went insane, so I understand why you may fear and distrust her. But she’s not like that.”

Suki pondered the words the girl had told her. They seemed honest and Toph has said that the girl hadn’t told any lies earlier.

“Well, I for one am glad that you came to our world. We couldn’t have stopped Aang without you.” And Suki meant that. They would all be dead without Navisi and Azula and the two magical creatures. But mainly the dragon and panther.

“We are glad to help. Every mission we complete brings us closer to returning to Azula’s world. To her home.” The young girl smiled at Suki. And Suki couldn’t help but smile back.

“Well, I hope that you make it home soon.”

The remnants of the Order of the White Lotus had gathered with Zuko, Toph and Suki to prepare for the final assault against airships. The midmorning sun shone down on them as they watched the comet appear in the sky.

Zuko could feel the power of his connection to his firebending increasing; the power he felt was like nothing he had encountered before. But for now, they were watching Navisi and Suki prepare to take flight and destroy the airships. They had packs with a bit of food and drink for the ride.

Azula said that the dragonriders would encounter the airships over the open water in just over two hours, based on the intelligence that the White Lotus had gathered. Azula had looked at it and instantly said it was correct. He didn’t know what her sources were, but Azula was always smart.

“Alright, Navisi, you know the plan and the potential dangers. I trust you to keep Kiva on the straight and narrow.” Azula said, causing the dragon to bellow in outrage. She smiled as the dragon proceeded to nuzzle her and she petted and caressed the dragon’s giant head. “Just kidding, Kiva. Bring them home safely.”

“We’ll be back before you know it, Mistress.” Navisi said with a smile.

“I know you will. I’ll be waiting here with all our new friends awaiting your return.” Azula said, giving Navisi a hug.

The dragon, Kiva, laid down and Navisi and Suki climbed onto its back, where the neck ridges had assumed the shape of seats. The two girls were soon loaded up and ready to go.

Everyone watched as the mighty beast flapped its wings and ascended and soared into the sky. It climbed in altitude and swiftly made its way south towards the airship fleet.

Zuko watched as Azula turned and slowly hobbled her way back to the camp. Toph walked alongside her, while Zuko and the rest of the able-bodied White Lotus members followed along more slowly. The box with collar was being held in the camp. It was agreed that Toph and Azula would remain with the box until the dragon returned.

Zuko followed Azula and Toph into the open tent with the box containing the Collar of Q’Infadel. Azula turned to Toph. “I don’t suppose you could earthbend a couple of chairs to sit on, could you? My tired old bones don’t feel like sitting on the ground at the moment.”

“No problem, Tentacles.” Three chairs popped out of the ground. Zuko reluctantly had a seat. His arm was a bit stiff but mostly healed. Navisi did seem to have some real skills.

“Thanks, Toph. I knew there was a reason I liked you.” Azula said with a smile.

“What’s not to like. I’m pretty damn awesome.” Came Toph’s blustering response. Azula laughed.

“I can’t argue with that. So now we just wait until Suki and Navisi return to verify the destruction of the the airships.” Azula said, leaning back and getting comfortable. At least she looked pretty comfortable.

“How can you just sit there!” Zuko said after a few minutes of idly waiting. “We should be doing something. I could take Appa and Toph and take down the real Azula.”

“The real Azula? That’s just hurtful, Zuko. Should I mock you and call you Zuzu? Would that make me seem like the real Azula?” She just smirked at the angry look he was giving her. “Emotions are wonderful things, Zuko, so long as they remain the servant and reason remains the master. I could teach you a few of the Mnaimonatic meditation practices I use for emotional control.”

“I don’t care about your meditation mumbo jumbo.” Zuko shouted. He knew that getting worked up wasn’t going to do him any good. But he just couldn’t help it. Azula was going to win again. Not just one Azula, but now two. One would become Fire Lord and the other would take the Collar of Q’Infadel.

“Perhaps you should go talk to Iroh. I’m sure he’s got some aphorisms about tea and such that will soothe your turbulent mood.” Azula said with a smile.

“You don’t get to talk about Uncle. He’s ten times the person you’ll ever hope to be!” Zuko shouted.

“Calm down, Sparky, she wasn’t criticizing Iroh. Why are you getting so upset?” Toph asked, looking at him askance.

“My guess is that he doesn’t trust me and is looking for a justification not to hand over the Collar of Q’Infadel as negotiated.” Azula said, looking straight into Zuko’s eyes.

“Azula always lies.” Zuko hissed at her.

“You’re not the only one in the family with a favorite saying.” Azula smiled at him. “Mine is ‘Zuko is always a dunderhead’. Not as catchy as yours, but just as accurate.”

“You claim that you’re not a bender. My firebending is amplified by Sozin’s comet. Toph is the strongest earthbender alive. If we want to keep the collar, do you think that you can take it from us?”

“Easy there, Sparky. Let’s take it down a notch. She helped us with Aang. He was my friend and a great guy, but he would have killed us all if Azula and her friends didn’t help.”

“The answer to your question is yes, Zuko, I can indeed take it from the two of you and every member of the White Lotus still alive. I say that with absolute certainty. Sozin’s comet or not, you will not survive an encounter with me.” Azula never took her eyes off Zuko. They continued to stare at each other.

“You’re injured and three of your tentacles have been burned away. You’re at a distinct disadvantage.” Zuko was going to say more except Azula started laughing.

“Knowledge is power, Zuko. I know your skills and abilities. And I know how you think and act. I’ve been sparring and fighting benders my entire life. But you’ve never encountered someone like me before. And that lack of knowledge, the fact that you don’t know what to prepare for, will mean your death if you betray me. Do not doubt that.” Azula answered, the smile gone from her face.

“You don’t know nearly as much as you think. I am much stronger than I was before.” Zuko exclaimed.

“You don’t have anything that I haven’t seen a hundred times before. If you’re so hell bent on fighting me, do it now so that I can recall Kiva and Navisi. It doesn’t seem right to uphold our end of the deal if you’re just going to betray me.”

“Guys, let’s take it easy here. We’re not going to betray you, Azula.” Toph interjected. “Let’s settle down.”

“Zuko, tell me that you have no plans to betray me. I want to hear you say it. And for the record, my methods are different, but I’m a human lie detector just like Toph is. So tell me that you’re not going to betray me.”

Zuko looked at Toph and saw the concerned look on her face. Damn it, she could tell if he was lying. “You can’t be trusted with the Collar of Q’Infadel. I think that you’re going to unleash them and try to take over the world.”

“You honestly believe that. But I could have taken the collar immediately after the battle had I wanted to. I could have ambushed your party without ever letting you know we were coming for you. I allowed Navisi to heal you and Toph. Why would I do those things if I’m not telling the truth?” Azula asked.

“I don’t know what you’re playing at. But I’m not going to let you take the Collar of Q’Infadel.” Zuko admitted.

Azula turned to Toph, who was staring at Zuko with a dumbfounded expression. “The decision is yours, Toph. If you stand by the agreement, I will allow Kiva to continue and intercept the airship fleet. If you betray me, I’m going to take the collar and recall Kiva. Everything rests on your awesome shoulders.”

Toph looked between Azula and Zuko. Zuko spoke up. “You don’t know her like I do, Toph. She will betray us.”

“I’m sorry, Sparky. But I’m sticking with our deal. They could have taken the collar and ran at any time. They are offering to help. We can’t fight the airships now. Had you ridden Appa, maybe, but only if you were healed. This is the only way to save the Earth Kingdom and probably the world.”

Zuko stared at Azula. “Fine. I will keep the deal. But you had better deliver on your end.”

Azula just stared at him, like she was trying to see into his soul. Finally, she spoke. “I believe you. I will allow Kiva to continue.”

Flying dragonback was both terrifying and exhilarating at the same time. They had been flying for about two hours when Navisi turned around and started speaking to Suki.

“You’re doing pretty well for your first time riding a dragon. It takes a little getting used to.” Navisi smiled at her. “And I’m glad that we weren’t recalled. Azula wasn’t sure if she would be able to talk Zuko and Iroh out of betraying us.”

Suki froze as Navisi just stared at her. It took a few moments to find her words. “Zuko is biased against Azula. I tried to tell him that she wasn’t the same, but he didn’t want to hear it.”

“We know that you didn’t want to betray us. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have let you ride with me.”

“Oh.” Suki answered. “But if you know that Zuko and Iroh wanted to betray you, why are you helping us?”

“Because we know that what the Fire Nation is doing is evil and needs to be stopped; your group is fighting on the right side of history. It isn’t for us to reroute the entire war, but the intermediaries gave Azula permission to negotiate this one act in return for the collar being handed over.”

“What are the like? The intermediaries.” Suki asked.

“I’ve never met them, but Azula says that the appearance of each intermediary reflects the bending and culture of the people they’re associated with. She also says that they are friendly and were actually sorry that she had to help other worlds to go back home.”

“So they just ship you world to world?”

Navisi gave a barking laugh. “No, we are actually sent world to world by the two-headed, six-armed, three-boobed goddesses of chaos named OrkaHaalu.”

Suki was pretty sure that her brain shut down at that information because Navisi just started laughing harder. “It’s every bit as weird as it sounds. But we’re getting close to the fleet, so let’s buckle down and get ready to take them out of the sky.”

The airships were flying relatively low, maybe only a few hundred feet over the open water. They were still about four miles offshore. Kiva flew much higher than them and actually flew out past them and then circled around to approach them from behind.

Navisi turned back to Suki. “Hang on, we’re about to go in for the kill.”

Suki held on tight to the reins and the was glad she was strapped into the magical beast as her stomach lurched and Kiva dove at the fourteen airships, which were flying in a shallow V formation. Kiva rose out of the dive only about fifty feet above the airship at the right edge of the formation and began breathing her deadly blue fire.

The balloon burst into flames and Kiva stopped her fire for just a moment as she drifted to the left and proceeded to burn the second airship. This procedure repeated itself until they got to the fifth airship.

“Here he comes.” Navisi shouted.

Azula had warned them that Ozai knew how to fly under the power of Sozin’s comet. Kiva continued burning as Ozai approached.

Suki watched in horror as Ozai began to firebend at the dragon and its riders. But she saw the light bands appear around Navisi’s arms and then around Ozai’s ankles. He began wobbling in the sky as his mobility was completely stifled by the bands.

But it was the panther that appeared behind him that sealed his fate. He was helpless as the beast clasped onto him with its claws and bit into his neck. He was close enough that Suki could see the terror in his eyes just before his body went limp and his flames were extinguished.

He began falling from the sky and the panther let go of him and disappeared again. Suki couldn’t see him hit the water, but she knew that he would never be a threat to any of them ever again.

Kiva continued burning the airships, even as they broke formation to try and escape the airborne terror. But Kiva was far faster than any airship and they all crashed into the water, the flames only extinguishing once the airships finally sank under the waves.

Suki felt bad for the poor soldiers and workers, but it was what needed to be done to save the Earth Kingdom. Suki was no longer as afraid for the future as she had been even a day ago.

Zuko had been stewing the entire time he was under the tent cover with Azula and Toph. The two girls had talked about various topics for a little while. But Toph was still downcast by the terrible things that had happened to her friends. And now they were making their way out to the edge of the camp.

Azula had told them that the dragon would be landing soon. So Toph carried the box and the rest of the group made its way out the designated landing zone. Zuko watched as the black and gold dragon landed. Navisi and Suki both hopped off.

“I appreciate the experience but that was mildly terrifying.” Suki said as they approached the group.

“Did you complete the mission.” Zuko asked. He didn’t have time for small talk. He needed to know what was going on.

“Yes, all fourteen airships were destroyed and Ozai was killed.” Suki said, looking at Zuko with a bit of sympathy.

“What! You didn’t say anything about killing Father.” Zuko blustered.

“What the hell did you think was going to happen, Zuko? He was aboard the airships that were being knocked from the sky over the open water. Did he fly out to fight?” Azula asked Suki.

“Yeah. He flew out and then Navisi bound his ankles together and the panther attacked him.” Suki responded. She looked a little sad about it. “I’m sorry, Zuko. I know he was your father, but he was going to attack us. It was kill or be killed.”

Zuko gritted his teeth. “It’s okay. I knew that he needed to be taken care of.”

“And he has been. With Ozai gone, there will be a flux in leadership while Azula takes over. She’s young and inexperienced, so you should be able to take advantage of some of her weaknesses.” The other Azula said.

“I think that completes our side of the deal.” Navisi said, looking at Toph.

“Yeah, it does.” Zuko tensed as Toph handed the box with the collar to Azula.

“Not that I don’t trust you, but let me verify that the Collar of Q’Infadel is actually in here.” Azula said, opening the box. Zuko prepared himself to strike if need be.

They all saw the collar that Aang had shown them. “Well, it looks like our business is completed.”

Azula closed the box and nodded to Navisi. They slowly walked to the edge of the camp, far away from everyone else. “We wish you all success in your war against the Fire Nation. They have strayed from the honorable way. Good luck!”

And with that the dragon disintegrated right before their eyes. And then to everyone’s surprise, a cloud of golden light appeared and the two stepped into it and disappeared from sight.

Epilogue

Suki was looking over the map. In the five years since Sozin’s comet, the Fire Nation forces had been driven from most of the Earth Kingdom. The Earth Kingdom forces had just retaken the southeast Fire Colonies and were making strong inroads into the northwest Fire Colony. The Fire Nation had descended into chaos with the assassination of Azula. Zuko had been backed as the new Fire Lord by a group of Fire Nation soldiers, but other claimants had challenged him and the resulting civil war had allowed the Earth Nations and Northern Water tribe to counterattack.

Zuko had been winning the war when he in turn was assassinated. And the Fire Nation was taken over by a distant cousin. Luckily, the Fire Nation had nearly bled itself dry during the civil war and the winner was more of a political figurehead rather than a military leader.

“General, Toph’s here to speak with you. She said that it’s really important. She has guests.” Gira said, stepping inside the tent.

“Of course, Gira. Bring her in.” Suki responded with a smile. Toph had been a big part of why the war had gone so well. She didn’t have the patience to be a strategic thinker, but the girl was an absolute powerhouse on the battlefield.

Toph entered with two water tribe guests, a woman and a child, maybe five years old or so. The woman seemed very shy while the girl just looked at her defiantly.

“Hello, Toph. I was told that you had something important to share with me?” Suki said, looking between her and the water tribe pair. The older girl, Suki assumed that she was the mother, was pretty and of medium height, with long black hair in a traditional water tribe style. The little girl had a wild look too her and still had a bit of baby fat on her face and body. But she sure had a mean scowl.

“Yeah, I do. This is Ivaku. She fled from the Northern Water tribe a few years ago and has been working as a healer in Gerva. And this is her daughter, Hinaku.” Toph said, introducing the pair.

“Who are you?” The little girl asked in a rather assertive voice.

Suki blinked in surprise. “I’m General Suki, commander of the Southeastern Army group.”

“Yeah, well I’m Hinaku and I’m the Avatar, so I’m gonna be your boss soon.”

And Suki gasped in shock as the girl pulled water out of a flask and made a water whip, then proceeded to earthbend a rock through the canvas of the tent and then kicked a flame into the air.

“Those Fire Nation punks better be ready because I’m coming for ‘em!” The girl proclaimed.

Chapter Text

Azula had been running for nearly two weeks. A fortnight of stealing food and clothes, sleeping in whatever abandoned or makeshift quarters she could find. She didn’t dare show her firebending, even in self-defense. Luckily, the Fire Nation was calm enough that no one bothered a thin and ragged girl; she blended in with many of the poor migrants that moved from city to city, trying to find jobs.

But this is where she had been trying to get to. Rin Tan, the coastal town on the northern shore of the main island. Azula prayed to Agni and any other deity that was listening that everything was just as she left it. The streets were dark now and most of the people were inside doing whatever peasants do at night. Probably things mainly to do with alcohol and fornication. She preferred not to dwell on the subject.

She made her way to the abandoned lighthouse just outside the city. Watching for nearly an hour, she finally made her way to the rusty side door and slipped inside, priming herself to take whatever actions were needed to achieve her goal. But the place was empty and deserted. It was musty and dank, but all in all it was just as she remembered.

If it weren’t for the fact that the two had stood by and done nothing while she was imprisoned and tormented, she would have thanked Li and Lo for teaching her the value of contingency plans. She had expected that there might be a need to flee from Father, especially after little Zuzu was banished. She never expected to be fleeing from Zuzu and his band of bootlickers. But her contingency plan served her current cause well enough.

She found where she had hidden the airtight and waterproof security box and nearly wept for joy to see that it was there, still untouched just as she left it. It wasn’t much by the standards of a princess, but the money and jewelry inside seemed like a treasure trove to a half-starved girl wearing rags. Not enough to live like she used to, but enough to start over and live a quiet life as a peasant.

Well, maybe not a peasant; she still had some standards. But enough to get get the fuck off this island and make her way to somewhere that Zuko and his zealot friends couldn’t find her. The torture and mistreatment she had suffered in the asylum made her admit defeat; she wouldn’t risk that again, not even for a chance to take the throne. What she wanted was a quiet place. A quiet life. A place to heal. She just wanted to feel whole again.

Zuko and the traitorous bitch could keep their damn throne.

Navisi stepped out of the cloud with Azula and was instantly confused. They both looked around trying to figure out where they were. No ringed planet or beautiful galaxy. They were standing on a ridge looking down onto what appeared to be a moderately sized Earth Kingdom town. She turned to see Azula looking around frantically.

“The box with the Collar of Q’Infadel. It’s gone. I had it when I stepped into the cloud and it was gone when I stepped out.” Azula sighed and hobbled over to a rocky outcropping and sat down. She looked absolutely exhausted. Navisi hadn’t been able to heal all of her injuries in one go.

“OrkaHaalu probably took it for safekeeping. But why are we here? She usually tells us what we’re looking for.” Navisi said, looking around. She wasn’t familiar with this area at all. Of course, she had been born and raised in Ba Sing Se and didn’t have time to sightsee with Azula.

Azula pulled out her coin purse and perused the contents. Her aura indicated that she was satisfied. “Well, we have plenty of money to get some food and a room if there’s one to rent. I could use another healing session if you’re up for it.”

“Of course, Mistress. Let’s make sure that you have access to ample food first.”

“That sounds like a great plan. Let’s see what the good people of this fine town can offer us. Why don’t you send Omnisae out to look for any signs of trouble as we make our way.”

After calling Omnisae and giving her time to take flight and do a preliminary flyover, the pair slowly made their way down the sloping footpath that weaved its way around the hillside. After taking four breaks so that Azula could catch her breath and Navisi could look through Omnisae’s eyes, they finally arrived at the town.

As luck would have it, there was a sign along the main road. Wi Lan was the name of the town. “We’re in the Northwest Colony, or whatever it is called in this world. The far western side of the colony, at that. In my world it’s a hub for lumber and iron ore; they do the basic processing here and then send the products down the river to Mu Kan, the coastal port city.”

Navisi was glad that Azula was an economics nerd; she knew irrelevant facts about places all around the three nations. And for once a relevant fact. The pair made their way into the town and quickly spotted an inn. They headed there to get their bearings.

Quite a few people stopped and brazenly watched as the two made their way down the street. Navisi guessed it was a combination of the matching robes and the weapons that Azula displayed for all the world to see.

The Neiratan Sojourn was the name of the inn. Navisi didn’t even have to ask if the name meant anything, since Azula was happy to spout out the fact that Neiratan was the name of a mythical mountain tribe that was famous for their migration habits. Navisi couldn’t care less about the local folklore, but Azula seemed to love little facts like these.

Luckily, both girls had changed into clean robes after the battle with Aang; people would have thought they had been beaten, set on fire, dragged behind an ostrichhorse and then set on fire again for good measure if they had been wearing those old, battered robes.

An old man watched Azula approach with a neutral expression, although his aura indicated mild disdain if she was reading it right. She still needed more practice.

“Good afternoon, innkeep. I was hoping that my disciple and I would be able to rent a room for the night.” Azula said in a pleasant voice.

“One bed or two.” The old man answered.

“Two beds are fine.” Came Azula’s response.

“That’ll be eighteen urvans.” Old man replied.

“Eighteen urvans! There had better be a studly young man in there to keep us company for that cost. Surely ten urvans is a more reasonable price.” Azula countered.

“You Fire Nation types are always trying to take from the mouths of us earth folk! I can’t do less than fifteen.”

“Thirteen and we’ve got a deal.” Azula retorted, staring him down.

“Fine. Thirteen. Do you have any other luggage or animals?” He asked, looking them over.

“No, we travel light and by the power of our own two feet.” Azula responded. That was a blatant lie since they now had a dragon to ride. But Navisi had no desire to try and explain the magic dragon with blue fire to anyone.

“Hmmphh,” was his only response as he turned and grabbed a key once Azula had handed over the money.

“Is there somewhere to buy food and supplies? And is there a blacksmith.”

“Bit Ko has a good restaurant and tea shop down the street; turn right and go up three storefronts. Master Liu Hop has a metalworking shop a few doors past that.” Old man seemed to be warming up to them now that it was known that they were looking to spend money.

With a thanks to the old man, they made their way out of the inn and to the restaurant. Bit Ko turned out to look even older than the innkeep but her food was great. And plentiful. And reasonably priced. Navisi was pretty sure that she suspected them of having hollow legs considering how much they put away. But healing was a hunger inducing action, so Bit Ko and the woman helping her kept the food coming.

Next, they went to the blacksmith. Master Liu Hop was a giant of a man but was actually quite nice. Azula showed him the metal augmentor that she had attached to her one remaining cloth tentacle. He eyed it and said that it wouldn’t be hard to make, but he had other items in the queue ahead of her. They should be ready in a few days.

Next, they made their way to the sundry store, where Azula picked out cloth to replace her missing tentacles. The back contraption had been damaged in the battle, but she wanted replacement cloths for them anyway and one for her right gauntlet. Azula decided to get a few extra tentacles made just to have as spares.

They showed the seamstress what she wanted and she said it wouldn’t be an issue. They would be dyed black also. Once again it should be a couple of days. From there they proceeded head back to the inn so they could check out their room and do another healing session.

As they had expected, the room was small and had two single beds. But the room was clean and the beds comfortable, so all was well. Azula gingerly laid down on one of the beds. Navisi set the two healing stones over her Air and Fire chakras and activated her gauntlets.

“Are you ready, Mistress?”

“Yes, go ahead.” Navisi connected to the stones and then connected the stones to Azula’s chakras. Once they were centered and attuned, she connected her gauntlets to the stones and brought forth the light sigils. Then she gently began using the healing energy of the stones to accelerate the body’s natural healing process. This had to be done slowly and carefully so that it didn’t start consuming the chi of the person being healed.

They had learned early on that it worked much better if the person had adequate nutrition, since the healing process required lots of energy. Even with as much as she ate just a bit ago, Azula would probably be starving again once the healing process was done. It would require at least one more session to completely heal Azula; the body could only handle so much healing at one time before it became exhausted.

She continued the healing for about twenty minutes before Azula’s body began to push back. Navisi gently disconnected the stones from Azula and then disconnected her gauntlets from the stones.

“That feels a lot better, Navisi. Thank you. I’m so glad I found you.” Azula slurred as she drifted off to sleep. That much healing was exhausting to the injured. It had very little affect on Navisi though; that was one of the benefits of this healing process.

As Azula lay sleeping, Navisi laid down on her own bed and set the stones on her own Air and Fire chakras. She again activated her gauntlets and began the process of healing herself. Luckily, her wounds had been significantly less severe than Azula’s and this was just a quick session to complete the process. In ten minutes she had healed all of her wounds.

She disconnected the stones and set her gauntlets aside. Despite it being a short session, she could feel the fatigue in her body. The bed was warm and inviting as she laid her head down and then blissfully drifted off to sleep.

“Well, we still don’t know what our mission is, but I say that this is an opportunity to undertake a mission of our own.” Azula said to her after they had finished the breakfast that Bit Ko had prepared for them. Once again, the woman marveled at how much food they had been able to put away.

Azula was feeling much better today; even if Navisi didn’t do any more healing, she would be back in form in three or four weeks. Navisi was looking fit and trim this morning. She apparently had done another healing session on herself after Azula fell asleep and was now completely healed. That made Azula feel better about their situation. If trouble did arise it was best if at least one of them was in full fighting form.

“What kind of mission would we take on our own?” Navisi asked as she finished the last of her breakfast.

“When I found the library of the Arts Esoteric that Mistress Corvylyn sent me to, I was able to tease out the location of two additional libraries. I was able to visit the one in Ji Ha. The second library was located in the Northwest colony and, based on the clues I found, it appears to be quite remote. Being remote isn’t quite the obstacle that it used to be.” Azula answered with a smile.

Navisi returned her smile. “Indeed it is not.”

“We could leave today and search the area where it should be. With the proper amount of supplies, we can easily stay there a couple of days if we find anything of note. Then we can return here to restock and gather the items that we requested. Assuming we aren’t sent on a wild goose-crab chase.”

“That sounds exciting. This might be a great chance for me to practice my Lincum Arca.”

“Indeed, it is. Let’s gather our things and prepare for the journey.” Azula said. They got to their feet and thanked Bit Ko for the wonderful food and told her that they would be back in three or four days to enjoy more of her delicious meals.”

“You are welcome anytime, my dears. Please be careful. I worry about young ladies like yourself traveling.” Bit Ko said. “Although with the weapons you’re carrying, I’m guessing that any bandits might want to think twice before messing with the two of you.”

Azula and Navisi both thanked her for her concern and made their way back to the inn. The innkeep, who it turns out is named Ilvo, had allowed them to store their items in his backroom while they went for breakfast.

“Now be careful ladies. I look forward to seeing you again when you return. You’ve both been gracious guests.” Ilvo said as the girls gathered their items and Azula mounted her weapons.

“Thank you, Ilvo. We look forward to staying with you again upon our return. You have a wonderful establishment.” Azula answered, smiling at the gold tones of his aura. Pride.

And with that they made their way out into the street and back up the path that they had followed into town. They actually moved faster going uphill than they had coming downhill; Azula could move much better now and only had to take one break.

Once they were safely away from the sightline of the village and they were safely isolated, Azula called Kiva from the amulet. And once again it filled her heart with joy to see the magnificent creature take form.

“Are you ready to fly, Kiva?” Azula asked with a smile.

‘Of course, Azula. I love to fly.’ The beautiful dragon answered in her head.

“Alright, Navisi. Kiva is ready for us. Let’s go see if we can find ourselves a library.” The two girls hopped on Kiva’s back and took off into the sky.

Azula couldn’t wait to see what they would find.

According to the clues, the library was located in the Pin Vao mountain range. The clues were a little more obscure after that. It kept repeating the phrase ‘Attune with the chi of the mountains’. The obscurity was one of the reasons why she had decided to search for the library in Ji Ha first. The clues had been much clearer about that location.

But she was hoping that the more circumspect the clues, the more valuable to treasure to be found. Azula had pieced together the general location of the library based on the description of mountain peaks in the range. Several of them were quite distinct in appearance and the fact that two such peaks were visible from the library narrowed the area down significantly.

It had only taken about an hour and a half to fly the general area on Kiva. The found the two peaks referenced in her texts quite easily. Ik La Pu was often referred to as the Great Nest, since if the top of the mountain had been removed by some geological activity and the resulting peak looked a bit like an eagle-hawk nest.

And Yil Kwan was known as the Trident, since it had three tall stone spires instead of a single peak. From there, it was a matter of math. The scrolls said that the two peaks could be seen from the library and that the distance between the two peaks appeared to be about three times the width of the sun that rose between them every morning.

Based on the math she had done all that time ago, that put the library about sixteen clicks due west of the formations. That was still a daunting amount of ground to cover, even with a dragon. But Azula was hoping that the last geological clue would make it easier to find.

There was a tall waterfall on the mountain just below the library courtyard. Since they were flying in from the west, it was easy to fly between the two peaks and begin their search from Kiva. While Azula looked from the sky, Navisi sent Omnisae to view the same peaks from a lower vantage point.

It was slow going, since the library could have a significant variation along the north-south axis, as well as a minor variation on the east-west distance. They had probably looked at around forty potential sites when Azula noticed something strange. She focused the chi view of the jevalda towards the source and she saw four small chi beacons.

She directed Kiva to head towards the beacons. “Navisi, I’m seeing something with the jevalda. Please look the direction we’re heading with your chi sight.”

There were a few moments of silence before Navisi spoke. “I can see four chi points. They aren’t human or animal chi; they kind of feel like the chi from the chi reservoir.”

“I thought the same thing. Please send Omnisae over to scout while we fly in.” Azula ordered as Kiva began descending.

“There’s a flat area that may have been a courtyard and a large waterfall below it.” Navisi’s excited voice said.

Azula smiled. “Let’s go see what we can find.”

Navisi was so excited when Kiva landed in the courtyard; the four beacons were placed in a square around the flat area. They weren’t strong but they were clearly visible if you were looking for them.

She and Azula dismounted and began searching the mountainside for some sort of entrance. The area was overgrown and would have looked much like any other flat rocky area if not for the beacons. The started in the center of the rock face and moved towards the edges. Navisi going to the right while Azula went towards the left.

Navisi had gone about twenty feet when she found it. A ceramic plate. “I found something, Mistress.”

Azula scurried over and took a look. Then she put her hand on it and Navisi could see her push a bit of chi into the plate. “It’s a chi lock. I had to open something like this at Ji Ha also.”

Navisi watched as Azula closed her eyes and started pushing chi into the plate. She could feel Azula manipulating her chi but she couldn’t see what happened once the chi entered the plate. Suddenly, Azula opened her eyes and smiled.

Navisi heard some sort of grinding sound and could feel the vibrations of a mechanism. Azula spoke. “The entrance is unlocked. Would you like to do the honors and move the stone closing off the entrance.”

“Of course, Mistress.” Now that she knew where to look, it was easy to find the rolling stone that closed off the entrance. She activated her gauntlets and pushed her chi through them, causing the light sigils to twist and twirl as she reached out and grasped the stone telekinetically. And with a strong push of chi, the stone rolled aside and they could enter.

She looked at her Mistress, who was looking back. Then they both smiled. This was an exciting adventure.

“Let’s go see what secrets lie within, oh great disciple of mine.”

“I would love to, oh great mistress of mine.”

Navisi activated two light globes, one for her and one for Azula, and they made their way inside the library.

Ma Ju carried the bags with the food over the constable’s office. It was a bit of tradition. Every Friday evening, the constables ordered their favorite dishes to enjoy in the office. They tipped well and everyone liked them. They kept the peace when the lumberjacks and miners got out of hand without letting the power go to their heads.

Not everyone could resist the call of power like they did, so Bit Ko made sure to show her appreciation by always going a little above and beyond with the meals she prepared. Tonight was no exception. Ma Ju knew that they would enjoy this meal.

One of the constables saw her coming and opened the door so she could bring all of the delicious goods in. The table was cleared and she easily set the bags there and began passing out the meals. They chatted and asked how things were going with her beau. She blushed a little but told them that things were going well.

“You’re a fine catch, Ma Ju. It’s a good thing that Jinpa found you first or I might have to fight him for you.” Constable Sama said with a grin. He was nearing seventy and had five kids and about fifteen grandkids.

“You’re a sweet talker, Sama. But I know that you only want me for one thing.” She raised an eyebrow at him. “My Haila Pu pie!”

Everyone laughed as Sama grinned. “You caught me, Ma Ju. Your Haila Pu pie is a masterpiece of culinary delectability.”

She smiled as she turned to go back to the restaurant. It was then that she saw the picture on the wall. The Wanted poster of a beautiful young woman with black hair and strong Fire Nation features.

“Why do you have a Wanted poster of Mistress Asundra?” Ma Ju asked, pointing at the poster.

All of the constables stopped smiling and suddenly looked very serious. Sama spoke first. “What do you mean, Mistress Asundra? That is Princess Azula of the Fire Nation. She is an incredibly dangerous firebender and escaped from an insane asylum four years ago.”

Ma Ju felt sick to her stomach. “I swear that she ate in Bit Ko’s restaurant last night and this morning. Her hair is different and she has a scar on her cheek, but I swear it’s the same girl.”

Everyone stared at her. “Did she spend the night in Wi Lan?”

“She and her disciple rented a room from Ilvo. You must have seen them. They wore the black robes with the gold trim and had those exotic tiaras. Mistress Asundra was carrying the giant bow and the hook swords.”

“I did see them from a distance. But I didn’t see the bow and swords.” Sama answered.

“I saw them leaving town this morning, boss.” Junva said. “She was wearing the bow and swords then.”

“They said that they had some spiritual training to do but that they’d be back in three or four days.” Ma Ju volunteered.

Sama sighed. “Thanks for letting us know, Ma Ju. You better head back or Bit Ko might send out a search party. We’ll look into the matter. Let’s keep this to ourselves for now. There’s a chance that this Mistress Asundra just happens to look like Azula.”

“Of course, Sama. Enjoy your meal, constables.”

“I’m sure we will. I’ll send the plates and cutlery back as always.” Sama responded with a smile.

But Ma Ju saw that the smile didn’t reach his eyes. None of them were safe if Princess Azula was coming back to their town.

Chapter Text

Azula hadn’t been sure what to expect when she walked through the entrance, but it certainly wasn’t a circular entry hall that was at least forty feet wide. Navisi created four more light globes. And tears of joy came to Azula’s eyes as she saw the statue.

Four eyes, four arms, four boobs and the giant yotzu. Azula approached the statue with Navisi following along close behind. It looked just like all the others. Eight feet tall and showing Yotforbu in all her immodest glory.

“That must be Yotforbu. OrkaHaalu’s aunt.” Navisi said quietly.

“Yes, indeed. She helped me more than I can ever express. I wish you could have met her. She would have liked you and you would have liked her.” Azula answered. “But the battle took a great toll on her, and I’m not sure she’ll ever be able to reach our realm again.”

“But that is the past. We are looking to the future. A future where the Arts Esoteric rises up and takes its place as a world changing order.” Azula turned to her apprentice. “Let’s see what this place can tell us of the Arts Esoteric.”

“Well, the first things that caught my eye, after Yotforbu, are the engravings on the walls.” Navisi said, pointing to the walls on either side of the statue.

Azula walked closer to the wall to the left of Yotforbu. The area with the engravings was about fifteen feet wide and eight feet high. The words were in Lincum Arca and there were numerous illustrations. This was incredible. It told the tale of the temple and how it was built just after the time of the first Avatar.

It took them nearly two hours to read through the engravings on both sides of the statue; Azula could have gone faster but Navisi was reading along with her and her Lincum Arca skills weren’t at Azula’s level just yet. But the girl was smart and she got noticeably faster as they went. Navisi truly was everything that Azula was looking for in a practitioner of the Arts Esoteric.

This temple was founded in ancient times and was a center of learning not just for the Order of the Arts Esoteric, but also for other philosophical and mystical orders. There were many such sects, and while they often had fundamentally opposing views on many issues, they all put aside their differences to come to places such as this to record information, debate issues and to cultivate a lifestyle of learning and personal growth.

And it continued like this for thousands of years. But the sects slowly declined as fewer people sought to follow the path of philosophical and mystical and more attention was focused on pursuits that related to bending. The primarily mystical orders were the first to become functionally extinct. The nations that had formed around the grouping of benders who had created their own religious and spiritual practices and infrastructure. And at some point or another, nearly all of them went through a phase of intolerance and persecution.

Many mystical orders were persecuted, and their temples targeted, until the groups fell below the numbers needed to remain a functional organization. But the last members of each group tried to preserve as much about their traditions and teachings as possible by passing texts on to temples such as this one.

But the less mystical orders eventually felt the wrath of the established order also. The Great Exhilaration was the era that brought the philosophical orders to their knees. A great wave of spiritual frenzy swept through the four nations and those groups that existed outside the bounds of proscribed spiritual and philosophical practices were all but eradicated.

Wave after wave of persecutions came; those that wouldn’t bow to the authorities and renounce their teachings were imprisoned or killed. Even the air nomads drove out those that strayed from the path set out by the elders. For seventy years the orders were persecuted; never everywhere nor always at the same time, but often enough that the groups essentially disbanded and went underground.

And when the new Avatar, Kila, stood against the persecutions and successfully pushed back against the spiritual fervor, many of the groups rejoiced. But the damage had been done. Three generations of practitioners had been forced underground and the sense of community and sharing had been broken. It was with the death of Avatar Kila that the temple had finally been sealed. There simply weren’t enough adherents to continue its upkeep and they feared that without a protector like Kila, the next purge may find the temples and destroy their collection of knowledge stored there.

They feared that Kila was the exception to the new rule; the Avatars cared about balance only as it pertained to bending. Other considerations were of much less importance. Your philosophical leanings meant little when compared to whether the majority of the people in your land bent stone or flames or water or air. Any philosophy that didn’t revolve around bending status was essentially considered second rate and not worth consideration by the Avatar and the ruling elites. Balance was narrowly defined in this new world order.

But this is where Azula felt her heart race in excitement. This had been the main temple for nearly a thousand years, but a larger temple had been built shortly before the persecution of the mystical orders had begun. The engravings didn’t say where it was, but she recognized the tell-tale signs of hidden messages. And Azula was certain that the writings on this wall could lead them to the main temple.

Iroh was enjoying his lilac-almond tea when the courier arrived. With Zuko running the Fire Nation, things had been rough in the beginning but had become calmer as of late. His nephew was a good man, and with a strong and competent Fire Lady like Mai at this side, he had finally come into his own as Fire Lord. But this idea he and the Avatar had about creating a new republic in the northwest portion of the Earth Kingdom had definitely riled a few feathers.

So Iroh had left the Jasmine Dragon and traveled to Cranefish Town to help with Zuko’s plans. And it was nice to reunite with the wonderful allies that Zuko had found during the trying times of the One Hundred Year’s War. Even if their taste in teas was not as refined as his.

Katara and Toph politely feigned disinterest as he took the letter from the courier and reviewed the contents. And his heart leapt into his throat at what he read.

“Whoa there, Uncle. Your heart shouldn’t be doing that at your age; you could keel over.” Toph said, eyeing him in concern.

“Are you okay, Iroh?” Katara asked, worry on her face also.

“I am fine, but if this letter is correct, we have a mission before us.” He sighed as he collected his thoughts. “This letter claims that Azula has been spotted in the mining town of Wi Lan. The constable there says that she was identified by multiple witnesses and that he considers the sources to be very creditable. He said that she and a young female companion left but are scheduled to return in just a few days.”

Iroh watched as the news was digested by his young companions. Toph seemed to be taking the news in stride; her relationship with Azula had been straightforward and not particularly heated. Katara though, had a much more complicated relationship with his niece. She had been the one to defeat Azula at the Agni Kai and had a great bit of animosity towards Azula. But she had been appalled when she found out how Azula had been treated in the psychiatric hospital.

“This is something that the White Lotus should handle. But we should handle it carefully.” Iroh continued once it looked like the two young ladies had acclimated themselves to the news. “The letter says that Azula was quite pleasant and did not display any firebending or aggressive behavior. The letter claims that Azula looks exactly like the wanted poster except for a scar on her face. And that she and the young girl with her claim to be part of the Order of the Arts Esoteric.”

Both girls blinked. “I’ve never heard of the Order of the Arts Esoteric.” Katara said.

“I’m with SugarQueen. Never heard of it.” Toph chimed in.

“I’ve only heard of one member. A Fire Priestess by the name of Mistress Corvylyn. She was known as the Dragon Tamer, for she taught acolytes for nearly eighty years with something of an iron fist. There had been a bit of a scandal about it following the rise of the Agni’s Purity movement, but she had persevered. And as far as I’ve ever heard, she was the last of her order in the Fire Nation.” Iroh sighed as he thought back to those times.

The Agni’s Purity movement had held sway before his birth, but the ramifications of their fanaticism had gripped the Fire Nation ever since. Even now, Zuko was having trouble legislating around some of their dogmatic social and spiritual beliefs. But that was not the issue at hand.

“Whether she is a member of this order or not, we should go and take her into custody. Even if she’s been reformed, we need to make sure that she’s not a danger to herself or anyone else.” Katara said.

Toph sighed. “I agree. Hopefully, she’s turned over a new leaf but we gotta make sure. She was a dangerous girl. And besides, I didn’t join the White Lotus just to sit on my butt and drink tea. Right, SugarQueen?”

Katara rolled her eyes but agreed with her friend. “I can’t say that I’m looking for action, but if we can bring Azula in, then that’s something we must do. I hope that she’s been able to pull herself together. I know that she did horrible things, but what they did to her was terrible too.”

Iroh sighed. “Yes, indeed, it was. But if she’s as pleasant as the letter says and she’s truly become a member of the Order of the Arts Esoteric, perhaps she can be brought peacefully back into the fold. She is a brilliant and talented young woman; she could be a great asset to the world if she applied her mind to helping people.”

“It sounds like we’re decided then. Sokka and Suki are helping with the negotiations, but I think they could be spared for this. Ty Lee and few of the other Kyoshi Warriors are there also there acting as security for the delegates.” Katara said.

“We should bring enough to force her to come home if need be, but not enough to cause her to panic. Diplomacy is how to handle this.” Iroh suggested.

“What about Aang?” Toph asked.

“He’s in the Central Earth Kingdom helping with some negotiations. We can keep him apprised but I’m not sure that we need his help for this.” Katara said.

Iroh agreed but he didn’t think that was the only reason. Ever since they broke up, Katara and Aang have been a bit uneasy around each other. Especially since it became noted that Aang spends a lot of time in the Central Earth Kingdom. More than a few have speculated that he has a new lady in his life.

“That is a good plan. I’ll send him and Zuko a message saying what is going on.” Iroh responded.

“And I’ll talk to Sokka and Suki. And I’ll gather of few other White Lotus to join us.” Katara suggested.

“This sounds like a good plan.” Iroh answered with a smile. “This may be a false sighting, but we need to be prepared just in case this is the real deal.”

The engravings on the wall had indeed held a hidden message. It had taken her a while to figure out that it was a number exchange code. But once she realized what she was dealing with, she wrote down the eight pairs of numbers.

And then had exactly zero ideas what to do with them. She and Navisi wrote down the pairs and stared at the array of numbers before them.

85.321, 327.821
286.119, 142.503
286.863, 284.194
244.391, 490.487
292.831, 36.358
55.321, 739.431
341.110, 78.993
158.389, 565.448

“I’ve never seen this arrangement of numbers before.” Azula said.

“Neither have I. You said at Ji Ha that there were shelves with symbols. Perhaps we should see if the library is still here and if these numbers may refer to scrolls or other documents.” Navisi suggested.

Azula couldn’t think of a better plan. “That’s a good suggestion. Let’s go explore the rest of the temple.”

There were two doors on opposite sides of the entry chamber. They decided to see what was through the northern door first. They left four light globes in the entry chamber and carried two through the doorway.

It was some sort of meditation hall, about fifteen feet wide and twenty-five feet long. There were low rising platforms with chi engravings. Based on what she observed, they looked like they had been designed to act as chi reservoirs. But Azula couldn’t detect any chi. There was a chance that the chi had simply been depleted when they closed down the temple or that it had simply dissipated over time.

While the room was interesting, it really wasn’t what they were looking for at the moment. So they reentered the entry hall and crossed over the southern door. And they found a room slightly larger than the meditation room, about twenty feet by thirty feet. But it was filled with airtight containers like the ones Azula had seen at Ji Ha. But this one must have had at least five times as many.

It would take months, if not years, to give all the scrolls even a cursory read. But maybe the numbers they found were clues. She finally spoke after she took everything in. “Let’s go through and look at the boxes and shelves and see if there is some sort of organizing pattern that might be related to the numbers we found.”

“Of course, Mistress.” Navisi dutifully answered.

And they spent the next several hours going through the library, examining each box for identifying features and figuring out the classification system. Azula identified the index box; it was smaller than the other boxes and contained two codices. As with Ji Ha, it had a list of all the scrolls and which box they were in.

But it was getting late and they decided to call a stop for the night. Azula’s body was aching and she needed to rest, so they got out their sleeping mats and set them up in the meditation hall.

“We brought plenty of food, Mistress, if you’d like to have another healing session.” Navisi gently suggested.

“That sounds like a great idea. Let me stuff myself and then you can do your magic.” Azula answered with a smile. And Azula proceeded to eat until she was ready to burst.

Azula took off her jevalda and gauntlets and settled down on the mat. Navisi arranged the stones and began the healing process.

It was a wonderful feeling as the aches and pains disappeared. Granted, it was replaced by a sensation of fatigue and sluggishness, but it was a worthwhile tradeoff. She allowed herself to relax as she felt Navisi disconnect the stones from her chi.

“Thank you, Navisi, oh great disciple of mine.” Azula said as she felt her eyes closing.

“You’re very welcome, Azula, oh great mistress of mine.” Was the last thing Azula heard as she drifted off to a contented sleep.

Wi Lan was a nice midsized town that produced a good deal of lumber and iron ore. It was clean and the businesses looked to be prospering. Having talked to the constable, Iroh had gotten the general information about Azula’s visit to the town. Constable Sama had done a low-key investigation into the doings of Azula and her companion. He hadn’t wanted to whip the town into a frenzy, so he had kept the information about Azula under wraps. The constable had used the cover story that she had the features of a teenaged runaway whose parents wanted her to come home.

She had stayed at the local inn, the Neiratan Sojourn, and eaten a couple of meals at a local restaurant and then proceeded to visit the blacksmith and sundry shop. All of this was done in the company of a young girl wearing the same black and gold robes. Disciple Navisi.

And by all accounts, Azula and her friend had been pleasant and very easy to deal with. They had paid a fair price for all their purchases and had not caused any trouble. In fact, Ilvo and Bit Ko seem to have taken a shine to the young girls and were worried about their safety.

Which led Iroh to a second issue. Azula had been carrying twin hook swords and a giant bow. He had never known Azula to use any sort of weapon. He had his doubts that this was in fact Azula, but it was in everybody’s best interest to make sure one way or the other.

Iroh was sharing a room at Ilvo’s inn with Sokka, while Katara and Toph shared another room. Suki and Ty Lee were sharing a room at an inn down the street; Jeong-Jeong and the other members of the order were staying at the airships.

They had guards watching in case Azula and her companion returned early. The group had decided to have dinner at Bit Ko’s restaurant in the meantime. It had only been two days since Azula’s departure, so they anticipated having at least one more day until their return.

“I don’t know, Iroh. This doesn’t really sound like her. Swords. Bow and arrows. Being nice to people. I think it’s a lookalike.” Sokka said in between bites of food. Iroh had to admit that Bit Ko’s food was exemplary.

“Perhaps, but we have to do our due diligence. If it is her, maybe she’s turned over a new leaf. That would be one headache that I’m sure Zuko and Kuei would like to have off the table.” Katara answered.

“Well, I for one don’t think that Azula has it in her to change.” Ty Lee said, looking sad. “I mean, I really hope that she has, but she’s been the same since she was a little girl. I don’t believe that this is her.”

“People can change. Look at Zuko. Sometimes all it takes is for life to beat you down and then give you an opportunity to grow. She was certainly beat down in the asylum. I hope that it is her and that she has changed for the better.” Suki said.

Iroh smiled. He was proud at how these fine youngsters had grown and matured. They were being more openminded about an encounter with Azula than he had anticipated.

“All that I know, is that with any luck we will meet this young woman, Azula or not, and figure out where we stand. But I’m with Suki. I hope that this is Azula and that she has changed for the better.” Iroh sighed. “I see now that I never gave Azula the same chances that I gave Zuko. Her circumstances were different, but I wish that I had been given the opportunity to help guide her. Perhaps things could have gone differently for her.”

Everyone at silently for a while after that. He suspected that they were thinking the same thing as him. What would Azula be like if she had been raised with love and support by those that could have helped guide her away from her more self-destructive tendencies.

It was a shame that they would never know the answer.

“If the hidden message is here, Mistress, I don’t know where. I understand the filing system, but I don’t see how it is related to those numbers.” Navisi said. Looking around at the congested library.

“I fear that you’re right. This message is hidden another way. But we’ve learned a lot of other interesting things while we’ve been here.” Azula answered.

Navisi could hear the disappointment in Azula’s voice. They had spent three full days here, looking through the temple and trying to decode the message. And they had found some absolutely fascinating scrolls; some of which might have even been related to Navisi’s own branch of the Arts Esoteric. But there was simply too much to read in their short time here.

They were nearly out of food and water. And they still didn’t know why they had been sent to this world. Azula knew that this temple existed on her own world, so they would be able to study there in more detail. But neither of them believed that this is why they were brought here. Azula had decided it was time to return to Wi Lan and regroup.

They would collect the replacement parts for Azula’s cloth tentacles and decide where to go from there. Azula had even tried contacting OrkaHaalu and the intermediaries, but no one would answer her calls. Navisi didn’t really mind, though. She wasn’t nearly as interested in fighting as Azula was. She enjoyed healing and studying.

Perhaps she would be able to earn a few coin by healing if they had to stay here too long. Their current supply of funds was adequate, but they couldn’t live off of it forever. But that was a problem for the future.

They made sure that the scrolls were all properly resealed in their airtight containers before Navisi reset the stone to the entryway. Azula then reset the chi lock and the temple was once again locked away. And who knows if anyone would ever find it again on this world. That thought made Navisi sad.

There was so much knowledge to share with the world. But the world had decided not to care. Navisi pushed those thoughts aside as she joined Azula atop Kiva. They all took one last look at the temple.

“I hope that someone finds this place again.” Azula said.

“I do too, Mistress.”

“But that is no longer our issue. Let’s head back to Wi Lan and figure out our purpose in life.” And with that Kiva took to the sky and headed west. Back to Wi Lan.

The knock on the door was somewhat unexpected. Aang let people know that he was available, but this was rather early in the morning to be receiving visitors. Luckily, he had just finished his bending practice.

He answered the door and was greeted by a courier. “Greetings, Avatar. A message arrived for you two days ago but you had already left. I apologize for the delay.” The courier held out the letter for Aang to take.

“It’s no problem. People understand that it’s difficult to get ahold of me sometimes.” Aang replied easily and gave the man a tip. He tried not to accept it but Aang all but forced the man to take it. The leaders of the world forced money on him and he had to get rid of it somehow.

Aang took the letter and had a seat at the small table. And his eyes widened in shock at what the note said. A credible sighting of Azula had been made in the mining town of Wi Lan and the White Lotus was going to investigate. They didn’t think that they’d need his help, but they wanted to keep him informed of the situation.

He mulled the implications of this message. This had to be an imposter. He walked into the next room to get to the heart of the matter.

“The White Lotus is following up on an Azula sighting in a town called Wi Lan.” He said to the beautiful woman who was putting on make-up at the small vanity next to the bed they shared. She froze for a moment before turning to look at him.

As always, her gold eyes shone with such intensity. It was just one of her many alluring qualities; another alluring quality was her formidable intellect. “Well, I dare say that they will be disappointed. I have not visited this town during any stage of my world travels. I hope that they aren’t too disappointed when they find out that once again I’ve evaded their grasp.”

And since they had been here together during the time in question, there was no doubt that Azula was telling the truth. He just hoped that they didn’t come down too hard on the fake Azula.

Chapter Text

They had received the warning from the sentries that Azula and her disciple were making their way into town. It was easy to pick out the black and gold robes coming down the hillside. Everyone had taken their positions to await their arrival. The first order of business was to observe the girl and see whether it was Azula; if it was clear at a glance that it wasn’t her, no action would be taken.

But if it might be her, the approach would have to be handled carefully. Azula had been a powerful firebender, and her abilities may have grown in time. No one had any desire to see the town burned to ash in a battle with the only known wielder of the blue flame.

So they waited. And Iroh knew within moments that it was her. Her hair was tied back and she wore some sort of tiara, but that was Azula’s face. And it hurt a little to see the scar on her left cheek, but he was happy to see her smiling and talking with her apprentice as they made their way to the sundry shop. He had expected her to drop her weapons off at the inn before going for the items that she had ordered, but this was only a minor hiccup. The weapons weren’t nearly as big a concern as her firebending.

Once the pair had gone inside the shop, he signaled to the others to take up their positions. When the time was right, he, Ty Lee and Toph would talk to her. The others would be waiting if she became violent. But he had hopes that she had truly turned over a new leaf.

Omnisae had spotted the White Lotus and Kyoshi Warriors long before Navisi and Azula had reached the town. But it was something of a conundrum as to why they were there. Perhaps this world’s Azula was still on the loose; they hadn’t been able to really ask. They knew that the war had been over for five years and that the northwest region had been an issue in this world just like it was in so many others.

But Azula had said that this might be related to their mission and that they should go and check it out. Kiva was flying overhead; it was wonderful having a magic dragon as backup. And with both of them healed and Omnisae ready to attack and initiate chaos at a moment’s notice, this was a winnable fight for them.

But Navisi hoped that it didn’t become violent. Why couldn’t people just leave them alone? Her heart was breaking for her mistress. Feared and hated wherever she goes. But just like in Korra’s world, they were going to stick with a cover story. She was Mistress Asundra. It would be nice to get Azula’s cloth tentacles and anchor points; she still had one anchor point and tentacle combination, but more were always better.

So they had proceeded to walk down the hillside path into the town just like they had done the first time they visited. And Navisi could pick out the chi of some of the people that she had met during the last mission. Iroh. Toph. Katara. Suki. Sokka. She didn’t doubt that there were others. Azula probably knew some of the others; their jevaldas meant that the others couldn’t sneak up on them.

But they did their best to make sure that no one suspected that they knew about the trap being set for them. The easily made their way into the sundry store and found the seamstress.

“Welcome back, Mistress Asundra. Disciple Navisi. Your bolts of cloth are finished. Come and see.” The seamstress, Miva, said and led them to a counter. She promptly pulled out six black tentacle cloths.

Azula took her time inspecting them and then grinned at Miva. “These look fabulous. Thank you for getting them done so quickly.”

Miva smiled back. “It was my pleasure. I am glad that they are to your satisfaction.”

“Indeed, they are. May I hook one to my gauntlet to see how it looks?” Azula asked.

Miva blinked in surprise but smiled anyway. “Of course. I was actually curious what you would do with them.”

Azula smiled at the seamstress while Navisi helped her guide the cloth tentacles into the locking mechanism on her gauntlet. Once it was secure, Navisi manually wrapped the tentacles around Azula’s arm. There was no need to show off the real function of the cloth tentacles just yet.

“These are wonderful and worth ever urvan.” Azula paid the remaining amount owed for the tentacles and gave her a healthy bonus too. The woman thanked them and they made their way out the door and visited the blacksmith next. Iroh and the others were steadily moving closer, but it didn’t appear that any action was imminent.

Master Liu Hop had good news for them also. “Mistress Asundra, I am glad to see you have returned safely. I prepared the five metal pieces that you asked for.”

As with the cloth tentacles, Azula took her time and examined the pieces; Navisi felt her pushing chi into the metal to test for strength and usability. She appeared to be satisfied. “I am very pleased with this, Master Liu Hop. They are more than satisfactory.” And again, Azula paid the remaining amount due as well as dishing out another bonus.

Once they were out of the smithy, they decided to make their way over to the inn and drop their items off. It would also be a good time to gauge the intentions of the watchers. Iroh and Sokka were watching from the window in the lobby.

They laughed and made pretend small talk as they walked over. Navisi felt Iroh and Sokka move upstairs; they were probably renting a room there as well. They walked into the inn and spotted Ilvo waiting for them.

“It is a pleasure to have you back, Mistress Asundra and Disciple Navisi. Were your travels fruitful?”

“Yes, they were. But as always, there is so much to learn and so little time to learn it.” Azula answered with a smile. “Do you still happen to have a room available for us?”

“Of course, Mistress Asundra. Your old room is available if you’d like to have it.”

“That would be perfect, Ilvo. Thank you for your hospitality.”

After paying for the room, the two made their way up to their room and set down their weapons. Omnisae had found the two airships about three clicks to the southwest of Wi Lan, where there seemed to be about sixteen people camping. Half wore Fire Nation uniforms while the rest were split between White Lotus clothing and Kyoshi Warrior garb.

Iroh and Sokka were still in their room, which was down the hall and to the right. But they didn’t seem to be making any moves. They had already had ample time to make a move if their intentions were openly hostile. Azula decided to take this time and do some engraving. The pattern for the anchor wasn’t terribly complicated so it would only take Azula about an hour to complete one and then sew it into the cloth tentacle.

Navisi used telekinesis to hold the anchor in place while Azula meticulously engraved it. With anchors on both cloth tentacles, she would have an edge in mobility over everyone. She wasn’t quite as mobile as when she had four anchored tentacles, but she was still deadly.

Navisi’s weapons weren’t as instantly deadly, but they were quite effective. Her psion bolts could scramble the chi of anyone short of the Avatar. It didn’t last as long as chi blocking but it could be used at a distance.

“That should do it,” Azula said at last. She unfurled a small portion of the tentacle and placed the metal bar on it and activated the anchor through her gauntlets. The anchor popped into place for three seconds and then disappeared. Just as it was designed to.

“It looks like it works. Just let me sew it into the tentacle and then we can go get dinner. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.” Azula quickly sewed the anchor into the tentacle and rewound the cloth around her arm.

“Let’s see how Iroh and company want to play this.” Azula opened the door and Navisi followed her out.

Iroh knew it was her, but she was all wrong. First of all, she looked too young. She looked exactly like she did four years ago when she made her escape, except for the scar. Secondly, she radiated good will. All of her interactions had been pleasant and Ty Lee said that her aura was guarded but mellow.

And now he was watching as the two made their way over to Bit Ko’s for dinner. The helper who first identified Azula agreed to stay on so that things didn’t seem suspicious, although she was quite nervous. Once they were inside, he saw the two agents, one White Lotus and one Kyoshi Warrior, in plain clothes make their way towards the restaurant. They had never met Azula so there was no way that she would recognize them.

Jeong-Jeong had brought the rest of the White Lotus and Kyoshi Warriors into town. The group was going to approach Azula and her disciple as they left the restaurant. Iroh had warned the constables of the plan, so his people were now going to the shops and warning everyone to stay inside. They were also closing off the streets so that no one would wander in by accident.

Azula seemed so much the same yet so different. Iroh sincerely hoped that this was a good sign and that she would come peacefully.

It was about to go down. Omnisae had warned Navisi that Jeong-Jeong and the others had come to the city. And they could feel the chi of the people they knew stationing themselves outside the restaurant. But the kicker was the two ‘patrons’ that they sent into the restaurant. She didn’t know the man, but they sent Pemtha in to eat. They couldn’t know that she knew her, but Azula thought it was funny anyway.

The food had been great, just like before, but Bit Ko worried over them when they didn’t eat as much as they usually did. Azula, not entirely successfully, soothed the woman’s worries by explaining that they had been preparing for special spiritual practices the last time they had been here and assured her that this was how they normally ate.

Azula paid the bill and left a nice tip for Bit Ko and Ma Ju, the latter of which seemed to be absolutely terrified of her. And with that, it was time to roll the dice.

Iroh, Toph and Ty Lee were standing in the middle of the street, looking at them expectantly. As per the plan, Azula and Navisi kept walking towards the hotel, feigning ignorance of their identity. She felt, rather than saw, the other members of the White Lotus and Kyoshi Warriors walk out onto the street.

They were about fifteen feet from Iroh and Ty Lee before he spoke. “Azula, please come with us quietly. There is no need for violence.”

It was time to see just how good Azula’s acting chops are. “I’m sorry, but you must have misheard. My name is Asundra, not Azula. And no offense, but I’m not going anywhere with you and your daughters.”

Azula continued walking and tried to go around them, but Toph erected an earthen wall. Azula turned to face the trio, pretending not to notice the others moving towards her.

“This is a rather brazen kidnapping attempt, old man. I don’t think you understand who you are dealing with. I am Mistress Asundra of the Arts Esoteric and this is Disciple Navisi. May I get your name before I kick the everlasting shit out of you and your unattractive offspring?”

Azula had to hide the smirk at the outraged looks on Toph and Ty Lee’s faces. And the confused color of Iroh’s aura was pretty funny too.

“Please drop the act, Azula. We don’t want to use violence against you.” Iroh responded, his voice sure. But his aura was showing some confusion.

“I’ve already told you that I’m not going anywhere with you. And you’re right, it is indeed time to drop the act. Including the three of you, there are a total of eighteen people on your team trying to kidnap us. There are four earthbenders, three firebenders, two waterbenders and the rest are nonbenders.” Azula spouted off, greatly enjoying the sensation of shock emanating from their auras. “And I don’t know how many of your group it would take to kidnap me, but I do know that you didn’t bring nearly enough.”

Iroh opened his mouth to speak, but quickly closed it. It was a few more moments before he finally spoke again. “You seemed well informed. But it changes nothing. We are going to take you in.”

Azula sighed. “Here is my counteroffer. We go and sit down and discuss the situation. I don’t know why you think I’m Azula. I’m a fifteen-year-old nonbender. She’s what, twenty? But I’m not going to be taken captive by you. And you never answered my question. Who are you?”

“We’ve already confiscated your weapons.” Iroh answered. “And you know who I am. I am your Uncle, Azula, General Iroh of the Fire Nation.”

“Oh my, the famed Dragon of the West himself is trying to kidnap me. I feel honored. And I assumed you had already taken my weapons, but it changes nothing. You’re outclassed, old man. I’ve made my offer. Sit and discuss or get your ass kicked. Choose wisely.”

Azula watched his aura and chi. She saw Ty Lee watching her, so she hid her own aura and felt Navisi do the same a moment later. Ty Lee gasped and Azula gave her a brazen wink.

“If you’re not a firebender, then you have nothing to worry about. If you agree to return with us to the Fire Nation, you can be tested by the Fire Sages. Agree to go peacefully, and you have my personal guarantee of safe passage and respectful treatment.” Iroh suggested, putting his hands out in a placating manner.

Azula studied him. His aura suggested that he was telling the truth; had they wanted to take her by force, they could have ambushed her at any time. Well, tried to ambush her. And Azula and Navisi would both have to reveal a good portion of their talents to defeat this group. It would be better to keep Omnisae and Kivathrystan in reserve for special occasions. And since she had no idea what her mission was, the Fire Nation was as good a place as any to visit.

“I will agree to your terms so long as Navisi is allowed to travel with me and I get your personal guarantee that our persons and property will be respected during the trip. And that we will be allowed to perform the daily routines of our order.” Azula finally answered. And she saw the immediate change in auras of the three before her. They really did want her to come peacefully.

“I swear to respect your persons and property. Do you agree to come peacefully and to forswear the use of violence?” Iroh responded, raising his eyebrow at her.

“I swear upon Agni and his intermediaries that neither Navisi nor I will engage in any violence outside of self-defense.”

“There will be no need for self-defense, Mistress Asundra.”

“If you believe that with any certainty, then your faith in humanity is greater than mine. You are taking me back to the Fire Nation under suspicion of being a dangerous criminal. There may well be some that would like to take revenge on someone even suspected of being Azula. As I said, I will use violence only in self-defense.”

Iroh seemed to be weighing her sincerity with his eyes. So she decided to make a gesture of goodwill. “I am even willing to allow you to keep my weapons that you’ve confiscated, and I will turn over the knives I keep on my person for self-defense.”

That seemed to appease him. “I accept your terms.”

Azula gave the trio a wide smile. “Well then, it looks like we’re going to be traveling buddies.”

Chapter Text

Flying in an airship brought back many good memories. It wasn’t as great as flying on a magic dragon, but it had been useful at the time. Back when she had been a princess. But that time had passed and being a Mistress of the Arts Esoteric was pretty damn awesome too. She was currently sitting on the balcony with Navisi, meditating. Her new traveling companions had been mildly offended when she told them that she wanted to meditate on the balcony so that she didn’t have to smell them during her longer meditation sessions. It was funny in a way. One of the most enjoyable airship trips had been with Katara, Sokka, Suki, and Ty Lee. But once again an Azula from another world had made everyone fear her.

Azula wasn’t too worried about winning anyone over, but she would be friendly and pleasant. But at least this world’s Azula didn’t seem to be as hated as the one whose body she’d snatched. They had truly been trying to bring Azula in peacefully. It was a nice thought that maybe not every Azula was considered to be an irredeemable monster.

She finished her meditations and saw that Navisi was already done and simply enjoying the view. The northwest colony was fading in the distance as the airships flew out over the open water. She rose and stood next to Navisi.

“It’s good to get you out and about. This will be a great opportunity for you to learn about the Fire Nation. It’s important to understand as many different people as possible.” Azula said after they had enjoyed the silence together for a few minutes.

“I look forward to seeing it. I’d like to visit the place that forged the great Mistress Asundra.” Navisi said with a wicked grin. “Maybe I’ll get to see some of your baby portraits.”

Azula laughed. “Perhaps. But this is a different world with slightly different dynamics. Don’t let your preconceived notions from our previous battle cloud your judgement here.”

“I won’t, Mistress. These people seem calmer. I guess that war brings out the worst in people.”

“War usually does. But let’s go mingle with our hosts. We should at least try to stay on their good side.”

They reentered the gondola and Azula saw everyone’s aura go on edge. But Azula and Navisi kept the friendly smiles on their faces as they made their way to the largest group.

“May we join you? If we’re going to be traveling buddies, we should at least get to know each other a little better.” Azula asked of the group. Iroh, Ty Lee, Toph, Sokka, Katara and Suki were sitting together.

Azula wondered why Pemtha wasn’t with Ty Lee. She had seen the looks they passed to each other and how their auras brightened when they were close to one another. Maybe these Kyoshi Warriors weren’t progressive in that way. Or maybe the Fire Nation wasn’t.

After a moment’s hesitation, Iroh smiled and answered. “Of course, I’ll have the guards bring over some chairs.”

“There’s no need.” Navisi answered as she walked over grabbed a couple of chairs herself. They looked heavy and the crowd seemed to be impressed with her physical strength.

“Thank you, Navisi. I knew that there was a reason I kept you around.” Azula joked.

“I always assumed it was so that my charm and beauty could offset your sullen demeanor.” Navisi giggled as she ducked the backhanded swipe that Azula half-heartedly sent in her direction.

They both sat down as the rest of the group watched them with a bit of trepidation. Azula decided to make a peace offering.

“I feel like I should apologize for one of my earlier remarks. Toph, Ty Lee, I hope that you know that I was only trying to get a rise out of you when I called you Iroh’s unattractive daughters. You’re both actually quite good looking.”

The girls in question just looked at her for a second before Toph spoke. “Asundra, are you flirting with us?”

Azula hadn’t been but she decided to play along. “That depends. Is it working?”

“Not on me. I’m sure you’re gorgeous and all but you’re not my type. And Ty Lee’s already taken.” Toph answered with a laugh.

“I’m not looking for anything serious, so I don’t mind sharing.” Azula responded, winking at Ty Lee. “As a matter of fact, the more the merrier.”

Ty Lee turned red and Toph and Navisi both laughed out loud. But Azula noted the disapproving aura of everyone else at the table. She would have to look into that.

Azula guessed that Navisi noticed it too because she promptly changed the subject. “You might want to let people warm up to you before unleashing your wit on them, Mistress. I’m interested to know what we’ll be doing when we get to the Fire Nation. Will we get to visit the palace? Can I go sightseeing in the Caldera? Is all your food spicy?”

Iroh actually smiled at that. “Yes, you will get to visit the palace. And I don’t see any harm in letting you see the sights. Mistress Asundra may not be able travel outside the palace, but I can’t see any reason to stop you. And most of the food is spicy, but there are dishes that are more palatable to the tastes of other nations.”

“I’m glad that you don’t plan on treating Navisi as a prisoner too.” Azula said with a smile. “But there’s something I’ve been wanting to ask you, Toph. Is it true that you’re a metalbender?”

“Damn straight I am! I invented it and it’s just another reason why I’m the greatest earthbender in the world!” Toph said in a rather loud and bellicose voice.

“Could I perhaps ask for your assistance? I have a metal device that I usually wear on my back that was damaged and I’d greatly appreciate it if you could help fix it. I could pay for your services, of course.”

“I can see if I could fix it, but I’m not sure that you can afford me.” Toph said, but Azula could tell that she was interested.

“What sort of device do you wear on your back?” Sokka sat up straight and looked quite interested.

“I’ve developed a skillset based on cloth manipulation. I wear cloth holders on my gauntlets and I would like to have the cloth holders for my back repaired also.” Azula worked to keep the grin off her face. It looks like Sokka was a nerd here too.

“What kind of stuff can you do with the cloth?” Suki asked. Azula just smiled as she unfurled a bit of the cloth and wiggled it in front of the crowd before wrapping it around Navisi’s chair and lifting it, and her, into the air for a few seconds. She then gently set Navisi’s chair down and recalled the tentacle.

“Woah, that was pretty cool. I’m going to start calling you Tentacles!” Toph cheered.

“What do you use them for?” Sokka asked, his eyes wide.

“Primarily for enhanced mobility, but they can also be used to restrain attackers. I prefer to use the tentacles rather than knives, swords, arrows and other sharp instruments if violence is unavoidable.” Azula answered.

“Can you do the same thing with the cloth tentacles from your back holder? Is this bending or something else?” Sokka asked as he put his face about two inches from her tentacles to examine them. She smiled at his enthusiasm.

“Yes, I can do the same thing with my back tentacles. I can use four in all, although I’m not quite as proficient with the full set yet. But I’m a lot better than when I started out.” Azula answered honestly.

“Is it bending, though?” Ty Lee asked.

“No, they are special devices that I built. I appreciate that you’re curious, but the design and operation of these devices are secrets of our order. We’re not exactly hiding our skills, but we don’t flaunt them either.”

“Can you use tentacles too, Disciple Navisi?” Iroh asked.

“Not very well. My skills are similar to Mistress Azula’s but not identical. While many of our talents overlap, there are significant differences also.” Navisi answered.

Azula held up her hand to stop any further questions. “Our order is philosophical, spiritual and mystical in nature, and while we are not benders, we have developed other techniques for using chi. But as I said, these are secrets of our order. My hope is that we can have a pleasant journey together, get me cleared by the Fire Sages, and then Navisi and I will return to our nomadic lifestyle. We’re not looking for anything else from this trip. All we seek is freedom to continue on our spiritual journey and further develop our skills. Fortune permitting, perhaps we could even rebuild our order.”

“I don’t doubt that you’ll be cleared by the Fire Sages. But it is a shame. The Fire Nation could use talented young women like the two of you.” Iroh was looking at Azula with one eyebrow raised.

“I was chased from the Fire Nation once for being a fire witch; I have no interest in a second round. I will meet with your Fire Sages and then I will leave the Fire Nation and hopefully never set foot on your Agni forsaken archipelago again.” Azula answered with a glare. She knew it was petty and that this wasn’t her Iroh, but dammit, he was supposed to protect her and let her help guide the nation. Instead, her Iroh had betrayed her.

She felt Navisi’s hand on her arm. She sighed and gave Navisi’s hand a gentle pat. “I apologize for my outburst, but please understand I want nothing to do with the Fire Nation after I fulfill my part of the bargain.”

Iroh’s aura was filled with regret. “I understand. There are superstitious people in my nation, and I can see how they might fear someone of your talents. Please let me apologize on behalf of my countrymen.”

“Thank you, Iroh. I appreciate that.” Azula said quietly. The betrayal and loss of her nation still stung.

The conversation turned towards lighter subjects and she used her Mnaimonatic meditations to lift her mood and remain pleasant. The group seemed more accepting of her and Navisi as they went their separate ways for the night. But the real test was coming in the Fire Nation.

Ursa was wringing her hands as the airship landed at the dock. The first letter had gotten her hopes up that her daughter would come home safe. The second one made her fear that her daughter was gone again. She, as well as everyone else, was confused by the contents of that second letter. Iroh openly doubted that it was Azula despite admitting that the physical resemblance was uncanny. The girl was going by the name Mistress Asundra and was part of some nomadic mystical order. She even had a disciple.

But nonetheless, this Mistress Asundra was being brought back to the Fire Nation to be tested by the Fire Sages. She claimed that she wasn’t a firebender. Ursa couldn’t imagine Azula ever claiming that. Her poor Azula. Ursa knew that she could have done better for her daughter, but she just didn’t know how. Ozai had manipulated the poor girl until she was twisted and warped.

And the worst part is knowing the hallucinations that plagued her daughter were mainly of her. Her own daughter projected her mother as being the one that hurt her. She had wept when she heard that, but now she hoped that she could make amends.

Zuko and Mai both tried to hide it, but they were nervous too. Azula had been such a larger-than-life presence for them that they both were hopeful and wary at her potential return. But much of their anger had been muted when they learned what Azula had gone through in the asylum. Torture and neglect. Beatings and horrible mistreatment.

But now was their chance to make amends. Ursa hoped with all her heart and soul to get her daughter back. Kiyi and Ikem were standing next to her as the door to the airship opened and the people started exiting. She knew that her daughter and husband were warier than she was about Azula’s return. They had both heard the terrible things Azula had done.

Ursa’s heartrate quickened when her daughter stepped off the airship. She looked just like the last portrait that had been painted of her, except for the scar on her left cheek. It pained Ursa to see her daughter’s beauty marred so. And the black and gold robes, along with the tiara, made her seem so foreign.

She couldn’t keep the tears from her eyes as Azula walked closer. She saw the conflicted looks on the faces of Zuko and Mai also. They knew it too. Azula had been found.

Iroh lead the procession and he stopped about ten feet in front of Zuko. Everyone else stopped behind him.

“Fire Lord Zuko and Fire Lady Mai, it is my great honor to introduce Mistress Asundra to the royal court, along with her esteemed apprentice, Disciple Navisi.” Iroh intoned.

“It is an honor to meet you, Fire Lord Zuko and Fire Lady Mai. May Agni’s grace continue to bless you both.” Mistress Azula said as both she and her apprentice bowed.

And Ursa was confused. Why was Azula going by Asundra and pretending not to know who her brother and friend were? Former friend, perhaps, but why was she playing this? The walk, the voice, the face. It was Azula.

Zuko looked as befuddled as Ursa felt. “Azula, what is this game that you are playing? For once in your life can’t you stop lying? This is a chance for you to start fresh and you start out lying, just as always. Azula always lies!”

Azula just sighed. “I will explain the same thing to you that I explained to Iroh. I am not a firebender, I’ve never participated in an Agni Kai and I didn’t fight in your war. I’m a fifteen-year-old mistress of the Arts Esoteric trying to make my way in the world. I understand that I look like your sister. But I am not her.”

“Did you develop this new personality when you were in the asylum? We can help you, Azula. Not like before, I promise. We can help you get better.” Zuko said, in a much calmer voice.

“I have agreed to meet with the Fire Sages. They will test me and tell you that I’m not a firebender. I agreed to this journey with the assurance that my person and property would be respected. Are you going to abide by the deal your uncle negotiated?” Azula asked, her voice perfectly calm and her demeanor tranquil. But Ursa sensed danger. Something wasn’t right here.

“Lord Zuko, I did indeed negotiate this deal with Mistress Asundra. She will be tested by the Fire Sages and her status will be determined. She and her disciple have been lovely traveling companions and have behaved admirably. Let both sides continue to honor our deal.” Iroh interjected.

Zuko looked between Iroh and Azula a few times before speaking. “We will honor the agreement.”

Azula smiled. Ursa couldn’t bring herself to call her Asundra. “Thank you, Fire Lord. My disciple and I look forward to our stay.”

“What are you plans here?” Mai asked, staring at Azula.

“I will be tested by the Fire Sages and they will tell you I’m not a firebender. You will apologize for trying to kidnap me and then I’ll get on a boat and sail back to the Earth Kingdom, never to return to the Fire Nation.”

And then it dawned on Ursa. They hurt her daughter so much that it she is afraid to return to the Fire Nation. Afraid they will hurt her again. She had to make Azula understand.

“No one is going to hurt you, Azula. You’re safe here now. We’ve missed you. Please, let us help you recover and take your place here.” Tears flowed from her eyes as she stepped to Azula. She just wanted to hug her, to hold her and let her know that everything is alright.

But Azula quickly stepped away from her. Ursa’s heart broke. “I’m real, Azula. I’m not an hallucination.”

“I am very much aware that you are real. The point is that I am not Azula. May I ask who you are?” Azula said, looking at Ursa.

And Ursa broke down right there, the tears falling down her face. How could Azula treat her like this?

“How dare you treat our mother like this! I knew treating you with respect was a mistake.” Zuko roared.

“Zuko! Ursa! Please calm down. We will get things settled. But please, treat our guests with respect. Do not let yourselves be overcome with emotion.” Iroh pleaded.

“Perhaps it would be best if Mistress Asundra and Disciple Navisi were shown to their quarters. I believe it would behoove everyone to calm down and take stock of the situation before any rash decisions are made.” Mai announced.

Ursa wanted to argue but she felt a small hand grab her own. She looked down to see Kiyi staring up at her with pleading eyes. And Ursa relented. She would help Azula, but it was clear that it would take time.

Zuko spoke in a much calmer voice than before. “That might be the best course of action.”

“Of course, Lord Zuko.” Azula answered in an even voice.

Ursa watched as Iroh and the guards escorted her to the guest wing of the palace. Zuko’s friends made their way to the main section of the palace behind Zuko and Mai. Ursa followed them; she wanted to know exactly how this had all come to be.

Once everyone was inside the general meeting hall, Zuko turned on his guests. “What the hell was that all about?”

Everyone looked at each other before Ty Lee began speaking. “We can’t explain it either, Zuko. She looks and walks and sounds like Azula, but she’s a totally different person. She’s calm and polite and quite personable. She voluntarily agreed to come back and be tested by the Fire Sages.”

“That is my daughter! I’m her mother and I can tell!” Ursa yelled.

“Lady Ursa, we’re just as confused as you are. And other than posturing when we first approached her, she has not been aggressive or combative in any way. But she claims to be Mistress Asundra. And she does look like a fifteen-year-old girl. Other than the scar, she looks just like she did five years ago.” Sokka responded.

“Zuko, she did seem very polite and reasonable. Whether she is or isn’t Azula, I suggest that we treat her as Mistress Asundra for now. Let the Fire Sages make the call before we confront her and inflame the situation.” Mai counseled.

“Azula had a birthmark on her lower back. We could make her show it to us.” Ursa suggested.

“Uhm, guys, I’m not sure that is what Asundra signed up for. She agreed to be tested by the Fire Sages.” Sokka said.

“I am the Fire Lord and she will do as I say.” Zuko said.

“Zuko, let’s slow down. Iroh negotiated a deal. Let’s honor what was negotiated.” Mai responded. Ursa doesn’t know why she is against this idea. They needed to know whether or not this was Azula. “Bring her here and talk to her if you must, but don’t antagonize her.”

Zuko looked at her sullenly but finally acquiesced. He turned to one of the guards. “Please bring Azula and her apprentice here.”

The group remained in the room, quietly talking amongst themselves in hushed tones. But all conversation stopped as the doors opened and the two young women in the black and gold robes were escorted into the room.

“Greetings! I hadn’t expected to be summoned so quickly. Do you keep a Fire Sage on staff here?” Azula asked with a friendly smile.

“We want you to show us your lower back so that we can see if you have a birthmark.” Zuko commanded, using his Fire Lord voice.

“If I comply and there is no birthmark, will you give us a Royal Decree of Free Movement?” She asked, simply looking back at Zuko.

That caught Ursa, as well as Zuko, offguard. Zuko finally answered. “No, but it will allay some of our concerns.”

Azula sighed and turned to Navisi. “Would you be so kind?”

“Of course, Mistress.” Navisi answered and Azula started taking her robes off.

“You don’t have to do it here!” Zuko all but shouted.

“Please calm yourself, Lord Zuko. I can show you my lower back without becoming indecent. This way everyone knows that I have nothing to hide.” In short order the black and gold robes were off and Azula turned around. Navisi pulled the under robe up and exposed the lower half of Azula’s back.

And tears again came to Ursa’s eyes as she looked at the scars that crossed Azula’s back. There was significant scar tissue where the birthmark was supposed to be. It was probably burnt off.

“What…what happened to you?” Zuko asked in a quiet voice.

“No offense, Lord Zuko, but that is my concern and no one else’s. Do you see the birthmark?” Azula answered.

“There is too much scarring.” Zuko said in a pained voice. “Did this happen in the asylum?”

Azula sighed. “Then we are back to where we started. Find a Fire Sage so we can settle this matter. I am not your sister and I’ve never been held in an asylum. As I said before, I’m just a girl trying to make my way in the world. All that I ask for is the freedom to travel and study; I pose no threat to you or the Fire Nation.”

“We’ll have you tested by the Fire Sages and go from there.” Came Zuko’s noncommittal answer.

Azula sighed as she put her robes back on and was led back to her room by the guards. Ursa didn’t know what was going on with this girl. She looked and sounded like her daughter, but she was different. And Ursa wasn’t sure yet whether it was a good thing or not.

Aang read the letter three times, trying to make sense of it. What had begun as a wild chase to find a fake Azula had turned into a whole ordeal. The girl looked exactly like a younger Azula but was part of some nomadic mystical order. And she claimed to be a nonbender and was going to be tested by the Fire Sages.

But most telling, was Iroh hoping beyond hope that the girl really was Azula. Everyone had been heartbroken and wanted to find a recovered Azula.

His attention was drawn away from the letter when the real Azula opened the door and entered the small house. He couldn’t help but smile at her. She was beautiful and intelligent and passionate. All the things that she had been during the war, but now her talents were focused on helping Aang bring peace and balance.

She always stayed out of the limelight. But she had cultivated a network of spies and informants that let her know what was going on around the world. And she then helped Aang by suggesting solutions to problems that others often hadn’t even seen yet.

But she was afraid to come back aboveground. She feared the light. The terrible things that had happened to her in the asylum had hurt her so badly that sometimes she still woke up in cold sweats, screaming in fear. He helped her as much as he could, but he couldn’t always be here for her. But she seemed to be doing better; the nightmares were less frequent than they used to be, and the hallucinations seemed to have stopped.

“You look very pensive, my dear. It’s not a love letter from one of your adoring fangirls, is it? Should I be worried?” Azula smirked at her joke, but a frown overtook her face when Aang didn’t laugh right away.

“It’s a letter from Iroh. The fake Azula must really look like you, because Iroh and the others aren’t sure whether or not it’s you. But I want you to read the letter and tell me what you think.” Aang handed her the letter and watched as she assumed the stoic face she wears when she has to deal with something emotionally uncomfortable.

“This girl might replace me. First Kiyi, now her.” Azula said in a small voice.

Aang moved over and held her tiny frame in his arms. “This girl won’t replace you. Kiyi won’t replace you. They want Azula. They want the Azula that you’ve become.”

“I…I…I don’t know if I can do that, Aang. I don’t like living in the shadows, but I’m afraid of what they’ll do to me. They broke me, Aang.” He watched her shrink into herself as she started looking back in time. “I don’t know if I can go back there. They say they want me now. But they will turn on me. And if you ever turned on me, I think I would break into a thousand pieces.”

“I promise that I will never turn on you. If you want, I can go and see what the deal is with this girl and see if the opportunity is good for you to return. No pressure. I won’t do anything that you’re not comfortable with.”

“Let me think about it. Can…can you just hold me for now?”

“Of course. I will always be here to hold you.” And Aang held her for the rest of the night.

Chapter Text

“One week! By Agni’s sizzling armpit hairs, why does it take a whole week to arrange for a Fire Sage to test me?” Asundra asked, pinching the bridge of her nose.

Iroh didn’t have a good answer for her. Zuko and Ursa wanted to spend time with Asundra to see if they could bring her out of her shell and entice her to admit that she was actually Azula. To show her that they cared for her. But Iroh truly didn’t believe that this young woman was Azula. He wished she was, but despite the resemblance in face, voice and mannerisms, the girl was too different. And too young.

“Things sometimes move slowly in the Fire Nation. The Fire Sages revel in their autonomy and sometimes slow things down so that they don’t appear to be at the beck and call of the Fire Lord.” Iroh explained. Not exactly a lie, but more than a bit of exaggeration.

Katara and Ty Lee had told him of Zuko’s impromptu inspection of Asundra’s back and how it was inconclusive due to the exceptional amount of scarring the girl had. Scars on both face and back; Iroh had no doubt that there were scars and signs of violence on other parts of the girl’s body too.

“Will we be allowed to do our meditations and exercises as negotiated?” Asundra asked in a flat voice. “And can I again ask Toph to help with my broken tentacle holder?”

“Yes, you can train, but you will have to be escorted by guards.” Iroh didn’t miss the unamused looks on both the mistress and the disciple. “And I will personally ask Lord Zuko to allow Toph to assist you; I think that is the least we can do for the inconvenience of your stay.”

“That will go a long way towards improving our outlook on our stay. And I would like Navisi to be able to do some sightseeing while she’s here; you can keep me locked away if you like, but she’s not under suspicion for being someone else, is she?” Asundra asked.

“I can’t make any promises, but I don’t see any reason why she can’t be allowed to go sightseeing. And I would be happy to show her around the Caldera personally if she is allowed to leave the palace grounds.” Iroh answered.

He was glad to see that she was at least somewhat mollified. “That is acceptable. I know that you negotiated in good faith, but your nephew seems to be less inclined to honor our agreement. I would greatly appreciate it if you can do whatever you can to ensure that the terms of our deal are honored.”

“Of course, Mistress Asundra. I know that you’re probably tired of hearing it, but your likeness in both face and voice is absolutely astounding. And people want to believe that you are her. I wish that you were her, but I know that you’re not.”

Asundra sighed and for a moment she appeared to be a very young girl that was already tired of life. “I’m sorry that Azula has gone missing, and I’m glad that people want her back. I know what it is like to have your family turn against you. But I can’t be what they want me to be.”

“I understand.” Iroh said gently. “I hope that you will sleep well tonight. Just tell the guards what time that you’d like to do your morning training and they will take you to the training ground.”

“Thank you, Iroh. Good night.” Azula turned and entered the room she was sharing with Navisi. They didn’t trust the Fire Nation enough to risk sleeping separately.

After what befell Azula, Iroh didn’t think their distrust was necessarily misplaced.

Navisi was having a good time touring the Caldera with Iroh and Katara. She had been a bit surprised when Katara had volunteered to come along, but she was actually really nice and friendly. To tell the truth, pretty much all the people that had escorted them back from the colony had been nice. It was a little unexpected considering that Mistress had told her how the other Azula’s were generally hated and feared.

But the people here in the Fire Nation were much less accommodating. Zuko and Urso, Azula’s closest blood relatives, weren’t exactly antagonistic, but they were always poking and prodding Azula, trying to get her to admit that she was their Azula. But it seemed like the Fire Lady was more level-headed and worked to keep the peace. Navisi wasn’t really familiar with royal court interactions, so she didn’t know exactly how to deal with this. She was content to just follow Azula’s lead.

It had been a great day but now it was time to return to the palace. Iroh was telling a story about his youth when Navisi felt the powerful chi flying overhead. She turned her head skyward to watch the Avatar’s skybison approach. Iroh and Katara followed her gaze. And Navisi didn’t miss the change in Katara’s aura. She was still learning, but it was clear that it wasn’t entirely positive.

“It appears that Avatar Aang is visiting us. It wouldn’t surprise me if he’s come to see the young lady that so resembles Azula. I’m sure he’d love to meet her talented disciple also.” Iroh said, smiling at Navisi. And it was a genuine smile without any hidden agendas.

“Why would he be interested in Azula, much less someone that just looks like her?” Navisi asked.

“You are young and probably don’t remember much of the war, but my niece played a big part in it. And she had several conflicts with the Avatar.” Iroh answered.

Navisi knew some of this; one such conflict had unleashed the Turned on the people of her world. She just hoped that this Avatar wasn’t carrying a grudge. She had absolutely no desire to tangle with the Avatar again. One terrifying battle had been enough.

“Let’s head back to the palace and meet him. He’s been busy and we haven’t seen him in a while.” Katara said. And the three of them made their way back towards the main part of the palace, with the six guards in tow.

Aang smiled as he dismounted Appa and made his way towards his friends. Zuko and Mai were there to greet him, along with Toph, Ty Lee, Suki and Sokka. It was great to see everyone. He noticed that Katara was missing. He sincerely hoped that she wasn’t avoiding him. In her defense, he hadn’t let anyone know that he was coming.

“It’s great to see ya, Twinkletoes! Have you come to see Fauxzula!” Toph shouted, a wide and manic grin on her face. He saw the scowl overtake Zuko’s face.

“Has she already been tested by the Fire Sages?” Aang asked. “I was a bit confused by the letter Iroh sent and thought I would come and see what was going on.”

“No, she has not been tested. There is significant disagreement about her identity.” Zuko responded sourly.

“The physical resemblance is absolutely uncanny, as are her mannerisms and voice. But her personality is much different than the Azula we knew. And she claims to be Mistress Asundra of the Arts Esoteric.” Mai responded in her monotone voice.

“Oh. I would have thought it would be easy to tell.” Aang responded. He really had thought that this issue would be cleared up by now. But he decided to put out some feelers. “What will you do if the Fire Sages determine that she is a firebender? If she really is Azula?”

“We would help her stop pretending to be Asundra. The asylum really messed her up. I think she created this new personality as a coping mechanism. She’s afraid of us and is hiding behind this new persona.” Zuko answered.

Aang noticed that everyone else looked rather uncomfortable. And Aang understood why. No one else seemed to think that she was Azula. And he knew that they were right.

“But that won’t be for five more days. I will invite Azula and her friend to dinner tonight. You can meet her for yourself.” Zuko said. Aang noticed the pursed lips of Mai in the background.

“Well, I think it would be great if you welcomed Azula back into the fold. But I’m worried that you’re letting your hopes cloud your judgement, Zuko. I’m not trying to cause trouble, but it seems like everyone else is convinced that she’s not Azula.” Aang suggested.

“You may be right. But I failed Azula once and this could be my chance to make things right.” Zuko looked into the distance and Aang turned to see what caught his attention. And he immediately felt a little uncomfortable. Katara was walking towards them with Iroh and a girl wearing a black and gold robe and a tiara.

He turned and faced the trio as they approached and put on his friendliest smile. “Hello, guys. It’s good to see you again. It looks like you have a new friend.”

“Avatar Aang, let me introduce our young guest. This is Disciple Navisi of the Order of the Arts Esoteric.” Iroh said, gesturing to the girl.

“Greetings, Avatar. It is a pleasure to meet you.” The girl said with a wide smile. He could tell that he was going to like her already.

“Disciple Navisi is Azula’s apprentice.” Zuko said, causing Navisi’s smile to disappear. Her face became perfectly neutral.

“Mistress Asundra is looking forward to making your acquaintance, Avatar Aang.” Navisi said in an even voice. Iroh and Katara were wearing neutral expressions also.

Aang decided to try and ease the tension. “I look forward to meeting her also. I’ve never heard of the Arts Esoteric. Are you a secret organization or something?” He asked in a jovial fashion.

And he was rewarded with another vibrant smile from the young woman. “Nothing like that. Our order has grown so small over time that the members have lost contact with each other. It was only by chance that Asundra and I met. Both of our mistresses passed believing that they were the only ones perpetuating our order. But together, Mistress Asundra and I have dreams of rebuilding. With luck, we will even find other members who think they are alone.”

“I wish you success. And I will make sure to keep an eye out for any members of your order I might come across. I travel extensively and I meet a lot of very interesting people.” Aang replied smoothly.

“We would very much appreciate that, Avatar.” Navisi gave a nice bow. She was very respectful.

“I’m glad that the two of you have a plan for expanding Azula’s sect. But let’s go inside and talk, Aang. Navisi, would you be kind enough to pass along our invitation for you and Azula to join us for dinner tonight?” Zuko said.

“I will be happy to tell Mistress Asundra of the plan. Thank you for your gracious invitation, Lord Zuko.” Navisi responded with a comically ornate bow. Zuko didn’t say anything as the young girl walked into the palace with six guards in tow.

Aang felt as uncomfortable as everyone else looked. Squabbling with a preteen girl about the identity of her mistress wasn’t a good look. But the conversation turned to his travels and other items of interest as they made their way towards the Fire Lord’s personal sitting room.

Aang regaled them with tales of his negotiations with the neighboring states in the central Earth Kingdom. It was a very pleasant conversation. Toph and Sokka told him of the talks in Cranefish Town; they were looking to head back as soon as the Azula situation was resolved.

Aang pretended not to notice how Katara made sure to keep at least two people between them and not speak about anything more than general pleasantries. He missed the way it used to be, but he just didn’t know how to fix it. They just didn’t fit together romantically, but he still wished they could be friends. But they both knew that things had changed.

Everyone stopped talking as the dinner gong chimed. Aang braced himself. He was finally going to come face to face with Fauxzula, as Toph liked to say. Having spent so much time with the real Azula, he doubted this one would be very convincing. He really felt sorry for Zuko for wanting to see Azula where she wasn’t to be found.

He talked with Sokka as they made their way to the formal dining hall. Aang paused as they passed the hall full of royal portraits when he saw that the portrait of Azula was hanging again.

Sokka noticed his observation. “Zuko put it up the day before we arrived with Asundra. I know he wants it to be her, but I just don’t believe it is. But I understand though. She’s an interesting person.”

“What does that mean?” Aang asked.

Sokka just gave a wide smile. “You’re going to need all your Avatar juju to figure that out.”

And with that, they made their way into the dining hall. Zuko sat at the Fire Lord’s seat at the head of the table while Mai assumed the Fire Lady seat at the opposite end. Aang was escorted to his seat to the left of Mai. That was odd; he had never sat at this end of the table before.

The others took their seats, and he noticed that the spot directly across from him was empty, as was the seat directly to his left. He raised his eyebrow at Mai, who just gave the barest hint of a smile.

And his thought processes all came to a screeching halt as Azula walked in. She was younger than the real Azula and had a long scar on her left cheek that curled down to her jawline. And she was wearing a much less ornate tiara than Navisi. But the face and the walk. It was Azula. Just not his Azula.

The steward led her to the chair directly across from Aang, to the right of Mai and the left of Ursa as Navisi took her spot to Aang’s left. Aang had a much better appreciation for the Fauxzula nickname now.

“Greetings, Avatar Aang. As you may have guessed, I am Mistress Asundra. It is a pleasure to meet you.” Her smile seemed genuinely friendly. “I’m happy to say that you made a good impression on my apprentice.”

Aang smiled back. “She is such a charming young lady that I couldn’t help but be on my best behavior.”

And Aang already noticed the stormcloud growing over Ursa’s head. But Asundra kept the conversation going. “I’ve heard many good things about you and your doings. With the strong leadership of the Fire Lord and an impressive Avatar such as yourself, it seems that the world is healing and falling back into balance. I salute you, Avatar.”

Asundra raised her cup of tea, as did Navisi and Mai. Aang was definitely caught off guard. “I am just doing my duty to the best of my ability.”

“As Mistress Asundra said, you’re doing a fine job, Avatar.” Mai chimed in. She turned her attention back to Asundra. “I don’t mean to pry into your business, but many of us are quite interested in your order. Your morning workouts are already legendary and those that traveled with you told an interesting tale of your cloth tentacles. Would you be willing to share information about the Order of the Arts Esoteric.” Mai asked.

“Of course. The Arts Esoteric is a mystical, spiritual and philosophical order that focuses on the nonbending applications of chi. Once upon a time there were several subdisciplines, but our order has grown so small that Navisi and I only know of two. Our skills are similar but distinct and quite complimentary. I can use chi to enhance my mental and physical abilities, while Navisi can use her chi to move herself and objects through the external application of chi.”

Mai blinked for a moment before Navisi chimed in. “My discipline sounds complicated but is easily explained by a demonstration. May I?” Navisi asked Mai, who nodded. Navisi scooted her chair back and then took on a look of concentration. Suddenly, her hands began to faintly glow and her chair, with her still in it, slowly rose about four inches in the air, levitated for a few seconds, and then slowly lowered back down to the floor.

“That’s amazing!” Exclaimed Ty Lee, who was sitting to Navisi’s left.

“Thank you. That was just one example of how I can use my chi to act externally on items.” Navisi explained.

“And that demonstration was just her natural ability. You’ve heard about my cloth tentacles. We’ve figured out how to build items that allow us to use our chi to do more impressive feats. I call these devices augmentors, since they augment our natural ability. I can use my chi to move the cloth of my tentacles to improve mobility.” Asundra explained. “I left my cloth tentacles in my room, but I’d be happy to give a demonstration sometime.”

“I for one am very interested in seeing these tentacles in action.” Mai said with a very faint smile.

“The reason why Navisi and I are able to do so many of these things is because we were supposed to be benders, but for whatever reason our bending never developed. We have all the chi of a bender but not the pathways. So we have much more chi available to manipulate according to the practices of our order.” Asundra said, taking another sip of her tea.

“I’ve never heard of such a thing!” Aang said. He was fascinated by this concept.

“Why do you have to continue lying, Azula!” Ursa shrieked, causing every head to turn towards her. “First you claim not to be my daughter and now you profess to being a fire witch. Why are you doing this?”

Aang was absolutely shocked by this outburst. And it appears that most others at the table were too.

Asundra turned to face Ursa. “Lady Ursa, did you know that I was born in the Fire Nation, only to be cast out of my family for the so-called crime of being a fire witch? I made my own way as a girl because my family turned against me. You can believe what you want. But I will not break bread with a superstitious bigot.”

She stood, as did Navisi, and turned towards Zuko. “I apologize for the disruption to your evening. I will be returning to my quarters now and I will not be dining with Lady Ursa again.”

And she turned and began walking. Zuko called out to her. “Azula, you can drop the act. You can change! You don’t have to remain a fire witch!”

Aang’s heart broke at words that just came from his friend’s mouth. Asundra just looked at him.

“You just told me everything I needed to know about the Fire Nation.” Asundra said as she turned and walked out the door without another word, her disciple right behind her.

Ursa was crying and Zuko’s face was red. Everyone else looked shocked at the outburst. But soon enough the food was served, and awkward dinner conversations ensued. Aang spent much of the evening talking to Mai, since they were separated from the others by the two empty chairs that had been occupied by the ladies of the Arts Esoteric.

“Alright, Tentacles, I really want to see you live up to your name!” Toph cheered. Navisi couldn’t help but smile at the earthbender’s enthusiasm. An enthusiasm which seemed to be shared by the Avatar and many of the people that escorted them back to the Fire Nation. Even the Fire Lady’s aura showed a little excitement.

Toph and Azula had been able to fix the tentacle holders she wore on her back was now going to show them off for the group. They had decided to keep the full extent of Navisi’s augmented skills on the down low for now. And Azula had decided not to show off the more advanced abilities that she had developed.

“Here goes,” Azula announced as she unfurled all four of her cloth tentacles and used them to raise herself about eight feet off the ground. Sokka looked on, completely slack jawed, as Azula began using the tentacles to walk around like a polarbear dog, gradually increasing her speed. Suddenly, all of the tentacles bent so low that she was touching ground, and then she flung herself into the air.

Everybody gasped as she sailed at least sixty feet forward; as she descended, she unfurled a tentacle from her back holder and gripped one of the stone spires that Toph had erected in the courtyard. Azula proceeded to rapidly swing through the dirt obstacle course and astounded everyone with her agility and dexterity. Navisi saw that even Ty Lee was a little envious.

As she reached the end of the course, Azula flung herself high into the air, did a couple of flips, and used the four tentacles to gently land in front of the group once again. And Azula being Azula, she promptly gave an elaborate bow before speaking. “The repairs worked marvelously, Toph. You are truly an artisan.”

“That was super awesome, Asundra. You were so fast and flippy!” Ty Lee yelled, a wide smile on her face.

“Thank you, Ty Lee. I was lucky enough to work with absolutely brilliant people to help design these.” Azula said with a smile of her own. Navisi had been honored to work with Asami, but she truly hoped she got to meet this Master Novae someday; she must truly be a genius to warrant this type of praise from Azula.

“I look forward to seeing what your order will do in the future, Asundra.” Aang said with a big, goofy smile. “You and Navisi are so talented that I think you’ll change the world someday.”

“I hope so, Avatar. Just two more days until the Fire Sage testing and then Navisi and I will be able to begin traveling again.” Azula said with a smile.

Navisi knew that Azula really couldn’t wait to leave. Azula said that overall Zuko was doing a good job, but that he hadn’t done enough to undo the suffocating conservatism of the Agni’s Purity movement. Fire witches were still a thing. Same sex relationships weren’t outright banned but were all but condemned by society. And any spiritual practices not authorized by the Fire Sages were still listed as being heresy.

But it didn’t seem like their mission was to be accomplished in the Fire Nation. Azula had proposed going to the southern Earth Kingdom next. Navisi hoped that they weren’t doomed to travel this Atla for months or years trying to find out why they were here. But Azula was determined to spend her time as productively as possible. Visiting the spiritual teachers of the southern Earth Kingdom seemed like a good use of their time.

But Navisi saw Aang’s aura swirl when Azula said that she was only here two more days. It was far too complicated a pattern for her to analyze, but it was noteworthy and she would have to keep an eye on the Avatar.

But for now, Navisi was just enjoying time with her new friends as Azula basked in their praise and admiration.

The time of the Phoenix Ascendancy was at hand. His spies say that Azula has returned and that she is refusing to work with the traitorous usurper. She has assumed another name, but Mazao knows that this is just a ploy because she doesn’t have the power to challenge Zuko yet. The coward outlawed Agni Kai’s after the cheating bastard unfairly won the throne with the help of the waterbending wench. But so far at least, he hasn’t been able to sway the people away from the path of Agni’s Purity. Mazao will see the power of Agni’s most sacred laws expand and become the leading force in the land.

And Ozai’s followers were still around, still dreaming of returning the Fire Nation to its past glory. Zuko has given away so much that rightfully belongs to the Fire Nation. The influence and power of the Fire Nation has waned under his watch. But Azula can help set Ozai free. They can force the Avatar to return Ozai’s bending; every man will break if pressure is applied at the appropriate point.

A knock at the door drew him from his planning. “Enter.”

Adjudicator Kinlai entered. “Sir, there is a visitor who says that he has a weapon that can turn the tide of our struggle in our favor.”

Mazao frowned. “How did this visitor find us? What sort of weapon is it?”

“I don’t know the answer to either of those questions. He simply walked into the compound; none of the sentries saw him arrive. He simply appeared at the door.” Kinlai answered.

“Take me to him.” Mazao followed his subordinate out into the courtyard. And he saw the man in question, surrounded by his followers. But the man showed no discomfort at the show of force. He was tall, strong features with a neatly trimmed black beard and hair. His brown eyes possessed an intense intelligence. Mazao immediately knew that this man is dangerous.

“My man said that you have a weapon that might be of use to us.” Mazao said.

The man smiled. “Indeed, I do. The power of the Avatar and strong benders like Zuko and Iroh will be difficult to overcome without assistance. The Seravigm Medallion will eliminate their advantages.”

“What the hell is the Seravigm Medallion?” Mazao asked. This man was already getting on his nerves.

“Perhaps a demonstration is in order. For the next five seconds, none of you will have bending.” The man said. Mazao felt his connection to his bending was gone. Like it was never there. It was the Day of the Black Sun all over again.

“That was just a taste. The Seravigm Medallion completely severs the connection of a person and their bending so long as they are within two clicks of the item. From a child who can barely conjure a whisp of a flame to a fully actualized Avatar in the Avatar state, the Seravigm Medallion will sever their bending.” The man said, lifting a metallic circle that was hanging off his chest for Mazao to see.

It was a dull pewter in color, with an engraved image of a complicated geometric pattern that swirled and undulated, making it hard for his eyes to focus on it. It took him a few seconds to realize that the engravings on the medallion were actually moving.

“But of course, suppressing the bending of friends and foes alike doesn’t really bring an advantage. The medallion allows you to identify your allies, allowing them to keep their bending while your foes are suppressed. Quite the tactical advantage, wouldn’t you say?” The man smiled.

“And why would you give us such a powerful weapon? With it, you could surely do great things.” Mazao asked. He didn’t trust this man. But with this weapon in his hands, he could force the Fire Nation to bow before him. And the rest of the world would fall soon after.

“I am a peddler of power and influence, but I do not seek these things for myself. I select those people whose goals I find worthy, and I bestow gifts upon them to help them achieve their dreams. And I believe your goals are worthy.”

“Do you have a name?” Mazao asked, continuing to stare at the medallion. The swirling lines begin to take shape, showing images of him. Being crowned Fire Lord. Sacking Ba Sing Se. Destroying the gates of Agna Qel’a. It was showing him the future. The future that rightfully belonged to him.

“You may simply call me the Traveler.” The man removed the medallion from around his neck and held it out. “It takes strength of will to work the Seravigm Medallion; it only obeys those that it respects. Do you have the will, the strength of purpose, to wield my gift? If so, then take it.”

“Yes.” Mazao reached out and grabbed the medallion. And he felt it reach into his brain, it struggled to control him, to make him the slave. But he refused. He pushed back and drove the medallion from his mind.

‘This is good.’ He heard a voice in his mind. ‘We see your vision and we approve. We are yours to wield.’

Mazao put the medallion around his neck and he felt alive. He could feel the connection. He could feel the power. Power that was his to command. Ozai and Azula had their day, but they weren’t strong enough. But Mazao was. He would let them join his army as he restored the Fire Nation to its rightful place as the overlord of the world. Agni’s Light will shine on the world, forcing the other spirits to understand that they are lesser and only Agni has the will and the strength to rule the world.

But he would bow to no man ever again. Only Agni could command him.

Chapter Text

“Zuko, I think that you have to come to terms with the fact that Asundra may be what she says she is. A nomadic mystic and not your sister.” Aang said. Mai had called him and Iroh to meet with Zuko as something of an intervention.

“Yes, Nephew, I agree with Aang. She is a marvelous girl, and I truly wish that she was Azula, but we must face the fact that the Fire Sages may declare that she’s not a firebender.” Iroh said in his calm and mellifluous voice.

“But how can she not be! Just look at her.” Zuko sounded forlorn.

“We just have to accept the fact that it is a coincidence. And with the way that she’s been treated, she will probably never step foot in the Fire Nation again.” Mai injected.

And Zuko at least had the decency to look down in shame. He knew that his relationship with Asundra was probably damaged beyond repair after he called her a fire witch at the one and only dinner party she had been invited to.

He had gone to her the next day and given a heartfelt apology, which she graciously accepted. But Aang didn’t believe that she had truly forgiven him. But this was an opportunity to drive the conversation in another direction.

“But this means that the real Azula may still be out there somewhere. If she isn’t Azula, you can learn from this encounter and perhaps have a better plan for when you do find your sister.” Aang suggested gently.

“I know. I don’t believe that Asundra is Azula. I hope that she is, but I truly feel that she’s not. But I wanted to make amends for what was done to her. Azula did bad things, but she was just a disturbed girl that was pushed too far. I see Asundra and I think what if. What if Azula had been raised properly? What if she had been given help and guided, like Uncle did with me?”

This thought had crossed Aang’s mind many times over the past two years that he’d been with Azula. She was so intelligent, driven and observant. Had she had the opportunity to mold and sculpt her mind to pursue more appropriate avenues, she could have helped Zuko with the Fire Nation during those rocky first couple of years.

“It is a shame that she was alone and had no one but Ozai to guide her.” Iroh said, huffing. “I’ve had the same thoughts watching Asundra.”

“Be that as it may, we must be prepared to cut her loose if the Fire Sages declare that she’s not a firebender.” Mai reiterated. “I wish that we can find Azula too. But we can’t hold this girl hostage over our guilt.”

Aang knew that Mai had taken a liking to Asundra and was probably feeling the same regrets about what befell Azula.

“I know, Mai. But I’m not sure that she can be cut free. We will deal with Asundra after she is tested by the Fire Sages.” Zuko promised. “But I will find my sister and bring her home someday.”

Aang’s heart was breaking. Everyone wanted the same thing. Aang had decided what he needed to do.

She knew it was a dream, but she couldn’t help the terror that filled her very soul. She was trapped in the asylum again, chained down in that cold room they held her in when they really wanted to punish her. The frozen room. The chill sunk into her very bones, her wrist and ankles bound. She was shirtless, making it easier for the woman with the whip to flay the skin on her back.

It would go as it always did. Her back would be flayed with lash after lash until she nearly passed out. Then the waterbender would heal her and the process would begin again. One time, she had gone seven bouts like that before she had finally fell unconscious. They had spent several months after that trying to match the feat before she had finally made her escape.

But she was determined to endure this no more. She was Azula and she controlled her own mind. The lash came but it barely stung. She refused to give it power. Shaman Inok Kui had trained her that the mind is the master of all, if it speaks with the power of the soul. And Azula’s soul said that enough is enough. The next lash resulted in no pain at all. And then the scene changed. She was at the hermitage where Shaman Inok Kui showed her how to wield the power of her will. Azula smiled, knowing that she had won this battle.

She woke up and felt that it was nearly time to get up for her morning routine. She was still a work in progress. Sometimes, like tonight, she overcame her fears and wrested power away from her nightmares. Other times, the fear was too great. But she was winning much more than she was losing these days, and her margin of victory was increasing. They broke her in that asylum. But she had collected the pieces and built a new Azula, although she still had much growing to do.

She knew she relied on Aang too much. And she knew that she still feared Zuko and the others too much. But Shaman Inok Kui had shown her the path. It may take her entire lifetime, but she will master her will and become who she was meant to be. The one thing they had never taken from her was the drive and determination to succeed. Her goals had changed, yes, but the will was still there. She got out of bed and prepared for her morning routine.

She didn’t dare show her blue flames here in the Fire Nation, so she went through her katas using only orange and yellow flames. Aang had talked her into coming here while he observed the situation with the lookalike. He had expected him to be back before now, saying that she was an obvious fraud.

But everyday her heart sank more and more. What if they accepted this new Azula? What if Aang decided that this girl was better than the real Azula? She tried to keep the panic at bay, but it was getting harder and harder every day. What was taking him so long? But as she did every day, she sat down and meditated, using the techniques that Shaman Inok Kui had taught her. It took a while, but she managed to settle her mind. She knew the relief was temporary, but she would do whatever it took to remain in control.

She decided to continue working on her sculptures while she waited. Learning to focus her energy on creation rather than destruction had helped to change her outlook on life. She felt a sense of bliss and accomplishment every time she took the chisel and hammer in her hand and created beauty from the cold, dead rock. Soon, she felt herself absorbed by the task at hand, carefully removing the stone to unleash the beautiful creature within. Animals, both real and mythical, were her favorite subjects. And apparently others enjoyed them too, since she was able to make a comfortable living by selling her works.

It was just before lunch when she felt the familiar shaking of the ground. She went to the door and saw Aang hopping off of Appa. She couldn’t help but feel better just seeing him. He, along with Shaman Inok Kui, had been the only good things that had happened to her in possibly her entire life. If he abandoned her, she wasn’t sure if she was strong enough to cope yet.

He gave her a wide smile as he approached, and she couldn’t help but smile back. He took her in his arms and she felt so safe. They shared a passionate kiss and then he cupped her cheeks.

“It’s great to see you again. Looking at Fauxzula made me miss you more and more every day.”

“Fauxzula?” She spluttered.

“That’s the general nickname for Asundra. The resemblance is astounding. And I would like you to come meet her.”

Azula froze in shock. Aang continued speaking while she processed what he’d just said. “She’s obviously not you, but people want to find you. Zuko, Iroh, Mai and a lot of others feel terrible for what happened to you and want to bring you back into the fold.”

She reflected on her thoughts this morning. How she allowed her emotions towards Aang and Zuko control her too much. It was time to face the world and show them who Azula truly was. And in that moment, she decided to roll the dice. “Okay, if you think I should go, I will.”

And the absolute look of surprise that he gave her made the announcement worthwhile in her estimation. He finally found his voice. “Just like that?”

“I trust you, Aang. You wouldn’t ask me to go if you didn’t think it was a good idea.” She answered far more confidently than she felt. His smile helped sooth her fears.

Iroh couldn’t help but laugh at the two girls’ enthusiasm. Ty Lee and Navisi had been standing on two fingers for nearly half an hour, with playful banter gently flowing back and forth.

“I’m impressed, Ty Lee. I never would have suspected that someone of your advanced age still has this kind of balance. I wonder what you were like back in your prime.” Navisi teased.

“The respect is mutual, Navisi. I figured the weight of your diaper would throw off your balance, but look at you go.” Ty Lee responded.

Iroh just sat back with Sokka and Suki while the two girls continued their contest. He had been surprised to hear that Navisi had been a street performer in Ba Sing Se before her first mistress had found her. But Ty Lee saw her as a fellow performer and from there the contest began.

“Aang is returning. There’s someone with him.” Navisi said, a smile in her voice. But then she immediately dropped to the ground and stood up, staring at Appa as he landed. “Oh, shit. I have to go tell Mistress Asundra.”

Everyone just watched her flee with looks of bewilderment. “What was that about?” Sokka asked.

“I don’t know, Sokka. But my guess it has to do with Aang and his guest. Shall we go greet him?”

Everyone agreed and they walked together to courtyard where Aang normally lands. And they found him talking to someone. They couldn’t see who until he turned around and stepped aside.

Azula.

Not Asundra. This was his niece. Everyone had completely stopped and were staring at her with openmouthed surprise. Now Iroh realized why Navisi ran to tell Asundra. But how had she known?

Iroh decided to be proactive. “Hello, Azula. I am glad to see that you look well. We have been looking forward to meeting you again.”

Azula paused for a second, before she managed to speak. “Thank you, Iroh. Aang said that now may be an opportune time to let the palace know of my existence.”

“Indeed, it is. It seems that we’ve been pestering a poor young woman who just happens to look like you.” Iroh answered with a small smile. He could see her nervousness and he wanted to try and reassure her. “She reminded us how we mistreated you and how we hope to make amends for what we’ve done.”

She looked down, fear flickering across her face. But then she looked up again. “And I know that I did terrible things, too. I…I am sorry for what I did. My vision was clouded then and I didn’t understand how skewed my worldview was. I understand that no one will forgive me, but I would like to try and make amends for what I’ve done also.”

Iroh could see the anguish and regret in her features. It broke his heart. “Please come inside and we can discuss how to move forward. I know that Zuko and Ursa especially will be happy to see you.” He would have to be blind to miss the flinch. He could guess who she wasn’t happy to see, so he spoke again. “And we can slowly reintroduce people so that you aren’t overwhelmed. I understand that this a big step and you may need some time to get acclimated.”

“Thank you, Iroh, that is very considerate. I am willing to meet Zuko and Mai, but could we perhaps wait before I meet Ursa and her new family? But I would like to meet Mistress Asundra.”

Iroh smiled. “I will ask everyone to respect your requests. Perhaps it would be best if I went in first and laid the groundwork for your return.”

“Of course, Iroh. Whatever you believe is best.”

Iroh turned and quickly made his way back into the palace. He had to make sure that this was handled properly; his niece was afraid and unrestrained enthusiasm, especially by Ursa, might cause the situation to go south.

He was barely inside the door when he spotted Zuko and Mai rushing towards him. He held up a hand to calm them before they started speaking.

“Aang has just returned with your sister. The real Azula. She is a bit skittish, but she seems calm enough and showed contrition for her actions. Please, Nephew, go slowly with her.” Iroh suggested. “And we should go slow with reintroducing her to everyone, especially your mother and her new family, until Azula is settled.”

“Of course, Uncle, but where did Aang find her? How long has he known about her?” Zuko asked, his voice slowly rising in volume as anger overtook him.

Iroh sighed. “I don’t know, but I suggest we discuss that issue later. Now is the time to welcome Azula home, not pick a fight with the Avatar.”

Zuko went to speak again but Mai put a hand on his arm and spoke first. “Listen to Iroh. Learn from our interactions with Asundra. Slow and steady. We don’t know what her situation has been like.”

“Fine, but I fully expect to get answers from Aang sometime.” Zuko said in a huff. “But let’s go meet Azula and let her know that she is welcome.”

Aang stood there with Azula as Ty Lee, Sokka and Suki looked on. Ty Lee was the first one to speak. “I’m glad that you came back, Azula. You probably don’t want to hear about her, but seeing Asundra made everyone wish for you to return.”

“I doubt that I’m anything like Asundra. I get that she looks a bit like me, but I’m surprised that any of you thought that she was me.” Azula answered. Aang tried to explain to her just how much Asundra looked like a younger her, but she clearly didn’t believe him.

“You say that now, but you might start doubting whether you’re really you after meeting her.” Sokka announced loudly. “I’m glad that she has a scar and a tiara so that we can tell the two of you apart.”

“Sokka! You can’t just talk about how you’re happy someone has a scarred face.” Suki said with a look of exasperation.

“I understand, Sokka. Aang has told me that she looks like me, but I just can’t believe that the resemblance is that strong. You just forgot what I looked like.” Azula said with a small laugh.

Aang was pleased as civil small talk was made among the group, with no intrusive questions being asked by his friends. He thinks that Asundra had paved the way for Azula’s return by taking away much of the shock value.

They were drawn away from their conversation by Iroh’s voice. “Azula, the Fire Lord and Fire Lady would like to speak with you if you are ready.”

Aang saw her take a deep breath before answering. “Of course, Iroh. I am ready to meet with them.”

Azula was absolutely terrified as she made her way into the palace. All the memories of the terrible things that she did here came flooding back, guilt threatening to swamp her sense of mental balance. If Aang hadn’t been here, she probably would have turned and made a run for it.

But he was here, and she felt comfort knowing that he was her ally. But her intestines still clenched in fear when she saw them. Zuko and Mai. The Fire Lord and Fire Lady.

Zuko spoke first as her group approached. “Azula, welcome home. We know that terrible things were done, but that is in the past and we want to start over. We want you back in the family.”

It took her a moment to find her voice. “Terrible things were indeed done, both by me and to me. I would like to start over too.”

“I want you to know that we are all happy to see you, Azula.” Mai said, her monotone voice just the same as she remembered it. “Meeting Asundra made us realize just how much we missed you.”

“Yes, Aang told me that she was the catalyst for his request for me to return to the palace. I would truly like to meet this girl.”

“Uhm, not to be indelicate, but just how did Aang know where to find you?” Zuko asked, a scowl on his face. Azula couldn’t help but flinch at his expression, and the look immediately disappeared. He must have realized that he frightened her.

“I met Azula about two years ago in Naotsu, strictly by chance. She was helping the people there recover from a flood. I spoke to her and the people of her town; they had nothing but praise for the young artist who had moved to their town and built a new life for herself.” Aang said, smiling as he looked at Azula. And then he reached down and took her hand in both of his. “And over the course of the following year, I fell in love with her and we have been in a relationship ever since.”

Azula had hoped that they could ease into that particular announcement, but she had to admit that seeing the looks of shock and incredulity on the faces of every person in the room brought a smile to her face. Mai’s eyes had even popped open.

“You’re the reason he keeps sneaking off to the central Earth Kingdom.” Sokka exclaimed, pointing at her. Rather rudely in her opinion. “I knew he had a secret girlfriend!”

“Indeed, I have been the Avatar’s secret girlfriend.” Azula answered, scowling a little at the water peasant. She tried not to think of people like that anymore, but he was irritating her.

“But as great as our personal relationship has been, she has also given me great advice about how to deal with various issues around the four nations.” Aang said as he raised her hand to his lips and gently kissed it.

“You’ve been keeping her a secret from us for two years!” Zuko snarled in outrage.

“And it is probably for the best that he did! Seeing how you’ve treated me in my short stay here, he probably knew that you weren’t ready to face your sister just yet.” A loud voice echoed through the hallway.

Azula turned to see who would speak to her brother like that and she froze. She was absolutely flabbergasted at what she saw; it was a younger version of herself walking down the hallway, wearing black robes with gold trim. The scar may have marred this girl’s beauty, but it certainly added something to her intimidation factor. The young girl walking next to her wore the same style robes and they both wore tiaras that gave them an exotic look.

She now truly understood why everyone wanted to believe that this girl was her. She was able to find her voice and address the lookalike. “And you must be Mistress Asundra.”

“Indeed, I am. This lovely young lady beside me is Disciple Navisi. It is a pleasure to meet a beautiful specimen such as yourself. You’re incredibly stunning, if I do say so myself.” Asundra said with a wink.

Azula couldn’t help but laugh. “The honor is all mine. It amazes me that I could be confused with a gorgeous and attractive woman such as yourself. I truly feel flattered by the comparison.”

“Fire Lord Zuko, I demand that you separate these two before we’re all crushed beneath the weight of their enormous egos!” The younger girl said with a wide smile as she playfully ran to escape Asundra’s grasp.

“And let me say welcome home. It’s been a royal pain in my ass, but my stay here has showed me that people here really wanted you to return. It was a bit selfish of me to interject myself into your reunion, but I wanted to see if my captivity was indeed coming to a close.” Asundra turned and spoke to Zuko. “It looks like I won’t have to let some creepy fossil of a Fire Sage put his grubby hands on me after all.”

“You may not be Azula, but there are other issues that need to be resolved.” Zuko answered in a flat voice.

Azula saw Asundra’s eyes narrow. Her voice was just as flat as Zuko’s when she spoke. “I negotiated in good faith when I agreed to travel here. I expect you to uphold your end of the bargain. There are no other issues to resolve.” She turned back to Azula. “I will leave you to meet with your family and friends. Once again, welcome home.” And without another word, Asundra and Navisi turned and walked away.

One thing was for sure, her lookalike certainly had a pair of brass balls on her. Azula watched her go, amazed at the likeness. It was like looking into her own past. She turned her attention back to Zuzu. It was going to be a stressful endeavor letting the palace know that she was still alive. But she was not the Azula they knew from the war. The sooner that they learned that, the better.

Chapter Text

She heard the whirring sound long before she entered the training ground. Azula, along with her two guards, paused when they heard the sound. She turned and addressed the pair with her. “What is that sound?”

“That would be Mistress Asundra, Princess. Her morning workouts are, uhm, quite vigorous.” The young guard answered.

“Indeed. Well, I have my own training to do, so let’s keep moving.” Azula announced. The entered the open area and she immediately spotted Asundra wielding two wooden swords with incredible speed. She jumped and dodged and parried, almost looking like she was engaging in some battle against invisible foes.

“It takes a little while to get used to her training.” A voice said from her right. Azula looked over and saw the young girl, Navisi, holding herself up on one finger while bending and twisting her body in complicated ways.

“I can see that your training is quite vigorous also, Disciple Navisi.” Azula answered with a smile.

“You don’t have to use my title, Princess. We’re not sticklers about that except in more formal situations.” The girl answered. “Are you here to workout? I’ve heard that you are a very skilled firebender.”

“Yes, I am here to workout. Aang should be coming along shortly.” Azula answered. Normally, they worked out together when he wasn’t traveling. But since he was being forced to stay in a different part of the palace from her, their timing wasn’t synchronized yet.

“He’s about fifty yards that way.” The girl pointed to the southwest. “And he’s making his way here.”

“How do you know that?” Azula asked.

“Our order has methods for observing chi and auras. And well, the Avatar’s chi is incredibly powerful and nearly impossible to miss. Strong benders like you, Katara and Toph are easy to pick out too.”

“That’s a very useful skill to have.” Azula replied. She meant it too.

“Yes, it is. But the rest of the Fire Nation are a bunch of fuddy duddies that like to accuse us of being fire witches. That’s why your brother isn’t keen on letting us leave; I think he wants to charge us with the crime of being too awesome.” The girl answered. What was odd was that the girl didn’t seem to be upset about it.

“That is an injustice, but you don’t seem to be very upset about it. Aren’t you afraid of being thrown in jail?” Azula asked. She was terrified of the prospect.

“Nope.” The girl answered simply.

Azula didn’t know where to go from there, but luckily she was drawn away from the conversation by the arrival of Aang. He smiled as he approached her. “Good morning. It looks like we aren’t the first ones out here. Asundra and Navisi are renowned for their dedication to their early morning training.”

“Yes, I can see and hear that.” Azula answered with a smile. “But we should probably do our own routine and let these two young women finish theirs. It was a pleasure talking with you, Navisi.”

“I enjoyed talking with you, too, Princess.” The girl answered, giving her a smile as she held herself upside down.

Azula and Aang went to a portion of the courtyard away from Asundra. The girl had put down the wooden swords and began using a staff; the whirring sound was more muted now. Aang and Azula took their positions and began their warmup routine. This was something that they’d been doing together since even before their relationship became intimate.

It had forged a bond between them even, the ways that their styles had blended. Azula had learned to incorporate airbending, waterbending and even some earthbending moves into her forms. She was much less rigid and more versatile. There was a joy in bending now that she hadn’t had as a child. Father had been too rigid in his thinking and training.

Training with Aang was both joyful and profound. Her abilities had grown by leaps and bounds in the two years of training with him. Her life in general had been better since meeting him. She couldn’t imagine what her life would be like if she hadn’t found Shaman Inok Kui and Aang. Probably much worse and much darker.

They completed their firebending session together and then Aang went to work on his other bending while she continued her training. She had always been fast and agile, but now she had a fully actualized style that took these skills into account. She loved how her bright blue flames illuminated the courtyard; it made her feel whole when she was connected to her fire.

It was satisfying when she was done. The sun was nearly halfway over the horizon and she felt wonderful as its beams fell on her face. She heard Aang’s footsteps as he approached.

“That was amazing as always, my dear.” Aang said as he approached her from behind and put his hands on her shoulders. “I think that you’ve earned the right to have a splendid royal breakfast.”

They made their way back to their separate areas and cleaned up and prepared to have breakfast. Azula was a little nervous about eating with the others, but Aang had assured her that all was well. Except for maybe Katara. That wasn’t an interaction that Azula was looking forward to. The sting of her defeat still haunted Azula, but her romantic relationship with Aang probably wasn’t going to foster a sense of sisterhood either.

They had agreed to meet in the breakfast hall, and she was happy to see that he had arrived first. And she was pleasantly surprised to see him sitting with Asundra, Navisi, Ty Lee and several members of the Gaang. She thought it was a stupid name, but he seemed to enjoy it. Luckily, Katara wasn’t one of them, so she made her way over to them.

“Good morning, everyone.” Azula greeted the group politely. She was able to put names to most of the faces. Toph, Sokka and Suki were easy. But she didn’t know the girl sitting with Ty Lee.

“Good morning, Princess. I bet you are hungry after such a vigorous workout.” Asundra said, smiling at her. Azula couldn’t help but smile back. “Your skill is astounding. I’m glad I got to see you in action before I leave the Fire Nation.”

“Thank you. And I was exhausted just watching your workout routine. You probably need to eat as much as Sokka just to keep from wasting away to nothing.” Azula answered, keeping her face neutral at the look of offense on Sokka’s face.

“Hey! It takes a lot of meat to keep my manly physique.” He answered, flexing biceps for everyone to see. And Azula had to admit that it was a much more manly display than it had been when she fought against him in the One Hundred Years War.

“Yes, you’re a paragon of manliness, Sokka.” Suki said with a giggle, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. He appeared to be mollified.

“I personally think we need to separate the two of you.” Navisi said, pointing at Azula and her lookalike. “You gaze at each other’s beauty and your already large egos become even more inflamed.”

“Well, you won’t have to worry about that for much longer. Now that the real Princess Azula has returned, there’s no need to hold me captive. It’s been great meeting all of you, but I believe that it is time for us to begin our travels again.” Asundra said with a smile.

Azula was a bit sad about that. She had hoped to learn more about the girls and the Arts Esoteric. “Before you leave, would you have time to talk to me about your order? I was able to spend a couple of years studying with Shaman Inok Kui; he was a wonderful spiritual teacher and taught me a great deal, and I was hoping to see if there were any spiritual practices of your order that I could learn about.”

Asundra and Navisi both smiled wide. Asundra was the first to answer. “Navisi and I have several meditation practices that might be of use to you. Many of our techniques involve standard mindfulness training, but we also have techniques for improved emotion control and chi manipulation.”

“I am very interested in learning about the emotion control and chi manipulation techniques that you have; that sound a bit like what Shaman Inok Kui taught me.”

“I will be happy to share our techniques as long as you return the favor and share your techniques with us. We are always looking to learn from other traditions. The world is a large and wonderful place, and knowledge can be taken from many different sources.” Asundra answered.

“I would be happy to.” Azula’s smile widened. Shaman Inok Kui’s techniques were great, but as Asundra said, it is good to learn from others as well.

“Will you be returning to the Earth Kingdom or are you going to be remaining here?” Navisi asked.

Azula paused at that. “I will be remaining here for a while.”

Asundra and Navisi exchanged a glance before Asundra spoke. “The specifics would have to be worked out, but we’re willing to stay and exchange techniques with you. I’m not sure your brother and mother will tolerate us staying in the palace though.”

Azula sighed and went to speak, but Aang jumped in first. “I will personally speak with the Fire Lord. Considering how he’s treated you both, I think allowing the two of you to exchange meditation techniques with Azula is fair recompense.”

“Thank you, Aang. We appreciate your willingness to intercede. We may actually ask for your help in our meditation practices if things progress far enough.” Asundra responded.

“My help?” Aang looked intrigued at the prospect.

“We’ll have to see how it goes.” Asundra turned to the others at the table. “But we shouldn’t dominate the entire conversation. Princess, do you know everyone at the table?”

“Mostly. But I haven’t been introduced to the young woman between Ty Lee and Suki.” Azula answered, smiling at the girl in question.

“This is my good friend, Pemtha. She’s a Kyoshi Warrior too!” Ty Lee said with the same enthusiasm Azula remembered from her childhood.

“It’s nice to meet you, Pemtha.”

“It’s nice to meet you too, Princess.” The girl responded with a smile.

The conversation bounced to multiple topics from there, with Toph telling wild stories and Sokka talking about some of the interesting projects that he’d been working on. It was a pleasant meal and Azula was feeling much better about returning to the palace.

At least until she saw both Asundra and Aang tense up a bit. Azula turned to see what had caught their attention. And not one, but two, problems were staring at her. Ursa and Katara had arrived at breakfast together.

But Mai showed that she can be a hero too. “Lady Ursa, Master Katara, the Fire Lord and I would love to have you join us for breakfast this morning.”

Ursa looked like she wanted to say something to Azula, but she reluctantly turned and made her way over the Fire Lord’s table. Katara stared at them with a blank expression before she too turned away and joined Mai and Zuko’s table.

“Yeah, extending our stay here at the palace won’t be awkward at all, oh great mistress of mine.” Navisi said, breaking the tension at the table.

Azula feared that things would only become more awkward.

“You hide my sister from me for over two years and now you have the unmitigated gall to tell me who I should allow to stay as guests in my palace.” Zuko shouted, his face turning red. Aang knew that he was on his own, at least for now. The crime of hiding Azula was something that Mai and Iroh couldn’t help him justify.

“Yes, I did hide Azula’s existence. She wasn’t ready to meet you. And frankly, Asundra was right when she accosted you yesterday; you weren’t ready to meet Azula either.” Aang held up his hands in a placating fashion, trying to get Zuko to calm down. “Meeting Asundra before Azula was the best thing that could have happened. And Azula has been practicing spiritual techniques that she learned from a mystical shaman; they have done wonders to improve her mental health. Now she wants to learn techniques from Asundra. All that I’m asking is for you to give her that opportunity.”

Mai chimed in while Zuko was contemplating Aang’s words. “We can discuss whether it was right to hide Azula’s existence another time. But I agree with Aang that Asundra’s teachings might be good for Azula. The two bonded instantly and Asundra and Navisi both seem to be extremely spiritual despite their young ages.”

“Indeed, they are very accomplished young women. And Azula has shown much more emotional maturity than she did in her youth. If she wishes to exchange learnings with these young ladies, I believe that it should be encouraged.” Iroh suggested.

“You know Mother is going to have a fit. We’ve been keeping her away from Azula, but now she’s allowed to learn from people that Mother considers fire witches.” Zuko said. And instantly put his hands up to forestall a response. “I don’t believe they are, and I truly regret my words at dinner. But that’s not how Mother sees it.”

Aang collected his thoughts before speaking. This was a subject that required care. “Zuko, rightly or wrongly, Azula associates a lot of her mental health issues with her mother. I want to see her reestablish a healthy relationship with Ursa too, but it has to be done carefully.”

“He’s right, Zuko. We understand that Ursa wants to help Azula, but she came on too strong with Asundra. Had she actually been Azula, it could have caused a lot of issues.” Mai said.

Zuko sighed. “Fine, I’ll talk with Mother and let her know that we need things to go slow.”

“And I’ll talk to Azula and prepare her to talk with Ursa.” Aang said.

“That’s great. I’m still not comfortable that you’re in a relationship with my sister, but that can be put aside for now.” Zuko said. “I’m concerned that her reappearance is going to cause issues with Ozai’s followers. They’ve pretty much gone underground, but with Asundra’s appearance they were already starting to make noise. Azula’s actual return could lead to more issues.”

“Is there anything that I can do to help with this?” Aang asked.

“Other than helping Azula get acclimated, not really. We’re investigating the groups. But this is another reason why I’m not keen to set Asundra free. With her physical resemblance to Azula, she could be a security risk if Ozai’s followers get their hands on her. Having her stay with Azula means that I don’t have to find another reason to keep her here.” Zuko said.

Aang just sighed. Zuko was a good Fire Lord, but sometimes he becomes so caught up in his own problems that he loses sight of what is right and wrong. Kidnapping a fifteen-year-old girl because he’s insecure about his status as Fire Lord is not the right thing to do.

“Even if the reason for allowing her to stay isn’t the best, it will be good for Azula to learn from the ladies of the Arts Esoteric.” Iroh interjected, effectively cutting off any argument from Aang.

“I’ll share the good news.” Aang said, turning towards the door.

“I know that you don’t approve of how I’ve handled the situation with Asundra, but you have to understand that I have to put the needs of my country above those of a single girl.” Zuko called out.

“And I think that you have misjudged Asundra. I don’t know why, but I get the impression that she is much more than she’s been letting on.” Aang said, before turning and walking out of the room. It didn’t escape his notice that none of the others had disagreed with his assessment of the young mistress of the Arts Esoteric.

Now that Azula had been identified and her position established, the White Lotus and Kyoshi Warriors that had escorted Asundra back to the Fire Nation were ready to return to their previous obligations. Mostly in Cranefish Town, from what Azula could tell. She enjoyed her time with them and was sorry to see them go.

Well, sorry to see almost everyone go. She still hadn’t had any kind of meaningful interaction with Katara. Frankly, she was still a bit afraid of her. It had been the most pivotal moment of her life, the instant when her sense of self had collapsed; the memory of being chained to that grate still haunted her nightmares. But she felt that talking to her was something that she needed to do.

It was the approach that had her worried. She needed to make sure that Katara was open to talking with her; if she just accosted Katara out of the blue, it might become heated. Given the way they avoided each other, it was clear that she couldn’t ask Aang to set it up.

Azula came to the conclusion that Asundra was the best bet. She hadn’t been part of the conflict on either side, had no real emotional stake in the discussion, and was on good terms with both parties. So Azula had asked her to set something up. And now she was reaping what she had sowed. Asundra had suggested the Royal Garden as a meeting place; the luscious greenery and turtleduck pond made it feel like a great location to have a calm discussion.

Apparently, Katara was as nervous about the idea as Azula was, so Asundra volunteered to stay as a mediator and conversation guide. Azula was seated at the small table near the pond when Asundra and Katara approached. She stood to greet them as they neared.

“Hello, Katara. Thank you for agreeing to speak with me.” Azula said, her nervousness causing her to feel nauseous. “I…I know that our past has been contentious, but I wanted to sit down and clear the air between us.”

“Of course, Azula.” Katara answered, wringing her hands. “I think that it is a good idea. Now that you’re taking up your position of princess again, we will probably be crossing paths and it’s good to address our issues like adults.”

“I think that’s a great way for both of you to view this interaction. A chance to address issues from the past, but also a chance to pave the way for productive collaborations in the future.” Asundra interjected. Then she gestured towards the table. “Let’s sit down and enjoy a cup of tea together. Iroh swears that it is lovely blend that is conducive to promoting good will.”

Katara and Azula both gave a small laugh as they took their seats. They both appreciated how much Iroh cultivated his tea habit.

“Not to intrude too much, but as I see it, the two of you have two issues that need to be addressed. First would be your interactions during the war. I suggest that we don’t rehash the unpleasant things that happened, but instead focus on why you both did what you did and how you feel about the actions taken. Would you like to start, Azula?” Asundra asked gently.

“Yes, I would like to go first. I wanted to say that I’m sorry for what I did during the war. I was a spoiled child who had a skewed view of the world. I know that you will never forgive me for what I did, but I truly regret my actions. You were only one person of many that I mistreated, but because of our last battle, you are the one that looms largest in my mind.” Azula continued looking at her hands; she didn’t have the strength to look Katara in the eyes.

“Thank you, Azula. I know that must have been difficult for you to share.” Asundra said in a soft and comforting voice. “Katara, is there anything that you would like to share?”

Katara was silent for a few moments. “After our battle in the crystal catacombs, after what you did to Aang, when I envisioned the face of evil, it was you that came to mind. But as I watched you chained to that grate, I felt like there was something more to you. Then I learned more about how you were raised, the things that your father asked you to do. And it was truly horrible what they did to you in the asylum. I know that you’re not evil, and hearing your apology shows that you’ve grown and become a better person. And while I don’t know if I forgive you for what you did during the war, if you continue showing remorse and behave like the reformed person I’ve seen since you returned, I believe that someday I will.”

“Thank you, Katara. That’s more than I had expected from you. I don’t think I’m worthy of your forgiveness yet. But someday I hope to be.” Azula answered softly.

“Yes, Katara, that was magnanimous of you. I know that the war was a terrible thing, and I’m glad that both of you were able to sit and discuss this like adults. Perhaps now would be a good time to move to the second topic. Azula’s relationship with Aang.” Asundra suggested.

Azula felt herself freeze and she noticed Katara stiffen. This was probably going to be a more contentious conversation than the war. Azula and Katara stared at each other, neither seemingly knowing what to say.

“Alright, perhaps it would be easier if I guided this conversation also. Katara, how do you feel about Azula’s relationship with Aang? Will it affect your ability to work with Azula and/or Aang in the future?”

Katara sat silently, looking down at her hands for a few moments. “I don’t like it. I’m sorry, Azula. You seem like you’re different than you used to be, but I just don’t trust you with Aang. I’m afraid that you’re going to hurt him. Not just emotionally, but physically too. It’s one thing to say that I forgive you for things in the past, but it’s different to believe that you won’t do something to someone I care about in the future.”

Azula knew that this was most people believed. That she was an irredeemable monster that was destined to burn everyone and everything that she came into contact with. And there was nothing she could do to prove them wrong.

“Thank you for your honesty, Katara. I know that it’s hard to give honest feedback when the message is unpleasant.” She reached over and patted Katara’s hand. “But it’s important to share honest feedback if the two of you are going to see eye to eye. Azula, why don’t you tell us about your relationship with Aang? You need only share what you’re comfortable with.”

“He’s my everything. Shaman Inok Kui was the first one to take me in, to make me feel like a real person. He was my teacher and my friend, but there was a separation. But Aang took me into his heart and I feel something with him that I’ve never felt before. A connection, a sense of acceptance. I…I still have some of the hang-ups that Ozai cultivated in me: a worry that I’m not good enough for him, that his love for me is conditional, that he’ll leave me as soon as he finds someone better.”

She took a few moments to wipe the tears from her eyes before she continued. “But I continue to love him, and he continues to prove that the lessons that my father taught me are wrong. That I can be loved for who I am. And I don’t care how many people doubt or distrust me, as long as Aang stands beside me, I can persevere.” Azula concluded, looking down again. Her soul burned with shame at disclosing her weakness to anyone like that.

“No matter who you are in a relationship with, you deserve to be loved for who you are. And that goes for both of you. You are both wonderful people and deserve to be treated with kindness and respect in any romantic relationship.” Asundra said. “Katara, after hearing what Azula has to say about her relationship with Aang, is there anything else that you’d like to say?”

“I want to say that Asundra’s right, Azula; you deserve to be loved for who you are. And hearing how you feel about Aang, I think that maybe the two of you will work. I have my biases, but I truly hope that you two make each other happy.” Katara said. “But know this, if you hurt him, I will…”

“That’s enough, Katara.” Asundra’s voice remained at conversation level, but it cut through the garden and Azula felt an icy sensation in her spine. “I brought you together to discuss your issues, not to make childish threats. Do you both understand me?”

Katara looked stunned for a moment before she found her voice. “I’m sorry. I crossed the line and I shouldn’t have said that.”

“I understand that you both have strong emotions regarding Aang, but this conversation will remain civil.” The fear had faded but Azula still felt uncomfortable. “Do either of you have anything else to say?”

“I have nothing else to say.” Katara said, looking down.

“Neither do I.” Azula concurred.

“Then I would like to propose a course of action. I’ve asked Aang to be on standby in case there was interest in bringing him into the discussion. Firstly, Katara, I’ve seen how you and Aang dance around and pretty much avoid any real and meaningful interactions. And that was before you found out about his relationship with Azula. Secondly, after hearing both of your thoughts about Azula’s relationship with Aang, it may be beneficial to get his input.” Asundra said, eyes darting between the two.

Neither Katara nor Azula responded, so Asundra started speaking again. “He doesn’t need to be included if both of you aren’t comfortable with it, but I think that his perspective could really aid this discussion. All three of you are going to be strong voices in the world for years to come, so having a healthy understanding is beneficial to all.”

Katara found her words before Azula. “Yes, I think it would be good to hear from Aang. As you said, we’ve been behaving like children for quite some time, and this may be a good time to address our issues.”

“I believe that Aang’s inclusion would be good too.” Azula stated simply. She didn’t want Aang and Katara to make up too much, but she did need to behave like an adult.

“With your permission, I’ll signal Navisi to send him in.” Asundra stared into the distance for a few seconds before speaking again. “He’s on his way out now.”

All three women looked to see Aang walking along the covered hallway. He was smiling awkwardly as he crossed the grass and approached their table. The three women stood up to greet him.

“Good morning, Aang. Thank you for joining us. We’ve been making some great progress today, and we all think that your involvement can further improve things.” Asundra said, gesturing for Aang to sit in the fourth chair. “I’ve been heavily involved so far, but I’m willing to step aside if you’re not as comfortable with my involvement in this part of the discussion.”

Azula spoke immediately. “I would like you to stay, Asundra. You’ve done a great job bringing Katara and I together, and I trust your input and discretion.”

“I agree with Azula, Asundra. You’ve been a very calming force in this discussion.” Katara quickly responded.

“Well, it sounds like you’ve been doing a great job, Asundra. Are you okay with staying?” Aang asked. It hadn’t even dawned on Azula that Asundra may not be comfortable dealing with all the sordid details of their love lives.

Asundra smiled as she answered. “I have no problems helping. As I told everyone when I set this up, I promise that what is discussed here will never leave my confidence after this conversation is concluded. With that settled, let’s get back to the discussion at hand.”

Asundra took her seat and looked at Aang. “Just to catch you up, Azula told us a bit about your relationship and how special it is for her. Katara expressed her concerns about you being hurt by Azula. Given their unfortunate past, you can understand that Katara’s concerns are for your physical as well as your emotional well-being.”

Aang looked confused for a moment before he sighed and looked at Katara. “I understand where you’re coming from, based on your experience with Azula during the war. But you haven’t seen what she’s been like for the past few years. She has learned from her past and she’s grown so much as a person. She’s still intense and intelligent, but she is kinder and more understanding now. She’s all that I want for the rest of my life.”

Aang reached out and took Azula’s hand and pulled it to his lips, gently kissing it as he looked into her eyes. Azula felt her heart nearly burst with joy as Aang kept speaking. “We haven’t discussed the full future yet, but now that you don’t have to hide, we can bring our love into the open. You make me so happy, Azula, I can’t find the words to express the wonders of my heart.”

“That is a wonderful sentiment, Aang. Katara, having heard him describe Azula’s growth and express his feelings for Azula, do you still have concerns about their relationship?” Asundra asked.

Katara watched them for a few moments and sighed before answering. “I still have doubts, but I see that it is my issue to bear, not theirs. I truly hope that the two of you are happy together.”

“I’ve tried not to inject my opinions and observations into the conversation, but I would like to say something now.” Asundra said, looking around at the other three. “Like Ty Lee, I can see and read auras, and I’ve gotten pretty good at judging people. And my reading of Azula is that she has indeed changed for the better. I never met her before her time with Shaman Inok Kui, but her aura now is stable and steady with no signs of excessive anger, malice or other worrisome emotions. Like the rest of us, she has her own demons to battle, but I don’t think that she is a danger to Aang or anyone else.”

Azula could only smile at the kind words her younger lookalike had shared. She had been trying so hard to be better, and it was nice that someone could actually see the difference.

“Thank you, Asundra. You don’t know how much it means to me to hear you say that.” Azula said in a quiet voice.

“I’m only speaking the truth as I see it.” Asundra answered. “As are Katara and Aang. But there is another issue to address. Katara and Aang, are you both comfortable addressing the issues that have caused the two of you to all but avoid each other?”

Azula felt Aang freeze. She knew that he didn’t like facing heavy issues like this head on; his dodge and deflect airbending attitude often carried over into his interpersonal relationship tactics. And Katara didn’t seem much happier with the idea.

Asundra sighed. “Silence is consent. Katara, from what I’ve seen from you, you’re the one who tends to initiate the distancing. But before we start, are you both comfortable with Azula being present for this discussion?”

Katara sighed and fidgeted but answered first. “I’m fine with Azula staying. My behavior wasn’t directly affected by her.”

All eyes went to Aang. “I’d prefer that she stay. I have nothing to hide from her.”

“Very well. Would you like to start, Katara?” Asundra asked, looking at the waterbender.

“Yes. My avoidance started out as guilt. We were so close during the war, and then we kissed and we became a couple. But it felt so fast to me, and I felt a lot of pressure to be this person that you put on a pedestal. It was something that I just felt that I couldn’t live up to. Things just didn’t work and after we separated, I was afraid to face you. Afraid to see those big expressive eyes staring at me.” Katara said, not looking at anyone.

“But then I noticed that you didn’t really look at me like that. There were glances and a few lingering stares, but it was much less than I expected. You were just yourself most of the time. I became concerned that what we had wasn’t real; that I was just a passing fancy. Then the rumors started that you had a love interest in the Earth Kingdom. And I started dating someone too. I didn’t want to say anything about my relationship, and I didn’t want to ask about yours. So, I just started avoiding you.”

Aang looked shocked, but then he smiled. “I’m sorry that you felt like you had to hide it from me. I’m happy for you! He’s a lucky guy! Do I know him?”

“We’ve broken up since then, but no, you don’t know her.” Katara answered quietly.

Azula and Aang both froze. Azula had no idea what to say. But it was Asundra who spoke first. “The three wisest mentors in my life all gave me very similar advice; that I am free to court and love whoever I want. Even when the object of my affection was a woman.” Asundra looked Katara straight in the eyes. “They all acknowledged that society and family may disapprove, but our hearts belong to us and us alone, therefore we are the only voice that matters when we decide who we share them with.”

Katara just looked at Asundra for a few moments before she asked her question in a small voice. “Do you feel an attraction to women too?”

“Yes. I have not fallen in love yet, but I had a fleeting teenaged romance with a young woman. And I will treasure it always. I feel some attraction to men, but generally the allure of women is greater for me.” Asundra answered in a very matter of fact way. “And I’ve decided that society can spitshine my sphincter if they ever dream of telling me who I can or cannot love. I refuse to be bound by society’s shortsighted and ill-conceived values any longer.”

Katara sat up a little straighter. “Thank you for sharing that with me, Asundra. Illanka is the only other person who shared my interest, but we decided that we didn’t want to flaunt society that much. Neither of us were willing to give up so much for our relationship. She was only attracted to women, whereas I generally feel more attracted to men, so it was much less of a sacrifice for me.”

Asundra sighed. “I understand. You have a part to play in the world that I don’t, therefore it’s not as easy for you to cast aside society’s values. But no matter who you love, man or woman, it is your right to love them. And if you are fortunate, be loved by them in return.”

“You’re wonderful no matter who you’re with, Katara.” Aang said. “The monks taught us that love can be shared with anyone, man or woman. I hope that you find that someone to share your love with.”

“I agree with that also. You have every right to love who you wish.” Azula said. She wasn’t quite comfortable enough to admit that she felt an attraction to other women just yet.

“Thank you. I appreciate you saying that.” Katara answered quietly.

“We’ve heard Katara’s side. Is there anything that you’d like to contribute, Aang?” Asundra asked.

“Just that after we broke up, I spent a lot of time reflecting, and I realized that I had come on way to strong and been way too clingy. I was too emotionally immature for a relationship that young. And I felt ashamed for how I behaved with you. I was afraid that you resented me for practically forcing myself on you.” Aang looked down in shame.

“We were both young, Aang. Had we been a little older or a little bit more mature, perhaps it would have worked out. But we can be lessons for each other. If we learn from our breakup, perhaps things will be better next time. Illanka and I didn’t break up because of incompatibility, but because our fondness for each other wasn’t strong enough to buck society’s expectations. And it appears that your relationship with Azula is more mature also.”

Azula blushed as Aang squeezed her hand and kissed her on the cheek. He addressed Katara. “I forced myself to go slow. Neither of us were looking for a relationship, but it just kind of happened.”

“Now that you’ve heard how the other feels and you have a better understanding of why things became awkward, do you believe that things will be better moving forward?” Asundra asked.

Azula watched as Aang and Katara exchanged looks. They both spoke at the same time. “Yes.”

Asundra smiled. “Then I think that this was a good session. I sincerely hope that this will help all of you work together more productively in the future. With the issues facing the three of you, there is no way that this will be resolved in one day, but I believe that the foundations have been laid for better relations in the future. Unless there are any final issues to address, I suggest that we call it quits for now.”

“Thank you, Asundra. I’m sure this meeting wouldn’t have gone nearly as smoothly without your help.” Katara replied. She turned towards Aang and Azula. “And I hope do hope that things work out for the two of you.”

“Thank you, Katara. I hope that things go well for you too.” Azula answered.

Aang got up and walked to Katara. “Can I give you a hug? I really want us to return to being friends.”

“Of course, Aang.” The two shared a brief hug. Then Katara approached Azula. “And I really hope that things continue going well for you. If you’ll allow it, I’d like to hug you too.”

Azula was too shocked to speak, so she just nodded and shared a mildly awkward hug with Katara.

“Well, now that things are looking up, I expect the three of you to solve all of the world’s problems in short order.” Asundra said with a cheeky grin.

“I hope that you don’t think that you’re getting out of this without a hug.” Katara said as she approached Asundra with her arms open wide.

“Of course not, Katara.” Azula watched as they shared a hug. Aang then proceeded to give Asundra an enthusiastic hug as Azula walked up next to them.

“Thank you for this, Asundra. I really don’t think that we could have done this without you.” Azula said as she pulled her younger lookalike in for a tight hug.

“I was happy to help all of you.”

And with that, Azula and Aang said their goodbyes and made their way out of the garden. She saw Katara and Asundra talking softly as they remained behind. It had been a gutwrenching experience, but Azula was glad that she had done it.

Chapter Text

“Very good, Azula. You’re catching on to the Mnaimonatic meditation very quickly. Now I would like to take things up a notch.” Azula smiled at the Asundra’s compliment. It had been three weeks of intense daily sessions, but Azula was really starting to appreciate the results. She watched as Asundra took out a jevalda. “This is a special meditation aid that I prepared for you. It’s called a chi reservoir. I’ve been having Aang infuse small amounts of his chi into it over the past week.”

Azula sat stunned. “That has Aang’s chi in it?”

“It came from Aang but it’s not really his anymore. I engraved this jevalda the same way that engraved the ones that Navisi and I wear, just with a slightly different function.” Asundra said with a smile. “And it’s one that you can keep even after I’m gone.”

“What do I do with it?”

“Here, let me show you how to use it. Place it on your head and push your chi to your temples using the chi manipulation technique that Navisi has been showing you. You should feel a tingling sensation.” Azula did as she was told. And she did indeed feel the tingling sensation. “That is the reservoir’s chi being pushed through your neural pathways. Using this jevalda while practicing your meditation techniques will improve their efficiency.”

“This is incredible. Is this how you got to be so adept so young?” Azula asked. She couldn’t help be a little jealous of Asundra. She was much younger than Azula and seemed to have life figured out, while Azula was still struggling to find her place in the world.

“Not at first. I was supposed to be a bender, but since my firebending never kindled, I had more chi to work with, which means that I was able to channel my chi through my neural networks naturally. But I started using a chi reservoir later.” Asundra asked. “And I do have a meditation aid built into my current jevalda.”

And Azula felt even worse. Asundra had been doing great things to improve herself in her youth while Azula had been plotting to destroy the balance of the world. A hand on her arm pulled her out of her thoughts. “Hey, I don’t know what you’re thinking right now, except that it is not letting you see all that you’ve accomplished. You endured a terrible childhood, were forced to become a child soldier, and suffered horrendous torture and abuse. But despite all that, you still managed to find the strength to choose the path to being a good person. I want you to know that I greatly respect you and I truly believe that you are capable of great things.”

A sense of pride filled Azula. Aang and Shaman Inok Kui had said similar things, but somehow this resonated with her in a different way. Asundra was what Azula strived to be, what it feels like she could actually be.

And she was caught unawares when Asundra pulled her into a hug. Azula accepted it and hugged her back. “I’m sorry if that was against royal protocol, but you seemed like you needed a hug.”

“It is against protocol, but I won’t tell if you won’t.” Azula answered as they broke their embrace.

“I appreciate that. But now let me show you how to make your meditation sessions even more effective.”

And Azula was determined to prove that Asundra’s faith in her was justified.

Ursa was nervous. It had been nearly a month since Azula returned, and she was just now getting to have a true mother-daughter lunch. She was excited to show Azula just how much she missed her and wanted to support her.

She wanted Azula to see that she didn’t need to consort with the fire witches; that she was strong enough to stand on her own two feet, with her family by her side to help her. But Zuko, Mai and Iroh had all strongly advised her to leave the topic of Asundra and Navisi alone.

She stood as Azula entered the room. “It is good of you to join me, Azula. I’ve been looking forward to this for a while.”

“Thank you, Mother. I appreciate you saying that.” Azula answered. She took a deep breath before she continued speaking. “And I want to apologize for taking so long to meet with you. It really doesn’t have much to do with you, but everything to do with me.”

Ursa’s heart was breaking. She wanted to hold her daughter, but they told her not to try that yet either. But it was killing her not to reach out to her daughter. “I’m sorry to hear that, Azula. But you made time for me now, and I really appreciate that. I want to help you, but I don’t want to frighten you away. I need you to tell me how to help you.”

“I…I just need you to be there, Mother. I know it’s not right, but when my mind started deteriorating, it was visions of you that haunted me. I’m not having hallucinations anymore, but the memory of them and what they did to me still occupy my mind. But I’m ready to move past them, and the only way to do that is to get to know the real you.”

Tears came to Ursa’s eyes as she heard her daughter’s words. “I heard that I was what you saw when you were having issues. I’m sorry that I didn’t do more to help you as a child. But I want to be here now. I want to get to know you too, Azula.”

“Let’s just take it slow, then. Take our time and build a real relationship. And I’d…I’d like to meet Kiyi and Ikem sometime. Not yet, but I hope soon.”

“Of course, Azula. Kiyi loves the idea of having a big sister. Expanding our family means that there is more love to go around, not less.”

Azula looked down, her hands fidgeting with nervous energy. “Others have told me that, but I had a hard time believing it. But as I get older, it’s starting to make a little more sense to me.”

“Then as you say, let’s take it slow and let things go as they will. We have time to mend our family.”

The rest of the lunch went well. Ursa told Azula a little bit about where she had gone when she disappeared. This involved answering some awkward questions, but she did and Azula seemed to accept the answers. And Azula told her of her studies with Shaman Inok Kui and how she had learned to sculpt from a local artist and had proceeded to become very good at it.

It wasn’t a perfect lunch, but things went well. For the first time in over a decade, she felt that she had talked to the real Azula.

The time to strike was now; the Avatar was scheduled to leave in three days. They needed to hit before then if they wanted to take him down. The coward may run and hide for another hundred years if he finds out what sort of weapon Mazao is wielding.

The foreign allies of the traitorous usurper and the Avatar had all scattered to do whatever asinine tasks Zuko had sent them to do. It mattered not though. He had needed time to master the medallion and collect the right people for the job. Trustworthy people that he could count on to do what needed to be done. He was ready now. And soon the Fire Nation would be pulled free of its descent into mediocrity and once again have a leader that would make it the master of the world.

The plan was simple yet bold. The first priority was to get Ozai out of prison. He was the figurehead that Mazao would need to pull the people together. With Ozai in the lead, they would march on the palace and bring down the usurper and destroy the Avatar. The Princess would be brought into the fold, preferably by marriage to himself. With her at his side, Ozai could be shuffled off and Mazao would cement his hold on the Fire Nation.

And the plan to free Ozai had gone off without a hitch. With two supporters inside the prison, it had been easy to enter the facility and overwhelm the remaining guards. It’s amazing how the fight goes out of weak men once their bending has been removed. And now he stands before the cell, looking down at the pitiful man that had once ruled the Fire Nation with an iron fist.

“Ozai, I have come with an offer to make you relevant again. Surely, you miss seeing the sun and having access to power and influence. Your star has set, but mine has risen and I am willing to offer you a chance to stand with my regime as we take power from your weak and useless son and kill the Avatar. Under my leadership the Light of Agni will shine across the world.” Mazao said, looking down at the sad man before him.

“I am the Phoenix King! You are a lowly bootlicker who likes to think that you know what power is. You crave it, desire it, but you don’t know what it means to wield it.”

Mazao was unimpressed. “I am making you this offer one time and one time only. Bow to me now or face your execution. I am not a weakling like your son. This will be the only time I offer.”

Ozai glared at him, trying to determine whether Mazao was serious or not. Finally, he went to one knee. Mazao repressed his smile; he needed Ozai to work with him consolidate power. For now. Until he had the princess.

“Rise, Ozai, and take your place at my side. Let us go to the palace and take what is rightfully mine.” This time Mazao did smile.

The tension was almost thick enough to cut. It had only gotten worse as Aang had prepared to leave. There were issues in the world that still required his attention. Aang’s departure hadn’t been the problem though; it was the pair that had asked to ride back to the Earth Kingdom with him. Asundra and Navisi.

“I’m sorry, Asundra. Your appearance causes you to be too much a threat to the security of the Fire Nation. I cannot allow you to leave.” Zuko informed the young woman. “And with your young age, you shouldn’t be traveling unsupervised anyway.”

“That is not your call to make. I negotiated my arrival to the Fire Nation in good faith. Not very honorable to go back on your word, is it, Fire Lord? Or is the whole honor thing just a publicity stunt?” Asundra retorted. Azula and Aang both sighed. Asundra’s aggressive antagonism really wasn’t helping matters.

“You know nothing of honor! You flitter around and accomplish nothing with your lives, while I am responsible for the welfare of milliions. Ozai’s supporters could kidnap you and force you to serve them against your will. I will not run that risk.”

And Zuko’s face became bright red as Asundra burst out laughing and even Navisi chuckled. “If you are so insecure that the very thought of Ozai’s supporters using me for their cause frightens you, perhaps you don’t have the testicular fortitude needed to run the Fire Nation, little Zuzu.”

Zuko bolted upright and snarled. “Speak to me like that again, and I will have you thrown in prison!”

“Try it, Zuzu, and see what happens. The Avatar is taking too long, so we are leaving as soon as we gather our things. Try to stand in my way and you will find out why the Order of the Arts Esoteric is the most dangerous sect on Atla.”

Asundra and Navisi turned in unison and began walking towards the exit to the throne room. Zuko signaled to the guards and they blocked the door.

“Guys, let’s talk this over. There is no need for violence.” Aang said, trying to keep the peace.

“The time for talking has passed.” Asundra said, and suddenly golden rings of light appeared around Navisi’s wrists and started spinning. The two guards blocking the exit started glowing with a gold light and were suddenly slid out of the way. Asundra turned to stare at the Zuko. “Challenge us again and I will raze this palace to the ground.”

Everyone stood watching in shock as the two women continued walking out the door. Azula could barely believe what she had just seen. She exchanged a look with Aang before she began chasing after them.

She caught up with them as they strode down the hallway, with neither so much as changing their stride as she joined them.

“What the hell was that?” Azula asked as they proceeded down the hallway.

“I consider you a dear friend, Azula, but there are secrets to the Arts Esoteric that we’re not ready to share with you and the others. We have had enough of your asslicker brother and his small penis posturing. We were not kidding about razing the palace to the ground.” Asundra answered.

“I know that you don’t like the Fire Nation, but isn’t this a bit extreme.” Azula reasoned.

“We have a mission, Azula. We aren’t sure what it is yet, but there is a purpose for why we’ve made the choices we have. I thought perhaps it was in the Fire Nation, but it doesn’t appear to be. So we need to move on.” Asundra sighed as she reached the door to her room. “I truly consider you to be like a sister to me, Azula. You’ve been doing great with the techniques that we’ve shown you, and the Fire Nation will do well with a strong hand like you to assist Zuko. He’s not a bad Fire Lord, but his obsession with me is a bit over the top. Mai’s going to get jealous soon.”

It made Azula feel good that Asundra had such a high opinion of her, but she was sad that her friends were leaving. “I understand. Zuko’s been a bit paranoid about the Ozai loyalists. I’m sorry that he took it out on you.”

“It’s not your fault. But we are ready to move on and make our own way in the world.”

“And we’ll miss you more than anyone, Azula. It was great exchanging spiritual practices with you.” Navisi said with a wide smile. Azula couldn’t help but smile back.

“Do you know where you’ll be going next?” Azula asked.

“We are going to visit the Eastern Sea region of the southern Earth Kingdom. Even though Lenth and Rokishe were ravaged during the war, I’ve heard that Savan still has a thriving spiritual community.” Asundra answered. “Perhaps you and the Avatar can come and visit us sometime.”

Azula’s smile widened at the thought. Being back at the palace had been nice, but she was already missing the freedom that she had in the Earth Kingdom. She had her own identity there. She felt like a relic of a bygone era here in the Fire Kingdom.

“I would like that. Perhaps I’ll try to get away sometime.” Azula answered. “But you better gather your stuff and make a break for it. Zuko’s likely to try and stop you.”

“Woe to him if he does.” Were Asundra’s cryptic words. But Azula felt a bit of fear at the thought of what these two were truly capable of. Asundra didn’t seem like the type to engage in baseless posturing.

Asundra and Navisi promised to say goodbye to her, Aang and Mai before they left. All of their other friends had already returned to assist with the negotiations at Cranefish Town.

Azula was walking back towards her quarters when she saw the group step out of the intersecting hallway.

And she immediately called upon her lightning. But there was no answer. Her bending was gone. Fear gripped her heart for just a moment before her training kicked in. Both Father’s and Shaman Inok Kui’s.

She quickly analyzed the situation. There were seven intruders, but the one that frightened her most was the tall, unkempt, dark-haired man with the scruffy beard. Time had not been kind to him, but she recognized him instantly.

Father.

“There you are, you traitorous whore. Bow down before me. You failed me twice, do not fail me again.” Ozai commanded, and it took all of her mental strength not to cower in fear. He had been her everything at one time. Her only mission had been to impress him. To make him proud. But no more.

“You can go fuck yourself, you hairy has-been. It seems that prison was rough on you. It’s a shame; looks like the Phoenix King’s pasty white ass didn’t get to see much sun.” Azula retorted watching as her father snarled in anger. Azula saw another fifteen people dressed like Father approaching from further down the hall.

“You will regret speaking to me like that, you disgusting failure. You were always weak. That’s why you broke.” Ozai shouted. “And now you will understand what failure means.”

“I’ve always suspected that you would be a great teacher of failure, Ozai. Seeing you look like a hobo solidifies my opinion.” A new voice interjected.

Azula couldn’t let her get involved. “Run, Navisi. This isn’t your fight.”

But Azula was startled when she was met with laughter. “You don’t understand, Azula. We found our mission. The reason why we have been traveling. It turns out that it was here in the Fire Nation all along.”

Navisi came and stood next to Azula, a smile on her face. The smile remained even as Ozai began shouting again. “I don’t know who the fuck you think you are, little girl, but we’ll make sure that you scream when this is all said and done.”

“I doubt your little pencil dick has ever made any woman scream. But that is neither here nor there. Surrender now and shut off your device and we’ll allow you to live. Refuse and I’ll make sure that your death is painful and gruesome.” Navisi answered in a remarkably calm voice.

“What’s wrong, little girl? Afraid to live without your bending?” Ozai cackled.

But the smile was replaced by a look of shock as the rings of golden light appeared around Navisi’s wrists and she began floating in the air. Azula had to admit that her face was almost as shocked as the others.

“Comply with my command or face the consequences.” Navisi said, filling Azula’s spine with ice cold fear. She was using the same kind of voice as Asundra.

“I’ve heard about the fire witches. You don’t frighten me.” Ozai said, but his voice didn’t have the same conviction as just a few moments ago.

“Perhaps not. But Omnisae will.” Navisi responded, and chaos ensued as a green and blue panther appeared from nowhere and attacked the group in front of them. Navisi immediately began throwing glowing objects at the group. Azula didn’t know what they were, but anyone that was hit by one dropped like a sack of flour.

Navisi pressed her attack as the panther kept disappearing and popping back into existence somewhere else. And Azula noticed that it didn’t seem to be affected by firebending. Ozai’s group was in total disarray.

Azula was not one to let others do her fighting for her. She grabbed a small vase on the table next to her and ran at the nearest man, easily sliding aside as he launched a flaming fist at her; his form was adequate but slow and predictable. The crunching sound the vase made upon being slammed into the man’s head and shattering was music to her ears. He fell to the floor, unconscious.

But that was pretty much the only contribution that she got to make. The remaining invaders were either on the ground or desperately fleeing the terrifying panther and the equally terrifying floating girl.

That’s when Azula saw Ozai laying on the floor, a huge set of gashes across his face and down his chest. She could see that the panther’s claws had cut so deep that Ozai’s ribs were exposed. His breathing was harsh and ragged. But Azula simply couldn’t find it in herself to feel bad about it.

“Azula, Omnisae and I need to go help fight the others. Get as many of the noncombatants outside into the training courtyard as quickly as possible.” Navisi’s voice drew Azula’s attention away from her father.

“The training courtyard?” She answered, confused.

“Yes, the training courtyard. Zuko will have a fit if our final ally tries to come inside to fight the invaders.” Navisi answered. Not that it told Azula much. “I’m going to assist Asundra. She just started fighting near the throne room.”

“Okay, I’ll start leading people out.” Azula said.

Aang, Zuko and Mai all turned towards the sounds of fighting that they had heard in the hallway, drawing them away from the heated discussion they had been engaged in. The discussion about Asundra’s fate would have to wait.

Aang extended his senses to listen using his seismic sense. But it was blank. It was then that he had the horrible realization that his bending was gone. All of it.

“I can’t bend. Everything is gone.” Aang said, looking at Zuko. He watched as Zuko seemed to look inside himself.

“Mine’s gone too.” Zuko answered. “The fire witches must have done this.”

Further discussions were cut off as a blast of fire blew the door open, and a group of invaders began entering the room. Well, tried entering. The first wave was met with a hail of blades as Mai showed that she had lost none of her skills during her time as Fire Lady.

But two blasts of fire caused everyone to duck and cover. Mai bounced up but was hit with a fireball as she unleashed another volley of knives. It took down two assailants, but more were coming.

Suddenly there was shouting from outside and all of the attackers turned away from Aang and the others trapped in the room. Zuko ran to Mai as Aang tried to decide the best way to fight back.

And he quickly decided to remain frozen in place as he saw five of the attackers get bowled over by a high-speed human projectile. Said projectile then began to slash and cut at the attackers with two hook swords while using her cloth tentacles to grab her enemies and fling them about.

Asundra looked like an incarnation of war as she tore through her enemies. She quickly dodges several blasts of fire and threw glowing objects at the attackers. Aang couldn’t see who she was fighting, but he saw her disappear as she pressed her attack.

Aang ran the opening that used to be the door and saw Asundra flying through the air; glowing bars of light appeared at the end of her tentacles, and she seemed to use them to pull herself in whatever direction she chose to go. And he also saw small glowing platforms appear in the air, which she proceeded to use as steppingstones to rapidly change directions or amplify her speed.

Aang had never seen anything like it. He had always suspected that Asundra was more than she seemed. He was so busy watching Asundra that he didn’t notice Navisi approaching.

“Is everyone alright?” Aang jumped a little as Navisi’s voice drew his attention.

“I’m fine, but Mai was hit with a fire blast.” Aang said.

“Let me see if she needs healed.” Navisi glided past Aang on some sort of glowing platform made of light. She reached Zuko and Mai very quickly as Aang followed.

“Lord Zuko, let me see her wounds. I can heal her if need be. You need to organize your people and get everyone outside to the training courtyard if possible.” Navisi did that creepy looking through people thing that she and Asundra like to do. “I need to begin healing her right now, Zuko. Please step aside.”

“What the hell do you mean, heal her? Since when are you a healer?” Zuko asked, totally confused.

“Since before I came here. You need to get people out to the training courtyard.” Came the quick reply as Navisi pulled two stones out of her pocket. “I need you to work with me, Fire Lady. These are healing stones. I am going to place them over your Air and Fire chakras so that I can assist in your healing. Can you try not to move or wiggle too much?”

“I’ll try.” Came the pained response.

Navisi gave Mai’s hand a squeeze and then placed the stones over the appropriate chakras. And the light rings appeared around her wrists again and began rotating. Aang was mesmerized as the healing stones began glowing also.

“I am going to accelerate the natural healing process. I will take care that the healing doesn’t interfere with your other condition.” Navisi said with a smile. Aang was confused. Other condition? “You will be very tired and hungry after the healing session, since your body needs extra nutrients after working so hard to heal.”

“I like food.” Came Mai’s slurred speech.

“As do I.” Navisi continued spinning the rings for another two or so minutes before she stopped. Mai was unconscious.

“Is she alright?” Zuko asked in a panicked voice.

“Yes, healing was an exhausting process for her. She can explain why at her convenience. You need to go help your people by getting them outside.” Navisi said in an irritated voice.

“You don’t tell me what to do.” Zuko snarled.

“I do when you’re sitting here like a useless lump while your palace is under attack. Now do your fucking job and protect your people!” Navisi answered in a harsh voice of her own.

Aang decided that now would be a good time to act as a peacekeeper. “Zuko, we need to figure out why our bending is gone and who is attacking.”

“There is some sort of magical device that is blocking your bending. I don’t know where, but we need to find it. I left Ozai dying in one of the hallways, so it may be one of his supporters. Azula is already leading some people to safety.” Navisi answered as she got to her feet and started floating on her light platform again.

“You left my father to die?” Zuko asked in a stunned voice.

“Yes, his welfare was the least of my concerns. Now please carry the Fire Lady to safety while I go and herd everyone outside, since you’re too stubborn to follow the most basic of directions.” And with that Navisi glided off on her platform, leaving Aang, Zuko and Mai behind.

“Come on, Zuko, let’s figure out what the hell is going on.” Aang said as Zuko picked up Mai and cradled her in his arms.

This wasn’t how things were supposed to go, Mazao raged. It was supposed to be a surgical strike, kill the usurper and the Avatar, then capture the princess. Instead, his people were fighting some demonic sword wielding fire witch with tentacles and a magic panther.

And his people were being overwhelmed. The panther appeared from thin air, attacking his people and sowing chaos, which was then ruthlessly exploited by the fire witch. Mazao had never seen anyone move like her before, fast and agile and deadly. And watching her fight, he swore that she knew what his soldiers were going to do as soon as they did. Every fireblast missed by just a few inches. Her strikes never missed.

They were almost outside. This would be where they could spread out and concentrate their attacks on her. They were too close together inside the palace, where the panther could reach them in bunches. She would have more range of motion, though, which is why they needed to strike her down as soon as she made it outside.

The later morning sun illuminated the courtyard as Mazao and his soldiers made their way outside. Now the battle would turn in their favor. His men fanned out and turned to face their tormentors, who had stopped just inside the door leading out of the palace.

“Surrender now, I will speak to the Fire Lord on your behalf and ask him for leniency. Resist, and each and every one of you will die.” The fire witch exclaimed in a powerful voice.

Mazao just watched her as she stared at his men with an intense focus, like she was searching for someone. Then it donned on him; she was searching for something. She was searching for the item that had blocked the bending of her allies. The Seravigm Medallion.

He felt a shiver run down his spine as her gaze settled on him, and she gave him an unsettling smile. His men shifted and fidgeted, but none of them had surrendered. They were adherents to the faith; they knew Agni’s cause was just. They would still fight to win this war, but he realized just how few of his men were left. Less than twenty stood with him now against this most profane enemy.

The fire witch sighed and spoke again in that loud voice of hers. “May Agni watch over your spirits.”

A shadow fell over his group and Mazao instinctively looked up. And the scream of terror didn’t have time to escape his throat as the dragon released its fire and his existence came to an end.

Chapter Text

Azula sighed in relief as she saw Aang leave the building and approach her group, but the relief turned to concern as she saw Zuko carrying an unconscious Mai outside. She wanted to run to Aang, to hold him, but she didn’t want to pull free of the girl holding onto her for dear life.

Azula had found Kiyi hiding in a hallway where the guards were trying to hold back the firebending attackers. They were being pushed back until the arrival of Yinzail. The skill and killing prowess of a Yuyan archer was truly a sight to behold.

Kiyi had thrown herself into Azula’s arms, and they had made their way to the outdoor courtyard as Navisi had instructed her to. She had sent guards to bring others here as well. They could still hear fighting inside the palace.

But then she felt it. Her bending was back. And she knew that the others felt it too. Aang’s eyes and tattoos glowed as he rose into the air and flew into the palace. May Agni have mercy on the souls of those that dare to challenge the Avatar.

She heard the gasps and she looked around to see what was happening, but a broad smile crossed her face as Navisi came sailing over the walls roof of the palace of some sort of glowing platform. She landed in front of Azula and looked to the crowd.

“The bending blocker has been dealt with. I felt the power of the Avatar enter the building, so I expect the invaders to surrender soon. I am a healer, so I can begin treating the wounded.” Navisi turned to Zuko. “Lord Zuko, if you can have your people organize the wounded according to standard triage protocols, that will make the process much smoother.”

“Of course, Navisi.” Zuko said after staring at the girl for a moment. “Where is Asundra?”

“She is dealing with whatever group she was fighting. With the Avatar’s bending returned, the battle should be over momentarily.”

“I see.” Zuko answered and began organizing the triage system for the injured. Navisi smiled at Azula when she saw Kiyi holding onto her arm. Soon, Navisi turned away and began helping the injured.

“Kiyi! Are you here?” Azula heard her mother’s voice and looked to see her and Ikem coming out of the palace.

“I’m here, Mother!” And Kiyi began running to her, all the while still holding onto Azula’s hand and dragging her along.

“I’m so glad that both of you are safe.” Ursa said as she hugged Kiyi, causing the young girl to finally let go of Azula.

“There was so much fighting, and then Azula came and found me and she brought me out here where it was safe.” Kiyi said with such rapidity that if she didn’t already know what happened, Azula might not have been able to follow the conversation.

“I see. Thank you for saving Kiyi, Azula.” Ursa said, tears in her eyes.

“Of course, Mother. What sort of big sister would I be if I didn’t look out for her.” Azula answered easily.

And was shocked when Kiyi let get of her mother and threw herself onto Azula, giving her a big hug. “I think that you’re an awesome big sister!”

“And I think that you’re an awesome little sister!” Azula responded with good cheer, giving Kiyi a squeeze.

Then she felt Ursa embrace them both, and Azula looked over to see Ikem standing there, unsure of what to do. The words came out of her mouth before she had time to review them. “Come on, Ikem, this is a group hug.”

Ikem stepped forward and embraced the three ladies. And for a moment, Azula understood what it meant to have a real family.

She tentatively stepped through the ash and burnt remains as she made her way to the item in question. It had taken a while, but Azula had finally figured out where the bending blocker had been. Negotiations had been tried when she was sent to recover the Collar of Q’Infadel; that had been a spectacular disaster and she had vowed not to make that mistake again.

Azula slipped her hook sword through the chain of the medallion and held it up. As expected, it was completely intact with no signs of visible harm. She stared as the lines on the medallion wavered and oscillated, forming images.

But she didn’t care what they were; her only goal was to secure the object so that it could be given to OrkaHaalu. She carried the medallion back to the saddlebag that one of the guards had found for her, and carefully lowered the artifact inside the pouch and released it from her sword. Then she carefully closed the pouch and locked the clasps. She could feel the power of the artifact, but it seemed safe to inside the saddlebag. But the sooner she delivered the item, the better.

She felt Aang approaching. She smiled as she turned to him. “Things are under control here. Are all the others safe?”

Aang was watching the dragon that was sitting off to the side of the courtyard. He spoke after a few seconds. “Most of the noncombatants made it safely to the training courtyard. Navisi had said that they would be safe there.”

“Yes, my dragon was flying overhead and would have interceded had any of the enemies attempted to attack the civilians there.” Azula responded.

“Are you going to tell me why you have a dragon? And why I’m hearing stories of a blue and green panther?” Aang asked, finally looking at Azula.

“I would prefer to tell the main group together. You, Zuko, Mai and Azula may hear what I have to say.” Azula decided.

“Mai was injured, but Navisi healed her. It seems that the two of you kept a lot of secrets from us.” Aang said, his eyes hard and accusing. Azula didn’t blame him.

“Yes, we did. You will understand why when we explain the circumstances to you.” Azula said, making sure to maintain eye contact with the Avatar. “I suggest that you gather the others. Although Mai will need time to eat a lot of food. Healing is a tiring and hunger inducing endeavor.”

Aang looked at her for a few moments before he nodded and turned to go back inside. Azula followed a little ways back. He needed some time to process what he had seen. They ran into Zuko inside the greeting hall.

“How is Mai doing? Is she awake yet?” Azula asked. She liked this Mai. She was a good woman and a good Fire Lady. Zuko needed someone strong like her to beat some sense into him once and a while.

“She’s awake and was eating to replenish her strength. Navisi’s healing skills are going to cause a food shortage in the palace. Luckily, there weren’t that many injured.” Zuko responded with a small smile. “She said that she’d be done with the civilians shortly.”

“That’s good. We would like to explain a few things to you, Mai, Aang and Azula when everyone is available.” Azula answered. She saw their eyes go wide; she turned to see Omnisae walking across the entryway towards them. “And I’d like to introduce you to Navisi’s magical companion, Omnisae. My magical companion is a bit too large to come inside. Her name is Kivathrystan, and she’s a black and gold dragon.”

Zuko just looked at her like she was insane. She just smiled back. Aang was the first one to speak. “What do you mean by magical?”

“It’s easier if I explain everything to everyone at the same time. I don’t like to repeat myself.” Azula assured them. They exchanged a glance and then Zuko just nodded.

Azula wandered the halls while the crews began cleaning up the mess and restoring general order and balance. Additional troops had arrived to reinforce the palace guard. She stopped to look at the portrait of this world’s Azula. It was a shame that she had a scowl on her face. It looked exactly like her though, except that it was missing the scar on her face; there was also the fact that she had never worn that style of armor. But those were small details that didn’t detract from the likeness.

And she was happy that this world’s Azula had found her way home. It was a nice feeling, knowing that some Azula’s weren’t beyond redemption. It made her hope that other Azula’s in the multiverse might be able to overcome their past also.

And she decided to enjoy these last few minutes in the palace as best she could. Who knows if she’d ever get to set foot in the Fire Nation palace back in her home world anytime in the near future. She suspected that she may never be welcome in her home country again.

But that didn’t bother her like it once did. She had a new goal once she returned to her world. To find the larger temple and restore her order. With Navisi by her side, she truly believed that it could be done.

She detected the flashing of Navisi’s chi; she was being signaled. She took one last look at her counterpart’s portrait and made her way towards Navisi. Omnisae led the way, so it was an easy jaunt to the royal study. She scratched Omnisae behind her ear as they made their way inside the room.

Azula watched Asundra enter the study and give them all a smile. She smiled back and saw that even Mai gave her a little smile, but Aang and Zuko didn’t look happy. Everyone just watched as Asundra turned and closed the doors behind her.

“I’m glad that you’re looking recovered, Mai. Navisi is quite competent at healing.” Asundra said with a smile.

“Indeed she is. Although I feel a little guilty at just how much I ate afterwards.” Mai said, with just the corners of her mouth edging upwards. Navisi and Asundra smiled.

“There’s nothing to feel guilty about. It’s what you need to do to recover.” Navisi answered with a wink at Mai.

“Well, now that we know you are doing well, I believe that it is time that Navisi and I share more about who we are and why we’re here.” Asundra said, looking at the assembled group.

“Does this have anything to do with the panther and dragon?” Mai asked.

“Indeed, it does. Navisi and I are Agents of the Great Spirits’ Will. We are transported to where we need to be to deal with threats that could force the world out of balance. Threats that even the Avatar may not be able to face.”

“What sort of threat did we just face?” Aang asked.

“To tell you the truth, I’m not sure exactly what the artifact I just recovered is. Usually, we’re warned about what sort of threat we’ll be facing, but all that I know is that this medallion was used to block bending. It’s dangerous, but that doesn’t seem to make it a world threatening risk like we’re usually called in to deal with.” Asundra answered.

“You just travel around and protect our world from dangers worse than this?” Zuko said, doubt in his voice.

Azula didn’t miss the look that passed between the two members of the Arts Esoteric. “No, we travel between worlds to face dangers worse than this. We were both born on different worlds than yours. In my world I was born Princess Azula, daughter of Ozai and Ursa, and the first nonbender born to the royal family in hundreds of years.”

Azula felt herself freeze. Did she just say that she was Azula. Just a different Azula. She could stay quiet no longer. “How can this be? You have to understand that we’re having a hard time believing you.”

“I do understand that you have a hard time believing me. But I wanted all of you to know. And especially you, Azula. We are the same person brought up in different circumstances. And I really want to make sure you understand how much I respect you; your upbringing and circumstances were so much worse than mine, but you became a good person nonetheless.”

“Thank you, Asundra.” Azula responded, but then realized that wasn’t right. “I shouldn’t call you Asundra, should I?”

“Well, I am also Azula. But it’s weird having two Azula’s, so I use the name Asundra. Although, you’re the first Azula I’ve actually been able to meet and converse with.”

Azula didn’t know how to answer that. Navisi chimed in next. “It was great to meet all of you, but we will probably have to move on soon. We’re not allowed to share anything about other worlds or our travels, but I just wanted to let all of you know that we’re glad that we were in a position to help you.”

“Yes, you’re all doing a good job. Although, Zuko, you could do more to repeal the conservative claptrap from the Agni’s Purity era; the modern world doesn’t need that kind of backward thinking.” Asundra said, glaring at Zuko.

“Where did you get your magical animals?” Aang asked.

“They were gifts from a powerful spirit, for lack of a better term. They are based on the amulets we were given when we joined the Order of the Arts Esoteric.” Asundra and Navisi both pulled out their amulets; Azula’s dragon looked like her amulet but Navisi’s amulet was a bird. And no sooner had Azula made that observation, the panther changed shape and became a giant bird.

Suddenly, both girls seemed to stare off into space for a moment, before exchanging glances. Asundra sighed. “We were just notified that it is time for us to leave. Let me say again that I’m glad to have been able to help you, but now we must travel on to the next world that needs our help.”

“Before you go, I would like to make an announcement. Navisi already seems to know, and I was going to disclose this soon to everyone else anyway.” Mai said, standing up and looking at the others. “I’m pregnant.”

The look of shock and disbelief on Zuko’s face was a wonder to behold. “That’s wonderful, Mai. This is great news!” He quickly pulled her into a hug.

“Yes, Mai, we’re all very happy for you.” Azula announced as she too pulled Mai in for a hug. Soon, Mai had been hugged by everyone.

“Thank you for sharing that with us, Mai. I’m ecstatic to hear this and I wish both of you nothing but the best going forward.” Asundra said. Then she turned to Azula and Aang. “And I hope things continue going great for the both of you also.”

Azula watched as the two girls went to the travel bags and other items that Navisi had collected from their rooms. Asundra had the big bow on her back and the travel bag slung over her shoulder. She turned back one last time. “Good luck and remember us when we’re gone. We’ll never forget you.”

Azula and the others stepped back in shock as a gold cloud appeared behind the two girls. The green bird faded into nothing as Asundra gave them a quick wink before she and Navisi stepped into the cloud and disappeared. The four people in the room just stared at each other for a few moments once the cloud had dissipated.

Zuko finally spoke. “Come on, we still have a mess to clean up.” And the group opened the doors and walked out to take command of the situation, ignoring the confused looks of the guards when they didn’t see the two girls and the panther that had been in the room with them.

As always, the hermitage was quiet. Night had fallen and all was dark. Until the eyes of the Yotforbu’s statue began to glow with a golden light, illuminating the small room. It was a nice statue. Yotforbu was a nice name. Perhaps someday they would make statues of OrkaHaalu like that. But they didn’t want a new name. Both of her liked their name. The larger room began to glow too as a golden, nebulous cloud formed, the soft light barely penetrating the darkness. Both of OrkaHaalu’s faces smiled. They enjoyed these humans.

Two figures walked out of the cloud and looked around. They were both dressed in black robes with gold trim along the edges. The shorter of the two held up her hand and a bright gold light burst forth, showing the features of the two figures. The orb rose and floated near the ceiling.

Navisi set the large travel pack that she had been carrying on the ground as she looked to her mistress. Azula stood back and surveyed the room, the light from the orb reflecting off her gold eyes. She too set down her pack and removed the giant bow from her back.

A smile adorned her face as she recognized her surroundings. “This is the hermitage that I stayed at during the Phoenix Sage Insurrection. This is where Yotforbu tested me.” Azula said.

“Yes, indeed it is, my dear young ones.” Orka said. Of course, Haalu had to chime in, for taking turns is how they got along so well. “Welcome home! Your world has been waiting for Azula and Navisi to return.”

Azula stood there stunned for a moment, before tears started falling from her eyes and she pulled Navisi in for a big hug.

Both of OrkaHaalu smiled at the humans. They had been asked to do so much, but now they were home. And they had brought the Seravigm Medallion. They were truly marvelous humans.

“Yes, yes, your travels have come to an end. But let us tell you what you’ve missed.” “You are back just in time to see the excitement! Your world needs the Order of the Arts Esoteric!”

And Orkahaalu began waving her six arms around, laughing and dancing around the two figures, her three boobs jiggling erotically.

“All right, OrkaHaalu, the two of you can tell us what is going on.” Azula said, as she wiped the tears from her eyes and watched Orkahaalu with a look of discomfort. “But for the love of Agni, stop flittering around like you’re having a seizure. Seeing your boobs flop around is giving me a headache.”

But Orkahaalu just laughed louder and danced even more energetically. Azula and Navisi just sighed again.

Epilogue

“Are you sure that this is the right place?” Aang said as Appa landed on the courtyard hidden deep in the Pin Vao mountain range.

“All the cues and hidden codes say that this is the place. We found Ji Ha using this methodology, so this should be the destination.” Azula said. She smiled as Bumi and Gyatso jumped off Appa and used their airbending to softly land on the stone. Their control was impeccable; according to Aang, they’d both earn their master’s tattoos within two years.

“Have a little faith, Avatar. We are mistresses of our order for a reason.” Mistress Lista said, climbing down from Appa. She was taller than Azula, with medium length brown hair that was becoming streaked with gray as she began showing her sixty-five years of age.

Azula had been shocked, all those years ago, when Aang had returned to Air Temple Island, saying that he had found another Mistress of the Arts Esoteric. After relinquishing the rights and responsibilities of being princess of the Fire Nation to marry Aang, she had thought that the Arts Esoteric was going to be a relic of the past. But with Mistress Lista to guide her, Azula had every intention of restoring the Order of the Arts Esoteric to a position of importance.

“Indeed, we are. Let’s go see if we can find our way in.” Azula answered, as she and Lista began searching for an entrance.

It was Lista that found it first. “Here! It’s a chi lock.”

Azula watched as Lista closed her eyes and began working the lock. Azurelle had climbed down from Appa and held Azula’s hand; she gave her daughter’s hand a gentle squeeze. Her twins were wild and outgoing, while her daughter was quieter and introspective. But like her brothers, she was an extraordinary bender. She had been bending lightning since the age of nine, and it had brought tears to Azula’s eyes the first time she’d seen Azurelle’s blue flames.

She was brought out of her musings as she heard a locking mechanism unclamp. Lista smiled at those watching. “This is it. Let’s see what we can find.”

Aang used his earthbending to push the rolling stone aside so that the group could enter. Aang, Azula and Azurelle lit torches for the group as they made their way in. It was a large circular entryway. But it was the statue along the far wall that caught their attention. The Knowledge Goddess Iscanthanalia. It had taken nearly a year of studying every available document relating to the Arts Esoteric before they had found her name.

As always, the boys giggled; like most teenaged boys, they were quite amused by the statue’s overabundance of boobs and enormous penis. The image seemed to have no affect on Azurelle. At twelve, she was already more mature than her older siblings.

But Azurelle was the first one to speak. “That metal plate at the base of the statue doesn’t belong there. Someone left us a message.”

Azula and Lista walked over and knelt in front of the plate. Azula gasped and put her hand to her mouth as she read the words inscribed. Mistress Lista read the words out loud for the group, since only the three women of the group knew how to read Lincum Arca.

Dear Reader,

If you have found this message, then our hopes and dreams have come true and a Disciple of the Arts Esoteric, or a follower of a similar order, has found this temple. It is our great hope that you learn from what you find here and share this knowledge with the world, whether it be through the Order of the Arts Esoteric or as part of some other scholarly pursuit. May this knowledge bring you wisdom and enlightenment.

Mistress Asundra and Disciple Navisi
Order of the Arts Esoteric