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Chapter Text

“Get the fuck off me!” Azula screamed as she tried to fight off her captors, although thanks to the bit in her mouth it came out muffled and garbled. Despite her best efforts, she was easily manhandled and roughly thrown into the binding chair her tormentors had prepared for this very occasion.

Her eyes were wide with terror as she looked at Ty Lee’s ashen face; the cheeks of her one-time friend and current tormentor were wet with tears but that hadn’t prevented her from using her chi blocking to prevent Azula from fighting back against her captors.

Her limp muscles didn’t allow any sort of resistance to be mustered as Azula was strapped to the chair to prevent any and all movement. She could feel the leather straps tighten across her body. Her ankles, calves, thighs, abdomen, chest, wrists, forearms, biceps were already locked into place as they moved up to the final bindings that would lock her head in place. Since the Avatar needed to have access to her forehead for the upcoming ordeal, a special leather harness had been created to hold her in place without blocking the chakra that the Avatar needed to access.

The harness easily fit over her head now that her hair had been cut to only about three inches long. It was just another way to torment her and degrade her. The lower part of the harness crossed the upper part of her nose and blocked a good bit of her vision. The main part of the harness rested on her hair and locked her head into place when the straps were tightened and she was bound to the heavy chair back.

Rinvi, the head of the asylum that had housed Azula for the four months since the ill-fated Agni Kai, spoke in that fake calm voice he always liked to affect when dealing with patients. “Azula, we need you to drink the calming potion that we prepared for you. It will make things easier for you if you do it willingly, but make no mistake about this, you will be drinking it one way or the other.”

Azula tried to resist but the bit that they had put in her mouth prevented her from closing her lips as one of Rinvi’s assistants inserted the small end of funnel into Azula’s partially open mouth, pushing it back enough that it almost activated her gag reflex, but not quite. They’ve forced enough liquids down her throat to know exactly how far to push Azula.

She could only give a muffled scream as her four captors hovered over her, terror filling Azula’s heart as she struggled to find any way to resist the inhuman torture that they were about to inflict on her. If she drank this potion, she knew that the fight was over and she would be defeated for all time. They had already taken her throne from her, her freedom, her hair and her dignity.

Now they were going to take her bending.

Rinvi stared into her eyes, his words echoing the sentiment that he must have seen there. “She’s not going to drink it willingly. We must force it down now. The Fire Lord and the others are waiting to deliver her punishment.

Azula tried to fight but her chi-blocked muscles could offer no resistance and she couldn’t call upon her fire to defend herself from the monsters that bound her. As they pinched her nose shut and placed a hand over her mouth, she silently wept for from the humiliation of being treated like this. Like a dangerous animal that had to be put down.

Like a challenge to Zuko’s throne that he was afraid to face.

As they poured the concoction into the funnel, she had no choice but to swallow since it entirely bypassed her mouth and flowed directly to her throat. The tears of desperation flowed from her eyes as she swallowed the last of the wicked fluid, knowing that her fate was sealed once she ingested the entirety of the Elixir of Alma Vann.

The Elixir of Alma Vann was developed centuries ago as a psychoactive agent that relaxed those that drank it and expanded their spiritual awareness as they engaged in advanced meditative practices. It dulled the emotions and senses of the user and made them more susceptible to spiritual awakenings that their practices induced.

She continued weeping until she began to feel the changes in her mind; she knew what was happening but was powerless to stop it. The anger, hatred, and resentment that had fueled her for the past four months faded and she was adrift, trying to bring back the powerful emotions that would be her only line of defense against the Avatar as he tried to take her bending. She had been told that he had taken Father’s bending and that it had been a tremendous battle, a battle that no one wanted the Avatar to fight again.

At least not on an even playing field.

Her chi was blocked and her mind was dulled so that the upcoming battle for her bending would be as one-sided as they could make it. They were right to fear her, but now it was her that feared the future.

The elixir took effect and she could appreciate the newfound sensation of not only the world around her but also the incredible feeling of her own chi flowing through her body. All of her senses seemed to flow together and an incredible wave of knowledge, thought, and perception coursed through her. Under other circumstances, it would have been an incredible experience, but now it felt like she was being slow marched to a death sentence while being fed her favorite foods as she listened to wonderful music. There was no sugarcoating the raping of her being that she was about to experience though.

She heard them speaking behind her in low voices but couldn’t make out the words. She was aware though, when she felt herself and her chair being lifted up and she slid forward. Looking down, she was able to see that a rock slab had risen from the floor and was carrying her forward down a long, poorly lit hallway towards a larger room. The room where her enemies would gloat as they took from her the most important possession she owned.

Her bending.

It took a second for her eyes to adjust to the brighter lights of the larger room as she entered it from the dim hallway. Her worst fears were realized as she saw the goofy, bald-headed boy standing in the middle of the room, looking just like her remembered the last time she saw him. When they had fought in the underground tunnels on the Day of the Black Sun.

He was to be instrument of her torture, but it was her asshole brother Zuko that put him up to this. He sat on a dais overlooking the room, while Mai sat next to him . All around them were the enemies and traitors that she had fought against. Iroh, the water peasants, the bear-fucker Kuei, and numerous others that she remembered. She felt a sudden surge of emotion at the sight of so many of the people that she hated in one place, but the emotions quickly faded and once again she felt the strange sensations of her drugged mind.

She stared up at Zuko as he stood and spoke towards Azula; he was facing her but his words were spoken for the benefit of those others seated in the room. “Princess Azula, you are hereby sentenced to have your bending taken as punishment for the crimes that you committed on behalf of your nation during the One Hundred’s Year War. Avatar Aang, are you ready to carry out your duty?”

The Avatar looked towards her and she was surprised to see the sadness and regret in his eyes. Nonetheless, he spoke the terrifying words that filled her muddled mind with dread. “Yes, I am ready to carry out my duty.”

With the bit in her mouth, she was unable to heap any scorn and derision upon the Avatar, Zuko or any of the other assholes that looked down upon her. She closed her eyes as the Avatar reached for her and she stiffened as he put her hands upon her chest and forehead. She had no further thoughts as she felt her body fill with energy and her mind seemed to rise to a new level of consciousness.

She felt him push into her mind with horrific power; she felt sullied by his unwanted intrusion, but there was nothing she could do to stop him. He pressed against her and she tried to slow the onslaught, but she couldn’t muster the strength of will to hold him back. It seemed like she was watching the pillaging of her soul from outside her own body. She knew it was happening to her but she had disassociated her mind and it didn’t feel real to her.

She knew that she should feel horror and outrage, but as he pressed his advantage she felt a sudden calmness overtake her. It took her a few moments to understand what had come over her, but now she realized what she was feeling.

Acceptance.

She hated it but she knew now that there was nothing to be done about it except come to terms with the horrible things that were happening to her and to decide how to move forward. The pain, misery, anguish, and despair that she had felt when she knew what her fate was to be faded away; it was still there in the background but it no longer consumed her.

A twinge of regret pulsed through her mind and disrupted her newfound serenity when she felt her connection to her firebending break. There was no going back now; they had taken the most precious gift that she had and she would never be the same again. As the link broke, Azula suddenly found herself in a beautiful forest looking up at a temple built into a cliff overlooking a cascading waterfall. This place called to her and she was filled with a serenity that she had never experienced before.

“I am sorry for your plight, young one, but when one door closes sometimes a second door opens.” A male voice said to her. The voice spoke a language she had never heard, but somehow she understood every word. The voice continued speaking as she struggled to understand what was going on. “You must decide now whether or not you wish to accept the gift I am offering you.”

She turned to see a short man with yellow hair and glowing green eyes. His yellow beard was long and flowing and reached down to his belt; the face, at least what she could see of it, was handsome in a general sort of way. He stood just a few feet away and stared directly into her eyes; being the exact same height as her, they could both gaze upon each other without tilting their heads.

“Who are you and what gift do you claim to offer?” Azula answered, trying to get her bearings. “And where am I?”

“I am Tyne Ruk Yo, Spirit of Celestial Attunement, a being of a higher plane of existence that once shared many gifts with the humans of your world. As bending spread, my gifts fell by the wayside and my brothers and sisters and I were forgotten by your world, but by special circumstances you now have the chance to accept my gift. I can make you a Life Binder. As for where you are, you have mentally climbed to the Realm of Ascended Thought.”

“What is a Life Binder? And do you mean that I have ascended and become enlightened?”

The strange man gave a gentle laugh before answering. “No, you have not become enlightened, although I believe that if you walk a spiritual path for the rest of your life there is a chance that you could reach enlightenment. I simply meant that this realm can be reached by ascended minds. The Elixir of Alma Vann attuned your mind to greater spiritual planes of existence and the energy that Avatar Aang pushed into your mind as he took your bending allowed you to access this place. Now that you have reached it, you should be able to reach it again even without the assistance of the elixir and Avatar.”

Azula had no reason to doubt his assertion; she had never felt anything like what she was experiencing now. Back in the real world, she was friendless and held captive by those that hated her and stripped of everything that she loved and valued. She felt that she had little to lose by conversing with this strange being.

“It is an honor to meet you, Tyne Ruk Yo. I…I thank you for your offer of assistance but I still don’t understand the nature of the gift you spoke of. What is a Life Binder?”

The man smiled. “A Life Binder is someone who follows the old ways to become attuned with the life energy all around the natural world. It is called prana and can be used to create wonderful and fantastic items known as attunements. You have the innate gift already, all that I would need to do is activate it and ensure that you can return here to the Realm of Ascended Thought to learn at my temple. I see that you are extremely intelligent and talented; it is clear why the others fear you. I will warn you though, that Life Binding is nuanced art that doesn’t work particularly well as a means of revenge. Unless, of course, you follow the doctrine that the best revenge is a well-lived life.

Azula considered his words. Right now she had nothing, so any assistance he could offer would undoubtedly be better than what she could expect when she awoke from this dream. If that was even what this was.

He began speaking while she tried to put her thoughts together. “I’m afraid that you must decide now. Time works differently here but the power that the Avatar used to sever your bending is fading and you must accept my gift now before his energy disappears. You can return later to begin your lessons and gain the full understanding of what I have to offer.”

Azula didn’t need to think long to make her decision. “I accept your gift, Tyne Ruk Yo.”

“Then I grant you the power of the Life Binder.” Tyne Ruk Yo said and Azula felt her entire being vibrate with a strange new energy. Power swelled in her and suddenly she felt new sensations, like the sound of rustling leaves in a pitch-black night; she knew something was out there but she didn’t know what. Her musing was cut short as Tyne Ruk Yo spoke again. “You must go now but you will be able to find your way back her if you concentrate and follow the link back to this plane. It will take time and practice, but you will find your way. I would also recommend that you learn to meditate and sew. Good luck, Life Binder.”

With his final words ringing in her head, Azula found herself back in her real body. She shivered for a moment as she sensed the people around her; even before she opened her eyes, she could tell how many there were and where they were at. It was like the people were changing the flow of a river that she just now learned to feel. She gasped as the Avatar removed his hands from her forehead and chest. Opening her eyes, she saw the bald goof stagger back a few steps before bracing himself and turning towards Zuko.

“It is done.” The Avatar said in a quiet voice. Husky and without any real sense of strength, it was almost like the boy had aged a few years. She had no doubt that taking her bending had been a strain for him.

Azula kept her face neutral as the entire chamber burst into applause and many voices could be heard cheering for her downfall. Perhaps she was still under the influence of the Elixir of Alma Vann but she didn’t have it in her to care what these idiots thought of her. They had railroaded her into being punished without a trial in order to appease the world order that thought she was dangerous and to mitigate Zuko’s fear of her.

She took stock of her body and was surprised at just how different she felt. Before, she had felt a power within her, a sense of strength that she could unleash with only a thought. Her training had showed her how to harness the incredible power she had been given. She was what a real firebender should be.

Now, though, she didn’t feel power but instead a connection to the world around her. Not that mystical mumbo jumbo that everything was tied together through love and brotherhood. No, this was a sense that there was a great power all around her that tied into everything and that everyone interacted with and was affected by this power. She didn’t know how, but she felt as if she would be able to control this power once she learned to be a Life Binder.

This thought filled her with purpose. They had tried to break her, to beat her down and toss her upon the scrap heap of history. She didn’t know how but she swore to herself that she would rise from the humiliation of this defeat to become someone that mattered again.

There was no use lying to herself though; it was going to take time and effort.

Her attention was drawn to Zuko as he began speaking. “Azula, you have been stripped of your bending and all the protections granted to the Royal Family by Agni. You are hereby removed from the royal line and are banished from the nation of your birth.”

He paused as he looked at her, almost as if he wanted her to speak. Considering that she had a bit in her mouth, she really wasn’t going to be able to hold up her end of the conversation. After a few moments, her dumbass brother finally realized that she was going to remain silent and began speaking again. “In order to atone for the sins of your youth as a member of the regime that worked to destroy the balance of the world, you are to be sent to the Southern Water Tribe as an indentured servant where you will work under their guidance to help them rebuild from the terrible war that laid them low.”

Chapter Text

Azula remained silent as she listened to the words that Zuko spoke; granted, some of that silence was due to the bit in her mouth but a larger part was that it simply wasn’t important to her at the moment. She knew it was probably the aftereffect of the Elixir of Alma Vann, but she was far more intrigued by the sensations of her new gifts than by the worldly implications of being shipped off to the Southern Water Tribe. She had little doubt that she would feel differently once her negative emotions were no longer artificially dampened.

She turned her attention back to Zuko’s blathering once she heard her name. “Please unstrap Azula so that she may take her leave and recover from her ordeal.”

Rinvi and one of his sidekicks quickly began unstrapping her and moments later she was free of her bindings. The last thing they removed was her bit, of course; she had no doubt that they wanted to keep her silent and submissive.

She gauged her physical strength and was surprised to see that the chi blocking had worn off; she suspected that whatever the Avatar did had negated the effects of Ty Lee’s pokes. There was also an invigoration she suspected was related to whatever Tyne Ruk Yo had done to her. Whatever the reason, she was feeling strong and capable. She kept the smile off her face as she stood, causing Rinvi and the assistant to unceremoniously scramble backward. The Avatar’s eyes went wide as she easily rose to her feet but at least he stood his ground.

She stared the Avatar in the eyes for several seconds to show that she wasn’t cowed by his treatment of her. Once she was sure that he got the message, she turned away and began walking towards the doorway that they had brought her through. She continued walking even as she heard Zuko call out to her. “Azula! You’re being moved to a room in the palace. The stewards will show you the way.”

She paused and considered his words before she answered. “No, I have suffered the presence of you and your asshole associates long enough. I’m returning to my cell and there I shall remain until you ship me off to a life of slavery.”

With her words delivered, she turned and walked out of the room and down the corridor. She allowed the smile to come to her face as the Kyoshi Warrior contingent gathered around her, obviously unsure what to do with her. Azula ignored them and continued walking. She led them down three flights of stairs to the underground passages that led to the cells that housed political prisoners. Well, political prisoner; she was currently the only occupant.

She allowed the smile to remain on her face as she realized that it probably pissed off the Kyoshi Warriors and the other jailers that they’d have to stay down with her if she remained a prisoner. That hadn’t been her intention but it was a pleasant side effect. By the time she reached her cell, the effect of the Elixir of Alma Vann had pretty much dissipated. She could tell because hate and bile towards Zuko was beginning to fill her soul. Surprisingly, though, she also felt hope. A hope that what Tyne Ruk Yo had told her was correct; that she’d be able to build a new life with the gifts that he had shared with her. She was still fucking pissed that they took her firebending, but she was eager to see what benefits her new gifts could bring.

Another pleasant surprise was that she hadn’t had any visions of Mother as she had endured the ordeal. It was too early to celebrate the complete disappearance of the heinous bitch, but she would accept the silence and solitude while it lasted. She had feared that the stress of getting her bending stolen would make her mental health backslide, but so far so good. Going inside the cell, she swung the door closed behind so that she is once again locked in. There was something honest about staying in this cell; she was a prisoner and considered an enemy of Zuko’s regime and keeping her in the palace was trying to pretend that she was not a threat to him. To pretend that what he did was civilized. She would have no part of pretending any such thing.

She took a seat on the cot and closed her eyes, trying to feel the connection to the Realm of Ascended Thought that Tyne Ruk Yo had told her about. She could feel the thread, like a gossamer line that reached off into the distance, ephemeral and without substance. She tried to extend her sight, to follow the thread back to the temple but she kept losing the connection. Further and further she pushed herself, but the link kept breaking before she could reach her target. She didn’t know how long she tried to reach the elusive temple; all she knew was that it would probably be a while before she succeeded. She suspected that the anger she felt towards the assholes that took her bending was hampering her ability to focus.

She decided to give up for now when she heard Suki call to her. “Prisoner Azula! Chief Hakoda is here to see you.”

A sigh escaped her as the words sunk in. She guessed it was as good a time as any to speak with her new lord and master.

Hakoda wasn’t sure what to feel about the spectacle that he had just witnessed. Yes, Azula had done terrible things for an evil nation, but at the end of the day she had not only been a soldier in the Fire Lord’s service but also his daughter. So far as he could tell, she hadn’t killed or tortured anyone. Well, she had killed Aang but it hadn’t stuck. And by all accounts it was during a major battle.

Making things worse was that she was just a girl, the same age as Katara. The icing on the cake was that to every observer it was clear that she was mentally unwell. But alas, there was nothing that Hakoda could do to stop this travesty from occurring; King Kuei had wanted his pound of flesh badly enough that he gave rather significant concessions in the negotiations for territory in the Fire Colonies.

And Zuko feared his sister enough to accept selling her down the river. It not only gained him considerable concessions but also removed a threat to his throne. With the bending removed from both Ozai and Azula and with Iroh clearly in his corner, there were no rogue family members to challenge his rule. Loyalists to the old regime would have to try to uncover distant cousins if they thought to put their own candidate forward to challenge Zuko. Everyone seemed to think that was unlikely.

Hakoda was surprised that Aang agreed to this injustice, but the Avatar had to weigh the fact that this travesty had done wonders to bring the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom back from the brink of war. The situation in the Fire Colonies was tense and the concessions offered by Kuei gave both sides breathing room. He didn’t like it, but Hakoda could understand sacrificing the bending of a single figure to potentially save thousands of lives.

He couldn’t help but smile though as Azula stood on her own accord and told her brother she would rather stay in a cell than live with him and his friends in the palace. She certainly didn’t sound like someone on the brink of a mental breakdown. He was a little concerned about the fact that she thought she was being sold into slavery though; he needed to disabuse her of that notion. He was drawn from his thoughts by Katara. “I can’t believe that you’re willing to welcome that monster into our midst. She’s trouble, Dad.”

“Well, if she gives us too much trouble, I’m counting on you and Sokka to keep her in line. You defeated her while her powers were amplified by Sozin’s comet; surely you don’t fear her now that she’s no longer a bender?” Hakoda retorted.

Her indentured servitude under the watchful eye of the Southern Water Tribe was a sore point with his children. They were opposed to Azula traveling to their village for rehabilitation. They would have been happy for her to be given to Kuei or even the Norther Water Tribe. Chief Arnook had been willing to build an entire wing onto the underground ice prison just to house Azula.

Hakoda didn’t want to see Azula punished any further; he wanted to help her rebuild her life and perhaps one day become a contributing member of society. Zuko’s offer of substantial aid in rebuilding the Southern Water Tribe had also helped him make the decision.

“It’s not just her firebending that made her dangerous. She is cunning, ruthless and lacks a conscience. She’ll kill us all in her sleep if she ever gets the chance.” Katara answered, glowering at the doors where the former princess of the Fire Nation had passed out of the chambers.

“She is a child, just as you are, dear one. She made mistakes but there is time for her to recover and make a new life for herself. What they’ve done is punishment enough, in my opinion. I’m not a bender, but every bender I’ve spoken to says that losing their bending would be like losing a limb. It is a harsh sentence that will impact Azula for the rest of her days.”

Katara gave a world-weary sigh. “Yes, it is a terrible punishment. And maybe you’re right; Zuko pulled his head out of his rear and became a better person, but she scares me, Dad. I expected her to be broken but she looked more put together just now than I’ve seen her since Ba Sing Se. I don’t think this is how Zuko and Kuei expected things to go.”

“Maybe not, but it sure was a spectacle. The blue and red lights were amazing; the power of the Avatar never ceases to amaze me. Let’s just hope that this is the last time we see this. Kuei has recommended Long Feng have his bending taken by Aang while Zuko has also recommended that Hama be stripped of her ability to bloodbend. This could be a dangerous precedent.”

“I…I don’t think Aang will do this anymore. He didn’t want to do it here but the risk of the war restarting was too great. There’s no political leverage to make Aang take anyone else’s bending.”

“You seem to know a lot about Aang’s state of mind. He’s not preparing a betrothal necklace for you, is he? You’re both still a bit young to be married, in my oh humble opinion.” Hakoda teased, knowing the reaction he would get from his daughter.

“Dad! We’re friends…friends trying to figure out what we want. He needs his friends to help him. He’s just a little kid and there’s so much to do.” Katara sputtered, the words coming out in a rush.

“I’m just kidding, dear one. Aang needs friends like you, Sokka and Toph to help him deal with the issues facing the world. Just remember that he thinks you hung the moon, so make sure that you treat him with respect but also stand up for what is right for you.” Hakoda answered, pulling Katara in for a side hug.

“I will, Dad. I better go talk to him now. He looked pretty irritated with the whole process today.”

“You do that while I go and have a talk with our soon to be new guest. I doubt that she wants to see me but it would be best to prepare her for what’s coming and give her advice on how to deal with her new situation. Clear expectations and open communication will make things easier for everyone involved.” Hakoda said with a sigh of his own.

Katara huffed but turned to make her way towards Aang, who was talking with Bumi. Hakoda made his way to follow after Azula when he heard his name called. He looked over to see Fire Lord Zuko waving to him from where he was standing with King Kuei and Mai.

“Chief Hakoda, could we have a moment of your time, please?” Zuko asked politely; well, as politely as could be expected of the leader of the most powerful nation on the planet.

Hakoda held in his sigh and put a polite smile on his face as he made his way over to the small group. “Of course, Lord Zuko.”

Zuko gave him a pained smile in response. “I wanted to catch you before you followed after Azula; well, I assumed that you were heading after her.”

“Yes, I was hoping to speak with her and let her know the expectations of her stay with my tribe. She looked remarkably alert after that ordeal and I was hoping to put her mind at ease that her stay with my people is to help her rehabilitate and find a way to fit in with society.” Hakoda answered.

“She will never fit into society; she’s a broken toy and should be locked away so that she can never harm anyone again.” Kuei answered in an angry voice.

“You agreed to this during the negotiations.” Zuko answered in an aggrieved tone. Hakoda suspected that Zuko just wanted this whole situation to go away.

“Yes, you both agreed to remand Azula to my custody as an indentured servant. It was agreed that I, along with the elders of my tribe, would decide how to deal with Azula. We have explained our proposal and it fits within the guidelines that you both established.” Hakoda explained yet again. He was getting tired of having this conversation time and time again.

“I still don’t think that you understand how dangerous Azula is.” Zuko argued yet again.

“She is a fifteen-year-old girl that just had her bending taken away. A punishment that was done in accordance with international diplomatic needs, not due to any sort of criminal activity. Yes, she did terrible things but she was serving in the military of her people, reporting directly to the Fire Lord himself. If you had wanted her to be punished, then you should have charged her in a court of law.” Hakoda answered, his irritation with Zuko and Kuei was beginning to show. “The fact that your own legal system agrees that her actions were within the scope of legal warfare says that she shouldn’t have been punished for her deeds, yet here we are.”

Zuko blanched but Hakoda continued speaking before Zuko could muster a counterargument. “This farce was done for revenge and political maneuvering, and for no other reason, so don’t try to push me into administering punishments that your own people won’t allow. You knew how we were going to treat her, so now it is time to let her go and move on with your lives.”

Hakoda could see the frustration in the faces of both Zuko and Kuei but didn’t much care. This had been a miscarriage of justice and he wanted to be away from both the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom leaders as soon as possible.

It was Mai that found her voice before the two men. “You are correct, Chief Hakoda, and we thank you for dealing with Azula. We are only concerned about the welfare of you and your people; we merely want to ensure that you understand that Azula is a master manipulator and has proven herself to be very untrustworthy.”

Hakoda accepted the peace offering, although it clearly wasn’t representative of the thoughts of Zuko and Kuei. “I appreciate your concern for my people, but I firmly believe that we can handle a fifteen-year-old nonbending girl.”

“Of course, Hakoda. We trust you and your people.” Zuko answered, letting his objections drop for now. “However, I would ask you to wait an hour or two before approaching Azula. We had expected to move her to the palace but that doesn’t seem to be in the cards right now, so we need to reshuffle security personnel and make changes to the staffing arrangements for the prison. It’s rather inconvenient to keep Azula as the only prisoner in such a large facility, but since it will only be for a week or so, I’ll allow it.”

“Of course, Zuko.” Hakoda acceded. He too was surprised at Azula’s willing return to her cell.

“I’ll have Suki send for you once the proper security arrangements have been made.”

“Thank you, Lord Zuko. While I wait, I may go and mingle with some of the representatives from Whaletail Island and the southern nations.” Hakoda said with a bow.

Hakoda spent the next hour and a half speaking with representatives of his southern neighbors, discussing issues of trade, overfishing and potential large scale investment opportunities. Things were going smoothly when he felt a light tap on his shoulder and he found a young Kyoshi Warrior waiting for him.

“Suki says that you are welcome to visit Azula at your convenience.” The face-painted girl said with a smile.

“Thank you, Lini. I’ll make my way down in just a moment.” Hakoda answered with a smile of his own. Lini really was a bright and cheerful young lady. By all accounts she had taken Ty Lee’s chi blocking training to heart and was almost as good as the acrobat.

Hakoda extricated himself from his social group with promises to catch up with them later and was making his way to the underground prison just minutes later. He was glad to have a guide because he knew he would have gotten lost in the maze of tunnels and stairs; the entire complex had been designed to be difficult to navigate.

They eventually made their way to the only occupied cell in the place, where he was greeted by Suki. “Hello, Hakoda. I’ll let Azula know that you are here to see here.”

“Prisoner Azula! Chief Hakoda is here to see you.” Suki called out in a strong voice a moment later. No answer was given, not that Hakoda expected one. Apparently, Suki didn’t expect one either, since she waved him towards the cell.

Hakoda strode forward through a reinforced doorway; the large, heavy metal door was open and he made his way into the entryway in front of Azula’s cell. The entryway was about twelve feet wide and about eight feet deep. Azula’s cell was the same width but also about twelve feet deep. The front wall, if you could call it that, consisted of thick metal bars that went from the floor to the ceiling with a single door in the center.

Azula’s cell was rather plain, with a simple cot along the left back wall and a single wooden chair being the only furniture in the place. Being La knows how deep underground, there was no natural lighting. The Fire Nation decided not to spend much on illumination, so the room was rather dim with only three lanterns hanging from hooks on the stone walls of the entryway.

Once again Hakoda wondered why Azula would willingly return here rather than accept the comforts of the palace; he wouldn’t be surprised if her resolve weakened as the thrill of turning her back on Zuko and his allies wore off.

Azula was sitting in the lotus position on the cot, which seemed rather strange to Hakoda; he associated that position with meditation, something that he didn’t think Azula would do. He could be wrong though. It was probably better to learn more about the girl before making too many snap judgements that could prove to be mistaken.

She wasn’t currently meditating; she was watching him so intently that he irrationally feared that he would spontaneously combust. It didn’t appear as if she was going to be the first to speak, so he decided to break the ice. “Hello, Azula. I know that you’ve had a trying day but I wanted to see you and hopefully put your mind at ease about your visit to the Southern Water Tribe. You are not, nor will you ever be, held in slavery by my people.”

He paused to see if she was going to react. After a few moments of silence, she spoke. “Will I be allowed to come and go as I please?”

“No, for security reasons you will have restricted movements. In time, with good behavior, we hope to loosen these restrictions. The Fire Lord asked us to provide you with meaningful work that will suit you later in life once you are released to live on your own. Zuko has required that you pay a significant sum to the Southern Water Tribe as a sort of restitution for the crimes committed against my people by the Fire Nation.”

She tilted her head and looked at him, her gold eyes shining with a rather unsettling intensity. “So I provide labor to pay off the debts of the Fire Nation. Pardon my questions, but this seems rather strange to me. I fought on many fronts during the war, yet I had nothing to do with the systemic attacks on your tribe. They began even before the birth of my father. Why am I to be held liable? Surely there are some old generals that were actively involved in the attacks on your tribe. Why are they not being held accountable?”

Hakoda stared back at the young woman as he answered. “I’m not fluent in the affairs of the Fire Nation, but I’m guessing that the old noble families don’t want their men to be held accountable for their actions. You are a political pawn that was in the wrong place at the wrong time. For what it’s worth, the fact that you don’t have a personal tie to my people is one of the reasons I asked for my tribe to be your caretaker. We will not take out our frustrations on you, as I fear that some of the other nations would.”

“I’m not so sure about the no personal connection statement; I don’t think your children like me. That is neither here nor there though. So, I am to contribute my labor to rebuilding the righteous Southern Water Tribe. How is my worth to be calculated? By the amount of time worked? By how important or unpleasant the tasks are?”

“You will be paid by the value of the work that you’re doing. The more useful the work, the more you will be paid. Unskilled labor is worth less than skilled labor. We will train you so that you will have skills when you leave our care. Exactly what skills will depend on your aptitude and affinity for the work. We believe it will take you approximately three years to pay the amount Zuko stipulated.”

“Three years in a frozen wasteland; that certainly doesn’t sound appealing. Will I be held in a cell when I’m not working? What bindings will I be forced to endure to ensure that I don’t try to escape or harm your precious tribesmen?”

“You will be a guest in my home until you are able to build your own dwelling. You may live in my home, with my mother as a chaperone, for one month without penalty. You should be able to build your own lodging by then. I will charge a hefty rent if you choose not to prepare a place to live on your own. You will be taught how to maintain a household in the cold and unforgiving environment that we call home.”

“I am glad that you mentioned a chaperone, because there is one issue that we need to discuss.” Azula said, rising to her feet and striding towards the front of her cell. She held her tongue until her face was nearly touching the bars. They stood about four feet from each other, with her neck bent back to stare up into his eyes. “No one, and I mean no one, will lay so much as a finger on me in an inappropriate fashion. This includes flogging and other physical punishments, but just as importantly is that no one will do anything that will even remotely stain my virtue. If anyone cops a feel or otherwise tries to take advantage of the unfortunate situation I find myself in, I will kill them with no consideration for the consequences. I will not only kill them, but I will kill anyone and everyone that I deem a threat from that moment on. Men, women, children, family pets. Do not, I repeat, do not ever doubt the seriousness of the words that I just uttered.”

“No one will lay a finger on your without your permission. You have my word.”

She stared at him for several moments, seemingly weighing his soul. Finally, she spoke. “I want you to understand that I hate everything about this. Stealing my bending. Sending me off to a foreign land to live as a slave; and don’t bother with any platitudes about my situation, I know slavery when I see it. But you have my word that as long as you treat me fairly within the guideline of this unholy arrangement, I will be a model slave.”

Hakoda sighed before answering. “For what it’s worth, I hate everything about this too, but the alternatives are worse for you. We will give you skills and treat you humanely, which is more than most of the others were offering. You have my word. I should be returning to the others now. Is there anything I can do to help make your remaining days in the Fire Nation more tolerable?”

She cocked her head ever so slightly as she studied him again. After a few moments of consideration, she finally spoke. “Two things. I would ask that you relay an invitation to Avatar Aang to come and visit me when he has a few moments. It is the least that he can do after what what was done to me. You can even reassure him that since I have need of his knowledge, I will even be somewhat nice to him.”

Hakoda’s eyebrows shot up. He hadn’t expected those words to come out of her mouth. “I…I can pass along your message. What’s the second thing?”

“Can any of the people that traveled with your delegation teach me to sew?”

Chapter Text

The air in the underground prison was stale and had little flow, filling Aang with a sense of unease. It was dark, dank and oppressive down here. The only reason that Azula would choose to remain down here rather than the comfort of the palace was that she was really, really pissed at Zuko.

Not that he blamed her for how she felt.

He felt a little better when he met up with Suki in the main area outside of Azula’s holding cell. All three of the Kyoshi Warriors gave small smiles upon seeing him, but he wasn’t fooled. They hated being down here as much, if not more, than he did.

Suki was the first to greet him. “Hello, Aang. I’m surprised you’d come all the way down here to visit our esteemed prisoner. She’s talking with Gran Gran right now. They should be done soon.”

Aang just shook his head. “When Gran Gran said she wanted to get out and see the world with Pakku, I don’t think that she expected to end up consorting with Fire Nation prisoners in an underground cell.”

Suki just shrugged. “Odd as it sounds, they seem to be getting along fine. Azula hasn’t yelled or threatened her, so things are going about as well as can be expected. Azula learning to sew is one thing I never expected to see. Guess it goes to show that you can never tell what tomorrow brings.”

Aang had to agree with the sentiment and he spent a few minutes chatting with all three of the Kyoshi Warriors before a fourth member of the group escorted Gran Gran back out of Azula’s cell and into the main area.

“It’s good to see you again, Aang. You’re getting to be such a strapping young lad.” Gran Gran said as she gave Aang a little hug. He blushed a little at her words. He could tell that he was growing but he still felt like a little kid compared to so many of the people he had to work with.

“It’s great to see you again. Thank you for working with Azula; I feel better knowing that you’re helping her get acclimated to her new life.”

Gran Gran sighed. “I can’t say they were wrong or right for taking her bending, but I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised by the girl. I wouldn’t call her friendly, but she’s been polite enough and she has very dexterous fingers and a mind like a ledger. All I need to do is show her once and she’s off to master the stitch. She may well be ready to be paid as skilled labor by the time her ship reaches the Southern Water Tribe.”

“That’s great. I would like to believe that anyone can change and build a new life if they put their mind to it.” Aang answered with a smile.

“I hope so, but I’ll not keep you. I know that she is looking forward to seeing you; she won’t admit it, of course, but I’ve been around young women for more moons than I care to admit and I can tell certain things.” Gran Gran said, patting Aang on the arm. “You go now and talk to the girl while I go find that curmudgeon Pakku and make sure he’s not causing any trouble.”

“Take care, Gran Gran.” With his goodbyes said, Aang braced himself to face the oncoming task of facing Azula. She had asked to see him, but he still felt uncomfortable about the coming face off. Deciding it was better to just do it, he marched into Azula’s cell area with Suki following behind. She went and leaned against the wall on the right side of chamber.

Unsure what to expect, he was still surprised to see her using a needle and thread to sew two long pieces of cloth together. She spoke in a calm voice as he came and stood behind the single wooden chair that was placed about four feet in front of the bars dividing her cell from the rest of the room. “Please give me one minute to finish this stitch; I’m not quite good enough yet to do it while simultaneously holding a conversation.”

“Uhm, sure” He answers, watching as Azula smoothly guides the needle and thread. It was actually rather soothing to watch. True to her word, she was done in about a minute or so. She held up the cloth and smiled towards Aang.

“There, I’m done with that section for now.” She unhooked the thread from the needle and placed all of her sewing items in a wicker basket that was placed on the floor a few feet in front of Aang. Once everything was put away, Azula gave the basket a hard push and sent it skidding across the floor towards Suki. It came up just short of her.

“There we go, Avatar. Now that Suki knows that I don’t have any needles to wield as weapons against her mighty warriors, we can talk.” Azula said as she took a seat on her own wooden chair. “I would like you to teach me how to meditate.”

Aang was once again caught off guard. “You want to learn to meditate? Why?”

She looked at him for a few moments, apparently gathering her thoughts to put into words. “My life is no longer my own. My asshole brother, along with Kuei, conspired to enslave me and banish me from the land of my birth. Your compliance in removing my bending has further exacerbated the inherent unfairness of my situation. I will rise up from this though, and learning to meditate and regulate my mind is one step that I wish to take to reclaim my life.”

“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry that it was necessary to take your bending. I didn’t want to do it, but it helped prevent another war from breaking out between the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom. I know it wasn’t really right, but you did a lot of bad things too. It was something that I had to do.” Aang explained, not happy how the pitch of his voice rose. It sounded a little whiny.

“In return for you teaching me how to meditate, I will offer advice and counsel on how to be a better Avatar. Here’s your first lesson: don’t whine about the decisions you made. You did it, explain your reasons if need be, but don’t babble and plead in order to get people to agree with your decision. Man up and grow a pair of airbender balls and own your decisions. You are young and if you go around showing weakness and indecision, especially after you’ve taken action, you will lose the respect of those around you. What image do you want the world to see, Avatar? Weak? Indecisive? I would guess not.”

“No, I want people to know that I’m fair and that I’ll look at all sides of the issue and come up with the best solution that will please everyone.” Aang immediately answered. He hadn’t come here to argue about his role as the Avatar but here he was.

“Then here’s lesson number two. You will never please everyone. What you need to understand is that trying to please everyone is a self-defeating course of action. It sounds like you wish to be seen as a wise and understanding leader that will use his goody-goody Air Nomad philosophy to solve the world’s problems. Whiny doesn’t sound wise. Make decisions as you see fit, carry them out to the best of your ability, and then deal with the aftermath as it comes. If a decision is wrong, learn from and do better in the future, but don’t appear indecisive and weak.”

“I see what you’re saying, Azula. I’ll take it under consideration. Uhm, why don’t we start on your meditation training.” Aang answered, not wanting to be scolded by Azula any longer.

“Of course, Avatar. I appreciate your willingness to help your enemy.”

“You’re not my enemy. We fought during the war but I hope that we can be friends now.”

She shook her head as she muttered. “Your naivety is astounding, Avatar. You’re going to need a lot of lessons from me to survive the coming years, but back to the meditation training. How do we start?”

“Usually, I sit in the lotus position on a mat or somewhere at least reasonably comfortable. You can sit on your cot and I’ll make do on the floor.” Aang suggested.

“I can provide a padded rug, Aang. It’s not as comfy as a meditation mat but it will be better than the floor.” Suki offered.

“Thanks, Suki. That would be great.” Aang answered. As Suki stepped out to gather the item, Aang started explaining the process to Azula. “There are different types of meditation, but I’m going to start by showing you a mindfulness meditation technique based on breath control. It will sound simple but it is actually rather difficult.”

“I like a challenge, Avatar.” Azula answered rather arrogantly. Aang didn’t answer as Suki returned with a thin mat. He thanked her and put it on the floor next to his chair and then assumed the lotus position. It wasn’t nearly as comfortable as his normal mat but it was undoubtedly better than the stone floor. Azula had assumed a lotus position on the cot. It wasn’t really necessary to sit like that, but if you could do it was quite comfortable in the long run.

“All right, Azula, what you’re going to do is close your eyes and breathe in and out in a nice, steady rhythm. I typically breathe in with a four count and then exhale with a four count, but you can do what is comfortable for you. Let’s do that for a while.”

They sat quietly and in time their breathing was in sync. After a few minutes, Aang explained the next step. “Now, I want you to just be mindful of your breathing and nothing else. As other thoughts come, just let them slip away and continue focusing on your breathing. The point isn’t to try and stop other thoughts from happening, just to acknowledge them while being mindful of your breathing. As a new practitioner, you will probably find the thoughts to be rather intrusive. As you practice and get better at controlling your focus, it will become easier to ignore the intrusive thoughts and remain mindful of your breathing.”

Azula acknowledged his words and for the next twenty minutes they sat together in silence, their breathing perfectly synced the entire time. He felt peace and tranquility as he quieted his mind, the sensation of breathing the only thing that mattered to him. Finally, he opened his eyes and spoke. “How did that feel?”

Azula opened her eyes and he was surprised at the anger he saw there. “This was a stupid exercise. Why should I remain focused on my breathing; it did nothing for me. All it did was give me time to think of all the asinine and hateful things that you, Zuko and Kuei have done to me. This was a waste. No wonder your people were exterminated if this is the kind of spiritual shit they did.”

Aang bit back the bile he wanted to spew at Azula’s hateful words. “This is how it is for all beginners. Monk Gyaotso called in the hog-monkey mind; meditation is an unnatural state and everyone finds it hard to remain mindful of something as mundane as breathing for any amount of time. This is how it is for everyone but it will become better in time if you continue to practice diligently.”

“It was a mistake to ask you to come down here. You may leave.” Azula said as she laid down on the cot and put her hands behind her head.

“Please, Azula, just keep practicing. I know it’s hard, but you will see the benefits if you continue working. You can’t power your way through meditation; you have to change your way of thinking. I know that you don’t have any reason to trust me, but I really believe that this will really help you. This was your idea, remember? It was a good one and I want to help you.”

“Leave, Avatar.” She said sullenly. Aang dropped his head as he stood. He grabbed the mat and handed it to Suki, who stared back at him was sad eyes. He figured it was for his disappointment, not Azula’s. He hoped that Azula would be able to get over her anger but seeing her lash out didn’t make him optimistic. All he could do now was see if his teachings took hold.

Every time she closed her eyes to focus on her breathing, the unwanted thoughts came. At first, they were innocent musings like this is stupid or this is a waste of time. But as the minutes passed, they became more aggressive. She wasn’t good enough to meditate, something that even a stupid bald kid could do.

Then the rantings came. They started in her own voice but soon all that she could hear were the angry and disappointing voice of Father. That she was worthless and deserved to fail. That she wasn’t worthy of the gifts that Agni bestowed on her; that her firebending was wasted on a weak disappointment like her. His voice would say that they were all laughing at her, the broken toy that cried and wailed and moaned after losing to a fucking water peasant. An insane disgrace that deserved every horrific act that had been done to her.

The thing was, it was getting easier to ignore the rantings. In the three days since the Avatar had appeared, she had practiced at least four times a day. Right after waking, right before lunch, just before dinner, and finally before bed. The Avatar hadn’t been back and she hadn’t asked for him, but one thing was becoming clear.

It was helping with her efforts to reach the temple in the Realm of Ascended Thought.

She swore that she was so close that she could almost taste it when she tried reach this morning. She had figured out the best way to improve her focus during meditation was to first try and reach the temple and, when she inevitably failed, she would practice her meditation. Knowing that she was getting closer made it easier to remain focused on her breathing even when Father’s voice berated and insulted her.

The meditation efforts also improved her needlework. Kanna came every morning and worked with her. She wouldn’t admit it to anyone but she actually looked forward to the woman’s visits. They didn’t speak of anything beside sewing and the Southern Water Tribe customs. Each visit was the same way. Kanna would inspect the practice pieces that Azula made; if mistakes were made or there was something Kanna felt could be improved, the old woman would gently explain what happened and work with Azula to improve.

At first, Azula bit her tongue to prevent angry words from leaving her mouth; being corrected, however mildly, by this old water peasant had grated on her. She kept her anger to herself, though, since she wanted to continue learning. And over the past few days, she had found that she didn’t have the same anger when corrected. She feared that she was going soft and losing her edge.

It helped that once she learned the first few techniques, each new lesson became easier. She began to see why certain stitches worked better for certain applications. She was beginning to see the forest through the trees. This knowledge would help her earn the money she needed to buy her freedom that much more quickly, but that wasn’t her main motivation. No, Tyne Ruk Yo had said that she had needed to learn to sew. She hadn’t known why he had suggested that at the time but she was beginning to understand.

She could feel energy running through the cloth as she sewed.

As before, she could feel the energy all around her, how it swirled around the people that came to visit her. But as she worked with the cloth, she felt something different. The energy moved through the very fibers of the cloth itself. She didn’t know what the sensation meant or how she could use it, but she hoped that it was related to her new status as a Life Binder. She suspected that she would learn more once she was again able to reach the Realm of Ascended Thought.

Kanna was telling her more about the ways of the Southern Water Tribe; her current topic of discussion was how the tribe used every part of the whales that they hunted and killed to make all sorts of items for their people. Whale blubber was melted down to produce oils that could be used for all sorts of applications, from fueling lamps to preparing soaps and some food products. The meat was dried and cured and could help feed the tribe for months. Bones could be used to provide the support poles for tents and other buildings while the skins can be used to provide the canvas for the structures. Bone carvings by skilled artisans also brought in good money from the people that the Southern Water Tribe traded with.

“During the war, whaling fell by the wayside as so many of our men joined the war effort, but now that our population is growing again whale hunting has once again become a part of our culture. You are a strong and skilled young woman and you’ll learn quite a bit when we process whales. You don’t seem like someone squeamish around guts and gore.” Kanna explained.

“No, those things don’t bother me.” Azula answered as she worked on the latest type of stitch. The voice of Suki drew both of their attention.

“I’m sorry to interrupt your lesson, Azula, but you’ve been invited to meet with Zuko and the others. He’s asked that you clean up and wear the robe that he sent.” The Kyoshi Warrior announced.

Azula was silent for a few moments while she finished her task. “Of course. Kanna, it appears that we must cut our lesson short.”

“”I understand, dearie. I’m glad that you’ll be able to get up and out of this dreary room for a while.” Kanna answered.

“Acutally, Gran Gran, Hakoda asked that you help Azula with the robe. It…it is a water tribe robe.” Suki said.

Azula actually chuckled at that. “I must say, they aren’t wasting any time letting me know that I’m not welcome in the Fire Nation anymore. Well, it’s all for the best, I suppose. I’m looking forward to getting away from my asshole brother anyway.”

Azula put away her sewing supplies and assumed the standard position as the Kyoshi Warriors entered and took up their stations. They had strict protocols about how to deal with Azula; she was proud that they still considered her dangerous even though they had taken her bending.

Azula undressed and used the soap and water that the Kyoshi Warriors brought to clean up; she wasn’t allowed any privacy, even for bathing, so she had to stand there naked and be watched by Kanna and her guards. Not that she cared; she was proud of her physique. She had sculped her body to become a weapon of war and she had continued her training sessions in the two one hour stints she got in the underground yard each day. Once she had wiped away the dirt and grime that came from living in an underground prison, Kanna helped her with her new robes. The process of putting them on wasn’t particularly hard but it was different from what she was used to. When all of Azula’s efforts were done, Kanna stepped back and eyed her. “You look good, Azula. You’re a very pretty girl and you look nice in blue and white. Shall we make our way to visit the Fire Lord and the others?”

Azula and Kanna proceeded with the eight Kyoshi Warriors that came to escort her. The group moved a little slower than usual out of deference to Kanna and her advanced age, but they eventually entered the palace and the group went to the Royal Greeting Hall.

And there the whole group that had caused her such misery were all gathered in one place. If ever Agni had listened to her, it should be now when she wished a great comet would fall from the sky and strike the Royal Greeting Hall and end everyone there. Alas, no falling rocks of death appeared to save her from speaking with her asshole brother and the others.

Little Zuzu stood in his informal Fire Lord robes and was surrounded by Mai, Kuei, and the Avatar. Hakoda was off to the side speaking with his children, the blind earthbender, and an old, balding man in a water tribe outfit. All conversation stopped when they noticed Azula and her companions enter the room.

Azula looked down as she felt a hand grip her right tricep and give a gentle squeeze; Kanna smiled at her before she broke off and made her way towards her son and grandchildren. The Kyoshi Warriors spread out a bit, leaving her somewhat alone to face the group before her. Azula simply waited quietly for someone to speak.

“Hello, Azula. I…I wanted to see how you are doing. I know that you are unhappy with me, but I did what was needed to protect the greater good. Hakoda has convinced me that the Southern Water Tribe will help you heal and overcome your issues.” Zuko said in a rather un-Fire Lord tone; Azula could never imagine Father sounding weak and unsure like that, even before he became Fire Lord.

“How I’m doing? I’m doing as well as can be expected. I’m simply waiting to get the hell out of the Fire Nation before you run it into the ground.” Azula said, making sure to put as much disdain into her voice as possible while rolling her eyes. “Is there anything else? If not, I’d like to head back to my cell. A delicious dinner of fried mystery meat and soggy vegetables will be coming my way soon and I’d sure hate to miss it.”

“You don’t have to return to that cell, Azula. You can stay in the palace and sleep in a real bed. Come and have dinner with us and consider it.” Zuko replied.

“I thought I made my views on staying in the palace clear after the Avatar took my bending. It sickens me to think about staying anywhere near you and this pack of sycophants and buffoons.” Azula said. “As for dinner, I’d rather eat the slop you feed the barnyard animals and drink my own urine than eat with you and the bear-fucker.”

“I’m tired of your insolence!” Zuko shouted, bringing a smile to Azula’s face. The utter look of outrage on the weak face of Kuei made things even better. “I try to help you and all that you do is hurl insults and act like a spoiled child.”

“Try to help me? You ordered the Avatar to commit one of the most heinous acts against a bender that can be done and then accuse me of being insolent? Let me cut off your hands and then we’ll see how forgiving you are of me. You’re a self-centered idiot that failed in everything he ever tried until you got lucky and stole my Agni Kai victory. You were hit by lightning and laying on the ground, unable to continue and yet because the water peasant interfered, you get yourself declared Fire Lord. You’re a pretender to the throne and the fact that you conspired to take my bending shows that even after stealing power, you feared me. Good night, little Zuzu, I’m heading back down to my cell.”

Azula’s smile widened as she turned and began walking back the way she came. She could imagine the look of outrage that must be on his face. His shouted words “You don’t leave until I tell you to leave!”

She didn’t even slow down as she headed towards the door. She had to stop though when the two guards stepped in front of the door and crossed their spears, blocking her way. She noticed that all eight of the Kyoshi Warriors around her had taken up combat stances. She knew that she was outmatched here; she wasn’t about to be goaded into allowing Suki and her face paint chicks to take out their frustrations on her.

She turned back to Zuko. “Leave me alone, Zuko. You won; you cheated in the Agni Kai, got your throne and took your revenge. And now it seems like you just want to gloat before you banish me from my home nation. I admit that I’m a little impressed. I figured you spent too much time spouting off about honor to lord your victory over your defeated foe. Perhaps you really are Ozai’s true heir; this is the type of thing that he would do, after all.”

“I’m nothing like my father! You’re just an insane girl that finally got what was coming to her.” Zuko answered, his face red with anger.

Azula just shrugged, deciding she had won the battle. The others were looking at him askance; her words had done their job and now it was time to draw the battle to a close. “Believe what you will, Zuko, but I’m not eating with you and I’m not staying in the palace. You can have your face paint sycophants beat me down if you like, but you’ll just look like a cruel bully getting joy out of torturing your defeated foe. So, what will it be?”

Zuko stared at her, obviously wanting to continue the fight but finally realizing that she was right. A quick look around told him that her words had influenced the others. Even Kuei looked like he didn’t want to continue the fight.

Her brother finally spoke. “Fine, you can return to your cell, but the other reason I brought you here was to see if there were any scrolls or books you might want to help pass the time.”

That caught her by surprise but she quickly turned it to her favor. There were books that she was interested in; she was already planning for her eventual release. “As a matter of fact, there are several areas of interest that I would like to study. I can pass along a list of spiritual teachers and religious sects that I would like to learn about. I appreciate your offer”

She spoke in a more polite and conciliatory manner than before. This was her chance to show that it was Zuko, not her, that had lost their grip and shouted angrily.

“Provide the list and I’ll have the library staff see what they can do.” Zuko answered in a more subdued tone himself. He waved to the guards and they moved away from the door. “Suki, please escort Azula back to her cell.”

With those words, Azula turned and made her way back to her underground home. She meant it when she said she would rather remain there than return to the palace, but she might have overstated her unwillingness to dine with them. Barnyard slop was an outside possibility but no fucking way was she drinking her own urine. Nonetheless, she was ready to go back to her cell, have dinner and then make another attempt to reach the Realm of Ascended Thought.

Chapter Text

“It isn’t my place to interfere in the internal affairs of the Fire Nation or the Earth Kingdom. The issues in the Fire Colonies are from malcontents angry because territories on the earth continent are being held by the Fire Nation. It’s not my duty to manage the colonies for you.” Aang said, causing Zuko to scowl.

He had only worked with Azula the one time, but he took the words that she said to him to heart. Perhaps not everything, but some of it. He had to be strong and decisive if he was to be respected by the leaders. He would still work to solve the issues using the moral guidelines the monks had taught him, but he needed to make sure that they knew he couldn’t be pushed around.

Zuko didn’t agree with Aang’s interpretation of the job at the moment. “Aang, if the Fire Nation is tied down dealing with terrorists and insurgents, we won’t have the resources to help you with the issues that you want to deal with. It’s in the world’s interest for you to help me stabilize the colonies.”

“The Avatar’s role isn’t to deal with every civil issue that arises around the globe. And I certainly can’t just get involved and fix things without understanding exactly what the issues are, what players are in the game, and what resolution will solve the problem. Frankly, Zuko, the issues on the earth continent would pretty much solve themselves if the Fire Nation set the colonies free and withdrew their forces back to the Fire Nation. Is that going to happen?”

“You know that I can’t do that, Aang; my political control is tenuous right now and any sign of weakness could lead to civil war. The people of the Fire Nation feel that they’ve sacrificed too much to just give up all the territory that they conquered.”

Aang took a moment to consider his words. “Why is your control tenuous? I stripped both Ozai and Azula of their bending to remove their ability to influence the world. Are you telling me that wasn’t enough for you? Iroh is the only other member of your line and he supports you. I’ve done what I can to solidify your power and to ensure that peace is held in the colonies. From now on, you need to figure out how to govern your people and make sure that the colonies live in harmony with the other nations of the earth continent.”

“It’s not that simple, Aang. The noble families still hold a lot of power and getting the government to follow my orders is difficult. You defeated Father and brought peace to the world; your words can sway a lot of people and help keep order.” Zuko answered. “We both know Kuei is helping to fuel the rebels in the colonies.”

“You’ve provided no evidence to support that claim. I’m sorry, Zuko, but I can’t be everywhere and I have to be selective about where I choose to interfere. I’m going to be heading out to meet with the other nations and start building a rapport with the various leaders around the world. I will help you and Kuei hammer our peace agreements and settle disputes, but the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom aren’t the only players in the world.”

“We appreciate your help, Aang, but the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom are far and away the most powerful nations on Atla; since you are spread thin, it makes sense for you to concentrate on the most important problems to most quickly bring the world back into balance.” Mai interjected.

Aang sighed as he considered her words. They were right in some ways, but wrong in others. “No, that will only exacerbate the problems I’m facing. People believe that I favor the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom over everyone else. I disappeared for one hundred years and I need to go out and meet with the leaders and their people, to build relationships and to be visible again. The Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom need to learn to speak to each other and negotiate to make things better. I can’t do everything for you.” Aang retorted.

“I think Aang is right; he can’t just spend all his time focusing on your problems. Things are tough for a lot of people in the world.” Katara said from her seat next to Aang.

The Gaang, and Mai, were all sitting in Zuko’s study. Zuko sat at his desk with Mai in a chair to his right while Aang and Katara sat on a loveseat in front of the desk. Toph was in a wooden chair with her bare feet up on the armrest next to Aang. They didn’t smell particularly good but she just laughed and told him to deal with it when he complained.

Sokka and Suki sat in a couple of chairs to the left of Zuko’s desk. Suki wasn’t part of the Kyoshi Warrior group that was escorting Azula to the Southern Water tribe. The palace was a lot quieter now that the delegations that had come to the summit here had returned home. Azula’s absence wasn’t felt as much since she spent nearly all her time in the underground prison while she was here, but watching Azula sail away on the royal barge seemed to improve the mood of Zuko and Mai. She had set off two days ago and was scheduled to land in the Southern Water Tribe in another four days.

“Besides, things aren’t all bad in the colonies. I overhead some of the delegates saying that trade between the Fire Colonies and the smaller, independent earth nations was going gangbusters.” Sokka offered.

“Especially with Har Zin. The Fire Colonies can’t get enough of their textiles and metal works.” Suki added.

“Har Zin was lucky that they were never invaded and that their industrial base was left untouched.” Katara explained. “They may be small but they’re manufacturing base is helping to support nearly every nation in their region.”

“I’m going to meet with King Haln in my trip.” Aang said. “Everyone says that he’s a good king and he’s pretty well respected.”

“Yeah, Twinkletoes, you better get out there and start shaking hands and kissing babies so people know who you are. It sounds like you and SugarQueen will be making a lot of new friends. Just don’t go making any babies while flying around on Appa unsupervised.”

“Toph! Don’t say things like that!” Katara exclaimed, her eyes nearly bulging out of her head.

Aang just sighed and tried to keep his face from turning too red, although he doubted he was doing a good job of that. He decided to try and get the conversation back on track. “King Haln has organized a gathering of political representatives from the surrounding states; it should really help me meet a lot of people quickly. It would take a while to fly around and meet them all.”

“I think you’re wasting too much time on these insignificant nations, Aang, but I can’t make you do anything.” Zuko answered sullenly, his face looking pinched as he stared down at his desk. “I just hope that you know what you’re doing; winning the war was hard but keeping the peace is proving tougher.”

Aang couldn’t disagree with that sentiment.

Azula had always enjoyed traveling by ship. Circumstances weren’t as fortunate for this trip as her previous journeys aboard the royal barge had been, but she would persevere and overcome the obstacles facing her. If nothing else, at least the large ship and smooth seas meant that she need not be worried about being tossed around during her sewing lessons.

“That was well done, Azula. You have mastered the basics of measuring and adjusting basic dresses. We’ll work on men’s clothing during your next lesson.” Kanna said, giving a warm smile to Azula.

Azula nodded her head. “Of course, Kanna. I look forward to our next lesson.”

“You will be living in the tent that I share with Hakoda when we reach your new home; you’re practically an adopted member of the family. You are welcome to call me Gran Gran. You’re young enough to be my granddaughter, after all.”

“I appreciate the offer, Kanna, but slaves don’t become part of the families they serve. You have been gracious but never forget who and what we are. I am a slave and you are a slaver.” Azula answered, making it clear to Kanna how she felt about the subject.

Kanna’s brow furrowed and for a moment the bright and cheerful grandmother’s face was filled with sadness. Azula hated to admit that she actually felt bad about hurting Kanna’s feelings, since the woman had been nothing but pleasant, welcoming and helpful. Facts were facts though and it would do neither of them any good to forget the reality of the situation. It was best if they both admitted the truth of their relationship.

“I’m sorry you feel that way, Azula, but I assure you that none of us consider you a slave.” Kanna said, rising from the chair she had been sitting on. “Continue practicing and tomorrow I’ll show you how to measure a man’s body to get the appropriate dimensions for their clothing. Many young women find it quite stimulating when they first start taking measurements.”

Azula kept her face neutral; the thought of getting that close to a man was not a pleasant thought. She would do what she must though, since making clothes for both sexes would earn her money that much faster. “Until tomorrow.”

Kanna nodded and made her way towards Pakku, who was observing their lesson from one of the raised platforms on the ship. She could practically smell his dislike and distrust for Azula even at a distance. She didn’t care though; as a waterbender, there probably wasn’t going to be much interaction between the two. Kanna and Pakku were engaged but weren’t scheduled to be married until after the time Azula was expected to be living on her own. She assumed that they would have their own home anyway; she doubted Hakoda was interested in listening to old person fornication after they were married.

Azula shivered at the thought; she liked Kanna well enough but had no desire to picture the old woman and her soon to be geezer husband engaged in sexual activity. In order to put those thoughts out of her mind, she decided to once again work on following the ethereal string back to the temple on the Realm of Ascended Thought.

She went and retrieved the meditation mat that Aang had given to her and placed it on the deck. They had managed to speak cordially after the one and only lesson that he had given her but there had been no more talk of meditation. Luckily, the list of spiritual guides and religious sects that she wanted to learn about contained written meditation practices. She had been surprised that Zuko’s minions had provided a least one document for every person or cult that she had listed.

Azula had been pleased to discover that her captors had found three documents related to the Daughters of Meleva, a cult that bears the name of its founder. She had been given a biography of Meleva herself, a history of the cult up until about two hundered years ago, and most importantly, a book that listed all the rules and rituals that members of the cult were expected to follow. She had been studying these texts very closely.

That was a matter for later, though. For now, her focus was on reaching the Realm of Ascended Thought. Assuming the lotus position on the meditation mat, she closed her eyes and extended her senses to the world around her. As always, she felt the flow of energy around her and once again marveled at how it swirled around the people on the ship.

Amazing as that was though, she focused her thoughts and energies on following the thread that led from this realm up the higher plane of existence where she had met Tyne Ruk Yo. She focused her mind on following the thread up and away from her body; she was putting herself at the mercy of her captors but the risk was worth the potential reward. She would sense the shift in the energy around her if anyone approached and she would instantly become alert.

Higher and higher up the planes of existence she meant, the link between body and mind becoming ever more tenuous as she ascended up the spiritual planes. Her meditation practice was paying off; she had never proceeded this far before. A sense of accomplishment washed over her as she ascended to entirely new levels of astral thought.

Suddenly she felt as if a powerful hand had grabbed her and yanked her. Her mind and thoughts were carried away and she was helpless to stop the action. Before she could panic though, a flood of images and sensations flooded her mind.

First and foremost was a feeling of joy and happiness as the handsome face of Tyne Ruk Yo smiled at her. “Welcome back to the Realm of Ascended Thought, Azula. I hadn’t expected you to reach here for a few more weeks, but your dedication has impressed me.”

“Thank you, Tyne Ruk Yo. I…I wan’t sure how long it would actually take to make my here myself.” Azula admitted.

“Well, you are here now, so let me explain more of the gift that I have shared with you. Life Binding is the ability of a person, such as yourself, to connect with the prana field that exists all around your world and use it to manipulate certain objects.” Tyne Ruk Yo explained. “All living things generate prana, but only certain beings are able to manipulate it. Previously living things are still able to conduct prana even after death. Items like bones, hair, skin, and cartilage can be made into items that have special properties.”

“Does this have to do with why you suggested I learnt to sew?” Azula asked.

“Precisely!” Tyne Ruk Yo said in an excited voice. “Cloth made from plant fibers are excellent conductors of prana and the versatility of the cloth allows for the creating of many things. It can be sewn together to get different configurations, it is flexible and lightweight, and it has a plentiful supply. If you learn how to sew and create useful items, they make wonderful attunements.”

“I’ve felt the flow of energy through the cloth while I’ve been learning to sew. How do you control the energy to make the cloth do what I want?”

“That is simple to explain but more complicated to do. It requires the Life Binder to bring prana into themselves and then transfer it to the attunement. This prana, which is aligned with your essence, can then control the attunement based on the skills you have. Each movement must be fully actualized in the attunement in order for the object to work as desired. You will need to practice and master each movement before it can be used independently by an attunement. It will come in time and will be easier to understand with practical experience.” Tyne Ruk You explained, smiling at Azula again. “But that is later, our time here is running short and I want to make sure that you know your way around the Book of Xanese.”

“What is the Book of Xanese?” Azula asked.

“It is the greatest collection of information on Life Binding, prana, and attunements ever assembled. It will be your best friend going forward. Come inside the temple and let me show you what it is.”

Azula followed Tyne Ruk You inside the temple; she hadn’t paid much attention to it before, because from the outside it was rather unimpressive, but once they stepped inside she gaped at the beautiful architecture and the incredible paintings and sculptures that decorated the large entry chamber. The palaces of the Fire Lord and Earth King were dull pencil drawings done by blind children compared to the incredible splendor she observed her.

Tyne Ruk Yo must have observed her expression. “Yes, it is quite spectacular. It was the product of many spectacular artists at the peak of their creative powers. But come, come, you must see the great Book of Xanese.”

She continued following him as he walked through the pair of doors at the far entry way. And there she saw it, a gigantic book propped open on a large, slanted slab of stone that sat on a pedestal. The book was at the perfect height for Azula to read as she walked up to it.

She became concerned as she looked over the book because the writing was in a language that she couldn’t read. She turned to Tyne Ruk Yo. “I would love to study this, but I can’t read it.”

“All is not as it seems, young one. Can you feel the energy that emanates from the book?”

She concentrated on the book, extending the new senses that she had come to rely on after she had her firebending stolen from her. As she did, it was like the book glowed. Incredibly complex swirls of energy created intricate patterns. Patterns that she could see were not random but were somehow wrong.

She turned to look at Tyne Ruk Yo, who was smiling at him. “You sense it, don’t you? The wrongness, the feeling that things aren’t as they should be.”

She turned back towards the book. “Yes.”

“Change it. Place your hand on the book and change the energy. Align it so that it feels right.”

She stared at the book for a few moments before she reached out and placed her hand on the book. Her whole body jolted as she did, almost as if the energy in her was resonating with the book. She felt it now in her soul, how the energy was jumbled. She worked to change her own energy, to align it with what she thought the energy of the book should be. A small portion of the energy of the book changed as she did.

She extended her senses and worked to change not only the energy of herself but of the book directly and felt a rush of joy as the energy of the book adjusted to her direction. It was difficult to force it to move, but second by second, minute by minute, she gained dominion over the book and suddenly she felt the energy of the book snap into place.

It just felt right.

She removed her hand and gasped as the text and illustrations changed. She had expected to be able to read the script but what caught her off guard was that the illustrations began moving. She watched as a drawn man wrote equations on a chalkboard before extending his hand and towards some sort of tool; from the looks of it, the tool appeared to be made of bone. The tool flew through the air and into his hand.

This book was beyond anything that she had ever dreamed about. The illustrations were all in black and white, but the richness of detail was so great for some pictures, like the man and chalkboard, that she would have sworn that it was a scene from real life that had all the color extracted from it and was shrunk down to fit in this book. She certainly hoped that this poor man hadn’t actually been captured using dark magic and sealed away in this book for all time.

There was an emptiness in her soul from the loss of her fire, but the intrigue of her new gifts held her afloat. She felt that she would probably always miss her fire, but these new gifts gave her an opportunity to start over and build a new life.

She felt a sudden fatigue overtake her. Tyne Ruk Yo must have noticed because he began speaking. “It is nearly time for you to go. You are young and are only able to handle a little bit of prana at a time. Your strength and ability will grow in time. Continue practicing your meditation and maximize your sewing skills.”

“I will. I look forward to studying with you again.”

“And I look forward to teaching you, although it will only be for a short time. It is difficult for me to reach this realm as I’ve aged and I can only make so many trips. I will do enough to get you started but then I will return to my realm until you have progressed to the truly advanced areas. You will probably have many questions and that is when my guidance may be most useful. Go now, and I will consult with you when you return.”

“Goodbye, Tyne Ruk Yo.” Azula said and she sent her mind back along the thread to her body.

Her eyes popped open and she stretched her arms back to hold herself up as she started to fall backwards. She felt exhausted but pleased with herself. She also noticed that the sun was much lower in the sky.

Ty Lee stared at her with an open mouth while three other face paint chicks stared at her more warily. She was mildly curious why they were looking at her like that but didn’t care enough to ask. She got to her feet and stretched her muscles. She guessed that she had been sitting there for at least three hours.

Ty Lee finally spoke. “Uhm, Azula, you meditated through dinner but they put your meal aside for you.”

“Thank you, Ty Lee. I worked up an appetite.” She responded before rolling up her meditation mat and returning it to its storage spot. Then she turned and walked towards the mess hall, an extra bounce in her step and a smile plastered on her face.

Things were going to go much better for her now.

Chapter Text

“Now you’re beginning to understand.” Tyne Ruk Yo said. “The key is to have the prana you command resonate with the inherent properties of the object being manipulated. Flexible materials like cloth and leather can be bent and twisted while rigid items like bone and wood can be pushed and pulled. The learning curve for lifebinding is steeper than for bending but the flexibility and utility are phenomenal. It is just unfortunate that the uses aren’t as immediate or dramatic.”

Azula understood what he was saying. Tyne Ruk Yo had described incredible attunements that could think, move and act independently from their users, methods for using objects to essentially levitate, and wonderful inventions that could see great distances. But for all the wonderful things that attunements could do, they were not as useful in direct combat and they took much more time than bending to become useful to a Life Binder.

That was for normal Life Binders though; when Tyne Ruk Yo offered his gift, he enhanced Azula’s natural gifts to the level of near master. It would still take time to master the art of lifebinding, but she was determined to succeed. The rewards were phenomenal.

She understood her new place in the world and that direct assumption of power would likely be met with violence from every major world player and the Avatar, but she had a new plan for becoming a major figure once again. All in good time, though. She had to be cautious and careful, for the game was long and she couldn’t afford any missteps.

The utility of cloth, leather, bone and wood attunements were obvious, but the skill that would truly make her a figure to shape destiny was the power of fortune telling. Special attunements, known as Tempi Dice, made from the remnants of very old trees and animals that had been blessed with the innate ability to store prana, could be used to foretell the future. The art was greatly limited by the quality of the wood, bone or cartilage used to make the dice, the skill of the Life Binder in preparing the attunement, and the innate intelligence of the user, but it was an ability that Azula coveted.

That was a future activity though; it would take time and probably a bit of luck to find the appropriate tree or animal to make the Tempi Dice. She would have a great deal of access to cloth and animal skins though, so she was focusing her work with Tyne Ruk Yo on how to manipulate the flexible attunements.

“I think that I’m getting good at this.” Azula said as she held the cloth in her hand and mentally manipulated it. It twisted to the right, then the left before folding in half. She was creating the patterns of movement needed to create independent attunements. It would be months before she was ready to do that though.

“Indeed you are. Practicing here in the Realm of Ascended Thought is less taxing than practicing in the real world but you’re not gaining strength by real world prana manipulation.” Tyne Ruk Yo advised. “You need to do as much in the real world as possible to build up your strength. It’s much like a muscle; use it frequently and you will gain strength. Luckily, you’ll never decrease in strength, even if you stop manipulating prana for years on end. I don’t recommend that path though.”

“I don’t plan on stopping my lessons now that I’ve discovered lifebinding; it’s truly a wonderful tool and it will allow me to once again claim a position of power.” Azula answered, smiling at the thought of rising up and once again being important.

“I know that you covet power and status, for you were raised to value these things, but in time I hope that you come to understand deeper truths. Happiness and fulfilment come from within. Mastering your abilities as a Life Binder will deepen your connection with the world and show you that the path you walked before may not be the best for you in the long run.”

Azula scowled at her mentor. He was an intelligent and powerful being, but she didn’t think he understood humans as well as he believed. “Power and status are tools that will allow me to direct my life as I see fit; I never again wish to be under the thumb of short-sighted assholes like Zuko and Kuei. I will be the master and commander of my own destiny.”

“Of that I have no doubt, but I believe the path that you find yourself walking will surprise you. Nonetheless, it is time for you to return to your body. I’m sure that you too sense the change in the prana field.”

“Yes, I feel it. We’re approaching a grouping of people. Not a large one, but enough for me to tell the difference. It’s time for me to go and live among the people that have enslaved me.”

“I’m sorry for your plight, young one, but I believe the experience will be beneficial in the long run. Go, see what your new home has to offer.”

“Goodbye, Tyne Ruk Yo. Until we meet again.” Azula answered and sent her consciousness back to her body.

Opening her eyes, she could see the pitiful collection of huts and ice structures laid out before her. She kept her sigh to herself though, since Kanna had come and taken a seat on a chair near her. Kanna must have been watching her because she spoke moments after Azula opened her eyes.

“Here is my village. It isn’t much but Wolf Cove is home.” Kanna said, smiling as she stretched her hand out towards the pathetic display before them. This was to be her home for the next few years. Right now, about four hundred other souls would share this puny town with her, although more people were expected to arrive from the Northern Water Tribe in the next year or two. Apparently Chief Arnook’s people were even more conservative than the Fire Nation and many young people wanted to move somewhere where they could enjoy their decadent alternative lifestyles in peace.

Azula didn’t care about those things; for her, all that mattered was rebuilding her life and mastering the intricate arts of lifebending. In the short term though, things were going to be unpleasant. The first order of unpleasantness started when Hakoda and all eight of the face paint chicks appeared with the restraints that she would have to wear while walking through the village. She guessed that Hakoda wanted everyone to know that she was a slave.

Hakoda was the first to speak. “I’m sorry about this, Azula, but many in our village fear you and it will put their fears to rest if you wear the restraints for the first few weeks. I’m sure once the people become used to you, it won’t be required anymore.”

Azula didn’t bother answering, she merely assumed the position that made it easiest to restrain her with Agni’s Cross. This restraint was used to lock down powerful firebenders. She pushed her hands behind her back where they were then enclosed in metal gloves and chained together. A six-foot-long metal rod was then slid between her bent elbows and her back. Her gloves were then clasped to a metal chain belt that was looped around her hips. At least they didn’t bind her feet or put the bit in her mouth.

It was all rather silly, of course. She wasn’t a firebender anymore. This was just a symbol of their foolish fears; they obviously viewed her as some sort of villain of legend, but she was determined to bide her time and not give them any ammunition to make her stay even less pleasant than she already expected it to be. She didn’t care what these peasants thought of her. She would master lifebinding, pay off her unfair debt and then disappear into the earth continent.

A Kyoshi Warrior grabbed each end of the metal pole and waited to guide her as the rest of the contingent took their positions, Ty Lee and another girl would walk in front of Azula while the other four paired off and would walk after Azula. Once they were set, they marched her over to wait near the ramp that would take them down to the dock once the ship was moored.

Azula couldn’t help but sigh at the look of sadness on Kanna’s face; she believed that Kanna was truly coming to terms with the situation. Azula really was a slave and Kanna and her people were slavers. That was probably a tough pill to swallow for someone as sweet and nice as the old grandmother, but the sooner she came to terms with reality the better.

Soon enough, the ship was docked and the ramp down, meaning that Azula could be marched through the village for everyone to gawk at. Which they did. Azula made it a point to gawk back, to look into the eyes of those that watched her. She had expected the looks of anger and hatred that some shared, but she was surprised at the look of pity that many of the others, mainly women, had.

She guessed that it was mainly from the fact that the men here had probably been the ones that had done the fighting. They had faced Fire Nation soldiers, even though she doubted any of these people, excluding Hakoda, had encountered her during their adventures. The women, while affected by the war, probably saw a young and rather petite girl. It didn’t matter to Azula though; she hadn’t expected to be welcomed by anyone.

The village was small and it didn’t take long to make it to the hut that Hakoda shared with Kanna; it only took as long as it did because they moved at the speed that Kanna could match. Hakoda stopped outside his door to his hut, if the opening could even be called a door, to address Ty Lee.

“Please remove Azula restraints; you can restrain her when she leaves the tent to mingle with the others, but there is no need to have them on while she’s inside. You still give your word that you will be a model citizen, don’t you, Azula?”

“The correct phrase is model slave, but yes, you have my word that I will not harm anyone in this village except in self-defense. I will not steal anyone’s belongings or vandalize any property.” Azula answered.

Hakoda looked into her eyes, trying to make sure she was telling the truth. She was, but he’d never know that because she was a really good liar. Finally, he repeated his order. “Ty Lee, please remove Azula’s restraints.”

“Of course, Hakoda.” And with Ty Lee answer, the face paint chicks quickly unlocked her metal gloves and removed the chains and metal bar from her person.

“Let’s step inside and get out of the cold.” Kanna said. “I’m not sure that we can fit all the Kyoshi Warriors inside with us.”

“I will deal with Azula if she gets out of hand.” Pakku interjected, causing Azula to raise an eyebrow at the old coot.

“I don’t doubt that, Pakku, but Ty Lee is welcome to join us also. I’m sure that Azula will give us no problems.” Hakoda answered.

Azula remained silent; she had already given her word and there was nothing left to say on the issue. Hakoda opened the flap and gestured for Kanna and Pakku to go first. The geezers took the invitation and then Azula followed Ty Lee into the tent. Hakoda was the last to enter.

Azula was surprised at the warmth inside; a small fire was going in the hearth and the room, while still on the chilly side for a person of the Fire Nation, was warm enough that the layers of clothing she wore made her a little too warm.

“It is nice that Yogil was kind enough to prep the fire in anticipation of our arrival.” Kanna said, putting her arm through Pakku’s and pulling him close. “It’s even nicer to have a cozy fire and someone to snuggle with to fend off the cold.”

Azula was amused to see the look of discomfort on Hakoda’s face; apparently the thought of his mother snuggling with an old man wasn’t a particularly pleasant one for him. He changed the subject by addressing Azula.

“Let me show you where you’ll be staying. Space is at a premium but you’ll be taking Katara’s old room; she’s traveling with Aang and shouldn’t return before you build your own domicile. Follow me.” Hakoda said as he walked towards a door separated from the rest of hut by a hanging cloth, although it was pulled aside in order to allow the heat from the fire to spread.

The thought of inhabiting the room of the water peasant that laid her low filled her with anger and shame; she truly felt like the humiliation was almost more than she could bear. Almost, but not quite. This just solidified her resolve to build her own living space as soon as humanly possible, no matter the cost. She wouldn’t stay here any longer than absolutely necessary.

The space was small but adequate. It was about five feet wide and eight feet long. A sleeping mat was already on the floor and there was a small shelf along the right wall that appeared to be made from wood and carved bone. Otherwise, the space was empty.

“We’ve moved all of Katara’s items into Sokka’s space for now and the sleeping mat is new. I’m providing it at no charge. You will assist in making three outfits for you to wear at no charge also. Anything else though, from more clothing to furniture to the materials for your new home, you will have to pay for.” Hakoda explained.

She knew that she had to pay for her own items, but the specifics of what was going to be provided for free hadn’t been shared before. She would gladly take anything that she didn’t have to pay for, but what she wanted now was information. “Hakoda, can you walk me through how your home was built and what the design principles are? I would like to begin designing and building my own place as soon as possible.”

“Of course, Azula, but you are welcome to stay the full month is you wish. I’m not trying to kick you out before then.”

“I’d rather establish my independence, at least as much as allowed to a slave, as soon as possible. It is not a reflection on you.” She paused for a moment to collect her thoughts. “You and Kanna have been very helpful, far more than I expected, but you are still slavers and I need to prepare for my new life.”

Hakoda gave a heavy sigh. “I know that you don’t believe me when I say that you’re not a slave, but I understand wanting to be out on your own. From the sound of things, you’ve traveled the world and been in command since you were young. Well, even younger than you are now since you’re still quite young. I’ll be happy to show you how I designed and built my home.”

With that, Hakoda spent the next two hours going over all the aspects of how he designed his home, what materials were used, the tricks and features that are built into any home to defend the inhabitants from the bitter cold. It was summer in the south now, so the cold wasn’t as brutal as it would be. She would have to plan to deal with this.

As she laid down that night, she already had a general idea of what type of structure she wanted. It would be slightly more expensive than the other models, but it would be easier to keep warm and would be more resistant to the occasional storm. Building her own home would be the first thing that she did to reclaim her life as her own here.

The next day Azula’s new life began in earnest. Kanna took her to work with the women that handled the communal needlework and sewing for the village. It was a much larger scale endeavor than Azula was expecting. Many more men than women had come from the northern latitudes to live amongst the people of the Southern Water Tribe during the initial wave. This group was primarily hunters and fisherman who were forced to live at the margins up north but had a chance to build a better life here.

The hunters brought back a good number of animals, a separate group of women would process the kills for meat and whatever was left over was brought to Azula’s group to work with. As Kanna had described with the whales, nothing went to waste with the slaughtered animals. The skins were taken and leathered; depending on the size and type of animal, the leather might be used for clothing or for the preparation of new homes.

The bones were taken and once again, depending on size and shape, they were used for different functions. Tendons and sinew were used to sew the skins together and there was a complicated process for melding cloth and animal skins to form complete outfits for people. Everything was custom made, so measurements were taken of all the men and women that used their service.

Luckily, Azula was deemed skilled enough to earn an apprentice wage, which was about a third higher than those deemed to be unskilled labor. She had to admit that she had a lot to learn before she would be nearly as skilled as the senior women in the group. There were three senior women, with Kanna helping out now and then, two women of intermediate training and four girls that were still beginners, Azula included.

The older women took Azula’s appearance in stride but the younger girls looked at her with a lot more interest. Kanna had agreed to help with the training of all the younger girls now that she was back and the day was full of lessons and hard work. Formal introductions weren’t given; Azula assumed that she was expected to learn the names through everyday interactions. She didn’t really care what their names were but she figured she’d learn just by being there.

In order to earn even more money and learn to fend for herself, Azula had volunteered to work in the communal kitchen to help prepare and serve the evening meal. This was considered unskilled labor but she needed to eat and learn how to cook for herself, so she accepted the added responsibility. She picked up what they were doing as she was taught to scale and prepare the fish that was caught and she learned the process for preparing sea prunes. She thought the smell of sea prunes was terrible but then she actually tried some and learned that the taste was far worse than the smell.

She wasn’t fond of the food in general, but this was her life now and she needed to learn to make do. After helping prepare the food, she worked the serving line and once the customers were fed, Azula was allowed to eat. She took her food and went to sit by herself. No one had asked her to sit with them during her lunch break with the sewing group and the trend continued as the other workers sat by themselves in one corner and Azula took a spot as far away as possible.

She finished her meal, and while it didn’t taste particularly good, she had to admit it was very filling. She returned to Hakoda’s hut and made her way to her room. Hakoda and Kanna had tried to get her to talk about her day, but she merely shrugged them off by saying it was fine and that she wanted to meditate before bed. It was more difficult than usual, but she managed to reach the Realm of Ascended Thought and study the Book of Xanese.

Tyne Ruk Yo did not join her this time; it required considerable effort for him to reach this plane of existence from wherever he lived, so he only joined her when she could spend longer times there. She was tired and would only stay for an hour or so before returning to her body to prepare for bed. She would rise before dark and do her physical training before having breakfast, so she needed to go to bed early. Today had gone fine but she worried about her sanity of being forced to deal with these peasants, day after day, month after month, year after year.

She was thankful for lifebinding as her main means of remaining sane. Her only hope was that it was enough.

Chapter Text

As the first few days of Azula’s southern captivity passed, her life settled into a rhythm. Every morning she did her exercise routine before having breakfast with Kanna and Hakoda. After that, she and Kanna would meet up with the sewing group where she would work as diligently as possible until the day was done and she would go and help with the evening communal meal. Once free she would spend an hour or so planning and gathering materials for her new home before finally spending two or so hours in the Realm of Ascended Thought.

After two weeks with no incidents, it was decided that Azula wouldn’t have to be escorted to and from work bound in Agni’s Cross, although she was still escorted everywhere by at least two Kyoshi Warriors. That didn’t bother Azula; the face paint chicks looked cold and bored and she enjoyed watching them shiver miserably while she at least got to do something meaningful. It was petty but Azula indulged herself anyway.

More surprising was that the other women, both in the sewing group and the community kitchen, slowly tried to interact with her and include her in discussions and even invited her to sit with them during meals. Azula steadfastly refused to join them; she spoke with them as needed to learn and do the job that she had been assigned but she had no interest in being one of the girls. She knew that she would never be accepted by these people and didn’t even bother trying.

The younger girls, by which Azula meant the ones her age or slightly older, spent most of their time talking about boys and which of the men were marriage material and which of them would just be fun. The older women dispensed matronly advice but every once in a while they would share a story of their younger days when they were a little wild and carefree. Azula obviously didn’t participate but even she had to admit some of the stories were pretty amusing.

Azula, with the guidance of Hakoda, began building her own home on the second of her days off. Azula worked six days a week with both the sewing group and the community kitchen. She spent the first day off with Hakoda finalizing her plan and setting up the list of materials she would need. Hakoda helped her procure the processed zebra-walrus bones she would need for the structure and the canvas made from leathered zebra-walrus skins for the walls.

It was going to be rectangular hut like many of the others used by single people, about eight feet wide by ten feet long. The walls at the side would be four feet high and have a sloped roof that reached about seven feet in the center. Many of the other tents were higher due to the fact that all of the men here towered over her, but this was just fine with her and had the added benefit of being easier to heat and easier to build; raising the side walls even a foot or two added complexity to the design and made the hut more expensive.

She didn’t plan on having any visitors so she would build it to suit her own needs. A small stone hearth would be built one end of the hut along with a chimney. This would be needed for warmth and cooking. All in all, the hut was more complicated than she had originally expected, but she was happy with the design.

Hakoda showed her how to use the auger to bore holes in the ice and frozen ground underneath so that she could anchor the four zebra-walrus bones that would be the pillars that held up the main walls. From there, she spent the rest of the day bending and tying together the remaining bones to create the structures that would reinforce the walls and ceiling. It was nearly dark before she finished getting the framework of her new home finished.

“You did a great job, Azula. This will be a good home for you.” Kanna said. She had joined Azula and Hakoda just before dark. “I brought some jerky and water for you, dearie. You worked through both lunch and dinner and you need your nourishment.”

“Thank you, Kanna.” Azula said as her stomach grumbled at the mention of food. She took the food and drink and sat inside her unfinished hut. Looking things over as she ate her jerky, she felt a sense of accomplishment. She would begin mounting the canvas walls in the evenings after dinner; she would tie them down and then sew the canvas pieces together to ensure that they were watertight. Hopefully, she would finish that by her next day off so that she could actually move in.

She would still need to build her hearth and chimney, but since it was summer she wouldn’t need it to warm her hut just yet. Kanna had assured her that she could continue having breakfast with her and Hakoda until the end of the month without paying a penalty. Azula swore to have the hearth and chimney built so that she would be completely independent before her month of grace expired.

Building the hut meant that she had to cut back on the amount of time that she spent studying in the Realm of Ascended Thought, but there were only so many hours in the day. Once she had her own hut she would be able to go back to studying more.

She was indeed able to move into her little hut by her next day off and actually started building the hearth. It was a chore to move the special hearth stones from the main storage area to her hut, but she was young and strong and didn’t need to hire anyone to help. It took a while to properly mount the stones to form the hearth and chimney but she was able to finish it before her month was up. Thanks to what she had learned from Kanna and the women in the communal kitchen, she was able to cook her own food well enough that not only was it edible, but she had made a few adjustments and it was actually pretty good.

Now that she was living on her own, she was able to devote more time to studying in the Realm of Ascended Thought. She needed that part of her life more than ever. Despite being around people all day, she felt so alone. With Tyne Ruk Yo she could have real conversations about important subjects and help alleviate some of the isolation and loneliness she felt, even though he didn’t appear for all of her lessons. Having her own hut meant that she withdrew even more from the water tribe. Kanna had even stopped trying to pretend that she was part of the family. Now that Sokka had returned, she had a real grandkid to pester.

She was making a lot of progress, both with cloth attunements as well as the bone and wood attunements. Deeper and deeper she went into the Book of Xanese and she was starting to see the overall structure of how attunements were made and she was excited for the possibilities.

Now she was practicing with four cloth tentacles that had been woven from the astral cloth found here in the Realm of Ascended Thought. She had attuned them to her prana flow and she could now wield them as if they were a part of her body. In essence, attunement infused a bit of her person into the cloth and it acted as an independent agent under her control. The imprint of her mind actually allowed it to have low level intelligence so that it could act on her behalf.

She was currently using the tentacles to climb through the training course in the rear courtyard of the temple. The cloth tentacles were very dexterous and she could move through the course with grace and fluidity, but what she didn’t move with was speed. This was the biggest drawback to lifebinding; it lacked the speed to compete with bending in combat situations.

Tyn Yuk Ro called out to her. “That was wonderful, but now switch to the wood attunements.”

Azula didn’t bother answering as she placed herself on top of a stone pillar and recalled her tentacles. She then proceeded to pull out the six wood discs that she had attuned. Unlike cloth, with was flexible and whose shape could be manipulated with prana, rigid items like wood and bone could be physically altered with prana, at least without breaking the item and destroying its usefulness.

No, these attunements were wonderfully suited for push and pull exercises. She sent prana to all six attunements and they all sailed through the air to the target locations she had selected for each. With prana, she could push or pull bone and wood attunements with impressive speed, but only in a straight line. There was still a lot of practical applications for these attunements though.

The best application in Azula’s opinion was that the push or pull went both ways. Since she was so much more massive than the small wooden discs, they moved away from her. Once they were flat on solid ground or pressed against a solid object though, when she exerted a pushing action, it actually moved her. Pushing against only one disc had limited applications, but pushing against multiple discs with just the appropriate amount of relative force opened up a multitude of possibilities.

She pushed up on three of the discs and rose straight up in the air before pushing harder against the disc behind her, causing her to move forward. From there she constantly changed which discs she pushed against and how hard she pushed on any given disc. To an outside observer, it appeared that she was flying, albeit rather jerkily; she hadn’t mastered the transitions yet and her changes in direction were all rather abrupt.

She was able to keep herself in the air for nearly ten minutes before she began to fatigue. She pushed down on three of the discs while she pulled the other three to her and put them away. Then she proceeded to lower herself to the ground and pulled the remaining discs to herself. By Agni she was getting good at this. She was filled with joy and excitement at how far she had come over the past three months.

She felt her excitement wither as Tyne Ruk Yo uttered the words that very few people wanted to hear, his face somber as he spoke. “Azula, we need to talk.”

She felt a chill go down her spine at the sad look on his face. She answered as bravely as she could. “Of course. What bad news are you giving me?”

He gestured towards one of the chairs and she took a seat as he placed himself in the chair across from her. “It is becoming more and more difficult for me to cross over to this plane. I have helped you as much as I have been able, but you are a precocious student and you are mastering lifebinding even more quickly than I expected. Your grasp of the basics is strong enough that you can learn on your own for now. Your skill with both the flexible and rigid attunements is increasing rapidly.”

“I…I’m not ready for you to leave me.” Azula said in a small voice, shame causing her skin to prickle. “You’re my only friend.”

He reached out and took her hands in his. “For now. I know you value your independence and that you’ve been treated unfairly, but you need to reach out and connect with your fellow man. Humans, with the very, very rare exception, need social interaction to remain healthy and balanced. You’ve told me of the people you’ve been placed with; have they not tried to reach out and include you, to bring you into the fold?”

It pained her to admit it, but she told the truth. “Yes, they have.”

“I’m not saying that you have to take them into your heart as family, but you need to forge bonds with others. I can sense your loneliness. They have taken so much from you; don’t let them take your humanity from you too. Share stories with the other girls, learn the ritual dances of your new people, flirt with the boys or girls that you find attractive. Holding anger and bitterness in your heart is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. You’re the only one suffering, Azula.”

The thought over his words. She knew that he was right, but it offended her sense of self on so many levels to know that she needed these people. He was right though; her feelings of loneliness and isolation would eat her from the inside out unless she did something about it.

“I will try, but I’m not like other people. I can lead an army and run a palace, but when I try to do the softer things, they…they don’t work right.” That night with Chan still haunted her. It was like a totally different world where she had no idea where she belonged. The interactions had been exciting and terrifying before ultimately being embarrassing.

“You’re a bright girl. Look at how the others interact, how they use touches and smiles and platitudes to build friendship and comradery. Share a little bit of yourself. Start small, but let them see the human beneath the terrifyingly competent princess. You may well make mistakes now and then, but that is what being human is all about.”

“I’ll try.” Was about all the response that she could muster.

“That is all that I ask.” He answered with a smile as he stood. “I promise that when you have reached the most advanced lessons and need my assistance, follow the Summoning Ritual in the Book of Xanese. Use it sparingly and only when you are truly stuck, for I will only be able to journey to this plane another dozen times or so.”

“I will miss you.” She said, standing in front of him.

To her surprise, he stepped forward and pulled her in for a hug and whispered in her ear. “I will miss you too. Life Binding is a wonderful skill and will greatly improve your life, but it won’t replace real human interactions. Don’t let what they did to you warp you, Azula. Be better than they ever dreamed you could be. Weep not for what was lost but instead embrace what has been given.”

And with those words he disappeared and Azula was left alone, her arms empty, feeling lonelier than she had ever felt in her life. But she vowed to be better.

Hakoda wasn’t sure what had brought about the changes, but he was glad the Azula finally seemed to be reaching out to the others and forging something akin to relationships besides the give and take of work. He knew that his mother was even happier than he was about the development.

She was regaling him with the goings on of the day as she prepared dinner. “Hanki was talking about how she had her first kiss at a big festival, how the music had made her feel so alive when suddenly this big, strapping lad had appeared and started dancing with her. Before she knew what she was doing, she had reached up and the pulled the young man down for a kiss. Even twenty years later she still remembers how it felt.”

“I can imagine that it was a special moment.” Hakoda said, thinking back to his own first kiss. He and Kya had both been teenagers out on a moonlit walk after a Hunter’s Dance. It was the only first kiss he had ever had, since he had never pursued another woman before or after Kya.

He was drawn back to his mother’s story as she continued talking. “And then Azula, completely unbidden, told her she was lucky to have such a fond memory. She then told everyone how she had kissed a boy at a party and as soon as he realized who she was, he had been so terrified that he had scurried away like a thief in the night.”

Hakoda couldn’t help but gawk at his mother. “Do you think she really kissed that boy?”

“I believe it. The look of chagrin on her face as she admitted that perhaps she had come on a little too strong after their kiss was probably the most relatable emotion I’ve ever seen the girl display. She stayed quiet after that as a few more stories were swapped, but it gave her a little more credibility with the younger girls, especially those that haven’t had their first kiss yet.”

Sokka picked this moment to come into the hut; both Tui and La know that the boy never misses a meal if he can possibly help it. “Who needs their first kiss? I’m with Suki so I can’t share my skills with any other women, but I might be able to hook them up with some of the other men. I’ve got a good rapport with the guys.”

“It was just some talk in the sewing tent. Azula was regaling the ladies with the tale of her first kiss.” Kanna said, much to Hakoda’s discomfort. He knew that few things got Sokka wound up like mentioning Azula.

“Some fool was actually brave enough to kiss Azula! She probably burned his face off afterwards so no one would ever know that she was actually human.” Sokka exclaimed.

“Oh hush, Sokka. We know that Azula has made mistakes, but she’s making the effort to change her life and has grown closer with some of the girls. In four months’ time she hasn’t caused a lick of trouble. Frankly, you’ve gotten into more scrapes than she has since you came back.”

“I thought the blubber had been left out for everyone! How was I to know that Elsii was prepping a special treat for Mul!” Sokka answered. Hakoda had to smile at the memory of an irate Elsii chasing Sokka around the village with a large bone spoon for taking some of the specially prepared whale blubber treats she had set out to cure.

“Yeah, well, she’s just waiting for us to let our guard down and then boom!” Sokka said, slamming his right fist into his left palm. “She’s going to pounce.”

Hakoda and his mother both rolled their eyes. Kanna’s words were more biting than usual as she responded. “Yes, Sokka, the girl that had her bending taken away and is always under armed guard is going to one day jump up and take out all five hundred people in our village. The eight Kyoshi Warriors and one hundred and fifty warriors in our tribe will have no chance against her vicious onslaught.”

Sokka seems to have sensed Kanna’s anger because he immediately started backpedaling. “Hey, you didn’t fight her during the war. You don’t really know what she was like.”

“How many people did she kill? How many did she torture?” Kanna asked.

“Uhm, well, she didn’t actually kill or torture anyone that I know of. She almost killed Aang though.” Came Sokka’s answer.

“Aang was the Avatar and a sworn enemy of the Fire Nation. It was war and she did war things. I was in the Fire Nation when they listed off her supposed crimes before taking her bending. Not a single thing that she did was considered a war crime; she was punished for politics and no other reason.” Kanna answered, anger in her voice. She used a softer voice when she started speaking again. “I know that she was our enemy during the war, but I don’t recall her threatening to burn our village like your friend Zuko. War is a terrible thing, Sokka, and that girl undoubtedly did horrible things, but she has been given a far more severe punishment than I believe she deserves and now it is time to rehabilitate her.”

Sokka sighed. “I get it, Gran Gran, but you didn’t see just how terrifying she was during the war. It’s hard to forget what she was and what her people did.”

“The war is over, son, and it is time for everyone to rebuild and start over. Azula included.” Hakoda added.

“Maybe, but Azula has never apologized or even admitted that what she did was wrong. How can I trust her to be a changed person when she won’t acknowledge that she did evil things.” Sokka countered.

“After they took her bending and cast her out of the Fire Nation, she became jaded and bitter and I have no doubt that the anger over what was done to her has prevented her from apologizing. Besides, she didn’t do anything to the Southern Water Tribe directly, so we should simply let her get on with her life.” Hakoda said.

“Maybe, but I just don’t trust her.” Was the final word that any of them said on the subject. Pakku entered moments later and the conversation turned to other matters about the tribe.

He pushed thoughts of Azula aside as they began discussing the upcoming whaling season. In the past few years, with so many men of the Southern Water Tribe off at war, only a few small whale hunts had been undertaken, but with the men returned from war and so many extra sailors from the north, they were hoping to have a more significant whaling season.

It felt good to have so many bodies working together to achieve something grand. Whaling could bring in a lot of meat, oil, and other useful items like bones and skin to further improve the outlook of the tribe. If the whaling season was successful, many of the hunters and sailors that traveled to evaluate the viability of life here in the south would send word to their wives and children to come down and join them. Only about half of the men that came were married and fewer yet had children, but it would be great to have that many more families here. And Hakoda knew that there were a lot of unattached women of the north looking to escape the oppressive cultural norms of the Northern Water Tribe. About a dozen new arrivals with whaling experience were supposed to arrive before the whales showed up.

The influx of people could be a great boost to the Southern Water Tribe, but much was riding on the whaling season. His thoughts about whaling came to an end when Sokka asked him a question. “Dad, have you heard from Katara lately? I just got a letter today.”

“I received a letter from her today too. It sounds like she’s having quite the adventure.”

“It’s great to see her out learning about the world, but I worry about her traveling with just Aang and his animal friends.” Kanna said.

“She loves traveling to meet so many new people, especially ones that she thinks will be able to help our tribe.” Sokka said in between slurps of his soup.

“It does sound like she’s making good contacts but I think she might be feeling a little homesick too.” Hakoda answered. He chose his next words carefully. “It seems that all might not be perfect between Katara and Aang. Traveling that much together can probably lead to issues.”

“Well, Aang can be a bit flighty and Katara enjoys being bossy, so I can see where there might be a few issues. La knows she liked to boss us around during the war.” Sokka said. “But yeah, I think she is homesick. I’m a little surprised she agreed to go out with Aang after he took Azula’s bending; I think she was already missing Wolf Cove even then.”

“She felt that Aang needed her guidance; he was all alone trying to solve the world’s problems. It’s good that she can help him but I feel that he needs other people, perhaps adults with real world experience, to help him too.” Kanna said.

“There’s so much strife from the different factions in the world that it is difficult to find good, unbiased advice.” Hakoda answered. “It is a difficult journey, but it is one that Katara elected to go upon of her own accord. There is nothing to do now but wait for her to decide how she wants to continue. All we can do is support her in whatever course she decides to take.”

Those were some of the most painful words that he had ever spoken about his youngest child, but she had helped change the course of history and she needed to decide her own path.

Chapter Text

“Maybe if you put as much effort into hunting as you do into coiffing your hair, Mul, you’d be able to afford a betrothal necklace for Elsii by now.” Azula said to the hunter as she placed the jug of wine on the table in front of him, causing the entire room to burst out laughing at the now red-faced young man.

Hakoda could see that he was smiling too as his friends clapped him on the back; Mul was known far and wide for his obsession with his hair. Long and sleek with the most complicated braids, man or woman, in the entire Southern Water Tribe, Hakoda had to admit the man had great hair. As much as Mul cared for his hair, though, everyone knew that he loved Elsii even more.

Azula quickly twirled, gracefully lifting the serving tray overhead as she moved to the next table to deliver more wine and food. Hakoda smiled as he watched her speak with her customers, bantering with the loud hunters and sailors.

He was amazed at how far she had come. Nine months ago she had been brought to his tribe as a recalcitrant and angry young woman, a danger to be avoided. Now she was accepted by the tribe, perhaps not as one of their own, but as a guest. She could give and take with the best of them and although she was calmer and not as quick to anger as before, her temper was a sight to behold when unleashed.

One time, and one time only, did someone try to touch her inappropriately while she worked as a server in the tavern. Three weeks ago one of the new arrivals, fresh off the boat from the north, had ignored the warnings not to touch Azula and had given her ass a squeeze. Before he could even react, she twisted his arm behind his back with her left hand as her right hand smashed his face into the table, breaking his nose. Ty Lee had negotiated his release without Azula ripping his arm out of its socket, so Hakoda had gone easy on her. He had added a week’s work of earnings from the tavern to her indenture ledger but allowed her to keep working and to keep the tips she earned. The young man had gone back and apologized to her for his actions, and while it was clear that she was still angry about the incident, she accepted the apology and promised that it was in the past.

Hakoda, Sokka and Bato had only been sitting for a few minutes when Azula arrived with a pitcher of wine and three glasses, which she deftly placed on the table in front of the three men before speaking. “Have you decided what you’d like to eat? If Sokka’s hungry we might have to break into the secret store of food we were stockpiling for the festival.”

“Hey, I’m a growing lad. It takes a lot of food to feed these muscles.” Sokka said, giving a little flex.

“Yeah, well, you’re going to need those muscles to fend off Suki if she hears how you’ve been flirting with Isa.” She retorted, causing Sokka to splutter.

Hakoda and Bato just laughed; Isa was another new arrival and had taken a fancy to Sokka, much to his chagrin. Hakoda quickly changed the subject. “As much as I enjoy discussing my son’s many love affairs, I wanted to let you know that the cloth you ordered from the wholesale merchant on Whaletail Island finally arrived.”

Hakoda’s eyebrows raised at the broad smile that crossed Azula’s face. “That’s great, Hakoda. I’ll stop over and grab it after work.”

“No hurry, Azula. Kanna’s been dying to interrogate you about it.” He answered.

Her smile dimmed. “No offense, but this order is my personal business and I’m not willing to share anything about it, even with Kanna. The cost was added to my ledger, so it’s not any of yours or her concern.”

“Hey, you don’t have to answer to her or anyone else about this. I didn’t mean to upset you.” Hakoda said, raising his hands in submission.

“Have you decided what you want yet?” Azula answered, signaling that the discussion about her order was over.

The three men placed their order and Azula dutifully made her way to the kitchen. Hakoda’s attention was drawn to Miha, the second server in the tavern, as her booming voice called out to the group of men she was serving.

“You better step up and treat her right before I decide she can do better than a bloke like you and bring her into my bed to keep me warm. Watch yourself, Nuk.”

Her announcement caused the entire tavern to laugh and jeer at Nuk, warning him that Miha was coming for his girl. She wasn’t the only lesbian in Wolf Cove, but Miha was far and away than most open and outspoken one. Her sexuality offended most of the older members of the tribe, but the Southern Water Tribe had decided to accept people with alternative lifestyles to help boost their numbers. It set them apart from the Northern Water Tribe, where any relationship outside of strict heterosexuality with the man as the head of the household was looked down upon.

Miha was a big woman, both in personality and physical stature. Taller than Hakoda, she was big-boned and looked to be strong as an ox. She had come as a laborer to help with processing the whales that had been taken; she and her twin sister were both skilled in the whaling arts. A widow from an arranged marriage, she had taken this opportunity to come south with her sister, her brother-in-law, and niece to build a better life for herself.

She was quite attractive, with a pretty face and sparkling blue eyes and feminine curves that the men enjoyed looking at. Had she not made it clear she would never be with a man again, she would have been very popular. What no one had expected was for Miha to adopt Azula as her little sister.

Azula had worked side by side with Miha as they processed the whales, with Miha teaching Azula the routine for best processing a whale. How to skin the whale, how to remove the blubber, the best way of cutting the meat and the procedure for processing of the organs. They had worked side by side to process four whales together.

It was hard, dirty work but Azula had done it without complaint and, according to Miha and the others she worked with, the girl was a quick study. Miha had joined Azula as a server after the processing of the whales was done to earn some extra money to build her own lodging; she lived with her sister’s family for now but with Hazi pregnant again, Miha was looking to move out sooner rather than later.

The two servers were a wild and wooly pair when working together and their teasing of the patrons, especially the men, had made them quite popular. They had agreed to work all the busiest shifts at the tavern so that the others could spend more time enjoying themselves at the upcoming festival. It had surprised Hakoda that Azula didn’t seem to be bothered by Miha’s sexuality and just general sexual demeanor; he had never heard Azula make a sexual joke but she certainly laughed at the raunchy jokes her friend told.

Hakoda just shook his head as the banter in the tavern continued. The village had worked hard since the end of the war and the tribe was finally making progress and growing. The upcoming festival was going to be a great way to celebrate their success.

Aang was amazed at how much Wolf Cove had changed since he had visited there right after he had awakened. Before, it had been just a small collection of huts, while now there were hundreds of huts and six larger buildings which looked like they had been built with the assistance of waterbending. It was an all-around amazing transformation.

“This is absolutely incredible.” Katara said from the saddle behind Aang as they made their approach. “Dad and Sokka said that it was bigger now but I wasn’t expecting it to be like this.”

“It seems that a lot of people from the Northern Water Tribe were looking to make a change. This could lead to great things for the Southern Water Tribe.” Aang answered, guiding Appa to a clearing just outside of the village.

He was happy that Katara’s village was growing, but seeing how vibrant and alive it was now worried him too. He knew that Katara was homesick and now that Wolf Cove was so incredible, he feared that she would want to stay and help her people. There were quite a few healers that made their way from the north that could help Katara grow. There weren’t a lot of opportunities for her to improve her healing skills traveling with him.

He pushed those thoughts aside as Appa landed and he saw Sokka and his family making their way towards them. Katara was off Appa and running towards her family before Aang and even reached the ground, causing his heart to clutch even more. There was no time for worry though, as Sokka pulled him in for a hug.

“Man, it’s great to see you guys again! Can you believe how big Wolf Cove is now? At this rate we’ll be the largest city in the world in ten years.” Sokka joked as he stepped back.

Hakoda extended a hand and they held a warrior clasp, each of them grabbing the others’ forearm. Aang was the first to speak. “Your village really has grown! I couldn’t believe how big it was when we dropped below the cloud cover.”

Hakoda laughed. “It has been a magical year. The return of our warriors from the war and the influx of immigrants from the north has revitalized our people. We owe much to you for bringing balance back to our world, Aang.”

“It was just my duty.” Aang answered, rubbing the back of his head with his right hand. “It’s what the Avatar does.”

“And you’ve done it spectacularly, Aang.” Gran Gran said. “I swear that you’re growing like sea kelp. You’ll be taller than Hakoda in no time.”

Aang and the others laughed. It was true though; Aang had grown a lot since he last saw Gran Gran and Hakoda nine months ago. He could almost look Katara directly in the eye now. He greeted Suki and Pakku, giving the former a hug and the latter a respectful arm clasp. Once everyone had been greeted, Hakoda got everyone’s attention.

“Come, come, let us show you Wolf Cove hospitality.” Hakoda said, clapping Aang on the shoulder with his right hand while pulling Katara in for a side hug with his left arm. “I bet you guys are hungry. How about you Momo? Are you hungry?”

Aang laughed as Momo’s eyes went wide. He had perched himself on Sokka’s shoulders to get a little warmth but definitely perked up at the mention of food.

“I’m sure that he could eat if you placed some food in front of him. That’s probably why he went to Sokka; he knows a fellow food fiend when he sees one.” Katara joked, bumping shoulders with her brother.

“Now that you mention it, I could use a little food myself.” Sokka said. “Let’s hit the tavern so that Gran Gran doesn’t have to cook.”

“That’s a good idea, but everyone needs to be on good behavior; Azula is working there as a server tonight and I don’t want anyone causing any problems for her.” Gran Gran said, looking between Aang, Katara and Suki.

“Azula is working as a server?” Katara asked in an incredulous voice. “How do you know she’s not spitting in the food?”

“It’s too public for that and she’s become a pretty good server. It’s actually pretty funny to watch her and Miha banter with the customers; Miha might be the only woman I know that’s got a sharper tongue than Azula.” Sokka added, causing Aang’s head to spin.

“Are you sure that this is a good idea?” Suki said, getting everyone’s attention. “We don’t want to cause any trouble.”

“Azula knows that you were arriving today and that there was a good chance that the three of you would be coming to the tavern during one of the many shifts that she’s working during the festival. As Sokka said, she and Miha make a very entertaining pair and they both make a lot of money from tips.” Hakoda answered. “I’ve made arrangements for Miha to be our server if possible, at least for the first visit. It’s still early and I reserved us a table.”

Aang was a little concerned about how Azula would react from their visit but he had to admit that he was curious to see Azula in action. The decision was made and they walked towards one of the larger buildings. Going in through a door near a sign that said Wolf Guard Tavern, it took a few moments for Aang’s eyes to adjust to the dimmer indoor light.

And there she was, a large serving tray balanced on her left hand while she gracefully poured some liquid in the cups of the people at the table. She said something that Aang couldn’t hear over the noise of the crowd, but the three women at the table began hooting and gesturing towards the men, who were waving dismissively at whatever words Azula had said. Azula was grinning at whatever the women were saying.

Hakoda began walking towards a table in the back, catching Azula’s eye, causing her head to turn towards the incoming crowd. The grin faded but she still maintained a small smile as she locked eyes with Aang.

She gave a slight nod of the head before turning back to the table and setting the pitcher of whatever she had been pouring down. She clapped the water tribe man next to her on the shoulder and said some final words before she turned and walked back towards the counter.

Aang realized that he had fallen behind watching Azula and scurried over to catch up with the group. He was irritated when Katara was seated between Hakoda and Gran Gran. Not wanting to make a scene, he sat on the other side of Hakoda, next to Suki.

Hakoda went to speak but then closed his mouth as a tall woman came and stood next to Aang, looking down on the assembled group. Her voice was rather loud as she spoke. “I heard that you were bringing more youngin’s in, Hakoda. Do I need to get the kids menu out for these two?”

To Aang’s horror, she was pointing between Aang and Katara, getting a laugh out of Hakoda and Sokka. Hakoda was the one to answer her. “I think it’s okay to let them eat off the adult menu for now. Why don’t you get us started with some kelp wine while we help the newcomers pick out something good. Miha, allow me to introduce my daughter Katara, the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors, Suki, and of course the Avatar himself, Aang.”

Aang felt like Miha was dissecting the group with her eyes. “It’s nice to meet you all. You’re kinda famous. I’ve gotta say, girlie, I think you better keep an eye on your man here.” Miha said to Suki while pointing at Sokka. “He’s quite the charmer and many of the new arrivals have taken a shine to him. You should have seen the girls in the dance school swoon when Azula told the story of him trying to kill her with a black sword when they were fighting on a cable car above a boiling lake. You guys got into some crazy shit.”

“Yeah, we had some real adventures, but Suki’s the only girl for me. You know that, right Suki?” Sokka said, more than a little pleading in his voice.

Miha spoke again before Suki could answer. “I’m just giving you the heads up, Suki. Sokka’s been nothing but a gentleman and hasn’t encouraged anyone, but the stories he and Azula tell really get the juices flowing in the impressionable young women, if you know what I mean. And in some of the more mature ladies too, truth be told.”

Miha wriggled her eyes at Suki as Hakoda laughed. “All right, Miha, give our guests a little time to get acclimated before you give them a hard time. The council is thinking about passing an ordinance to keep you and Azula separated before you corrupt all the young women with your shenanigans.”

“I don’t corrupt the young women, Hakoda, but believe me when I say that I’m trying to corrupt quite a few of the more seasoned ones.” Miha answered with a smirk.

“Perhaps you should retrieve our drinks rather than talk of your deviant lifestyle.” Pakku said, glowering at Miha. Hakoda, Sokka and Gran Gran all sighed.

“Of course, Master Pakku. I apologize if I’ve offended your dainty and delicate sensibilities.” Miha answered before walking off.

An uncomfortable silence settled over the table before Hakoda spoke. “This isn’t the Northern Water Tribe, Pakku. There is no call for you to speak to Miha like that.”

“She was flouting her deviant lifestyle and I won’t tolerate it. I accept that you and your council have foolishly allowed people like her to practice their wicked ways, but I will not endorse it, either tacitly or implicitly.” Pakku answered in a sullen voice.

“Uhm, what are we talking about?” Aang ventured to ask. He wasn’t sure what was going on. Katara looked confused too. Oddly enough, by the way Suki was frowning, she seemed to know something of what was going on.

“Miha enjoys romantic relations with women rather than men.” Hakoda explained. “It is not tolerated in the Northern Water Tribe or its holdings, but we have decided to allow homosexual relationships to be openly practiced here, as well as several other types of non-traditional relationships.”

Aang wasn’t surprised by Pakku’s outburst; he knew of the Northern Water Tribe’s conservative values. He was pleasantly surprised that Hakoda was being more understanding. The Air Nomads believed that all consensual relationships among adults were to be respected.

Aang turned as he heard footsteps behind him, expecting to see Miha, but was instead greeted with the sight of Azula carrying two pitchers in her right hand and propping up a serving tray with her left hand. The entire table was silent as she spoke. “Here is your order of kelp wine. I’ll be taking over your serving duties; it’s hard to believe that you people were rude enough that a sworn enemy of your people is less angry at you than one of your own. Have you decided yet what you’d like to order?”

Azula placed the two pitchers on the table as she began setting down cups in front of everyone. She was greeted by silence as she then proceeded to pour the wine. “I can give you a few minutes if you need to gather your wits about you. If you’re not comfortable ordering from either Miha or myself, I can have the cook come out take your orders. We’re not sharing our tips with him though.”

“That won’t be necessary, Azula. Pakku can get started while the rest of us help the newcomers. How is the special today?” Hakoda answered for the group.

“Eh, the salmon-trout doesn’t seem to be resonating with the crowd today; I think Elin got a bit too fancy with the spices and moved too far away from conventional water tribe fare. It’s more in line with the cuisine in Omashu, so those with a taste for earth nation fare might be okay with it.” Azula answered.

Azula wrote down the orders as the group decided; Aang decided to try the sea prune soup while Suki and Gran Gran both decided to try the special; Gran Gran said she was interested in trying something with an earth nation flair. Once Azula had everyone’s order, she turned around and made her way back to the counter.

“That was one of the most bizarre experiences I’ve had in quite a while.” Katara said in a low voice, her eyes boring into Azula’s back as she walked away.

“Believe me, it takes some getting used to but I have to admit that she’s really fit in here. She still gets the stink eye from some of the veterans but most of the younger folk have accepted her. Working here as a server and bandying with the customers has really made her seem a lot more human than she was before.” Sokka interjected before taking a drink of his wine.

“I just don’t trust her. A tigerdillo can’t change her stripes.” Katara hissed.

“I get it, sis. I had the same argument with dad and Gran Gran when I first arrived, but if I hadn’t fought her during the war, I’d have never believed now that she had been the deadliest woman on the planet.” Sokka answered with a sigh. “Look, Aang took her bending as punishment and as much as I like and respect Zuko, the charges were trumped up and she was punished for solely political reasons. She’s making the most of her second chance and I hope that she does reform and live the life that she wants.”

“That’s a great sentiment, Sokka, and I think that we all want to see her succeed, but care needs to be taken that she’s not allowed to become a threat in the future.” Aang said.

“I understand your concern, but the council has decided that she is no longer a threat and are going to be sending the Kyoshi Warrior guard home after the festival.” Hakoda said, his voice serious. “They’re miserable and there must be better opportunities for them to help the world than by babysitting a sixteen-year-old girl that has time and time again proven that she’s not a threat.”

“You can’t be serious, Dad.” Katara said as Aang just looked on with his mouth agape.

“He is serious, Katara. Ty Lee agrees with the decision and I’ve already given the girls the news. As a matter of fact, they’ve already been removed from duty so that they can enjoy the festival before they travel home with me.” Suki added. “Zuko’s not going to be happy when he hears about this though. He and Mai will arrive tomorrow, right?”

“It has been decided; as a matter of fact, Azula’s been putting in so many hours sewing, processing whales and serving that she will probably satisfy the conditions of her release by this time next year. Zuko will have to deal with the news; Azula will be released from her indentured servitude as soon as she pays her penance. She has been a model guest and there is nothing more to say about the subject.” Hakoda said, bringing the conversation to a close. The group was quiet for a few moments before Gran Gran changed the subject and asked Aang and Katara how their travels were going. The mood lightened as Aang told some funny stories about the animals that he had harassed and Katara described some of the incredible sights they had come across. The talk was fast and light as Azula and Miha both approached with their food.

The plates were quickly set before the appropriate people and things were great again. It was a bit shocking how quickly he had adjusted to Azula’s presence in her new role. After dinner, they made their way to the main hall, where Aang and Suki were shown to their quarters; apparently Hakoda wanted his children and their special friends to have separate sleeping quarters.

It was okay with Aang since he knew Hakoda was just looking out for his children. Sokka looked like he was about to complain but a stern look from Suki stopped him. He made a big show of saying goodnight when they went their separate way for the evening. Aang’s goodbye to Katara was much more subdued and he worried that she actually was glad to have so much separation from him. He tried to believe that it was just her joy in reuniting with her family after so long away, but he didn’t really believe it.

He was happy that things were going so well for the Southern Water Tribe, but his worries about Katara meant that he slept fitfully that night. The next morning, after checking on Appa, Aang joined Katara at her family’s hut for breakfast. He felt a little better when she gave him a warm smile, but felt a little put out that there was no hug or kiss. Maybe she was just being bashful around her family.

They had a pleasant conversation around breakfast. As everyone got ready to go on their way, Gran Gran surprised Aang with a request. “Aang, would you like to come and meet the sewing group that I work with. Sokka has told many colorful stories about his travels with you; combined with the stories that Azula tells you have become quite a legendary figure. Your battle with Azula on the giant drill at the wall of Ba Sing Se had the girls talking for days.”

Aang wasn’t sure how he felt about Azula regaling people with tales of their battles, but he guessed it couldn’t hurt. “Sure, Gran Gran. I’d love to meet your friends.”

“Should I come too?” Katara asked.

“Actually, some of the healers wanted to know if you’d have time to show them some of the techniques that you’ve learned. You have quite the reputation as a skilled healer.” Hakoda interjected before Gran Gran or Aang could speak.

By the way that Katara’s face lit up, Aang knew that she would much rather talk to healers than hang out with Azula and her friends. Her words spoke the truth that Aang already knew. “That would be great, dad. I bet that they have lots of knowledge that they could share with me.”

The walk to the sewing hut was short and Aang could already hear the excited buzz of the girls as he approached. Gran Gran spoke in a soft voice. “The girls know that Azula battled you and Sokka often, but she has never denigrated either of you. You’re a good lad and I know that you have a big heart, so please don’t paint Azula in too harsh a light if you tell stories about her.”

“I won’t, Gran Gran. She was a child soldier fighting for her nation; I…I don’t agree with what she did, but I understand why she did it. Ozai was both her father and the Fire Lord. It doesn’t excuse what she did, but it explains it.”

“Thank you, Aang.” Gran Gran said as a girl opened the flap to the tent for them. Aang held in his sigh at the starstruck look in her eyes. He’d seen it far more times than he’d like.

It went better than he had expected until it didn’t, with the younger girls asking a bunch of questions about his travels and did he really fight Azula so many times. He was left to fend all the questions as a smirking Azula kept her eyes down and worked with what looked to be very smooth and graceful hand movements.

He said yeah, they fought a lot and they were really impressed when he told them how Azula and two Dai Lee agents held him, Sokka and Toph at bay during the Day of the Black Sun without her firebending. The girls all ooohed and aaaaahed over Azula fighting such powerful foes without her bending.

“I can believe it, Avatar. Most of us have gotten up early at least once just to go and watch Azula’s morning exercise. She’s so fast and nimble. I bet she was really scary when she was an evil firebender. It’s a good thing Zuko and Katara were able to beat her up.” A girl that Gran Gran had called Juma said.

A pall fell over the room as Juma’s words sank in. It was Azula that broke the uncomfortable silence. “Indeed, I was that scary and evil. Luckily for everyone but me, things didn’t go my way. The Avatar and his friends won and all that it cost me was a very part of my soul. Having such an important aspect of your life ripped from you makes you reflect on your life and the people around you. I should try to look on the bright side though; without you, Avatar, I probably never would have learned to sew.”

It felt like the air was sucked out of the room as everyone looked down and avoided eye contact with either Azula or Aang. Aang looked down, filled with a sense of unease as he surreptitiously watched Azula.

She didn’t look up or slow down her work; the needle continuously moved up, down and around as Azula continued her sewing. No further questions arose and Aang said his goodbyes and decided to make his way out to find Hakoda. He had agreed to go along with Zuko’s and Kuei’s plans for Azula, but it seems now that it had been a fool’s errand. Tensions were almost as high as before he took Azula’s bending and the two sides had already started squabbling over the territory that Kuei had agreed to let Zuko keep in exchange for Azula’s punishment.

He wouldn’t say that Azula was innocent, but the more he thought about what happened the more he understood that she had been treated unfairly.

Chapter Text

Azula levitated two feet of the ground, pushing on three bone discs situated in a perfect equilateral triangle on the floor of her little hut. She found that maintaining the perfect push pattern was an excellent meditation focal point, allowing her to clear her mind of other thoughts and bring tranquility to her turbulent mind.

She was angry with Aang and the girls of the sewing group for bringing a stark reminder of who she had been and what she had lost. The reminder that she had been a total failure that had brought low by a fucking water peasant while her own powers had been amped beyond belief. The causes of her fall kept flitting through her mind.

Hubris. Obsession. Anger. Insanity.

Minute after minute she allowed the thoughts to appear in her mind as she carefully balanced the prana flow that she used to push her up and away from the three attunements. They crossed her mind and then she returned her focus to her prana. Slowly, she felt the ripples of her troubled thoughts flatten and a sense of equilibrium began to settle.

She didn’t try to deny the feelings of anger, outrage, shame, fear, and despair that flooded her mind; she merely acknowledged the feelings and let them go. They couldn’t harm her if she didn’t allow them to consume her, to take hold in her psyche and occupy space in her thoughts. No, she noted them and cast them aside as the penalty paid by the Azula that had lived before, the Azula that lived with her bending.

That Azula died when Aang took her bending and she had been given the gift of lifebinding in its place. She acknowledged the strengths and flaws of the girl that she had been, but she didn’t dwell on what she had lost. She had come to terms with the terrible things that had befallen her; she now looked forward towards the woman that she wanted to be.

She had taken to studying the texts of the great philosophical and spiritual orders that Zuko had gifted her. No single one of schools of thought resonated with her entire being, but she took the good from each and adjusted it for her own use. Letting go of material attachment like Guru Laghima. Emotional regulation like the Disciples of Ara Zhun. Inner peace through service like Meleva the Wise.

Progress was slow but steady. It had been months since she had felt as out of sorts as today. Being reminded that she was both evil and a failure by a girl that she was friendly with had shaken her. The looks of judgement from those that she worked with had bothered her, even if she had been able to mask her discomfort. It was a painful reminder that no matter how well they treated her, she wasn’t one of these people. She would always be other, on the wrong side of a divide that could never be crossed.

This is why she had ordered the special fabrics from the earth nations. She needed to begin preparing for the day she would need to walk away from the Southern Water Tribe. There were special attunements that were to be made and new clothes to be created so that she could blend in with the people of the earth nations. Things had to be managed carefully; she had a plan and she needed to be able to not only walk the walk but also talk the talk of the new persona she was crafting.

That would be in the future though. She had to prepare for her shift at the tavern soon, so she lowered herself to the floor and unfurled the cloth tentacles that she had prepared from the cloth used in the southern water tribe. It wasn’t the optimal material and weave, but it was good enough for practice. She extended one of the tentacles that she had wrapped around her waist and used it to deftly pick up the kettle that was heating over the fire.

She brought the kettle to the first mug that she had set out and used a second tentacle to tilt it so that the hot water filled the mug to prepare tea. She would never admit it to the foppish old fool Iroh but she had taken a liking to several of the teas favored by the water tribe. Once the mug was filled to the appropriate level, she commanded the tentacles to stop pouring before she moved the kettle to the second mug and filled it.

She quickly put the kettle back and recalled the tentacles; they were once again wrapped around her waist when she heard her guest call out to her. “Open up, little sis, I need a dose of your tea before we go to deal with the hooligans in the tavern tonight.”

“Come on in, Miha, the tea is steeping and will be ready in just a few minutes. We have time to relax before we go.”

The flap to Azula’s hut opened and Miha quickly stepped inside out of the cold and quickly closed the flap again to conserve warmth. Miha ducked down and took a seat on the rug as Azula set one of the mugs of tea before her. She gave Azula a wary smile. “Rumor has it that my little sister had a bit of a rough go of it today.”

Azula shrugged. She knew that Miha was well integrated into the camp’s rumor mill. “It’s one thing when I parcel out bits and pieces of my past to the people here, but it’s another when the Avatar arrives and upsets the bubble that I’ve crafted. He didn’t mean to, but when the paragon of goodly virtue tells everyone that you were one of his most fearsome enemies, it colors how people see you. I’m once again the face of an evil that stretched across a century.”

Miha held the warm mug in her hand and took a second to savor the aroma before speaking. “It is great to be a strong and independent woman, but the opinions of others can weigh on us. Expectations about who we are can weigh us down while memories of our missteps will often give others motivation to watch for us to fall again. It is something many of us that differ from the majority struggle with; granted, none of us have had our pasts held against us to the same degree that you have.”

“I know who I am and what I did. I…I…I can admit to myself that what I did was wrong. You’re the only other person I can even admit that too though. Sometimes I wish that I had known someone like you in my past. Someone I could have been myself with then like I am with you now.” Azula said, her cheeks coloring with the shame of her words. Ozai would have called her a fool and cursed her for caring so much about a lesbian water tribe girl. But Azula didn’t care what Ozai thought of her anymore.

She had come to realize that he never loved her. She was just another tool to be used until it was no longer needed and then disposed of. Zuko and Iroh thought of her the same way, since she had been mutilated and cast out by her dear brother with such little regard for kinship. She doubted he would have done it without Iroh’s approval. And the less said about Ursa the better.

Miha’s voice brought her back to the present. “I wish that I could have been for you then too, but hopes and wishes won’t change things. We both made mistakes and we’ve come here to make a new start. I told you that I came here so that I could be free to pursue love on my own terms, but that wasn’t really the truth. Well, not the full truth.”

Azula looked up to see the saddest expression on Miha’s face that she had ever seen her friend wear. “You know that I had an arranged marriage. I didn’t find him sexually attractive, but I did my duty and I tried to be a good wife. He knew my preferences but he was a good man and he tried to be as gentle and caring with me as he could, almost as if he could change my mind. To make me love being with him like a wife should.”

“Nahuk and I had only been married for eight months when the Fire Nation fleet attacked Agna Qel’a. I had just turned nineteen when we married and I hoped that I’d be able to change. Perhaps for him I could have. But he died defending the city walls from your countrymen.”

“I mourned for him, because even though I didn’t desire him sexually, he was a good man and I cared for him. I’ve shared all of this with you before but there is more to the story. I had been seven months pregnant when Nahuk had died.”

Azula up straight at this news. In the months that they had been working together, first processing whales and now as servers, she had never told Azula this story. She waited silently as Miha gathered her thoughts, her eyes moist. Miha finally started speaking again. “Naku was born seven weeks after Nahuk died. She was perfect, but it was the world that was ugly.”

Azula felt her spine fill with fear. “What happened?”

“There had been rumors about me before I was married; I wasn’t as open as I am now but it was known to many that I had kissed and even gone a little further with several girls. My family was not prominent in Agna Qel’a but had social aspirations and I was deemed a deviant. A friend of mine moved in with me after Nahuk’s death; she was also a lesbian but we weren’t a couple. She only moved in to help me deal with the loss of my husband as I struggled with a newborn. Others didn’t see it like that, though. They accused me of dishonoring Nahuk by inviting a female lover into my home so soon after his death. Nahuk’s family was wealthy and very conservative. They conspired with my family and the civil authorities to take my baby and send her out of the city. I…I didn’t even get to say goodbye.”

Tears fell down Miha’s face as Azula set her mug aside and pulled Miha in for a tight hug, which was eagerly returned. Azula whispered in her ear. “I’m so sorry, Miha.”

At last, Miha released her hold and Azula sat back. Miha continued her story. “I begged them to give her back, saying that I would never touch another woman again, but it was all for naught. Without my child, I was allowed to live as I chose and I was left alone so long as I did things discreetly. I was truly left alone except for Hazi and Jank. The rest of my family turned against me, and then against them for siding with me. That’s why we made our way south.”

“I know what it’s like to have your family turn against you.” Azula said in a low voice.

“I know you do and that’s why I was drawn to you. Your family did to you what mine did to me. They took an important part of you and stripped it away before casting you aside. I felt your loneliness when I first started working with you, I saw how you struggled. I felt that you had a bit of me in you. I had my sister, but you were adrift with no one. I wanted to be that person for you, Azula. I wanted to show you that someone cared who you were and what you were feeling. I wanted to tell you there is hope, that you can rebuild.”

“I know I can but I’m so lonely sometimes. You really have been an inspiration for me, Miha. Thank you.” Azula said, barely getting the words out before she was pulled into another big hug.

“You’re welcome, little sister. I wanted to have this talk with you so that you can brace yourself. Your brother just arrived at the dock on a big Fire Nation ship. I want you to remain strong. He’s your past but you’ve got so much future ahead. Don’t let the babblings of little girls and asshole brothers slow your impressive progress, do you hear me?”

“I do, Miha, but we better get to work. The poor saps here need our help to get drunk and act like buffoons and assholes; the wine and ale at the tavern won’t serve itself.” Azula said with a laugh.

They both composed themselves and made their way out of her tent and began the short walk to the tavern. She hoped that Zuko wouldn’t bother her at work but it wouldn’t surprise her if he wanted to inspect her. He probably would want a public forum to mock her and gloat about his firebending and Fire Lord title. He was an asshole but she would endure.

Hakoda sighed at the look of outrage on Zuko’s face. He kept his face stoic as Zuko spluttered. “She’s a danger to everyone around her; how can you take her guards away?”

“She’s not like she use to be, Zuko.” Ty Lee answered before Hakoda had a chance. “I…I know that she did bad things but she’s been a model prisoner. All the girls say that she’s one of the hardest workers in the village and other than breaking that guy’s nose for groping her, she’s not used a single bit of violence.”

“She broke a guy’s nose! That proves that she’s still violent.” Zuko retorted.

“Zuko, your sister is a stranger in a strange land. You can understand that she was afraid that people would try to take advantage of her situation, so she warned me that anyone that behaved in an inappropriate sexual manner towards her would be dealt with violently. Her initial warning was that she would kill the offender, consequences be damned. She actually showed restraint and allowed Ty Lee and Haji to take the young man into custody after defending herself. He, along with everyone else, was warned to keep their hands off her. The council agrees with my decision and Suki has already withdrawn the guards from their duty.” Hakoda explained.

“She really is doing great, Zuko. She’s already six months ahead in paying off her indenture balance. It wouldn’t surprise me if she has it paid off by this time next year. She might be able to attend the next Wolf Moon Festival as a guest instead of a worker.” Sokka interjected, causing Zuko’s expression to darken even more.

Zuko turned towards Hakoda. “You told me it would take three years. Are you purposefully giving her extra money just to be rid of her. If you don’t want her, perhaps I should just take her back to the Fire Nation.”

“She is on the cusp of being a journeyman seamstress and she makes an astounding amount of money as one half of the most popular pair of servers in the village. She and Miha draw crowds to the tavern every night they work and make great tips. She puts nearly everything she makes towards her debt. All that she has bought is some fabric from some earth nation traders. She has earned every kurtik that she’s been given and I have no intention of breaking our arrangement and returning Azula to the Fire Nation against her will.” Hakoda said, staring Zuko in the eyes.

“I can’t believe that Azula is popular as a server; I bet that she’s a laughingstock and the people give her tips just to get her out of your village.” Zuko retorted.

“Uhm, that’s not true, Zuko. Azula and Miha are really funny. They’re also really graceful and uhm, well, good-looking.” Aang said, turning a bit red as Katara fixed him with a death stare.

Aang’s plight was alleviated when Zuko spoke. “I want to see her. I want to see this funny Azula in action.”

Hakoda exchanged looks with Sokka and Ty Lee. They all knew that Zuko’s presence might put a downer on Azula’s server routine but there really wasn’t a way to say no to this request without being rude. He acquiesced to the inevitable. “She’s working now if you wish to go, but this is a popular time and will be crowded. I think it should only be me, Zuko and Sokka that go.”

Zuko’s guards weren’t happy about being left outside but that was the only way that this was going to happen; the tavern was I the midst of the dinner rush and the owner did them a favor by making arrangements for them to have a small table.

Hakoda saw Azula flick Merin’s ear, causing the entire table to laugh. Her back was to them, so it was hard to tell if she was laughing too. He caught Miha’s eyes first and was greeted with a frown as she gave Zuko a once over. It was easy to tell who he was and it was just as easy to tell that Miha wasn’t happy to see him.

The moment of truth happened a moment later as Azula turned around, her attention probably drawn to them due to everyone turning to stare at them. She scanned Zuko and then simply turned back to the group and clapped Janu on her shoulder and made her way towards the front. Zuko silently watched her go, his face inscrutable.

Miha made her way towards them as they sat. “Hello, everyone. It is an honor to meet you, Lord Zuko; I’m Miha and I’ll be serving you tonight.”

“I want Azula.” Zuko rapidly answered in a sharp tone, before realizing he was being rude. “My apologies, that came out wrong. It mean no disrespect to you, but I came to see my sister.”

“And I mean no disrespect when I say that isn’t going to happen. Azula is working and has no interest in interacting with you at her place of business. We made it clear to the owner that we will walk out during our shift if anyone tries to force her to serve you against her will.” Miha answered, staring Zuko in the eyes.

Zuko may not have known anything about Miha but he recognized the seriousness in her eyes. “Fine. I won’t force Azula to serve us.” He turned to Hakoda. “Are we getting anything here?”

“Allow me to buy you a glass of our finest dark ale.” Hakoda answered. He wanted to let Zuko see Azula in action without harassing her. So far, at least, she was still bouncing among the tables and trading friendly barbs and insults with the groups.

They sat in silence as Zuko watched her, his eyes following her as he obviously tried to hear what she was saying and what was being said in return. A few times the exchanges were loud enough to hear in the noisy tavern but most of the time they couldn’t tell. Hakoda knew that most of the barbs were friendly jokes about love interests or hunting prowess, two things that the young men that frequented the tavern often cared about. This was the main clientele for Azula and Miha and they played it up at the expense of the young men. Women were sometimes teased but more often they were treated as allies in the torment of the men in their company. A good time was usually had by all. Hakoda and Sokka sat quietly as Zuko drank and watched his sister in silence as the crowd laughed and cheered for her.

Hakoda was glad that this was the trend tonight.

After Zuko finished his drink and reluctantly admitted that it was good, he finally spoke. “I won’t bother her tonight, but there is a proposal that I would like to make to her. I was waiting to see how she was doing before I decided to approach her. She…she seems to be doing well enough that I would like to speak with her tomorrow.”

“Of course, Zuko. It’s only half a workday for Azula with the sewing group tomorrow. She’ll be finished by lunch and won’t work another shift here until dinner time.” Hakoda answered. “With your permission, I can ask her to join us at the main hall.”

“That would be fine.” Zuko said, still staring at his sister. He finally turned away. “And thank you for working with Azula. I…I had my doubts but things seem to be going well.”

“I agree they are. Let me tell her while Sokka takes you out to your guards.” With that, the three of them stood up and Hokada left a tip for Miha before making his way towards the front of the tavern where the food is put up for delivery.

Sensing he wished to speak, Azula paused before grabbing the food she needed to deliver. She remained silent as he spoke. “Zuko wishes to make a proposition to you tomorrow. Please come to the main hall after your sewing shift is done.”

“Of course.” Was all she said as she loaded up her serving tray and took the food out to the hungry patrons.

Hakoda was glad that Azula didn’t seem out of sorts after seeing Zuko, but he suspected that things were going to get more difficult. Tomorrow was probably going to be an interesting day.

Aang watched nervously as Azula was led into the largest room in the main hall. It had been set up for trade discussions but it would work for Zuko’s discussion with his sister. Zuko had shared with plan with Aang, Katara, Sokka, Hakoda, Suki and Ty Lee earlier today and now it was time to see what Azula thought of it.

Aang honestly didn’t know how the conversation would go.

Azula sat cross legged on the floor in front of the table across from Zuko and Mai. Aang and the others sat at the table also but they were farther down and it felt more like they were going to be listening in on the conversation rather than participants. Except for Hakoda, who sat closest to Azula. He wasn’t close enough to feel like he was hovering but he definitely had made it clear to Zuko earlier that Azula was his ward and he would look out for her interests.

Despite all that Azula had done, Aang approved of Hakoda being in her corner.

There were a few moments of awkward silence before Zuko spoke. “It is good to see you, Azula. Hakoda and the others say that you are doing well and have been a model guest.”

He paused, looking to see if she was going to speak. When it became clear that she wasn’t, Zuko continued. “I…I may have been a bit rash in banishing you from the Fire Nation. I was struggling to hold the nation together after the war and the concessions that Kuei offered in return for you, uhm, being dealt with eased a lot of the tensions that might have led to war.”

He paused again, waiting for Azula to speak. When she again refused to answer, he let his irritation show. “Aren’t you going to say anything? Has being her in the south frozen your tongue?”

“By no means; I’ve come to appreciate the cold. I had been worried that without my firebending, I would feel the cold more but that problem never came to pass. I’m not speaking because slaves aren’t supposed to speak unless they are given permission. Hakoda said that you had a proposition for me?” Azula said, her tone neutral and her voice calm.

Zuko huffed before speaking. “You aren’t a slave. Once again you want to make yourself seem like the victim by claiming you’re being held in slavery. But to answer your question, yes, I do have a proposition for you. I am coming with an opportunity for you to return to the Fire Nation.”

“No thank you.” Azula answered, essentially cutting Zuko’s next sentence off.

He looked back at her, his mouth agape, while she just stared back with a bored expression on her face.

“How can you dismiss my offer without even hearing the proposition?”

“Because I don’t want to return to the Fire Nation. I have a path to freedom here and I plan on taking it. These people have taken me in, and while I’m a slave, at least they have allowed me the opportunity to learn useful skills and have prevented me from being abused. That’s more than the Fire Nation did during my stay in the asylum after the war.” Azula’s tone was cold and her words conveyed a deep anger.

“I…I never heard about you being mistreated.” Zuko responded, doubt on his face.

“It doesn’t matter now. You might as well tell me your proposition so I can reject you again. It would save time to heed my refusal now but we both know that you love to hear yourself speak too much not to finish what you started.”

Zuko pursed his lips and then took a calming breath. “I didn’t come here to fight. I’ve been investigating what might have happened to Mother but I keep running into dead ends. Father refuses to answer any questions from me but he’s hinted that he might be willing to talk to you. If you come back and assist with my investigation by getting information from Father, I will pay off your indenture bond and allow you to return to the Fire Nation as a princess.”

Azula waited for a moment before speaking. “Is that the proposition?”

“Yes.”

“That was more concise and to the point than I expected from you. My answer is still no.”

“Azula, Zuko is offering you a chance to make up for your crimes and return to the palace. You would have luxury and a place of importance again. You could help the Fire Nation deal with the many problems facing us. You were always an intelligent and forward-thinking person.” Mai interjected.

“I’ve tried to be polite but let me now speak plainly. I care nothing for the Fire Nation. I care nothing for either of you, for Ozai, for Ursa or for our foppish tea-drinking uncle. I hope that Ursa is living a horrible life as a diseased and crippled peasant that eeks out a bare existence farming infertile soil, gaining just enough sustenance to keep her miserable and pathetic life going. I hope that Ozai is choking on his broken aspirations and lives out the rest of his days as a wretched prisoner, deep underground, alone and forgotten. I hope that you continue being as miserable as you now seem for the rest of your days. I would rather remain a slave for the rest of my life than do anything to make the life of anyone in the Fire Nation better in any way. Fuck off and take your traitorous whore with you.”

Aang was astounded by the pure hatred and vitriol that Azula had put into her voice as she basically told Zuko that she hated him and all of his family. Judging by the shocked looks on the faces of everyone, everyone was trying to come to terms with the angry words that Azula had just uttered. Aang was having trouble reconciling the harsh words that spilled from her mouth with the calm look now on her face.

A stunned silence filled the room for several moments before Zuko finally spoke, the low and angry words uttered through gritted teeth. “I should have known that you haven’t changed. I make you an offer to get your life back and you spit in my face. You’re still a monster.”

“Maybe, but at least I’m honest about what I am. You spout about honor and yet the first time you’re offered an easy way out of a problem, you barter away your own sister with barely a second thought and commit a sin against the Great Spirits by taking my bending. We both know that everything that I did during the war was legal and that I won the Agni Kai. You and Katara conspired to cheat me while I was at my lowest point and then took my bending so that I could never threaten you again. You’re a coward and a hypocrite; luckily that’s all that I believe the Fire Nation deserves. Fuck you, Zuko.”

Zuko’s face was bright read as he turned to face Hakoda. “Chief Hakoda, I am recalling Azula from your care. You will be paid the balance of her indenture bond.”

“Uhm, you can pay the indenture bond if you wish, but then she will become a free woman that can choose her own path. I have no legal obligation to force her to return to the Fire Nation.” Hakoda answered, his voice calm but Aang could sense how stressful he found this discussion by rapid increase in his heartbeat.

“Dad’s right, Zuko. The indentured servitude contract sets Azula free when her debt is paid, with no conditions attached.” Sokka interjected. “No offense, Zuko, but Azula isn’t a citizen of the Fire Nation anymore.”

Zuko glared at Sokka for a few moments until Mai put a hand on his forearm. He glanced at her imploring look and he took a deep breath, which he held for a few seconds before exhaling. Once he was calmed down a bit, he spoke again to Azula. “Azula, this conversation has gotten out of hand. Please consider my offer; life in the Fire Nation is better than anything you could find on your own.”

He might have been ready to say more, but Azula’s loud laughter brought him up short. Her voice had more than a hint of amusement in it as she spoke. “Oh, Zuko, I have a plan for my life and whether it pans out or not, it’s going to be a grand adventure. Please leave me be and never speak to me again. I don’t want to speak to you, Mai, Iroh, Ozai or even Ursa if you ever find her. Once I’m free, I’m going to disappear and you will not need to worry about me. There’s a whole world for me to explore.”

Everyone watched as she stood before she spoke again. “Goodbye, Zuko. If Agni is listening to any of my prayers, I will never have to lay eyes on you or the whore ever again.”

And with that, Azula turned around and walked out of the room without so much as a backwards glance at the group in the main hall. Aang could tell by the pissed look on Zuko’s face that this wasn’t going to be the end of the discussion.

Chapter Text

Hakoda was pleased with how well the Wolf Moon Festival went for his tribe; after so many years of war and the slow attrition of his people, it was great to see the influx of new faces and the enrichment of his village. Over two thousand people had celebrated at Wolf Cove and seven hundred of them would still be there when all was said and done, with another four hundred new residents expected to come down before the next whaling season.

His people were prospering and the future looked bright.

It was time to say goodbye to two of the Southern Water Tribes Fire most prestigious guests, Lord Zuko and his girlfriend Mai. It was wonderful for Hakoda’s kids to spend time with all their friends, the Gaang as Sokka like to call them, which had come to include Zuko towards the end of the war. While Zuko was happy to see all his friends, it was clear that his good will no longer extended to his only family in Wolf Cove.

Hakoda sighed as he thought back to the discussion between Zuko and Azula; he had really hoped that somehow the two of them would be able to at least have a civil discussion. Azula telling Zuko that she hated him, Mai and pretty much the entirety of the Fire Nation didn’t bring the siblings closer together. Even when given time to cool off, Azula reiterated that she wanted nothing to do with her old life and that it was her fondest wish to never see Zuko and Mai again.

Zuko doubled down on the disconnect between the two by telling Hakoda to inform Azula that she was not only banished from the Fire Nation islands themselves but also the colonies. The penalty for her being caught in any territory controlled by the Fire Nation was death. Zuko’s friends tried to talk him back from such an extreme punishment; to Hakoda’s surprise, even Katara spoke out against the proclamation.

Nothing would sway Zuko though.

Zuko was heading back to the Fire Nation now; he was glad to get away for a while but he still had duties he had to carry out. He would stop by a few ports in the Fire Colonies to evaluate the local situation before returning to the capital. Hakoda empathized with the boy, since there seemed to be no end to the problems he faced over the Fire Nation’s involvement in the war.

His empathy only extended so far, though; the Fire Nation had done many terrible things over the course of a century and there was no way that everything could be smoothed over in just a year. He wished Zuko well but Hakoda feared that international relations would get worse before they got better.

“Safe travels, Lord Zuko. May you and Lady Mai continue helping the Fire Nation rebuild and may your people experience peace and prosperity.” Hakoda said, giving a variation of the traditional water tribe farewell.

“Thank you, Chief Hakoda. May your people continue prospering; it is astounding how much your village has grown. It is a testament to your leadership and the hardiness of your people that you have recovered so quickly from the war.” Zuko answered.

“Dad has done a great job in rebuilding our people; someday I hope to be as great a leader as him.” Sokka said, smiling at Hakoda.

Hakoda clapped his son on the shoulder. “You’ve already done more for the world than I ever will, son. They will sing songs of your exploits with Aang and the others for years to come. I’m proud of both you and Katara and all your friends that won the war and returned balance to the world.”

Zuko’s other friends stepped up and said goodbye. Aang, Katara, Suki, Toph and Ty Lee all gave Zuko and Mai hugs and good wishes before they made their way back to the Royal Barge. Hakoda pulled Katara in for a side hug as they all waved goodbye to their friends.

He looked down at his daughter and tried to keep a neutral expression on his face. She smiled as she waved to the departing ship, but the joy and happiness that he had seen immediately after the war was no longer evident in her eyes. She was stiff and held herself with a reserve that wasn’t like the warm and open young woman he knew.

Something was bothering her and it was pretty easy to guess that it had something to do with Aang. He saw how she had purposefully placed people between them at any group meal and how she avoided many of Aang’s attempts at public displays of affection. Not all of them, but enough that Hakoda knew that something about their relationship was bothering her.

Many things about their relationship bothered Hakoda, but given Aang’s status as the Avatar and the role that Katara had played in the war, he had pretty much been given no choice in how Katara spent her time after the war. He still respected her wishes, but he decided it was time to have a heart to heart and see if he could dish out some fatherly advice to help her deal with her situation.

He saw his chance later that day when Sokka and Aang went off to discuss a missive that Hakoda’s son had received from the White Lotus. Hakoda took this opportunity to invite Katara for tea and a talk. “I know that you’re going to be heading out soon, so how about indulging your dear old dad with a little time before you go. It’s lonely in my hut now that your Gran Gran and Pakku have their own place. Sokka sleeps here but he spends nearly every waking hour out and about among the people.”

He was happy to see a genuine smile adorn her face. “I’ve love that, Dad. We haven’t really had a chance to spend much time alone together.”

They chatted pleasantly while they made their way to his hut. She caught him offguard as they entered. “You know, it probably wouldn’t be so lonely here if you found a woman to keep you company. I…I know that you loved Mom, but it’s okay to keep living. She wouldn’t want you to be alone forever.”

Hakoda’s mouth opened and closed a few times as her words tumbled around in his mind. She just looked at him expectantly until he finally found the words he was looking for. “I know that she wouldn’t want me to be alone, but there has been so much to do that I haven’t had time. Plus, as chief I have to make sure that I’m perceived as fair and honest. I don’t want anyone, especially single women, thinking that I will rule differently based on whether or not they will be in a relationship with me.”

“Dad, you can’t single forever just because-“ Katara started, but Hakoda put a finger to her lips to stop her.

“Not forever, dear one. The Council is looking to codify the framework for how our village expands and will create a system for dealing with contracts, disputes and such within a set of laws. Having a chief who made decisions based on the needs of the situation was fine when we were only a few hundred people and everyone had ties of family and friendship. As we grow too big for that, we need a different system. Once the system is in place, I will not have as much freedom to make judgment decisions and I’ll be able to date again.”

He removed his finger from her mouth and she immediately stepped forward and hugged him. He wrapped his arms around her and patted her back. “That’s great, Dad. Just tell them not to take too long or all the young women will be taken and you’ll be stuck with someone Gran Gran’s age.”

Hakoda laughed at his daughter’s words and they separated. They talked about the growth of the village and the expected influx of new residents until the tea was ready. He decided to broach the subject of Katara and Aang as he poured the tea. “Our tribe is so proud of what you and your brother have accomplished; you’re an inspiration to so many. But what I want to know is how you are doing, Katara? I’ve seen you and Aang and I can’t help but feel that something is amiss.”

Katara looked down at the tea steeping on the rug in front of her. She sat silent for a few seconds, her face quivering as if she was having some internal war. Hakoda knew his daughter well and knew that she needed a few moments to collect her thoughts.

Finally, she looked up at him with gleaming eyes. “I love Aang, I really do, but he’s just so much, all the time. He’s gotten better at standing up for himself; to the public he often comes across as strong and decisive but when we’re alone he is so full of doubt and guilt. He constantly needs me to reaffirm that he’s doing the right thing or to assuage his guilt for fleeing the air temple and being lost for a hundred years. It just wears me down.”

Hakoda’s heart breaks at the sad tone of Katara’s words; he could feel the guilt and anguish in her voice. “You’re only a child yourself, Katara. Surely there are others that can advise Aang and help him with his issues.”

“That’s the thing, Dad, there isn’t anyone else. The Gaang are all kids trying to build their own lives. Sokka is here working with the tribe and the White Lotus. Suki leads the Kyoshi Warriors. Toph is trying to build a school for metalbenders. And Zuko has to try and run the Fire Nation. All that Aang has is me. I love him but I feel like I’m missing out on my own life.”

“Surely the White Lotus has people that can help.”

“They have offered but according to Aang they have too many prejudices on how the world should be. He says that new thinking will be the way to restore balance and change the future. He says that I’m the only one that makes him believe that he can change the world.”

Hakoda sighed at the defeated slump of his daughter’s shoulders. He chooses his words carefully. “Perhaps you are the one that makes him feel that way, but that is a heavy load for even a strong young woman like you to bear. Perhaps a few months apart would do wonders for you both. You could stay here and-“

“No, he needs me. I have to think of the world, Dad. The world needs the Avatar to help guide the angry nations struggling to find peace after the war. Aang really is doing a great job. He has prevented the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom from resuming the war. I…I don’t like that he took Azula’s bending, but it really did give both sides time to calm down and work out an agreement that prevented the ignition of more hostilities. The world needs the Avatar and Aang needs me. I can’t let him or the world down. He’s getting stronger and more comfortable with his role and soon I hope that I’ll be able to step away, but not yet. Please don’t ask me to do it, Dad. Please don’t try to persuade me to stay here.”

Hakoda bit back the words that he longed to say. Katara was too young to bear that much responsibility. Aang should expand his circle of advisors and emotional counselors. The world leaders needed to learn to resolve issues without Aang’s constant input. He kept them all to himself because he read the real meaning of Katara’s words.

She didn’t want him to try and persuade her to stay because she knew it wouldn’t take much to convince her to abandon Aang.

He decided to honor her wish. “Just remember that you always have a place with us, Katara. When the time comes that you need a break, there will always be room here for you. And Sokka too. Although, once I get a girlfriend you may want to knock before coming in.”

The joke immediately got Katara to laugh. “Yeah, yeah. You’re kinda old now, so don’t look for a girlfriend that’s too young. I’d hate to have to come back for your funeral because your nineteen-year-old girlfriend killed you.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Hakoda said. “The healers have told me that your teachings are really going to help here.”

With that, the conversation shifted directions and no more words were spoken about Katara and Aang’s relationship. He kept a smile on his face when Sokka and Aang returned. Sokka excitedly told him that the White Lotus wanted him to come and help with a mission; he was even more excited because Suki had been invited to participate too.

Hakoda congratulated Sokka and tried to remain focused on his son, but he couldn’t help but glance over to where Aang and Katara were sitting together. His arm was around her lower back while her arm was across his shoulder, both smiling at the excited Sokka.

But Hakoda couldn’t help but notice that the smile didn’t reach his daughter’s eyes.

Azula was excited for the activation of her first independent attunement. The core of the attunement was a small wooden cylinder with grooves carved into so that five pieces of the expensive fabrics that she had bought from the earth continent trader could be wrapped around them and hold the attunement together. The five pieces of cloth used to make the attunement were two inches wide and five feet long.

The middle of the five cloth strips were wound around the wooden cylinder and then sewn together so that ten tentacles flared out; each cloth appendage was just over two feet long. Azula had worked with each piece of cloth in the four months since she had received the fabric, working more and more prana into the material and conditioning it with as much of her essence as she could push into it.

The fabrics used by the women of the Southern Water Tribe were fine, but the strain of cotton grown on the elevated plateau of the central earth continent nation of Har Zin was phenomenal. The cotton fibers could hold three times as much prana as any fiber used here in the south and the thread count of the cloth strips was nearly double what could be achieved by the weavers of the Southern Water Tribe or any of their normal trading partners.

The more prana that the cloth could hold, the more of her own essence she could imprint onto the fabric, meaning the more innately intelligent the attunement became. Now was the time to put it to the test.

The attunement was laid out on the thin rug that laid over the insulation on the floor, the ten tentacles splayed out in all directions so that there was less chance of them getting tangled. She spoke the words that the Book of Xanese said would bring the attunement to life. “As part of me, yet separate, rise and become as you were meant to be.”

She watched in awe as the ten tentacles contracted and the ends of the cloth strips pushed down on the floor and lifted the wooden core body of the attunement into the air. The tentacles of the attunement wobbled, like a young animal that was using its legs to stand for the first time.

She knew that it would take time for the attunement to become proficient with its motions. After just thirty seconds the wobbling stopped and the attunement slowly moved its tentacles like legs as it clumsily began making its way across the floor.

Azula spoke to her creation as she watched it learn. “That is good, Siriva. You are a fine attunement and you will grow strong in time.”

She knew that it didn’t have emotions but she still felt like she should try to motivate the attunement. She had decided that she would put the lessons that she’d learned during her stay at the Southern Water Tribe to use. It had struck her as odd how the parents here raised their children, encouraging them when they tried something, even if they failed. They continued supporting their children until they finally succeeded in their endeavor.

It was nothing like she had been raised.

Azula had no intention of having children; the thought of allowing a man to plunder her body and inject his seed into her almost turned her stomach. She knew it wasn’t healthy, that she was projecting her anger onto all men, but that was how she felt. The thought of lying with a woman wasn’t any better, but at least there was no way she’d end up with an obnoxious miniature human growing inside her. For now at least, she planned on living alone and relying on no one.

As the minutes passed, Siriva began walking ever more fluidly. It was intelligent to a degree, but more importantly it held an imprint of her mind and would obey her every order. Complete obedience was a good trait in any servant.

She had named it Siriva to pay homage to Serivatus, the mythical guardian of Agni’s Keep. Serivatus was a mix of a dragon and a cuttlefish-ray, having the dragon body and wings to go along with twelve tentacles and the beak of the cuttlefish-ray. Siriva would be great for handling basic household chores as well as scouting when she was living on her own.

It was time to see how well the wooden core of the attunement worked now. She closed her eyes and extended her mind through the connection to Siriva. If she had prepared the wooden core correctly, she should now be able to see through the eyes of her creation, allowing her to see whatever was visible to the ‘face’ portion of the core.

At first it was just a jumble of colors and indistinct shapes, but with a little effort and concentration the images became sharper. All at once, the images became sharp and she was looking at the kettle hanging in her mantle. Willing Siriva to turn around, the next thing she saw was Azula herself, sitting cross-legged on her sleeping mat, eyes closed with a neutral expression of concentration on her face. It was odd as she felt and saw herself smile at the same time.

She opened her eyes and broke the connection. “Siriva, continue practicing your movements.”

While Siriva followed her command, she pulled out the forest green robe with the white trim that she had been working on. It was a plain robe with only a few white bands on the shoulders and the sleeves to denote the spiritual order that she was going to imitate. The basic robe was nearly completed but she still needed to sew in the hidden pockets and such as well as the other accoutrements of her new order.

She had plenty of time to finish this robe and a second one before she paid off her indenture bond. This was a slow time of year so money wasn’t as good as during whaling season and the Wolf Moon Festival, but she had just become a journeyman and her pay with the sewing group had gone up another twenty percent. If she and Miha process as many whales as last season and they earn anywhere near as many tips during the next Wolf Moon Festival, Azula will have enough to pay off her debt and have enough left over to begin a new life on the earth continent.

She smiled to herself as she quietly worked on the robe, taking a glance every minute or so to monitor Siriva’s progress. It would be another eight months, at best, before her slavery was ended and she was once again master of her own destiny, but she was confident that she would persevere and forge a new life for herself.

She swore that she would never be held under anyone’s thumb ever again.

Chapter Text

Azula knew that this was the one as soon as they had towed it ashore. The whale was obviously old and massive, easily a third larger than any other whale that they had brought ashore over the last two seasons. Most importantly, its bones had temporal resonance.

It wasn’t well understood what caused temporal resonance but the Book of Xanese very clearly spelled out how to detect it. It didn’t seem to be something that an animal was born with but instead it was something that developed over time. It had only been found in a few types of animals, all of which were known for having very long lifespans. Lion turtles. Banyon trees. And hooknotch whales.

Like the hooknotch whale that the Southern Water Tribe preferred to hunt.

She worked in tandem with Miha, cutting away at the whale to carve off all the useful parts. They were only one of six teams that worked on each whale, but they were both fast and indefatigable. Working together, they processed at least a quarter more of the whale than any other team. Since Azula got paid by the amount of whale processed, this was going to earn her more coin.

Coin she would need as she approached Hakoda about the purchase that she wished to make. This was going to cause a lot of speculation but she needed to do this. Even if it pushed back the date that she would be free of her enslavement.

She was exhausted and hungry after the fourteen-hour shift and was covered in blood and gore but she needed to put her claim in now before it was too late. Hakoda was making his way from the meal tent set up for the whale processors; the work was long and hard and they needed food and drink to keep them going.

“Chief Hakoda, I wish to speak with you for a moment regarding the whale we just finished processing.” Azula called out to him. She sensed Miha coming up behind her but there was nothing to be done about it; she had told Miha that she would catch up with her later but it seemed Miha’s big sister persona had activated and she was following Azula to see what was going on. It didn’t matter, Miha would learn about her request anyway.

Hakoda blinked at her in surprise but answered in a friendly tone. “We’re already paying you a pretty good amount of coin; that was a lot of whale that you and Miha processed. Not bucking for a raise already, are you?”

“No, this is a different sort of request. I wish to purchase part of the cranial bone of the whale we just processed. In particular, I wish to cut out a two-foot by two-foot portion of the skull. I have no need for the rest of it and it can be returned to your tribe.”

Hakoda just stared at her like she had just grown a second head. She just stared back while he considered her words. She could see Miha standing next to her, the incredulous look nearly identical to Hakoda’s.

“You know that the whale skulls are used as single pieces when building huts; it will be worthless if you cut a chunk out of it. You…you would have to buy the entire skull.” He finally answered. “A piece that size will cost about four thousand kurtiks.”

Azula sighed because she knew that was a low-ball offer; it would easily fetch closer to six thousand kurtiks if it came up for auction. She didn’t bother to negotiate. “Done. Please add it to my indenture ledger and I’ll take possession after processing season is over.”

“Hold on, Azula. That’s a lot of money and will extend your servitude for months. Don’t do this.” Miha said, grabbing ahold of Azula’s arm.

Azula yanked her arm away as she turned to face her friend. “This is my decision and my decision alone. The deal is done and I’m willing to deal with the consequences.”

“Listen to Miha. I will wait a few days to let you think this over-“ Hakoda began but Azula cut him off.

“No, my decision is final. I want the skull and if you put it up for auction I will outbid everyone to get it and you will be forced to put up with me for as long as it takes to pay it off. The only difference is you will have a very angry and bitter slave on your hands. I have done everything you’ve asked; I’ve worked hard and been a model slave. I’ve gone along with each and every stipulation that you have placed upon me without complaint. This is the first and only favor I have ever asked of you. The choice is yours, Hakoda. I will not relent, not now, not ever and I will do whatever it takes to get that skull.”

Azula’s voice had risen during her diatribe and she belatedly noticed that a small crowd had gathered to watch her all but yell at their chief. Looking around, she saw their tired faces looking at her in shock. It took her a few moments to realize why; in all the time that she’d been here, she’d never raised her voice in anger before now.

She didn’t care whose feelings she hurt though. She had to get that skull in order to solidify her future.

“You’re right, Azula, you’ve worked hard and been a model guest. I grant you the skull for four thousand kurtiks and I’ll make sure that it is set aside for you.” Hakoda said, his voice calm but loud enough for everyone to hear.

Azula saw that he was trying to de-escalate the encounter. She took the opportunity to lower her own voice. “Thank you, Chief Hakoda. I appreciate you listening to my petition.”

He nodded and Azula made her way to get cleaned up before going to get food, Miha hot on her tail. She suspected that this discussion wasn’t over. Miha followed her into the cleaning tent that had been set up. Because they were the last to finish, the tent was empty by the time they got there. Azula began undressing and hoped against hope that Miha was going to let the matter drop.

She only had time to pull her blood-soaked tunic up and over her head before Miha started in on her. “What the hell are you doing, Azula? You were so close to getting free. You would have had all the money you needed by the end of the Wolf Moon Festival if you didn’t buy that stupid skull. Do you accidently take a drink from the mythical fountain of stupidity? You’re behaving like a fool and –“

“Shut the fuck up.” Azula said in her most menacing voice, causing Miha’s mouth to snap shut. “Don’t you ever speak to me like that to me again. You may be part of the slavers that hold me in bondage but you have no right to order me about. Hakoda and the council own me, nobody else, so I won’t have you trying to control my life. I don’t have to explain anything to you.”

Miha’s face changed from shocked to angry before Azula had even finished her tirade. “I’ve done everything I can to help you and you have the audacity to call me a slaver, you ungrateful little bitch. I’ve taught you everything you know about processing whales and helped you make a lot more money in tips than you’d ever make alone. You really did drink from the fountain of stupidity.”

“Maybe, but at least I’m going to get out of this shithole and make a life for myself. And I don’t need your help to make money. I’ll be fine on my own. Goodbye and good riddance to you.” Azula said as she finished getting undressed and went in to use the heated bathwater to get clean.

She and Miha usually bathed together and washed each others backs but Miha went to her own bath tonight. As Azula settled down, she realized that her words were driven mainly by fatigue and hunger, but there was no way to walk them back without looking weak. Hopefully, she would be able to make amends but she wasn’t sure how. She feared that Miha was going to abandon her like Mai and Ty Lee did.

Like everyone did.

It hurt that her best friend had turned agains her but Azula thought it might be for the best. If their friendship ended now, it would make leaving all that much easier. She would think on it once she was rested and fed and see how to fix this, if it could be fixed at all.

“Alright, everyone, assume your places. The Avatar and Lady Katara are approaching on their air bison.” Lyn Kel announced to the three stewards and four groomsmen standing alongside her at the clearing. “Let’s make sure that Har Zin presents itself well.”

“Of course, Princess. You have done a wonderful job preparing for our visitors. Your mother would be proud.” Factotum Malu said. Lyn Kel had been in charge of setting the arrangements and deciding the schedule of affairs for the guests, but it was Malu that made it happen and Lyn Kel never forgot that.

“Thank you, Malu. You’ve been a source of strength for me during the preparation. And before.” Lyn Kel answered.

Malu had been Lyn Kel’s rock during the final days of Queen Kinlu. Lyn Kel’s mother had been everything that a consort to the king should be. Beautiful, intelligent, personable, and a master at planning. She had used her gifts to flatter and charm every visitor that had come to Har Zin’s royal palace. Her father was a great man but Lyn Kel knew that it was her mother’s backdoor diplomacy that accounted for much of the good relations between Har Zin and her neighbors.

Even the Fire Nation representatives during the war had succumbed to her charm.

Her death had been terrible to watch, the slow fall of an energetic and dynamic women. Lyn Kel had been by her side, trying to learn the art of soft diplomacy that her mother had used to create ties between her own nation and those around them.

She hoped that she had learned enough because now the burden of diplomatic hospitality had fallen on Lyn Kel’s shoulders.

At eighteen years old, she was an adult in the eyes of her people and she had all the education and training that a royal should. She was tall, just over six feet in height, and while she knew that she was pleasant enough to look at, she didn’t have the head-turning good looks that her mother and brother had. She took after her dad in looks, a fact that had allowed them to bond while good-naturedly ribbing their more attractive family members. Of medium build, she had trained hard in the martial ways of her people and carried an athletic physique. Though not a bender, she had trained with the bow and sword since a young age and was considered a master with both.

She was raised during a time of war and even though her nation had remained out of the fighting, every generation had prepared for war. Every royal since the destruction of the air temples had been given military training in case they were called upon to lead troops and work with the generals to formulate battle plans.

Her thoughts were brought back to the present as Appa landed in the clearing thirty feet in front of Lyn Kel’s welcoming party. The four groomsmen rushed forward and spoke with the Avatar as he dismounted, getting any special instructions for the air bison’s care.

Lyn Kel stepped forward and greeted the pair with Malu and the stewards following behind her. “Greetings Avatar Aang and Lady Katara. I am Princess Lyn Kel and it is my privilege to welcome you to Har Zin. Your willingness to facilitate trade discussions is a great honor to us all.”

“Thank you, Princess. It is great to see you again. We were sorry to hear about your mother; she was a wonderful person.” The Avatar said, a look of sorrow on his face.

Lyn Kel’s heart clinched a little at his words but it was becoming easier to accept her mother’s loss. “Thank you, Avatar. She was indeed a great woman and she will be missed. I will be handling all of your hospitality needs during your stay with us. If there is anything that you should need to make your stay more comfortable and productive, please let me know.”

Lady Katara spoke as soon as Lyn Kel had finished. “We have traveled together for quite a while and it would be nice for us to have separate rooms during our stay with your people. If an additional room is available, of course.”

Lyn Kel went to answer but the Avatar cut her off. “I told you we didn’t need separate rooms. The room we were given last time was a suite with plenty of space for you to get separation.” The Avatar looked back to Lyn Kel. “Are you giving us the same suite as before?”

Lyn Kel looked between the faces of the two irritated travelers and made a snap decision. “Yes, Avatar, you are being given the same suite. I propose that a second room be made available for use by either of you; I will make arrangements for it to be close to your suite but there is no obligation to use it. Perhaps after you have had time to consider the matter, the two of you can come to an agreement.”

Both guests just looked at her for a moment before exchanging a glance between themselves; Aang took the out that she had given. “Thank you, Princess. We appreciate your flexibility and we will discuss matters later when we are in private.”

“Of course, Avatar. The stewards will carry your bags to the main suite while I take you to meet the king.” Lyn Kel said, trying to smooth things over as quickly as possible. Setting them back on the professional path would hopefully allow them to settle their emotions, since it was clear that whatever issue the two were having was personal in nature.

They chatted about inconsequential matters as they proceeded through the palace courtyard to the formal meeting area. She smiled to see her father, brother and sister-in-law waiting for them, surrounded by various scribes and attendants.

Lyn Kel came to a stop and bowed to her father before giving the formal introduction of their guests. “King Haln, please allow me to introduce Avatar Aang and Lady Katara to your court.”

“It is wonderful to see our guests again. Come, there is no further need for formality. Let us celebrate your visit!” Lyn Kel’s father said, a wide smile on his face as he stepped forward and exchanged an arm clasp with the Avatar. His voice resonated through the hall. “Aang, I swear that you’re going to be taller than me in no time.”

Everyone laughed, since King Hahn was known for being the shortest member of his family. At five feet six inches tall, he was below average in height, a fact that was spotlighted even more by the fact that both his brothers, his son, and daughter were all at least six feet tall. His dad had even confided that one of the reasons he had selected Kinlu as his wife was that she was only two inches short of six feet tall herself. He had told his children that he had wanted them to be tall even though the height gene had skipped him.

He may not have been tall, but he was very muscular and took his martial training very seriously. He was a talented if not particularly strong earthbender and had spent part of his youth as a military officer, a fact that still showed in his bearing and fastidious nature.

“It’s good to see you again, King Haln.” The Avatar said. “I was sorry to hear about Queen Kinlu.”

Her father’s expression flickered for just a moment before he smiled again. “Thank you for your condolences; it was a challenge but we shall carry her memory with us. Lyn Kel has done a masterful job of taking over Kunli’s official duties; it truly is a luxury to have a woman of her capabilities in the family. And speaking of family, come meet my son, Em Vath and his new bride, Princess Huri.”

Em Vath stepped forward, looking rather handsome with his short black hair and well-trimmed beard. His military uniform made him look even more dashing. At six two, he was just a bit taller than Lyn Kel but definitely bulkier. He had taken after their father and had impressive musculature as a result of his extensive martial training. Em Vath was renowned for being a powerful and skilled earthbender.

His vanity about his good looks and somewhat goofy nature hid the fact from many that he was a very intelligent man. Lyn Kel knew that he would be a great king someday. He greeted both of their visitors. “It is great to see you again, Avatar; father was right, you’re well on your way to manhood. Lucky thing too, seeing how Lady Katara is looking ever more beautiful as she sprouts into womanhood.”

Lyn Kel held in her sigh at the dark looks that flickered ever so briefly across the faces of their guests. She decided to jump in before Em Vath said any more about the attractiveness of the couple and how lucky they were to have each other. Her brother was a romantic at heart and enjoyed watching young love.

“Our guests are indeed both attractive as well as talented, much like the young lady my esteemed brother was lucky enough to marry.” Kyn Kel said, catching Em Vath and the others by surprise. She held out her hand to Princess Huni, who took it with a smile. “Princess Huni, the light of my brother’s life, joined our family just two months ago.”

A wide smile split Aang’s face as he bowed. “It’s great to meet you, Princess Huni. Congratulations on your marriage.”

“Thank you, Avatar. Em Vath and I have known each other since childhood and I’m lucky that I was selected to be his wife.” Huni answered.

Whereas Em Vath was tall and bulky, Huni was of average height and rather willowy. She was quite beautiful and had a wonderful lilting voice that always made it sound like she was smiling, which she usually was. She was quite possibly the friendliest person that Lyn Kel had ever met.

While general discussions were held, Lyn Kel pulled Mula aside and asked her to rearrange the sleeping assignments for the delegates from Omashu, giving Katara a room down the hall from Aang’s suite. It was close enough to be convenient but hopefully far enough away to give Katara the space she seemed to need.

Lyn Kel didn’t know what was going on with the Avatar and Katara, but she sensed that it was serious if she had made this request. She would do what she could to calm the situation so that it wouldn’t interfere with the Avatar’s ability to facilitate the trade talks they were having. With the Fire Lord himself coming, it was important that the Avatar be at his best. Relations between Har Zin and the Fire Colonies were good but Har Zin had big plans for upgrading their manufacturing base and they needed more contracts with the Fire Nation holdings if they were to expand as much as they wished.

Time would tell how things would go.

Aang felt himself seething as he watched Katara stride away towards the separate room that she had been given. For three nights she had returned to her own room to rest after the negotiations were done and the evening meal finished.

He knew that the others were talking about him, wondering why he wasn’t able to keep Katara happy. He burned with shame and heartache that she was pushing him away. It shouldn’t bother him, he should be able to distance himself from her behavior, but he just couldn’t. Without her he felt so alone.

He knew in his heart that he should probably get used to being on his own.

He was drawn from his thoughts of self-pity by Zuko. “Aang, do you have some time to discuss an issue that I have. I…I received a message from the palace and I would like to talk to you about it.”

Zuko had just arrived the day before and Aang had been surprised to see him show up alone. They had been so busy meeting and greeting all the delegates here for the trade negotiations that they hadn’t had time to catch up. They were free for the evening now and it looks like Zuko wanted to talk.

“Sure, Zuko. Why don’t you come to my room; it’s big and should give us plenty of privacy to discuss things.” Aang answered, trying to make his voice sound upbeat and eager. Based on the stare that Zuko was giving him, he doubted that he succeeded. If Zuko could tell something was wrong, Aang must be doing a terrible job of hiding it. To say that Zuko wasn’t the best reader of social clues in their friend group was putting it mildly.

They chatted amicably as they walked towards Aang’s rooms, Zuko’s guards following at a respectful distance. Aang opened the door and gestured for Zuko to enter. Aang noticed the guards taking up their stations as her closed the door.

Once they were inside, Zuko cut right to the chase. “Two days ago, while I was still in the Fire Colonies, I received word from the stewards back at the palace. They were renovating one of the royal writing rooms and found some letters that Mother had written to an old lover. The steward believes that they may offer clues about where she disappeared to after she ran away.”

“Wow, that’s incredible, Zuko. What are you going to do?”

“I want to go and find her, of course, but I’m scheduled to meet with earth continent nations for the next six weeks, including Kuei. I can’t take time away from this to look for her; things are tense enough that I fear violence could break out if Kuei and I don’t work out some sort of agreement. That’s all we seem to do; put together a new agreement until something else breaks and then put another one together. I though…I thought taking Azula’s bending would give us years of breathing space. Instead, it barely gave us six months.”

“Yeah, taking her bending didn’t really accomplish much in the long run, but it staved off conflict for a while and you and Kuei have held the peace since then. As long as the two of you keep talking, there is a chance for peace.” Aang answered.

“Yeah, well, by all accounts Azula will be probably be able to buy her freedom by the end of the Wolf Moon Festival next month. I still can’t believe that people show up to be insulted by her and throw coin at her for the privilege.”

“You only saw her in action for a little bit, Zuko, but her teasing wasn’t really mean anymore. It was like how we tease Sokka for always being hungry or how we kidded you for always talking about honor. Azula and Miha just seemed to know what topics worked to tease the hunters and sailors without actually being offensive.”

“Maybe, but that’s beside the point. I…I would like her to come and find Mother with me. Actually, I would like you and the rest of the Gaang to help me look.”

“No offense, but I really doubt that Azula is going to help you look. I would love to help you, Zuko, but I’m not sure if Katara would come with me if I go with you.”

Zuko looked down, a thoughtful expression on his face. “Yeah, I noticed that she didn’t spend much time with you and that she left right after dinner. I expected to find her here. Uhm, does she have her own room?”

Aang felt his face flush with shame again. “Yeah, no sooner had we set foot on solid ground and she asked Lyn Kel to give her a separate room. She’s at the end of the hall. We can talk to her if you like. She’ll speak with you if you go to her.”

Zuko shuffled uncomfortably. “Not right now. I don’t want to bring my troubles into your relationship. Agni knows that I have enough relationship issues of my own.”

Aang was surprised at the bitterness in Zuko’s voice. He decided to see if Zuko wanted to talk about it. “Are you and Mai having troubles?”

“You might say that; she left me. She said…she said that she couldn’t stand by and watch me run myself into the ground. She said that I needed to let her and the others take some of the load, but I can’t do that, Aang. The world is in such a bad place because the Fire Nation upset the balance of the world and now the Fire Nation needs to help reset the balance. The problem is that most of the people in my administration are the same people that served my father during the war. How can I trust them to follow my guidance without constantly checking on them?”

“That is a tough question, Zuko. It seems like the Fire Nation was tired of war; there should be lots of people willing to keep the peace.”

“Maybe, but not the ones at the top. They rose to power by supporting the war and switching to peace means giving up some of their gains and status. That doesn’t go well in the Fire Nation. Status, honor and glory are the three things that the nobles all crave and for many of them, peace doesn’t bring them any of the three.”

“What are you going to do?”

“First off, I’m going to ask Uncle to come back from Ba Sing Se. If he could help run the colonies, that would take a lot off my plate. Finding Mother would help a lot too. She was a princess for a time and could help with some of the hospitality duties, maybe like Lyn Kel is doing here. Seeing a royal family living in harmony and working together for the good of their nation makes me see how dysfunctional we are in the Fire Nation.”

Aang knew exactly what Zuko meant. King Haln counted on Prince Em Vath to oversee many of the military matters while his daughter took over the hospitality duties that his wife had once handled. Aang had even heard that Princess Huni was a master weaver and was very connected to the textile industry in Har Zin, which along with the metalworking industry, brought in a lot of coin to the royal treasury. She had been the spokesperson for the Textile Guild during trade discussions the past few days.

“Bringing Iroh back to help would be a great thing for you. Uhm, do you think things with Mai can be repaired?”

“I don’t know. We had a really big argument and she stormed out and I haven’t had any contact with her in over two weeks. I think that this might be the end.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Me too, Aang. And…and I’m not sure that I’m the right person to be giving relationship advice, but I’ve heard from several of our friends that Katara really misses her family and her people. I lost Mai because I can’t give up control over the Fire Nation government. You might lose Katara if you can’t give her up long enough for her to return to her people and get what she needs there. You’re a good guy and a great Avatar, but I think Katara needs something different than that right now.”

“Thanks, Zuko. I know that she misses her people but she’s been such a big help and people have come to expect her to participate. I’ll have to think about how to handle things.”

The two friends sat in silence for a while; Aang spent his time thinking of how responsibility has caused his personal relationship to suffer and he suspected Zuko was thinking the same thing. Aang believed he knew what he had to do, he just didn’t know if he had the strength to do it.

Chapter Text

“You won’t be sorry you did this, Azula. I know it’s a lot of work, but I really think that I can get all sixteen pieces of the skull engraved and inked before the Wolf Moon Festival.” P’taka said, his round face smiling with confidence.

“I certainly hope so. I want forty percent of the money from the sales; I know that you’re putting in the time and effort but you’d have nothing without my skull.” Azula offered.

“Yes, that would be fine. Can I start cutting it now? You got the piece that you wanted, didn’t you?” He asked.

“Yeah, I got it and it is all yours.” She said, smiling at his eagerness. “And we really need to work on your negotiating skills before the festival. If you just take every offer that is thrown your way, you’ll be shortchanging yourself.”

“Well, uhm, usually I’m a little better but well, you’re, uhm…” He started to say, then stopped and looked down in embarrassment.

“I’m what?” She asked, putting a little steel in her voice. Just what kind of rumors had her heard about her?

“You’re pretty and scary all at the same time.” He answered in a voice so low that she could barely hear him.

“Oh.” Came her own quiet supply. That wasn’t what she had been expecting.

Looking at him with a critical eye, she chose her next words carefully. P’taka was only a few years older than she was but was even shorter, portly and didn’t have much inclination or skill when it came to hunting or fishing. There were rumors that he was gay, but based on the reaction that she had just seen from him, he at least had some interest in girls. More likely was that he was just shy and didn’t know how to approach women.

More importantly though, was that the boy was skilled in the art of scrimshaw. He was already a senior journeyman and he hoped that these pieces would allow him to attain the rank of master. She certainly hoped his pieces turned out good enough to get a high price; if she could even come close to getting back the four thousand kurtiks she spent on the whale skull she would be able to buy her freedom soon.

She continued speaking when it became evident that he was frozen in place. “I know that I have a reputation, but this is a partnership that would help us both. What kind of scenes were you thinking of?”

“The large size of the whale skull means that I’ll have a lot of surface area to work with. The walls of Agna Qel’a, the Avatar Spirit that defeated the Fire Nation fleet and some other famous scenes from the Northern Water Tribe. I’ll have to come up with a few more.”

“I have an idea for a few scenes. How about a tour of the world? I can sketch out the rings of Ba Sing Se, the city of Omashu and the Caldera of the Fire Nation.”

He finally looked up, his eyes filled with wonder and excitement. “Yes! That would be fabulous. The sooner you get them the sooner I can design the engraving. Yes, this is going to be fantastic.”

Before she even knew what happened, the young lad had leapt forward and embraced her in a rather aggressive hug. She chuckled and gave him two pats on the back before he suddenly jumped back from her like he was burned.

“I’m so sorry! I shouldn’t have done that. I-“

She cut him off. “It’s alright, P’taka. This is an exciting opportunity for us both. You can even brag to your friends that you got up close and personal with me. Once everyone sees your wonderful scrimshaws, maybe there will be a line of pretty young girls waiting to hug a talented artist such as yourself.”

His eyes got even wider. “Do you think so?”

“Surprisingly enough, I do. Maybe not a line, but talent attracts the interest of many people. If these turn out as well as your drawings suggest, you will have quite a reputation and will be a master of your craft. That will make you marriage material.”

“I better get to work then!” He said as he walked away. “I can’t let the women down.”

Azula laughed at her enthusiastic new friend. This really could be an opportunity for both of them. With him gone, though, she was now faced with a new challenge. She turned to look at the tall woman that stood about thirty yards away; she had obviously hung back while Azula had been busy with P’taka.

Miha walked forward, a neutral expression on her face. Azula kept her face blank too. They hadn’t spoken since their disagreement over a week ago and had been placed on separate work crews. Whaling season was over now as the tribe focused on salting and curing the abundance of meat and completing all of the other later stages of processing the whale.

As she came close, Miha finally gave a small smile. “Hello, Azula. I was wondering if you had time to share a cup of tea?”

Azula wasn’t expecting the request, must less the cordial tone. She quickly came to her senses. “Of course, Miha. Would you like to come to my hut?”

“That would be great. Your teas always come out better than mine.”

They walked in silence towards Azula’s hut. Once there, she opened the flap and gestured for Miha to go inside. Azula quickly lit a lantern; while the canvas allowed some light to come in, it was easier to see with lantern light.

Azula added a few logs to the fire in the mantle and hung the kettle over the flames. She sent a few furtive glances over at Miha as her guest placed a few tea leaves into the respective mugs. Miha was the only guest that Azula had ever had in her hut and they always used the same mugs.

Once the kettle was hung and the cups were prepared, there was nothing to do but sit. Azula was having a hard time understanding what Miha wanted. Was she going to chastise Azula again? Tell her that she didn’t want to work with her as a server pair again?

Miha broke the silence. “I know that I was angry with you the night you bought the whale skull, and I said some things that I shouldn’t have. You’re like a little sister to me, Azula, and I didn’t want you to do something that you would regret.”

Azula went to speak but Miha put up her hand and quickly began talking again. “Please, let me say my peace. The fact is, even if you are my sister, you have a right to live your own life. I was hurt by what you said to me. I’ve never thought of you as a slave and your implication that I did cut me deep, but once I calmed down I tried to see things from your perspective. Not about the skull, because I still have no idea why the hell you want it, but about our argument. Rather, why you were so angry and why you still seem so angry.”

“I thought back to our talks, what you shared with me about your time at the end of the war. How your brother, your father and your friends all betrayed and abandoned you. I think…I think that you believe I’m going to abandon you too. That’s not going to happen, Azula. Please, talk to me. I want you to be my sister again before you leave. Please.”

Azula felt her heart clutch at the emotional words that Miha said, tears rolling down her friend’s face. No, friend wasn’t the right word. Miha really was Azula’s sister.

“When you told me I was stupid and a fool, I lashed out. I can’t tell you why I need the skull, but please believe me when I say it is vital for my plans moving forward. I want to be your sister again, but I was afraid you were going to cut me free like everyone else had.” Azula paused to wipe her eyes. “I couldn’t bear to face that. Not from you.”

“Oh, Azula, you can’t get rid of me that easily.” Miha said, rising up and extending her arms to Azula, who met her halfway. Azula’s ribs creaked while they were being squeezed by Miha’s strong arms, but she loved every second of it. “Family forgives, especially over small things like your skull.”

“Mine didn’t.” Azula whispered.

“Oh, dear one, I hate to be the one to tell you this but your family sucks so bad they couldn’t get jobs as ten kurtik whores in Omashu.” Miha said, causing Azula to give a little laugh. “I forgive you, Azula. Can you forgive me?”

“Of course, Miha.” Azula said as they finally broke their embrace. “I’ve missed you so much this past week.”

“Me too, honey. Look at me for a minute.” Miha said, placing her hand under Azula’s chin and raising her head up so that she looked into her eyes. “You’ve learned many things here but perhaps the most important lesson that I want you to take is that there are good people in the world. People that will accept you for who you are and will love you. Your childhood sucked and I know that things have been tough here for you sometimes, but when you go out into the big ole world to start kicking ass and taking names, don’t let your past distort your future. Make new friends, find a handsome young man to make you happy. Or a beautiful young girl, whatever strikes your fancy. Just don’t put up walls to keep everyone out. Can you do that for me?”

“I’ll try, Miha, but you’re the only person I’ve ever let all the way in. And even then, beautiful as you are, I don’t desire you carnally.” Azula said, getting a laugh from Miha.

“That just shows that you have poor taste; everyone should want me carnally.” Miha answered as she used both hands to lift her boobs. “I bet I could be a five hundred kurtik whore in Omashu.”

They laughed but were distracted by the whistling of the kettle. Azula turned back and grabbed the kettle, pouring the hot water into their mugs. Miha directed the conversation towards less emotional topics; she had a lot of gossip to share since they hadn’t spoken in a week. Soon, Azula was caught up on all the dating rumors and Miha was impressed when Azula shared her plan to allow P’taka to cut up the skull and prepare scrimshaw pieces to put up for sale at the festival.

“I’m sorry for doubting you, Azula.” Miha said with a frown. “I’ve seen a few pieces of his art and that boy has got major skills. The fact that he seems to like girls is a major revelation; I might have to put out a few feelers and see if there might be a young lass or two that may fancy the lad.”

May Tui and La help P’taka if Miha starts playing matchmaker.

“We couldn’t possibly sell this set for less than six thousand kurtiks.” Azula argued to Mayor Jurhan. “These four pieces represent the main civic centers of the four greatest nations in the world. Individually, they are fantastic, but the set is a masterpiece and will be the envy of every guest that visits you. We couldn’t possibly go lower.”

The man eyed the pieces, the inner war waging between the hatred of spending money with the chance to impress and awe his guests with the incredible pieces before him. Signed pieces that will no doubt increase in value as Master P’taka’s reputation increases over time.

“You drive a hard bargain but I will take them. They can be wrapped and delivered to my ship?” He finally answered, the attractive and much younger lady on his arm squealing in delight.

“Of course, sir. We will have them there before the end of the evening.” P’taka answered, tears of joy threatening to roll down his cheeks.

He wasn’t the only one overflowing with emotion. With the sale of this set, Azula has officially earned enough money to pay off her indenture bond and still have fifteen hundred kurtiks left over. She was going to be a free woman. There were still nine more pieces for sell and it was only the second day of the Wolf Moon Festival. Every kurtik she earned now went straight into her pocket.

She turned to P’taka. “I have to head off for my shift at the tavern. Don’t give everything away for a song without me. Know your worth. You’re going to be famous.”

If the boy puffed up any larger he wouldn’t fit into his clothes. She smiled to herself as she made her way to the tavern; everything was finally going her way. She had the money to pay off her indenture bond. She should have enough money to buy passage to the earth continent by the end of the festival. Her earth nation robes were completed.

Most importantly, she had completed the Tempi Dice.

She was smiling from ear to ear as she met up with Miha, who looked at her with raised eyebrows and a sarcastic comment. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you had just become a woman. When a girl is glowing like you are, it usually means that she just got railed by a well-endowed hunter.”

“Even better. I just earned enough to pay off my indenture bond.” Azula responded. She went to say more but Miha had surged forward and picked her up and began spinning her around, her legs easily a foot from the ground. She laughed as she saw people scrambling to get out of the spinning pair’s way.

“Put me down, giantess; we have to get to work. I still need money.” Azula finally said once Miha released the death grip on her ribs and she could breath once again.

“Come on then, little sister. Let’s get you some money.” Miha said, laughing as she pulled Azula along. They arrived at the tavern a few minutes before their shift started, so they waited outside. Miha went digging for information, as usual.

“So, hear anything about your brother’s search for mommy. He’s got the Avatar and all his old cronies giving him a hand. I still can’t believe he asked you again after you told him to fuck off last year. The guy really is a glutton for punishment.”

“Little Zuzu aways did look at Ursa through the lens of nostalgia. She always coddled him. I haven’t heard anymore and with the grace of Agni, Tui and La, I’ll be well out of the Wolf Cove and hidden away in the earth continent before he finds mommy dearest.” Azula explained. “I hope to sail back with the Kashu delegation; their port is a major junction for the trade routes moving inland from the coast. It’s the perfect place for me to simply melt away.”

“I’m going to miss you, you know.” Miha said in an uncharacteristically somber voice.

“And I’ll miss you too, but as good as you and the others have been to me, this just isn’t my home and it never will be. My baggage will always burden me here. Not to mention it’s really fucking cold all the time.”

Miha burst out laughing again, her good mood restored. “That it is; you fit in so well here that sometimes I forget that you’re a soft islander.”

“Yeah, yeah, mock us soft islanders all you want but at least I can let other people know what my bellybutton looks like without the risk of frostbite and hypothermia.”

“Oh, I showed Myiyi what my bellybutton looked like up close and personal the night before last. Among other things.” Miha said with a giggle, causing Azula to roll her eyes.

“Yeah, half the camp heard her calling out to several divinities that night. You two should invest in gags.”

“Hey, I like to have vocal encouragement.” Miha countered.

“By Agni, let’s get to work before you get too wound up; you get too ramped up when you’re horny.” Azula said, dragging a still giggling Miha behind her. Azula was happy that Miha had found someone willing to be in a relationship with her; not only were they together but they were living openly as a couple. She was happy for her friend but Azula didn’t need all the details about exactly how many orgasms were being had by each.

That evening and the next few days went by in a blur. Things were so busy that Hakoda wasn’t able to gather a quorum of council members to officially emancipate her until the final day of the festival. Miha, her sister, her brother-in-law, and their two children walked with Azula to the official meeting hall for the ceremony. They had kept things quiet for now but Azula had no doubt word would spread like wildfire once the emancipation ceremony was complete.

The sargeant at arms nodded to them as they approached. “They are waiting inside for you and your guests.”

“This is it, Azula, you’re going to get your life back. Are you ready?” Miha said, pulling her in for something like the eighty-third hug that day.

“Yes, I am. The Southern Water Tribe has been good to me, but it is time for me to move on and live my life on my own terms.”

The sargeant at arms smiled as he opened the door. “Your freedom awaits.”

Oddly, Miha stepped in front of her as Hazi placed a hand on Azula’s shoulder and gently guided her through the door. It was odd behavior and Azula was trying to figure out what was going on when her senses were assaulted. She sensed the disturbance in the prana flow of the chamber just before her ears rang with the sound of dozens of voices.

“Happy Emancipation Day!” The crowd roared at her.

Azula stood dumbfounded. Hakoda was at the front of the chamber with the council members at his side. Around them were so many of the people she knew. The women that she sewed with and many of the people that she processed the whales with. Karu, the owner of the Wolf Guard Tavern was standing next to P’taka. Kanna was there and to Azula’s surprise, Pakku was there with her and even had a small smile on her face.

Azula felt her chest clutch, like all the muscles there were tight and she couldn’t move. Never in her life had she experienced emotions like this. Her mouth was dry and she couldn’t find any words. It was Miha that saved her. “Well, what do ya know, Azula can be silenced after all. Come on, little sister, sign your emancipation document so that you can be a free woman.”

Azula collected herself enough to follow Miha up to the table where Hakoda was standing. Miha stopped a few feet away and gently pushed Azula towards the chief. He smiled and spoke as she approached. “Azula, it is my honor to sign off that you have met all of the conditions for your emancipation. The council and I have signed off that all of the money owed for your indentured servitude has been paid in full and that you are in good standing with our tribe. If you sign here saying that you acknowledge the elimination of your indenture bond and then sign here that you accept emancipation from all responsibilities owed to the Southern Water Tribe, you will be a free woman.”

Azula quickly signed the two documents and reached out a hand to clasp with Hakoda in traditional water tribe fashion. He accepted the clasp and then to her surprise pulled her in for a hug, which she returned. From there it was one hug after another as seemingly everyone that daily contact with her congratulated her.

The last one was perhaps the most special, excluding Miha. Kanna came up to her and gently wrapped her arms around Azula. Azula gently returned the hug; Kanna had become more frail after a bad fall six months ago and her health hadn’t seemed to recover.

“I’m so proud of you, Azula. I know that you are leaving us, but you will always carry a part of us with you, just as a part of you will always remain with us. Good luck out there.”

“Thank you. I will always remember how well you treated me even when I was just an angry prisoner living underground in the Fire Nation. I will carry your kindness with me as I move on in life, Gran Gran.” Azula answered as she let go of the hug and stepped back.

She heard Kanna gasp as the words Azula spoke sank in. “You called me Gran Gran.”

“While I was held in bondage, I could never acknowledge how important you were to me. Now that I’m free I can tell you.” Was all that Azula had to say on the subject.

Azula celebrated with her friends for several hours, but had to call the party short because she was scheduled to sail out to Kashu tomorrow morning and she had to board the ship before dawn. She hated to admit it but the people of the Southern Water Tribe had changed her. It wasn’t clear whether the changes were for the better, but she believed they were.

She came here an angry woman unsure of her path in life. She was leaving as a Life Binder with control over her own destiny. Whatever came now would be the result of the direction that she chose in life. She was ready for the adventure before her.

She just wondered if the earth continent was ready for the likes of her.

Chapter Text

Hakoda watched as Appa descended to the landing area just outside of the village. He smiled as he realized that he had to walk further and further each time Aang came to visit to reach the landing area. With just over thirteen hundred people in Wolf Cove, the village had spread far beyond its original confines. It has finally become the urban center that the Southern Water Tribe deserved.

He pushed those thoughts away as he rushed forward to hug his two kids. Both seemed to be even taller than they had been when they left, but it was Aang that had changed the most; it appeared that puberty was changing the boy to a man and he now stood four inches taller than Katara and was noticeably more muscular.

His voice cracked as he greeted Hakoda. “It’s good to see you again, Hakoda. We’ve been away too long.”

“I definitely missed you guys too. Come, let’s head back into the village so you can tell me all about the adventures that you’ve been on.” Hakoda said.

All three of the kids smiled at his offer and they chatted pleasantly about how much the village seems to grow every time they step away for any length of time. Hakoda was happy to tell them how a large group of immigrants from the north came just after the whaling season. Many were the wives and children of those men that had come south earlier but about two hundred were single men and women looking for a new start.

“Best of all is that of the two hundred, one hundred and forty-one were single women.” Hakoda said, a wide smile on his face. “There are still more single men than women here but the gap has closed significantly and there is interest for even more single women to come our way.” Hakoda explained, fearing the glint in Katara’s eyes at the news.

“And how many of them have you asked out on dates?” Katara wanted to know.

“Three. I’ve been on two dates and while they were nice, we didn’t really feel a spark. I’m actually taking Yinmi out tomorrow night; every Saturday night there is a big bonfire just outside the village. Everyone’s technically invited, but the convention is that those on dates arrive early to mingle and dance and get to know each other before others come out later in the evening.” Hakoda answered, smiling at the look of joy on Katara’s face.

“When do we get to meet this Yinmi? I think we should get to have a say in who our new mom’s gonna be. Can she cook?” Sokka interjected, earning himself a punch in the arm from Katara as Aang laughed.

“You two leave her alone; if things go well tomorrow night I might think about letting you meet her. I’m afraid if you meet her first you’ll scare her away.” Hakoda joked.

They were almost in the city center by then and Hakoda asked if they were hungry. Turned out they were. Sokka was the one to suggest where to eat. “Let’s hit the tavern, assuming it’s not too crowded.”

“It’s still a bit early for the dinner rush so we should be fine.” Hakoda said as he steered them to the popular dining establishment. As Hakoda predicted, there were still a few empty tables.

Karu led them to a small table in the back. “Miha will be with you in just a moment.”

Hakoda smiled as Miha indeed made her way to the table. “Hello, guys. It was nice of you to come all the way back just to eat at my table. What can I get you to drink?”

“Is Azula sick? Who’s the girl working with you?” Sokka said, a puzzled look on his face.

Miha just stared at him for a second before Hakoda shared the news. “Azula paid off her indenture bond and sailed off for the earth continent two days ago. I sent the notice to Zuko.”

“What?!” Katara screeched.

“Uhm, we’ve been really busy and we left before Zuko went back to the palace.” Aang explained, a sad look on his face. “Well, you see, we helped him find his mother. It turns out she has a new husband and a daughter. She, uhm, she asked us to come down and try to convince Azula to come back and meet with her.”

“By Tui, Azula’s family really is thick. I don’t know how much blunter and ruder they want Azula to be; she hates her family and the Fire Nation and wants nothing to do with the people there. Not her brother, mother, father or uncle. I have no idea what she thinks about having another sister, but I doubt it would sway her.” Miha interjected with a bit of heat.

“Miha, how about you get us some kelp wine while I discuss matters with our guests.” Hakoda suggested. Miha could get very wound up when talking about Azula’s family and he didn’t need that sort of confrontation right now.

“Sure thing, Hakoda.” She answered with a huff before quickly walking away.

“Dad, the last letter you sent said that Azula spent a bunch of money on a whale skull and would probably have to work an extra two months to pay it off.” Katara said.

“She did buy a whale skull, but then she worked out a deal with a journeyman scrimshaw artist to cut it up after she took what she wanted and make works of art. His pieces were extremely popular and not only did Azula make enough to cover the cost of the skull and pay off her indenture bond but she made a pretty good amount of coin to take with her for her new life.” Hakoda explained.

“I’m not sure which head will explode first, Zuko’s or Ursa’s. She was irate with Zuko when she found out what happened to Azula after the war. I actually thought she was going to slap him.” Sokka said.

“She really wants to see Azula and bring her back into the fold. This isn’t going to go over well with either of them.” Aang added.

“Guys, I think that Azula made it pretty clear that she was never willingly going back to the Fire Nation. Other than her diatribe at her meeting with Zuko, she never talked about it specifically, but it seemed that she really didn’t like Ursa and that she didn’t seem to care if her mother was ever found. It’s probably for the best that Azula was gone, because all that your request for her to return to the Fire Nation was going to do was cause a fight.” Hakoda answered.

“Where did she go?” Katara asked.

Hakoda hesitated before responding. They weren’t going to like his answer. “Azula’s travel plans are her own and you don’t need to know them. She’s paid her penance and earned her freedom, so let her be.”

“Dad, she’s a dangerous person and Zuko has a right to know where she went.” Katara replied, the glare on her face made her thoughts on Azula quite clear.

“Then he shouldn’t have sent her to the Southern Water Tribe for rehabilitation. She was a model prisoner and met every condition of her parole. By the letter of the agreement, she is a free woman and I will not tell you her plans.” Hakoda answered with heat.

“I bet you’re not the only that will know, Dad. How long do you think it will take us to find someone that knows where she went? Unless you sent her with a special crew ordered not to talk.” Katara hissed.

“This discussion is over. She is gone and I can’t stop you from investigating but I sure as hell won’t provide any information.” Hakoda answered, struggling to keep his voice down.

The table fell quiet as Miha approached with the wine and glasses. Not a word was said as she placed the pitcher on the table and handed out the glasses. By the hard look on her face, Hakoda guessed she knew what the topic of conversation had been.

Everyone put aside their grievances and placed their orders. The conversation for the rest of the meal avoided Azula. Hakoda listened in shock as they told the tale of finding Ursa, how she had changed her face and lost her memories. How any parent could willingly give up knowledge of their children was beyond him, but Ursa seemed happy to be reunited with Zuko. It wasn’t until they had started eating that Katara sprang the next surprise on him. “I’m going to be staying her in Wolf Cove for the foreseeable future. Can I stay with you?”

“Of course, Katara. I’m always happy to have you. I assume that you’re staying too, Sokka.”

“Yeah, but I’m thinking about building my own hut. I’m a growing lad and I need my own space.” He answered with a grin.

“This wouldn’t have anything to do with Suki coming down to spend a month with you, does it?” Katara asked in a sweet and sickly voice, causing both Aang and Hakoda to smirk.

“What? No, of course not. This is totally separate. I’m a man now and I need to be on my own.” Sokka said, puffing his chest out.

“You know, Azula’s hut is still empty for now; I bought it from her to give her a little more spending money. It’s got a great location since she built it before the village really expanded. She did a damn fine job on it.” Hakoda offered. “You can still build your own, but this would let you have your privacy while you work on your own place.”

Sokka looked intrigued. “It did look pretty solid from the outside and Gran Gran said that she put a lot of effort into it. Let me check it out. I’ll definitely need something bigger in the future though.”

“You can look it over before you decide.” Hakoda answered before turning back to Katara. “You can have your old room back or, if you like, or you could move in Gran Gran’s old room. It’s bigger.”

“My own room would be fine. It just feels like home to be there.” Katara answered with a smile.

Hakoda smiled back and he was glad to see that both Sokka and Aang were smiling too, although Aang’s smile wasn’t as wide and carefree as usual.

After dinner, they made their way out into the village. Katara and Sokka said that they wanted to go talk with Gran Gran. Aang hung back and declined the invitation, saying that he wanted to relax for a bit.

Hakoda invited Aang over to his hut, smiling as Momo came in and landed on Aang’s shoulder, wrapping himself around the kid’s neck in order to siphon off some of his body warmth. Once they were inside, Hakoda fed the fire and they sat in companiable silence around the flames.

Aang was the one to break the silence. “I’m happy that Katara is staying here, you know. I will miss her, but she’s been so miserable traveling with me lately. It’s…it’s time that she came home and connected with her people, to bond with her family and help her tribe grow. She really helped me when I first started out but I think that I’ve grown enough to stand on my own. I really owe her a lot.”

“I’m glad that she was able to help you, Aang, but I’m also glad that she’s home. Family means a lot to her and her people could really use a healer of her talents. But I’m guessing that this will only be a short stay for her. Maybe a year, maybe more, but I fear that despite how much our village has grown, she will find it so small after traveling the entire world with you during and after the war. If things are meant to be, they will be. Don’t give up on her, Aang, but please be patient.”

“I’m trying, Hakoda. I’ve come to terms with her decision. We need to take this break. There is a chance we won’t be together again once we separate, but I fear that our relationship would be broken permanently if she stayed with me any longer.” Aang said, looking down at the fire. “But that wasn’t what I really wanted to talk to you about.”

“Really?” Hakoda answered, surprise in his voice.

“I want to talk to Azula.” Aang held up a hand to forestall Hakoda. He quickly continued speaking. “I won’t force her to go back to the Fire Nation against her will. I just want to give her the choice. If she says no, I will let her go and pursue her no farther. But if there is any chance for a reunion, a burying of the hatchet with her mother, I believe that I owe her the chance to say no.”

Hakoda considered Aang’s words. Family meant a lot to Hakoda and the people of the Southern Water Tribe. He knew that Azula would probably say no, but if there was even a slight chance she could mend fences with her family, Hakoda believed she should be given the chance.

“Do you swear that you will not force her to return to the Fire Nation against her will?” Hakoda asked.

“I do.”

“And do you promise not to share the location she sailed to with Zuko or anyone else?”

“I do.”

Hakoda sighed but decided to allow Azula to hear Aang’s offer. “She is headed to Kashu. Her ship should arrive late tonight or early tomorrow. That is all I know; she wouldn’t tell anyone, not even Miha, what her plans are after that. If you wish to speak with her, you will need to leave tomorrow morning and hope that she wishes to be found.”

Aang gave a bright smile. “Thanks, Hakoda. I really appreciate you telling me that. I don’t think she wants to reunite with Ursa, but I want to ask her anyway.”

“I wish you luck, Aang, but I don’t think she’ll return to the Fire Nation either. After working all this time to gain her freedom, I don’t believe that she will ever willingly give it up.” Hakoda didn’t know if he was betraying Azula or not, but he hoped that she would understand.

Azula felt a sense of dread as she watched the sky bison fly overhead and head towards the park in the center of the city. She didn’t believe in coincidences; not only had the air bison arrived on the very day she arrived in Kashu but it was also approaching from the southwest. She could only assume that the Avatar had been informed of her journey to Kashu by the Southern Water Tribe.

She considered how she wanted to play this. She could continue as if she didn’t know the Avatar was there. The plan had been for her to provision herself to travel inland towards one of the interior trading posts and join a caravan heading northeast. If the Avatar was just here by chance, she could probably get away. If he roused the authorities, they might lockdown the city and set up checkpoints. She could evade them but if they organized a search and let everyone know that the famed ex-princess of the Fire Nation was on the prowl, it would make it far more difficult to melt away.

She could assassinate him. She had several attuned knives that she could wield with prana. Get close to him as he made his way through the crowds and strike him down from a distance. Just as she couldn’t detect bending with her skills, benders couldn’t detect her manipulating prana. This would cause the entire city to lock down and she had no doubt that no stone would be left unturned to find who killed the bald savior of Atla. Once it was known that Azula had been in the city when it happened, Zuko and Kuei would probably put aside their myriad of differences to join forces and bring her to justice.

She could simply meet him and find out what he wanted. The Avatar had not been hostile to her after taking her bending and this could simply be him coming to warn her not to fuck up and take over any nations. She would ignore a warning like that if she ever had the chance to take power, but she could lie and give all the right platitudes about being a reformed woman and such.

With a sigh, she decided that was the best choice. If it came down to violence, she could probably still kill the Avatar if he did come to take her into custody, assuming she could catch him unawares. She prayed to Agni that he wasn’t here to take her into custody, but if he was and she couldn’t get away, she would use an attuned knife to end her own life. She would rather die than ever be taken back to the Fire Nation.

She made her way towards the park where the Avatar was landing. Despite her gold eyes and lighter skin announcing that she obviously wasn’t a native member of the water tribes, she still wore her blue and white clothing. Since there weren’t very many tribesmen here, she hoped it would make it easier for Aang to spot her.

From a distance, it was easy to spot the bald goof hop of the flying ball of fur and meet with an official looking welcome party. She made her way towards the path that looked like it led to the official civic center for the city, hoping that they would lead the Avatar there. It was easy to make her way there as most of the people had stepped aside to watch the arrival of the great and powerful Avatar.

In just over an hour he had shaken hundreds of hands and hugged more than a dozen young women; she smiled at the thought that the young airbender could be spreading his seed far and wide had he really wanted to repopulate his people. She waited until the crowd had thinned before she stepped forward to try and catch his eye.

She stepped up onto a decorative boulder, giving her about an extra three feet of height. Moments later his eyes scanned past her and then snapped back. Locking eyes, he gave a quick nod and smile before going back to greeting the people. She stepped down and then waited as he came closer.

She saw him turn towards the most officious looking person with him and spoke a few words and got a nod of assent in return. After the man barked a few orders, the Avatar crossed over to Azula; he came alone as the security detail held back the crowd. She greeted him as he approached. “Hello, Avatar. Are you following me? I don’t want to be part of any sordid love triangle with you and your girlfriend.”

The bald goof laughed. “I just came to talk. If you agree to hear what I have to say, I promise to let you go on your way unmolested. I just need a half hour of your time.”

She eyed him, wondering if he could be trusted. Of course he couldn’t be trusted, but was the reward worth the risk. The die was cast and he knew she was here, so she might as well see what he had to say. “Of course, Avatar. I’m staying at the Wobbly Walker Inn; someone can give you directions. I’ll be in the common room at six; can you join me then?”

“Yeah, that would be great. I’ll try to keep a low profile, but well, I kinda stand out.”

“Yes you do, Avatar. I’ll see you at six. Don’t be late.” She said before turning and walking away.

She sensed him turn back towards the crowd. It was only two o’clock and she still had provisions to buy. If she was to fit in with the earth people, she would need a complete makeover. All of the water tribe apparel must be discarded and she had to assume her new identity.

The rest of the afternoon went quickly and she was relatively happy with her purchases. She didn’t have to spend much coin because her new identity wasn't someone that wore expensive items. Everything she bought was practical and of middling cost; she didn’t want people thinking that a woman traveling alone had money. She was confident that she could deal with most thieves, but anonymity was going to be her first line of defense.

She had everything she needed by late afternoon and she even had enough time to spend studying the guidebook for her new persona. Soon enough, though, it was nearing six o’clock and she decided to go down to the common room and wait for the Avatar. She ordered a mead and took a table in the corner where she could survey the room.

To her surprise, the Avatar actually showed up about two minutes early. He smiled as he spotted her at the table in the corner and quickly made her way over to join her. She hid her amusement as the entire population of the common room simply stopped and stared with slack-jawed surprise as the most powerful person in the world strode through their little slice of Atla.

“Hello, Avatar. Would you like something to drink?” Azula said by way of greeting.

“Uhm, sure.” He answered, turning to look for a server. The woman practically came running over. “I’ll take whatever she’s having.” Aang said, pointing at Azula’s drink.

“Aye, the Golden Mead it is.” The woman said before scurrying away.

While they waited, Azula decided to get the Avatar talking. “So, Avatar, I’m assuming that you figured out I was no longer a slave and came running after me. What exactly is the purpose of your visit?”

“Uhm, well, as you know during renovations at the palace, the workers found some old letters that Ursa wrote to her old boyfriend. And well, Zuko was able to use this information to track her down. It’s really an incredible story-“

Azula cut him off. “I don’t care about the story. So my dear brother found Ursa?”

“Yes, and she wants you to come home. She wants you to be a family again.”

She sighed as she looked at the dopy expression on his face. “No, Avatar, I’m not returning to the Fire Nation to meet with Ursa. I’m going to continue walking the path I’ve set myself upon.” She eyed him as she continued speaking. “Are you going to keep your word and allow me to leave?”

“I promise to let you leave, but let me tell you about-“

She cut him off again. “No, I don’t want to hear anything about her or whoever she’s been with. She means nothing to me and I won’t give up my freedom for her. Do you understand me?”

“I get it, Azula, but she’s on your side; she was really mad over how Zuko treated you and she wants you guys to be a family again. You have a sister now.”

Azula felt her heart clench at the words he just spoke. Ursa had a daughter. The words came out before she could stop them. “I see. The monster has been replaced by another daughter; maybe this one can be the proper girl that Ursa always wanted. We’re done here, Avatar. I’m going back to my room and I would very much appreciate it if you left me alone. Give Ursa my congratulations.”

With that, Azula stood up and quickly made her way up the stairs that led to her room on the second floor. She had the attuned bone knife in her had; if that bald asshole made a move to stop her, she would strike him down, consequences be damned. Her jaw clenched and she felt her muscles quiver in anticipation of the coming battle.

The battle that never came. She was up the stairs and walking down the hallway before she felt him move. And relief filled her as he headed towards the door of the inn and left. Once he was gone, she felt the tension leave her.

She had been replaced. Ursa never loved her and probably only wanted to bring her home to rub the fact that she had a new daughter in her face. Fuck Ursa and every other asshole member of her family. She made her way inside her room and quickly locked the door behind her.

She idly wondered what the replacement’s name was, but quickly decided that it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered except the plan. She mentally ordered Siriva to bring the new pouches that she purchased to her. She sat at the small desk as Siriva quickly grabbed the new pouches and dragged them to her. Azula quickly unpacked the water tribe satchels that she been using and stowed away her sewing supplies, general amenities and clothing in the leather pouches that she had purchased earlier in the day.

She then proceeded to bring out attuned cloth bands that she could use to more securely hold the pouches in place when she needed to move more actively. She pulled out her new outfit and set it aside; she smiled as she looked it over. It wasn’t stylish or eye-catching, which was exactly what she had been looking for when she had created it.

Even though it was still early, she did her evening ablutions and laid down to sleep, ordering Siriva to begin its night watch. He always watched over her while she slept. She went through her meditation mantra to calm herself and was dead to the world in just a few minutes.

As planned, Siriva woke her three hours before dawn. She quickly rose from the bed and began getting ready for the day. The oil lamps provided plenty of light as she put on her new outfit. It was green with white trim and was decorated with a small sigil of the clasped hands that denoted that she belonged to the order of the Daughters of Meleva. Once the cloth belt was cinched around her waist, the robe was complete.

During her travels on the earth continent with the traitorous whores, they had come across a small spiritual sect called the Daughters of Meleva; they were a nomadic group where the women wore plain and unremarkable clothing as well as facial coverings that left only their eyes exposed. Azula had openly mocked the women for their stupid customs when she met a pair of travelers, but now she was thankful for that encounter.

The order preached living a life of selflessness, caring for others and treating other people with respect. It was a load of shit but she needed to know the right words and phrases to spout if she was to mingle among the commoners as a member of the order. She had been ecstatic when Zuko’s minions had found three books that described the order, especially the one that stated the rules that the members of the Daughters of Meleva were to follow if they wished to remain in good standing with the order. She didn’t care about the order but she very much cared about people believing that she belonged to the order.

Luckily, there were two types of members of the order; those that followed the teachings of the High Wisdom, as the leader of the cult was called, and those that walked alone. Azula would tell everyone that she walked the Path of Solitude. This was a less formal path where women could follow the precepts of the Daughters of Meleva without adhering to the specific path set out by the High Wisdom. This was the path usually followed by young women trying out the lifestyle of the Daughters of Meleva before actually joining the official order or older women that were choosing to follow a more spiritual life in their later years.

She affixed the pouches with all her worldly possessions to her body. Then she brought out the cloth strip with the eye holes cut out of them and tied it across her face, making sure that her vision wasn’t impaired. Last, but not least, she donned the cowl that covered the rest of her face, using pins to firmly attach it to her hair.

She gazed upon her outfit in the looking glass, pleased with what she saw. None of her skin was showing except her hands and all that could be seen of her face were her gold eyes. Her fake backstory was that her father was high-ranking Fire Nation military officer that had impregnated his earth continent concubine and then left them high and dry when the war was over. Her mother died of a wasting disease shortly after the war and she had decided to dedicate herself to making the world a better place by joining the Daughters of Meleva.

Her new name was Orivaya and she was on a spiritual journey to gain personal enlightenment through service for her fellow man. It was obviously a completed and total fabrication but it made for a great story. Being a spiritual traveler should also help grease the wheels while traveling; it was considered bad form to harass those that have taken oaths to spiritual organizations.

Now that she was set for travel, she went to the window and evaluated the flow of prana through the quiet town. Sensing no living soul moving through the prana field, she opened the window and lowered two of the bone attunement discs to the ground before stepping through the window. Pushing against the discs, she held herself in place fifteen feet above the ground as she closed the window behind her.

Once the window was closed, she lowered herself to the ground and pulled the discs up to her hands. It was a short walk through the town to get to the western edge where the main roads led into the interior of the earth continent. She had studied a map of the local area and knew that if she cut across the fields to the east of Kashu, she would run into one of the main roads.

Dropping two of the discs on the ground behind her, about ten feet apart, and then threw two more about twenty feet ahead of her. Using prana to push on all four discs, she rose in the air and then pushed herself forward. As she flew over the two front discs, she pulled on the two back discs and then launched them ahead of her. Once they hit the ground, she pushed against them and sailed forward, once again recalling the discs behind her as she went. She continued this process and found a steady rhythm.

This method was cumbersome but it moved her steadily towards the road that would take her away from Kashu and towards freedom. Again and again, she repeated this process until Kashu was miles behind her. She moved about twice as fast as her normal walking speed, but she made steady progress. By the time the sun had risen, Azula had stored her discs away and was walking along a dusty road, heading out to have a new set of adventures.

Stopping for a few moments to enjoy the beauty of the sunrise, she thought it was a good reminder of what she was seeking. A smile crossed her face as she was filled with a sense of peace and more than a little excitement. She didn’t know how her travels would end, but she knew that she planned on enjoying the journey.