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Chapter Text

Azula watched as the Avatar's tattoos began to glow, illuminating his body, wind kicking up dust and filling the air of the cristal catacombs, causing her to have to shield her eyes. Looking back up, she saw the Avatar begin to float up into the air.

'The Avatar State,' she thought, remembering the reports of the sheer destructive power he had unleashed with it.

Knowing it was her only chance to end this, she pressed the first two fingers of her hands together, feeling sparks dance on her skin as she pulled them apart and arched her arm into a circle, tracing a line of blue lightning in the air. Keeping her eyes on the Avatar as he ascended higher and higher, she inhaled deeply before leaning forward and extending her arm, the air filling with a thunderous crack as a blinding white light shot from her arm and arched through the air.

She saw the bolt strike the Avatar's back, saw his muscles and skeleton flash through his skin for a moment, and the light of his tattoos disappear. But once the flash of light subsided, she saw that it was no longer the Avatar who was plummeting to the ground but Ty Lee.

"No!" she screamed, feeling dread sink low in her stomach as she tried to rush to catch Ty Lee, but her feet were too slow. When she reached Ty Lee, she found her crumpled on the ground.

"Ty!" she screamed, tears pouring down her cheek as she collapsed to the ground next to her and tried to shake her awake. "No, no, no, please," she begged as she wrapped her hand around the back of Ty Lee's neck and pulled her limp body tightly to her chest.

"Azula!" she heard her mother's voice yell. Looking up, she saw her staring down at her, anger and disgust etched on her face. "What have you done!" she demanded.

"I-I didn't mean to," she said, feeling like a child begging her mother to believe her. "I thought-" she tried to say, the words getting choked up in her throat when she looked down at Ty Lee's lifeless face.

"I-I'm sorry," she said as she sobbed into Ty Lee's neck.

After a moment, she felt her mother's gentle fingers glide through her hair. Azula wanted to lean into her forgiving touch, but then she felt her hand grip tight, pulling her head back. Looking up, she saw her father looming above her, a flame lit in his hand.  

Azula awoke screaming, her feet kicking at something that wrapped around her legs and waist as her hands rushed to shield her face, only to feel something else covering it.

'A bandage,' she thought as she ran her finger across the rough fabric which covered the left side of her face.

Glancing around the unfamiliar room with her right eye, she saw she was surrounded by metal walls, the hum of an engine echoing through the chamber.

Climbing out of the bed she lay in, she stood on trembling legs. Taking a shaky breath, she tried to take a step forward but a sharp pain in her side forced her to lean against the wall to support herself as she stumbled to the vanity at the opposite end of the room.

Looking through the mirror of the vanity, she saw bandages wrapped around the left side of her face and neck. Memories came back to her like a flood, the riot, the bright flash of explosions, the feeling of sharp pain digging into her flesh.

"No, no, no," she begged as she franticly began to rip the bandages off her face with shaking hands, finding a metal plate covering her left eye and two angry red scars that cut across her face, the first sliced down just above her left eye and through her brow. The other was longer, tracing along the side of her head, its stitches left raw and exposed, thanks to the hair on the left side of her head being shaved off.

Taking a shaky breath, she pulled away the metal plate that covered her eye, feeling her stomach drop with despair at the sight. Her eye , once a bright golden amber, was now clouded and grey. When she closed her right eye, all she could see through the left was blurred colors and shapes.

'Worthless,' she thought bitterly as her hand curled into a fist.

"Fuck!" She screamed as she smashed her fist into her hideous reflection, causing the mirror to shatter into a hundred pieces before she felt a ripping pain in her side, causing her legs to give out from underneath her as she crumbled to the floor.

"No, no, no," she began to beg as she buried her face in her hands. "This is wrong," she sobbed. "This is all wrong. I-I need to wake up, please just wake up!"

The sound of the cabin's door drew her attention. Looking up, she saw Zuko standing in the doorway, an older man in doctor's garb standing behind him.

"Spirits, what did you do?" Zuko said as he rushed over to her and pulled her back up on her feet, Azula franticly wiping at her tears before he could see.

"She ripped open her wounds," the doctor said as he followed Zuko inside.

Glancing down, she saw a dark red stain of blood begin to soak through the bandages that wrapped around her abdomen, causing a memory to flash in her mind of the feeling of a searing burning at her side.

"What happened?" she demanded.

"I'm afraid the lens of your eye was severely damaged and had to be removed," the doctor tried to explain as he leaned down to undo her bandages. "This wound was-"

"I wasn't talking to you!" she snapped as she grabbed a shard of the broken mirror and pointed its edge at him. "And don't touch me!" she yelled, causing him to stumble back in fear.

"Azula, stop!" Zuko said as he stepped between them and snatched the shard from her hand. "Give us a moment," he said, the doctor quickly obeying as he fled out of the room.

"Spirits, would you just calm down for a moment?" Zuko said, turning back to her.

"Look at my face, Zuko!" she said, pointing to her new scars. "I'm not exactly in any mood to be calm. Now answer my questions!"

Zuko looked as though he was about to argue before a look of understanding seemed to flash on his face and he let out a sigh of resignation.

"Fine," he sighed as he tossed the shard back onto the vanity.

"Where are we?" she asked, looking around the unfamiliar room.

"We're on an airship home. We've been flying for two days," Zuko answered. "Things were a mess when we left Ba Sing Se. We were lucky to get out at all."

'Home,' she thought, feeling dread sink low in her chest. She had spent the past few months dreaming of returning home a hero with Ty Lee at her side, but...

'I don't know who you are anymore because the girl I fell in love with wouldn't have done this.' she thought, the memory of Ty Lee's words cutting like a knife.

"What about Ty Lee?" she said, trying to sound nonchalant. "Did she make it out safely?"

"Yes, she got out before we did," Zuko assured her.

"I see," she said, relieved Ty Lee was safe but feeling anger at the thought that she was returning home to marry Jin before she felt a sharp pain go through her head as more memories came flooding back.

She could see a crowd, their chants filling the air before they turned to screams of terror as fire rose up above them. She felt the breath being squeezed out of her lungs as she was crushed before there was the flash of an explosion. The next thing she remembered, she was being lifted and carried. Looking up, she saw Ryuzo staring down at her fear written on his face.

"Ryuzo," she said, with sudden realization as the rest of the memory faded. "Where is he?"

Zuko seemed to freeze up at that, suddenly unable to meet her eyes.

"He brought you back from outside the walls," Zuko began. "You were hurt, bad, but we got you a doctor, only well..." he trailed off.

"What?" she pressed, stepping forward.

"I don't know for sure," he prefaced. "Things were a mess when we left."

"Zuko, just tell me!" she demanded.

Zuko took a breath, seeming to steal himself before he spoke. "Ryuzo attacked Zhao."

"What? Why?" she demanded.

"Zhao was the one who ordered the bombings," Zuko explained. "I suppose he wanted revenge for...well..." he trailed off, his gaze falling on her scars.

"Revenge?" she said, confused, trying to stop the panic and dread that was slowly beginning to rise in her chest. "Y-you said he attacked Zhao, how exactly."

"There were a few rumors when we left, that Ryuzo had cut out Zhao's eye, that Zhao was either alive or dead that-"

"I don't give a shit about Zhao!" she snapped, cutting him off. "Where is Ryuzo!"

"He-he's still in Ba Sing Se," Zuko confessed. "The Dai Li took him prisoner and...and there was talk of executing him."

"And you just left?" she yelled, finally feeling the dam on her emotions break. "Why didn't you try to stop them?

"You nearly died, Azula!" he shouted back, matching her volume before he sighed. "I had to worry about you. Ryuzo told me to get you out, so I did."  

Normally, the Royal guard would be able to act with near impunity, especially when it came to protecting the Royal family, but with the power her father granted Zhao and Ba Sing Se in chaos, who knows what could have happened to him.

'He's dead,' a voice at the back of her mind whispered.

"No, no, no," she murmured to herself, her hands clutching her hair as she tried to shut it out.

"Azula?" she heard Zuko's muffled voice say before it was drowned out by the voice in her head whispering louder.

'He's dead!' it spat , 'Ty Lee despises you, and it's all your fault, you monster!'

"I said shut up!" she screamed, slamming her fists onto the table of the vanity, feeling the broken glass cut into the skin of her hands.

"Azula, stop!" she heard Zuko say, cutting through the chaos in her mind.

Looking up through one of the shards of the mirror that had stayed in the frame, she saw Zuko standing behind her, his hand hovering over her shoulder but not touching her.

'He's scared,' she thought as she clenched her fist tighter, feeling the shards tangle between her fingers. 'Of...me...'

"Get out!" she demanded, but he didn't listen.

"Look, Azula, I understand. I do," he tried to say, causing her anger to spike.

"Understand what?" she scoffed, whirling on him as she felt blood begin to drip down her hands. "That just because we share an ugly scar, that means you think you get to lecture me?"

"Azula, I just-" Zuko tried to say, backing away.

"I said get out!" she screamed, cutting him off.

Zuko hesitated for a moment before he let out a sigh of defeat and left, leaving her all alone.

***

Zuko pulled the lid off of the teapot, smelling the aroma of the boiling jasmine tea. He hadn't been able to get the recipe perfect like whenever his Uncle would make it, but he doubted a perfectly brewed pot would help him in what he was about to attempt before a knock on his cabin door startled him.

"Zuko," he heard Mai's despondent voice sigh through the wall.

"Uh, just a minute!" he said, suddenly feeling in a panic as he pulled the pot out of his room's furnace and placed it on the table in the center of his room, nearly burning his hand in the process before he rushed over to the door.

"Hi," he said a bit breathlessly as he opened the door to let her in.

"Hi," Mai replied, seeming a bit suspicious as she narrowed her eyes at him before stepping inside.

Things had felt strange between him and Mai since he had returned...or at least he thought they were. If he was being honest, he was finding it hard to tell. One moment, things seemed to be fine between them, but then he'd say something wrong...maybe, he was never sure what, and she would pull away. He just hoped that this wouldn't be one of those times.

"What's this?" Mai asked with a quirk of her brow as she looked over the table he had set up for them.

"I thought we might have some tea...together...if you want," he said, already quickly losing confidence in his entire idea before Mai let out what sounded like an amused chuckle under her breath.

"Okay," she shrugged as she walked over to the table to sit down, Zuko almost certain he caught a smile on her lips.

"So, um..." he said, suddenly feeling nervous as he sat across from her.

"So," Mai repeated back at him with a tilt of her head. "Tea?" she said, nodding down to the pot.

"Right," he said, quickly picking up the pot and pouring each of them a cup. "Have you been to see Azula at all?" he asked, deciding that the subject of his sister was an easier topic to start with.

Mai seemed to notice his diversion as well, narrowing her eyes at him, but followed along.

"I tried," Mai said, taking a sip from her tea.

"And?"

"She screamed at me to leave her alone," Mai shrugged, "but I did manage to convince her to finally let that doctor in to check her wounds."

"Have you ever seen her like this?" he asked, taking a sip of his own drink, finding the taste more bitter than he had wanted it to be.

"Once or twice, maybe," Mai answered. "Usually, whenever it had something to do with Ty Lee, but now that she's gone, it seems worse."

"Ah, I see," he said, clearing his throat. "and Azula and Ty Lee...how long had they been...you know."

"You're kidding, right?" Mai said in disbelief. "Those two have been making eyes at one another since we were kids. Oh, and don't even get me started with how many times I walked in on them making out before they finally figured out how to lock a door."

"Really?" he asked surprised.

"Absolutely. I mean, don't you remember how jealous she'd get whenever any boy would take an interest in Ty Lee? Like when she broke you're friends nose because he gave her some flowers."

"Jin?" he said surprised. "That's what that was about?"

"What else?" she shrugged.

"Honestly, I thought she did it to spite me."

"Well, fair. I wouldn't have put it past her ," Mai conceded with a slight laugh before a quiet fell over them. "So," Mai said, eventualy breaking the silence, "not that this isn't nice or whatever, but you didn't just bring me here to talk about your sister, did you?"

"No, it's well..." he stammered before letting out a sigh.

'I guess there's no more stalling,' he thought as he set down his teacup.

"Now that I'm returning home," he began, doing his best to muster his courage. "I'll be reinstated as my father's heir," he said, staring down at his hands. "and as heir, I will need a wife and well...I was wondering if-"

"Zuko, stop," Mai cut him off, her voice suddenly seeming panicked.

Looking up, he saw her stand.

"Look, I'm flattered, I really am," she said, looking like she wanted to leave as quickly as possible. "But I-I just can't," she said before moving to the door.

"W-wait a minute, " he said, standing with her. "Can't you at least give me a reason why? I-I thought that we still had something, " he said, causing her to pause in front of the door. "It's not because of the scar, is it? " he asked, trying to inject some humor into his voice to tamper down his nerves.

"No, it's not that, " she said with a slight laugh, "but come on, Zuko, be serious, " she said, turning with a sigh. "Once we get home, you can pick any girl you want, and there are plenty other other families out there that are more prestigious than mine."

"Mai, I am serious about this, " he insisted as he stepped closer, "and I don't care about the politics or any of the other girls I could have, " he said as he reached up and cupped her cheek. "I want to marry you. "

A look of hope flashed in Mai's eyes before it was replaced with fear, and they began to well with tears.

"Zuko, you don't know what it was like last time, " she said as she placed her hand over his "...when you left, I- "

"It won't be like last time, " he promised as he wiped away a stray tear. "I'm not going to lose you again."

She let out a nervous huff as she glanced up before taking a shuddering breath and looking back at him.

"If I say yes to this, " she began, Zuko doing his best not to let his relief and excitement show. "Then I need to know it's real, that I'm not going to be left alone again. "

"I promise, Mai, " he said, leaning in close enough that they were sharing the same air. "I love you. "

"Spirits, you're such an idiot, " Mai said before she closed what little distance was left between them and kissed him.

He was caught off guard for a moment by how desperate the kiss was, feeling her teeth nip at his lower lip before his arms quickly found their way around her. Feeling Mai step forward, he let her guide him across the room, their lips sliding together as they stumbled backward. He was halted when he felt the back of his legs hit the bed frame, and Mai's hand pushed him back onto the mattress.

"Does this mean you're saying yes? " he asked breathlessly as he looked up at her.

"What do you think? " she said, climbing onto the bed and straddling him. His hands quickly found her waist as he leaned up to kiss her again.

"Don't forget to breath, Zuko " she reminded him as they broke their kiss.

"Right, " he said, exhaling.

"And don't keep your lips so tightly pressed together, " she said as she ran her thumb over her bottom lip, gently prying his mouth open.

"How do you know how to do this? " he asked as she leaned down and began to kiss up his neck.

"I've had a little bit of practice, " she said, seeming amused as she moved up to his cheek.

He felt her begin to kiss the corner of his mouth before a thought possessed him that he couldn't get out of his head.

"It wasn't with Azula, was it? " he blurted out before he could think better of it.

He regretted saying it as soon as Mai quickly pulled back, giving him a bewildered look before blinking a few times and shaking her head.

"For both of our sakes, Zuko, " she said, clearing her throat. "I'm going to pretend like you didn't say that and keep kissing you, okay? "   

"Right, sor- " he said before she cut him off with another kiss, now feeling her tongue glide into his mouth.

He lifted his hand from her hip, wanting to feel more of her, but he hesitated, his hand freezing in the air for a moment before Mai seemed to take note, grabbing the back of his hand and pressing it to her breast.

"It's okay, " she whispered in between kisses. "You're allowed to touch me, " she said as she reached behind her to begin undoing the knots that bound the back of her dress.

"Are-are you sure you- " he tried to say, the words dying in his throat once the front of her dress slipped off and pooled at her waist.

"Yes, Zuko, I'm sure, " Mai said, Zuko feeling his mouth go dry at the sight of her.

Her skin was pale, waist thin, but he could feel the hardness of well-toned muscle underneath as he slid his hand up her abdomen to her chest. Her breasts were small enough that he could fit them in his hand. She was perfect.

"Spirits, you're beautiful, " he said, looking up at her.

"Shut up, " she said with a smile, a blush coloring her cheeks before she wrapped her arms around the back of his neck and pressed their lips together.

Feeling her lean to the side, he followed her lead, flipping their positions so he was now on top of her.

"I want you inside of me, " she whispered in his ear causing a shudder to go through him as he felt her hand move to begin undressing him, Zuko rushing to help her.

Once he had managed to kick his pants off, he felt her legs wrap around his waist before he slotted himself between her legs and buried his face in the crook of her neck. He thrusted once, twice, three times, each time sliding past her entrance.

"Hang on, calm down, " she whispered, reaching between them, a gasp escaping his lips as she felt her grasp him. "Go slow. We're in no rush, " she told him, a lilt to her voice before she steadily guided him forward.

When he slid inside of her, it felt warm, and tight, and good enough that he had to bite down on his lower lip so he didn't finish too quickly. Taking a shuddering breath, he began to move, pulling his hips back and then thrusting back in, each time the both of them letting out small grunts and moans that grew louder, his hand reaching up to tangle in her soft hair, his other sliding down to hook in the bend of her leg to pull it up allowing him to fall deeper into her.

"Zuko, " he heard her moan out breathily as he felt her hands reach up to cling to his back. "I-I love you. " She breathed into his ear, causing his hips to jolt one last time, a gasp escaping his lips as he spilled inside her.

His mind felt light, his skin tingling as he let his pleasure wash over him, making sure to brace himself with his arm so he didn't put all his weight on Mai before he slid out and rolled over to lay next to her, the both of them panting, their skin glistening with sweat. As the pleasure cleared from his mind, realization struck him. Glancing back down between Mai's legs and seeing his seed dripping out of her.

"Shit, " he said as he leaned up and searched around the room, finding a cloth.

"What? " Mai asked before she saw what had happened as well. "Oh, " she said as he moved to clean between her legs.

"I-um shit, I'm sorry, " he said, feeling a blush begin to warm his cheeks.

"It's okay, " she assured him, grasping his wrist and halting his hand.

"Are-are you sure? " he asked as he placed the cloth aside.

"Yes, " she said with a smile as she placed a kiss on his cheek. "Besides, I suppose the Fire Nation is going to start demanding an heir out of us sooner or later. "   

The image of a babe in Mai's arms flashed in his mind. He imagined that they would have both of their black hair and his golden eyes or maybe her tawny eyes before he realized that he didn't care what their baby might look like as long as it was theirs.

"Yeah, " he said, a smile pulling at his lips as he reached for her hand and took it in his. "That would be nice. "

___

Zuko lay awake in bed. Even with the warmth of Mai's body pressed next to him, he couldn't find sleep. Each time he closed his eyes, all he could see was his Uncle's face, eyes clenched shut, tears streaming down his face as he was unable to look at him, as Iroh's last words to him echoed in his mind.

'Zuko, I am begging you! Look into your heart and see what it is that you truly want!'

'Stop,' he chided himself as he tried to shut out the memory , 'this is what I want. This is perfect. Don't ruin it.' but even still, he couldn't stop the guilt from clawing away at him.

Deciding that he wasn't likely to find sleep tonight, he sighed and gently detangled himself from Mai's embrace without waking her. Pulling on his discarded clothes, he left his cabin and began to wander the halls of the airship aimlessly, eventualy finding himself in front of Azula's cabin. Noticing the door was ajar, he paused.

"Azula? " he whispered as he pushed the door open slightly.

Seeing that the bed was empty, he stepped inside. Glancing around the room, he saw she was nowhere to be found.

"Great, " he murmured to himself as he stepped back out into the hall, seeing a guard walking toward him.

"You, " he said, calling him over. "Where is my sister? " he questioned.

"Her Highness went out onto the balconies, " the guard answered.

"And you just let her? " he said in disbelief.

"S-she asked not to be disturbed, " the guard stammered out as he stormed past him.  

Walking down the hall, he eventualy came to one of the hatches that led to the airship's walkways. As he stepped outside, he was immediately hit with the cold rush of the wind, the hum of the airship's propellers filling the air. Wrapping his arms around himself, he looked through squinted eyes at his surroundings. Below him, he could see the ocean, its white waves breaking against the rocks of some coast, which one he wasn't sure. Above him was a clear sky full of stars, the full moon illuminating the walkway and Azula. He could see that she was standing a few paces ahead of him, her now bandaged hands gripping the railing as she stared down at the distant ground below.

"Azula! " he called out, gripping the railing as he inched forward over to her, but she didn't acknowledge him, his voice being carried away by the wind.

As he drew closer, he could see that despite the wind, her eyes were wide open, and her breaths were coming quickly. It didn't hit him what she was doing until he saw her lift her foot atop the railing, about to vault over.

'Shit,' he thought in a panic, his feet caring him forward before his mind even told them to.

Azula was almost over the edge when his arm caught around her waist, tackling her to the ground, the two hitting the metal floor with a hard thud.

"No! " he heard her scream. "Let go! " she begged as her blunt nails scraped against the metal floor of the walkway, trying to crawl her way back to the edge.

"I can't do that, " he said as he tightened her grip around her and pulled her back to the wall of the airship.

"I said let go! " Azula screamed as she struggled, even driving her elbow into his ribs, but he held on, the fight seeming to eventualy go out of her .

"Zuko, please, " Azula begged, her voice choked, "just let go. You don't understand!"

"I do, " he insisted, "believe me, I understand more than you know, but you can't."

After a moment, he felt her go slack in his arms, beginning to sob as he pulled her to his chest.

He was suddenly drawn back to a moment that felt like a lifetime ago. They had just finished searching the last air temple, finding no evidence of where the Avatar could have been, any hope he had had of returning home going with it. He was in the cabin of his old ship. There had been the feeling of a sharp pain, then the sound of a knife clattering to the ground filled the room. Looking down, his trembling hand flashed in his mind, blood streaming from a gash in his wrist before the door opened, and his Uncle was rushing inside to stop the bleeding.

'He saved me, and I betrayed him.' he thought guiltily.

"I'm sorry, " Azula sobbed, breaking him out of his thoughts.

He didn't know what to say, so he just repeated the same words his Uncle had told him.

"It's okay. It'll be okay."

Chapter Text

Ty Lee's hand mindlessly stroked through the black feathers of the owl cat that slept in her lap as she watched the rural landscape outside the palanquin's window disappear behind the walls of their family estate, giving way to well-kept gardens being tended to by serving staff who now moved to help unpack the supplies on the carriage behind them.

It had been nearly two weeks since they had left Ba Sing Se, and it had been an exhausting journey the whole way, with Ty Lee barely able to find sleep the entire time. She had wanted nothing more than to rest in a bed that was her own, but looking around her old home felt strange to her, with the estate looking run down and fewer servants than she remembered. But even if it hadn't changed, she doubted it would have felt like home.

As the palanquin came to a stop, she gently picked up Shadow and placed the owl cat back in its cage. As she stepped outside, she was greeted by Ty Lin.

"Hey, sis!" Ty Lin said excitedly, pulling her into a hug as soon as her feet were on the ground.

"Lin," she said, surprised as she returned the hug, having to lean over the swell of Lin's belly.

Looking down, she saw how much her sister had changed in the last months she had seen her. Before, Lin had been as skinny as a twig like their father, something she had prided herself on. Now, she seemed to have gained a healthier amount of weight during her pregnancy. Her hair was also cropped shorter, now ending just above her shoulders.

"You look good," she said as she pulled back from the embrace.

"I think the word you're looking for is fat." Lin scoffed as she rolled her eyes. "I swear they can't go a moment without wanting me to eat," she said, looking down at her belly. "But hey, at least no one will be mistaking us for one another anymore," she said, causing the both of them to laugh.

"I'm surprised to see you out of bed before sunset," her mother said to Ty Lin as she walked up to the two of them.

"Spirits, you're not back five minutes, and you're already nagging me," Ty Lin said with a roll of her eyes. "I'm quite literally growing another human inside of me, Mother. I think I'm allowed to sleep in every once in a while."

"Please," her mother scoffed. "By the time I was as far along with your eldest sister, I was still doing half the work of the servants. Now the both of you come." her mother said, gesturing to follow her as she began to walk inside. "I don't want to waste my entire day out here."

"I really wish someone would tell her that doing all of that work wasn't a good thing so she'd stop bragging about it," Lin whispered in her ear as they followed their mother.

As the three of them entered through the polished wooden doors of the family manor, they were soon halted by the sight of her father walking down the foyer, his eyes locked on a scroll in his hands with a small group of his assistants fluttering around him nervously.

"Inform whoever is in charge of the palace staff that I do not wish to be seated next to General Shezu," her father said as he handed off one of his scrolls to an assistant, "and make sure that Colonel Horu-"

"Dear, we've returned," her mother said softly, gaining his attention and causing him to pause in his pacing along with the rest of his staff.

A nervous energy fell on her mother and sister as soon as his grey eyes looked down at the three of them, his sunken cheeks pulling down into a frown.

"So you have," her father said flatly as his gaze fell on her before he turned to his staff. "Leave us," he commanded, his assistance quickly doing as he commanded.

Silently, her father walked past her mother and Ty Lin to stand in front of her. His glare made her glance away before there was a sudden slap across her left cheek, causing her head to whip to the side and a gasp of pain to escape her lips.

"I hope you know what chaos you've caused this family, you stupid girl," her father rasped as she caressed her stinging cheek.

"Dear, she under," her mother tried to say in protest, but her father silenced her with a glare.

"I was just helping my friend," she objected, causing her father's glare to turn back to her.

"Oh, don't play dumb with me, Ty Lee," her father shot back. "We both know why the princess was so eager to find you, something which I might add she did remarkably quickly."

Ty Lee felt a blush begin to crawl up her cheeks. She supposed it was foolish of her to think that someone wouldn't eventually put it together that Azula had something to do with her disappearance, though it seemed her father hadn't been worried about her safety.

"Well, we still ended the war," she said, crossing her arms as she tried to find any excuse to grasp onto. "Who cares what else we did?"

"The Fire Lord!" her father shouted, causing her to flinch back. "Do you know how many debts to the crown we had that the Fire Lord was suddenly demanding we pay back? I had to watch as our entire investment in trade shipping was liquidated and picked apart by vultures for half of what it was worth and sit quietly by as I was humiliated at court with constant whispers about how my own daughter was the princess's whore. I mean, for Agni's sake, I used to be the minister of agriculture for the entirety of the Home Isles, and now I'm being made to help organize royal dinners like some housewife because of you."

'You were only made minister because of me,' she thought bitterly, but she held her tongue. "I'm sorry, father," she said, trying to placate him. "I didn't think that-"

"No, you didn't," her father cut her off. "You should just be thankful that Jin hasn't decided to call off your betrothal. Now you will do your duty, undo the damage you have done and make him happy, or Agni, help me, I will have you out on the streets." he finished before he let out a frustrated sigh and turned to her mother. "I have been called back to Caldera to assist the Fire Lord in organizing a war summit. Yuko will arrive soon to help organize the packing of my things."

"What?" Ty Lin said in disbelief and anger, "Father, you can't be serious. That freak killed Sa-"

"I do not want to hear a single word from you!" her father hissed, whirling on Ty Lin, cutting her sister off. "Do not think that because your sister's failings have outshined your own, I have forgotten about your missteps or that bastard you carry in your belly, which will no doubt bring shame to all of us."

Ty Lee wanted to say something in protest, but a fearful look from her mother hesitantly silenced her.

"Keep a tighter leash on the both of them," her father said to her mother before he turned to leave.

"I-um, I should help your father," her mother said, not looking at either of them before she rushed to follow their father out of the foyer.

"Spirits," Ty Lin said as they watched their mother leave. "A heck of a welcome home, huh?" she said, tears clearly glossing her eyes. "Are you alright?' Ty Lin asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," she said as she stretched her jaw, the pain from the slap already fading.  

"At least that asshole will be gone for a while," Lin said with a shaky breath before she wiped her eyes and plastered on a smile. "Are you hungry?" Ty Lin questioned, "Come on, let's get something to eat." she said, calling over a servant. "You! Have the kitchens prepare us a meal. I don't want my sister starving."

___

The sting in Ty Lee's cheek had mostly gone away by the time the servants had set up a table of food and tea for her and her sister in the garden. It was an impressive spread of food with Fire and Bean cakes, Tea sandwiches, Chicken skewers, Dumplings, and an assortment of fruits.

"Lin, this is too much," she said as she watched the servants bring over the food.

While there had been times while traveling with Azula that they had been given extravagant meals, usually whenever there was some lord or general who wanted to impress them, for the most part, they had grown used to eating the same rations the soldiers around them had.

"It's fine," Lin assured her. "For as much as daddy complains about money, he never actually seems to pay attention to household expenses; besides, most of this is for me and your future niece or nephew," she said as she leaned over to grab a bottle of sake.

"Lin, no," she said in a whispered panic as she snatched the bottle from her sister. "You can't drink that. What are you thinking?"

"Calm down, I'm not," her sister rolled her eyes. "I may have been irresponsible enough to have the kid, but I'm not stupid enough to hurt it. I said most of this was for me, but that's for you," she said, gesturing to the bottle. "Call it a welcome home gift. Plus, I feel like you're going to need it more than me."

"I suppose you're right," she sighed, looking down at the bottle as she sat down across from Ty Lin.

"So you want to tell me why you're here instead of back in the capital with the princess? Last I checked, that wasn't part of our plan when you left."

"That's a long story," she scoffed as she poured herself a cup of sake.

"Well, drink up," Ty Lin said as she leaned back in her chair. "We've got nothing but time."

Letting out another sigh, she downed her drink before she began to speak. She told her everything, how Azula had found her, their fights with the Avatar, the battle at the Drill, and then their time in Ba Sing Se and her and Azula's final argument. By the time she was done relaying what had happened, half of the sake bottle was empty, and she felt on the edge of tears.

"Well...shit," Lin said after a moment. "At least the sex was good, right?" she offered up halfheartedly.

Despite herself, she laughed, Lin smiling with her.

"Yeah, it was," she sighed as she wiped her eyes. "all of it was good at the beginning, just being able to see her and be with her every day and then ending each in the same bed without one of us having to sneak out in the middle of the night. But in the end, I just...I didn't know who she was anymore. I thought that I meant more to her than whatever her father wanted, but I was wrong," she said, feeling her own bitterness and sorrow flair up for a moment as she remembered that desperate pleading look Azula always had whenever she tried to tell her of what her father was going to do as if Azula was trying to convince herself as much as her.

Ty Lin was silent for a moment, watching her as she seemed to contemplate something before she spoke.

"Do you still love her?" Lin eventualy asked.

She didn't have an answer for that right away. Azula had broken her heart in a way that she wasn't sure she could ever forgive her for, but she would be lying if she said she didn't still have feelings for her, feelings she doubted would ever truly go away.  

"I...I still care for her," she eventually answered.

Lin nodded to herself as she seemed to decide something. "Then you're going to want to read this," she said, glancing around the garden to make sure they were alone before she pulled out a small scroll. Its wax seal was broken, but she still recognized the seal on the stamp from the countless letters Azula had received.

"A military report?" she questioned, looking up at Lin. "How did you get this?"

"Father was paying for reports and updates on you and the princess the moment we got word that Azula and found you. That was the last one he received about her." Ty Lin explained before she leaned over at placed a hand on top of Ty Lee's. "But just brace yourself before you read it."

With now slightly trembling hands, Ty Lee unrolled the letter. There were only a few words on the page, something which only should have taken her a moment to read, yet she stared down at the letter for what felt like hours, the word's meanings not properly sinking in until she had blinked down at the page and re-read the words twice over.

On the second night of occupation, Princess Azula sustained severe wounds following a riot in one of Ba Sing Se's slums. She has departed the city with Prince Zuko. Princess Azula's current chances of survival are unknown. Supreme Viceroy Zhao has ordered additional bombings in the central ring to suppress any remaining unrest.

'...chances of survival...unknown...'

That one sentence echoed in Ty Lee's mind as she quickly stood up on trembling legs, the garden chair tipping back and falling behind her.

"I-I don't understand," she said with a shaky voice, her vision blurring with tears as she looked up to a now worried Lin. "What happened? Is-is she okay?" she said, too scared to ask if she was alive or not.

"I only know as much as the letter says," Lin answered, giving her a look of pity. "But she's still a member of the Royal Family; I'm sure she's being seen by the best doctors," Lin tried to reassure her.

"Why did she go out there?" she asked, but at the back of her mind, she already knew the answer.

"I don't know Ty Lee," her sister said with a sad sigh.

"Well, what do you know, Lin!" she snapped before a sob broke out from her throat, and tears finally spilled from her eyes.

She suddenly felt like she was back in her room in the palace, begging Azula to let her help with the burn on her arm or trying to calm her down after a nightmare, desperate to do anything to make her pain go away, but now she couldn't even do that, and worse yet she already knew she had to be the reason why Azula had gotten hurt in the first place.

As she pressed the palm of her hands to her eyes, she thought of Azula, an image flashing in her mind of her lying dead in some street and Ty Lee unable to do anything to save her. She was brought out of her spiraling thoughts when she felt Ty Lin wrap her arms around her and pull her into a tight hug.

"I'm sorry," she choked out, suddenly feeling guilty for her outburst as she felt Lin press a hand to the back of her head and guide her to rest it on her shoulder.

"I know, it's okay," Lin assured her as she rubbed circles in her back.

"Still crying over your lost love, cousin?" an amused voice interrupted, causing her and Lin to turn and look.

Whatever sorrow she felt was quickly replaced with panic when she saw her cousin approaching with a cold smile.

"Yuko?" she said, shocked. "What are you doing here?"

"I am family," Yuko said as though it was obvious, "I thought I was welcome here, am I not?" he said, stopping to loom over them.

"Not near me," Lin spat, anger and fear clearly bubbling behind her words as she glared up at Yuko.

"Oh, but how could I resist?" Yuko said with a tilt of his head. "After all, seeing the two biggest embarrassments to the family is the only form of entertainment around here."

"At least neither of us is a killer like you!" Lin shot back.

"Oh, don't tell me you're still hung up on your old boy toy." Yuko said with a roll of his eyes, "I was simply doing as your father bid."

"So do as he asked now and leave us be," she said, trying to turn Yuko's attention away from Lin, but he ignored her.

"You know you really should be thanking me, Lin," Yuko said as he reached out to run a hand through her hair. "That peasant boy was hardly worthy of you, and now you're available for a more...proper suitor."

"Sazu!" Lin shouted as she slapped Yuko's hand away, "his name was Sazu, and he was good to me in a way no one else was, and you took him from me!" she said, jabbing a finger into his shoulder. "And, if you think I will ever forgive you for that, then you are more insane than I thought."

Yuko scowled down at her his hand twisting into a fist as a flash of frustration crossed his face before it was replaced with a cold smile.

"Just as well, I suppose," Yuko scoffed. "It seems having an unscrupulous lover is something of a trait with your side of the family, though at least Ty Lee had some sense in picking one with status," he said before he looked over to her. "Tell me, cousin, what luxuries came with being the princess's personal whore?"

She wanted to punch Yuko in the nose at that, but she knew that would only cause more problems.

"I don't know, Yuko," she said as she returned his smile. "How does it feel to be my father's personal errand boy?"

"Oh, careful cousin, you and I both know what happened the last time I did a favor for your father," Yuko rasped in a threatening tone. "And with your dear princess in such a precarious position, who knows what the Fire Lord might ask of me now that her traitorous protector is gone and his spot needs filling on the Royal Guard."

"Ryuzo?" she said, shocked as whatever vale of confidence she had disappeared.

"Yes, it seems the old dog finally went mad and tried to kill Zhao. It's just a shame I couldn't stay in Ba Sing Se to carry out the execution myself."

Ty Lee felt her panic return in full force. Even if Azula was alive like she had hoped, without her or Ryuzo, she'd be a mess. Mai and Zuko might help, but they didn't know her as she and Ryuzo had. She was broken out of her spiraling thoughts by the sound of her mother's voice.

"Yuko!" she heard her mother shout. Looking over, she saw her storming over to the three of them. "My husband ordered you to the stables not here to harass my daughters," her mother said sternly.

"I was simply catching up with my dear cousins," Yuko said as he raised his hands in mock surrender and backed away but still kept his gaze locked on Lin. "Have fun raising your bastard alone, cousin," Yuko said as he took a step back. "I sincerely doubt you'll be able to find another man willing to take you after I took care of the last one."

"Just get out!" Lin screamed as she picked up one of the tea cups from the table and threw it at him.

Yuko only laughed in response as the cup bounced off his chest before he turned to leave the garden. As soon as Yuko was gone, her sister's ire turned to their mother.

"Why would you allow Yuko back here?" she demanded tears starting to well in her eyes.

"I didn't know he would," her mother tried to explain. "Your father was very clear in his orders to him. He was only supposed to- "

"No!" Lin snapped, "Why would you allow that murderer back here at all after what he did to Sazu?"

"It wasn't up to me, Ty Lin. I tried to sway your father, but he-" her mother tried to say, but Lin cut her off.

"Oh, of course," she scoffed, her breaths coming in increasingly larger sobs. "Just sit quietly and stand behind Father like you always do!"

"Lin, just take it easy for a moment." Ty Lee said, moving over to her sister and trying to calm her. "You need to sit."

"No, I don't!" Lin snaped. "I need Yuko gone!" she yelled as tears rolled down her cheek. "I need him dead-" her sister's words were suddenly cut off by a choked scream of pain, one hand shooting to the swell of her belly and the other reaching out to grab Ty Lee's shoulder to support herself.

"Lin, what's wrong?" she said as she grabbed onto Lin to support her.

"Oh shit," Lin said, looking down at her waist and seeing the legs of her clothes now stained with something wet.

Looking to her mother she saw her expression go pale for a brief moment before it was replaced with a look of determination.

"The baby is coming," her mother said as she hooked her arm under Ty Lin's and began to carry her inside.

___

Ty Lee paced the length of their family's sitting room as they waited for any news of her sister's condition. It had been Agni knows how many hours since Lin's water had broken, and after a while, she had eventualy snapped and told her and their mother to leave the room, not that she could blame her. As she paced, she periodically looked over to her mother, who sat across from her, busying herself with writing some letter. Each time she did, her anger steadily built as he mind kept being drawn back to Azula.

"Why didn't you tell me that Azula was hurt?" she eventualy said, stopping in her pacing but still unable to look at her mother directly.

"Why would I?" her mother said bluntly.

"What?" she said as her gaze moved back to her mother, who had a tired, almost distant look. "She could have died!" she said as she crossed the room to stand over her mother.  

"And what would you have done, Ty Lee?" her mother sighed as she gave her a pitiful look. "She is not your concern anymore."

"Yes, she is!" she insisted, kicking over her mother's inkwell and sending the dark liquid spilling across the page. "She went out into Ba Sing Se because of me because I left!"

"Ty Lee, It wasn't," her mother sighed as she gave up on the now-ruined letter and stood with her. "She was only doing her duty."

"No, she was being stupid and brash!" she refuted as her vision blurred with tears, "which is something she only does when she's having a breakdown, and I was always able to stop her, but...but I wasn't there."

"Ty Lee, please, you have to believe me," her mother said as she tried to wipe away her tears. "There was nothing you could have done."

"Why should I believe you?" she said as she slapped her mother's hand away. "You've been keeping this from me since the moment we left Ba Sing Se."

"I only did that because I knew it would hurt you."

"You have no idea how I feel!"

"Yes, I do, you stubborn child," her mother insisted as she grasped her shoulders.  

"How?" she demanded.

"Because the same thing happened to me!" her mother said, the confession seeming to catch even her off guard as much as it did Ty Lee.

"What do you mean," she questioned, her voice quieter.

Her mother let go of her grip on her shoulders to bury her face in her hands. She took in a shuddering breath before she slid her hands down her face.

"I never told you this because I thought I'd never have to," her mother said, her eyes looking anywhere but at her, seeming to try and find a way out of the conversation. "But I suppose that was foolish of me," she said with a nervous laugh as she began to rub her hands together. "I grew up poor with my mother," her mother began. "She worked for a noble family as a servant. When she died, their family let me stay and take her place. Eventualy, I grew..." her mother paused, seeming to try and find the right word, "close with the mistress of the house," her mother eventualy said, her eyes briefly glancing back down at her, seeming to try and recognize if she understood.

"D-do you mean close like Azula and I?" she asked, already feeling she knew the answer.

Her mother nodded, swallowing nervously before she continued.

"She was older and more beautiful than me. She taught me so much about what it was to be a woman and to feel special, like I was the most precious thing in the world to her," her mother said with almost a nostalgic smile before it melted into a frown. "But then her husband discovered us. I thought that she...loved me," her mother said, choking on the last words as tears seemed to glaze her eyes. "At least, loved me enough to protect me, but in the end, they made up some lie about me being a thief so they could throw me out without dishonoring her reputation. By the time I was your age, I had to start from scratch with nothing and no one, and I swore to myself that I would never let that happen to any of you. But I didn't," her mother said as she cupped her face. "I-I failed you, Ty Lee, and I'm so sorry, but you need to understand that it took me years to, that what happened wasn't your fault."

Before her mother's words could fully sink in, the sound of the sitting room's doors bursting open caught both of their attention. Turning, she saw a winded servant standing in the doorway.

"My Ladies," the servant said, panting, "Lady Ty Lin has finished her labors."

"And?" her mother asked.

"It's a boy, my lady."

___

Ty Lee could hear the baby's cries from all the way down the hall as she and her mother approached her sister's bedroom. Stepping inside, she saw Ty Lin lying in bed, covered in a gleam of sweat and looking exhausted as her newborn son fussed in her arms.

"It sounds like he has his mother's lungs," she said as she walked over to Lin's bedside.

Looking down at the newborn, she could see a few strands of brown hair already sprouting from his head, his face scrunched up and turning a bright red.

"Would one of you tell me how to shut him up, please?" Ty Lin said with a drained and desperate look as the baby reached out and yanked a strand of her hair.

"Well, first of all, you should be supporting his head," her mother said as she stepped over and adjusted Ty Lin's grip so the baby's head rested in the bend of her arm. "The poor boy is also probably starving."

"Of course," Lin sighed. "well, it's not like he's the first man I've known to start crying when he doesn't get to see my breasts," Lin said as she began to unceremoniously undo the top of her robe, Ty Lee quickly turning around to avert her eyes.

"Have you decided on a name?" she asked once the babe was fed in calm.

"I thought Sazu sounded nice," Lin said with a knowing lilt to her voice.

"Your father will be furious," her mother sighed.

"Well, next time, if he wants to name a baby so badly, he can be the one to spend a few hours in labor," Lin said with a tight smile. "besides, it's not like I can disappoint him anymore, especially if Ty Lee finds a new way to outshine me."

"Not funny, Lin," her mother said in a warning tone.

Her sister only rolled her eyes in response before she looked back at her.

"Care to hold your new baby nephew?" Lin offered.

"Of course," she said with a smile as she gently picked up Sazu, mindful to support his neck like her mother had said.

As Ty Lee held her newborn nephew in her arms, she tried to focus on his rosy cheeks, his small contented smile, his nose that looked so much like Lin's, but all she could see was the future he had as a source of shame for the family. Looking at her sister, exhausted on the birthing bed, she saw her alone without the father of her child. Looking at her mother, she saw her trapped in a miserable marriage to survive. She thought of herself, married to Jin, a practical stranger left to be a pretty wife who would bear his children. Not long ago, she had dreamed of holding a babe of her own in her arms, one that she and Azula had somehow made together, but now she felt nothing but sick at the idea. A part of her wanted to run back to Azula, fall on her mercy, and beg her to save her from her fate, but she knew she couldn't; she had spent so long running herself ragged trying to save Azula and in the end, it hadn't made a difference, and now she had no choice but to stay and hope her mother was right.