Chapter 8: In which I decide to check in on my sister

Yue had listened quietly through my entire explanation, not saying a single word as I explained my story.

The only indication that she was internalizing my words was the occasional shaking of her hands over my skin as she continued to heal me.

As my explanation finished, the only sound that could be heard was the ambience of the swamp around us as the sun continued its path upward in the sky.

“I know it’s unbelievable,” I said quietly.

Yue’s hands traced over my chest, absent the water that had previously covered them, “It is,” she admitted quietly, “Yet it was strange this morning when I woke, you weren’t there, and then a cloud of mist flooded around the ship, and suddenly you were.”

I turned to look at her, surprised despite myself, “You believe me?” I asked.

Yue gave me a soft smile and ran her hand through my hair, stroking it away from my face, “Of course, I don’t think you’d lie to me about this, and you don’t seem crazy. I’m to be your wife, I think it would be stranger if I didn’t believe my husband.”

Despite myself, a dry chuckle echoed out from my lungs unexpectedly, leave it to Yue to break it down to such essentials.

“I’d rather you believe me because you trust me, not because I’m to be your husband,” I said, giving Yue a soft smile.

Yue shrugged her shoulders, “Trust comes with time, we’ll have plenty of that, I think.”

I hummed quietly before I decided to broach the topic that most concerned me now, “So we know that the Avatar escaped, and that she likely went to the South Pole,” I said quietly before sighing.

“That’s not what you're most concerned with, though, is it?” Yue asked gently.

“That spirit,” I murmured, “It seemed to know something. I know it’s a bad idea, I know it’s dangerous, but-“

“If your sister’s in danger, we should go to the Fire Nation to investigate,” Yue said, looking at me firmly.

“It’s not a good idea,” I said quietly, “If I were discovered…” I trailed off the words, sounding empty to even myself.

“She’s your sister, Zuko, you’d never forgive yourself if something happened,” Yue gently rested a palm over my heart, her blue eyes staring into my own pale gold with passion, “I understand.”

“The Avatar, though,” I said quietly.

Yue frowned down at me, “Wherever the Avatar is, that can wait,” she said firmly.

I frowned and looked away, the words making me feel uncomfortable because they were the thoughts I was having myself.

Soft wet lips pressed against my cheek, “You can’t save the world by yourself, Zuko,” Yue whispered quietly into my ear, “Sometimes you have to protect what’s most important to you as well.”

The words filtered through my mind as I genuinely thought about them.

Right now, I could head to the South Pole and try to find Anya. I was sure she was there, likely frozen beneath the ice, yet…

Right now, wherever Anya was, I could be almost positive she was safe; on the other hand, Azula could very much be in serious danger.

“I promised my mother I would take care of Azula,” I said quietly, letting the words trail through the air as I resolved myself, “It’s not just because of that, though; it’s my job to take care of her. If she’s in danger, I have to do something.”

“I understand, Zuko,” Yue said softly into my ear.

-

My journey through the swamp still felt inchoate to me; a part of me wanted to move further in and see the tree I knew to be at the center, to see if there was something else to learn.

Yet the spirit's words would not leave my mind, so with some effort of waterbending, Yue and I turned the ship around and began to make our journey free of the swamp.

The journey out seemed quicker than the journey in, but that was likely because I was no longer getting pulled into the past and having to be awake for the full hours of every day and night.

At the same time, it seemed agonizingly slow exiting the swamp.

Anything could be happening to Azula right now, and yet at the same time, I couldn’t help but wonder if the spirit had been telling the truth.

We crawled along the coast heading to where the distance between the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom was at its shortest.

I found myself uneasily pacing the deck, looking over the waves with an oddly blank mind, my worries weighing on me.

What could be happening if the spirit was telling the truth? What might happen if the spirit were lying?

There was nothing I could do right now, though, so I trained my water bending, but even in training my water bending, I found no real peace.

Why had the air nomads been concerned about dual bending? What spirits were they afraid of?

These thoughts bothered me, not necessarily because I believed that my ability to bend water was malignant. I was sure Tui had granted the bending, and I did not consider her a spirit that desired something terrible to happen to me or the Avatar.

Yet the way Sister Iio had talked about dual bending… Well, something was off; there was something the air nomads had known or experienced that I was completely in the dark about.

I wish I had asked, but already I had been concerned in that moment of the air nomads' reaction if they found out my dual bending, for certain they would have been far more keen to force me out, and it seemed at the time they had even suspected me of something.

I sighed, tracing my katas over the deck of the ship, rotating in a circle as I moved through them.

I hadn’t expected to be sailing again for so long, and definitely hadn’t been expecting back to the Fire Nation so soon.

I sliced my hands through the air, generating blades of water off my arms, sending them slicing through the air and out into the ocean to collide in bursts of water, blowing holes through the ocean's surface.

I once again gestured out with my palms, letting water roll over me, creating a pair of icicle daggers, much in the same way I had created fire daggers before.

I swept them through one of my dual-wielding forms, shifting and changing how I held them as if I was impaling invisible foes.

I stopped my motion just as I felt a heat presence stepping up from behind me and encircling gentle arms around my neck.

“Are you alright?” Yue murmured softly into my ear.

“I’m fine,” I replied cocking an eyebrow as I stared out over the ocean.

A gentle shake occurred from behind me as Yue nuzzled her face into my face back, “No,” Yue said simply, “I think for the first time, I’m seeing you afraid.”

“Afraid,” I contemplated the word that Yue had ascribed to me, “I’m not sure I would agree,” I shook my head.

“How would you describe it?” Yue asked.

“I-“ I hesitated, thinking over my words for a moment, “As much as I respect the spirits, I know that they are not de facto helpful to humans. Oftentimes, their morality and how they decide to conduct themselves have nothing to do with human conceptions of right and wrong.”

Yue hummed the vibration traveling through her chest and into my back, “So you’re concerned that the spirit has a goal of its own?”

“I’m certain it does,” I shook my head, “The question is if its goal is aligned against my interests or not.”

“But you can’t know now, can you?” Yue chided me gently, “Whatever is to happen is unknowable; we’ll simply have to take things as they come.”

I nodded my head before I felt Yue’s arms tighten around, me, not uncomfortably, but now holding me in a grip that showcased her building strength, “And it is we,” Yue said softly, “I don’t want to see you like that again, I want you to rely on me.”

I blinked, surprised at her words.

Yue wanted me to rely on her?

It was a reminder that even as we spent all this time together, we were only just beginning to know each other, to understand each other.

I still didn’t know how Yue was able to take the leaps of faith she had with me.

Yet my mouth felt oddly thick. How could I promise such a thing to Yue? Still, as things were now, I would much rather put myself in harm's way than allow her to risk herself for my sake.

Yet that was unfair. I couldn’t prioritize my own emotions and feelings over hers. If this mattered to Yue, if she truly felt that she needed to help me, I couldn’t throw away her actions or the meaning behind them.

“I’ll do my best,” I said.

-

Just as it had taken me weeks the first time I had crossed the ocean that separated the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom, it took a similar length of time to make my way back toward the Fire Nation, headed for one of the first landmarks at the very edge of the Fire Nation, Ember Island a place that still had a special spot in my memories.

As we drifted toward one of the ports that dotted the Island, I felt Yue shift uneasily at my side.

I glanced at her and once again had to stop myself from staring.

Yue’s long white hair had been dyed a deep, dark black with some usage of hair dye we had picked up at a village on the coast, but that was not what I found the most shocking. With careful application of my flame, I had turned Yue’s eyes a deep tawny amber.

Discounting her darker skin, she looked exactly like one would expect a member of the Fire Nation to look; more than that, she still carried herself like a princess, making her current appearance similar to a member of the court.

That was, except for the issue of clothing, she still had her water tribe blue clothing, and we had remained unable to locate Fire Nation-style clothing at any of the villages on the coast of the Earth Kingdom.

It was another reason to stop by Ember Island first; if Yue was going to have any chance of blending in, she would need actual Fire Nation clothing.

In pursuit of that task, I had slipped into town to put my funds to work.

I had bought upper-class clothing, taking the small dent in my current funds with aplomb before returning to the ship and handing over my spoils.

Slipping into the silks of the Fire Nation again had been comforting and familiar, slipping on a loose black shirt tied at the front with several ties and similarly breathable pants all charcoal back with gold accents.

Yue had dressed in a crimson dress with gold accents that, on her, looked breathtaking and completed her transformation into an upper-class member of the Fire Nation.

She sighed in relief as she did so, spinning about the silken dress flaring out, “That’s much better, I didn’t think it’d be so warm here.”

I laughed, shaking my head. I didn’t have the heart to tell her it was only going to get hotter.

-

The further into the Fire Nation we traveled, the more ships on the open ocean we saw, something Yue had remarked on.

“For a people of Fire, you seem awfully comfortable on the waves,” she remarked from the front of the ship, relaxing against the prow.

“It’s our heritage,” I shrugged my shoulders, “We’re a nation of Islands, there is little other way we could travel without the use of ships.”

Yue nodded her head thoughtfully, shading her eyes against the sun as she looked across the blue waters, “It makes you wonder why there are no water benders here, doesn’t it?” she said softly.

I looked at Yue, surprised at her statement, “What do you mean?” I asked.

Yue shrugged, “There are waterbenders at the North Pole, there used to be many at the South Pole, but I’ve also heard they are spread across the Earth Kingdom, including in some of the swamps. I’ve always wondered what determines what bending we are born with. If it’s blood, does that mean all waterbenders are descended from the same people? Is that then true for all benders?”

I frowned in thought, loosening the sail as I did so to begin tacking as the wind changed direction

“It is said in the Fire Nation learned to bend from the dragons, the Water Tribes from the moon, the Earth Kingdom from badger moles, and the Air Nation from the air bison,” I mused aloud, “But learning is not the same as innate ability, it is said we learned but I have no real idea how we gained the ability,” I hesitated turning to face the starboard side of the ship looking at over the horizon,  “There are… stories though,” I admitted.

“Stories?” Yue asked.

I chuckled wryly, shaking my head, “There’s a story in the Fire Nation called ‘Love Amongst the Dragons.’ It was my sister’s favorite story when she was younger; it probably still is.

“What’s the story about?” Yue asked.

“It’s divided into several acts and follows the story of a young boy. In particular, the original version touches on a common legend in the Fire Nation, that long before the dragons were hunted to extinction by direction of my great-grandfather Sozin, and long before we had the ability to bend fire, the dragons would take human form amongst us and leave children that were, well, half dragon.”

Yue cocked her head, “That’s an odd legend, isn’t it?”

I shrugged my shoulders idly, “Perhaps, unlike the air bison or badger moles, the dragons were said to be highly intelligent, perhaps even more so than humans. That they could judge your worth with a glance.”

“What does that have to do with the story you mentioned?” Yue asked curiously.

Despite myself, a grin emerged on my face, and I fully turned to face Yue leaning against the side of the ship. I spoke, but this time my voice had dropped to a low baritone as I conjured a bright golden flame in my open left palm, holding it underneath my chin.

“Raom, you must understand, was a boy of common birth whose only talent was the fire that burned in his heart and in his veins. Raom, while well-liked by the people of his village, could never become more than his blood allowed. Nowhere was that clearer in his life than for his love of Cha, the daughter of the village chief. She was far above him in station, such that she would never notice someone of so little worth. Raom decided that he would let his love remain from afar till one day a massive storm came from across the horizon. Raom spotted the storm, but he knew there was little he could do. Or so he thought.”

I grinned at Yue, who leaned forward slightly, her expression focused as she listened intently to my words.

“Raom, with nothing else to do, prayed to the spirits for deliverance. He prayed long and hard at his village's shrine on the mountainside, yet there was no answer.”

I shifted my hands, and suddenly a massive flaming dragon head flared out from my fingers toned a bright blue, and Yue startled back.

“A massive blue dragon landed in front of him, and Raom startled back, though being of a strong spirit, he was not afraid. ‘Who are you!?’ he cried out to the dragon,” I spiked my voice higher at Raom’s intonation just as I would do for Azula.

The dragon twisted its neck back and forth, roaring a blazing stream of fire into the sky,” the dragon in my hands roared upward fire flaring out, “before its head bent down before the boy, and a cool voice echoed out, ‘I will save your village, boy, but in return, you will give yourself to me for seven years, seven days, and seven hours.’”

“Raom had no expectations for his continued survival, but he was an honorable Fire Nation boy, so he replied firmly, ‘I will do as asked.’”

“The dragon knew little about the Fire Nation, but she knew that the word of those who lived within its borders was worth the weight of all the wealth in the world. So hearing the boy’s words, the dragon flew into the sky and pierced through the storm, dispersing it with flames that were every color that can be imagined.”

The flames in my hands flared higher, shimmering across my hands, before I let them subside, leaving a single lonely flame in my hand.

“The village celebrated its survival, but it was not long before they discovered that Raom was missing. His family feared for his safety, but they did not give up hope, so every day they prayed at the shrine for his return.”

I lowered the flame further till it was just a candle, “So the beginning of the story goes, what Raom did not know at this time was that the dragon who had found him had been the very cause of the storm, that she had observed him for his entire life waiting for the right moment.”

“The right moment?” Yue asked and held a hand to my lips with a grin.

“Of course, for the dragon had chosen Raom to be her husband,” I extinguished the flame and looked in amusement as Yue’s mouth dropped open.

“But- But-“ Yue startled, looking at me, incredibly confused, “She was a dragon, what do you mean she wanted to marry Raom?”

“She loved him,” I shrugged my shoulders, “It was with her that Raom learned how to bend fire, as from her love she gave him part of her spirit, elevating him above all other humans. As time went by, he fell in love with her in return. On the final days of his time together with her, he confessed his love, and the dragon, upon hearing his confession, turned into a beautiful human woman named Shen. Agni, seeing the love shared between the pair, returned them to the world of the living from the spirit world, where they founded the Sun Warriors. It is said all firebenders are descendants of such pairings between dragons and humans.”

Yue raised an incredulous eyebrow at me, “You’re saying that firebending is said to come from your heritage as dragons?”

I shrugged my shoulders, “And the waterbenders watched the moon to learn how to bend, is it so strange that firebenders believe our gift came directly from the literal love of a dragon?”

Yue hummed seemingly in thought as she seemed to take my words into serious consideration, “I admit, given what I know of the Fire Nation, it’s not what I expected.” Yue sighed.

“We’re a complicated people,” I sighed, shifting our course again, “But I truly hope someday we’ll be a Nation that I can be proud of.”

Yue cocked a brow at me, “Isn’t that in part your decision? You could become Fire Lord.”

I turned to her, surprised at her words, “What?”

Yue looked at me with unreadable blue eyes, “Why don’t you become Fire Lord?” Her words weren’t aggressive, but it was a genuine question; she was trying to get something from me.

I hesitated at her question. I knew my answer; it just wasn’t something I wanted to admit. Still, she had asked, “I don’t want to,” I said softly.

Yue blinked and cocked her head, “I’m sorry, I don’t understand,” she said.

I sighed, looking out over the waves, contemplating how to respond, preferably in a way that didn’t reveal how selfish this particular desire was.

On the other hand, what was the point in hiding it?

“I don’t want my Father to be Fire Lord; he’s done terrible things, and he’ll keep doing those awful things for as long as he’s in power, and not just to the people, to his own family.”

A soft hand settled on my shoulder. “What did he do?” Yue asked softly.

"You will know the pain of losing a firstborn son.”

I sighed, shaking my head, “It’s not important. He’s done enough to convince me that the only thing he values is the throne. It’s maybe a silly thing to say, but I hate that throne. The last thing I want to do is take it.”

Childish, I knew it, insultingly naïve at the same time, but that did not change the fact that I would pick almost anything other than be Fire Lord.

Of course, Master Pakku had made me think on that topic; Iroh may not be the option I thought he was, and regardless, there would need to be an heir after him.

Yue stroked a hand up my back, threading her fingers through my loose hair, “Why is it when you say it’s not important, I have the feeling you’re not telling me the truth.”

I chuckled and turned to face her, raising an eyebrow at the girl as I locked gazes with her own now amber gaze, “Maybe it’s a little important,” I allowed. I attempted to move the conversation along, “Suffice to say my Father needs an heir, and as long as Azula is the only option, she should be safe. While I still resided at the palace, I did a great deal to make my Father think as little of me as possible to make absolutely sure he would never hurt her. I wanted her to be the heir he desired because as long as he thinks that he would never harm her.”

“You make it sound like that’s been one of your primary goals,” Yue remarked.

I chuckled dryly, not feeling the laugh, “It’s part of why I’m so worried; if something’s changed… If she’s no longer safe, I have to be there.”

-

Our journey continued on as we made our way to the Caldera, traveling the waves as more and more traffic floated past us, military and civilian vessels alike.

We were one of many boats, though, and were not overly dissimilar from the other traffic that moved about the waters.

When the waters were free, we practiced our waterbending, but even that couldn’t distract my mind as I carefully considered all I was about to go up against.

I would have to find one of my contacts first, either someone paid by the Blue Spirit or a member of the White Lotus, something that shouldn’t be overly difficult, but made me nervous regardless. I had no idea what I was walking into.

The Fire Nation Caldera seemed at first glance a place that would be difficult to enter, but as the Fire Nation had been uncontested in their own waters for some time, there was little inspection of the craft this deep into their waters.

What threat was there after all?

Drifting through the traffic of the other ships, we slowly came to a halt at the far end of the harbor with the other civilian craft.

I stepped out onto the dock and met the dockmaster, paying him with a couple of coins for the berth.

The man’s eyes glanced over me, not even bothering to ask what exactly my purpose was for.

Not a real surprise, I blended in with any number of the fishermen that roamed the docks, and my ship was of a generic Fire Nation make. Such a ship could be found in many waters around the world, going about its purpose.

I waited for several moments as Yue made her way onto the docks to join me.

Together we began walking down the docks looking for all the world like a teenage Fire Nation couple coming back from a trip out on the waters.

The only real conspicuousness that was an issue was that Yue’s face remained abnormally pretty, and I caught the glances shot her way as we walked the docks.

Perhaps because I was accompanying her, though, no one approached us, for which I was thankful.

We walked across the dock, the wood thudding underneath our feet, the sun beating down on our backs, carrying a warm, familiar heat.

Yue slipped in closer to me as we walked, her eyes flicking about to our observers.

“Why are they looking at us?” she asked softly.

My lips quirked upward not of their own accord as I understood what exactly made this so different from her usual experiences with people, “You’re a striking person,” I said softly, “Given that they don’t have to avoid you because you’re a princess, I think that’s drawing their attention.”

Her youth probably did her some favors in avoiding encounters as well.

We moved through the streets as I led Yue to an old-fashioned tea house that Uncle Iroh had often cleared out of the average citizen to play pai sho with other nobles and drink tea by himself.

Though that was not the only reason he frequented the place.

We entered the building and I took the stairs to the top floor, not so much as glancing around at the other occupants before I took a seat in the far corner at a pai sho table sitting atop one of the cushions.

Somewhat nervously, Yue followed me, settling down by my side, though to her credit, she did not fidget; her training at the Northern Water Tribes court, doing her a great deal of credit.

Some minutes passed before an older man walked up the stairs and spotted us.

He moved with slow steps to our table before stopping in front of us, “Care for a game?” he asked softly.

I nodded agreeably, “Please teach me some of your wisdom,” I replied.

A small smile deepened the wrinkles on the man's face before he settled across from me.

Carefully, I made the first move, placing Iroh’s White Lotus tile in the center of the table.

The older man hummed and nodded a small smile emerging on his face, “I did not think one so young would favor the White Lotus gambit,” he murmured.

“It’s how my Uncle taught me to play,” I replied softly.

The older man made the next move, a quick response, placing his tile at an intersection of white and red.

Our moves began to rapidly cross the table as we picked up pace, and the outline of the White Lotus began to form.

On its complete formation, the man nodded his head, “Welcome, brother, the White Lotus opens wide to those who know her secrets.”

I nodded my head before laying a paper across the table, “The Blue Spirit has returned,” I said softly.

The man nodded his head and stood up, gesturing with his arm for us to follow. We stood up and walked after him, following him down the stairs and then back through a kitchen, before we turned down several more alleys.

Yue was noticeably on edge, judging by the tenseness of her body, but she seemed to have faith in me for now as we continued down the alleys.

We stopped in front of a nice-looking two-story home, which the man gestured me towards. I walked to the door and opened it, allowing Yue to walk inside before I glanced back at the man.

We bowed lightly to each other before he walked away, and I fully turned inside, shutting the door behind me, encompassing us in darkness.

“Zuko-“ Yue began before I lightly shushed her.

Stepping further into the dark home, I made four rapid shots of orange fire with my hand flashing across the room and igniting the area in a warm light.

Yue looked at me, surprise slackening her features before she finally spoke, “What was that?” she asked.

Even though I knew no one else was around, I shook my head, “It’s nothing to be talked about right now, we have this home for as long as we need it, I’ll be heading into the palace tonight, I want you to keep watch here.”

Yue’s expression turned mulish, “So you can run into more danger by yourself?” she asked, her voice slightly higher-pitched from frustration.

“There won’t be danger,” I shook my head before I stopped seeing Yue’s expression had darkened further, “There won’t be much danger,” I allowed, “I’ve slipped inside and outside that palace for years, it’s the safest option that I enter by myself.”

“And if something goes wrong?” Yue asked, her gaze fully narrowed at me.

“Hopefully nothing will,” I gave Yue a small smile, “But have some faith in me, I’m not walking into somewhere I’ve never been before, and it’s not that I don’t want to bring you this time, I’m being upfront about this, you don’t have the skill to infiltrate the Fire Nation Royal Palace.”

Yue didn’t look happy. She glared at me for a long moment, and I met her gaze steadily. Finally, she glanced down. “Teach me, then,” she said.

“What?” I cocked my head, confused.

“If you’re going to sneak into places you shouldn’t go, then I want you to teach me how to do so as well,” Yue looked up, meeting my eyes firmly, “I don’t want to be left behind like that, and even if you want to keep me safe, I’m safer near you than without you.”

As much as I wanted to deny that logic, in a way, Yue was right; the closer she was to me, the better positioned I was to intervene if anything was going to happen, as potentially arrogant as that sounded.

“You-“ I hesitated rolling the words over in my mouth, “You have a point,” I finally allowed.

Yue’s face lit up, seemingly not having expected me to accede to that point.

“So you’ll take me with you?” She asked.

I still wasn’t fully comfortable with this idea, but honestly, I had faith I could get two people inside the palace, “Fine, but you’re getting a crash course first,” I said.

Yue eagerly nodded, a bright smile spreading across her face.

I suppose either way, there was time to be killed before night fell.

-

It was as night reached its zenith that we left our building, no more than patches of darkness against the night.

I kept my breathing calm and steady, sucking in the light around us, my left hand fastened around Yue’s right as I moved us through the darkness.

Slipping past buildings and then onto the rooftops momentarily, we made our way to the palace, headed towards one of the entrances I had used before, positioned near the living quarters of the royal family.

I kept a light pace, not wanting to drag Yue too hard as she was still getting used to stepping lightly across the ground, given that while the light wouldn’t reach us, sound still might very well give us away.

It took a while to reach the palace as we flitted through the streets, mere shadows to any observers.

As we ran, Yue’s feet became more sure, and she was finally able to put my lessons into use as we ran side by side.

I spotted the occasional Fire Nation guard standing under a lantern or alternatively holding a lantern as they moved through the darkness that pressed around the Caldera.

They were easy enough to dodge in part because of my own experience moving around the caldera at night and in part because there was no way for them to see us, even if they turned directly our way.

We reached the palace, tucking in close to the wall as I pushed aside a metal plate embedded into the ground, obscured by dirt, letting Yue drop first before I dropped in after her.

We hit the ground in a tunnel before I grabbed Yue’s hand and channeled my fire to my eyes, letting me see the entirety of the tunnel, jogging through the tunnel for a distance, concentrating on keeping the noise of our movements down.

I reached the end of the tunnel and concentrated for a moment, feeling for any heat signatures above me.

There was nothing, and I pushed the trap door above me up before picking Yue up and leaping up through the hole, landing with nary a whisper in an out-of-the-way storage room.

I resealed the entrance and then slipped out of the room, moving down the hallways toward the side of the palace that housed Azula and used to house me.

Through the familiar hallways of my former home, I walked, suppressing the feelings it evoked within me as best I could. The whole place, despite my own thoughts and beliefs, still felt like being within my home once again.

It was affecting me, unsettling me, but nevertheless, I pressed on, moving through the lowly lit palace hallways just as I had as a child.

I stopped outside my sister's door and felt within, noting instantly her familiar heat presence lying in bed. I could only assume she was fast asleep.

I slipped inside the door, and my glowing eyes landed on her. She had changed little in the time I had been away, but she had indeed changed, as children often did at this age.

I let go of Yue’s hand and walked slowly to the side of her bed, bending down to get a better look at Azula’s face. There could be something I was missing, an injury, something affecting her spirit or chi.

Azula’s eyes snapped open, golden eyes the same color as mine locked onto mine, in a second, a dagger was making its way toward my throat.

I blocked the attack from the inside of her arm, “Wait-“ was all I had time to get out before a flaring blue flame illuminated the room, emanating from Azula’s free palm, rocketing toward my face.

Azula’s face was thrown into sharp relief from the blue flame, and I saw her expression widen as her flames illuminated my own face.

I had only a moment to brace myself before Azula leaped forward, tackling me to the ground, the flame disappearing, and the dagger held parallel to my face as she gazed at me with awed, wide, golden eyes.

“Zuzu,” she mumbled softly, stroking the flat of the blade against my cheek and oddly caring motion to be done with a deadly implement.

“Zuko!” Yue cried out in an exclamatory whisper, a strange sound, in surprise.

Azula’s gaze flickered to Yue, and suddenly her dagger was pressed lightly against my throat.

“Who is she?” Azula whispered harshly, glaring at me with fierce golden eyes.

“Quietly, Zula,” I said softly, my eyes flicking to the door we had come in.

Azula didn’t seem to be having any of it, and the dagger pressed a bit harder on my throat as she glared at me meaningfully.

Classic Azula.

“That’s Yue, she’s from the North Pole,” I said calmly.

“Why is she with you?” Azula growled, practically vibrating.

“It’s a long story,” I said, not exactly keen on explaining everything right now, “I was more concerned with whether anything had happened to you?”

Azula cocked her head at me, “What?” she asked, her pale golden eyes flickering with confusion.

“Has anything happened around you that you wouldn’t expect? Any unusual occurrences? How has father been?”

“Fire Lord Ozai,” Azula spat, “Has remained in seclusion since your Agni Kai with him. I’ve barely seen him. A doctor went to see him, but never returned; he has met with the generals and admirals, but that’s it. That’s all I know.”

All good things to know, and it lined up with the reports I received, yet somehow it didn’t make me more comfortable.

“I was more concerned about you Zula,” I said quietly.

Azula froze her eyes, widening the smallest amount, the corner of her lip twitched up the smallest amount before her face resumed its sneer.

“You should be concerned with planning on how to defeat our Father,” she glared down at me.

I sighed, shrugging my shoulders as best I could on the floor at her words, “That plan is in progress, Zula, but it might take a bit.”

“You’ve apparently had enough time to find some floozy,” Azula sniffed, though underneath sarcasm there seemed to be a real edge of hurt.

Yue stiffened at those words, and I had the distinct sensation that a new danger had emerged.

“I’m his fiancée!” Yue whispered harshly, “We are properly engaged, thank you very much!”

Azula froze before her eyes narrowed, and she turned toward Yue, the pressure of the knife on my throat not only not easing, but pressing a little further down.

“What did you say?” she sneered.

Yue was far from cowed, “I’m the woman he’s going to marry, I’m not just some harlot,” she said sharply.

“Zuko,” Azula said calmly, her voice placid like embers of fire before oil was thrown atop to ignite them in an inferno, “Is this true?”

I was many things, but blind was not one of them. Azula was not taking this news well, which, to be fair, finding out your brother got engaged after faking his death would be a lot for anyone, yet this felt beyond that.

There was something I was missing.

I gently grasped Azula’s thighs to prevent a sudden motion, like carefully grabbing a pissed off pygmy puma.

“It’s true,” I said simply as I tightened my grip on Azula’s legs to prevent any untoward motion.

Azula’s thighs flexed underneath my grip as it seemed she tested my grip before she turned back to me, raising a single elegant eyebrow, “What do you think you’re doing, Zuko?” she asked.

“That’s still a longer story, Zula,” I shook my head, “We don’t really have the time for it.”

Azula raised an eyebrow before my words seemed to reach her, and she frowned down at me, “You’re leaving me again, aren’t you?” she asked softly, and her voice wrenched at my heart, making me want to puke.

“I don’t have a choice, Zula,” I said not sure if I was speaking to her or myself, “If Father finds out I'm alive, he’s going to finish what he started, and I don’t even want to think of what he might do to you if he finds out you’ve seen me,” I said softly.

Azula pulled the dagger in her hands back from my neck before she flashed the blade's length at me, “What does this mean then?” she asked softly.

It was the knife I had given her all those years ago, the characters I had etched on the side of the blade gleamed, ‘Love will never leave your side.’

My breath caught in my chest as it finally occurred to me that I had gone back on my promise. So caught in my schemes that I had allowed what I should have been protecting to fall to the side.

If I took her with me, I had no real idea what would happen to the Fire Nation while we were gone with both heirs disappeared. I would be putting at risk her ability to become the Fire Lord, which was almost obligatory, as Iroh could not live forever.

The thought froze in my head. I didn’t want to be Fire Lord, so what would I do? Would I doom my sister to remain here for the sake of the world?

Yue spoke her soft words, carrying through the silence of the room, “We’re not going to leave you here, your brother came back to protect you.”

Azula turned to look at Yue, and her lips quirked down, “But Zuko can’t stay here-“ she froze atop me before something gleaming and wicked flickered through her eyes, “So I have to leave while making it seem like it’s Father's idea.”

I didn’t think Yue had been saying that at all and it certainly hadn’t been something I had said, but I could see the thoughts flickering through Azula’s eyes as she muttered to herself, almost unintelligible.

“That should work- but what if he- then I’ll need to- perfect! I knew Uncle was good for something!”

“Zula. Zula!” I tried getting her attention as she continued to mumble atop me.

She looked down at me, her eyes narrowing, “You’re going to help me leave, and it’s going to look like Father’s idea.”

“How?” I asked cocking my head at the girl.

“Father only keeps me at the Palace because that’s where he believes I’m most useful, but I’m the Crown Princess of the Fire Nation, I’m still allowed to leave of my own will. There have been rumors about Kyoshi Island causing problems. If I petition to deal with the problem myself by drawing them to the Fire Nation’s side, that would be an acceptable use of resources.”

I recalled the information I had obtained about Kyoshi Island, the desire for the place to be used for a Fire Nation victory.

“What plan would you give him that he would accept?” I asked bewildered

“Oh, Zuzu,” Azula leaned down, brushing her lips against my cheek, “You’re adorable when you’re confused.”

I blinked and looked at Yue, absolutely perplexed.

Yue looked seemingly conflicted between us, “She’s really your sister?” she asked aloud.

Those weren’t the words I had been expecting, so all I could do was blink in absolute confusion at Yue before shrugging uncomfortably, still on the floor, “It’s what I’ve been told.”

-

As the dawn rose, so did Azula, moving with careful precision as she had her maid servants ready her for the day.

Everything would go according to plan because when she set her mind to something, she never failed.

She met Uncle in the gardens, the fatso sitting underneath a tree as he wrote a letter to some person she likely couldn’t care less about.

“Uncle, I wish to prove myself by dealing with Kyoshi Island,” she said sharply.

Iroh looked up, seeming completely bewildered at Azula’s words, just as she expected, “Dear Niece, such a thing, while not beyond your capabilities, carries a great deal of risk.”

“Yes, of course,” Azula nodded along with dull fatty, wishing she could skip through this conversation entirely, “But I’m bored now that Mai and Tai Lee are gone and I’m beyond the lessons of all my tutors.”

“Bored?” Iroh questioned with a disquieted look on his face.

“Yes, so you’re going to be assistance to me in the meeting we’re due for in the next ten minutes.”

“Meeting?” Iroh repeated blinking.

Azula turned, having said enough by her calculations to get her Uncle moving after her with as much alacrity as the man ever showed.

Five minutes later, she was stepping into the massive flame-covered hall where Fire Lord Ozai sat.

Not Father, never Father, after what he tried to take from her.

She walked to the center of the room and dropped into a kneeling bow that made her sick yet she held the pose with grace.

Several minutes passed before Ozai spoke, “I have received your petition, tell me, daughter, what is it you hope to achieve?”

Azula did not look up from the floor, “I have grown tired of the teachings and tests of the Caldera; something more practical is necessary, I believe, if I am to live up to our ancestors.”

“So you wish to take on this task by yourself in the Fire Nations' name?” Ozai murmured, seemingly musing, but Azula knew the paranoid old man was simply testing her, to see if he could determine an ounce of disloyalty.

There was no way for him to tell, though; he only ever saw what she wanted him to see, nothing more.

He thought her as cold and vicious as himself, and there was truth to that statement. She would murder the man the moment she got the chance. The only thing that kept his life in existence was that she was not entirely sure if she would see Zuko again if she killed him, and that was unacceptable.

“I wish for the opportunity to prove myself, I do not wish to languish like-“

Iroh entered the room, and the flames flared higher, and Azula could practically taste Ozai’s displeasure.

“Prince Iroh,” Ozai said coolly, “Is something the mater?”

Her Uncle glanced at her, then back to Ozai, shifting seemingly uncomfortable on his feet, “Of course not, I just wondered if there was something Princess Azula needed.”

Ozai’s cold tone easily carried across the flames, “There is nothing that one like my daughter would need from someone like you.”

“Of course,” Iroh bowed his head and exited the chamber, walking with calm steps that did not indicate any kind of hurt from the dismissal by his brother.

A long moment of silence passed before Ozai spoke again, “Yes, I believe time outside the Palace’s Walls will do you a great deal of good, my daughter. I would expect that you, as my daughter, would be capable of dealing with this nuisance, Kyoshi Island is but a small thing but a relic of the Avatar fully submitted to the Fire Nations rule would please me greatly.”

“I am the instrument of your will,” Azula lied easily her words sounding as truthful as they could possibly be and she allowed herself some internal amusement at the man’s belief that she was his instrument.

The only one she belonged to was her brother, and her brother was as much hers as she was his.

“You are dismissed, do what is necessary,” Ozai said simply.

-

Our part of the plan was the easiest and, conversely, the part I was least comfortable with. We were to wait at the safe house we had been given by my White Lotus contact, waiting for Azula to show up after whatever she was going to say to our Father to convince him to let her leave.

Such a thing might seem crazy for any other eleven-year-old to tell their parent they wanted to leave the country, but Azula was a member of the Fire Lord’s line and an extremely capable firebender; even other young nobles might be expected to have leading positions within the Fire Nation to prepare them for their duties.

My only real concern was that Ozai might see a loss of control by doing so and thus dismiss the idea entirely.

On the other hand, what was there for him to fear now that my bad influence was gone.

The man didn’t like me and hadn’t for the longest time. When I was younger, I had thought perhaps it was something I wasn’t doing well enough.

I realized now, in retrospect, I think it was Ursa’s love for me that was the seed of his hatred. She was soft and gentle with me, and even though, to his eyes, I was a relative prodigy, I didn’t have what he truly valued.

Utter disregard for the lives of others.

Azula had the potential for that. Even now, though I loved her, I saw the way she would sometimes look at other people; she cared about those around her, but it was limited to them and only them, and it was something that could be twisted if you didn’t take care of her heart.

It was yet another reason to take her with me, even though it had only been several months later, Azula had seemed harsher, more aggressive.

I wouldn’t risk her like that again.

Was that what the spirit had been referring to?

My current discomfort was not from a lack of trust in Azula, but simply that my Father was not necessarily predictable in a circumstance like this.

Still, I needed to start having faith in people other than myself; I couldn’t carry everything by myself. I had tried that, and now I saw the best-case scenario if I kept on going that way was likely my own death.

A knock sounded at the door, and I turned, feeling a quite familiar heat presence at the door, her position as prim and proper as expected of her station.

I walked to the front of the house and opened it to see Azula dressed in blacks and reds, indicating a moderately wealthy noble with a small bag slung over her back, which she tossed to me with a negligent move of her arm.

I caught the bag with a small grin and raised an eyebrow at the girl, “That was quick,” I remarked.

Azula waved a hand through the air as if to dismiss my words like an insect, “It was easy, now isn’t it time to take me on my life-changing field trip or whatever?”

“Fieldtrip?” I asked, confused.

Azula raised an eyebrow at me, “I am missing school for this,” she said dryly.

“Right,” I nodded my head, “I’ll pretend that you still needed to go for any other reason than your own amusement, you finished the curriculum a long time ago.”

Azula sighed before prodding me in the chest with a pointed nail, “I was still learning Zuzu, just not anything they were teaching me.”

She walked past me, looking about the house, “Where’s the harlot?”

Yue appeared as if summoned, walking out of the kitchen and raising an eyebrow at Azula, “You know I’m also a Princess?” she said dryly.

Azula’s grin showed entirely too many teeth to be mistaken for amusement as she walked up to Yue, “Oh, a Princess of what exactly?”

“The Northern Water Tribe,” Yue said, gazing at Azula, her expression entirely impassive.

Azula froze slightly, looking between me and Yue for a moment before her gaze centered on me, “That long story, I want to hear it, now.” Her voice was steady, but there was that slight edge to it that Azula got whenever she was agitated.

I shook my head, “We’re heading to the ship now, you can have the whole thing when we’re out in the water and far from the Caldera.”

Azula didn’t look happy, but she restrained her discontent to a muted glare.

Yue’s eyebrows were arched as she looked at Azula, though that was the limit to her visible discontent.

I couldn’t help but think that the ship ride out might be rather uncomfortable.

Most likely for me.