Azula raises a practiced eye at the small group staring back at her. The women and children look to her with wide fearful eyes. Azula is use to such fear being a result of something she has done or about to do. This fear, though, is due to the impending cloud of doom hanging over them.
"Please, Asa," Song pleads, using Azula's fake name. "We can't just leave them."
Azula glares at the green eyed woman. "Two women walking out of Ba Sing Se won't draw much attention but taking half of the Lower Ring with you will."
The idea had been to repay the kindness that Song and her mother have shown Azula with an escape route out of the city before the Fire Nation claims it. Azula is beginning to regret letting such sentiments get the better of her.
"The Fire Nation has already taken away so much from these people." Song begs. "You know what it is like to lose loved ones to the war."
Azula tilts her head towards the sky towards the calm blue of the clouds and slowly counts to ten. She has known loss but Ursa leaving and Zuko being banished are only the beginning in a long list of what will go wrong in her life. Ozai is sure to exact his pound before this is over. She does not want to think about what sort of revenge may await her at the Avatar's hand either. Her betrayal of him on the day of the Winter Solstice is sure to have caused some damage.
"Fine, but they have to be quiet and do what I say. If we are caught by one of the Fire Nation patrols, then we will only wish they had killed us." Azula snaps impatiently.
The reality of capture looms overhead. Women will not fare well at the hands of the soldiers. From the looks in the eyes of some of the sad souls staring back, Azula knows this is a truth that has already been far too familiar to them. The thought makes her shift uncomfortably as she knows it is a standard weapon in her father's arsenal to beat the civilians into submission and to "breed them out" as he so eloquently put it.
"We leave tonight." Azula says with a sort of confidence she doesn't feel.
Something is bound to go wrong. It always does.
Oooo
"What about that one?" Zuko asks striving to not let the impatience bleed into his voice.
Katara peruses the tea house with a critical eye. "Isn't it a bit large?"
Zuko closes his eyes and breathes deep. "The last one was too small. What is the big deal?"
Katara fidgets under the glaring golden eyes but resists speaking her true thoughts. Days have gone by with little change in their routine. Wake, eat, beg the palace for an audience with the king, get rejected, go home, eat, sleep, then do it all over again. Every day they waste waiting for the hardheaded ministers to let them through is one more day the Fire Nation is gaining ground. Katara is as on edge as she has ever been.
"Nothing about this seems right." She wants to stomp her feet in frustration. She wants to cry like a child at the unfairness of it all.
Zuko doesn't sigh, or glare. He just stares at her for a moment before curtly stating. "Aang will be back."
She doesn't reply but just nods, somehow feeling ashamed of her tantrums in the face of the Prince's kindness and patience with her and relieved at his words all at the same time. Without another word, Zuko slips his hand in hers and gently pulls her towards the bustling Jasmine Dragon. She presses close to him to avoid being pulled away in the crowd.
"Can we even get a table?" She ponders looking around at the packed tea house.
Zuko appraises the room with all the experience a warrior could have before pulling her with him towards a table in the back. It is small but quaint and gives them a good view of the room. Waitresses dip and twist through the room delivering steaming cups of tea and dumplings. The atmosphere is warm and jovial as the chatter of Ba Sing Se's elite mingles into one soothing voice.
Finally they are served and with the first sip of the brewed beverage, Katara feels some of her tension melting away.
"This tea is amazing." She moans as she sips again.
Zuko looks at her with something akin to confusion and shock. "You really enjoy your tea."
Katara shrugs. "It's nice to not have to make it myself or worry about cleaning it up afterward."
The pressure to look after everyone is intense. She is thankful for her hard life at the South Pole as it has well prepared her for the task of looking after Team Avatar. Briefly she glances at the man beside her, Zuko is one of the few that doesn't need her constant attention which is surprising given the fact he is little more than a spoiled royal brat.
"What?" Zuko questions the look she sends his way.
Katara drops her eyes to her steaming cup of tea. "Nothing."
"You stare at nothing?" Zuko asks dryly.
She shifts in her seat before looking at him again."I was just curious about what life in the palace was like for you."
Zuko stills in that way he has when he is trying to decide if she is being serious or mocking him. "Which part?"
She frowns at this. Not ever having dealt with royalty of any sort or even a structured social system, Katara is at a loss to know where to even begin. "I don't know. Did you have to do chores or were there servants for that?"
He watches her for a beat longer before answering. "Servants. It would be unseemly for a prince to do chores."
"Must be nice." She mumbles as she drinks again. A thought occurs to her though."You don't seem to mind doing them now."
While Zuko doesn't need her mothering he is also one of the few that actually helps out.
It's his turn to look away."I'm not exactly a prince anymore." He says it so softly she barely hears him.
She frowns as she mulls it over."How can that be?"
His head drops to stare at the table in front of them. "According to Azula, Father has removed me from the line of succession. That means I'm done."
No crown. No throne. No nothing.
"But if we win then someone will have to be Fire Lord, right?" Katara suggest hopefully.
It's not as if any of them have discussed what it will be like after the war. The question of who will do what has been not even been considered unless Aang has his own plans. Somehow she doubts the Air Bender has thought that far ahead.
"I guess." Zuko doesn't look at her but instead focuses on the room. "I'm sure Azula will have something to say about it."
For Zuko it always comes back to Azula. Despite the tasty tea, it gives Katara a bitter taste in her mouth.
"But you're older than she is. Doesn't that put you first in line? Besides she's the enemy. Aang won't let her be Fire Lord, that's for sure." As she speaks, the thoughts solidify in her mind. There is no way Azula would take the throne, not from Zuko.
Zuko turns slightly to stare at her with his good eye. "What makes you think he would stop her?"
Something about the way he asks the question gives Katara a sinking feeling.
"Why wouldn't he? Azula is the enemy, Zuko."
He looks as if he wants to say something about it but instead mumbles, "She's better suited to it than I am, " before taking a drink.
Katara shakes her head at his self loathing. "You have the same bloodline she does and the same upbringing. What would make her better suited to ruling than you?"
He gives a short laugh. "You assume the Avatar will have a hand in the matter at all."
Confusion creases her brow."Why wouldn't he?"
Zuko smoothes a napkin on the table's surface. "The Avatar isn't supposed to put kings on thrones, Katara. He's supposed to keep balance. If it comes down to it then I will have to fight Azula for the Crown."
Katara stares at the thoughtful expression on his face. "That's assuming Aang doesn't put a stop to her first." It is never far from her mind just what Azula has done and will do. The Fire Bender is powerful and evil. Someone like that has to be stopped.
Zuko laughs again. Azula is a master of manipulation and even if she has broken any bond she had with the Avatar she is sure to find a way to forge a new one. In time he is sure Azula will sway Aang to her side and if that doesn't work then she is likely to just kill him.
He wants to say something to someone. He wants to ponder these thoughts and work out the details. Toph is the only one he could talk to aside from Aang himself and neither of those conversations ever goes well. Toph mocks Zuko at every turn making crude remarks that no twelve year old should know and Aang is just barely on edge when Azula is mentioned.
"I guess we'll see." He says neutrally. The discussion is souring his mood more than it was already.
Katara, sensing the turn in his thoughts, wisely lets it drop and looks around the room herself. In the kitchen she sees a familiar face and hears a full bellied laugh. With a quick look at Zuko, she sees the Fire Bender has noticed Iroh as well.
Oooo
Leading a group of women and children proves to be just as irritating as Azula thought it would be. She curses the part of herself that thought this was somehow a good idea. The women lumber along hindered by sleeping babies and bags of possessions. They are carrying all they possess in the world on their backs. Azula tries to not let her temper get the better of her. She is sure Aang would frown on her yelling at defenseless peasants.
"We must move faster before one of the patrols spots us." Azula hisses at the slower ones.
The fear is tangible in the air and she swallows against it. The fluttering in her stomach causes her to reflexively put a hand against it. The gentle movements of her son relax her but make her more apprehensive all the same.
Soon the city walls are in the distance and they tread carefully in the dark of night. The terrain is rocky and difficult as they stray from the road in an attempt to avoid the Fire Nation blockade. Given the age of the group they take frequent breaks often hiding in the underbrush.
"We are not making good time." Azula grumbles as she rubs her lower back.
"The children are tired." Song replies quietly. "When you have your little one then you will understand better."
Azula glares at her from the corner of her eye. Pronouncements about what life with a child will be like do nothing to make Azula more amiable to the idea of motherhood.
"With any luck his father will be there to deal with those things." Azula grits through her teeth.
One of the other women laughs as she shifts a nursing infant in her arms. "I thought that about all of mine but my husband was too busy working to support us to be of any help around the house."
Several other women murmur their assent.
Azula bites her tongue at this. Royalty have always had nurses and nannies amongst other servants to care for their children. Aside from that, she can't imagine the Avatar taking on childcare tasks as well as his duty to the world. A child born of the Princess and the Avatar will have a rather charmed life, that is, if things go well. Everything hangs in the balance as the war looms on.
The peace of night unfolds all at once.
A crunch, a shout, and a sudden flash of orange fire plunges the night into terror. The women scream and the children cry as they scurry away from the Fire Nation soldier looming over them. Only Azula stands her ground, staring the man down with furious golden eyes. The others don't get far but are quickly hemmed in by the surrounding troops.
"What have we here?" One man muses as he holds a tearful Song in his arms.
Azula observes the situation. She could easily take them; that she is sure of, but it would put her baby at undue risk as well as the very people she is seeking to save. She picks out the highest ranking soldier.
"Release them at once, Captain." She calmly orders.
The addressed man laughs at her as he looks around at the other men. "Looks like we got us a feisty one, boys." He quickly makes a grab for Azula's arm and he just as quickly finds himself flat on his back staring up at the night sky.
"I would suggest you watch your step, Captain. My father does not appreciate peasants manhandling his only daughter." Azula announces as she stands over him with all the regal bearing of her station.
Warily, the Captain rises to stand and stares the golden eyed woman down. "Is that so? What's your father going to do about it?"
Azula smirks and holds out a blue flame. "I imagine being a soldier in his army that you would already have a good idea of the punishment for touching the Fire Lord's only daughter."
The look of terror in the man's eyes gives her a sense of satisfaction. The Captain and the other men drop to their knees.
"Princess Azula, forgive me. I did not recognize you." He says humbly.
She wants to chide him for his apparent disdain for women but she knows he is merely following the orders of his betters, her father included.
"Captain, you will let these people go and they shall pass unhindered through the Fire Nation perimeter or you will answer to me."
The man briefly hesitates before nodding. "Yes, Your Highness."
The other soldiers release the women who stare at her with large eyes.
"Princess Azula?" Song's voice trembles.
Azula know she should say something but there is barely an explanation that can explain the deceit.
"Be careful on your journey." She replies curtly before turning away from the watery green eyes. "Captain, escort me to camp."
Azula doesn't look back.
Ooo
Something about the palace is different today. The burly Dai Li guards are gone from the entrance and in their place stand the familiar uniforms of the Kyoshi warriors.
"Sokka, is that you?" Suki calls as she rushes down the stairs and throws her arms around him.
Sokka sinks into the warm embrace of the woman he has missed far more than he wants to admit.
"What are you doing here?" He asks with a smile.
Suko steps back but doesn't let go. "We are guarding King Kuei. There was a coup attempt." She says with a shrug and a smile.
"Really?" Katara asks surprised. "Who?"
"A minister named Long Feng and some of the Dai Li agents." Suki replies.
The name Long Feng sparks a memory of one of the ministers that strove to keep them from speaking with the king.
"Do you think we can speak with him now?" Sokka cuts in thoughtfully.
Suko nods and smiles."I was actually on my way to find you. There's someone here you will want to see."
Ooo
"You can't deny this any longer." Aang says patiently as he looks out the window of the throne room at the unsuspecting city below.
Behind him King Kuei slumps in the throne. "I had no idea."
"How could you?" Aang asks. "You let others rule in your stead."
He tries to keep the reproach out of his voice but he also knows that this was a debacle of Kuei's own making. Long Feng had nearly unseated the young King and it was only the intervention of the Kyoshi warriors that saved his crown.
"I trusted Long Feng." Kuei says miserably.
Aang turns to regard him with cold gray eyes. "Some people can't be trusted."
Kuei hesitates at the Avatar's words but eventually nods sadly. Trust should not be given so easily. It is a lesson Aang has learned the hard way. Azula can't be trusted and if his vision is accurate then there is more at stake than his hurt feelings. Ozai mustn't get his hands on their son.
These dark thoughts are soon pushed to the side as the doors to the throne room open and Kyoshi warriors file in. The voices of the friends he left behind shout his name and the Avatar is reminded of other reasons the war needs to end.
Oooo
The Fire Nation camp is a good distance from the walls of Ba Sing Se. Azula keeps her head up and walks with the firm confident steps of a princess. She carries her heavy pack in front of her, refusing the Captain's offer to shoulder her burden. The load it hides is more precious than anything a cloth bag could carry anyway. The Earth Kingdom dress does little to hide the swell of her stomach but she hopes that in the dark of night such things will escape the attention of the soldiers. Once she has proper clothes to choose from, then she can find something that can better camouflage the Avatar's unborn son.
Soldiers in the camp bow as she passes with murmurs of greeting. She ignores them just as she ignores the flutter of fear in her chest. Azula never intended to be here. Her plan had been to lead the other women to a reasonable distance of safety and then return to her search for the Avatar. Once she revealed just who she was, any chance of fleeing was ended.
The large tent in the center of camp looms closer. Azula's quick eyes take in the banners held outside indicating who is in charge and she feels her stomach drop.
"My father is here." She works hard to keep her tone even and not let it show the fissure of fear that has just shot through her.
"Yes, Your Highness, Fire Lord Ozai is here and awaiting you." The Captain crisply replies. Of course a messenger would have been sent ahead of her arrival to prepare.
Azula breathes deeply. If she had Known Ozai was here, then she would have fought her way free and be damned the consequences. It was nearly foolish to think that Ozai wouldn't want to be here to witness the greatest triumph in Fire Nation history since the genocide of the Air Nomads a century ago. The fall of Ba Sing Se is designed to be the last big battle to be fought in this century long war.
Being under her father's scrutiny will be difficult. Ozai misses little of what goes on around him but she can get through this and give nothing away. Azula is sure of it. With a brisk nod to the Captain he and the other guards depart and Azula steps forward with a confidence she doesn't feel and pushes the tent flaps aside into the very lair of the beast himself.
Oooo
The walls of Ba Sing Se are still standing, at least for now. King Kuei looks miserable from his place at the head of the war table. Long Feng is noticeably absent after having his attempted coup foiled by the Kyoshi warriors.
"They won't stop." Zuko says with a shake of his head from his chair, turning to look at the man at his side. Finding Iroh serving tea in one of the best tea houses in Ba Sing Se had been unexpected but an answer to a prayer to a god Zuko wasn't sure he believed in anymore.
Iroh nods in agreement but doesn't comment. If anyone would understand the Fire Nation's determination then it would be the Dragon of the West.
Katara fidgets from her seat beside Chief Hakoda. "What do you think we should do then?" The situation is rapidly spiraling out of control and she feels as if everything is changing right before them.
Even now the walls are under attack and the remaining Dai Li work hard to keep them standing.
Suki , dressed in full Kyoshi warrior makeup, speaks. "Perhaps we can flank them. Come up from behind and catch them off guard."
Sokka looks at her with pride and even Iroh nods in consideration.
"It won't work." Hakoda announces with a sort of regret as all eyes at the table look to him questioningly. "They will be expecting it."
Sokka growls in frustration. "You say that about every idea we come up with. What makes you so sure?"
Hakoda's blue eyes are stern and icy. "The Fire Nation is always one step ahead of us."
They fall silent at this. Hakoda has been right on more than one occasion.
"You have inside information, Chief Hakoda." Iroh speaks finally. "Do you trust your source?"
The weight is heavy on the Water Tribe Chief's shoulders and it shows in his eyes. "Yes, I do."
"Then we have to come up with something they haven't thought of." Sokka says, accepting his father's assessment of their still nameless ally.
For days Hakoda has given them insight to the Fire Nation plans and it has become more than clear that he is working with someone rather high in the military.
As he looks out the window, the thought flits through Aang's head that he wishes he could control the Avatar State, and then none of this would be a problem. He could effortlessly take out the army and be done with it. Leaving the guru before he broke through the last chakra, weighs on his mind. The vision of Azula had been in Ba Sing Se and Aang being impulsive as ever had left the Eastern Air Temple without a look back. Now that he is here, he has no idea where to even start looking for her, and from the size of the Army outside the wall, Aang will have his hands full with things other than finding the errant princess. She may still try to kill him as it is anyway. None of this sits well with the Avatar and his mood reflects it.
Aang steps away from the table and paces to the window. The lights of Ba Sing Se are bright in the nighttime sky but in the distance beyond the walls he can see the red glow of the Fire Nation army.
"Evacuate the civilians." Zuko's quiet voice rasps in the stillness of the room. "The Fire Nation will be ruthless."
They contemplate the banished prince's words.
"In over a hundred years the walls have not come down. It will take more than a Fire Nation army to do it now." Kuei says decisively.
Ooo
The interior of the tent is nearly as luxurious as the Fire Lord's bedchamber itself. Azula breathes in the scent of incense and is warmed by the various braziers that are alight around the large tent. Silken curtains are pulled back revealing a large bed.
Dropping to her knees Azula averts her eyes from the Fire Lord who lounges there. She ignores the half dressed girl beside him.
"Princess Azula." Ozai muses. "I barely recognized you. You could nearly pass for an Earth peasant."
Azula glances up at the mocking light in her father's eyes. "I thought it best to be incognito in my search."
Ozai smirks as he stands, the black robe he wears falls open showing his bare torso and pants."And it looks as if you succeeded. Where is the Avatar?"
Azula holds her gaze steady. "He is in Ba Sing Se." It isn't something she is certain of but it is not something Ozai can verify right now.
"How unfortunate for him." Ozai says languidly turning his attention back to the woman on his bed.
Azula allows a look and can see terror etched in the young girl's eyes, eyes which are scarcely older than she is. Ozai always had a taste for the tender and the exotic.
"I have been sampling Earth Kingdom fare."Ozai explains. "It is not as filling as what the Fire Nation has to offer but it slakes the appetite." The Fire Lord's proclivities are a well known palace secret. "I understand a Water Bender travels with the Avatar."
Azula sees the light in her father's eyes and knows what it means. "Yes." Something inside of her resists telling him details about Katara.
"Kill the others, the Avatar included but I want her alive." Ozai sits back on the bed and reaches out for the trembling woman's bare foot. "I hear she has spirit. I look forward to breaking it." The woman whimpers as Ozai slowly makes his way back up the bed.
Azula knows what that means. She has heard the screams herself as hapless victims fell prey to the Fire Lord. When Ozai breaks something, it stays broken.
The girl gives a squeal as the Fire Lord pushes her on her back, holding down her struggling form. "Go and clean the dirt off you. Present yourself to me properly at dinner."
She replies with a bow as she backs from the tent. "Yes, Father." The heavy fabric of the enclosure does little to hide the noises from within but Azula knows, as well as the soldiers that guard the entrance do, that the help the girl pleads for won't be coming.