#but as soon as I saw him talking about Iroh that fondly

[seyaryminamoto]

I'm still confused as to how Iroh can just chill in Ba Sing Se after trying to burn it to the ground a few years ago?? That's like Bush moving to Iraq lmao. Yet mainstream fandom acts like Iroh is an angel and the citizens of Ba sing se should be grateful while in reality he will be the most wanted by the Earth Kingdom after the war is over.

... Curious analogy about Bush O.o I’d say maybe he’s not outright Bush, since Bush wasn’t the commanding officer on the field... a quick wikipedia search tells me the one who led the invasion in Iraq was Tommy Franks, a now-retired general? :’D yep, sounds more like this guy moving to Iraq, then.

People have made many excuses about Iroh being free to live in Ba Sing Se because he helped liberate it from the Fire Nation in the end, and I’m not going to lie, narratively it’s not even a bad idea for Iroh to have dreamt he’d “take” Ba Sing Se in his youth only for the dream to have a completely different meaning than he thought it did...

... But that would only be genuinely sweet and heartwarming if he hadn’t been responsible for an actual 600-day siege on the city. 

It’s not even a matter of headcanon whether Iroh is seen as a war criminal or not: we literally have an episode in Book 1 where he’s captured by Earth Kingdom soldiers who are hellbent on making Iroh face justice for his actions. By Book 2, Iroh and Zuko acknowledge they’re criminals to both Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation authorities: they need alter egos so they can travel the Earth Kingdom freely, otherwise they’ll face obvious consequences. Therefore, Iroh was very much a wanted criminal, and for solid reasons beyond “he’s related to the Fire Lord”. That his later actions helped liberate Ba Sing Se from the Fire Nation can’t be denied, but it doesn’t mean he should have been forgiven automatically for everything he did in the past. Perhaps he could get away with some sort of pardon by the Earth King, but pushing that as far as “he can settle down in the city he had under attack for almost two years and live happily there with zero consequences” can be a little too far in the suspension of disbelief department indeed.

It’s those small things, really, that make Iroh’s situation so very wishful and not as well-written as it could/should be. Featuring him as a wanted criminal in one season, as a runaway living under an alias in another... and then as a welcome tea connoisseur in the next one, who lives perfectly happy in the Earth Kingdom because he helped end the war? I might have felt better about it if maybe the show had the chance to feature Kuei offering him a public, controversial pardon for his past crimes, but as it was, it felt like that ending was meant to whitewash Iroh beyond reason... then again, Book 3 at large whitewashed Iroh constantly, even when they were trying to show him as flawed they merely backtracked right away (in The Firebending Masters).

I guess it’s partly a problem caused by the writing room being so set on indeminizing Iroh and giving him a perfect ending... I mean, recently I’ve been seeing a lot about how Aaron Ehasz inspired Iroh on his stepfather, a man he deeply admired. This may be the biggest writing mistake I’ve ever seen by him, because while you absolutely can love your characters, and you can inspire them on people you love, merging both things together will easily skew your understanding of the character until the character just stops being fiction and becomes a mere stand-in for the person you love IRL. It’s no different a concept from Mary Sues and self-inserts that constitute a completely unrealistic idealization of the author themselves, only, in Iroh’s case it’s the idealization of a loved one through writing. And this, perhaps, can even explain why Iroh goes from goofy-occasionally-wise in Book 1, to generally-wise-but-still-mostly-funny in Book 2, to the absolute paragon and pinnacle of wisdom in Book 3 (despite half his wisdom is contradictory and even hypocritical). These changes in Iroh’s writing wouldn’t necessarily obey character growth and development, but rather, they would answer the Head Writer’s conscious or subconscious merging of the identities of Iroh and his stepfather, to the point where he obviously can’t acknowledge Iroh’s faults because that’d be a disservice to the stepfather he admired deeply... which, in turn, results in a disservice to the writing of the show, for Iroh’s accountability for his past mistakes is relegated to the burning of a flag and nothing else, and that’s beyond hard to buy.

I’ve also talked in other asks about the three facets of Iroh, it might shed extra light on why the fandom treats Iroh as they do, and why they disregard Iroh’s past crimes so easily while focusing only on how nice he is, how wise he is, how funny he is. It’s why they think this isn’t weird in the least, whereas once you detach yourself from the emotional component in the show slightly, Iroh living peacefully in Ba Sing Se ends up feeling like a rather poorly thought-out conclusion for the character. 

Imagine I wrote a redemption story for Ozai (... easier said than done, I know xD), where he ends up realizing where he went wrong and devotes his life to correcting his mistakes and help the world on a better path: if I sent Ozai to live happily ever after in a restaurant in Omashu, to say one thing, the place that was renamed for him and that used to bear a monument to his ridiculous ego, no less, people would immediately tell me I’m insane, no matter how well-written the story could be. And they wouldn’t be wrong to do so: it’s simply not reasonable to give a character who committed HUGE war crimes a simplistic happy ending without considering how much backlash and how many complications can arise from it. 

Seriously, imagine how many Earth Kingdom people will want to barge into Iroh’s teashop to yell at him because his actions got a relative of theirs, or a loved one, killed during the war? Imagine people outright sabotaging his teashop, even setting it on fire or something radical like that... it could happen! There’s seriously no reason to assume otherwise. We saw, in the Promise, a group of angry Earth Kingdom people yelling outside Yu Dao in protest to Zuko’s decision to keep the city as a Fire Nation colony: how many people would want to charge into the Upper Ring of Ba Sing Se to protest that Iroh has no right to live in this city, let alone to serve people tea carelessly when he’s responsible for so many awful deeds?

And there’s the other side of the coin: Zuko faces backlash on that same comic trilogy from the Fire Nation people, who see him as a traitor who’s selling out his people to the Avatar and the Earth Kingdom. Who’s to say some Fire Nation occupants of the city haven’t been lying low in wait to attack Iroh for his perceived treason of the Fire Nation, too?

In real life, usually tyrants and big war criminals run away someplace neutral and live their remaining days in relative peace while keeping as low a profile as possible, while knowing that if they step out of their safety zone they’ll probably be captured and held accountable for their crimes. In ATLA, they can open teashops in the very city they attacked for 600 days without a care in the world, and nothing comes of it :’)

Again, I blame the writing room’s unreasonable bias towards Iroh. Liking a character =/= giving them everything they could ever want without considering the character’s actual circumstances and the reactions this can elicit in the people around them. Hell, having Iroh setting up a teashop in the Fire Nation, close to the Palace or something, would make a bit more sense than doing it in Ba Sing Se + it offers him chances to advise Zuko properly, which Zuko DIRELY needs. But nope, instead we get what we got, and most people don’t even find it slightly strange because of Iroh’s three-faced nature :’)

[randomfandomimagine]

Shared Secrets (Zuko x Reader)

Characters: Zuko, Iroh

Fandom: Avatar The Last Airbender

Tags: Reader Insert, Male Reader, Earthbender Reader

Warnings: None (a bit of awkwardness)

Word Count: 1,9k words

Requested by anon: hello! i was wondering if you would write an imagine or ficlet for a male!reader x Zuko. i was thinking that Zuko is working for his Uncle Iroh in a tea shop in an town that is being controlled by Fire Nation, but almost all residents are Earth tribes. And the reader is an earth bender but has to hide it and Zuko grows and interest to the reader and wants to save the reader when he gets captured by fire nation because he’s an earth bender? i hope that makes sense! :) 

Zuko x Male Earthbender Reader

-

You took a deep breath as you stopped at the corner and only once you knew you were safe. Being an earthbender in a Fire Nation controlled town wasn’t easy, especially not when you were constantly showcasing your skills.

When your accelerated heartbeat finally regained a normal pace, you continued walking, trying to pretend like nothing had happened and you hadn’t just escaped from the Fire Nation army. Finding a refuge from that stressful moment, you arrived to that familiar tea shop you frequented.

“Ah, my boy!” The owner, an older man named Mushi, gave you a warm welcome as always. “It’s good to see you again!”

“Thank you” You tried to hide your restlessness and exhaustion as you sat down.

“Get comfortable, we’ll be right back”

“Great”

As Mushi left, you exhaled another deep breath. Your racing heart had almost completely calmed, yet it picked up its quick pace at the sight of someone else. Lee, the young man who was also in charge of the tea shop, was heading your way.

“Y/N” He gave you a polite smile as he stopped by your table. “The usual?” 

“Yeah” You thought for a moment, leaning back in an attempt to rest your tired muscles after so much bending and running. “And something to eat? I’m starving”

“Sure” Lee nodded his head at you. “It’ll be a moment”

You smiled back at him, watching him as he walked away. 

He had always caught your attention, and it wasn’t the first time you thought about asking him to take a walk with you some time. You wanted to get to know him, to see him outside of the tea shop. It must have been the adrenaline still cursing through your veins, but for the first time you suddenly felt courageous enough to do it. Your fingers impatiently tapped on the table as you waited for him to return. 

After one minute or so Lee came back, carrying your tea and a small plate with apetizing snacks. With the corner of your eye, you saw his uncle looking your direction with great curiosity and no subtlety at all.

“Here you go” No matter how moody you had seen him, Lee always seemed to be the nicest to you. He put your order on the table and smiled when you hungrily reached out to pick up a bread roll.

“Mmm...” You happily hummed, already feeling better when the warm food spread the delicious taste on your mouth. 

“Is it good?” Lee asked, watching you closely and still smiling a little.

“Yes, and I bet so is the tea” To confirm it, you took a sip and nodded your head to assure him you hadn’t been wrong to believe it. “Give my compliments to the chef”

Much to your surprise, Lee laughed. You had never heard him laugh, and he seemed quite flustered by his small outburst as well. His cheeks tinted with pink.

“Hey, are you... doing something later?” You suddenly asked him before you could think too much about it. 

“What? Uh...” He lowered his head, hiding behind the short tufts of dark hair that didn’t quite cover his eyes. He soon looked back up and shrugged, giving you a soft smile. “I don’t know, why are you asking?” 

“Maybe we could take a walk later” Noticing how he watched you in shock, you tried to play it off a bit. “So... so you can tell me about Mushi’s recipes”

“I... heh...” He awkwardly scratched his nape, too bashful to hold your gaze. “Well, I... uh...”

“He would love to” Mushi was suddenly beside him, giving you the biggest smile you had seen him compose, which was saying a lot. “You boys have fun!”

“Uncle...” Lee muttered under his breath, hanging his head low. That didn’t help to cover the blush that reached his ears and his neck.

You exchanged a quick glance with Moshi, who eagerly nodded his head to give you his blessing. Giggling a little, you tugged at Lee’s wrist until he looked up at you again.

“Meet you here after lunch?” 

“Really? I-I...” His uncle nudged him in the back, pushing him out of his stuttering. “Sure!”

-

You wouldn’t have expected the moment to be so awkward. You had spoken with Lee many times before, and conversation used to flow naturally, but now that you walked together, complete silence reigned. Was it because you were alone? Because you liked each other too much? Because you couldn’t let your voices lose themselves amongst the chattering of the tea shop?

“Um...” You took a good look at him as you rummaged through your head in search of something to say. “The weather is nice today”

You had to supress the urge to slap your forehead in embarassment. Talking about the weather? You really couldn’t think of anything else to say?

“Y-Yeah...” He hesitantly replied, gazing up into the sky. When he looked down again, he averted his eyes and twiddled his thumbs. “It’s warm”

Hoping to come up with a better thing to ask him, you stared at Lee. His scar was very noticeable, and although you were curious you didn’t want to bring attention to it. It surely was a reminder of a very painful and tragic past. Quite possibly, Lee and his uncle Mushi had escaped the Fire Nation after paying a big prize. Another family destroyed by them.

“How long have you been here for?” You asked instead, hoping that created more conversation.

“Uh... not long” Lee nervously answered. “We are refuges”

“I see” You smiled at him, being endeared when he smiled back. “Are you liking it here?”

“It’s kind of dull, but...” He took a deep breath before finishing his sentence. “It’s been better ever since you started coming to the tea shop”

You laughed a little, equal parts surprised and endeared. Lee blushed slightly, and you squeezed his arm fondly to reciprocate his kind words.

As you continued to walk the peaceful streets, something caught your eye. Lee’s voice faded in the background as he continued rambling, but you weren’t paying attention anymore. 

Not far from you, a group of children were playing with a ball they tossed between them. They were laughing and running, but a couple of Fire Nation soldiers were far too close to them. Knowing their kind, you assumed only the smallest spark would be enough to send them into an explosive fiery rage.

“Y/N?” Lee asked when he noticed you weren’t listening.

You turned your head slightly, still watching the soldiers, and opened your mouth to reply. As you feared, though, the children’s ball flew out of their reach. Forgetting about replying to Lee, you headed their direction.

“What’s wrong?” Lee asked you just as the ball hit one of the soldiers in the head. Seeing this, your companion followed after you. “Oh, no...”

The soldiers were already shouting at the children, who clumsily apologized while the scary men faced them. You weren’t going to wait any longer, even if this was your second encounter of the day. Throwing all caution out the window, you extended your hands towards them. The earth under their feet shifted, elevating them as your arms rose and dropping at your command, sending them to the ground with a violent thud.

“What the...?” One of them exclaimed, searching his surroundings.

The other one soon spotted you, pointing a finger at you as he rushed to his feet.

“He is an earthbender!” He announced to his partner, and the both of them hurried your way. You stood your ground.

“Run!” Lee yelled, reminding you of his presence after his awed moment of quietness. “Move, Y/N!”

Seeing that you were determined to face the soldiers, he took you by the wrist and tugged at it until you were following after him. The two of you ran as fast as you could, trying to lose them. 

They were on your tail, however, and refused to give up. Trying not to fall or slow down, you used your bending to throw boulders at them and try to hinder their advance. It wasn’t working, as they retaliated with their fire. 

One of their attacks was suddenly directed at you, making you gasp.

“Watch out!” Lee pushed you out of harm’s way, with so much force that you fell to the floor. You instantly tried to stand to your feet, but before you coud move something froze you in place.

Your companion was throwing fire against them. That awkward but sweet boy from the tea shop was from the Fire Nation. Your hands turned into fists as you watched how he successfully held them back and made them retreat.

Gawking at him, you let him pull at your arm until you stood once more. 

“Get up” Lee said, although that probably wasn’t his real name. “We need to keep moving!”

He didn’t let go of you as you took advantage of their moment of hesitance to escape. You ran in silence for what felt like hours. The sound of your feet against the ground, your racing heart and breathless panting made your ears whistle. Somehow, though, your thoughts were louder than any of that. 

He was a firebender. His uncle probably was as well. He had been lying to you.

Just as you dwelled on those discoveries, he carefully pushed you against a wall and took refuge there with you. Hidden in a lonely alley, the soldiers ran right past you. You barely noticed this. Your mind worked faster than it ever had as he set his amber eyes on you. Ready to confront him, you opened your mouth.

“I know what you’re gonna say” He quickly said. “I am a firebender. I’m sorry I lied to you”

“Why did you?” Your voice came out weaker than you wanted it to be.

“We are refugees, that part is true. We’re hiding from the Fire Nation...” He took a deep breath, breaking the eye contact. “My name is Zuko. Now you know who I am”

“Prince Zuko?” The pieces clicked in your head as you realized he was saying the truth. The scar, his uncle, how secretive they were about their past... It all made sense now.

That changed everything, however. He wasn’t just an escaped firebender, he was the banished prince. And he seemed to truly care about you to some capacity.

“You... put your secret at risk just to save me...”  You found yourself saying, earning a cautious look from him. “Why did you help me?”

“I know what it’s like being rejected by what you are... by who you are” He absently looked at his hands, weapons just like yours. Then he shrugged a little. “Besides, I like you... you’re nice”

You paused for a moment, realizing that his secret wasn’t bothering you as much as you thought. Not anymore.

“Lee?” When he opened his mouth to correct you, remind you that his name was Zuko, you shook your head and smiled at him. You had accepted him as Lee, not as the person everyone else saw and rejected him as.

“Yes?” He whispered, even if a hint of a smile grew on his lips as well, touched by your response.

“I’ll keep your secret if you keep mine” You held your hand out for him to take.

Zuko... Lee stared at it for a moment. Then he sighed in relief, and as his smile grew bigger, he nodded his head.

“Deal” You shook hands in mutual understanding, the gesture implying many thank yous and a secret expression of your fondness for each other. Especially so when you two lingered a little bit in the touch.

-

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[quiddityofstars]

"9. Pluviophile: any organism that thrives in conditions of heavy rainfall; one who loves rain, a rain-lover" I think is a great word for Katara!! Go crazy!!!

Thank you for sending the prompt, Abby, I’m sorry it took so long to write it, but I hope you enjoy it!

9. Pluviophile: any organism that thrives in conditions ofheavy rainfall; one who loves rain, a rain-lover

Katara heard the slight shuffle of his feet as he came tostand next to her on one of the royal palace’s many balconies, looking out overthe gardens. Zuko was rather light on his feet and by now could sneak up onalmost anyone without them noticing, but she always seemed to sense hispresence whenever he was near. She wondered if that meant something.

“There’s never any rain at the Southern air temple,” Shesaid quietly, resting her hands on the balcony railing, still looking at headout at the palace grounds. “And it’s so high up and far from the sea, I alwaysfelt so far from my element there.”

Zuko quietly cleared his throat and spoke in his low, raspyvoice. She felt calmer just hearing him talk. “Uncle always says your soulknows where it is meant to be, so if you felt out of place there, then you didthe right thing in leaving.”

Katara looked at him, “And what do you say, Fire Lord?”

He met her gaze, his golden eyes warm and understanding. “Inthe Fire Nation we get two rain seasons, one after the end of the hot season,and one after the end of the cold season. And even when there’s no rain, you’renot far from the ocean.”

A smile grew on her lips and she chuckled. “Are you invitingme to stay, Zuko?”

He chuckled and gently nudged her arm with his elbow, “Youknow you’re always welcome here, Katara.”

She liked how his voice went softer when he said her name.

Neither of them mentioned how, if the amount of wateravailable to her was really at the top of her priority list, she would probablybe at the South Pole.

Katara took a little time to settle into her new room in thepalace, and then started exploring. The palace, the city, and soon enough thewhole nation. They had not seen much of it while they were on the run andtrying to train Aang, and now, between the occasional meeting with Zuko’s royalcouncil where she advised as the Southern Water Tribe Ambassador, and theoccasional meeting with fire nation healers to see if there was a way tocombine what she had learned with their knowledge of healing, she had time to explore.Zuko did not often had time to come with her, but he sometimes gave herrecommendations of places to visit, and always listened attentively when shecame back to the palace and told him about where she had travelled to.Occasionally she brought him back gifts if she ever saw something that made herthink of him. She loved it, getting to see the nation that Zuko ruled over,learning about the people and their traditions and homes, enjoying the warmweather, taking every chance to swim in the ocean and practice her waterbendingin front of the curious eyes of the locals and the guards Zuko insisted shetake with her. For quite possibly the first time in her life, she felt really,truly free, and it was made all the better by the fact that she knew at the endof every journey to a new place, she had a welcoming home to go back to at thepalace.

Eventually, after months of unending heat, the first rainseason came. She had just arrived back at the palace after a day trip to abeautiful temple and was standing in the courtyard as the first drops began tofall. Everyone else rushed inside but she took a moment, lifting her face upand closing her eyes in contentment as she felt the water cool her warm skin.

She began to travel less once the weather turned. It washarder to make journeys in the rain, well, for everyone else at least, and shewas content to mostly stay in the palace. She spent her time helping Zuko withhis work or visiting the local healing centres. In the moments between theshowers of rain, she and Zuko took breaks to spar, they both knew each other’sstyle of fighting quite well now, and it was often a challenge for either ofthem to win. In other spare moments, when it was raining, she liked to go outsideand let the water soak her through. It felt good to connect with her element,and sometimes she took the opportunity to practice bending by herself, butmostly she liked to sit or stand peacefully, focusing on her breathing and thesoft sound of the water hitting the tiles of the palace roof and the stone ofthe courtyards.

Zuko began to express concern over this habit of hers. She understoodwhere he was coming from, being a fire bender was obviously different, he certainlydid not take the time to go and sit in his fireplace as a method of relaxation.But she knew herself and she knew this was good for her. She told him so oneafternoon when they were having tea with his uncle, who visited the palace quiteoften.

“Really Zuko, I just like to make the most of the weather whileit’s like this.” She sipped her tea and gave him a reassuring smile.

Iroh nodded in agreement. “I can’t see that any harm willcome from it, Nephew. In fact I believe that it shows our master waterbenderhere is very well connected with her power and element, and is at peace withherself.”

Katara smiled fondly at Iroh, but Zuko still frowned inconcern.

“But what if you get sick?”

She chuckled. “Water can’t hurt me, Zuko. I’m a waterbender.”

He flinched. “Well, fire hurt me.” He made an uncomfortablegesture towards his scar and Katara felt her heart drop.

“Oh Zuko,” she said softly, reaching out to gently touch theskin around his eye, grateful that he leaned into her touch instead of flinchingaway. “I’m sorry, you’re so sweet to be concerned. I promise I’m looking aftermyself.” She leaned in and gently pressed her lips to the warm skin of hischeek, smiling when she pulled back and saw the pink tint that had appeared onhis cheeks.

A couple of days later she was sitting on the steps thatlead down into the front courtyard of the palace, letting the rain wash overher, and was surprised, and pleased, when Zuko joined her.

He gave her a lopsided smile. “I thought I’d see what allthe fuss was about.”

Katara chuckled and took his hand, intertwining theirfingers. “Do firebenders get sick if they stay out in the rain for too long?”

“I think we’ll be alright for a little while,” he patted hischest with his free hand, over his heart, “I have my inner fire to keep me warm.”He glanced at her, a little sheepish, and nudged his shoulder against hers. “Andyou.”

Katara could not have stopped the smile that spread across herface even if she had wanted to. “That was quite smooth, I’m impressed.”

Zuko grinned a little, the light blush back on his cheeks,his face now wet with the rain. “Well, it’s taking me a little time, but I amgetting better at talking to girls, by the time I retire I shall be quite thecharmer.”

A giggle escaped her and she raised her eyebrows, “How manygirls have you been talking to?”

This made him hesitate and he chuckled, giving her anothersheepish grin. “Just the one. Although she keeps standing around in the rain,which has made it a little difficult to have a normal conversation.”

Katara laughed. “We can go inside in a moment and have sometea, if you like.”

“Uncle will be very proud to know you suggested that.” Hesmiled, his gold eyes looking at her warmly. “And proud that I agreed with thesuggestion, but there’s something I wanted to do first, and I’m hoping it willbe quite smooth and romantic if I manage to pull it off.”

She watched him, feeling very warm. “Okay, what is it?”

He took a deep breath, looking like he was attempting togather his courage, and then leaned in and carefully pressed his wet lips tohers. She felt a spark shoot through her and immediately kissed him back. Withthe water around her, and Zuko next to her, she had never felt so content.

Write-O-Ween Prompts: Unusual and Rare Words Edition

[bellatrixobsessed1]

To Capture The Dead (Part 4)

Sorry that this update took a bit longer than expected. I ended up getting sick and having to take a trip to the doctor. Loads of fun right there. Anyways, I decided two wrap things up with one longer chapter, so I'm gonna be calling this one complete for now. I'm going to be very honest though and say that I have ideas I'm simply more thrilled to take on and I don't want to keep this one going if I'm only going to see it as a side piece, know what I mean? I'd rather continue with this premise at time when I'm more focused on it and can do it better justice. Because again, being honest, I kind of felt myself trying to 'just get it done with' so I could move onto other ideas. And that's not the kind of mentality that makes for quality writing. Though I did leave it more open ended so there can still be an opportunity for some more chapters after Azula week and what not. I hope that this chapter doesn't disappoint. And I'd like to thank everyone for understanding.

Azula wept again, for the second time since coming to Ba Sing Se. Iroh was glad that he had stuck around. He requested that they unlock her cell when he heard it. This time he found her laying upon the bed, with her face to the wall. He quietly seated himself at the bed’s foot, placing his hand over her ankle. “I miss him too.”

 “He wasn’t supposed to die…” She whispered. “I didn’t actually hate him…”

 Iroh sat very quiet, he was sure it was for the best, but he still found himself feeling conflicted in stealing away her one coping mechanism without offering a substitute. “I didn’t think you did.”

 “But he did.”

 “I think that he knew you cared about him. In your own way, he is…was a smart boy.” Iroh replied, “smarter than people gave him credit for.” To this, his niece did not reply. He remained with her for as long as the guards would allow, which was as much time as he would have like. As much time as she probably needed in her state. He had half the mind to protest and carry her along with him. But such an action wouldn’t help her case any, they were already on quaking earth being linked so closely to his own brother. “I’ll work on getting you out of here.”

 “And my bending?”

 “One thing at a time.” Iroh replied.

 .oOo.

 Aang hated it, hated the feeling it brought him. The spirts never told him how awful it would be when he actually used his new powers.  He hated ripping the fire away from Zhao and he liked it less the second time. Every time he used snatched someone’s bending it seemed to leave a hollow place in his own spirit, as if he was doing something wrong. Maybe that was the price of wielding such true power when he hadn’t even mastered two of the four common elements. He almost wished the ability to reap bending hadn’t been bestowed upon him. But if it hadn’t…

He shuddered thinking of the state the Northern Water Tribe would have been in. Possibly the state of the world. A world without a moon, he couldn’t foresee it being a healthy one. No wonder Tui and La

 With Zhao there had been no other way; if he hadn’t taken the man’s bending the world’s balance would have been thrown out of his control. If he hadn’t taken his bending away he may have lost friends, Yue, Sokka, Katara, he could have lost any of them. He thought that he might have even saved Zhao, surly the only other way to ensure everyone’s safety, he would have been killed.

He kept telling himself that, it made it easier to shoulder.

With Azula there was no upside, just a crying, possibly broken girl. He was beginning to wonder if taking her bending was even necessary. It made him feel safer. And yet she didn’t need her bending to breech Ba Sing Se…

 Aang groaned. Why did he have to be the Avatar?

 He couldn’t wait for Iroh to drop by, he was in terrible need of advice. The kind only Iroh seemed to be able to offer.

 “How is she?” Aang asked.

 “It’s hard to tell, my niece is very good at hiding her feelings.” Iroh replied. “She misses her bending...”

 Aang hadn’t meant to cut him off, “I kind of wanted to talk about that.” He looked at his palms. “Do you think it’s wrong to play with someone’s spirit energy like that?”

 “I think that the matter isn’t as simple as wrong or right.” Iroh replied. “I think that there are cases where it is necessary. I think that there are cases where taking someone’s bending can protect them from themselves…and protect others.”

 “But how am I supposed to know when it’s for the best?” Aang asked. “I can’t decide what’s best for someone.”

 “Sometimes people aren’t in the right frame of mind to decide what is best for themselves.” Iroh pointed out.

 Aang got the sense that he was thinking of Azula, but he needed confirmation. “Do you think I made the right choice with Azula?”

 “I think you did what was needed at the time.” Iroh nodded. “But I think that there will be a time when such drastic solutions will no longer be necessary.”

 .oOo.

 Iroh hoped to see that day come soon. “I am going to need your help, Avatar Aang. The Earth King and his generals will hear your words more than mine.”

 “What words do you need them to hear?” Katara walked in.

 “First of all, that I am not a threat to them, that I want to help.”

 “Says the brother of the flaming evil overloard.” Sokka grumbled.

 Katara sighed, “that’s exactly why he needs Aang’s help.” She took a seat. “I for one, trust him. I don’t think that we would have been able to save Ba Sing Se without him.”

 “Yeah, and he makes some great tea.” Toph put in.

 “I’m also going to need you to help me help my niece.”

 “Now her, I don’t trust.” Katara muttered.

 “She chased us all over the Earth Kindom. Do you know how many nights of sleep I lost because of her!?” Sokka threw his hands up. “I’ll never get those back either.”

 “I’ll see what I can do.” Aang replied.

 And Iroh would too. He hoped to see Azula a few more times before her release. He liked to believe that she would be okay, but all the same he didn’t want to see her released in such a state that would land her right back in that cell. The child was destined for better things that remaining caged and wasting away. Though he and his brother had different ideas as to what this destiny was. This time though, Iroh refused to stand by and watch that man destroy another child. Among Iroh’s many mistakes, he had been a bystander, one who felt almost completely responsible. He just hoped that Ozai’s hold on Azula wasn’t too ingrained.

If freed, she could make a fine teacher for Aang.

She had it in her.

 .oOo.

 Azula held her hand in front of her, flexing her fingers, a phantom of a movement now that she could no longer bring fire to her palms. She rested her hands on her thighs, but only for a moment. She was growing bored and restless. With nothing else to do she dropped into one of her bending stances. Such always calmed her in the past and she supposed that going through the motions would work just as well if she could work passed the hollow feeling left by not producing any real flames.

 She was supposed to take the Avatar and claim the Earth Kingdom. That was her destiny, her right.

Her father had expected better of her. She brought her arms down in a parallel arc.

Her father had trusted her. And she thrusted them forward.

Her father…   She slid into a new form.

Her father killed Zuko.

 Why should she care what he wanted of her. If he could murder one of his children then he probably wouldn’t have any qualms about getting rid of the second, aside from not having an heir anyways. For that she gathered she was safe, at least in one regard. He would definitely hurt her though.

Like that, she realized that she didn’t fancy a trip home. Home wasn’t a pleasant place and it never had been. She had her hand in making it so.

 Her days were growing lonelier, having no visitors for a while now. She wondered if Iroh had forgotten her, she wasn’t his problem, all caged up like she was. So when her cell door finally cracked open she was quick to rise. Her eagerness faded very fast when she found not Iroh, but a team of guards. Her first visitors in days finally showed and was to escort her to a courtroom where she would stand before a council. They had given her no time to prepare, she suspected that this wasn’t an accident.

 .oOo.

 If Aang could convince her that Azula was safe to be around, then he could convince anyone, the way Katara saw it anyways. Iroh was rather reassuring as well. It was the princess herself that worried Katara, could she offer herself any good defense or would she make things worse. She didn’t look thrilled to have been unexpectedly thrust before the council and looked even less thrilled to see the Earth King as well. Katara wasn’t even sure if she should care what happened to the fire princess but for some reason she did. Maybe it was because the girl was no older than she. Or perhaps it was because she’d seen the way the girl had broken. Either way around, she found herself hoping that they would be lenient with Azula.

 It looked promising that Azula held her head high and even more so that she greeted her uncle rather fondly when given the chance. It was such a brief one though as the head councilman was ready to jump right into things, a slew of accusations and fabrications. He tossed out some rather wild tales about how the princess had aimed to kill them all and that she had set fire to various places in Ba Sing Se. Keeping quiet was hard for Azula, she could sense it on the princess, especially as the stories fell further from the truth.  

 “She’s crazed and uncontrollable…”

 This time Aang cut in, “I took her bending.”

 He was brushed off, peaking some annoyance in Katara. How could they disrespect the Avatar like that! And after he’d done so much for them. “She’s an enemy.”

 “A very important one.” Spoke another general. Katara recognized the man, General Fong, who had tried to force Aang into the avatar state. “We can use her as leverage against the Fire Nation.”

 “If that goes as well as your first plan, we’ll all be in trouble.” She heard Sokka grumble to himself.

 “We can.” Aang agreed. “But what makes you think that Fire Lord Ozai, who killed his own son, would be willing to trade off any of his power. If anything, he’ll send his entire military to get Azula if he wants her back.”

 Azula’s lips parted slightly, but it still wasn’t her turn to speak. Katara knew that she had to hate the position she was in, it was so far from the top.

 “Then we can execute her alongside Long Feng and be done with it.” Fong declared.

 Katara almost wanted to ask about Long Feng, surely his coup didn’t warrant that…

 “She’s a child.” Iroh’s tone was low and dangerous.

 “And him as well.” Fong shrugged. “The less firebenders around, the better.”

 “Iroh helped me save this entire kingdom.” Aang stood his ground. “Are you really going to execute the man who kept this kingdom from Fire Nation hands?”

 “And whose hands were they going to fall into?” Fong side-eyed the princess, who remained impassive.

 Katara watched Aang struggle to find an adequate rebuttal.

 “My niece could be a great asset…” Iroh started.

 “I would like to hear from her.” Kuei finally spoke. “Why should we set you free? How can we know that we can trust you?”

 “You shouldn’t and you can’t.” Azula answered snidely, causing Katara—and probably everyone else around her—to cringe. “But if you do, I can teach the Avatar firebending stances that my father hasn’t even mastered. I can tell him crucial secrets about my father and my nation…” She let it sink in. “He doesn’t even know that I’ve been captured, as far as he knows I’m still looking for my uncle. I can take my father down from within, just as I almost did here.”

 “My apologies if I don’t seem convinced of this.” Spoke the head councilman. “I don’t doubt that you can do those things, but I have a feeling you won’t.”

 “She will.” Aang declared. “Because she won’t get her bending back if she doesn’t.”

 .oOo.

 Azula went cold. How was she supposed to fulfill her end if she didn’t have her bending?  She swallowed, fixing her focus on studying Kuei’s face.

 “She really can’t bend?” He asked.

 “Not a spark.” Aang assured, dropping that cold to an absolute frigidness.

 Not a spark, she repeated to herself.

 “Alright, Avatar Aang, I’ll give you a chance to make use of Princess Azula and the old man. But if she at any time beings to pose a threat to the Earth Kingdom, she will be locked away again. Without release.”

 So she was the Avatar’s property now. Somehow, she liked that less than the notion of being in a cell for the rest of her days. At least in the cell, she would be her own. She held her hands out, “remove them.” The cuffs were growing uncomfortable.

 “She would apricate it very much if you did.” Iroh added politely.

 Azula hadn’t planned on breaking down again. But she did. After she was a good distance from the Earth King’s palace. It left her feeling like a fool. How many times was she going to cry? She felt as though in the past few weeks she’d been making up for a lifetime’s lack of tears and each time left her feeling twice as pathetic as the instance prior. Frankly she didn’t even know why she was crying that time. She’d already wept for her brother and for her lost bending. It couldn’t have been their words, she was never one to be phased by ill-wishers and running mouths. Perhaps it had finally set in that she was now under someone else’s control. Or that she had be so very close to being executed. Iroh seemed to believe that it was simply an overflow; a build-up of stress and tension that needed to escape. He was rather insistent that she’d feel better afterwards. She was certain that she’d only feel pangs of embarrassment. If the group had any judgements to make, they certainly weren’t vocalizing them. This didn’t surprise her, there was an atmosphere of discomfort and they seemed to keep their distance from she and Iroh. This was fine by her but at the same time, listening to them laugh amongst themselves as they walked along somehow brought the sorrowful feeling on stronger. Like that, Azula came to learn that she didn’t like to be alone.

She wondered what became of Mai and TyLee.

 The Avatar’s apartment was at least cozy. For all of the discomforts she’d experienced in the past few weeks, they were making up for it by letting her sleep in a bed with space enough to compare to the one at her home. They fed her well, dishes that weren’t bland for a change, and Iroh fixed her some tea. Her new clothes day clothes held at least some regalness and smelled a though they had just been cleaned. She wasn’t sure if that off-white, yellow-green shade of Earth Kingdom attire suited her. But at least the night gown she had on, though only a very plain linen garment, was better than prison robes. Unlike her own clothing it wasn’t fitted perfectly to her slender frame, and hung very loosely and with so much excess fabric it was becoming a tripping hazard. There was a reason she had her clothing custom made, and it was precisely because she was in between all of the sizes. That which fit her in height was too tight and that which wasn’t tight was too baggy for her height-wise. In this instance her outfit was much too big in both regards. She frowned and brought the tea cup to her lips. She got the sense that her new companions wouldn’t be thrilled to hear her complaints. Mai and TyLee, who she found had manage to pass under the guise of Earth Kingdom citizens, were used to it though. “I feel like Mai’s dress would be a better fit for me.” She muttered. Which was saying something, being as Mai towered over a good many people.

 “Yeah, it probably would.” TyLee agreed, ruffling her hair.

 “What did I tell you about doing that?” Azula huffed.

 Unphased by the grumpy princess, TyLee grinned, “that you enjoy it loads and think I should do it more.”

 Azula crossed her arms. “That’s exactly what I didn’t tell you.” She grumbled before moving on to her next complaint. Which was that her sleeve, though long, kept slipping down her shoulder. This one seemed to humor Toph.

 “That’s what you’re complaining about? Man, you and Katara are gonna get along great! She complains about the weirdest things.”

 “I do not!” Katara argued.

 “She does.” Sokka whispered to Azula.

 “This isn’t a weird complaint, it’s perfectly valid.” Azula remarked, pushing her sleeve up for what had to be the sixteenth time.

 “Yeah, I can see how that would be annoying.” Katara agreed.

 “See?” Toph declared as if that settled everything.

 “No.” Said Azula.

 “Oh come on, even I can.”

 .oOo.

 Iroh smiled to himself, he was glad that Toph had managed to break the ice some. He had trouble picturing his niece being the one to reach out, but he couldn’t see her turning away their attempts. If nothing else, Azula saw a useful alliance when it was in the forming. He hoped that it would eventually grow deeper than that. With her glorified image of her father rudely shattered, he couldn’t see the man’s warped ideals sticking in her head. She was more clever than that.

 He watched her curl up on the bed. Some rest would do him well, he decided. As patient and mild as he tried to be, Iroh admitted to himself that General Fong had ruffled his temper some. Even Aang seemed to think that the man’s ideas were dangerous, it was a wonder he still had a place on the council tossing around execution sentences like that.

 Iroh rubbed at his eyebrows. Such stressful days these were.

 He wasn’t quite sure where to go from where they were then. He wondered if it would be wise to set a course to the Fire Nation, surly the Avatar needed to familiarize himself with the place. He recalled overhearing the boy mention something of an eclipse. In which case they would need to be hidden somewhere in the Fire Nation. He looked towards Azula, she would probably know of such a place, she had a niche for finding them.

 .oOo.

 Azula was the first to awaken, she could tell that it was still very early. She thought of dressing herself in one of the more elaborate kimonos, but opted for something more practical. The outfit that seemed to fit her best was a pair of deep green pants that lacked any pattern and a shirt of the same color with yellow trim at the neckline. She fixed her hair up with a floral Earth Kingdom headpiece. It was too big for her liking and the soft pink of the flower wasn’t her number one choice, but she needed her hair out of her face. Deciding that this outfit was the best she could do she, making as little sound as possible, cast the door open and slipped away. They had put so much trust in her, leaving her unbound and to go wherever she pleased.

 And so she did. She took off, she wasn’t sure exactly where she would go but at least she had her freedom. What she would do with it, she was unsure. But at least she could say that she wasn’t the Avatar’s weapon…the Avatar’s property. She was her own.

 Without her fire, she assumed that it would be rather easy to pass as an Earth Kingdom citizen. Though, making it back to the fire Nation was ideal. The princess kept her pace for an hour or so before finally stopping to rest at a small creek. She splashed some water over her face and took a drink. Watching the water flow by she tried to formulate some semblance of a plan.

She would go home—empty handed at that—but with news of the Avatar’s whereabouts. She would request more military power so she could seize him as he tried to leave Ba Sing Se…but who could say that he wouldn’t already be gone by the time she made it home.

 Somehow she had to get home and with a way to keep her father’s trust and then she could be-rid of him and take the throne for herself.

 “But what’s that going to accomplish?” Zuko scowled. As he appeared to her now, reflected in the stream waters, his face was unscarred and confident. She could see the anger in his eyes. “You’re going to go back by him after what he did to me?”

  She knew she ought not to but she found herself asking out loud and very softly, what he would have her do then. She couldn’t see him doing any different.

 “I wouldn’t run, that’s for sure.” He folded his arms.

 “Yes, but you would do whatever you could to help yourself.” Azula disputed.

 “I guess that’s why I’m telling you to go help the Avatar and avenge me.” He shrugged. “Or something like that.”

 Azula thrashed at the water. She didn’t have to listen to him, he wasn’t even real. She didn’t need Aang or any of that lot, she could accomplish her mission on her own. The ripples in the water stilled and Zuko’s face came back into focus. She pressed her hands to her ears.

 .oOo.

 Iroh shook his head, he was disappointed. Disappointed and almost ashamed; he had put in such a good word for his niece had she had taken off without warning. He thought that he should have expected as much, but he had wanted to trust her.

 “Just give her a few more minutes.” He requested in spite of it. “She might come back.”

 “Might come back? She shouldn’t have left in the first place!” Sokka declared. “You heard the Earth King, she’s Aang’s.”

 Iroh noticed the Avatar wince at this. The boy seemed just as uncomfortable with the concept as Azula herself.

 Mai sighed, “that’s probably exactly why she left.”  

 “I wish that she would have taken us with her.” TyLee pouted.

 Iroh watched the group gather what they had. It had been decided; the group would be divided. He would travel by boat and land with Mai and TyLee and the others would fly upon Appa. Before each now location they would briefly speak of a point to meet, should they become separated. It wasn’t the best of plans but it was the best they could do for the time. Iroh took his time getting ready with the hope that if he stalled enough, that Azula would reveal herself.

 The minutes added up into a full hour and Iroh resigned to what he should have expected. “My apologies, Avatar Aang. I was really hoping for the best.”

 “Are you going to go after her again?” Katara asked.

 “Go after who again?”

 “Azula!” TyLee chirped, pulling her into a quick hug. “Where were you?”

 She shrugged, “just went for a walk.”

 “That was an awfully long walk.” Sokka grumbled.

 “I’m not familiar with this city.”

 .oOo.

 He was already making her regret her decision to come back.

 “Well, we were just about to leave, glad you could make it back.” Aang smiled. “Even if you didn’t want to.”

 “Yeah…” She trailed off, feeling anything but thrilled. Everybody seemed to think that this was the right decision. That things would end alright for her if she played against her Nation, against everything she knew. But she wasn’t so sure. She didn’t see anything healing nor promising about the situation.

 “Is she coming with us, or with you?” Katara asked Iroh.

 “I think that it would be better if she went with you.”

 It took a good degree of willpower not to shoot him a questioning look.

 “She is wonderful with navigation and even better with forming plans. And I think that it would do her well to get to know all of you.”

 And maybe it would, she wasn’t sure. The Avatar seemed so willing to take her in with open arms. “I have no interest in being the Avatar’s property.”

 “I don’t want that either.” Aang confessed, rubbing the back of his head. “What the council doesn’t know won’t hurt them right?”

 “We’ll see.” Azula attempted to crack a smile.

 .oOo.

 They were in the air again, Aang could already feel his fear lifting. He watched Azula staring over the side of Appa’s saddle. He wondered if she was enjoying the view or lost in thought, she probably had a lot to think about. He would say that there’s no better place to do some thinking than on Appa’s saddle. Still, she seemed troubled. She didn’t seem very eager to join any of the conversations and the look on her face was terribly sullen. He wanted to do something to spark some optimism. They could throw all of the pretty talk they wanted at her, all of the hopeful words in the world. But Aang thought that they ought to give her a reason to believe them. “Speaking of things Kuei doesn’t need to know about…”

 Azula turned her head slightly, “hmm.”

 “I was just thinking, that you can’t teach me to firebend if you can’t do it yourself.”

 Azula cocked her head, “you’re going to give it back?”

 “As soon as we land.” He promised. “I figured, you decided to come back on your own so, why not?”

 “Because everyone else is convinced that I will probably set you on fire.”

 “I don’t think that you will.”

 .oOo.

 He barely knew her, and what he did know of her wasn’t exactly pleasant. She was an enemy. And yet he had it in him to give her a chance. He was going to give her, her fire back. She turned from him and allowed herself a small smile. Perhaps, traveling with them wouldn’t be so bad, at least if the Water Tribe boy would stop making awful puns. Maybe she would be okay after all, it wasn’t so bad, she thought, to be able to tell the Avatar what to do—and maybe kick his ass—without repercussion.

 She looked back at Ba Sing Se, where one life ended and a new one had started. It was growing smaller and smaller as they glided away. She couldn’t say she would miss it at all. The distance would make it easier to shed who she had been, to forget the missions her father sent her on and begin her own.