It's just dumb politics!

Ty Lee thought in attempt to console herself. The coffins are empty. Really, just a trick. Azula's alive and well!

Dumb politics. Ty Lee, though innocent and sweet to the outer world, knew the game of thrones and the hand politics plays in the daily lives of the fire nation people. Even in smaller towns, such as Kyoshi Island, politics had a role in keeping the citizens loyal and meek, along with brute control.

Her homeland was known for their cruel politics more so than the earth kingdom's stronghold, Ba Sing Se. So why did the mere, fantastical thought of Azula's death terrify her so? Ursa had promised to watch over the princess and she promised the same. The lies that Mai's father recited to the nation were just that, lies told as easily as if they came her love's lips.

Speaking of lips...the poison! That, was real. No doubt, Azula's fiancee, Jun, had attempted to murder the former princess and her brother. Why, Ty Lee had not been sure of before recently. By gods, she hadn't expected Iroh's son to have such a crucial role in this game. Fate was cruel, yet merciful to the soldier reemerged from death. Ty Lee wondered what was going on his father's mind. It had to be similar to her own turmoil. Not only had Lu Ten survived his brush with death, but was made more vicious by it.

A shudder moved like a wave when the young man passed by her, mistaking her for simply a servant and not a devout follower of his least favored cousin. Ty Lee feared what the soldier would do were he to discover her plan. She had hidden amongst the crowd after Ursa revealed herself to follow her ex-husband for reasons the acrobat could not help wondering were personal.

Maybe she killed him, hoped the acrobat.

That would make it easier to do as she planned. The size of the fire temple definitely would work to her advantage, helping her to avoid her old friend and Azula's evil fiancee simultaneously. Surely, both would recognize her immediately. Ty Lee knew what Jun would do if she found her, but Mai, oh Mai. The acrobat was unsure what the fire lady would do. Mai had always been fickle. One could never be sure which side the knife-wielder was on. Ty Lee only hoped years of loyalty would grant her favor with the fire lady. She decided not to dwell on the possibilities. It was too late anyway, as she found herself, torch in hand, in front of Azula's old bedroom. She had taken the scenic route through long-forgotten hidden chambers that the girls used to explore when they were children, so long ago. Letting out a deep breath, she entered familiar territory, heart fluttering when she was greeted by an alert Ussie playing with some of her mother's old, intact dolls. The little girl's senses were as keen as her mother's as she looked up from the floor, followed by a radiant, flash of pearly white teeth, absent two frontals that lit the room brighter than Azula's lightning upon seeing the acrobat.

"Hello! Will you play with me?" She asked sweetly. Ty Lee knew she would melt, her heart could not handle such cuteness at once!

"Sure!" Replied the acrobat, keeping her voice in a hushed whisper. Shutting the door behind her, she locked it for good measure, in case any of the nosy guards decided to pass by.

On her knees she went in front of the child, grasping a single doll and a tiny golden brush. Nostalgia filled her nostrils as Ussie directed her to tie the doll's stringy hair into a top-knot at which Ty Lee performed perfectly.

"Wow! C-Can you do mine that way?" Asked the cutie, pointing to her own newly straightened and dyed hair. Ty Lee nodded, beckoning for her to turn around. Ussie hummed in bliss as Ty Lee ran the soft brush through her hair with gentle hands. Ty Lee envied her innocence. Despite the turmoil ensuing around her, Ussie was still as sweet as ever. No way would she allow the girl to suffer from the same royal politics that had inflicted Zuko and Azula. The scars of the siblings' past had been rooted and deep from about the same age as Ussie was now.

When she finished, Ussie hurriedly ran to the full length mirror to assess it. "It looks just like mommy's old paintings!" She squealed excitedly.

Ty Lee beamed with pride. "I used to do your mommy's hair. Guess you could say I have plenty of practice," she revealed.

"Mommy will love it!" Exclaimed Ussie. At Ty Lee's confused expression, she added, "she will be here soon, right?"

Ty Lee's eyes bulged. Ussie had to be in denial. The little princess had been there during her mother's "supposed" funeral. There was no way she could know of Azula's true fate.

"Um," Ty Lee bit her lip. She hated lying. Years of reading auras helped her to know when Azula was lying, though the princess never suspected a thing. Ty Lee knew that some lies were necessary, but to do it herself, to lie to this innocent child, felt wrong. "Ussie, you know about your mother right?" She asked softly, hoping she would not need to say those lies outright.

Ussie giggled with both fists to her lips. "She fooled you too," she said between giggles.

"What?" Asked the acrobat.

Ussie pointed next to her. "She's right there, beside you". Ty Lee jumped looking to her left and right at nothing.

She walked slowly to the little girl, hoping not to startle her. With a comforting, and concerned hand upon her shoulder, she asked, "Are you ok?"

Ussie giggled more. "Mommy tricked everybody for my birthday. She told me so," she answered confidently. "I will be six soon, and she will return to surprise everybody!" Her hands emphasized this waving above her head excitedly. Before Ty Lee could question further, Ussie added, "I see her all the time, but she's not really here".

Well, at least it's comfort. Thought Ty Lee as she gave a pleasant smile and nod. "Don't tell her I'm here. I want to surprise her too," she said with her own giggle at which Ussie promised to do.

#

Azula scared him. Even distance and time, could not change this. His sister was always his biggest fear. Anyone who knew their tumultuous history would not blame the man for the feelings he experienced whenever the siblings crossed paths. Neither trusted the other by any means. This was evident in the similar eyes that shot invisible fireballs from deep corners. This was evident to the woman who raised them as well.

The ship was silent as it coasted along the calm seas away from the fire nation. Despite Azula's ire, the captain was loyal to his lord and kept the ship on track to avoid being caught by Lu Ten's scouts. It had been the better plan, though Azula would never admit it. Nor would she admit that her haste to return and face her cousin was all due to her emotions.

Ursa had wanted to comfort her as a mother of another mother, but that old fear stopped her in her tracks. Azula was cold at best and outright ignored her for most of the trip. If only Ty Lee had come with them. Perhaps that would have brought her daughter around. Ursa was weary of this, however. The best way to handle this would be to stick with the plan.

Besides, she had muddled the matter by meeting Ozai in secret and sharing old passion that had startled them both. She did not regret taking her ex-husband in her depths again. He always left her satisfied even at the height of their awful relationship. A part of her wondered if deep down she was secretly a masochist, something she had reserved to warn Ty Lee about when it came to Azula.

The entire speech Ursa planned to address the acrobat with would serve as a proper warning about pursuing the daughter she now realized she barely knew anymore.

Maybe I should talk to her. Ursa thought on Azula when the two happened to cross paths again on the ship. Zuko was preparing a letter of compromise to Lu Ten in his cabin with the door closed and it was just the two women of a broken family left standing in the ship's kitchen quarters.

Upon noticing her mother, Azula's eyes smoldered as usual. This did not deter Ursa as it had before, so she finally decided to use her ever calculated words.

"Shouldn't you be wasting someone else's air?" griped the ill woman, glass of brown liquid in one hand while the other gripped the edge of the table she was leaning on.

Ursa's first thought was flight, yet after reminding herself that she was the one who birthed the young woman, her eyes narrowed back in defiance.

"Did you forget that we once shared air, Child? A mother never forgets," she hissed back boldly, knowing the look of surprise Azula held instantly when she spoke. The shock turned into a brief hurt, long enough for Ursa to catch before Azula turned away. Ursa feared she would run and immediately added, "It's ok to let the past rest, My Dear. Perhaps it is overdue".

Azula stood silent with ever smooth sounds of waves crashing into the sides of the rocking ship in the background. The kitchen's lanterns seemed in sync with the young woman's breathing, dimming and rising to reveal the red flags along the walls bearing their nation's emblem. Ursa thought on the mess that they had all made in their lives. Their family was shattered and despite Lu Ten's survival, how would they ever put the pieces back together?"

"We," began Azula, her back turned so that Ursa could not witness her face as she spoke. "We share nothing anymore". She finished simply. Ursa took the calm rise of the flaming torches lining the walls, seriously, yet allowed her feet to move until she was standing directly behind Azula.

"You are not alone in this, Azula. No matter how much you fight. You will always be a part of me. So will Ussie".

Azula's trembling shoulders became more visible now. Ursa could almost hear the scratches of her nails against the wooden table. With a slow hand, she grasped the girl's shoulder and turned her about-face. The smoldering eyes were gone, replaced by blood-shot redness that closed when Azula's head hit her mother's shoulder. The waves against the ship were silenced by muffled sobs.

"Everything I..." Azula sniffled, beginning to struggle out of the grasp, but Ursa held firm, bringing her hand to rest on the back of the girl's head. "Everything I love, I lose," finished the queen.

"Not everything," Ursa whispered. "I will always love you, My Dear. I only wished I had loved you enough". She felt and heard the gasp that rippled through Azula's body.

"I love...I can't..." Ursa shushed the young woman, tears stinging her eyes. It was a step in the right direction. After so many missteps, Ursa knew in her heart that Azula needed her own mother now more than ever.

When Zuko entered the kitchen, his heart nearly bled from the sight of his mother and sister entangled together. He had hoped to have Azula review his letter before sending it via messenger hawk, but held his tongue.

"I guess this is a good start," he said with a smile when Azula broke away from their mother using her the back of her hand to wipe away a tear. Of course, she would never allow him to witness such a scene if she could help it, which only made the moment even more special.

Her face hardening into the one he knew, Azula addressed him coldly, "No, Brother, it is only beginning".

#

To be an effective ruler, one must first be born into the proper bloodline, but there was another secret that distinguished poor rulers from the greatest. My grandfather, Fire Lord Sozin knew of this and used it effectively. My father, Fire Lord Azulon, likewise used it as an instrument numerous times since I was a boy. Even I had begun to wield it like flames and attempted to teach it to my daughter. Fear makes the strongest of men crumble. I knew rare moments of fear. The worse was given by the avatar. A mere boy with so much power that he could steal it from others. That day would forever be sealed in my mind. Yet, it was comparable to now.

Trapped in a dark cage in bondage without the aid of my bending, I was helpless. By the Gods, I wondered what the prophecy meant as I stared out into nothing, the only sounds surrounding me being shackles and the cries of the men gone mad from the same helplessness. I thought on Ursa, Lu Ten and my granddaughter. How I wish I had kept that woman, destroyed that man and freed the child. So many mistakes. Even when I thought I had won...I ultimately lost. Damn the flaming throne, I only wanted freedom at this moment. One thinks less of power when their back is against a wall and the exit is so far away.

What more could be done to me? And with that final thought, the world shifted, literally the walls shook along with my shackles. I thought on that bounty hunter, Jun, as I felt my wrists strain backwards, burning from the crumbling walls nearly severing them as they shook.

You won't need hands anyway, she had said before leaving me to my fate. For a moment, I had thought she meant it literally. As the pull of the chains on my wrists grew to unbearable, I almost screamed my agony. Biting my lip bloody, I resisted the urge as the walls around me gave way and my shackles were bent as a result. I was freed!

Agni. I thought, looking about for shelter as the ceiling began to split apart along with the floor beneath my feet. I had little time to dwell on it all when the sound of a child's screams forced me to turn in the direction of the exit. Capital Prison Tower only had one entrance and it was shrinking fast from giant boulders and stones concaving. I scrambled to my knees, hurrying towards a glimmer of light that was so far away.

I heard Ussie once again as I began to lose hope, shuffling past flying rubble and ignoring the horrific cries of dying guards and fellow prisoners being crushed from the tower's weight. I hopped between two fallen pillars just before they collapsed atop the other, my body leaning from lethargy and overexertion.

"Papa! You made it!" I heard from my position on my stomach. Though sore, I could not emphasize the joy upon seeing Ussie's little body standing above me. It was when she flung herself into my arms that I thanked Agni for life.

"How?" I asked before a stone hand clasped my throat, leaving barely enough room for air, along with two more for my wrists placing me back into bondage.

"Don't hurt him!" Squealed Ussie to an unknown fire nation guard. I noted his strong earthbender stance and knew immediately that he was an imposter.

"We must move quickly," said the man, paying little regard to me. "The queen will be waiting". It took me little time to realize that a coup had begun. Azula never ceased to surprise me.

The earthbender lifted me to my feet smoothly, allowing me to see that the true chaos was not just within the prison tower, but in the adjacent temple as its steeple leaned towards the edges of the caldera it had overlooked for centuries. Ussie grasped my pant's leg and pointed towards a servant and two others that I could not place at the time.

As we neared them, I could not help being speechless as I witnessed my home being destroyed and other earthbending imposters descending from the open windows. I wondered on my brother and his offspring. Were they dead? Imprisoned? Part of me hated that I had missed the onslaught.

The earthbender behind me, squeezed the restraints on my throat when I attempted to stop walking. Growling, I looked over my shoulder. "This will be war," I sneered, not expecting the answer he gave.

"Queen Azula and King Kuei send their regards".