Chapter Text
you said goodbye in the morning
and i waited time for you
i didn’t know better than i have
The streets narrowed as the carriage climbed into the Upper Ring.
Not in width, but with a kind of quiet, delicate domesticity. The avenues were no longer lined with vendors like the Middle Ring but with the estates of wealthy, powerful and noble families. Grand gates bore the sigils of old noble houses. Ancient trees spread wide above the avenues, casting cool shade over those who passed beneath them. Even the paving stones fit together so precisely the ostrich-horses scarcely stumbled.
Azula counted six sentries before the carriage rounded the next corner.
Two on the rooftops. Four below. The rooftops concerned her more. Her eyes narrowed as one disappeared behind a tiled roofline. Then another emerged less than a minute later from the opposite side of the street.
A rotation. Not perfect but efficient.
There was a blind angle between the eastern wall and the residence beyond it. Difficult to exploit in daylight. It would be easier after sunset.
She committed it all to memory.
Outside the carriage window, white messenger hawks circled lazily above the Upper Ring district before descending toward a large building crowned with dark green tile.
Not hawks, she realized. Pigeons. Messenger pigeons at that. Interesting… and worthy to make note of. Her eyes narrowed as she wondered how long it would take to intercept one.
"Oh!" Ty Lee nearly pressed her face against the window. "Look at the fountains!"
"...They're fountains," Mai said flatly.
"They're beautiful," Ty Lee cooed.
"They're wet."
She ignored her. "Everything is so green."
It was. That irritated Azula… maybe more than it should have.
The Fire Nation capital possessed gardens befitting the Fire Lord. They were orderly. Precise and disciplined. Every tree pruned and every hedge symmetrical. Ba Sing Se's gardens looked undisciplined with hedges that wandered where they pleased. Branches reached wherever they wished instead of where they ought. The gardens had escaped their gardeners.
The carriage slowed as it approached the palace gates.
The two immense gates of white earthstone stood before them, set seamlessly into the palace wall. High above, where the palace wall rose into an ornamental crest, two rearing badger-bears stood carved into the stone. Their jaws were parted in silent challenge, claws extended as though prepared to defend the palace itself.
The creatures were rendered with unsettling precision. Every tooth. Every claw. Every coarse strand of fur.
Azula remembered one of her grandfather’s war stories. A scouting party had wandered too close to a badger-bear's den deep beneath the mountains west of Omashu. Only half the soldiers had returned. The survivors had spoken less of the claws than the speed. Creatures that size were not supposed to move so quickly.
She found herself studying the sculpture's forepaws. A fitting guardian for an Earth King's palace.
The great gates sank into the earth at the guards' command and their carriage rolled onward.
The disorder should have ended there. Unfortunately, it did not.
Two young maids chased one another beneath flowering plum trees while two older servants scolded them with all the sternness they could muster while struggling to hide smiles of their own. They were all foolishly unconcerned with appearances. Gardeners knelt in the dirt with their sleeves rolled to the elbows. A pair of palace servants lingered beside a lotus pond, laughing over some private joke before remembering themselves and hurrying on.
Azula frowned. A palace should be quieter than this. What kind of king permits this behavior?
The carriage rolled to a final halt. Two lines of palace guards, clad in dark green, dense armor, stood between them and the broad staircase leading to the royal residence.
A man in flowing dark green robes descended the staircase. Gold thread marked the breast of his robes. Someone trusted with authority.
Azula glanced at Mai and Ty Lee. They already knew their parts. Neither needed reminding.
Azula stepped from the carriage and immediately her eyes climbed the palace with its covered walkways and elevated galleries. Guard posts built into the architecture itself. Officials crossed the upper corridors at an unhurried pace, oblivious to the vulnerabilities beneath them.
The man in the elaborate robes nodded his head politely and Mai and Ty Lee followed Azula’s lead to bow.
“Welcome,” the man was dignified, older. He held his hand in front of him, his wrist toward the sky and his hand cupped. Azula rose, her eyes flicking back up to him and assessed immediately. Noble-born. Undoubtedly. Sent personally to receive them, but not important enough to warrant ceremony. A lesser noble house, she guessed.
“I am the Master of the Household, Lord Shen.” He turned, extending one arm toward the palace. “I will show you the palace grounds and to your rooms.”
Azula inclined her head, “It is an honor to be permitted, to offer our protection to the Earth King.”
Lord Shen began up the broad stone steps at an unhurried pace.
“Our royal guests reside in the eastern wing overlooking a grand lotus garden,” he explained. “Should you require anything during your stay, simply inform one of the household attendants. They have been instructed to see to your comfort.”
Comfort…
An interesting choice of priority.
They walked along a covered walkway and turned into a palace. The main hall was slate, cool smooth green earthstone and the carpet was intricate with deep gold and dark blue-green. The murals on the walls went on and on like the rolling countryside and mountains they depicted. The vases, painted finely by masterful hands, were as tall as Azula. No braziers burned here and instead the halls relied on pale green crystals nested into the walls.
She’d never heard of, let alone, seen such a thing. Glowing crystals.
“The evening meal is served shortly before sunset in the King's dining hall. His Majesty often invites distinguished guests to dine with him, though attendance is never compulsory.”
Azula's gaze lingered on the back of the old nobleman's robes.
Not compulsory? Strange.
“In the mornings, breakfast is taken privately unless His Majesty has requested company.”
No formal attendance. No requirement to account for one's whereabouts. A king who allowed such informality was either confident in his control... or had very little of it.
They stepped outside again onto another walkway. The fauna was abundant, and some massive leaves peaked over the railing.
“If you seek an audience with the Earth King, simply notify me or one of my assistants. Unless affairs of state require otherwise, His Majesty receives visitors most afternoons.” Lord Shen continued. “There are only a few customs I ask our guests to observe.”
At last.
“You are, of course, free to enjoy the palace grounds. The libraries, conservatories and gardens remain open except during private functions.” He smiled politely. “His Majesty only asks that guests refrain from disturbing Bosco should he be sleeping.”
Ty Lee's eyes brightened immediately. “The bear?”
“The bear,” Lord Shen confirmed with the faintest hint of amusement.
Mai looked no more impressed by the prospect of a royal bear than she had by the elaborate fountains.
“The western corridors are reserved for council ministers during sessions of government. Otherwise, you are welcome nearly everywhere.”
Nearly.
So there were places even honored guests could not go.
That could be useful…
“The Women's Palace—The Palace of Eternal Spring—however, remains the private residence of Her Majesty the Queen Dowager and the ladies of the Inner Court. Entry is by invitation only."
Ladies of the Inner Court? Azula wondered to what degree an obstacle they would be.
“And lastly,” Lord Shen said, glancing back over his shoulder, “His Majesty dislikes unnecessary ceremony. Should you encounter him outside formal court, a bow is more than sufficient.”
Azula's brow knit almost imperceptibly.
Dislikes ceremony?
What kind of king disliked being reminded he was king?
“We are here to serve the Earth King,” Azula said evenly. “We are not accustomed to indulgence.”
“Yes,” Lord Shen replied smoothly, “but even stone must be allowed to rest between carvings. Otherwise, it will splinter under the chisel.”
Azula’s gaze flicked away a fraction. Of course he speaks in metaphors. He was old.
They passed along a garden again. Overgrown in controlled abundance, so dense it was difficult to see through to the other side. Not a wall, exactly, something softer than that, but no less effective. One could hide entire movements behind such planting. Conversations, meetings. Errors. What possible logic was there in allowing sightlines to vanish inside a palace?
The scent was pleasant, at least. Blossoms held carefully at peak bloom, petals shedding into a pale scatter across the stone paths.
“His Majesty,” Lord Shen said quietly.
Azula looked.
He was not seated or elevated in a palanquin. Nor was he surrounded by guards.
The Earth King was walking along a narrow stone path between two beds of flowering shrubs with a small stack of scrolls tucked under one arm as though they had always belonged there. His robes were simple compared to the officials she had seen. Still fine, still woven with care, but without display. The hem brushed lightly against the garden path as he moved.
He stopped beside one of the flowerbeds, adjusting his glasses as he peered at something growing along its edge. Tilting his head, he leaned closer.
One of the scrolls slipped from beneath his arm and landed among the flowers.
He blinked at it for a moment before stooping to retrieve it, brushing a bit of loose soil from the parchment as though dropping state documents into flowerbeds happened often enough not to surprise him.
He paused beside a gardener who was kneeling to adjust a line of irrigation stone. A scroll nearly fell from the stack again but he caught it just in time… Azula reserved a haughty little grin… He looked more suited to tallying grain inventories than ruling the greatest city in the world.
The gardener spoke without ceremony, gesturing at something in the soil. The King listened without interruption. Then he crouched slightly to see better, shifting the scrolls beneath one arm.
Ridiculous.
What kind of king cultivated familiarity instead of obedience?
There was a low sound nearby, a heavy growl.
A large creature lay half-curled in a shaded alcove of stone and foliage. Brown and covered in dense fur, with claws. That must be the King’s bear she had heard so much about. Bosco. One of its ears twitched lazily as the Earth King passed near it and the King reached out absently and scratched the top of its head without looking.
“When will we meet with the King?” Azula asked curtly.
Lord Shen’s voice remained level. “This afternoon. He has been informed of your arrival.”
No attendants announced his movement and no visible guard formation adjusted to his presence. He was simply… moving through his own garden. As if it were not remarkable at all. As if he were a lesser councilman passing through palace grounds he was permitted to occupy.. He adjusted the scrolls before they could slip from his arms again, nodded to the gardener in passing, and called for the bear before continuing on his way.
Azula blinked.
Nothing about him registered as threatening…
Which meant something was missing.
Because nothing in a palace like this was ever that simple.
Lord Shen finished their tour at their rooms, which was a residence afforded entirely for them.
“You will be collected and escorted by the royal guard when the Earth King is ready to meet with you. In the meantime, refresh yourselves from your journey.”
It was only a matter of moments before the three of them had barely begun to take in the residence. Dense, dark shined wood panels with intricate, swirling carvings of mountains, silk cushions in layered colors, and lattice windows carved with precision, guarded by bright greenery. Then… a maid-servant entered the sitting room they occupied.
“My name is Hong-Xing. I will be your servant. May I prepare tea and something to eat?”
“Tea will do,” Azula said.
Ty Lee placed a hand on her stomach. It answered with a quiet, unfortunate sound.
Azula’s brow lifted slightly. “And something to eat. Nothing requiring effort.”
“Of course,” the maid said pleasantly. “We have a variety of teas. I can prepare whatever you prefer. Our most commonly requested are Jade Mist Spring Tea, White Lotus Bloom Tea, Golden Earth Oolong, Moonveil Chrysanthemum Tea, Emerald Bamboo Leaf Infusion, Mist Over Stone Blend, and Fragrant Orchid Court Tea.”
Azula blinked once. Then again.
Ty Lee clasped her hands. “Oh! They all sound so wonderful!”
Of course she thought that.
Azula said, carefully, “That is… quite a selection.”
The maid smiled, unbothered. “Each is prepared with particular care. The Jade Mist Spring Tea uses young leaves steamed in mountain mist water, sourced from the Onyx Range beyond Ba Sing Se’s outer districts. The White Lotus Bloom Tea is favored by the ladies of the Inner Court for afternoon rest, while the Moonveil Chrysanthemum Tea is often served to Her Majesty the Queen Dowager. Dried golden blossoms, steeped until pale amber.”
Azula registered Mai shift behind her, irritated.
“A simple green tea,” Azula said.
Ty Lee tilted her head. “Oh, but the Moonveil one sounds so pretty.”
“…Fine. The Moonveil Chrysanthemum.”
“Excellent choice,” the maid replied. “For accompaniment, I can offer Lotus Seed Cakes, Rice Petal Drops, or Steamed Jade Dumpling Bites. The Five-Grain Imperial Crisp Cakes are also popular. Simple, but sustaining.”
“Whatever is already prepared will be more than enough,” Azula said.
The maid bowed and withdrew, her steps fading down the corridor. Azula moved to close the door, then turned back to them.
Mai exhaled. “My stomach was about to eat itself if she kept going.”
Ty Lee had already drifted to the nearest couch, fingers tracing the embroidered silk. Gold-thread cranes lifted across the pale blue cushions in frozen flight.
She looked around slowly. “Wow. I can’t imagine what the royal rooms look like. This is just for guests.”
Mai fell into a seat by the window with her arms crossed.
Ty Lee had a talent for pulling attention in directions Azula did not intend to give it. Still. Azula circled the opposite couch and sat.
“And we are non-noble guests,” she said evenly. “Imagine the rooms for the nobility.”
“I know,” Ty Lee cooed, "Everything is so fancy here.”
Azula’s eyes narrowed a little. “Yes but it is a bit… unstructured.”
Mai glanced over. “Unstructured?”
Azula’s focus remained fixed. “There are too many layers of comfort and not enough visible control.”
Ty Lee tilted her head. “That sounds… bad?”
“It sounds inefficient,” Azula corrected.
Mai leaned back into her seat and cast her attention outside. “The guards looked fine.”
“They are positioned,” Azula said. “Not arranged.”
Ty Lee blinked. “Isn’t that the same thing?”
Azula did not answer immediately. It wasn’t. And that was the problem.
A moment of silence settled between them.
Mai finally spoke again. “The King didn’t look like much.”
Azula’s eyes shifted slightly, sharply. He was rather ordinary, for a King.
Ty Lee perked up. “Oh! In the garden?”
Mai nodded. “No attendants. Talking to a gardener. Like he was just… there.”
Azula’s expression did not change but her attention sharpened. “He did not present himself as a center of control.”
Mai shrugged. “He didn’t present himself as anything.”
“That is not the same as harmless,” Azula replied. Plenty of the earthbenders they had crossed had thought she was harmless. They learned otherwise.
Ty Lee frowned slightly. “But he didn’t even seem scary.”
Azula’s voice lowered a fraction. “That is not relevant. Some men appear unremarkable in private and become absolute in court. Others do not.”
Her father did not need to be announced.
Her grandfather, in his time, had shifted entire corridors simply by walking them.
Even her uncle, indulgent as he was, half-absent as he had so often been in court, had still carried undeniable weight when he entered a room.
She did not look at Ty Lee when she continued. “We will know what he is when we see him where it matters.”
Mai looked back into the room. “So what does that mean?”
Azula considered the palace beyond the walls. The gardens. The rotations of guards and the absence of visible friction in the movement of the palace. The lack of fear…
Then she said simply, “It means we do not yet understand where authority is concentrated.”
Ty Lee brightened. “So we just find out?”
Azula’s gaze flicked toward her. “Not immediately.”
Mai exhaled. “Of course not.”
Azula continued, already mapping it. “We observe first. The Earth King alone is not sufficient to take the city.”
Her father had never tolerated impulsiveness.
That earned a small shift in Mai’s expression. “Not sufficient?”
“No ruler is isolated,” Azula said evenly. “We find who speaks to him without witnesses. Who is comfortable—too comfortable. Who issues orders without ceremony. The one the system does not interrupt.”
Ty Lee nodded as if this was obvious. “So like… his favorite person?”
Azula did not correct her phrasing. “Yes.”
Mai smirked faintly. “So we don’t stab anything yet.”
Azula glanced at her. “We do not move until we understand the board.”
They did not wait long before the palace settled into a looser rhythm. The maid Hong-Xing had long since come and gone with tea and lotus cakes. The tray was emptied save for a few bites and the cups had long gone cold.
Outside, the guards rotated off their posts in pairs, trading places with quiet efficiency. For the first time since entering Ba Sing Se, the tension of formal posture softened into something closer to ordinary movement.
Ty Lee noticed immediately. “Oh!” she said, brightening. “They’re on break.”
Mai didn’t look up from where she had settled by the window. “Good. Less staring.”
Ty Lee was already halfway toward the corridor before either of them could stop her.
Azula remained seated. She did not need to follow. Ty Lee had a way of collecting information without meaning to.
Outside, Ty Lee spoke easily with one of the guards. In her light, animated, familiar way that puts everyone at ease. The guard laughed once. Then a second time, a little quieter.
Azula watched out the window without expression.
Another guard, leaning nearby, said something to Ty Lee that made her cover her mouth and giggle.
The two guards eventually stepped away, continuing down the courtyard still talking between themselves.
Ty Lee returned moments later, practically glowing. “Oh my gosh,” she said, flopping back onto the couch. “He was totally flirting with me.”
Mai glanced over. “Was he.”
“Yes,” Ty Lee said confidently. “That was flirting.”
Azula blinked once. Then: “What was?”
Ty Lee stared at her. “The conversation. The tones of their voices. The smiling.”
Azula considered this but concluded. “…It was a guard speaking to a guest.”
Ty Lee groaned. “That’s not all it was.”
Mai snorted softly.
Ty Lee turned toward Azula. “What did you think of him?”
Azula paused only briefly on the image of the guard. He was competent, alert. Physically capable. Not significant enough to warrant attention beyond classification.
“…He is acceptable,” she said.
Ty Lee grinned. “That’s your version of cute, isn’t it?”
Azula’s eyes narrowed slightly. “No.”
Ty Lee leaned in. “So what is your version of cute?”
That gave Azula pause. She had never needed a term for that category but she knew Ty Lee and she knew what she was asking. The topic of boys was a newer one for Azula. Not to be only defeated in duels and games but to be admired. Their attention sought after… Recently, her father had the conversation with her… In two years, her marriage prospects were to be taken more seriously. What noble families would be considered. The kind of husband she was to marry one day…
It was such an overwhelming thought she could not conceive to consider it beyond what was ordered of her to do so.
“…Strength,” she said finally. “Capability… and discipline. And unwavering loyalty, of course.”
Mai, still looking out the window, added dryly, “So basically: a weapon.”
“Yes,” Azula said simply. Of course.
Ty Lee blinked. “That sounds… intense.”
Azula continued, matter-of-factly. “Weakness is inefficient.”
Ty Lee tilted her head. “So you’d like someone scary?”
Azula did not hesitate. “Yes. Someone capable of inciting fear if necessary.”
Mai glanced over. “That’s not a boyfriend. That’s a military asset.”
Azula did not correct her. She knew Mai enjoyed poetry and Ty Lee was a natural flirt. Even if they were nobility, they did not have the expectations she did as a princess when it came to which boys she would give her attention to. There was no use wasting her affections if he was not a worthy contender. A military asset sounded perfect.
Ty Lee smiled brightly. “So not that guard guy then.”
Azula’s expression didn’t change. “No.” Not even close.
Then, just as Lord Shen had said, they were summoned to meet with the Earth King.
─── 龍約 ───
The room they were brought to was not the throne room. It was quieter than that. A private chamber within the Earth King’s personal palace. Clearly not built for ceremony or display, but for conversation.
Azula immediately began assessing it.
A ruler’s private space revealed more than a public one. Thrones could be arranged and court behavior could be practiced. But the rooms a person inhabited when no audience was present were harder to disguise.
The chamber was built with the same precision as the rest of the palace. Dark gleaming wood framed the walls in clean lines, polished enough to catch the movement of light. Pale earthstone panels were carved with cranes, rivers, and distant mountain ridges, the landscapes flowing across the walls as though the room itself belonged to the country it ruled. Green-glazed tiles ran along the lower walls in muted shades, not bright jade meant to impress visitors, but deeper tones like moss beneath still water.
Yet the room lacked the emptiness she expected…
A scroll lay unrolled halfway across one low table, held open beneath a small paperweight carved in the shape of a badger-mole. One brush rested beside an inkstone, its tip still dark with ink. A window stood slightly open, allowing the afternoon breeze to move through the chamber and disturb the edges of the parchment.
It was not disorderly… exactly… Azula’s eyes narrowed slightly. Useful, perhaps…
Low tables occupied the room, their surfaces inlaid with fine stonework depicting landscapes of the Earth Kingdom. Scroll racks lined one wall, but unlike the carefully arranged displays in the palace halls, these appeared frequently handled. Several scrolls remained partially open, as though their owner had stepped away only moments before.
Behind it, tall lattice windows filtered daylight through layered screens, casting geometric shadows across the floor.
Her eyes found a raised, broad cushioned platform with an adjoining seat beside it, arranged for conversation rather than ceremony.
Empty.
They swept onward. Then—there he was.
The Earth King stood beside a bank of sunlit windows, watering a flowering plant.
He straightened at the sound of their arrival.
Azula stilled. Immediately. Her shoulders tightening at the sight of him.
He was younger than she had expected…
That was the first inconvenience.
The second arrived when he smiled.
"The Kyoshi Warriors," the Earth King said, a quiet warmth entering his voice. "I told my Grand Chancellor what a rare treat this is."
He set the watering can on the closest table and crossed the room himself. No servant announced him and no guard stepped forward.
He simply came to greet them.
He stopped before her… closer than she had anticipated.
His robes were a deep, muted green, embroidered so subtly that the darker thread only revealed itself when the light caught it. They had looked almost ordinary from the garden.
They were not.
His robes should not have suited him as well as they did.
He inclined his head politely and Azula answered the subtle movement by lifting her eyes.
That was a mistake.
His eyes were green. Not the pale green common among Earth Kingdom nobility. Darker… and difficult to read. And unfortunately… they were looking directly at her. Over a pair of thin round, gold spectacles.
Something caught in her throat and she lowered her gaze at once.
Rank. Observe his rank.
A servant entered carrying an ornate tea tray, and the Earth King's attention drifted naturally toward the newcomer.
Azula exhaled before she realized she had been holding her breath. Why on earth was she holding her breath?
When he turned, the line of his jaw caught the light. Defined. There remained only the faintest shadow where he had shaved that morning.
Ridiculous.
Why was she cataloguing his jaw?
His hair was drawn neatly into a single, clean braid that reached well below his waist, bound at the end with a green silk tassel and decorated with polished stone beads. Some personal token, perhaps… and no strand had escaped its place. When he walked, the braid shifted gently behind him and when he sat, it settled across the cushion beside him. Everything about him was perfectly in place. Why did that catch her off-guard? He was a King. He should be orderly.
He gestured toward the seating arranged around a low table. “Please.” It was not an order but an invitation.
Azula hesitated.
This was where she had expected to stand before a throne. Instead… he was asking them to sit with him.
The servant stepped forward and without hesitation, the Earth King accepted the porcelain teapot from her hands and quietly said thank you and she took her leave.
He was pouring the tea himself? That was a job for a servant. Azula hid her shock but the distrust was stiff and rife throughout her shoulders.
This was… not right.
His hands were steady. The sleeves of his robes had been fastened neatly at the wrist so they would not brush the porcelain.
Each cup received the same measured pour.
Practiced. Perfect…
Azula found herself watching the way he steadied the lid with one finger.
Why was she watching his hands?!
She knew perfectly well how tea was poured…
The first cup stopped before her.
“Thank you for coming at such a time as this,” he said, meeting her eyes once more. She was distracted by their shape again. The color. The way his glasses sat just under them. “I know the journey from Kyoshi Island is a long one. I hope it was not too uncomfortable.”
His voice was quieter than she expected. Not weak. Simply… gentle.
The notion irritated her immediately. A King that is gentle… what a joke.
Before anyone could answer, another servant entered quietly carrying a second tray. Delicate tea-infused almond confections, honeyed chrysanthemum petals, and small dishes of preserved fruit had been arranged with meticulous care.
The young woman lowered herself beside the table when her sleeve caught the edge of one porcelain dish. It tipped and tea splashed across the polished wood. The dish struck the floor with a sharp crack before spinning to a stop beneath the table.
The servant froze and her face drained of color. "My deepest apologies, Your Majesty."
Azula's eyes snapped to him.
There… Every ruler revealed himself eventually.
This would tell her everything.
The King was already kneeling. "No harm done." He retrieved the porcelain dish before anyone else could reach it. “It survived.”
The servant looked as though she scarcely knew what to do. "I... I'm terribly sorry, Your Majesty." He placed the dish gently back onto the tray.
"So am I." She looked up, confused at him. "That the table frightened you more than the fall." The servant blinked. Then, despite herself, gave a small, embarrassed laugh. The King smiled. That inconveniently unpracticed smile of his. "Thank you."
She stared. "...Your Majesty?"
"For bringing us refreshments.”
The young woman bowed so quickly she nearly lost her balance a second time. "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Only then did he return to his seat, brushing a drop of tea from the back of his hand with the edge of a folded cloth. Their conversation resumed as though nothing unusual had happened.
Azula did not.
She watched the servant retreat… Then her gaze returned to the King, who had already set the folded cloth aside.
Only then did she realize her own shoulders had loosened. She was breathing normally again.
No reprimand. No correction. No reminder of rank…
Nothing…
Azula slowly lifted her teacup to her lips, unable to fathom the lack of… and she drank.
Kuei settled comfortably back into his seat, as though the interruption had been no more consequential than a breeze through an open window.
“I was saying,” he continued easily, “I hope the journey from Kyoshi Island was not too uncomfortable.”
Ty Lee brightened immediately. “It was—”
Mai's elbow found her side inconspicuously and Ty Lee caught herself.
“We encountered little difficulty, Your Majesty,” Mai answered smoothly.
“I'm glad,” Kuei said, sincerely.
Sincerely. Not politeness for politeness sake… Azula found herself watching him again. Trying to reconcile what she had just witnessed.
He had thanked a servant! Personally. He had apologized to her. Personally. When it was entirely her fault!
No Fire Lord would have done that. No Fire Lord could have done that.
And yet… the palace had not descended into disorder. No one questioned his authority. No one mistook his kindness for weakness.
It made no sense.
Which somehow made him even more...
She stopped the thought before it could finish.
Azula reached for her cup again. Her fingers were perfectly steady. Good. At least one part of her still obeyed orders. She took a measured sip. She tasted none of it. Heat had gathered beneath the paint along her cheeks.
She lowered her gaze to the surface of the tea.
The steam was the culprit… Obviously… Except she knew perfectly well it wasn't the steam. Fortunately, the face paint concealed it… Whatever strange betrayal her face had chosen.
Whatever it was.
"Forgive me," he said, resting one arm along the back of the seat. The ease of it caught her off guard. Kings did not sit that way. "Lord Shen gave me your names before you arrived, but I've always found introductions easier in person." He smiled apologetically. "I'm afraid I remember faces better than titles." He glanced at their painted faces again. "Though in your case..." His smile widened almost imperceptibly. "The faces may prove the greater challenge." He lowered his eyes, almost embarrassed at the joke at their behest.
And Azula felt it then, again. Painfully aware of his attention settling on her first.
"Your name then?”
...
Since when was that a difficult question?
"Suki." Azula heard herself say. The name emerged perfectly. Steady. As though nothing at all had happened. As though she didn’t feel like a complete imbecile.
"I understand you are the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors."
"Yes." She inclined her head toward Mai. "Mira." Then toward Ty Lee. "Fume."
Kuei nodded thoughtfully, repeating each name once under his breath.
"Suki."
"Mira."
"Fume."
He nodded once.
"So I remember."
His gaze lingered only a moment longer than courtesy required on Azula. But she met it. When he finally looked away, she found herself with one absurd conclusion.
She had never seen a face so perfectly chiseled before. Everything. The line of his brow. The square of his jaw. The—
"I imagine the journey was exhausting." It wasn't really a question.
She didn’t care.
"Lord Shen has a habit of insisting on palace tours before allowing our guests to rest." He smiled, almost apologetically.
Something landed squarely in her chest.
For one impossible moment, she couldn't form a single coherent thought.
She looked away before she could think about why.
"I hope he didn't keep you walking too long."
Mai spared Azula a brief glance before answering. “Lord Shen was more than hospitable, Your Majesty. Everyone in your palace has shown us remarkable courtesy. We are not often received with such indulgence.”
Kuei laughed softly.
Now Azula could not hear anything else except her own pulse.
“No,” he agreed. “I imagine you are not. The Kyoshi Warriors seem to have a habit of finding the people who need them most."
Azula realized everyone was looking at her. She ought to say something. Normally that required no effort at all.
Then, what felt like out of nowhere, “We passed through Chin Village,” she heard herself say. Her own voice surprised her. “It was...”
Adequate.
The word never came.
“...beautiful.”
Mai's eyes shifted toward her.
Ty Lee blinked.
Azula continued before either could pass further judgment on her. “The terraces overlook the eastern valley.”
Why was she elaborating?
“The peach orchards were in bloom.”
The King’s face brightened with genuine interest.
It was worse than his smile.
“You have seen the orchards?” He leaned forward slightly. “I have only ever seen that valley in paintings.” His smile returned, smaller this time.
Her eyes flicked away the moment she found it.
“One of my favorite landscape scrolls depicts it.” He paused. “It is hanging just across the hall... if you would like to see it before you leave.”
She had intended to ask about the Dai Li.
Instead—
“...Yes.”
Wait.
What had he asked her?!
She felt it then… Mai and Ty Lee's silence.
She had answered far too quickly.
They knew her…
He did not.
Azula lowered her teacup with deliberate precision to the table. The soft click of porcelain against wood steadied her more than it should have.
“…If time permits.”
There. Recovered… Mostly.
What… are you doing?!
"I will permit it," he said.
For one absurd heartbeat, Azula forgot why she had come. Why she was in that room, wearing Kyoshi Warrior paint… why she was in the city! For one completely absurd moment.
Then discipline returned.
This was not a social visit. It was an infiltration. She seized the first opportunity to redirect the conversation.
"Lord Shen mentioned recent changes within the palace..."
It was enough to get back on course and the Earth King's expression grew more thoughtful. The conversation moved on and they discovered that only last week, the Earth King’s most trusted advisor, a man named Long Feng, had kept the war with the Fire Nation from his awareness.
Azula couldn’t understand it.
He hadn't known…?
Impossible.
For all his composure, he was astonishingly uninformed. Hardly a threat…
But this Dai Li he mentioned, they sounded formidable. And she had yet to see any of them posted in the palace.
“Do the Dai Li still have access to the palace, Your Majesty?”
"They are not supposed to," he admitted. "But the Dai Li have spent generations answering more to themselves than to the throne. I cannot honestly tell you where they are."
Azula absorbed that without expression. An Earth King who could not account for the whereabouts of his own elite guard?
Unthinkable.
It dawned on her, coolly… She had arrived at precisely the right moment. The palace was unstable. Power was shifting and the Earth King was no war general, no conqueror. No strategist.
All he had was his birthright.
Then an attendant interrupted and whispered in his ear behind his hand.
The King nodded and the attendant left and he met their attention again.
“I have an appointment I must see to.”
She could not let the conversation end here. She needed information, his pressure points. His confidants.
The people he trusted most.
"Tell us how we may serve you, Your Majesty, and consider it done."
He pondered for a moment and then said, “There is plenty to be done in the palace. I will see to it tomorrow and you will be informed promptly.” He rose and they followed. “Before we depart, I have not forgotten the mural I have promised you.”
His eyes found Azula's and she followed him into the hall, Mai and Ty Lee beside her.
The mural filled the wall from floor to ceiling with pale blue mountains faded into mist beyond terraces of peach orchards. Soft gold washed across the horizon where sunlight broke through cloud. The painted grasses seemed almost to sway.
Kuei stopped before it and he didn't speak immediately. After a moment, he lifted one hand.
"There." His finger found a single stroke of gold above the distant hills.
Neither of them spoke.
Then his hand drifted higher, toward a narrow line of calligraphy worked into the upper corner of the mural. Kuei read it quietly.
"Stand here and behold, the eye of heaven opens before you." His gaze lingered on the painted horizon before he looked down at her. "Paradise found in a humble village." He paused. "Can you imagine?"
Azula followed the line of his hand until it fell once more behind his back.
Neither of them spoke. They simply stood before the painting.
She had never cared about paintings before…
Before she understood why, she heard herself say, "I remember the air smelling of peaches... but it had rained that day we went through so… no gate of paradise was seen on the horizon. Instead, it smelled of moss from the forest. ...the frogs in the glen were... unusually loud."
She paused and cast her eyes downward immediately, as though reprimanding herself.
Why did she remember that?
Silence settled between them.
Kuei continued looking at the painting and for a long moment he said nothing.
Then… "I enjoy the scent of moss," he said.
Something tightened beneath Azula's ribs and decided, for her sake, to look at the painting instead of him for her head threatened to fill with fireflies.
The attendant waited discreetly at the end of the corridor.
Kuei inclined his head. "Enjoy your evening and get plenty of rest. I will see you tomorrow."
Then he was gone.
Azula kept her eyes on the mural. She waited until his footsteps had nearly disappeared before she looked. The green silk tassel at the end of his braid swayed gently as he rounded the corner. She looked away at once.
It was too late… She could already feel Mai and Ty Lee staring at her.
Mai broke the silence first. "I didn't know your thoughts were so picturesque, Princess."
"Yeah," Ty Lee agreed. "Poetry must run in the family."
She was referring to her uncle.
Agni help her.
Azula turned sharply, placing the mural at her back.
"That was not poetry," she said quietly. "I assess my surroundings. All of them. Even in an unimportant village." She folded her arms feeling more defensive than she ought to. She had no idea why. "And good thing I do. The faster we make him—and everyone else here—comfortable, the sooner we can take it out from under them."
Ty Lee nodded thoughtfully. "...He's pretty cute."
Mai looked sideways at her. "You think everyone is cute."
"I do not."
"You absolutely do."
"I have standards, Mai,” Ty Lee said, annoyed.
Mai raised an eyebrow. "You told me the ferry captain in Full Moon Bay was cute."
"He had a nice smile."
"He was missing three teeth."
"He was missing the back three."
Mai remained unconvinced.
Ty Lee looked at Azula. "What do you think?"
"About what?"
"The Earth King." Ty Lee smiled innocently. "He’s kinda a cutie?"
“…Don't be ridiculous.” She practically hissed and said, matter-of-factly and far too quickly, “He wears glasses.”
Ty Lee blinked. “…People with glasses can be cute.”
“He apologizes to the servants,” she insisted stubbornly.
“…Yes?”
Azula met her eyes. Of course Ty Lee didn’t see that as a problem. "Those are not strengths, Ty Lee." The words came cold and that bothered her. It shouldn’t have. She turned away. “Nor are they relevant.”
Ty Lee watched her for another second and mumbled, “…That wasn't really an answer.”
“It was,” Mai defended.
“What was it?”
“A very loud ‘no.’”
Azula resumed walking. Immediately. This conversation was over.
They followed her outside beneath the covered walkway. The breeze of the evening to come stirred the lanterns overhead. Azula kept walking with one measured step after another. Her pulse had finally slowed. Mostly. The warmth beneath the paint had faded. Mostly.
Good.
Whatever that had been...
It was over. It would remain over. It had no place in the mission. No place in her thoughts. No place in—
She stopped and Mai nearly walked into her.
Ty Lee looked up. "What is it?"
Azula looked around the palace grounds. Warm light spilled from the windows into the gathering dusk. Servants crossed open corridors. Someone laughed somewhere beyond the gardens. No one hurried. No one looked afraid. No one looked as though they expected punishment for the smallest mistake.
The Earth King had poured tea.
He had apologized.
For a servant.
And she said it. What needed to be said. "...Something is wrong."
Ty Lee asked, confused. "Wrong?"
"...I keep expecting this place to behave like a royal palace."
Mai frowned. "It is a royal palace."
"No." Azula's answer came immediately. "It isn't." She paused and then, "...Not like ours." Then, more adamantly, she said, like it was a crime. "Kings do not pour tea.”
“They do not apologize for their servants."
"They do not invite strangers to paintings."
Each sentence landed harder than the last.
"They command..." She looked back toward the palace. "He doesn't."
“And?” Mai asked. "So what?”
"It means..." Her voice lowered. "The power here is not where it should be."