Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Sokka stood at the bow of the ship as the shores of the Fire Nation’s main island came into view in the distance. The air had long ago turned balmy as the ship traveled further north, and Sokka was struck by how comforting the warm, humid air enveloping him was.

His childhood had been spent at the frigid South Pole, and he’d never thought he’d leave except for a stint as a warrior fighting the Fire Nation. Even the war ending had seemed impossible in those days. They’d been at war his whole life.

Yet there he was, heading back to the Fire Nation capital—not just the capital, the palace, which he now called home, and the Firelord himself was waiting for him.

Sokka had to bite back a smile when he thought of Zuko. He couldn’t help but laugh to himself about how things had turned out sometimes. If he traveled back in time and told his fourteen-year-old self that the war would be over and he’d be betrothed to Firelord Zuko in ten years’ time, his younger self would have fainted from the shock.

There was chatter around him as the sailors rushed around to get ready for their approach into the harbor. It felt wrong for Sokka to be riding on a Water Tribe ship without helping to sail it, but the crew had refused his offers at every turn. Ironically, it wasn’t the fact that he was their chief’s son but, instead, his position within the Fire Nation court that led to their refusal. While he wanted to think that he’d always be a member of the Water Tribe, there was no doubt that he was also somewhat apart from his own people now. He couldn’t blame them for it. The war was over, but many of the people on the very ship he stood on had lost people over the century of war.

Sokka pressed his hand to his chest, feeling the pendant that rested there beneath his tunic. He’d been surprised when Zuko proposed with a necklace per Water Tribe tradition, but he shouldn’t have been.

The necklace itself wasn’t in the traditional style. It was on a longer chain, at least for the moment, which was useful since their betrothal hadn’t been announced to the public yet. They’d wanted to tell their friends and family first, and Sokka had insisted on sharing the news with his family in person, hence the trip to the South Pole.

Zuko had wanted to come with him, but it was impossible for him to get away from the Fire Nation these days unless it was on a diplomatic trip, and they hadn’t been able to come up with any excuses for him to come to the Southern Water Tribe, not when the current situation in the Fire Nation was taking up so much time and energy. And liable to get worse, once they announced the betrothal.

Sokka lowered his hand from the necklace and clenched his jaw. Caldera’s harbor was close enough that he could make out the individual boats docked along the shore.

Like always, he’d been sad when he left the South Pole, unsure when he’d be able to return, but he smiled at the sight of the city that had become his home over the last several years. He’d become much fonder of it than he’d ever planned to. His younger self would have been horrified.

The warmth and fondness couldn’t entirely shake his unease though. Now that he was back, they would have to make the official announcement.

In a few days time, the Fire Nation—and the rest of the world—would know that he was set to marry Firelord Zuko, making him the first foreign-born consort in Fire Nation history. (And Sokka would know. He’d scoured the royal archives for any record of a consort who could possibly have come from another nation, but he’d found nothing.)

A breeze swept by, ruffling his hair and bringing with it the familiar smells of the harbor. The only thing that could have made his return sweeter was if Zuko was waiting for him when he stepped off the boat, but he knew that was impossible for Zuko to appear so casually in public like that these days.

That was fine. He could make the trip to the palace alone. It wouldn’t be long before he, too, was forbidden from such simple things. He would do his best to cherish them while he could.

Chapter Text

The day of Sokka’s return was perfect. The sun shone brightly in the sky, and Zuko had a pep in his step as he hurried down the palace corridors. It had been a long few weeks while Sokka was away in the South Pole.

Over the last several years, Zuko had gotten used to having him close. Despite the palace’s size, Sokka was always easy to locate. Even when Zuko had boring paperwork to tend to, Sokka often didn’t mind spending time in his office and discussing whatever matters came across Zuko’s desk.

And he was going to have that forever. Zuko’s stomach still fluttered whenever he remembered the moment that Sokka accepted his proposal. Logically, he’d been pretty sure Sokka would say yes. They’d discussed the future many times over their years together, and Sokka had been clear that he was up for the challenge of being the Fire Nation’s first foreign-born consort, but Zuko hadn’t let himself truly believe it until he hooked the betrothal necklace around Sokka’s neck.

He bit his lip, conscious that any passing staff in the corridor would be able to tell how giddy he was. Not that they’d mind. There had been many times over the years when he’d caught one of the staff sending him and Sokka smiles of their own. It truly was remarkable how having Sokka around changed the atmosphere of the palace. Even Azula spent more time out and about now, rather than staying cooped up in her own quarters. There was a life to the place that surpassed even what the palace had been like when Zuko was a child.

“Oh, Firelord Zuko.”

Zuko paused, turning to find the head of the palace staff, Ying, emerging from a side door into the corridor. She bowed and smiled at Zuko who smiled back easily.

“I was hoping to find you,” he said. “I wanted to make sure everything is going smoothly this morning.”

“Yes, it is the big day.” There was a glint in her eye. “I assure you, Firelord, that everything will be just right for Lord Sokka’s return. The cook is preparing all his favorite Fire Nation foods for dinner.”

Ying and the rest of the palace staff calling Sokka ‘lord’ was a new development that had only started since the engagement. Officially, none of the staff knew about their betrothal, as it hadn’t been publicly announced, but on a practical level, it had been impossible for them not to catch wind of it. They hadn’t been all that subtle.

The betrothal didn’t give Sokka an official Fire Nation title, but Ying seemed to feel that it should, and Zuko was pretty sure she was behind the rest of the staff’s adoption of the title as well. As small of a gesture as it was in the grand scheme of things, it made Zuko’s heart skip a beat each time he heard it, aware that Sokka would have an official title in due time.

“Excellent. Thank you, Ying.”

She bowed her head. “Of course, Firelord Zuko.”

Zuko flashed her one last smile before he continued on down the corridor in the direction of the less formal dining room where he, Sokka, and Azula usually ate breakfast.

His sister was already at the table when he arrived and was heartily shoveling rice into her mouth. She paused when Zuko entered, raising an eyebrow with a smirk.

“You look particularly cheerful today, Brother.”

In the past, the comment would have been enough to make him blush, but he was long past that. Sokka was his betrothed, set to be his consort. They were going to spend their lives together. Of course he was happy that he was seeing him again after three weeks spent apart. He could only hope that Sokka was as excited as he was as his ship neared the port.

That didn’t mean he could let Azula antagonize him without any protest whatsoever.

“Shut up,” he said without any real bite to his voice. He nodded in appreciation as a member of staff sat his breakfast down in front of him. “We both know you’ve been pouting since Sokka left.”

In response, Azula jutted out her bottom lip and crossed her arms against her chest. “Well what am I supposed to do? There’s nothing interesting around this palace when he’s gone.”

Zuko laughed. Sometimes he still couldn’t believe how well his fiancé and his sister got along, but the last few years had only strengthened their friendship. Having Sokka around had gone a long way towards getting Azula out of her quarters and actually doing things again.

“You’ve spent plenty of time with Mai and Ty Lee over the past few weeks,” Zuko said, taking a bite of rice. “Didn’t the three of you go shopping just yesterday?”

“It’s not the same.” Azula leaned back in her chair, still pouting. “Whenever I ask their opinion on an outfit, they say yes or no based entirely on their own taste. Sokka actually knows what’s flattering for me and what’s not.”

“If you say so.”

Now that he thought about it, most of Zuko’s own wardrobe had been picked out by Sokka without him realizing what was happening. He’d never cared much about shopping himself, so it had been easy to agree to wear whatever Sokka came home with, and no one had ever complained that he was poorly dressed. Azula was probably right.

“I want to go down to the harbor to greet him.” Azula’s demeanor shifted abruptly as she scooted to the edge of her seat, a new glint in her eye. “I was hoping to take the carriage. You can come with me.”

Zuko sighed. “No, I can’t.” Seeing the spark in her eye, he hastened to add, “I wish I could, Azula. Agni knows that I want to see Sokka as soon as possible, but that’s also why I want to get as much work done as I can before he arrives today. Besides, me going down to the harbor would only sow chaos and invite more speculation about our relationship. They’ll take the slightest detail and twist it into something it’s not. We need to carefully control the narrative so people are on our side when we announce our engagement.”

None of the broader public knew anything about his and Sokka’s relationship. That was something they had decided early on. They knew there would be backlash over the Firelord dating someone from the Water Tribe, and they had wanted to lessen that pressure as much as possible in the early days. It had sounded easier to navigate the potential controversy when they could announce a marriage alongside it, reassuring the Fire Nation public that Zuko’s relationship with Sokka was serious and that Sokka was dedicated to the country.

Of course, it hadn’t gone entirely unnoticed by the country’s nobility that Sokka had been living at the palace for years, and the fact that Zuko’s advisory council knew of the relationship meant they’d definitely spread the gossip to others in their network. Most of the country’s aristocracy must know about the relationship, but they at least pretended not to in Zuko’s presence.

They weren’t Zuko’s primary concern anyway. In many ways, the nobles were easier to placate than the common people. That was where the real challenge would lie.

A stack of correspondence was already waiting for Zuko when he reached his office later that morning. He sat down at his desk with a sigh, sifting through the various letters and organizing them by the names signed at the bottom of each one.

The majority of them came from the heads of the various noble clans of the Fire Nation, each of them eager to keep Zuko up to date with what was happening in their part of the archipelago. A few, though, had traveled much further. There was one from the chief of the Northern Water Tribe, asking to have a formal diplomatic visit sometime within the year. Zuko set that one aside to go over with Sokka once he returned. A couple others were from Earth Kingdom noble families who were eager to get in the Firelord’s good graces, probably because they had some sort of business interest in the Fire Nation.

Zuko set those to the side as well. They had to be second priority to his own people, even if he had little desire to read about how Nobleman Saito was proud to announce that his daughter had been successfully married to the heir of a different, neighboring clan.

Correspondence had never been his favorite part of the job, yet it made up a far larger part of being Firelord than most imagined. It was even harder when his mind didn’t want to focus. All he could think about was Sokka gradually getting closer to Caldera City.

He forced himself to keep going through the letters, skimming each of them to see which held the most pressing matters. It didn’t take long for him to start growing concerned.

Several letters mentioned brewing unrest in the letter writer’s area of the Fire Nation. It wasn’t the first time Zuko had heard similar things from a nobleperson, but the worries seemed to be growing. Each batch of letters brought more reports that Fire Nationals were increasingly angry.

The most frustrating part was that Zuko didn’t know how to fix it. The situation wasn’t like the war, where he’d been able to imagine a clear path forward. The nobles writing the letters were never entirely clear about what was creating the unrest, and they went to great lengths to assure Zuko that they had the situation under control.

Zuko knew better than to take that at face value. There was a very real chance that the situation was worse than he could tell from the letters, and he couldn’t get a clear sense of what the problem even was. Maybe the nobles didn’t know either. If they did, they would present Zuko with a solution in the hopes of making themselves into a hero. In the absence of that, they were left with bland reassurances that the unrest would fizzle out.

Collecting each of the letters that mentioned discontent, he set them aside into their own separate stack. Like the visit with the Chief of the Northern Water Tribe, that was something he wanted to discuss with Sokka once he was there. He had a knack for strategizing about these sorts of unclear situations that Zuko sorely lacked.

It was one of the many reasons Zuko was gratified that he’d have Sokka at his side, helping him run the country, forever. He bit back a smile, which wasn’t quite the appropriate reaction to the letters he was looking at, but he’d had a hard time controlling himself since Sokka accepted his proposal.

A knock on the office door caught his attention.

“Come in,” he called.

A maid stepped inside, bowing as she said. “Lord Sokka has arrived, Firelord Zuko. He’s gone straight to his rooms to unpack.”

“Thank you. You’re dismissed.”

She hurried from the room, once again leaving Zuko alone.

Zuko looked down at the correspondence that he’d done little more than sort. Sokka had arrived earlier than expected, but that was the last thing Zuko wanted to complain about. Still, he had planned to get more done for the day.

Then again, so many of the letters contained information that he wanted to discuss with Sokka before he sent a reply, and the others didn’t necessitate any haste. That meant there really wasn’t a problem if he went straight to Sokka’s quarters to greet him. Surely he deserved to say hello to his fiance right away when they’d been apart for weeks. No one would begrudge him that.

Before he could double guess his decision, he was on his feet and hurrying towards the office door. Sokka’s quarters were right next to his own, which was merely one right turn and then one left from the office. It took less than a minute before he stood in front of Sokka’s door, his heart racing in his chest like they were new lovers all over again.

He’d never realized before how long three weeks could be.

Sokka was in his room, just like Zuko had been told. Most days, Zuko would have knocked to ensure that he wasn’t catching Sokka off guard, but he was too excited to think about it. Sokka looked up from where he was rearranging clothes in his dresser, a large smile on his face like he knew who would be at the door the second he heard it opening.

A second later, they were in each other’s arms. Zuko pressed his face into Sokka’s shoulder, inhaling his familiar scent.

“Three weeks was too long,” he muttered. Sokka had the terrible ability of making him lose his filter, the same one he had to so carefully maintain as Firelord.

Thankfully, Sokka never balked at the things Zuko said, even when they were cheesy. He laughed, and Zuko could feel his chest vibrating against him.

“It was,” Sokka agreed.

He pulled far enough away to kiss Zuko. For a second, Zuko let himself melt into the kiss, which was a potent reminder of everything he’d been missing out on while Sokka was gone. Part of him wanted to deepen the kiss and keep it going, but Sokka’s bag was only half-unpacked, and there were a million and one things that Zuko wanted to speak with him about.

That didn’t stop him from pressing one more, quick peck to Sokka’s lips as they separated.

“How have things been here?” Sokka grabbed a few tunics from his bag and turned back to the dresser.

Zuko settled himself onto the end of Sokka’s bed with a sigh. It was a little strange for them to be in this room. Multiple times over the years, they’d discussed Sokka officially moving into Zuko’s quarters, since that was where they spent all their time anyway, but each time, they decided to hold off until the wedding, not wanting to stir up even more potential criticism of their marriage.

While Sokka kept most of his things in here, he was never in the room for more than a few minutes a day usually, and as a consequence, Zuko was in it even more rarely. Still, there was something quintessentially Sokka about the space. It was obvious he’d redecorated to his personal style, getting rid of the bland decor that filled most of the guest rooms at the palace.

Zuko’s own quarters had some of the same elements these days.

Smoothing his hand over the soft blanket covering the bed, Zuko answered, “They’ve been fine.”

He watched Sokka closely and didn’t fail to miss the look his fiancé tossed his way.

“What did Azula say to you?” Zuko asked, instantly suspicious.

Sokka didn’t try to deny it. He slid the drawer he’d been filling closed and came to sit beside Zuko, taking his hand.

“She said that there’s been some rumors of unrest around the Fire Nation over the past couple weeks, which is something you didn’t mention in any of your letters.”

Zuko shook his head. “You were with your family, telling them about our engagement. I didn’t want to ruin that by passing on vague information that I don’t entirely understand myself.”

“Zuko.” Sokka leaned into his side. “We’re a team, remember? If I’m going to be consort, then I really want to be a consort, not some doll who sits beside you like a prop.”

“You know that’s not what I want.” He tightened his grip on Sokka’s hand. “We’re already partners.”

In the years they’d been together, he’d become a better ruler. Sokka always had a way of approaching problems that Zuko never thought of and more than one crisis had been averted because of Sokka’s ideas.

“I was waiting with baited breath for you to get back so I could tell you everything,” Zuko said. “There’s a stack of letters in my office from nobles around the country talking about it. I haven’t written back to any of them because I want your opinion before I do.”

Sokka nodded, but for a moment, he was quiet, biting at his lip. Zuko raised his hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to the back of it.

“What’s wrong?”

Sokka sighed. “It seems a little odd that this unrest started up once I was out of the country. And right after we got engaged at that. It seems like a strange coincidence.”

“No one knows about our engagement.”

“I know.” Sokka tilted his head from side to side. “It just seems odd, even if it is a coincidence.”

Zuko’s heart tightened. “We’ll figure it out. Together.”

Sokka smiled and kissed his cheek. “We will. Also, Aang will be coming soon to be here when we formally announce our engagement, so there’s also that. The Avatar is handy to have around in these sorts of situations.”

Zuko laughed. “That’s true too.”

Agni knew that Aang had swooped in to save him a few other times over the years. After a century of war, not everyone in the Fire Nation was willing to treat the Avatar with the same deference as most people did in the other nations, but he was still the Avatar. Millennia of tradition couldn’t completely disappear even after a century, and Zuko wanted to do what he could to strengthen Aang’s standing with his people.

Letting go of Zuko’s hand, Sokka stood and pulled the last of his belongings—a blanket that was too thick for the tropical weather in Caldera—from his bag. “Azula was going to invite Mai and Ty Lee to the palace as some sort of celebration of my return.” He smirked at Zuko as he stooped down to store the blanket in the lowest drawer in the dresser. “Fair warning before we go to lunch.”

Zuko shook his head but didn’t bother to hide the grin on his lips. “However will I survive?”

Sure enough, when they made it to the dining room at lunch time, Mai and Ty Lee were at the table alongside Azula. Ty Lee jumped up and down in her seat, waving her hands in excitement when she saw Sokka.

“Sokka!” she exclaimed. “I’m so glad you’re back.”

Sokka laughed a little as he took his usual chair. “I’m glad to be back.”

Zuko settled in beside him. Finally, things felt right. He, Azula, and Sokka were all in their rightful places around the table. Even Mai and Ty Lee ate at the palace often enough that they had their designated spots. They only took up one end of the large table, yet the table felt full in a way it never had while Sokka was gone.

“What was the South Pole like?” Ty Lee asked, leaning forward with eager eyes like she expected Sokka to tell her about some daring adventure instead of a trip to see his family.

“Nice,” Sokka said. “They’ve expanded more since I was last there. My dad has this super nice house now. Apparently he didn’t get much say in it. The tribe built it for the chief and insisted he live in it. He acts like he doesn’t know what to do with it.”

He went into detail about the design of the house and the finishing touches Sokka had insisted that his dad add while he was there. Ty Lee went on about how she hoped to see it for herself someday, and though Zuko wasn’t quite as outwardly enthusiastic, he wished the same for himself. It still stung that he’d been unable to go with Sokka to announce their betrothal to his family.

He hadn’t been able to go to Ba Sing Se to tell his uncle either. Instead, Iroh had to find out through a letter. Zuko had agonized over finding a way to make a trip work with his schedule, and it just hadn’t.

That was in the past though. Both Iroh and Sokka’s family knew, and they were happy for them. That was what mattered. They all lived hectic lives, so it wasn’t like any of them were confused about why Zuko had been tied up in the Fire Nation.

For the moment, all that mattered was eating lunch with his fiancé, sister, and friends, listening to Sokka’s stories from the trip.

The entire advisory council was already gathered when Zuko arrived at the meeting room. They stood from their seats and bowed, remaining standing until Zuko took his seat at the head of the table. Despite the standard protocol, Zuko felt strangely out of place sitting with his own advisors. He couldn’t shake the feeling that they’d been discussing something with each other before he arrived that they wouldn’t repeat now.

If he was as paranoid as his father, he could have asked the staff what was said before he arrived. Many members of the nobility rarely noticed them hanging about and wouldn’t temper their speech in their presence, but Zuko loathed the idea of stooping that low. Not because he particularly trusted his advisors but because he was scared such paranoia would only make his position worse.

“Firelord Zuko,” Luo said, taking the lead among the group like usual. “We heard that your future betrothed arrived back in the Fire Nation yesterday morning. We hope that all went well with his visit to the Southern Water Tribe.”

The words sounded so false on Luo’s lips that Zuko would have laughed under different circumstances. He forced himself to give Luo a polite smile instead.

“Thank you, Lord Luo. Sokka is doing well. We’re looking forward to announcing our betrothal soon.”

He stared straight at Luo, daring the man to react negatively to the news. Luo hadn’t liked that Zuko was dating someone from the Water Tribe from the very beginning. At the start of Zuko and Sokka’s relationship, he’d made it clear that he saw Zuko marrying a Fire Nation woman as the only viable way forward for the Fire Nation royal family.

A woman because Luo was convinced the question of succession would be too contentious otherwise, and a Fire National because Luo was convinced that the nation couldn’t accept a foreigner as consort.

Zuko had to admit that the last one, at least, was a legitimate concern, but it was the sort of thing that was never going to change unless he did something about it. He’d made that clear enough times that Luo had grown quieter about his disapproval, sensing that it wasn’t doing him any favors with the Firelord. But Zuko knew that didn’t mean he’d changed his opinion, and he wasn’t the only one on the council with reservations. Luo had always held more sway over their ranks than Zuko was comfortable with.

Luo held his gaze with his own polite smile, but Zheng, one of the advisors firmly under Luo’s sway and always up for doing his bidding, did speak.

“Pardon me, Firelord Zuko.” He bowed his head low to the table. “But is it wise to make that announcement so soon? We have all heard about the discontent spreading throughout the nation. Any large shift in the social order seems liable to sow more chaos.”

Zuko bit back a sigh. “What large shift in the social order? We’re talking about my betrothal, Lord Zheng. Haven’t many of you been telling me for years that you wish for me to marry? That my marriage would be good for the nation? Well, now you’re getting what you want. It should be a happy celebration, something that can help Fire Nationals take their minds off their worries. In my mind, this will be nothing but a good thing.”

It was quiet as Zuko’s eyes roved around the table. None of Luo’s allies agreed with Zuko, but none of them wished to say that bluntly. Even Zheng nodded slightly at Zuko’s words. It wasn’t until Zuko’s gaze met Xia’s that he saw a genuine smile.

“I agree that it will be a good thing, Firelord Zuko,” she said, bowing her head slightly. “You’re right that the nation could do with a celebration, and I’m sure this will be a celebration unlike any other.”

Zuko found his own smile growing warmer. Xia was the newest addition to the advisory council, and he’d taken great care when choosing her to join. He’d wanted someone who would be loyal and unswayed by Luo’s influence. Xia was young, only a few years older than Zuko, unlike Luo’s strongest supporters who were all old enough to be Zuko’s and Xia’s parents or grandparents. She was also very forward-thinking, something that was sorely lacking among the rest of the council.

“Thank you, Lady Xia. I certainly hope it will be.”

Not wishing to dwell on the betrothal for too long and give Luo an opening for more objections, Zuko asked instead about the unrest happening throughout the kingdom, careful not to connect it back to Sokka in any way.

Unfortunately, his advisors knew little more than Zuko did from the letters he’d received. It was mostly vague rumors, even from those who had unrest in their own area. They spent too much time in the Capital to know more. By the time they dispersed, Zuko didn’t feel like he was any closer to knowing what was causing such a movement, let alone what to do about the situation.

Zuko left the room first, heading back to his office. He slowed when he heard quick footsteps behind him. He turned to find Xia hurrying down the corridor. She came to an abrupt stop when she saw him, bowing low. Her jaw and shoulders were set, but there was no missing the slight frown in her brow.

“Firelord Zuko, I’m sorry for bothering you. I was hoping we could speak alone.”

Zuko nodded. He didn’t need to ask why she hadn’t made her request before he left the meeting room. It hadn’t escaped his attention that Luo had been trying to bring Xia under his sway since Zuko appointed her as an advisor. While she had resisted those attempts, he knew that Luo would only grow more persistent if he knew Xia was having frequent private audiences with Zuko.

He motioned for her to follow him, and she fell into step at his side as they continued in the direction of his office.

“What is it you wanted to speak about?” he asked.

“Please don’t postpone your betrothal announcement.” A second after speaking, she realized how bold her words had been and flushed. “I’m sorry, Firelord. I know it is your decision to do as you wish. If you think the wise decision is to postpone, then of course you should. I only meant—”

“Lady Xia,” Zuko said gently, “I asked you to be my advisor because I want to hear your opinion, even if I disagree with it.”

Xia pressed her lips together. “But Luo…”

“Attempts to steamroll over me at every turn and insists that his way is the only way of doing things despite me making it very clear that I have no intention of maintaining useless traditions. I know that’s not what you’re doing. I want to hear why you’re so passionate about me not postponing the betrothal announcement that you’ve followed me to speak in private.”

Despite her red cheeks, she spoke with increasing confidence. “It’s like you said during the meeting. I think it would be good for the morale of the nation. I’ve visited Luo’s hometown before. I know it is a conservative area, but that’s not the entire Fire Nation. Many former colonists were resettled in my town after the war. They brought spouses and children with them. Still others moved from the Earth Kingdom or the Water Tribe because of the new trade. Many of them will be thrilled by the news that the Firelord is marrying a Water Tribe citizen.”

Zuko couldn’t repress his smile. He knew all about the port city that Xia was from on one of the far islands of the archipelago, not far from the Earth Kingdom. It was a far cry from Luo’s home, which sat on a distant portion of the same island as the capital.

“That is good to hear,” he said.

He’d seen some of what she spoke of himself, but what the Firelord saw and what other citizens saw could be vastly different.

He stopped walking and turned to face Xia. “This is why I appointed you to the advisory council. Your input here is invaluable. Don’t be afraid to speak up because of Luo.”

Her eyes widened. “I won’t. Thank you, Firelord Zuko.”

She bowed one last time before turning and hurrying back down the corridor in the direction of the meeting room.

Zuko slipped inside his office, feeling more optimistic than he had before. Perhaps it was naive, but he wanted to believe that Xia’s point of view represented a larger swathe of the nation than Luo’s.

Unfortunately, Zuko’s peace while locked away alone in his own office was short-lived. He’d hardly stopped stewing about Luo’s attitude when there was a knock on his office door. One of his staff poked her head inside and bowed.

“Apologies, Firelord Zuko. Lord Luo wishes to speak to you.”

Zuko wanted to groan in frustration, but he wouldn’t allow himself to show such emotions in front of his staff. He considered asking her to tell Luo that he should have spoken up in the meeting if he had something to say, but that was a surefire way to make the man more insufferable the next time Zuko saw him.

“Show him in,” he said, careful to keep his reluctance from his voice.

A second later, Luo stepped inside, the door falling shut behind him. He bowed to Zuko, the picture of a perfect subject, which was a picture he was perfectly capable of pulling off when it pleased him.

“Firelord Zuko, I’m sorry to disturb you.”

With anyone else, Zuko would have been quick to reassure them that they were no bother at all. For Luo, he merely gestured at one of the cushions that sat around a low table towards the front of the office. Zuko sat at the one closest to his desk, and Luo took the one across from him.

“What is it that you wish to discuss?” Zuko folded his hands in his lap.

Politeness dictated that he should offer tea, even as the Firelord, but the last thing he wanted was to encourage Luo to stay longer than was necessary.

Luo cringed as if he actually regretted needing to raise an issue with Zuko. “The betrothal. I’m afraid I didn’t present my reservations in the best manner during the meeting. I understand why you took offense, Firelord, and that’s not what I meant.”

“If this is an attempt at an apology, Lord Luo, you’re not doing a very good job of it.”

There was a flash of annoyance in Luo’s eyes that was quickly extinguished. “I am sorry for the harshness of my words, but I can’t help but worry about the state of the nation.”

Agni, Zuko wished there was a way he could bluntly kick Luo out of his office without the man twisting the incident into something to use against him.

“Yes, you made that clear during the meeting. I understood your point of view perfectly clearly. I just don’t agree with it.”

Luo leaned forward, his hands on his knees. “I’m not saying you need to break up with your lover, Firelord Zuko. You know as well as I that countless Firelords over millenia had concubines. The elimination of the tradition was really quite recent in the grand scheme of things.”

Bile burned at the back of Zuko’s throat. “You can’t possibly be suggesting what I think you are.”

There was no hiding the venom in his voice any longer.

Luo let out a light chuckle. “There’s no need to act so scandalized. It was an important aspect of our culture, and there were important reasons for that. Marriage for the royal family has always been about duty above all else. A concubine would give you the freedom to be with who your heart actually desires while still taking responsibility for the nation.”

“That is not what I want,” Zuko said flatly. “I will not marry someone I don’t love just to appease the nation. Surely in this day and age they can understand my desire to marry someone I actually love.”

Luo continued speaking as if he hadn’t heard him. “My own marriage was arranged, you know. As a youth, I was terribly bitter about it, but it turns out that my parents knew best, as parents often do. My wife and I have forged a wonderful partnership over the years. We may not possess the passion that many aspire to these days, but we work toward the same goals. You need not marry someone you despise. There is always Lady Mai.”

Zuko stared at him with steel in his eyes. It had been years since Luo suggested Mai as consort. Zuko had actually believed he was safe from that.

“No,” he said. “She would never agree to that any more than I would. You know that she and Lady Ty Lee have been seeing each other as long as Sokka and I have.”

“That is why it could be an excellent political—”

“I have told you again and again. While it's inevitable that my marriage will have political consequences, I will not marry for that reason. That is never going to change, Lord Luo, and you have to accept that.”

He stood, his hands in fists at his side.

“You would do well to remember that I am your Firelord. As my advisor, I expect you to be honest with me as to your true feelings, but I do not appreciate my decisions being questioned when I have told you my decision repeatedly.”

He stared down at the man. For a second, he thought Luo would fight him, but the spark in his eyes extinguished. He rose to his feet and bowed deeply, not speaking another word as he left the room.

Zuko sank back into his desk chair with a sigh as soon as the door clicked shut. From the beginning, he’d known that plenty of people throughout the Fire Nation would disapprove of his relationship with Sokka. He’d known his advisors would most of all, but some part of him had still hoped that their worries would diminish over the years.

It was unbelievable to him that others couldn’t see how great of a consort Sokka was. In many ways, he’d probably make a better Firelord than Zuko. Zuko’s main strength in comparison to Sokka was that he understood the nation’s customs and traditions in ways that Sokka couldn’t after having only lived there for a few years, but Sokka’s skills as a leader surpassed Zuko’s in countless ways.

There had been so many improvements they’d made, from within the palace and outside of it, since Sokka became a staple at court. Along the way, Zuko had always been sure to give Sokka his credit when it was due, yet it never seemed to make any difference. Any good suggestion that Sokka made, his advisory council inevitably credited him, conveniently forgetting the role Sokka had played in righting the situation.

He looked down at the scrolls he’d been scrolling through before Luo arrived and found that he couldn’t pick them back up again. The conversation with Luo weighed heavily on his mind, and he needed to talk to someone who wouldn’t make him feel like he was going crazy. He needed to talk to Sokka.

There was no sign of Luo when Zuko emerged into the hallway. He hurried towards the area of the palace that housed the private quarters of everyone who lived there, a place that no one should be in without reason. He always felt more at ease in the less public parts of the palace, and there was a new spring in his step as he got closer to Sokka’s room.

In the middle of the day, there was always the chance that Sokka was off doing something else. Zuko wasn’t above searching the entire palace if he had to, but he got lucky. Sokka was in his room when he arrived, but he was dressed in the protective equipment he wore when training with his sword, with the sword in question laying in its sheath on Sokka’s bed, ready to be picked up.

Sokka paused when the door opened, turning around from where he’d been looking in the mirror. His face lit up when he saw Zuko.

Zuko returned the smile, but now that he was with Sokka, the energy that had kept him going was depleted. He crossed the room and collapsed back onto Sokka’s bed, careful not to land on the sword.

“You okay?” Sokka nudged his foot lightly with his own before sitting down beside him and leaning over him.

It was tempting to grab the front of Sokka’s shirt and pull him into a kiss, but he needed to share what had transpired at the meeting first before he exploded. He’d always intended to share everything with Sokka, but he was surprised at how desperate he was to get it out.

He didn’t spare any details as he went through the meeting blow by blow, following up with a retelling of his conversation with Xia and then with Luo. Sokka listened intently, a frown lining his forehead, but when Zuko finished, it wasn’t Luo that he immediately mentioned.

“I really like Xia,” he said instead. “I’m glad you have at least one reasonable ally on the council.”

“Me too.” Zuko sighed. “I just wish she was able to stand up to Luo more effectively. It’s hard with her age and relative lack of experience. He doesn’t take her seriously, and neither do a lot of the other advisors.” He ran a hand over his eyes. “I want to replace them. It would be for the good of the nation if more of the council was composed of members like Xia, but such a large upheaval would invite attention, and knowing my luck, it would be largely negative.”

Sokka cringed. “Luo would definitely do everything in his power to make it that way.”

Zuko stared up at him. He reached out and took Sokka’s hand, lacing their fingers together.

“Luo’s wrong about postponing our betrothal. I can’t believe he’s still suggesting that.”

Sokka smirked down at him. “He’s unused to not getting his way.”

“With me maybe,” Zuko muttered bitterly. “I know he didn’t speak to my father like he does me.”

Sokka lifted his hand to his mouth and pressed a kiss to the back of it before he settled down on his side beside Zuko. “Maybe he didn’t, but his views aren’t all that different from your dad’s, so he probably didn’t have to. You know he’d still be spewing hatred about the other nations if he thought he could get away with it. And you should be glad that people aren’t scared that you’ll burn them if they disagree with you.”

Zuko burrowed his face into the crook of Sokka’s neck, holding him tight. He knew Sokka was right. One of his biggest sources of pride was how different of a ruler he was from his father and grandfather and great-grandfather. All three of them had believed they were working for the good of the Fire Nation, and to a certain extent, Zuko thought they’d believed that. But it didn’t change that they’d been wrong. The entire world had been decidedly worse during the war. Even the Fire Nation had sacrificed countless citizens for a terrible cause.

“There is one other thing I wanted to talk to you about.” Zuko tilted his head back to look at Sokka’s face. “I think we should do a tour of the Fire Nation before we make the official announcement of our betrothal.”

Sokka’s eyebrows rose. “‘We’? You want me to come along? Officially?”

Zuko cupped his cheek and pressed a quick kiss to his lips. “Yes. We should both give a short speech at the places we visit. It’s something of a Fire Nation tradition, and it would be a good way to let people see you before the betrothal. The average citizens will get a feel for who you are, and they’ll see that you have what it takes to be consort.”

Sokka looked stunned but also excited, exactly like Zuko had wanted him too. “It’s not a bad idea,” he said slowly. “When would this tour be?”

“In a couple of weeks probably. I already have a meeting scheduled in a town not far from the capital with Azula tomorrow. I don’t think the town’s mayor would appreciate me changing up the plans now, but as soon as I return, we can begin planning.”

Sokka nodded. He had a distant look in his eyes that Zuko knew meant he was already planning how the tour would play out and what he would say in his speech. Zuko didn’t bother to hide his wide smile like he once would have.

Zuko breathed deeply from his spot inside the town hall. His every move was publicized, which he’d long viewed as necessary even if it was inconvenient. It was good for his people to know that he was visiting various parts of the nation and staying in touch with whatever plagued the people there.

Recently, however, the situation was starting to grow scary in a way it hadn’t been since immediately after the war.

Most of the commotion he heard outside was positive, but there was no missing the critical chants of a group of particularly loud protesters. Zuko had seen them from inside his carriage when they first pulled up to the town hall, but he hadn’t had time to stop and get a feel for what they were saying. Mayor Yoshi’s assurances that it was commonplace these days had only put him more on edge.

One of Yoshi’s staff approached him and bowed low. “Are you alright, Firelord Zuko?” she asked, real concern in her eyes.

For a second, Zuko debated asking her for more information on the situation. There was no doubt that she could tell him things that the mayor wouldn’t dare, but Zuko didn’t want to put her in that position. There was no telling how the mayor would retaliate after he was gone if he heard where Zuko got his information.

Instead, he plastered on the same smile he was used to wearing during events. “I’m fine. Thank you.”

She nodded. “Mayor Yoshi is waiting for you in the meeting room.”

“Thank you.” Zuko realized belatedly that he didn’t know her name, but she was gone before he could ask for it.

The jeers outside still echoed in Zuko’s ears as he motioned for Azula to follow him to the meeting room that had been set up for them.

Mayor Yoshi and his most important staff were already waiting inside, standing around the table so that Zuko would be the first to sit as was customary. Yoshi bowed low when he saw him, with the others quickly following suit.

“Firelord Zuko, what an honor to have you here.” He straightened up and gestured at the chair at the head of the table. “Please, take a seat.”

As Zuko moved to do so, the man’s gaze shifted to Azula, and his previously neutral face lit up. “And Princess Azula.” He gave another, much slighter, bow. “It is an honor to meet you as well. I was delighted when Lord Luo mentioned that you would be coming with your brother.”

Zuko pressed his lips together as he sat. Azula’s only reaction to Yoshi’s enthusiastic greeting was a slightly raised eyebrow before taking the empty seat at Zuko’s right hand. The others present quickly filled out the rest of the table, with Yoshi taking the seat directly across from Zuko.

He wasn’t surprised at Yoshi’s enthusiasm about Azula coming with him. The way Luo had made the request had made it clear that Yoshi was a fan of the princess. He wasn’t alone in that. In the immediate aftermath of the war, there had been a movement of people who believed Azula was the rightful Firelord, and there had been several months where Zuko was terrified that the movement would grow into something uncontrollable.

Instead, Azula’s doctors had been invaluable in helping her, and as Azula’s own enthusiasm for the throne had waned, support for her had too, as people realized that she wasn’t going to swoop in and dethrone Zuko like they had hoped.

Zuko had always known that there were some in the nation who would still prefer her to be their leader, even if none of them were actively working towards it like in the past, and Zuko wasn’t surprised that Luo would align himself with such a person either. Luo would align himself with anyone he saw as useful.

As long as Yoshi didn’t make his preference for the princess too blatant, Zuko was willing to go along with it to get through the meeting. From the disappointed look on Yoshi’s face, he was already upset that Azula hadn’t responded more positively to his praise. She sat quietly beside Zuko, watching him and waiting for his next move, just as was expected from a subject. Any signs of her usual habit of poking fun at him were gone.

Zuko cleared his throat and turned to Mayor Yoshi. “Lord Luo said that you’ve been having floods on the eastern side of the island. Here’s the support we’re able to provide.”

Chapter Text

Mai’s house had changed a lot over the past several years. For one, it was no longer solely Mai’s house. Ty Lee had been living with Mai for as long as Sokka had been living at the palace, and her influence showed throughout the house. While Zuko grumbled about decorating choices Sokka made while secretly grinning when he thought Sokka wasn’t looking, it was clear that Mai truly loathed some of the design choices Ty Lee had made—particularly when it came to the color scheme—but she’d let her girlfriend do it anyway.

The result was a house decorated in pinker shades of red than most in the Fire Nation favored, but Sokka, who had never been the biggest fan of red until he noticed how good Zuko looked in it, didn’t think it was too bad. It was cheerful, just like Ty Lee.

Mai, on the other hand, could never quite be called cheerful, even when she was happy. She was as subdued as always as Sokka sat on a cushion across from her and Ty Lee at the low table in their house, a spread of tea and traditional Fire Nation sweets set out before them.

Actually, not even Ty Lee was cheerful at the moment, which she couldn’t be blamed for, because Sokka had been complaining since he arrived.

“It’s not that I wanted to force myself on the trip,” he said, not for the first time. “And it’s not like I blame Zuko. Luo causes enough problems, and he couldn’t be sure that I’d even be back in time to go with him to the meeting. It makes sense to let this one thing go before he announces our betrothal. I just hate sitting around here and waiting to hear what happened instead of sitting in on the meeting myself.”

Mai shook her head as she lowered her teacup. “This is why you’re the perfect candidate to be Zuko’s consort. Not only do the two of you get along on a personal level, but you actually want the responsibility that comes with the position.”

Never quite sure what to do when faced with such compliments, Sokka merely shrugged and reached for a slice of star apple.

It wasn’t that he was thrilled about the responsibility exactly. He didn’t like to think about that aspect of it at all. But when problems came up, he found himself always wanting to help solve them and make sure they didn’t happen again. That was convenient when your fiancé ran a country, but if Sokka thought too much about the big picture of being the consort, it made him feel nauseous.

He’d said as much to Zuko in the past, but Zuko had laughed and said he’d be scared if Sokka was nonchalant about what he was getting into. That was what would worry him. Sokka understood that perspective too.

“I’m serious,” Mai continued. She grabbed the teapot and topped up all three of their cups. “Luo still corners me from time to time trying to get a feel for whether he can convince me to pursue Zuko again. He doesn’t say it directly of course. At least he’s too old-fashioned to be blunt about such things with a lady, but I can tell that’s what he’s doing. It astounds me that someone who’s supposedly intelligent thinks that I’d make a better consort than you.”

Sokka stared down into his tea.

“No offense, Mai.” Ty Lee placed a hand on her girlfriend’s arm. “But I don’t think your diplomatic skills are what Luo cares about.” She sighed and shook her head. “He’s a real traditionalist. In his mind, the consort isn’t meant to do anything except pop out heirs.”

“And he’s right that that’s one thing I can’t do,” Sokka said bitterly.

Mai and Ty Lee were both quick to scoff. Sokka appreciated it, but it didn’t make him feel any better.

“Luo can get over himself about that,” Mai said. “Adoption has been recognized in the Fire Nation for centuries, even in the royal line. It would be kept quiet, but everyone knew what it meant when a baby appeared without the consort ever being visibly pregnant. No one questioned it or the legitimacy of the children.”

Sokka nodded along. He knew all of that already. It had come up countless times when he and Zuko discussed the future, but he also knew that many people in the nation would view it differently when it was him and Zuko. Sokka wasn’t a perfect Fire Nation noblewoman that the other nobles were willing to cut some slack for.

“That’s a long way off anyway,” Sokka said. “We have to get through the wedding first.”

“And what a grand wedding it will be.” Ty Lee bounced in her seat, clapping her hands together. “Oh, I can’t wait.”

Sokka cracked a smile, thankful that he’d accepted Mai and Ty Lee’s invitation to tea while Zuko and Azula were away. It was far better than stewing alone in the palace, wondering what Zuko was discussing in his meeting.

It was later than Sokka planned when he made it back to the palace. He used one of the side entrances instead of the main gate where curious citizens were always gathered.

Sometimes he was still struck by the way he could waltz into the Fire Nation Royal Palace whenever he pleased. The guards on duty both nodded at him as he passed. It had taken months for Sokka to shake the feeling that one of them would stop him when he was arriving by himself, but they never had. Now, he even knew many of them by name.

The palace itself was also familiar. He’d come to know most of the passageways and what they led to. In the early days, he hadn’t wanted to explore too much without having permission to be in a particular corridor, but now, it wasn’t something he worried about. Zuko’s office when Zuko wasn’t there was the only place he considered off limits. Not because anyone had told him it was but because he knew the optics would look bad if someone like Luo found him alone in there before he was consort, even if Sokka was doing something as innocent as waiting for Zuko.

He passed Ying on the way to his room. The head of the palace staff bowed as soon as she saw him.

“Lord Sokka, welcome home. Your sheets were freshly laundered today. Would you like me to bring you any tea? Either to your rooms or to the dining room?”

Sokka had sent word back to the palace that he was eating dinner with Mai and Ty Lee as soon as he’d realized how late he would be, but he was unsurprised about being offered something more.

“No, thank you, Ying. The only thing I could use right now is a good night’s sleep.”

Ying smiled slightly. “Of course, sir. Good night.”

She was already hurrying down the hall by the time Sokka said, “Good night.”

He still wasn’t used to the palace staff. He recognized that they were necessary in a place so large that maintaining it required far too many people for Sokka, Zuko, and Azula to manage on their own. But he was still navigating how to behave around the staff. Their bows to him weren’t as deep as those they gave Zuko, but he knew their behavior would grow more formal after the wedding, and that made him uneasy.

At least they all seemed to like him. The idea of staff that hated him was terrifying. He was pretty sure that was how royalty wound up assassinated, and enough people in the Fire Nation disliked him already. It was nice to know that the people who interacted with him every day didn’t. He had something going for him.

Later that night, Sokka was woken up by a rustling of the covers. He opened his eyes to find Zuko slipping into his bed.

“Sorry,” Zuko muttered. He cuddled up to Sokka’s side. “I didn’t want to wake you.”

“I’m glad you did.” Sokka pulled him as close as possible, relishing the warmth. Zuko always ran at least five degrees warmer than anyone else Sokka knew. “How was the meeting?”

Zuko sighed and burrowed his face in Sokka’s shoulder. “Do you really want to talk about that now? It’s late. You were asleep five seconds ago.”

Sokka ran his fingers through Zuko’s hair. He loved when it was down. Zuko never wore it that way except when they were alone. He was convinced that the public would be scandalized seeing their Firelord without his customary topknot.

It was a shame.

“We don’t have to,” Sokka said, “but I’m getting the sense that something’s bothering you. And I thought you were spending the night there instead of coming back to Caldera.”

Zuko sighed. “I didn’t want to spend the night,” he admitted, “so I asked the driver to bring us back home as soon as we finished the meeting. Azula didn’t complain either.”

Sokka massaged Zuko’s scalp, waiting patiently for him to elaborate.

“Nothing noteworthy happened aside from some protestors showing up in the middle of town, but that was just the same general stuff that’s been happening lately. Nothing new.”

Sokka’s grip on Zuko tightened. He hated how Zuko was starting to talk about the unrest as if it was to be expected instead of it being ridiculous.

“Nothing happened,” Zuko stressed. “But the mayor was a little too thrilled to meet Azula. Luo didn’t warn me that he was one of those sorts.”

Sokka frowned at the ceiling. He’d almost forgotten that there’d been a vocal group who’d wanted Azula to be Firelord after the war, convinced that her mental illness was a fabrication on Zuko’s part to garner support for himself. That movement had faded into the background until they were able to forget that it had even happened. The fact that it was being brought up again at the same time other unrest was unfolding across the Fire Nation made Sokka uneasy.

“Please tell me you told him off.”

Zuko laughed. “I didn’t, but you should have seen Azula’s face each time he tried to show her favor. If he didn’t get the message, then he’s too thick to be worth insulting anyway.”

“Good.” Despite the situation, Sokka couldn’t help but grin. “Man, I’m still amazed sometimes that Azula is on our side. She’s shooting sparks at random Fire Nation mayors instead of us.”

“There were no actual sparks.” Zuko rested his hand on Sokka’s abdomen. “And you make it sound like I never shot sparks at you.” He pressed a kiss to Sokka’s neck, making him shiver.

Sokka hummed, his own hand traveling down Zuko’s back. “Yeah, well, that part of the past is even harder to remember sometimes.”

Zuko’s hand traveled lower.

“Especially when you do things like that.”

Zuko lifted himself up onto one elbow, his smirk lighting up the room even in the dark. Shaking his head, Sokka reached up and tugged him closer, wiping the smirk off his lips.

Sokka took his time waking up in the morning. Zuko was warm beside him, and he had no desire to leave his side.

When he first moved to the Fire Nation, the constant warmth had been difficult to get used to. He’d actually missed needing to snuggle beneath the blankets to conserve his body heat as much as possible, and he’d worried that always being warm would impact how much he enjoyed cuddling with Zuko. But it hadn’t. He’d adjusted.

It was odd, though, for the two of them to wake up together in Sokka’s room. It wasn’t that common for Sokka to wake up there, period. They spent most of their nights in Zuko’s quarters, with Sokka only coming back to his room to change into clothes or grab something he’d left there.

Zuko noticed him looking around the space. “You won’t be in here much longer,” he pointed out. “How do you feel about that? It’s been your space for years.”

Sokka laughed and rolled over so that he was leaning over Zuko. “Are you kidding? I’m ecstatic. I think it’s ridiculous that we both still keep separate rooms.”

Zuko nodded, his hand finding Sokka’s waist. “I wish the nobility wasn’t hung up on things like that, but we have to be on our best behavior until the wedding.”

“Best behavior?” Sokka snorted. “The entire palace staff knows I spend most nights in your room.”

Zuko smirked. “Yeah, well, obviously I do get a certain number of perks as the Firelord, but we can’t push it too much.”

Sokka rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t resist pressing a kiss to Zuko’s lips. They’d had the same light-hearted argument again and again over the years. He didn’t really mind having his own room as long as he could spend time with Zuko—at least they were both in the palace—but he was excited to finally share Zuko’s quarters and not have to traverse up and down the hallway anytime he realized that the outfit he wanted to wear that day wasn’t one of the limited assortment he kept in a small dresser in Zuko’s bedroom.

They were woken in the morning by several quick knocks on the bedroom door. Sokka scrambled to sit up, trying to gain some semblance of propriety before whoever was on the other side opened the door. Zuko looked at him, silently asking for permission to answer them. Sokka nodded and grinned.

Having grown up with the palace staff, Zuko and Azula were always able to somehow forget they were there. Azula found it hilarious that Sokka was sometimes uncomfortable with them popping up randomly in his bedroom, but Zuko had been far more understanding.

“Come in,” Zuko called.

It wasn’t a surprise when it was Ying who stepped inside, her expression unchanging when she saw them in bed together. As the head of the palace staff, Ying was often the one who spoke to them both directly when anything significant came up.

She bowed low. “I’m sorry to disturb you, Firelord Zuko and Lord Sokka. I’m afraid there is some commotion outside.”

Zuko threw off the covers and stood, reaching for Sokka’s dressing gown that hung on a nearby hook. “A commotion?”

Sokka scrambled after him, rustling through his drawers in search of an outfit even if he refused to put it on until Ying left the room.

“Protesters.” Ying’s voice betrayed very little about what she thought of said protests. “They’ve filled the whole street in front of the palace. It’s impossible for anyone to get in or out through that entrance.”

Zuko ran a hand over his eyes. Sokka pressed a comforting hand to his back, though he felt anxious himself. They’d heard a lot about unrest in other parts of the nation over the last few months, but nothing significant had happened right outside the palace until now.

“Thank you, Ying.” Zuko offered her a strained smile. “If possible, send a message to the members of my advisory council and ask them to come if they can. Sokka and I will be out shortly.”

She was gone in a flash, leaving them alone. Sokka still gripped a clean pair of pants in his hand, but he made no move to get dressed. He was too focused on Zuko, who was peering down at the floor.

“I don’t know what to do,” Zuko admitted. “It keeps getting worse, and I don’t know how to make it stop.”

Sokka pressed a kiss to his cheek. “There’s no easy answer. You know that. But I think your best bet is learning what their grievances are and reassuring them somehow.”

Zuko took a deep breath and nodded. He pulled Sokka in for a kiss, letting it linger. He pulled away, resting their foreheads together. “Thank you. The idea of writing a whole speech right now though.” He shook his head, not lifting it from Sokka’s. “I don’t know how I’ll manage it.”

“I’ll help.” Sokka pressed a hand over his heart. “You don’t have to figure it out by yourself.”

Zuko smiled and kissed him again. Not quite awake yet, Sokka had to resist the urge to tug Zuko back to the bed and kiss him even longer. That wasn’t what the moment called for. If they had any hope of smoothing over the current situation, they had to be proactive.

Sokka reluctantly pulled away. “Well, go on. You’ll need to get your clothes. I’ll meet you in the council room later?”

Zuko nodded, looking grateful to be given direction. Sokka let himself watch him leave, a small smile on his face.

None of the council members were able to make it through the crowds surrounding the palace. Sokka did a bad job of biting back his grin when he realized it was only him, Zuko, and Azula in the meeting room. Despite the terrible situation, he couldn’t help but be relieved that he didn’t need to deal with any of the advisors.

“We’ve got this,” he promised Zuko, covering his hand with his own. “We just need some words you can deliver to help diffuse the situation. Something that assures them that you’re taking their concerns seriously but that doesn’t validate the worst beliefs in the crowd.”

Azula raised an eyebrow. “That sounds a lot harder than demanding they all go home.”

Zuko laughed. “We definitely won’t be doing that,” he said with a shake of his head.

Azula shrugged, leaning back in her chair. “Far be it from me to interfere with how you run things, but sometimes I do still think some of your problems could be resolved if you put your foot down more.”

Zuko frowned. Sokka laid a hand on his shoulder.

“We’ll figure something out. It’s not about cowing to pressure. It’s just about letting their voices be heard while standing firm in your position.”

He unrolled a nearby scroll and picked up a brush, shooting Zuko an encouraging smile.

“Now, any ideas on where to start?”

Zuko had to give the speech from inside the palace gates. The crowd was too thick to risk him stepping outside the palace grounds, but Sokka was painfully aware of the image it created: a Firelord speaking to his people through gilded bars.

He gave Zuko’s hand a squeeze before he stepped up on the stage. Sokka itched to be up there with them, but they both agreed it would be a bad idea in the current atmosphere. As soon as they emerged from the palace, the jeers began. Sokka felt hundreds of eyes on him as he stood at Azula’s side. She shuffled closer, just about the warmest show of emotion one could receive from Azula.

Zuko cleared his throat, but the noise from the crowd didn’t die down. One person standing close to the gate shouted, “Come out here and talk,” but from his tone, it wasn’t talking that he wanted to do.

Sokka clasped his hands together, fighting against his urge to run after Zuko. Maybe the speech had been a terrible idea.

No, he reminded himself. They had to say something. Staying locked up in the castle while angry people shouted outside would be even worse for the situation.

“Citizens of the Fire Nation.” Zuko looked out at the crowd, which quieted a miniscule amount as he continued talking. “As your Firelord, I want to be responsive to the needs of the nation. I understand that many around the country have experienced difficult times lately. I can assure you that my council and I have been hard at work assessing the needs of everyone.”

“Working hard?” a young woman shouted. “Doing what?”

“Spending all his time with his Water Tribe boyfriend more like,” a middle-aged man shouted, sounding far too satisfied with himself.

Zuko pursed his lips but tried not to respond to the insults. “We will be able to share some of our proposals soon, and I look forward to speaking with more of you in the coming days to hear about your needs directly.”

A bolt of fire was shot over the palace gate. Every royal guard sprung into action. One of them dissipated the fire, but Zuko had already dropped the papers holding the speech and was in a defensive position.

Two guards grabbed Sokka, ushering him back towards the palace as others did the same with Zuko and Azula. Not used to being manhandled, Sokka stumbled, but he didn’t fight against the guard.

On the other side of the gates, chaos erupted. More fire was thrown. Before the palace doors closed, Sokka caught sight of a guard tackling a woman to the ground.

Once safely shut inside, the guards fell into command. Zuko nodded to them. “Thank you for the assistance. Go outside and help the others maintain order.”

The highest-ranking guard saluted. Sokka, Azula, and Zuko stayed quiet, only moving out of sight when the guards opened the doors again to slip through. They could still hear the commotion through them when they were closed. Sokka clenched his fists, tears burning at his eyes.

“That was a disaster.” He reached up, tugging at his hair.

Suddenly, Zuko’s hands were on his waist, pulling him to his chest. Sokka came easily, holding on tight.

“It’ll be alright,” Zuko said. “They were already worked up when we got out there. I’ll try again when the crowd has calmed down.”

Sokka nodded. He wanted to believe that a differently timed speech would make all the difference, but he couldn’t quite believe it. When he finally lifted his head from Zuko’s chest and caught sight of Azula’s face, he could tell that she didn’t either.

She offered him a slight smile and turned on her heel, hurrying away towards her quarters.

Zuko ran a hand over his face. “I’ll need to contact the advisors again. Luo will be furious, but at me, not the crowd outside.”

Sokka placed a hand on his back. “Hey, I’ll be there too, okay?”

Zuko smiled at him, and despite the circumstances, Sokka’s heart skipped a beat.

Chapter Text

Sokka kept his promise, sitting through the entire council meeting as they replayed everything that had happened over the course of the morning. Zuko watched every advisor’s face carefully for signs of how they felt about the fact that so many had been in front of the palace that morning.

“It wasn’t as large as it probably seemed from inside the gates,” Xia assured Zuko with a smile. “Our estimates now are a few hundred people at most. It’s only that they were pushed up against the gates and rowdy. It may have been intimidating, but it’s not like the whole city was out there, let alone the whole country.”

“And we don’t know what prompted it?” Zuko asked. “There had to be some sort of catalyst. People don’t randomly show up at the palace one day. Sure, there’s been growing unrest, but nothing like this has happened in the capital.”

Underneath the table, Sokka’s hand found his discreetly enough that none of the advisors noticed. Zuko gave his fingers a squeeze, grateful for the show of support, especially as Luo and his lackeys exchanged looks.

“There have been rumors,” Luo said, shaking his head as he fixed Zuko with an intense look. “Rumors about your upcoming betrothal to a Water Tribe Citizen.” He glanced significantly at Sokka before looking back at Zuko. “As I told you, not everyone across the nation is thrilled with putting a foreigner on the throne.”

Xia leaned forward, looking confident in a way she never had in front of Luo before. “There were only a few hundred people out there today. That’s hardly a massive movement. Besides, Zuko is the one on the throne, not Sokka. He’s the one leading the nation.”

“That’s true,” Sokka said wryly. “I can assure you that I know my place.”

A few advisors grumbled quietly to themselves, and Zuko squeezed Sokka’s hand beneath the table.

“That may be,” Luo said, “but you have the ear of the Firelord, and many find that disconcerting.”

“Watch how you speak to my betrothed,” Zuko said through gritted teeth. “It’s true that I value what he has to say, but Firelords have always gotten advice from a variety of people. That’s why this council exists. I’m still the one making the final decision. What happens to this nation is ultimately my responsibility, not Sokka’s. I don’t appreciate my own people having so little opinion of me that they think I’d be easily swayed by—what?—some sort of charlatan? Is that what they’re trying to imply?”

“Firelord Zuko.” Zheng bowed his head. “You must know that Lord Luo doesn’t mean to upset you. He merely wishes for you to know the situation as the citizens understand it. That’s what we all want, above all else. You know that it is often hard to get the common folk to see reason. They believe that they wish to believe, whether it is ridiculous or not. There are still parts of the country where quaint superstitions are practiced.”

Zuko clenched his jaw. He had more faith in his people than Zheng did. His suspicions were directed at something different. Certain people were far too easy to manipulate into believing things if you had the right connections and could say the right things, and Luo could. Zuko had to grip Sokka’s hand tighter to prevent himself from accusing his most senior advisor of stoking tensions in front of everyone gathered.

“And I appreciate being informed of the situation,” Zuko said. “But it’s important that we remember that these situations are often nuanced. As Lady Xia said, there were only a few hundred protestors here this morning. What do the rest of Caldera’s citizens think? What about the rest of the Fire Nation? I imagine it’s far more complicated than what you’re presenting.”

Zhu shook her head. “A protest is always composed of the most vocal people, but that doesn’t mean that others don’t agree with them. Just as you caution us against believing average citizens are on the protestors’ side, Firelord Zuko, I believe it’s equally unwise to assume that everyone else stayed home because they disagreed with the protestors’ goals.”

“So, I suppose we shouldn’t assume either way then and should instead continue to monitor the situation until we understand it better.” Zuko shot her a pointed look.

Zhu bowed her head, remaining quiet.

No one spoke for a moment, the tension around the table palpable. Zuko was unsurprised when Luo was the first to break the silence. There was the slightest of grins at the corner of his mouth.

“I hope you can agree on one thing, Firelord. With the current tensions, it would be unwise to move forward with announcing your betrothal at this time. We don’t want to risk making the situation worse.”

Beside Zuko, Sokka stiffened, but he remained silent.

“No.” Zuko kept his voice firm. “I will not give in to the demands of a few radicals. They have to see that their fears are ridiculous, and the only way to show them that is to go through with the betrothal as planned.”

Luo and his lackeys were trying too hard not to look at each other.

“I agree,” Xia said, straightening her shoulders. She glanced at Luo from the corner of her eye before fixing her gaze on Zuko. “In time, the entire nation will see that you’re making the right choice, Firelord Zuko.”

Zuko nodded at her in acknowledgement. “Thank you, Lady Xia. I appreciate your support.”

Agni knew he needed it considering the rest of the council he was working with. Once again, he was reminded of how desperately he needed to replace his advisors with people who would actually be helpful, but with everything happening, he had no idea when the right time for such an upheaval could be.

“I think that’s all for today.” He stood, and everyone at the table except Sokka scrambled to follow him, bowing low beside their seats. “You’re dismissed. I will call another meeting soon to discuss any new developments.”

There were murmurs of agreement throughout the room. Zuko motioned for Sokka to follow him out.

He didn’t slow his steps once they were through the doors. He led Sokka straight to his office, only relaxing once he collapsed onto the sofa. He looked up and found Sokka hovering beside him, a frown on his face.

Zuko reached out a hand to him. “Come here.”

Sokka took his hand, falling into place beside him on the sofa. He was quick to cuddle into Zuko’s side. “I hate that everything has to be so complicated. All we want to do is get married.”

“Yeah.” Zuko sighed. “Are you sure you want to marry me?”

Sokka stiffened. He peered up at Zuko through narrowed eyes and shoved at his shoulder. “Don’t joke like that.”

It hadn’t really been a joke, not entirely, but Zuko didn’t dare say that. He’d already admitted to Sokka before that he was amazed anyone would want to marry him considering all the pressure and responsibilities he came with. They didn’t need to rehash it again.

“It’ll work out,” Zuko said instead, doing his best to sound confident. “No one can stop us at any rate.”

Sokka grunted in agreement.

Zuko tightened his arms around him.

It was true. He was the Firelord, ultimately he could do whatever he wanted. No one could stop him from marrying the person he was in love with, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t try. And they certainly seemed to be trying.

The door to Zuko’s office flew open. He jumped up from his seat, falling into a defensive position before he realized that it was Azula rampaging towards his desk, her face a mask of rage.

“What—”

Zuko couldn’t finish his question before Azula began ranting.

“Luo is a bastard. You need to dismiss him from the council immediately.”

Zuko stared at her. “That’s true, but has he done something new?”

Blue sparks igniting from the tips of her fingers before she curled them into fists. “He approached me while I was training in the courtyard. He wanted to discuss strategy. I know he’s a two-faced asshole, but I wanted to hear what he had to say on the off chance it would be useful. And it was. It’s clearer than ever that he’s trying to betray you.”

A pit settled into Zuko’s stomach, but he wasn’t exactly surprised. He moved around Azula to the table at the center of the room. Motioning for her to sit, he set to work brewing a pot of tea.

Sometimes he really did think he was becoming his uncle Iroh.

“What exactly did he say?” He set the still brewing pot between them and settled in on the cushions across from his sister.

“He offered to put me on the throne if I helped dispose of you.” She crossed her arms against her chest. “As if I would ever participate in such a horrendous plot.”

Zuko raised an eyebrow. “Azula, you tried to assassinate me once.”

Azula scoffed and waved a hand through the air. “That was a long time ago and before I got better. You know that. Luo should know that too. He was here for it, yet he thinks he can manipulate me into that dark space I was in before. What a foolish man. I’d make a terrible Firelord now, and I’d have made an even worse one then. I much prefer the life I have now, all the trappings of royalty and none of the responsibilities.” She leaned back on the sofa. “Why would I want to lead the country?”

Zuko poured the tea into two separate cups, pushing one of them towards Azula. “You still might have to, if I die without an heir. It would either be you or Uncle Iroh.”

She narrowed his eyes. “We don’t have to worry about that because you’re not going to die.”

He bit back a smile. “I certainly hope not.”

Leaning forward, Azula fixed him with an intense gaze. “You have to get rid of Luo. Now we have proof that he’s plotting to overthrow you. You can’t let things continue the way they are. He’s dangerous. Agni knows what he’ll try next.”

Zuko nodded, staring down at his tea. It was better that he knew the full-extent of Luo’s scheming, but it certainly disrupted their plans for the betrothal announcement and wedding. If he didn’t take care of Luo first, there was no telling what he would do, but he despised the idea of delaying it.

“We’ll figure something out,” he promised. “I was already planning on replacing Luo on the council. It’s merely a matter of finding someone to replace him and being able to present the situation to the public in a way they’ll accept. Unfortunately, Luo has drummed up quite a lot of support over the years, and he’ll undoubtedly deny everything if we tell the public the truth. He’ll make it out as you lying for me. We still have to tread lightly.”

Azula pressed his lips together, fire in her eyes. “See, I would make a terrible Firelord. Even today, it took all my willpower not to burn him to a crisp on the spot. He’s lucky you’re the one on the throne.”

Zuko laughed. “I doubt he’ll ever believe that.”

Chapter Text

Sokka couldn’t push away the memories of the hateful looks on the protestors’ faces. When he first heard about the unrest happening across the Fire Nation, he assumed it was related to the sorts of things people often felt discontent over, like failed crops or worn roads. It had been jarring to slowly realize that a large part of what people were angry about was his place in Zuko’s life—and, by extension, the Fire Nation.

At the start of his and Zuko’s relationship, they’d hardly focused on the political aspect of it at all. It had always been there, looming in the background. Of course Sokka knew that, if they were to marry, he would become consort. It wasn’t something he ignored, but it wasn’t something that affected their daily lives either. They had needed to get to know each other within the new bounds of their relationship, to discover if they worked together as a couple before they worried about the Fire Nation.

Having a foreigner as consort was always going to be shocking to some people. Sokka understood that. The Southern Water Tribe would push back if his dad married someone from the Fire Nation too, but Sokka didn’t think it would be like this.

Then again, the Southern Water Tribe was different from the Fire Nation. It was even different from the Northern Water Tribe. Its population was small enough that the average citizen had a closer relationship to Hakoda than the average Fire Nation citizen had with Zuko. That gave Hakoda a certain level of goodwill that he could leverage to earn approval for his hypothetical Fire Nation spouse.

Sokka had hoped that the Fire Nation placed enough trust in Zuko that they’d be willing to extend some of that trust to Sokka. There had been some tension since the war, but by and large, much of the nation had fallen behind Zuko and been willing to go along with his changes. The average person was thankful to have their children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews back from the war. The more well-off enjoyed being able to travel without facing violence from the people that had once been their enemies.

But apparently a Water Tribe consort went a step too far for many, and he was starting to doubt they’d change their minds.

There was nothing he wanted more than to announce his betrothal to Zuko, but there was no longer a sliver of a doubt that the unrest would erupt when they did so. And Sokka couldn’t help but worry about the long-lasting damage that would occur if Zuko so thoroughly disregarded his citizens’ feelings for the sake of what he wanted.

“I don’t understand,” Zuko said, staring at Sokka like he’d grown an extra head. “You’re actually agreeing with Luo?”

Sokka twisted his hands nervously. He hadn’t wanted to come talk to Zuko in his office originally. He’d hoped they could have the conversation later that night in Zuko’s quarters, but it had been bothering him far too much for him to ignore it any longer. He’d needed to get it out, and thankfully, Zuko had been alone in his office when Sokka sought him out.

“Not exactly.”

He wished he’d sat beside Zuko instead of across from him, but he couldn’t bring himself to bridge the distance now.

“It’s not that I agree with Luo. I’d be pretty devastated if you decided to marry Mai.” He tried to smile, but when Zuko stared blankly back, it quickly fell. “I’m not asking to call off our betrothal. I just wonder if it would be a good idea to delay the announcement a bit longer and handle the unrest first.”

Zuko sighed and sat his cup of tea aside. “Sokka.” He stood and moved to sit beside his fiancee. Sokka’s heart stuttered as Zuko took his hand. “I understand your hesitation. I hate the fact that this is ruining what should be a happy moment for us, but I don’t think postponing is the right answer. It won’t change anything. In fact, it could make it worse. Luo will believe he has more control over my life than he does, and people’s attitudes won’t change because they won’t have seen how things could be.”

Sokka stared down at their linked fingers. Hearing Zuko say it out loud calmed much of the anxiety that had been building up since he’d seen the crowd gathered outside.

“You’re probably right,” he admitted.

Zuko smiled at him. “Aang will be here soon. How many people can say that they have the Avatar on their side when they announced their betrothal? My father, grandfather, and great-grandfather might have done their best to discredit the Avatar over the past century, but it’s hard to undo millenia of tradition. There are still many who will trust Aang’s judgment. Having him on our side will mean something.”

It was true. Sokka had seen some of that trust for himself over the last few years. Even in the Fire Nation, many people’s faces lit up when they met the Avatar. Those who approved of his relationship with Zuko largely seemed to do so because he was a friend of the Avatar. It gave him a legitimacy that he wouldn’t have otherwise.

“You’re right,” he said. “I got too in my head. You understand the situation better than I do. I should trust your judgment.”

Zuko lifted Sokka’s hand to his lips, pressing a kiss to his knuckles. “Please, don’t apologize. I’m glad you told me that you’re worried. I always want to know what you’re thinking. It’s invaluable to me, especially when it has to do with how you’re feeling.”

Sokka laid his head on Zuko’s shoulder, soaking in the closeness. It was moments like that which made everything else worth it.

Once upon a time, Sokka was a heavy sleeper. Then he’d been dragged around the world with the Avatar and fought in a war. He could no longer remain blissfully unaware of everything happening around him while he slept. Any sort of movement in the room while he was sleeping would wake him. If it was nothing, he could usually fall back asleep quickly, but if it was a danger, he was able to assess that threat almost immediately.

It had been years since he’d awoken to anything he actually needed to worry about, but the second he heard the footsteps that night, he knew there was a problem.

Zuko was still lying beside him, and the footsteps were careful, like the person was trying not to be heard. There was no reason for anyone to be sneaking around Zuko’s quarters in the middle of the night, not even the guards.

Sokka’s eyes flew open, and he sat up. There was a whirl of black towards the foot of the bed as the intruder tried to hide behind a wardrobe.

The sudden movement of Sokka sitting up was enough to wake Zuko, which was good because Sokka no longer slept with a weapon beside him at all times.

“There!” Sokka shouted, gesturing at the figure.

Zuko punched the air with his fist, sending a streak of fire in the direction of the wardrobe. The intruder tumbled out of the way, but the light of the fire allowed them to get a glimpse of their red and white masked face.

The intruder kicked out, sending their own burst of fire towards the bed. Zuko threw up his arms to dissipate the flames. The intruder took off running for the door with Zuko a step behind them.

Sokka followed, not that he was any help. His own sword was all the way in his quarters, which felt like a foolish oversight on his part now that he needed it. Pausing in the doorway, he glanced at the wall where Zuko’s broadswords hung. He had never trained with them, but it was better than nothing, he seized the swords before hurrying out of the room.

Zuko was already halfway down the hall, chasing after the intruder. The intruder turned, sending flames towards Zuko’s feet that Zuko quickly blocked.

“Guards!” Sokka shouted.

There’d been a while after the war when guards had stood directly outside Zuko’s door every night. That hadn’t been necessary in years, but the guards were still closer than they appeared at first glance.

Two came running down the hallway at Sokka’s shout.

“Intruder!” Sokka pointed in the direction the figure had gone. “Zuko is chasing them.”

The guards shared a brief, startled glance before they took off after Zuko. Sokka brought up the rear, feeling quite useless despite the broadsword he held in either hand.

Up ahead, the intruder suddenly launched themselves onto an open windowsill. Zuko called out, but before any of them could reach the intruder, they jumped. Zuko rushed to the window and stuck his head out to shout down to the guards below. “Intruder! After them!”

There was commotion outside as every guard in the vicinity followed orders. The guards in the hallway with them hurried past, heading for a nearby staircase.

Sokka joined Zuko at the window, looking out across the dark grounds. He saw plenty of guards combing the grounds but no sign of the intruder.

“They went that way.” Zuko pointed into the distance. “I don’t think the guards will capture them before they’re long gone.”

Sokka shivered. “How did they get in here in the first place?”

Zuko clenched his jaw. “That’s something we’ll have to figure out. As soon as the guards have searched everywhere in the palace for signs of anyone not meant to be here, I’ll have a talk with their commander. Something went terribly wrong tonight, and I’m not going to stand for it. This is the worst possible time for us to slip up with security.”

“That was bold of them.” Sokka wrapped his arms around his stomach. “Thinking that one assassin would be enough.”

Zuko grinned. “I’m pretty sure they expected me to be alone.” He wrapped an arm around Sokka’s waist. “You surprised them. And thank Agni for that. I don’t know if I’d have woken up in time otherwise.”

“You would have.”

Sokka couldn’t afford to think otherwise. Zuko shrugged in response.

“Still, it’s good that they made that mistake,” he said. “That means they don’t know the ins and outs of the palace. The entire palace staff knows you sleep in my quarters. They couldn’t have been involved in this. At least one guard wasn’t paying as close of attention as they should have, but they haven’t betrayed us.”

That really did make Sokka breathe a little easier. He’d come to trust the soldiers a lot over the years without realizing it.

“I’m not going to be able to sleep again tonight.”

Zuko pressed a kiss to his temple. “Me either.” Suddenly, he stiffened, his eyes darting down the hallway. “I also think we should check on Azula.”

Azula, it turned out, was fine. She was also incredibly pissed about being woken up until they explained what had happened. After that, she was ready to go after the intruder herself, an encounter that Sokka was pretty sure the intruder wouldn’t survive if she got ahold of them.

Unfortunately for her—but fortunately for the intruder—they were already long gone. Commander Badu, head of palace security, was already in the meeting room when Zuko, Sokka, and Azula arrived. Azula’s ranting fell silent when she caught sight of him, standing at attention in front of one of the room’s long walls.

He bowed to Zuko when they entered.

“Commander Badu,” Zuko greeted him. “An update on the intruder, please.”

Badu stared straight ahead. “They fled the grounds before we caught them, Firelord Zuko. I apologize on behalf of the entire Palace Guard for our failures tonight.”

Zuko’s jaw tightened. Sokka couldn’t help but notice that he looked attractive when fired up. He shuffled his feet, shoving the unwelcome thoughts low. They’d come far too close to death tonight.

“I want an audit on the readiness of your entire unit. Where was everyone on duty tonight? What did they see? What were the potential gaps in surveillance where an intruder could sneak through?”

He glanced over at Sokka and Azula, his frown deepening.

“I will also speak to General Shinji first thing tomorrow about assigning more soldiers to your command. We must be on alert. It would be foolish of us to think they’ll give up after one failed attempt.”

“Yes, sir.”

“You are dismissed.” Zuko waved his hand.

Commander Badu bowed and left without looking back at them.

Azula shivered once he was gone. “How do we know we can trust him? After such a failure, shouldn’t you place someone else in charge?”

Zuko sighed. “Let’s see what information that audit turns up first. I’ll speak to some of the rank-and-file guards as well, see what they have to say about Badu’s leadership. Badu has never given me a reason to distrust him before. I don’t want to fire him unless we have a clear picture of how he failed tonight.”

Azula nodded, but her arms were still wrapped tightly around her body.

“Azula?” Sokka said hesitantly. “Are you alright?”

She looked at the floor. “The last time there was an attempt on Zuko’s life, I was the one leading it.”

Sokka frowned. These days, he often forgot about Azula’s past, even the tumultuous years after the war when she had lost all connection to reality.

Zuko stepped past him, gathering Azula into his arms. She clinged to his robes.

“That was a long time ago,” he said, “and it has nothing to do with what is happening now.”

“I know.” She took a deep, shaky breath. “It’s only that life has been so peaceful recently. I hate that it’s changing.”

Zuko and Sokka locked eyes over Azula’s head. Sokka didn’t need to ask to know that Zuko agreed with Azula.

Perhaps they’d been foolish. Zuko ruled one of the four nations. There was always going to be chaos coming and going. Eventually, someone new would always think the nation was better off without Zuko on the throne.

Sokka did his best to keep his worry off his face. There was already enough of that to go around.

By the time morning arrived, none of them had gotten more sleep. Azula joined Sokka and Zuko in the sitting room attached to Zuko’s quarters, and Zuko did his best to distract them both with Pai Sho.

Usually, Sokka was a bigger fan of the game than Zuko was, but he was too exhausted to think straight. After a while, he let Azula and Zuko play alone while he stared at the board, his mind replaying everything that had happened.

His brain was so foggy when they sat down to breakfast that he knew he wouldn’t accomplish anything worthwhile that day. The thought of sleeping was no longer as scary as it had been during the night either.

“After we eat, I’m going to sleep,” he declared before taking a sip of his soup.

Zuko sighed. “Don’t tempt me. I need to check in with Commander Badu and meet with General Shinji.”

Sokka flinched. “Do you want me to go with you?”

Zuko smiled, resting a hand on his knee. “No, you should sleep. At least one of us deserves to be well-rested.”

Sokka nodded. He was too tired to put up much of a fight, yet he still felt guilty. If he was going to be a good consort, he should be at Zuko’s side during tough times. It felt unfair to leave Zuko to deal with everything alone when he was just as exhausted as Sokka.

Then again, the military officials might be more open with Zuko alone than they would be if Sokka was tagging along. It was probably better to let Zuko handle it without him.

They were halfway through breakfast when Mai and Ty Lee hurried into the room, each exhaling in relief when they saw them.

Azula lifted an eyebrow at their slightly disheveled appearances. “You got my message?”

Sokka wasn’t sure when she’d had time to send a message. It must have been when she left to get dressed in her own quarters before joining them for breakfast.

“We did,” Mai said as they sat down beside Azula at the table, across from Sokka and Zuko. “You said everyone was okay, but it’s hard not to worry about an assassin in the palace.”

“I’m speaking to Commander Badu and General Shinji after breakfast,” Zuko said. “I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

“I still don’t think that’s good enough,” Azula said with a frown. “I know you want General Shinji to assign more guards, but with the unrest across the country, that will be difficult. Plus, how do we know we can trust whoever is assigned? It would be a great opportunity for these would-be assassins to get inside.”

Zuko sighed and rubbed his eyes. “I’ll ask General Shinji for his best, most trustworthy soldiers. It’s the best we can do.”

“Is it?” Ty Lee peered at him, her eyes wide. “You hired the Kyoshi Warriors for protection the last time you were threatened. Surely you could do it again.”

It was a brilliant idea as far as Sokka was concerned. He trusted the Kyoshi Warriors more than anyone else who could do the job, even if they were led by his ex-girlfriend.

Azula cringed but had to concede Ty Lee’s point. “The Kyoshi Warriors are a big part of the reason why my attempts to assassinate you weren’t successful,” she said. “Ty Lee is right. I would feel better if they were here.”

Sokka gawked at her. “You would feel better if Suki was here?”

“It has nothing to do with their leader specifically.” Azula narrowed her eyes at him. “Together, they are an elite unit who have proved themselves capable. As foreigners with no interest in Fire Nation politics, they also have far less of a reason to betray Zuko, as long as they’re paid well.”

“Oh, they’d never do something like that.” Ty Lee stared at Azula in horror. “They all take their job very seriously.”

“It’s not a bad idea,” Zuko admitted. “I greatly appreciated their help in the aftermath of the war. Whoever the intruder was, the Kyoshi Warriors will also be more of an unknown to them than our own soldiers.” He turned to Ty Lee. “Do you think they’d be able to take the job?”

The Kyoshi Warriors had taken various mercenary jobs throughout the four nations since the war. They seemed to be gone from Kyoshi Island at least as often as they were there. There was never any guarantee that they’d be available.

Ty Lee, however, was entirely unperturbed. “For you? In a situation like this? They’ll absolutely take the job.”

Zuko looked at Sokka. “And you’d be okay with that?”

Sokka allowed himself to really consider the question. When Ty Lee first suggested contacting the Kyoshi Warriors, he’d thought it sounded like a great idea, but now that the whole table was looking at him, it fully hit him that Zuko hiring the Kyoshi Warriors would mean him seeing his ex for the first time since their breakup.

He and Suki had agreed to stay friends, and they’d exchanged semi-regular letters in the years since Sokka moved to the Fire Nation. He had an idea of what she was up to in life. She had even gotten news of his betrothal to Zuko already.

On paper, they seemed to have a perfectly normal, not-at-all-awkward friendship, but would that hold true in person?

Ultimately, it didn’t matter. Someone had tried to kill Zuko, and the Kyoshi Warriors were the best fighters Sokka knew.

“It’s fine,” Sokka promised. “Ty Lee is right. Suki will love the chance to help. She’s quite fond of you, you know?”

Zuko blushed and cleared his throat. “Alright then. I’ll write to Suki today right after I meet with Badu and Shinji.”

Sokka smiled. It was normal to be a little nervous upon seeing your ex-girlfriend for the first time since you left the island you’d moved to for her. It wouldn’t be anything more than some passing awkwardness. That was all.

Chapter Text

Directly after the war, Zuko had been paranoid. He’d seen threats everywhere. In his defense, many of them had been real.

Even still there were people within the Fire Nation that were angry about Ozai being overthrown and who disapproved of Zuko’s decisions as ruler. Many of them were even louder about it than Luo, who ultimately only cared about feeling powerful.

The biggest threat to Zuko back then had been Azula, funnily enough. She’d evaded them for several years yet still managed to terrorize Zuko by repeatedly breaking into the palace. Not trusting his own guards (many of whom had joined the army during the war and Ozai’s reign), he had been relieved when Suki suggested that she and the Kyoshi Warriors take responsibility for his safety.

They’d stayed in Caldera until Azula was placed in the hospital and Zuko finally began to relax. Throughout their employment, Zuko hadn’t had any complaints. He’d seen them fight, and he knew they were the match that Azula and her lackeys needed.

Yet it never would have occurred to him to hire them again after the latest assassination attempt. Not because they were incapable but because it sounded far too complicated. Zuko still exchanged correspondence with Suki and knew Sokka did too, but he hadn’t actually seen her since her breakup with Sokka. When he and Sokka began dating, he let Sokka take the lead on telling her. After he wrote to her, Zuko’s next letter from Kyoshi Island had included a brief congratulations, but they hadn’t discussed it much since then.

Zuko didn’t hide Sokka from her. Sokka came up in many of the letters he sent to Kyoshi. It was nearly impossible for him to talk about his life without mentioning Sokka, but he never discussed their relationship in detail either, not sure how much Suki would be comfortable with hearing.

Navigating the dynamics between the three of them through letters was challenging enough. He couldn’t imagine doing it in person.

In front of Azula, Ty Lee, and Mai, Sokka had seemed fine, but Zuko wasn’t ready to accept that yet. After breakfast, he pulled his fiancé to the side.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay with Suki staying in the palace?”

Sokka laughed. “Yes, of course. You know the story of how things ended. It was amicable, and we still talk. I don’t see any reason why we can’t get along fine. You and Mai do.”

Zuko had to pause at that. He hadn’t considered the comparison.

“It wasn’t always that way,” he pointed out. “Even when you first came to Caldera, things were still a little tense between us, and that was despite us seeing each other semi-regularly. You and Suki haven’t seen each other in years.”

Sokka shrugged. No matter how much Zuko searched his face, he couldn’t find a trace of hesitancy.

“Maybe it’ll be a little awkward at first,” Sokka admitted, “but not to the point where I can’t deal with it.” He placed a hand on Zuko’s chest. “Zuko, I want you to be safe, and Ty Lee is right that the Kyoshi Warriors are some of the best. We don’t think any of our guards aided the attacker, but if we’re going to beef up security, I’ll feel good knowing that it’s people we can trust.”

“Yeah, okay.” Zuko picked up Sokka’s hand on his chest and pressed a kiss to the back of it. “I feel the same way. I only wanted to make sure you were really okay.”

Grinning, Sokka rose up on his toes and pressed a kiss to Zuko’s cheek. “I really am okay.” He traced his thumb along Zuko’s cheekbone, tracing his scar. “But thank you for checking.”

“Always,” Zuko promised. He sighed and pulled away. “I guess I’d better go share the new plan with the council. I’m sure that’ll go over well.”

“Do you want me to come with you?”

Zuko shook his head. “One of us deserves to get some sleep after last night. Go. I’ll join you as soon as I speak to the advisors and send off the letter to Suki.”

He watched Sokka leave with a fond smile, longing to go after him. Admittedly, he wasn’t sure how much of that longing was for Sokka and how much of it was for sleep. His exhaustion weighed heavily on his eyelids and made his brain foggy. Getting through the council meeting was going to be the biggest test he’d faced in a long time, even worse than chasing down the previous night’s intruder.

The advisory council was already gathered when Zuko arrived to the meeting room. Their hushed conversation fell silent when Zuko entered. They all stood in unison, bowing low of the customary deference shown to the Firelord. Zuko gestured for them to sit, but Luo remained standing, his expression grave.

“Firelord Zuko, we were astonished to hear about what happened last night. I trust that you and the princess are both well?”

“We’re both fine, as is Sokka. It’s him who you can thank for your Firelord’s life. He alerted me to the presence of the intruder.”

Luo’s face tightened. “How fortuitous that he was there.”

He sat down on the very edge of his seat. As soon as Zuko took his own chair, Luo leaned close even though he continued to speak loud enough for the entire table to hear him clearly.

“We’ve already been discussing what must be done next,” he said. “You’ll want more guards stationed throughout the palace of course. It will be hard to pull troops away from other areas of the country, what with recent events, but your safety must take precedence over everything else.”

“I’ve already spoken to General Shinji.” Zuko looked at each advisor around the table except Luo. “We discussed possibly increasing the number of guards. However, Lady Ty Lee had another suggestion that I found convincing. Many of you know that she spent a few years with the elite Kyoshi Warriors. We also hired them once before when Princess Azula was unwell and threatening the palace. Hiring them again would allow us to increase security without pulling soldiers away from where they’re needed.”

Luo’s allies looked towards him like they didn’t know what to do with themselves, but Luo’s own expression didn’t change. “What an idea,” he said. “I never would have thought of it myself, but Firelord Zuko, are you sure this is the best course of action? With the recent protest, how might the public react to foreigners guarding their Firelord?”

Zuko resisted the urge to glare at the man. “I will remind them of the Kyoshi Warriors’ well-known skill and that they kept me safe once before. As you know, the Avatar is also on his way to Caldera. The public will be too excited by his visit to pay much attention to the Kyoshi Warriors.”

“Firelord, if I may?” Xia inclined her head.

“Go ahead, Lady Xia.”

“The Avatar’s visit might be a good way to spin the Kyoshi Warriors’ presence if we need. Publicizing last night’s intruder might alarm the public, and they’d notice a build up of troops around the palace. However, if the Avatar and the Kyoshi Warriors arrive at the same time, they might just as well be here for the Avatar as for you.”

Zuko nodded. “It’s a good idea, Xia. I’d rather not outright lie, but you’re right that I don’t want to make a big announcement out of what happened last night. It’s not what the nation needs right now. If they assume that the Kyoshi Warriors have been brought to the palace as part of the Avatar’s guard, then we need not correct them.”

Luo cleared his throat. “Excuse me, Firelord Zuko, but do you still think it’s a good idea for the Avatar to visit? Even after last night.”

Zuko pressed his lips together. “Yes, I do. This is exactly the sort of discontent that the Avatar is here to help us with. We need Aang more than ever. That isn’t something I’ll budge on.”

He stared at Luo until the older man folded. He looked away, nodding.

“Yes, yes, of course. Forgive me, Firelord. You know that I never mean to question your judgment. I’m merely old-fashioned in many regards. Sometimes I need to be reminded that we do not live in the past.”

So he was somewhat self-aware. Zuko only wished his recalcitrance was sincere. He knew that nothing he said would actually convince Luo that Aang coming was a good thing, but as far as Zuko was concerned, it was the only viable course of action they had if the present situation was going to change.

By the time Zuko left the council meeting, his sanity was holding on by a thread. He’d made it very clear that he was offering the Kyoshi Warriors the job regardless of what Luo and his cronies thought. They had no choice but to accept it.

He’d had every intention of writing to Suki right after the meeting, but instead, he found himself too wound up to manage the careful wording the official Firelord correspondence required.

His feet carried him towards his own quarters, and he didn’t realize where he was going until he was halfway there. By then, he couldn’t find the willpower to turn back and go to his office. Putting one foot in front of the other required effort. He wasn’t going to do anything productive until he got some sleep.

After the terrible meeting he’d sat through, he also wanted to vent about it to Sokka, but when he opened the door to their bedroom, he found his boyfriend fast asleep, his mouth hanging open as he drooled on the pillow.

All of Zuko’s irritation with Luo drained away at the sight. He slipped off his shoes and stripped down to his underclothes as quietly as he could and slipped into the empty space beside Sokka. In the warmth under the covers, he was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Zuko sent the job offer by messenger hawk, not wanting to waste valuable time having it sent by ship. Suki’s response came just a few days later.

They would take the job, and by the time the letter was in his hands, they would already be on their way to the Fire Nation. Zuko breathed a sigh of relief when he read it. The previous few nights had been difficult. Azula slept on the sofa in Zuko’s quarters, with Zuko and Sokka in the bedroom, but none of them actually slept much. Commander Badu had placed more guards on duty during the night, but that hadn’t been enough to shake Zuko’s new fears.

Last time he was worried about assassination, he’d nearly lost his mind from sleep deprivation by the end of it. He was determined not to do that again, and having the Kyoshi Warriors around was the best safeguard they had.

A day after Suki’s letter, he received one from Aang, who said that he, Katara, and Toph would also be arriving shortly.

“All our friends will be here,” Ty Lee said brightly when Zuko mentioned the letter over dinner. “I can’t imagine anyone would be foolish enough to break in then.”

Azula stared down at her fish. She’d been quiet any time that Aang’s visit was brought up. While Aang, Katara, and Toph had visited the palace a handful of times each since Azula came back to live there, she’d never hit it off with them the way she had Sokka. Zuko was pretty sure that could change if she gave it a chance, but she always seemed to find excuses to stay locked up in her quarters while they were there.

“I hope not,” Zuko said, “but we can’t afford to think that way.”

“And it may make things worse,” Mai said with a frown. “Something tells me that the loudest agitators aren’t particularly fond of the Avatar.”

Zuko couldn’t resist muttering, “You sound like Luo,” even though he knew Mai’s comment came from an entirely different place.

She shot him a thin smile. “It’s unfortunate, but it’s true. I don’t know if they’re stupid enough to attack the Avatar, but we shouldn’t take any chances.”

“Suki won’t,” Sokka said. “No one is getting in this palace if the Kyoshi Warriors are protecting it.”

Zuko sighed. “That’s what I’m counting on.”

Chapter Text

In spite of what everyone else thought, the hardest part of Suki’s imminent arrival, as far as Sokka was concerned, was the way everyone expected it to be weird for him. Sure, it was a little awkward to see your ex-girlfriend for the first time in years, but it was nothing Sokka couldn’t handle. It was Suki. Their relationship hadn’t ended explosively or with any ill will towards each other. He still had immense respect for her, and he hoped she had the same for him.

What made it difficult was the way everyone else seemed to be bracing themselves for her arrival out of concern for Sokka that he didn’t need or ask for.

Thankfully, Zuko was no longer acting that way. After Sokka reassured him that everything was fine, Zuko took him at his word. Azula also didn’t care one way or the other how Sokka felt about Suki coming, but she was working through her own turmoil over the Kyoshi Warriors coming to the palace. He’d never seen her dwell in her own guilt of the past so much before. Even when he’d first returned to the palace, she’d hardly seemed concerned about the times she’d previously put him or his friends in danger, but something about her history with the Kyoshi Warriors seemed to have her on edge.

Zuko noticed it too and expressed his worry to Sokka when they were alone, but somehow, Mai and Ty Lee both acted oblivious to it. They were too concerned about Sokka, which was the entirely wrong target.

In retrospect, he probably should have politely turned down Ty Lee’s invitation for him and Azula to have tea at her and Mai’s house the day before the Kyoshi Warriors were set to arrive in Caldera. He knew what it would inevitably turn into, but Zuko was busy preparing both of the Kyoshi Warriors’ and Aang’s arrival, and he’d been bored in the palace.

He’d figured that it couldn’t possibly be that bad, and he was mostly right. Mai and Ty Lee were concerned for him, but Ty Lee was also ecstatic about seeing her former friends.

“I wonder if they’ll let me train with them,” she said wistfully, her cup of tea forgotten in her hands. “It’s been so long since I’ve used my fans.”

“You still have them,” Mai pointed out. “You could practice with them any time you wanted.”

Ty Lee sighed. “But it’s not the same on my own. There’s something about fighting alongside each other.”

Azula shifted on her cushion. She’d spent much of the time they were at Mai and Ty Lee’s staring into her tea. Judging by the frown on her face, she wasn’t a big fan of Ty Lee practicing again with the Kyoshi Warriors.

Sokka knew her well enough to guess why. No one had ever explicitly told him this, but it had been pretty clear for a while that Azula feeling betrayed and abandoned by Mai and Ty Lee all those years ago had played into her mental state. The reminder of Ty Lee’s time spent on Kyoshi Island seemed to bring it up for her, though she wasn’t inclined to admit that to any of them. Mai kept sending glances her way like she saw it too, but Ty Lee was too caught up in her excitement to notice.

“Perhaps we should talk about something else,” Mai said, and Sokka was thankful that her gaze was on Azula, not him, when she said it.

Ty Lee followed her gaze, her eyebrows rising when she noticed Azula’s demeanor. Her cheeks turned a light shade of pink.

“Oh, I suppose. Sokka probably doesn’t want to hear us going on about his ex.”

Sokka bit back a sigh. At least that time around it was a clear attempt to avoid drawing attention to Azula. He could live with that. Ty Lee still had a greater tendency to tiptoe around Azula than the rest of them, but even Sokka didn’t think it was a great idea to push her at the moment.

After that, Ty Lee started babbling on about wanting to take a trip once the current nonsense was over. It was a sentiment Sokka could get behind, and he easily got into the conversation, suggesting several Earth Kingdom spots he wouldn’t mind seeing again.

They did their best to include Azula in the conversation, asking her which places he’d be interested in visiting, but she was still in a quiet mood when she and Sokka left to return to the palace. They walked through the streets of Caldera side-by-side. While ostensibly alone, Sokka knew there were guards positioned at regular intervals along the path, ready to intervene if anything happened.

He wasn’t expecting Azula to make much conversation at all, so it was a surprise when she brought up the very sort of thing he thought she was avoiding.

“Why did you and Suki break up?”

Sokka was so surprised by the question that he stumbled. “Oh, uh…” He scratched at the back of his head, unsure how to answer the question.

Azula continued, not noticing his reaction at all. “It’s not something you’ve ever spoken about except vaguely. I’m assuming that it’s no longer a fresh wound, so you wouldn’t mind discussing it.”

“It’s definitely not fresh,” Sokka said. He didn’t know how to explain that it was talking about this with Azula that was throwing him off so much. Even after years of therapy, she rarely spoke about emotions in detail with anyone other than, Sokka presumed, her doctor. “There’s no interesting story. We just grew apart over time. It happens. We decided that we weren’t happy as we were and would be better off as friends.”

Azula stared straight ahead, her lips pursed in thought. “And then you came to the Fire Nation?”

“And then I came to the Fire Nation.” Sokka nodded.

Azula hummed. “I arrested Suki during the war.”

Once again, Sokka was caught off guard by the bluntness, but he kept it together better.

“You already knew that.” Azula peered at him. “The two of you escaped the Boiling Rock together, along with Zuko. That’s the last time I really saw her. I knew she and the other Kyoshi Warriors were guarding Zuko after the war, but I never had a conversation with them when I was trying to break into the palace. It was a platoon of Fire Nation soldiers who eventually caught me.”

Sokka had never heard Azula speak so openly about that part of her past. Most of what he knew was stuff he’d either been there before or he’d heard about it from Zuko.

“Are you nervous about seeing her again?” he asked.

Azula shrugged, kicking at a loose pebble with her foot. “I understand Zuko’s desire to have the Kyoshi Warriors as guards, but it’s hard to imagine they’ll be fond of guarding me considering our history.”

Sokka was silent for a moment, genuinely considering Azula’s worries.

“You might be right that they won’t be happy about it per se, but they’re professionals. Suki especially. She’ll do what Zuko hires her to do, and she’ll do it well. Otherwise, she would reject the job. You don’t have to worry about your safety in the palace, Azula.”

Azula nodded, but she didn’t look up from the ground as they walked.

“You should try talking to her when she gets here.” He was surprised by his own suggestion.

Azula was quick to shake her head. “I don’t think she’ll want that.”

“You never know.” Sokka shrugged. “She’ll probably be hesitant, just like I was with you when I first moved here, but if you show genuine remorse for what you did, that will go a long way, Azula. Look at how well Suki and Zuko get along, and he burnt down her village.”

Azula laughed. “Perhaps you’re right.”

They reached the palace, and two guards quickly ushered them through the gates before any of the tourists nearby spotted them.

That night, as they got ready for bed, Zuko brought up the Kyoshi Warriors’ arrival again. He was bashful as he did so, running his fingers over the soft silk of the bedsheets over and over again as he sat on the edge of the mattress watching Sokka put on his nightclothes.

“I was thinking,” he said hesitantly. “While you’re fine with the Kyoshi Warriors acting as guards within the palace, would it be better if I requested that Suki not be personally responsible for guarding you?”

He was so adorably awkward raising the question that Sokka couldn’t possibly be annoyed that his potential discomfort over Suki’s arrival was being brought up again. He slipped a loose shirt over his head and approached Zuko where he sat on the bed. He took one of Zuko’s hands in his and raised it to press a kiss to his palm.

“I hadn’t considered that sort of thing,” Sokka admitted.

When he’d imagined Suki in the palace, he hadn’t really considered her being close to him at all times. He sat down on Zuko’s lap with a sigh. Zuko’s hands quickly found his waist, holding him in place.

“I don’t want to create any trouble,” Sokka said. “My worry is that a request like that will only make things more awkward.”

Zuko frowned. “I’m not planning on standing in front of all the Kyoshi Warriors and declaring that Suki isn’t to go near you, if that’s what you’re worried about. It would be a private conversation with me and Suki—you too if you want to be there—and I’ll be careful about how I discuss it.”

Smiling, Sokka pressed a quick kiss to Zuko’s lips. “It’s thoughtful of you to even consider it. I suppose Suki might be uncomfortable about the same thing. It’s fine if you talk to her. I want her to be comfortable while she’s here.”

Zuko nodded.

“Now, are we done talking about my ex?” Sokka smirked. “Because I have better things in mind.”

Zuko laughed and nodded as Sokka covered his lips with his own.

A messenger brought word that a ship had arrived from Kyoshi Island just after breakfast the next day. Meeting the Kyoshi Warriors at the harbor was out of the question. It was too likely to raise speculation among those who saw them, many of whom would remember the Warriors from their previous stint in Caldera during a tumultuous period in Zuko’s reign.

Azula slipped away without a word as soon as the announcement of their arrival was made, leaving Zuko and Sokka to head towards the palace gates alone. Ty Lee appeared a few minutes after they arrived, having received the message that Zuko sent her way.

She bounded up to them with barely restrained excitement. “I wish it was under better circumstances, but I just can’t wait to see them.”

They stood near one of the side gates, at the top of the set of stairs that led into the palace there. Ty Lee kept bouncing on her toes, straining her neck in an attempt to see over the wall.

It didn’t take long for them to arrive. Two Fire Nation guards pushed the gate open, allowing the whole contingent of Kyoshi Warriors through. They weren’t in uniform, which was good. It was unlikely they’d attracted much attention heading through the city.

Ty Lee took off with a squeal, bounding down the steps and throwing herself towards the women. She quickly disappeared into the middle of the group, who converged around her with excited greetings of their own.

Only Suki stood apart. She shook her head fondly at the group before ascending the steps to stand before Sokka and Zuko.

“It’s nice to see you both,” she said. “It’s been so long.”

She pulled Sokka into a quick hug that was strangely familiar. Sokka didn’t have time to dwell on the awkwardness for long, though, before she was moving away and pulling Zuko into a similar embrace.

“It’s good to see you as well,” Zuko said. “I only wish it was under better circumstances.”

Suki grimaced. “Yeah, I would have liked to visit, but we’ve been unbelievably busy recently. Who knew that successfully protecting the Firelord from multiple assassination attempts would be so good for business?”

Zuko laughed, his cheeks a light pink.

“We’ve stopped taking as many jobs recently,” Suki continued. “The Kyoshi Warriors were created to protect Kyoshi Island after all, and we weren’t doing much of that. Plus, many of us were getting tired of the travel and wanted to settle down.”

“Sorry.” Zuko cringed. “Here I am taking you away from your home again.”

She slapped him lightly on the arm. “None of that. We unanimously agreed to take the job. You guys are our friends. We’re happy to be here.”

“And we’re happy to see you,” Sokka said. “Things have been tense in the Fire Nation lately. We appreciate having people we know we can trust.”

Suki nodded with a frown. “I’m guessing what you shared in your letters wasn’t everything, Zuko?”

“No, unfortunately not. There were some details that I didn’t want to risk being intercepted, but you have the main gist of it already, and I’d love to fill you in on the rest now that you’re here.” He gestured towards the bags that a number of palace staff members had laid out in the courtyard. “After we get you settled in your rooms,” he added.

There was a lot of commotion as everyone gathered up their bags and followed Zuko into the palace. A few of the women were unfamiliar to Sokka, apparently having joined the Kyoshi Warriors since he left. Ty Lee had already introduced herself to them in the time Sokka and Zuko were talking to Suki though, and they were just as eager to hear about what Ty Lee had been up to as the others.

Sokka listened as they walked along without participating. Ty Lee gushed about Mai until many of the younger members were giggling, and Sokka learned all about Yukie’s marriage for the first time.

If they weren’t in the middle of the Fire Palace, Sokka would have thought he’d time traveled. It was incredibly familiar listening to them all laugh and gossip together. He’d listened to it almost every day while he was living on Kyoshi Island. Those were days he rarely thought about anymore, and it felt strange to be reliving it here, in his current home. It brought up a strange mix of emotions that he wasn’t prepared for and that he really didn’t want to deal with on top of everything else.

It wasn’t that he missed that life. It was firmly part of the past, but there certainly were elements of it that he missed. Many of these people had been his friends, once upon a time, and now he was distant, even more distant than Ty Lee even though she’d been gone from Kyoshi for just as long.

Sokka and Zuko left the women behind right after showing them to their rooms. Ty Lee was too deep in conversation to extract herself.

Zuko intertwined their fingers as they walked. “How are you doing so far?”

Sokka couldn’t help but smile. “Good. It’s actually a bit weirder than I expected though. I was so fixated on how it would feel to see Suki again that I didn’t think about how it would feel to see everyone else again. It was kind of like being hit by a flying bison. But not necessarily in a bad way.”

“The palace will definitely be more lively, that’s for sure.”

“When they’re off duty,” Sokka pointed out. “You know when they’re working that they’ll be perfectly professional.”

“Of course.”

Sokka knew he would have to talk privately with Suki eventually, and he wasn’t surprised when she showed up in the courtyard while he was busy running through forms with his sword. She watched him from one of the archways, only stepping forward when he came to the end of a form.

“Nice,” she said with a smile. “It’s hard to believe that you’d never even held a sword the first time I met you.”

That really did feel like a lifetime ago. Sokka chuckled. “A lot has changed since then,” he pointed out.

He sat down on one of the benches that lined the courtyard, stowing his sword in its holster and motioning for Suki to take a seat next to him.

“It’s changed more than once,” Suki said as she sat. “Thankfully, it seems to have been for the best overall.”

They shared a look, and Sokka’s smile widened. It wasn’t nearly as strange as he’d feared being in Suki’s presence. Towards the end of their relationship, they’d already been more like friends than lovers anyway, and it was that particular sense of familiarity returning to them now.

“I think so,” he said. “It’s amazing what you’ve been able to accomplish with the Kyoshi Warriors.”

“And you’re marrying the Firelord.” Suki shook her head. “I think we both would have been horrified by that when we were children, but I’m happy for you and Zuko. I never would have guessed it before, but when I learned you two were together, it just made sense.”

Sokka laughed. “I know. That’s what it felt like when I realized I’d fallen for him. It kind of seemed inevitable, but somehow I was oblivious to it before that.”

“And you’re going to be consort.” Suki nudged him in the side. “You’ll be brilliant for the job.”

“My friends keep telling me that, but the Fire Nation public clearly doesn’t agree.”

Suki scoffed. “Zuko told me more about the situation just now. Luo’s behind the unrest, I’m sure of it. He has to be manipulating what people hear. These people don’t know you personally. They can see that what they’re being fed is wrong.”

“Maybe, but that doesn’t make it any less difficult to deal with.”

“No,” Suki sighed. “I know it doesn’t, but we got through all that stuff with Azula, and now she’s living at the palace. You can never predict how things will work out.”

Sokka frowned at the tone of Suki’s voice when she mentioned Azula. “You haven’t spoken to her yet, have you?”

Suki shook her head. “Zuko said she’s been in her room. Apparently she’s nervous about seeing me. I can’t imagine why,” she said sarcastically.

Sokka bit back a sigh. “Look. I understand why you don’t like her. Believe me, I do, but Zuko was telling the truth when he said she’s changed. She’s been through a ridiculous amount of therapy. Her outlook on the world is completely different now. You were able to come around on Zuko. Please try to give Azula a chance too?”

She stared at the far edge of the courtyard, shaking her head. “It’s just hard for me to imagine. I may not have had a good first impression of Zuko, but Azula was something else entirely.” She sighed. “But you, Zuko, and Ty Lee have all already asked me to give her a chance, so I will.”

“Thank you.” Sokka knocked their shoulders together, earning a smile.

He was hopeful that Azula and Suki could become friends as long as they were both willing to give each other a chance.

At dinner that night, the Kyoshi Warriors congregated at one end of the table, along with Ty Lee and Mai, who looked overwhelmed with all the excitement. Suki, however, sat towards the other end of the table, near Zuko and Sokka and right across from Azula, who gawked at her as she sat down.

Judging from Suki’s expression alone, you’d never think that she noticed Azula’s surprise. “Hi, Azula. We haven’t had the chance to talk yet. How are you?”

Azula glanced at Zuko and Sokka before hesitantly saying, “Fine.” After a second’s pause, she added, “And you?”

Suki grinned. “I’m good. Thank you for asking.”

It was far from a robust conversation, but Sokka had to hide his smile behind his cup. He wasn’t sure what it was that had him so confident, but he had a good feeling about the future for Suki and Azula.

Chapter Text

After dinner, Zuko couldn’t help but dwell on the tension between Azula and Suki while they ate. They’d sat across from each other, which Zuko took as a good sign, but he’d never seen Azula so nervous around someone before.

It was still bothering him when he and Sokka climbed into bed that night, and he was doing a poor job of hiding it.

“What’s going on in your head?” Sokka asked, tapping him on the temple.

Zuko sighed as he pulled Sokka to his side, letting his fiancé rest his head on his chest. “I’m worrying about Azula again. I always tell myself that I’m being too overprotective and need to stop, only to do it again.”

He was surprised when Sokka laughed. He pushed himself up onto his elbow to peer down at Zuko. “Is this because of Suki?”

Zuko raised an eyebrow. “You saw them during dinner, right? Azula looked terrified.”

“Yeah.” Sokka laughed again. “She did, but Suki promised to give her a chance, and she did. Neither one of them were being rude to each other. What are you worried about?”

Zuko was surprised when he couldn’t come up with an immediate answer. Sokka was right that neither of them had been rude. They’d both asked boringly polite questions to each other, and it wasn’t like they were going to be instant best friends. Really, it was like they were meeting for the first time. Azula was a very different person from the one Suki had once known.

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “I guess, with everything else going on and the potential threats, I’m worried about Azula feeling uncomfortable in the palace.”

“It’ll be fine.” Sokka patted him on the chest. “Azula’s doing a lot better than before, but her social circle is still pretty small. She’s always awkward with Aang and Katara when they visit too. It may take time with Suki, but I think tonight was an excellent start.”

Once again, Zuko was left wondering what he’d do about Sokka. If he hadn’t been there to provide some perspective, Zuko would no doubt be catastrophizing all of the potential conflict that might arise between Azula and the Kyoshi Warriors.

“You’re right,” he said. “Another reminder that I need to stop being so protective. Azula can handle herself, and so can Suki. They’ll figure it out themselves.”

Sokka kissed his cheek. “They will. Just watch, in no time I bet they’ll be ranking all the best ways to kill a man over dinner instead of making awkward small talk.”

Zuko cringed even as he fought against a grin. “Maybe I should be thankful for the awkward small talk,” he muttered.

They burst into giggles together.

Once they calmed down, Sokka cupped Zuko’s cheek and pressed a lingering kiss on his lips.

“It’s sweet that you care about your sister, though, and that you want everyone to get along.”

Zuko hummed. “If only I could get the whole nation to get along.”

Sokka pressed his index finger to Zuko’s lips. “Hush. It's bedtime. Don’t worry about that now.”

That was easier said than done, but Zuko nodded. There was nothing he could do in the middle of the night except trust that the Kyoshi Warriors were doing their job in the palace halls, keeping them safe.

The next morning, Zuko checked in with Suki bright and early in his office. He hadn’t even gone to breakfast yet, wanting to get everything out of the way so Suki could get some rest of her own.

“There’s nothing unusual to report,” Suki said succinctly from where she stood in front of his desk.

She’d turned down his offer of tea, clearly eager to head to bed as quickly as she could.

“That’s good to hear,” Zuko said.

He hadn’t expected much on the Kyoshi Warrior’s first night. They’d arrived quickly enough that, even if the would-be assassin had more planned, Zuko imagined they were still regrouping and working on their next move.

Of course, he preferred to think that the intruder had been a lone actor and their previous failure had discouraged them from trying again. If it hadn’t, hopefully the arrival of the Kyoshi Warriors would, but he couldn’t afford to bet on that. Far too much was on the line.

“Commander Badu didn’t give you any trouble, did he?” Zuko asked.

The commander had accepted Zuko’s decision to hire the Kyoshi Warriors with the same acceptance that any career-minded military officer accepted a superior’s order, but Zuko knew from the expression on the man’s face when it was brought up that he wasn’t happy about it. Zuko also understood the feelings. Being put in charge of palace security was a big step in someone’s career, and suddenly, there was someone new he had to work with who he had no direct control over.

“He was fine.” Suki shrugged. “Very concise. I don’t think he’ll be making any small talk, but that’s a good thing in my book. We need to be on alert. He kept his people in line as I did mine. I have no complaints.”

Zuko gave a short nod. “Good. Let me know if that changes.”

Suki raised an eyebrow. “Are you expecting it will?”

Zuko sighed. If it were any random Fire Nation officer standing in front of him, he’d never be so open, but Suki was a friend first and foremost. While it would probably annoy Badu even more to know about it, Zuko was inclined to be open with her.

“Not really. I put Badu in charge of palace security because he has a good performance record and has always seemed competent and professional. I don’t expect that to change. It’s only that the unrest has me on edge, and I want to be prepared for anything. If there’s any sort of conflict at all, I’d like to know about it sooner rather than later.”

“Noted.” Suki didn’t bother to hide her yawn. “If that’s everything, I’m dead on my feet.”

Zuko chuckled. “Get some rest. Agni knows that I slept better last night than I have in a while. You deserve the same.”

Suki grinned as she turned to the door. “Oh, I don’t think I’ll have any trouble.”

Zuko knew that Sokka was almost certainly right that he was overthinking the relationship—or lack thereof—between Azula and Suki. Agni knew it had taken Zuko time to ingratiate himself with his friends, including Suki. And he was pretty sure that the danger the war put them in had forced them to bond faster than they would have otherwise.

Maybe the potential of another break-in could do the same for Azula and Suki, but Zuko doubted it. If they were going to become friends, it would take time, and he had to accept that.

As long as they were civil, everything was fine, but he couldn’t shake the worry that Azula was more uncomfortable than she was letting on. Even after many years of therapy, she wasn’t always forthcoming about how things actually affected her.

He didn’t want to question her because he knew it wouldn’t get him anywhere, but he couldn’t resist the urge to check in on her later that day. She was still in her quarters, which was enough to worry him on its own even though it wasn’t unheard of. Azula did spend some days in her quarters, but increasingly, in recent years, she usually spent them in other parts of the palace or out of the palace altogether. As much as he tried not to read into her choice on this particular day, he couldn’t help but think of it.

The times when he’d made daily visits to her quarters felt like a lifetime ago. These days he was more likely to see her at breakfast or dinner, and being inside her quarters still brought up some of the old discomfort there’d been between them.

“How’s your day been?” Zuko asked as he settled across from her.

Azula raised an eyebrow, making it clear that she saw right through him. “Ask me what you really want to know.”

Zuko bit back a sigh. “Was everything okay with the Kyoshi Warriors outside your room last night? Any complaints?”

It still wasn’t exactly what he was worried about, but Azula didn’t question him that time around.

“It was fine.” She shrugged, fiddling with the edge of her sleeve. “Suki was one of them. She checked in with me at the beginning of the night to let me know she was there. The guards never did that. It was nice.”

Zuko searched her face for signs she was lying, something that had become easier to spot recently, but he found nothing.

“That’s good,” he said. “Let me know if there are any problems.”

Azula smirked. “Do you think I would stay quiet if I had a problem?”

Zuko couldn’t help but grin. It was a good point. Azula may not like to open up about her emotions, but she certainly could complain when needed.

“Good point.”

“I don’t think I’ll have any complaints.” Azula glanced towards the door, though none of the Kyoshi Warriors were meant to be patrolling at the current hour. “I feel better having them here.”

A weight lifted off Zuko’s chest. He had been worried about Azula and Suki, but he hadn’t quite realized until that moment that he was waiting for Azula to give him a sign that he’d made the right decision bringing the Kyoshi Warriors to Caldera. Now that he had it, he felt like he could relax a bit more.

Aang, Katara, and Toph arrived at the palace a couple days later, thankfully to little fanfare in the city. Appa attracted some attention flying over the capital, as he always did, but at least there was no mob waiting to surround the Avatar when he arrived at the palace.

It helped that Appa was able to plop himself right down inside the palace gates, something that even the experienced palace guards always acted surprised about.

The hugs that Aang and Katara both gave him still felt strange, years later. As much as his relationship with Azula had improved, he couldn’t remember the last time he hugged her or Mai or Ty Lee. Toph gave her his own usual greeting of slugging him on the arm, which was just as unexpected for the Firelord. One newer guard standing nearby even gasped when he saw it before quickly trying to pull himself together.

Zuko led them straight to the nearest sitting room, one that was opulent and meant for guests like the Avatar. Sokka sat next to Toph, who he hadn’t seen for close to six months. Zuko listened as Aang, Katara, and Toph caught them up on what was happening in Republic City.

After his own role in forming the city, Zuko liked to stay aware of its goings on, but the situation in the Fire Nation had been too hectic for him to devote much attention anywhere else recently. Thankfully, the situation in the city sounded far more stable than the one closer to home.

“I’m sorry I asked you here for something as simple as standing at the Fire Lord’s side while he announces his engagement,” Zuko said. “As the Avatar, I know you have plenty of things to do.”

Aang chuckled and shook his head. “First of all, you’re not just the Fire Lord, you’re my friend, and you’re marrying my brother-in-law. That alone is enough reason for me to come. But I’m also worried about what you’ve been telling me in your letters. The situation sounds increasingly serious, and I wouldn’t be doing my duty as Avatar if I didn’t assess the situation for myself. So, you’re not bothering me at all, Zuko. I want to be here both as Aang and as the Avatar.”

Zuko wasn’t sure if Aang realized just how reassuring those words were. With the distance that was often between them, it was sometimes easy, even know, for him to forget that he was genuinely friends with Aang—with the Avatar. Such a thing shouldn’t have been that shocking. Plenty of Firelords in the Fire Nation’s past had been friendly and even good friends with the Avatar of their era, including Zuko’s own great-grandfathers, but he’d never expected that he would be among them. He’d spent most of his childhood being taught that the current Avatar needed to be captured and controlled.

He leaned towards Aang, clasping his shoulder. “Thank you anyway. We’ve been under a lot of stress lately. It’s reassuring to have you at our side.”

Toph stretched out in her seat, lifting her feet onto the low coffee table in front of her. “And I’ve missed this weather.” She leaned back, her arms behind her head. “There’s something satisfying about the heat that not even an Earth Kingdom summer can match.”

Zuko was inclined to agree, though he rarely met someone from outside the Fire Nation who felt the same. Since tourism had picked up after the war, many areas of the country were discovering that it was easier to attract visitors from the Earth Kingdom during the winter, when they were eager to flee the relatively colder temperatures of their own nation.

“Have there been any changes in the situation?” Katara asked with a frown. “There haven’t been any threats since the Kyoshi Warriors got here, have there?”

“No one’s broken into the palace.” Sokka shifted closer to Zuko, like speaking about the break-in still upset him. Zuko took his hand.

“At this point, I’m worried about what’s happening in the different corners of the Fire Nation than I am at the palace. The unrest is still fomenting, and I don’t trust most of my advisors. It’s an impossible situation. If I replace them, I risk making the people even angry. They’ll accuse me of betraying Fire Nation values, but I’m convinced that Luo and his lackeys are behind a lot of this, at least indirectly, so keeping them around is no good either.”

Toph let out a low whistle. “You want me to talk to them? I can tell you if they’re hiding something. Though, if you want my expert opinion, they definitely are. Those stuck-up noble types always are.”

Zuko repressed a smile. “They all know about your ability, so they’d be on their best behavior around you, but feel free to talk to them. I don’t know when they’ll be in the palace next. At this point, I care less about them lying and more about getting them out without creating a greater headache.”

“Well, you have the Avatar.” Aang flashed him an exaggerated smile. “I don’t know how useful I can be on ousting advisors, but maybe I can win over some of the public?”

“It’s worth a shot,” Zuko said with a shrug.

Truthfully, he was worried that a lot of the most vocal protesters were too far gone to be won over by the Avatar, but there was still a chance that Aang could influence the rest of the nation, the ones who hadn’t thrown in their lot with the nationalists. Zuko wasn’t sure how large that group was, but he had to hope it was larger than the worst among them.

That evening, not long before dusk, Zuko found Toph earthbending outside the palace in a stretch of barren earth that Zuko had designated for that purpose. When he first made the request, there had been horrified gossip throughout the staff, so he was glad to see that Toph was making use of it.

He stood off to the side, watching her go through her forms. Toph had been one of the most talented earthbenders Zuko knew since he first met her, but somehow, she had still improved since the last time he’d gotten a good look at her bending. There was an ease with which she handled the earth that Zuko still didn’t have with firebending, even years later.

When she lowered the final slab of earth back to the ground, Zuko couldn’t help but applaud. She smirked in his direction and, in one deft movement, bent two rough cubes out of the dirt. She sat on one and motioned for Zuko to take the other. Zuko hesitated. The clothes he was wearing weren’t formal, but they were still one of the outfits that he deemed his “Firelord clothes” in his head. He wore them to meet with his advisors and even to more casual events. They weren’t the sort of clothes you sat on the earth in, but Toph was starting to look impatient. Zuko took a seat beside her.

“Being back here has been interesting so far.” Toph bent a small footstool for herself and propped her feet up. “Do you know that your sister keeps stealing glances at Suki when she thinks no one is looking? And her heart races every time she does.”

She kept her face turned towards Zuko, expecting an answer. Zuko’s mind raced with the new information. Mostly, he was surprised that it wasn’t as shocking as he would have imagined. He thought back to how much Azula had stumbled over her words that first night with Suki at dinner. She’d been a little hesitant towards strangers ever since she started receiving treatment, but that had been something else entirely. With the extra context Toph had provided, that was easy to see now.

He sighed. “Please don’t go around telling everyone that.”

Toph let out a peeling laugh. “Oh, I won’t. Azula is one of the only people in the world who I find legitimately intimidating, but beyond that, I don’t care for gossip. I’m only telling you because it seems like something that has the potential to end disastrously.” She shrugged. “It seemed fair to warn you.”

He believed that Toph meant that, but he wasn’t sure what he was meant to do. Confronting Azula about it absolutely wouldn’t go well. Besides, he wanted to hope that it wouldn’t end the way Toph apparently thought it would. Maybe it wouldn’t be some picture-perfect happy ending, but just the fact that Azula seemed interested in someone was progress after everything she’d been through. Zuko didn’t want to interfere and potentially ruin it before it had a chance to develop.

“They can figure it out on their own,” he said. “Azula’s made even more progress since you last saw her. If Suki does reject her, I don’t think she’ll lash out like you’re probably thinking.”

He would probably need to keep a closer eye on her to make sure she weathered it okay, but that was a different matter.

“Whatever you say, Oh Honorable Firelord.” She bent her chair, propelling herself to standing. She put her hands on her waist and smirked. “Want to spar?”

Zuko subtly stretched, checking for any signs of soreness and assessing whether he could handle the beating that Toph would inevitably try to give him.

Zuko followed Azula down the hall, baffled by how excited she was.

“Where are we going?” he asked, not for the first time.

She’d all but dragged him from his office. The only reason he’d agreed was because her current demeanor was so unlike her that he couldn’t help but find out what was causing it.

“I told you.” She glanced at him over her shoulder without her steps slowing. “It’s a surprise.”

Zuko wondered if she and Sokka had teamed up on something, though he had no idea what. Sokka had been rather preoccupied by their upcoming betrothal announcement lately. Zuko couldn’t imagine him taking the time to plan anything romantic.

Sure enough, when Azula finally tugged him inside one of their smaller reception rooms, it wasn’t Sokka waiting for him.

“Uncle?” he asked in surprise.

Beaming, Iroh held out his arms. “Hello, Zuko. It’s wonderful to see you.”

He had crossed the room and thrown himself into his uncle’s arms before he could think about it. He squeezed his eyes shut, sinking into the hug. Their visits were always few and far between. Iroh could never leave the tea shop in Ba Sing Se for long, and Zuko could rarely justify a trip there unless he had business with the Earth Kingdom.

“How are you here?” Zuko pulled away, staring at Iroh in disbelief. He had aged more since Zuko last saw him. The change was always jarring after they were apart. He had to force himself not to fuss over his uncle’s health. He had to trust that he was taking care of himself, halfway across the world.

“By ship.” Iroh gave a hearty laugh, throwing his head back.

Zuko couldn’t help but smile, even if the answer did nothing for his confusion.

“I couldn’t miss my nephew’s betrothal announcement,” Iroh said, his gaze turning soft.

Zuko’s throat burned. He’d been excited to share the news of his engagement with his uncle, but he hadn’t expected to get to share that excitement in person.

“What about your shop?” Zuko asked.

Iroh waved away his concern. “I have employees now. They’re more than capable of keeping things up and running while I’m gone. I expect there won’t be too much of a mess to clean up when I return.”

Belatedly, Zuko remembered Azula, but when he turned, she wasn’t there. Even in the years since the war, she hadn’t become particularly close to Iroh. They were both cordial with each other. Zuko got the impression that Iroh was following Azula’s lead and would act much warmer if she was receptive to it, but she never gave any signs of it.

“Your sister wrote to me,” Iroh said. “She suggested that I come as a surprise, otherwise I’d have warned you that I was coming.”

Zuko pulled him in for another hug. “It’s an incredible surprise. How long are you staying for?”

“Unfortunately, I can’t leave my shop for that long.” His smile slipped. “Azula also told me a bit more about what’s been going on in the Fire Nation. “

Zuko’s stomach twisted. “I didn’t mean to keep it from you. It’s just you stepped away from the palace for a reason. I don’t want to drag you back into the fire.”

He meant for it to be a reassurance, but Iroh’s expression only turned graver.

“Sometimes I wonder if I made the right decision after the war.” He sat down in one of the chairs that lined the wall and motioned for Zuko to do the same. “I knew I could never be Firelord. The nation needed something new. It needed you. That I don’t regret.” He placed a hand on Zuko’s arm. “It was undoubtedly the right choice. The direction you’ve managed to put the Fire Nation in after only a few years is astounding. But I do wonder if I made the wrong choice staying in Ba Sing Se.”

He shook his head.

“At the time, I thought even being in an advisory role in your life would be unwise. Too many people still remember me as the Dragon of the West and a soldier of my father. Unfortunately, I’d been away from the court for too long, and I believe I underestimated how many of the nobles would react to the change in power. I suspected they would fall in line, even if it was begrudgingly, I didn’t expect so much scheming from the likes of Luo.”

There had been numerous times over the years when Zuko wished that Iroh was closer. It would have been nice to get his advice through a conversation rather than a messenger hawk, but Zuko had never begrudged his uncle the decision to stay in Ba Sing Se. He knew very well what baggage Caldera held.

“You couldn’t have predicted what’s happening,” Zuko said. “From what I understand, Luo was a marginal figure during my father’s reign. He’s taken advantage of the transition of power, but you couldn’t have known he would do that.”

After all, Iroh had spent years away from the Fire Nation like Zuko had. He didn’t know the ins and outs of power in Ozai’s council after the very end of the war any more than Zuko did.

“You may be right,” Iroh said. “At any rate, I’m glad to be here.”

“Of course. We will love to have you, Uncle.”

Already, he felt better about the betrothal announcement and whatever would come after it. His uncle was no guarantee of stability. Anyone critical of Zuko’s reign would be just as critical of Iroh, but having him around put Zuko at ease in a way that wasn’t entirely logical anyway.

Chapter Text

When the day that they were set to announce their betrothal finally arrived, Sokka could hardly believe it. He hadn’t been back from the South Pole for more than two weeks, but it felt like months after everything that had happened. Having his sister and friends at the palace had been a nice distraction, but he could never quite forget how against their betrothal Luo and his supporters still were.

It was a testament to how firmly Zuko refused to entertain them that Luo was uncharacteristically silent in the days right before their announcement. Sokka didn’t see him in the palace once even though he was always peeking in with various opinions to share.

The public already knew that Zuko was set to speak publicly outside the palace that morning. After the formal betrothal announcement was made, a written version would be sent to various localities around the Fire Nation, spreading the news to the entire country. There would be no turning back after that.

Not that Sokka would want to turn it back. He wanted to marry Zuko more than anything, but there was no denying that he was terrified of what might happen once Zuko’s critics learned that he was officially marrying a foreigner.

That morning, he got dressed in the room that was officially Zuko’s but that, in reality, they mostly shared. He’d brought his best outfit from his own room the night before, knowing that he wouldn’t want to be away from Zuko anymore than was necessary that day.

He was glad for his forward thinking. Having Zuko at his side was the only thing preventing him from descending into panic.

It was ridiculous. He’d never thought he’d be someone who would get so nervous about announcing a betrothal, especially one that he wanted so desperately.

“Are you alright?”

Zuko’s question pulled Sokka out of his thoughts. Sokka turned from the mirror that he hadn’t really been looking at. Zuko was at the vanity against the far wall where he’d been adjusting his headpiece. Sokka forced himself to smile.

“Yeah. Just nervous.”

Zuko smiled, but there was no hiding the tension in his own expression as well. He stood and came over to Sokka, placing his hands on his hips.

“We’ve done everything we can,” he said. “Aang will speak too. The announcement will be worded as diplomatically as it possibly can be, not that those people deserve it.”

Sokka couldn’t help but laugh softly. “Yeah, I know.” He turned in Zuko’s arms, placing a hand on his chest. “I am really glad that I’ll finally be able to tell everyone that you’re my fiance.”

Zuko’s smile widened. “Me too.”

Sokka pulled him into a kiss, and his fears faded. It was a nice reminder of why the rest of it was worth it. Beyond that, Sokka would make a good consort. He knew he would; he just had to show the rest of the Fire Nation that.

The stage where they would make the announcement had been set up right outside the main palace gate during the night. A crowd had already gathered by the time they stepped out of the palace, which did little to ease Sokka’s nerves. Thankfully, the palace staff had set up a tent just inside the palace gate where they could collect themselves before appearing in front of the crowd.

People were buzzing everywhere, a collection of staff and guards. Sokka paced back and forth in one corner, trying to stay out of the way. Zuko had been tugged away from him the second they arrived to go over some of the finer details of the event. Sokka wanted to help, but his buzzing brain wouldn’t let him. Maybe he wasn’t as cut out to be consort as he’d once believed.

Katara appeared at his side, peering at him like she expected him to have a breakdown at any second. “How are you doing?” she asked.

Sokka came to an abrupt stop and groaned. “I’ve been better.” He glanced towards the entrance to the tent as someone came in. He caught a brief glimpse of the crowd beyond it. “There’s really no turning back after this. It’s hard to believe that I’m doing this. Like, it’s not just making a commitment to Zuko. It’s a commitment to the whole country, and a lot of them hate me.”

Katara smiled. “Well, if you remember, I did marry the Avatar, so I understand a bit what kind of pressure you’re under. It’s not exactly the same. I don’t have an official title, and there aren't a thousand years of laws laying out what my responsibilities are. But, still, I think I mostly get it.”

She probably did. Sokka could have fixated on the ways it was different. Not just in terms of official titles or responsibilities but in terms of public acceptance. As far as Sokka was aware, no one had started a public movement advocating for Aang not to marry Katara.

But Sokka had been the Avatar’s companion long enough to know that marrying the Avatar was no small undertaking.

Suddenly, Sokka couldn’t help but laugh. Katara raised an eyebrow, probably worried that he’d finally lost it.

“Look at us,” he said, gesturing between them. “Who would have thought when we were kids growing up in a tiny village at the South Pole that we’d wind up marrying the Avatar and Firelord.”

Katara smirked. “I think yours is more surprising. I mean, the Firelord? Try explaining that to anyone living in the South Pole during the war.”

Sokka laughed even harder. “I know. It’s unbelievable when you think about it. Fifteen-year-old me would think I’d lost it if he saw me now.”

“But you’re not fifteen-year-old you anymore.” Katara nudged him in the arm. “And Ozai isn’t the Firelord anymore.”

“And Zuko isn’t trying to capture the Avatar anymore,” Sokka added, glancing fondly at his fiancé across the tent.

Sensing Sokka’s gaze on him, Zuko turned, his face softening when he saw Sokka. Beside him, Katara chuckled and placed a hand on his arm.

“I think everything will be fine.”

At the moment, Sokka was inclined to agree with her.

From across the room, Zuko held his gaze as he approached. Sokka smiled, forgetting about Katara beside him and his worries. They were about to announce their betrothal. He wouldn’t let fear overshadow the momentousness of the occasion.

Zuko came to a stop in front of him. “Are you ready?”

Sokka didn’t hesitate to say, “Yes.”

They walked out side by side but not holding hands. Sokka understood. It was enough that they were about to declare their upcoming marriage.

The whispers of the gathered crowd increased as they stepped onto the stage. There were more friendly faces than Sokka expected, at least towards the front of the crowd.

Out of the corner of his eye, Sokka saw Aang join them on stage. He stood a little bit behind them, granting them his silent approval without drawing too much attention to himself.

On either side of the stage stood several Kyushu Warriors, including Suki, each of them prepared to intervene if something went wrong.

A Fire Nation guard shot a blast of fire into the air, and the crowd grew quiet. Zuko stepped forward, motioning for Sokka to follow him.

“Thank you for coming.” His voice carried easily over the silent crowd. “Today, I have important news to share with the nation. I would like to announce my betrothal to Sokka, son of Chief Hakoda of the Southern Water Tribe and companion of the Avatar.”

They both glanced over their shoulders at Aang, who gave the crowd a sheepish wave.

Suddenly, there was a commotion towards the back of the crowd. Someone screamed as an object flew through the air, right towards the stage.

Before Sokka could react, Suki was in front of him with her fan drawn. She sliced the fan through the air, sending the projectile clattering to the stage floor.

Only then did Sokka get a good look at what it was: a Water Tribe boomerang in an old style, probably scavenged in the early days of the war. It was coated in Fire Nation red paint that was not yet dry. The paint dripped off the boomerang like blood, creating a puddle around it.

Zuko and Suki were on either side of him, trying to rush him off the stage, but Sokka stayed firmly in place. The boomerang hadn’t had the intended effect of its thrower. If anything, it had given him resolve.

If he rushed off that stage, he would confirm all of his critics’ beliefs about him. He wouldn’t play into their hands that way.

He looked up at Zuko. “I have something to say.”

Zuko hesitated, sharing a look with Suki before he nodded.

His head held high, Sokka stepped forward. That alone was enough to make a few people at the front of the crowd gasp.

“I know I’m not what many of you expect from a Fire Consort.” He was impressed when his voice carried as easily as Zuko’s. “Many of you are worried about what I’ll do with the role. Change can often be scary. I should know. My life has changed a lot since I decided to accompany the Avatar across the world.”

There were whispers, but no one else tried to interrupt him with a boomerang.

“I can’t promise to be the same as previous consorts, but are those consorts really what you need? The whole world is changing, and I’ve been lucky enough to see some of that change in the Fire Nation firsthand. It’s impressive what you’ve been able to accomplish in just a few short years. We can only guess how the world will continue to change in the coming years. One thing I can promise you is that I will do my best to be what the Fire Nation needs as those changes come.”

He hesitated, suddenly unsure how to end his unexpected speech. Finally, he stammered out a, “Thank you,” and hurried off the stage, careful to keep his shoulders straight and his head high.

Zuko was right beside him the whole time. Sokka collapsed against him as soon as they were out of view of the crowd, his legs shaky beneath him. His mind raced with doubts.

“I’m sorry if I said too much.”

Zuko stiffened against him for a second before maneuvering them so he was looking directly at Sokka. “No,” he said forcefully. “What you said was perfect.”

He pulled Sokka to his chest. Sokka pressed his face into his neck. They stood there for a minute before Toph’s booming voice interrupted them.

“Nice save, Sokka. I’m impressed.”

Sokka grinned as he turned to look at her. He was surprised at how much better hearing Toph’s compliment on top of Zuko’s made him feel. She wasn’t one to do niceties unless she stood behind what she was saying.

“Thanks,” he said.

Behind him, Aang had stepped forward on the stage and was addressing the crowd, but Sokka wasn’t processing what he was saying. He was just thankful to have the attention off him. At least the crowd seemed to be listening to what Aang had to say. No more items were being thrown.

Suki appeared. The palms of her gloves were smeared with red paint, and she kept them held out carefully from her body to avoid coating the rest of her uniform, but she didn’t comment on them as she grinned at Sokka. “That was impressive. Nice job.”

Okay. Sokka could only take so many compliments at once.

“Don’t boost my ego too much,” he muttered. “I only said what I thought of off the top of my head.”

“Then your instincts were impeccable.” Zuko wrapped an arm around his waist. “I don’t think I could have come up with something that well-spoken like that.”

“And I would have just shot their stupid ass sky high.” Toph held her arms out like she was bending, but no earth moved.

Sokka was hit with a sudden realization. “Did you see who threw it?”

Toph shook her head. “There’s way too many people out there for me to tell what any of them are doing without intense concentration. I could tell which area the commotion started in like you probably could, but I have no idea beyond that.”

It wasn’t like Sokka had much hope in someone getting caught anyway, but it was still disappointing.

“We have people scanning the crowd,” Suki said. “Some Kyoshi Warriors and some Fire Nation guards. If they spot anything suspicious, those people will be questioned.”

That move may not help increase Sokka’s popularity, but he couldn’t bring himself to ask that they call off the search either. His eyes kept trying to shift down to Suki’s newly red gloves, but he forced them to look away.

Zuko put a hand to his back. “Let’s get inside. Aang will be finishing up soon.”

As soon as Sokka saw Luo stalking towards them, he knew he should have seen it coming. The advisor hadn’t been around all morning, probably some thinly veiled statement about his disapproval, but what transpired outside was clearly more than he could bear. His rage was hardly concealed as he approached them.

Zuko stiffened beside Sokka, and Sokka took a step closer, slipping his hand into Zuko’s. Even Suki was on edge as she stepped slightly in front of them, careful not to block Luo’s view.

“This is exactly what I warned you about!” Luo exclaimed. “After that chaos, no one will support this marriage. You’ve made a joke of the throne.”

“I’d caution you not to speak to me or my fiancé like that, Lord Luo.” Zuko kept his voice eerily calm. “It’s true that the way things played out wasn’t ideal, but Sokka is the one who saved the day.”

Luo scoffed. “Saving the day? You call that saving the day? That little speech didn’t mean anything. It sounded like the hollow, meaningless words they expected. It won’t change any opinions.”

“Clearly it won’t change yours,” Zuko said. His grip tightened on Sokka’s hand. “And I’m afraid that’s becoming too much of a problem, Lord Luo. We’ve well-established by now that I’m marrying Sokka, yet you continue to oppose us at every turn. If you cannot find it in yourself to accept my decisions, I’ll have no choice but to remove you from the council.”

Luo sputtered. If he’d seen this coming, he was doing a good job of hiding it, though Sokka couldn’t imagine how he hadn’t seen it coming after all the conflict he’d stirred up over the years. Maybe he really had underestimated Zuko and seen him as too weak to actually do something. It gratified Sokka even more to see Luo be put in his place.

“You can’t do that,” Luo exclaimed.

Zuko raised his good eyebrow. “I believe I can. As Firelord, the council only exists by my appointment. It’s not like your inherited title, Lord Luo. You know that as well as I do. There’s little recompense for you to fight my decision, something which you’ve been doing far too much of lately.”

“I’m the most experienced member of the council.”

“That may be true, but as Sokka said earlier, times are changing. Perhaps you’re not what the Fire Nation needs any longer.”

He spun on his heel, tugging Sokka along with him. Suki tailed them, her hand still on her fan. Sokka couldn’t help but glance over his shoulder at Luo, who was still sputtering in the middle of the hallway. He caught Sokka’s gaze, and his eyes narrowed. Sokka smirked before looking away.

At least one of them wasn’t going anywhere.

“Are you really going to do it?” Sokka asked. “Will you replace Luo?”

Zuko pressed his lips together and nodded. “I’ve been hesitating too long. I’ve been worried about the possible backlash, but with what’s been happening lately, I can’t focus on that. The people who are angry will be angry no matter what I do. If anything, having Luo around will only continue to stoke the flames.”

Sokka was inclined to agree. While Luo was fiery in council meetings, he’d never publicly defied Zuko, yet Sokka couldn’t help but tie Luo’s continued presence on the council to the increasing anger he saw when he stepped outside of the palace.

He’d almost forgotten that Suki was still with them until she spoke. “For whatever it’s worth, I think you’d be doing the right thing.” She scowled back down the hallway. “I may not have been here long, but that Luo guy gives me the creeps. Our second day here, he cornered Kaila asking to talk to her leader. When he found me, he questioned me about my intentions. It was weird.”

Zuko frowned. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“You have enough on your plate.” Suki shook her head. “At first, I didn’t care that much. It makes a certain amount of sense that someone would feel weird about some Earth Kingdom citizens stepping in to protect the Firelord, but the longer I’ve been, the more I’ve started wondering if there was more to it.”

Sokka snorted. “Oh, there’s more to it alright. Luo’s been a perpetual thorn in Zuko’s side since the end of the war. He disagrees with everything. I used to think he was just being difficult as some sort of power move, but it’s gotten worse.”

“He’ll be gone soon,” Zuko said with finality. “I don’t want to act rashly. I’ll need to come up with advisors to replace Luo and his lackeys, but it’s my top priority now. It has to be.”

Sokka smiled, feeling more optimistic than he had in a while. Getting rid of Luo wouldn’t be a magical fix for the recent unrest, but it sure as hell was a step in the right direction. And one that Sokka was going to savor once Luo officially got the sack.

Sokka left Zuko and Suki behind not long after the confrontation with Luo, letting them talk about whether the palace’s security needed to be increased that night. Sokka felt guilty for abandoning the conversation. It felt like the sort of thing he should participate in as the future consort, but he had little desire to think about the target over his and Zuko’s heads.

He was almost to the palace library when he encountered a Kyoshi Warrior walking towards him in full dress. At first, he thought it must be one of the newer members because he didn’t recognize her. It was only when she flashed him a wide, familiar smile that it clicked.

“Ty Lee?” He came to a sudden stop, gaping at her.

Ty Lee held her arms out, presenting her dress. “Isn’t it great?” She patted at her skirt. “I was worried it would be musty, but it aired out just fine.”

It had been years since he’d last seen Ty Lee in her Kyoshi Warrior uniform. He hadn’t realized that she’d brought it back to the Fire Nation with her. He supposed there was a sort of “once a Kyoshi Warrior, always a Kyoshi Warrior” attitude among the group, but that still didn’t quite explain what was happening.

“Have you joined again?” he asked.

“Oh, not officially.” Ty Lee frowned thoughtfully. “It’s more like a temporary basis. I wasn’t sure at first since I didn’t want to overstep, but with the recent security concerns, Suki mentioned something off-handedly, and well…” She motioned at her outfit. “I’m assisting with palace security at the moment.”

Sokka blinked at her. When they’d come to the Fire Nation together, he’d been following Ty Lee. She was the one who had decided that being with the Kyoshi Warriors was no longer for her, and she wanted to move on. It was that resolve that had given Sokka the final push he needed to move on from his own time on the island.

Since then, both of their lives had irrevocably changed for the better. Or, at least, Sokka had believed that Ty Lee saw it that way too. Undoubtedly, she’d been happy as a Kyoshi Warrior, but there was something about the way her face lit up when she was with Mai that made it impossible for her to imagine going back.

“And the future?” Sokka asked hesitantly.

The question was probably overstepping. It wasn’t really his business what Ty Lee decided to do, and it wasn’t like the Kyoshi Warriors were leaving the next day anyway.

“Oh.” Ty Lee’s eyes widened like she hadn’t thought that far ahead. “It’s only temporary. It gives me a chance to brush up on my fan work.” She fiddled with the fan, passing it between her hands. “I haven’t had anyone to practice with in a while.”

Sokka nodded slowly, unsure what to say. Ty Lee had started off the conversation so excited, and now she looked melancholic. He felt guilty that he was the cause of it, but before he could come up with something reassuring to say, another one of the Kyoshi Warriors, Jinwoo, appeared from around a corner.

“Ready to go?” she asked Ty Lee before spotting Sokka. “Oh, hi, Sokka.”

“Hi.” He gave her a short wave. “Don’t let me keep you. I was just going to rest after…”

He motioned vaguely down the hall, hoping that both of them were clued in enough to know that he was referencing what had happened on the stage. Ty Lee and Jinwoo shared a look.

“Of course,” Ty Lee said. “Go on. We’ll be out here keeping you safe.”

Sokka didn’t have to fake his departing smile. He wasn’t sure what Ty Lee putting on the Kyoshi Warrior uniform again meant in the long run, but he was confident that she wouldn’t let any threat get past her.

Chapter Text

Xia had been a bright light for Zuko since she joined the advisory council. He’d been hopeful as soon as he learned that she would take the place of her late father. A younger member didn’t inherently mean they’d be more open-minded, but it raised the chances. And Zuko had been happy to see that his hope was warranted.

She’d been quiet at first, visibly nervous to speak her opinion, especially when Luo was fired up about something, but over time, Zuko watched her grow more confident. She was speaking her mind more, even when it meant openly disagreeing with Luo, and there was no doubt that she and Zuko saw eye-to-eye about many things.

Still, she was a minor player as far as the council was concerned. Many of the older members disregarded her opinion unless she was willing to fall in line behind them. The fact that Zuko didn’t do much to hide the fact that he was fonder of her than the others hadn’t really helped her in that regard.

It was finally time to learn just how valuable of an ally Xia could be. For all her relative progressivism compared to the rest of the council, she was proud to be Fire Nation and of their traditions. Zuko could tell that she held immense respect for him as the Firelord, and he had little doubt that she would do what he asked of her. How well she would achieve it was what remained to be seen.

She came right away when he sent a messenger after her. She was visibly nervous as a servant led her into Zuko’s office, but she didn’t stumble over protocol as she bowed, and she kept her head held high.

“You asked to speak with me, Firelord Zuko?”

“Yes.” He gestured at one of the chairs. “Please, have a seat.”

He came around the desk and claimed the chair across from her. The tea set was already on the table, and he busied himself with adding tea leaves and water to the pot.

“I’m sure you heard about my betrothal announcement.”

“Yes. I wish to congratulate you.”

Zuko couldn’t help but laugh. “Thank you, but I wasn’t fishing for congratulations. I meant that you must have heard about the upset it caused.”

Xia grimaced but nodded. “There’s talk of it all over Caldera, but many disagree with the demonstrator. Most are happy about the news.”

Zuko smiled, but he knew better than to accept it at face value. Xia appeared to believe what she was saying, but she wasn’t necessarily more trustworthy than Luo when it came to gauging popular sentiment. They were both largely isolated from the average Caldera citizens by their wealth and power.

But that didn’t mean the connections she had weren’t useful.

“I’m glad to hear that,” Zuko said diplomatically. “If I remember correctly, you spent your early childhood in one of the colonies?”

She bowed slightly before accepting a cup of tea from Zuko. She cradled it in her hands without drinking. “My mother was an official in West Heiatu, while my father remained in the motherland as an advisor to Firelord Ozai.”

Zuko took a sip of his tea. “You must have met many interesting people there. How have things been since you moved back to the Fire Nation?”

Xia was silent for a moment. He could tell she was trying to judge his intention behind the conversation. Zuko hoped his smile appeared as trustworthy as he wanted to be.

“It took some getting used to,” she admitted, “but I spent all my summers here as a kid. It wasn’t entirely new to me.”

“You have friends here then?” Zuko asked. “People who think similarly to you?”

Her eyes widened. “I suppose you could say that.”

Zuko set down his teacup. “Lady Xia, I’m sure you’ll agree with me that Lord Luo is no longer a good fit for the advisory council. I’ve already told him that I plan to replace him on the council, but I need someone who can fill his place. And, quite possibly, the places of a number of his closest allies.”

Xia gaped at him, her tea long forgotten. “Are you asking for my help?”

“I am. By now, I believe you have a good understanding of what my vision for the Fire Nation’s future looks like. Do you think you could come up with people who share that vision? Ones who would be a good fit for the advisory council?”

She rubbed her fingers along the teacup handle. “I might be able to.”

Her anxiety was palpable. It was the most responsibility he’d given her since she joined the council. Hell, it was the most responsibility he’d put on any advisor since becoming Firelord. The names Xia provided him with had the potential to shape the future of the council itself.

“I’ll look into anyone you suggest for myself of course,” he said. “But I need to know where to start. With everything that’s going on right now, I don’t have the time to scour the nation for potential allies. You’d be saving me a lot of time if you could do this for me.”

“Of course, Firelord Zuko! It’s my duty to serve you.”

She bowed, a loose strand of her hair nearly falling in her tea.

Sokka listened with rapt attention as Zuko explained his conversation with Xia.

“You’re sure we can trust her?” he asked once Zuko had finished. “I know she’s the best ally you have on the council right now, but…”

Zuko took his hand and pressed a kiss to his knuckles. “I understand.”

It was hard to trust anyone at the moment except for their closest friends. After all, someone who wanted them dead had managed to make it inside the palace. Zuko was almost positive that they’d gotten in due to a lapse in security, not because they’d had inside help, but it was difficult not to be a little paranoid.

“There’s not really a way she could betray me about this though,” Zuko pointed out. “Luo already knows I want to replace him. If he catches wind that Xia is asking around, he shouldn’t be surprised. And I’ll still look into any candidates myself. I won’t blindly trust her suggestions.”

Sokka nodded and sighed. “I am glad you asked her. It’s time for the advisory council to have an overhaul. I’m just really jumpy these days. And now our friends are acting weird too.”

Zuko raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

Sokka told him the story of his encounter with Ty Lee in the palace corridor. “Did you know she was helping the Kyoshi Warriors?”

“No,” Zuko admitted. If it was anyone else, he’d be angry about the oversight, but Suki knew he trusted Ty Lee. He also wasn’t positive what the exact situation was. He wouldn’t have put it past Ty Lee to have done most of this herself, without Suki’s direct approval. Still, he made a mental note to talk to both Ty Lee and Suki later.

“I’m worried,” Sokka said. “I know it’s none of my business, but what will happen with her and Mai if she decides to go back to Kyoshi?”

Zuko didn’t really want to consider that question either. Like Sokka, he knew that it was ultimately Ty Lee and Mai’s decision, but he was also worried. He couldn’t imagine Mai deciding to move to Kyoshi. She had hated her brief stint in the Earth Kingdom. And he’d thought Ty Lee was happy being back in the Fire Nation.

“I’m sure they’ll work it out,” Zuko said, trying to convince himself as much as Sokka. “For all we know, Ty Lee just wants to help. It doesn’t mean anything about her moving.”

Sokka pressed his lips together and nodded. “Right, yeah. It’s not like it’s the most important thing happening anyway.”

As much as Zuko hated to think about his friends going through difficulty, he actually wished it was. It would be so much easier to deal with a potential fallout among friends than their potential assassination.

Chapter Text

Sokka was no longer terrified that Azula would appear from the ether and electrocute him, but she still managed to shock him from time to time. He’d noticed her somewhat strange behavior since the Kyoshi Warriors arrived, which included spending more time in her quarters, but he chalked it up to bashfulness. For all her false bravado, she was frequently uncomfortable around strangers these days, especially when she felt like they might see through her armor.

With things as busy as they were, he couldn’t afford to visit her in her quarters every day, but he tried to when he could. He knew that Aang, Katara, and Toph wouldn’t make the effort. Not that he blamed them. They were cordial with Azula, and things had undoubtedly improved over the years, but they weren’t particularly close either and might never be.

Azula welcomed his company like she always did. Sokka was convinced that she was becoming more like her uncle with each passing day, as she never failed to offer him tea when he arrived. So far, he’d refrained from making that observation out loud, not sure how it would go over..

If Iroh had come to visit Azula since arriving in the palace, then Sokka hadn’t heard about it, but he also wouldn’t have expected to. That was the sort of thing that both Iroh and Azula would keep to themselves, no matter how the visit had gone.

Azula’s private sitting room was a bit messier than normal, a sign of how much time she’d spent in it.

“Don’t you want to get out?” he asked as they sipped tea.

“And do what?” Azula narrowed her gaze at him. “Everyone’s busy. You and Zuko have the wedding to plan and the mess with the advisors. And everyone’s on edge about a potential invader. What am I meant to do?”

“You can always visit Mai and Ty Lee.”

He had no idea if Azula knew about Ty Lee’s recent venture into rejoining the Kyoshi Warriors, and he thought it was better not to mention it. Hopefully, she wouldn’t overreact to it anymore, but he wasn’t quite sure.

“They’re not planning a wedding,” Sokka pointed out. “I’m sure they’d have time for you.”

Azula shrugged. “Maybe. I just assumed that Ty Lee is busy with her old friends.”

Her tone was bitter. Not mentioning the Kyoshi Warriors had been a good move on his part.

He was scrambling to come up with a safe way to redirect the conversation when Azula surprised him.

“You know how to use fans, right?”

Sokka gaped at her, but she stared back at him with a straightforward, earnest look on her face.

“I learned a little while I lived in Kyoshi,” he said, “but I’m no expert. I’ve always been more of a boomerang or sword guy.”

“But you know the basics.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Sokka said slowly. “Why?”

Azula sat her cup down. “Zuko’s been going on for years about knowing how to use a weapon being a useful skill on top of bending. I thought perhaps I’d finally take his advice.”

“And you want to learn how to use fans?”

She might as well have announced that she was going to learn how to bend a new element. Sokka couldn’t imagine Azula choosing to train with a weapon over her precious bending at all, but it was even more shocking for her to suggest a different nation’s weapon instead of something steeped in Fire Nation tradition.

“Why not?” She crossed her arms against her chest. “Everyone else seems to enjoy it.”

Sokka tilted his head back and forth. “It’s the traditional weapon of choice on Kyoshi. They grew up with it.”

“Whatever.” She waved a dismissive hand through the air. “I’d like you to show me the basics.”

Despite the friendship they’d been able to forge over the years, Sokka didn’t relish the idea of becoming Azula’s teacher.

“I’m really not an expert, Azula, and I’m also planning a wedding, remember? Maybe you should ask Ty Lee. She’d be a better teacher than me.”

She stuck her bottom lip out in a pout, and he crumbled. He had no idea when Azula had started having that sort of impact on him out of sympathy rather than terror.

“But I guess it wouldn’t hurt to show you a few basics. As long as you remember that I”m no Kyoshi Warrior. I’m never going to make you as skilled as them. I also don’t have a fan.”

“I’ll take care of that,” Azula said dismissively.

The fans the Kyoshi Warriors used were crafted on their home island, so Sokka wasn’t sure how she’d ‘take care of it’ without stealing some fans off of the Kyoshi Warriors, but he decided not to ask.

Part of him wondered if her sudden interest in the fans was about Ty Lee. If word had gotten back to her about Ty Lee helping the Warriors out, maybe she wanted to learn out of jealousy, but that wasn’t the impression Sokka got. Azula’s demeanor was very different from when she’d been insecure about Ty Lee and Mai in the past.

Yet there was something nervous about her. She wouldn’t quite look Sokka in the eye. There was more to her decision to learn about fans than she wanted him to know.

At first, Sokka wasn’t sure whether he should mention the conversation he had with Azula to Zuko, but he couldn’t stop thinking about it. When he and Zuko were alone together later that evening, he couldn’t help but share everything.

Zuko didn’t look as surprised by Azula’s request as Sokka expected.

“I think she might have a crush on Suki,” he said, a thoughtful look on his face.

Sokka’s eyes widened. “What?”

That possibility had never crossed his mind. If he was being entirely truthful, the idea of Azula liking anybody was hard for him to wrap his mind around, but the idea of her liking Suki was particularly startling considering their past.

Zuko shrugged. “She’s been acting strange since the Kyoshi Warriors arrived. I thought it was nerves over having new people in the palace at first, but you’ve seen her at dinner. That’s not normal for Azula. And learning someone’s fighting style is exactly the sort of thing Azula would see as flirting.”

All Sokka could do was stare. The pieces fell into place.

“Huh.”

“Please don’t say anything.” Zuko sighed. “I’ve never seen Azula like this. I’m not sure if she realizes how she feels yet, and I don’t want to scare her. She might lash out and ruin any chance she has.”

“I won’t say anything.” Sokka couldn’t help but grin. “Why would I want lightning shot at me?”

Zuko chuckled, shaking his head. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.” His smile fell suddenly. “If she does wind up admitting her feelings, I am worried how she’d handle rejection though.”

Sokka laid his hand on Zuko’s arm. “You never know.”

He still couldn’t exactly imagine Suki and Azula in a relationship, but he couldn’t imagine Azula with anyone really. That didn’t mean it was impossible.

Sokka wasn’t sure about having a wedding planner. Such a profession didn’t exist in the Southern Water Tribe, where weddings tended to be intimate affairs where the whole community pitched in. He wasn’t a fan of some stranger coming in and planning everything for them, but when Zuko pointed out the scale of a royal Fire Nation wedding, Sokka was forced to concede that there was no way to pull it off without outside help.

Jaori was not what he expected. The woman was ancient and had apparently planned the wedding of Zuko’s parents. That didn’t exactly endear Zuko to her, but as he pointed out to Sokka, it was evidence that she could pull it off.

That still didn’t mean Sokka was excited to be paying for her services.

While she provided Zuko with the proper bow when she entered the meeting room, she scowled as she sat down across from them at the table.

“Thank you for coming,” Zuko said with his polite smile on his lips. “I don’t know of anyone better to pull off a royal wedding.”

She didn’t pretend to be humble. “Yes. As you no doubt know, no one alive has worked on more royal weddings than I have. I planned both Prince Ozai’s and Prince Iroh’s weddings back in the day. When Firelord Azulon married, I was still a girl, yet I helped decorate the reception hall.”

Sokka nodded along like he was actually impressed with her credentials, abruptly stopping when she turned to look at him. Her eyes narrowed.

“I am less familiar with Water Tribe traditions.”

Her voice dripped with condescension that she did nothing to hide. Sokka stiffened as Zuko’s hand found his knee.

“We’re not expecting you to be familiar with them,” Zuko said. “It’s true that Sokka and I would like to incorporate Water Tribe traditions into the ceremony, but we will work together with you on that.”

Jaori pressed her lips together. “Neither Ozai nor Iroh had input into their wedding ceremonies. There is a traditional way that things are done.”

Zuko’s fingers tightened around Sokka’s knee. Sokka took his hand, lacing their fingers together.

“I understand that,” Zuko said, his voice strained. “But, as you’ve no doubt noticed, our marriage isn’t entirely traditional. We want to respect both of our nations’ traditions while doing something new. If you find that infeasible, then perhaps we should look for another wedding planner.”

“No,” Jaori said quickly. She bowed her head. “Excuse me, Firelord Zuko. I did not mean to offend. I understand that times have changed. You have to forgive an old woman for being slow to adjust. There is no one else in the Fire Nation I would trust to pull off a wedding of this scale. Of course you and your fiance’s wishes will be taken into account.”

Zuko looked at Sokka, raising a questioning eyebrow. Sokka nodded his consent.

He had little hope that a different Fire Nation wedding planner would be better, and it probably was true that Jaori, with her experience, was the one most likely to get them through the wedding without a hitch. He didn’t have to like her for her to successfully do her job. He and Zuko could still make sure the wedding was what they wanted.

“Alright,” Zuko said, “but Sokka and I want regular updates on how things are going. You can schedule meeting times with my staff.” He nodded towards the secretary at the far end of the table, who smiled at Jaori. “No decisions will be made until Sokka and I approve them first.”

Jaori’s expression was sour as she nodded. “Of course, Firelord Zuko.”

As soon as Jaori and the palace staff were out of the room, Zuko turned to Sokka, his brow creased in concern.

“Are you sure you’re alright with this? I’ll scour the edges of the Fire Nation to find another wedding planner if I need to.”

Sokka smiled and placed his hand on Zuko’s cheek. “Don’t worry about that. You have enough on your plate without worrying about wedding planners. Jaori has proven she can pull off the job.”

Zuko frowned. “But our wedding should be special. I don’t want the day to be ruined.”

“Jaori isn’t going to ruin our wedding.” Sokka scoffed. “I don’t care what attitude she shows up with. We’ll keep an eye on her and make sure everything we want is included.” He ran a hand over his brow. “Maybe I should see if Katara would be willing to work with her on the planning.”

“Do you think Katara would be willing to do that?” Zuko asked.

“Boss around an old, prejudiced Fire Nation lady about Water Tribe traditions?” Sokka snorted. “Of course she would. And it looks like she and Aang are going to be in the Fire Nation for a while now, so it shouldn’t be hard.”

Zuko chuckled. “Well, when you put it that way… You’re free to ask her of course. I’m sure she’d be an invaluable resource for Jaori, even if Jaori would never admit it.”

Sokka rolled his eyes. “That woman better enjoy our wedding. It’s not like she has much of a chance of surviving long enough to see another.”

It wasn’t hard to find Katara when Sokka went looking for her. There were only a handful of places in the palace that she tended to spend time in when she was there, and one of them was the library, which had an oddly large selection of waterbending books and scrolls considering the recent past.

He found her there pouring over a book on the origins of bending. She listened with rapt attention as he told her about Jaori and her less than stellar reaction to learning that Water Tribe traditions would play a role in the wedding. From the look on her face, Sokka knew what her answer would be before he even got to the question.

“You’d better believe I’ll help.” Katara closed her book with a snap. “More exposure to the traditions of other nations is exactly what the Fire Nation needs. You and Zuko are doing the country a service with this marriage.”

“Just please don’t fight her.” Despite his plea, Sokka couldn’t help but grin. “She’s ancient, and I mean actually ancient, and not like Bumi ancient. I don’t think she’s a bender. She wouldn’t stand a chance.”

Katara rolled her eyes. “I won’t fight your wedding planner, but I will make sure that she includes our traditions in your wedding, where they belong, and I certainly won’t let her bastardize them in the process.”

Sokka exhaled, his shoulders slumping. “Thank you, Katara.”

He fully trusted his sister to do as she said and pull it off. Her temper had cooled just a tad in recent years. She would never let Jaori walk all over her—or the Water Tribe—but she also wouldn’t do anything that blew up into a larger conflict, which was also something that Sokka absolutely did not need at the moment. And neither did Zuko.

It was a miracle that they were still planning a wedding at all, considering everything that was happening.

Katara reached across the table, resting her hand on his forearm with a gentle smile. “It’s what family is for, Sokka. As long as you promise to do the same for me when Aang and I get married.”

She fixed him with an expectant gaze, one eyebrow raised.

Sokka cringed at the idea of having to plan the wedding of the Avatar. It was the one wedding that could top the Firelord’s in terms of dramatics, but Katara was his sister. He’d do it for her whether she helped with his own wedding or not. But he couldn’t allow himself to be that earnest.

“I’ll be the consort,” he pointed out. “We’ll see what I have time for.”

Katara snorted, shaking her head in amusement.

Sokka was relaxing by the turtleduck pond when Toph found him. She collapsed beside him, sprawling out on top of the earth and looking like the picture of comfort.

“This trip is shaping up to be one of the most interesting things to happen to me in a while.” She put her arms behind her head and leaned against the tree beside Sokka. “Life has been so boring since the war. Everything is the same.”

Sokka snorted. “The same? Did you forget the entire new country that now exists? The one you live in?”

Toph shrugged. “You’d think that would be interesting, but it was really just a lot of boring meetings. The protests about whether the United Republic should exist or not were at least something, but those have all died down now. I’m enjoying being somewhere where stuff’s actually happening.”

Sokka rolled his eyes. “I’m glad that me and Zuko nearly dying is great amusement for you.”

Toph smirked, not the least bit sorry about what she’d implied. “But you didn’t,” she pointed out. “And I don’t think there was any real chance of it. With the Kyoshi Warriors guarding you, it’s even less likely.”

“Is that ruining your fun?”

It was mostly meant as a joke, but Sokka couldn’t help but include some real bite behind it. He was surprised when Toph answered, “No.”

Sokka turned to her in surprise.

“It turns out that everything else going on here is way more interesting than an inept assassin. Like Azula and Suki. I didn’t know it was possible for Princess Lightning to react to another human being like that.”

Part of Sokka was tempted to gossip about that further with Toph, but he pushed the urge aside. They were in the middle of the most popular courtyard in the palace. There was no telling how Azula would react if she overheard them.

Instead, he asked, “When did you become such a gossip, Toph?”

She smirked. “When everything else became boring.”

She sighed and closed her eyes, tilting her head backwards.

They fell into an easy silence that always seemed to win out eventually when Sokka and Toph spent time one-on-one. In the past, Sokka had felt the need to fill the silence with chatter, but he’d learned over the years that it wasn’t necessary, especially with Toph.

For all her amusement over whatever was happening between Azula and Suki, she didn’t seem keen to wax poetic about it to Sokka. Apparently watching it play out was enough.

Sokka hoped that, whatever happened between them, it wasn’t as dramatic as what Toph was gearing up for.

That evening found their whole group of friends gathered around the dinner table long after dinner had been cleared away by the staff.

“It’s a long tradition,” Zuko explained. “Every Firelord for at least a thousand years has gone on a betrothal tour. It’s a chance for the country to meet the new consort. That and the trip after they’re crowned were the only times a lot of my predecessors ever saw the far-flung parts of the nation.”

“If it’s such an old tradition, why is Luo so against it?” Katara asked, scowling as she thought of the man.

“The same reason Luo is against everything.” Sokka sighed. “He doesn’t want the marriage to happen, and he’s against everything Zuko does anyway.”

Zuko cringed. “That would be why,” he agreed. “But I’m done listening to Luo anyway. We have to do the betrothal tour to show the country that we’re not abandoning all Fire Nation traditions, only the ones that have no place anymore.”

“Has an Avatar ever gone on one of these betrothal trips before?” Aang asked, leaning forward with glistening eyes. He and Toph were the only ones actively excited to be going.

“Yes, actually,” Zuko said. “But only Fire Avatars. The last one was Szeto. He accompanied Firelord Yosor and his consort Feifei.”

“Well, I for one am thrilled.” Toph had her feet up on the table and her arms crossed behind her head. “It’ll be great to finally get the recognition we deserve again. All people do in Republic City these days is expect me to fix their problems.”

Katara rolled her eyes. “Toph, this tour is to celebrate Zuko and Sokka’s betrothal. We’re going along to support them.”

Toph shrugged. “We’re the companions of the Avatar, and we’re in a place where most people haven’t met us before. There’s going to be fanfare, Katara, and I’m going to milk it for every bit it’s worth.”

Katara pressed her lips together, but Aang took her hand in his, silently urging her to let the topic drop.

If Toph wanted to court the crowd, Sokka was happy to help her. He’d take anything that helped get more people on their side.

“I don’t want to go.”

It was the first time Azula had spoken in ages. Everyone turned to where she was slumped in her chair, her arms crossed against her chest.

“It’s not that I’m not happy for you.” She looked at Zuko and Sokka with shining eyes, willing them to believe her. “It’s only that it’s a long time to be away from home, and all we’d be doing is standing on stage after stage smiling and trying to make ourselves likeable.” She shuddered. “You don’t need me anyway. Luo and his ilk still say shit about how I should be Firelord. I wouldn’t help you.”

Zuko frowned. “I won’t force you to come, but what about protection? We still don’t know if the assassin will try something new, and the Kyoshi Warriors were planning to come with us.”

He looked at Suki. Sokka raised an eyebrow as she fidgeted in her seat.

“I could always stay,” she said hesitantly. “The others will be more than enough to protect you all on the road, and I could make sure Azula’s safe as well. Plus, there’s always the palace guards.”

Azula was utterly silent, but she stared at Suki, her mouth slightly parted.

Zuko was as surprised as Sokka was, but he hid it well, as did everyone else at the table even though Sokka saw the surprise in their faces. Only Toph did nothing to hide her sniggering, but not even Azula was keen to draw further attention to the moment by calling her out.

“That would be fine,” Zuko said.

“If Ty Lee goes, you won’t be short on numbers,” Suki said.

Mai pressed her lips together but stayed silent as Ty Lee bobbed in her seat. “I’d love to help out!” she said.

There was silence for a moment before Zuko cleared his throat.

“I guess that settles it. Azula and Suki will stay behind at the palace while the rest of us go. I’ll send out word to the various mayors and governors to have them arrange accommodations.”

There were murmurs of agreement around the table as they all broke into their own individual conversations. Only Mai stayed silent, her arms crossed against her chest.

They lingered for a couple hours after that, talking about various aspects of the trip. Mai left first, with Ty Lee following not long after. By the time Sokka was making his way to his room, he expected them to be long gone, but he wasn’t far from the dining room when he heard, “I didn’t think it would be a big deal,” in Ty Lee’s familiar high-pitched voice.

He froze. They were in the corridor that he needed to go down in order to get to his room, unless he wanted to turn around and go an extremely meandering way that took three times as long.

“Maybe it wouldn’t have been,” Mai said, her voice characteristically flat, “but you didn’t even talk to me about it before you made the decision.”

“All our friends are going,” Ty Lee said. “You can too. It’s not like I’m leaving forever.”

There was silence. Sokka’s heart raced in his ears as he backed up in the direction he’d come from. Zuko and Aang were still in the dining room. He could go back and make up some excuse for why he’d decided to stay longer. If they detected something was off, surely they wouldn’t push him into revealing Mai and Ty Lee’s secrets.

“You didn’t tell me about helping out the Kyoshi Warriors either,” Mai said.

Sokka really needed to escape, whether it was to the dining room or somewhere else. All he knew was that he couldn’t stay there. Facing Aang and Zuko again and having to stumble through a poorly constructed excuse was more appealing than turning the corner and interrupting Mai and Ty Lee’s fight.

He kept his steps as light as possible as he retreated down the hall. The sounds of Mai and Ty Lee’s argument faded without him being detected. He breathed easier once he rounded the corner.

Chapter Text

Zuko was in the midst of a lovely dream. He was on Ember Island with Sokka, and there was no one else in sight, allowing them to lounge on the beach and enjoy each other’s company without any worries of being interrupted.

Suddenly, a loud clang of metal against metal interrupted the moment. Zuko looked around in confusion. There was no reason for weapons to be drawn in a place like this. Dream Sokka looked as confused as Zuko, especially as raised voices began to sound from further down the beach.

Zuko flew awake, sitting up in the bed. Sokka awoke too, looking at Zuko much like his dream counterpart had. The voices were coming from the hall right outside his room.

Without saying a word, Zuko flew from the bed. He didn’t have time to grab his swords as he yanked the door to the bedroom open and flew through the sitting room to the door that led from his quarters out into the hallway. Sokka wasn’t far behind him; his own sword clutched in his hands. He’d taken to keeping it in Zuko’s room since the last intrusion.

He knew what he would find, but it was no less shocking to see three Kyoshi Warriors engaging an intruder clad all in dark red. A mask covered the lower part of their face, and they clutched a dagger in one hand even as they kicked out, firebending towards Ty Lee.

Ty Lee jumped out of the way, yelling at another one of the Warriors to do the same as the intruder turned in their direction. Three more Kyoshi Warriors appeared at either end of the hall, each running towards them.

Zuko shot fire at the intruder’s feet, alerting the stranger to his presence. The intruder whirled to face him. Zuko’s fire flashed in his eyes, and Zuko saw the hatred the intruder felt for him. He pushed those feelings aside. They would only get in the way.

The intruder’s reaction to Zuko’s arrival was enough for Suki, who had been running from one end of the hall, to kick him in the back of the knees. He collapsed, his dagger falling from his hands. Ty Lee took out each of his chi points before he could react, and he slumped over. The only thing he was capable of was glaring at Zuko and Sokka.

“I didn’t think you’d be stupid enough to try again,” Zuko said.

He couldn’t be sure that this intruder was the same as the last one, but they had to be connected somehow. If it wasn’t the same person, it was at least the same group.

The intruder remained silent, and it was clear that was meant to be a point. Zuko sighed. There was no use questioning him in the middle of the hallway with everyone else around. He wanted thorough answers, and those were only going to come when he had time to gather his thoughts and sit down with the only person who could give him the information he wanted.

“Take him to the dungeon,” he told Suki. “Make sure two guards are on him at all times. He won’t receive any other visitors.”

Suki gave a short nod. She motioned to another Kyoshi Warrior, who stepped forward and grabbed the opposite arm that Suki held. Another Warrior grabbed his legs, and together they carried him off in the direction of the dungeon.

It was far from a dignified exit on the intruder’s part, and Zuko took unabashed enjoyment in watching the scene.

He reached out, taking Sokka’s hand in his. “We’re closer to getting to the bottom of this,” he said.

Sokka smiled and nodded, but their happiness was limited and would be until they had been assured that nothing like this would happen again.

Chapter Text

The intrusion managed to wake everyone in the palace. Iroh rounded them all up in one of the simpler sitting rooms meant only for the royal family. He set to work making tea, looking far too at ease considering the sequence of events that had brought them together in the middle of the night.

Azula looked the worst off. She had her knees pulled up to her chest where she sat on the floor at the low table in the middle of the room. She stared at the tabletop, oblivious to the tea Iroh placed in front of her.

“We knew the Kyoshi Warriors would be able to handle them,” Iroh said, smiling at Suki as she entered the room.

Even under her heavy makeup, she was visibly exhausted. They all turned to look at her, most of them leaving the tea Iroh had prepared untouched.

“The suspect is in a cell,” Suku announced, “on the opposite side of the prison from Ozai.”

Sokka hadn’t even thought about what would happen if the intruder spoke to Zuko’s father. It sent a shiver down his spine. There was no way Ozai was involved in all this. Zuko had worked far too hard to keep him isolated from everyone besides the guards personally assigned to him, and there was no sign that the guards had been compromised.

Zuko motioned for Suki to sit down. She did, gratefully accepting the cup of tea that Iroh passed to her. She took a long sip.

“When was the intruder first detected?” Zuko asked.

Sokka scooted closer to him, seeking comfort. They may have been physically fine, but he was just as rattled as the first time.

“Ty Lee noticed him scale the wall,” Suki said. “She alerted everyone else in the area, but he was fast. We were on his tail, but he was able to make it to the hallway outside your room before we caught up with him.”

Zuko waved away her apology. “I’m glad he was spotted earlier this time. He never had hope of getting past the guards right outside our door now that we’re on higher alert.”

That did help Sokka calm down. With the amount of guards and Kyoshi Warriors stationed around the palace, it was essentially impossible for anyone to get into his and Zuko’s room without being spotted. In some ways, that unnerved him more. Whoever the intruder was, he had to know that security would be tighter after the last assassination attempt, yet they were committed enough to try again anyway.

“I’ll need to question him,” Zuko said. He looked at Sokka, but before he could speak, Toph’s hand shot in the air, drawing everyone’s attention to her.

“Want me to come with you?” she asked. “That way you’ll know if he’s lying or not.”

Zuko sighed. “If you’re up for it, I’m not going to say no.” He turned back to Sokka and lowered his voice. “You don’t have to come if you don’t want to.”

“I want to.” Sokka straightened his shoulders as he stood.

If he was going to stand beside Zuko, he had to be up for challenges like this. He couldn’t make a speech to the Fire Nation public about why he was worthy of being consort and then shy away from hard situations.

He enveloped Zuko’s hand in his. “It’s not my first time facing down an attempted murderer.”

Yet, somehow, those moments had never unnerved him in quite the same way. That wasn’t to say they weren’t terrifying. They were. But what they’d experienced during the war was different from your home—a place where you were meant to feel most at ease—being invaded. He’d rather face an enemy on a battlefield again.

Sokka shivered as they walked down the row of cells in the prison. Most of them were empty. Under Zuko’s rule, this place was only for criminals that had threatened the safety of the Firelord himself. Ozai’s was the only cell permanently occupied, as Zuko didn’t trust him being with other prisoners at a different facility. Thankfully, they entered the prison through a door that didn’t take them past Ozai.

This wasn’t a place Sokka willingly visited. He’d only been there two other times since the end of the war, and he’d have been happy to never come back.

It was eerily quiet as he, Zuko, Toph, and Suki came to a stop at one of the first cells. Suki scanned their faces, perhaps searching for signs they were about to flee, before she unhooked a key from her belt and slid it into the lock.

Inside, a row of bars separated them from the intruder. A Kyoshi Warrior had taken his mask, exposing his face, but that did little to make him recognizable to Sokka. Judging from the looks on the others’ faces, no one else knew who he was either. Sokka wasn’t sure if that made the situation better or worse.

He looked up at them slowly, one eyebrow rising when he saw how many of them there were.

“Come to interrogate me?” he asked.

Instead of answering, Zuko said, “Toph will know if you’re lying.”

Toph raised her hand and gave an exaggerated wave.

“So, I suggest you make this easier on all of us and tell the truth,” Zuko concluded.

The prisoner scoffed. “Do you really think they chose a snitch for this job? No, I was chosen for my loyalty and willingness to do whatever it takes. You can do whatever you want to me. I won’t tell you a thing.”

Sokka surprised himself by speaking. “Is the idea of me being consort really so horrifying that you’d be willing to die for it?”

The prisoner regarded him balefully. “Don’t be full of yourself. This is about far more than your ridiculous betrothal.”

“He’s telling the truth.” Toph’s words were muttered too low for the prisoner to hear, but he still smirked like he knew what she’d said.

Zuko stepped closer to the bars. “Why you tried to kill me and my fiancé is far less important to me than knowing who you are allied with. There’s no way you could have known exactly where my bedroom is without insider information.”

The prisoner stared at him without speaking a word.

Toph cracked her knuckles. “Want me to give him some incentive?”

“No,” Zuko said firmly. “We have to do this the right way, or we’ll play into their hands. We can’t hurt him.”

The prisoner’s lips stretched into a smile. “You won’t win anyway,” he said. “There are more of us than you realize. We’re everywhere, all over the country, and we won’t sit idly by while you run our precious homeland into the ground.”

Sokka’s blood ran cold, something that didn’t happen often in the hot, humid Fire Nation.

Suki scoffed loudly. “Of course you’d say that to try to intimidate us. How many of these supposed allies have you met face to face?”

The prisoner’s eyes narrowed. “I’ll never say.”

“He does think he’s telling the truth about their numbers.” Toph crossed her arms over her chest and took several menacing steps towards the bars. “But that doesn’t mean anything. He was nervous when you asked him how many people he’s met.” She smirked. “I’d be curious to talk to your contact to see how truthful he was to you. That would be interesting, wouldn’t it?”

The man glared up at her, but Toph was unaffected by the hatred rolling off the man.

Zuko drew their attention back to him. “If you don’t want to talk to us tonight, then fine. We could all use some sleep. We can talk more in the morning.”

“It won’t make a difference,” the prisoner said, but Zuko was already walking out the door, with the others close behind.

Zuko nodded at the Kyoshi Warriors stationed on either side of the door, and one locked the cell tight. Sokka breathed easier when no longer faced with the man who wanted to kill him, but that didn’t mean he was at ease.

“What does this mean for our tour?” Sokka asked as they walked back towards the palace. “Can we be confident they won’t try something at one of the stops?”

“The girls will thoroughly check all of your lodgings and the stages you use,” Suki assured him.

“That guy was full of it,” Toph added. “He’s nothing more than a delusional fanatic. He may think he’s acting on the wants of the country, but so do most would-be assassins. Azula thought she had popular support when she tried to kill you, didn’t she?”

Zuko grimaced at the reminder of that particular part of the past. “Yes,” he admitted. “And she may not have had as much as she believed, but she did have some. I’m worried some of those same people who supported Azula back then might have thrown their lot in with this movement. This man may be a pawn. It’s possible that he knows very little. They knew there was a good chance he’d be captured. We still have to question him more thoroughly, but I don’t think we’ll get a real, accurate picture of what’s happening from him.”

Suki tapped her fingers against her fan. “Maybe I should come with you on the tour, make sure everything is running smoothly.

Zuko was quick to shake his head. “I want to know that there’s someone I trust keeping an eye on Azula while we’re away. If some of the same people are behind this as used to ally with her, there’s no telling what they’ll try to do if she’s alone.”

Suki frowned. “You don’t think…”

“No.” Zuko’s voice was stern. “Azula has nothing to do with this. You saw her tonight. She was terrified by this break-in, just like she was the last one. She hasn’t spoken to any of those people who encouraged her since she got help, but many of them escaped justice. I know she’s more scared of them turning up again than she wants to admit.”

Suki was still unsure, but she nodded. “I’ll do my best to keep her safe.”

Chapter Text

Zuko wasn’t sure what to make of the current collection of people gathered around the long meeting room table. To his right was the entire advisory council, while to his left were his friends and sister. Xia sat at the other end of the table, not entirely comfortable in her role of bridging the gap between the two groups.

Azula sat beside Xia, her eyes cast downward. She hadn’t wanted to come to the meeting, pointing out that she had no plans of going on Zuko’s trip, but Zuko had pointed out that that was exactly why she was needed at the meeting.

He wasted no time detailing his plans for the tour to the advisors, ignoring the surprised looks they shared with each other as they spoke and the distrusting glances they tossed towards the far end of the table.

“Azula will be staying here at the palace,” Zuko said, powering on before anyone had a chance to interrupt him. “She will be in charge in my absence. If anything happens, she’s the one you need to speak to.”

Azula stared at him, her expression impossible to read. There were whispers among the advisory council. Zuko could easily imagine what many of them were saying. For some, Azula as Firelord was what they’d wanted in the beginning, and Zuko willingly giving her that authority, however limited and temporary it was, had thrown them off.

Luo seized his opportunity to interject.

“Firelord Zuko.” Luo bowed low over the table. “Forgive me, but do you really plan to still go on this trip while an attempted assassin sits locked up in a cell right outside the palace?”

Zuko gritted his teeth. Beneath the table, he squeezed Sokka’s hand. “Yes. Seeing and hearing from me directly is exactly what this country needs right now. Tensions will be high when people hear that someone tried to take the life of their Firelord and his betrothed. We need to reassure them that everything is alright and nothing has changed.”

Zheng glanced at Luo before addressing Zuko. “It’s a brilliant idea, Firelord, but I, too, am concerned about your safety. This assassin was able to breach the walls of the palace. It would be even easier for them to break into the inns along your route, no matter how secure they are.”

Sokka stiffened beside Zuko but remained silent.

“The Kyoshi Warriors will be coming with me,” Zuko said. “They stopped the last assassin. They’ll stop anyone else who tries as well.”

“And you’re sure this is what the people want?” Luo asked. He looked past Zuko at Sokka, his gaze narrowing. “We all know that people are unhappy about your betrothal. Will parading it in front of them really ease tensions?”

Aang brightened in a way that Zuko could instantly tell was an act. He waved an enthusiastic hand through the air. “I’ll be on the trip too. The Avatar. I have plenty of experience soothing tension.”

Luo didn’t return Aang’s smile. “Yes, I know about your achievements, Avatar. Many of them directly led to the current political situation.”

Aang raised an eyebrow, his expression shifting to something more serious. “The situation in the former Fire Nation colonies was much scarier than this at its peak.” He leaned towards Luo, resting his elbows on the table. “You weren’t there, Lord Luo, so I don’t know how much you heard about the situation. Surely you were told about the formation of the United Republic.”

“I’ve heard everything about it,” Luo said flatly. “Though I haven’t had a chance to visit the place myself.”

“What a shame.” Aang shook his head. “It’s a lovely country, and it’s very peaceful these days. Because we managed to ease the tension.”

Luo turned back to Zuko. “Very well. It seems there will be no convincing you that this is a foolish plan. I can only hope that you don’t come to regret it, Firelord Zuko.”

Zuko stared straight back at him. “I won’t. Now that everyone’s on the same page, I believe this meeting is over.”

Everyone stood immediately. The advisors clustered in a group near the door, whispering to each other. Zuko couldn’t find it in himself to care what they were talking about. His friends left as quickly as possible, and he wanted to follow them, but Luo blocked his path.

“Firelord Zuko.” He bowed. Standing up, he glanced at Sokka before asking Zuko, “May I speak to you in private?”

Zuko hesitated, but Sokka placed a hand on his arm. “I should go talk to Katara about wedding stuff anyway.” He smiled at Zuko, pressing a kiss to his cheek. He flashed Luo an overly bright smile before he slipped past him.

Luo stood there stiffly, refusing to look at Sokka as he left.

“What is it?” Zuko asked. He was long past hiding his frustration with Luo from the man. He wanted Luo to know how annoying he found him.

Luo made a show of glancing around, making sure no one else was in earshot before he said anything. “It’s about Princess Azula. Are you sure you trust her to make decisions in your absence?”

Zuko wanted to laugh. Trust Luo to try to play him against Azula now when he’d once hoped to endear himself to her.

“Yes,” Zuko said shortly. “She’s the best choice for the job at the moment. She understands the Fire Nation, and I can trust her to keep me informed of anything that happens.”

“But her mental condition…” Luo trailed off, waving his hand through the air.

“Is not currently a concern,” Zuko said shortly. “There’s no need for you to worry about this, Lord Luo. I have everything handled. Have a nice day.”

He didn’t wait before leaving the room himself, ignoring the cluster of advisors as he passed.

He turned a corner and nearly ran into Sokka, who was standing in the middle of the corridor between Azula and Suki.

“What are you doing here?” Zuko asked dumbly in surprise.

Azula crossed her arms over her chest. “Waiting for you, obviously. What did Luo want?”

Zuko sighed. He glanced over his shoulder, but there was no sign of Luo or any of the other advisors. “To warn me against trusting you,” he admitted.

Azula scowled. “Figures. He probably knows that I told you all about him trying to persuade me to his side, so now he wants to drive a wedge between us in a different way instead.” She looked at Zuko with worry in her eyes. “I don’t trust what he’ll try to do while you’re gone.”

“That’s why you and Suki will be here.” Zuko nodded towards the Kyoshi Warrior, who flashed him a confident smile.

“If he tries anything too egregious, you should write to me immediately. But you’re probably better off keeping him out of the palace as much as possible.”

“We’ll keep an eye on him.” Suki turned to Azula, offering her a hesitant smile. “Won’t we, Azula?”

Not expecting to be directly addressed, Azula stuttered over her words. “Of course,” she said finally, sounding nothing like her usual self.

Zuko shared a look with Sokka and bit back a smile. If Suki noticed the strange behavior, she didn’t comment on it. Sokka took pity on Azula and drew Suki into conversation, asking her about fight formations as he led her away and left Zuko and Azula alone.

“How are you?” Zuko nudged her lightly in the arm. “You’ll be alright in the palace while I’m gone, right?”

Azula tilted her head from side to side. “I think so.” She looked in the direction that Sokka and Suki had disappeared in. “Truthfully, I’m more worried about being alone here with Suki than I am some assassin showing up.”

Zuko grinned. “It might be nice for the two of you to get to know each other better.”

Azula rolled her eyes. “Don’t get too excited. She offered to stay because you’re paying her to be a guard. It has nothing to do with me.”

“No.” Zuko shook his head. “She’s the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors. She’d have told someone else to stay behind if she didn’t want to stay.”

Azula shifted on her feet, unwilling to look him in the eye. “Whatever.” She angled her body away. “That still doesn’t mean anything. I didn’t want to go on this ridiculous trip and suck up to the commoners either.”

Zuko couldn’t help but laugh. “Maybe. Look, all I’m saying is that it’ll be a good opportunity for you to get to know each other better. That doesn’t mean anything has to happen. I’m just glad the two of you are getting along well.”

“Yeah,” Azula said quietly, “me too.”

Chapter Text

It was remarkable how easy Sokka found talking to Suki after she arrived at the palace. He’d been prepared for the atmosphere to be awkward between them, but after their first few stiff conversations, they were able to chat almost as easily as they had been before.

The romantic feelings that had once dominated their relationship were no longer there, but their familiarity with each other still created a sense of closeness that was impossible to ignore. There was a reason their relationship had worked well for so long. There was a chemistry between them that came easily.

“It’s been nice getting to talk to you again,” he admitted as they ambled down the halls of the palace.

He wasn’t sure where they were going. He was just letting his feet take them wherever they wanted.

“You too.” Suki grinned. “It’s a shame it’s under these circumstances though.” She sighed and shook her head. “Neither you nor Zuko deserve this. I’ll never be able to understand why the whole country is concerned about who Zuko marries anyway. For most of my life, I didn’t even know if the Earth King was married or not. It didn’t make any difference to me.”

“The Fire Nation is different,” Sokka said.

He’d always known that, even back during the war. All of the nations were different from one another, but the Fire Nation was really something else. When he was younger, he’d thought that the haughtiness came from being at war for a hundred years, but now he knew it was the other way around. The war had emerged out of an attitude that was already there. The careful, self-important way they liked to carry themselves—particularly among the nobility—had created the perfect atmosphere for a country that was eager to dominate the rest of the world.

“I don’t envy you,” Suki said. “I’m happy for you and Zuko, I truly am, but I could never put up with this sort of thing for the rest of my life. This is why I’m quite content back on Kyoshi Island. No one’s judging my every move.”

Sokka had been content on Kyoshi Island once too. Moving to Kyoshi with Suki had been such a nice respite after the war. He still had many fond memories of the time he’d spent there, but it was no longer what he wanted. The difference he’d made during the war had always stuck with him, and he wanted to keep doing that. Not the war part, but he wanted to make a difference, and he knew that he and Zuko could have a huge impact on the Fire Nation.

If they didn’t get killed first.

“Hopefully you can go home soon,” he said, eager to change the topic.

“Oh!” Suki exclaimed, laughing. “Trying to get rid of me?”

“No, no,” Sokka rushed to say, struggling to speak over his own laughter. “You know that’s not it. I only hope that people stop trying to assassinate us soon.”

Suki hummed. “Me too. I hope Zuko is right that this tour will make a difference.”

“And you’ll be here the whole time with Azula.” He nudged Suki in the side with his elbow.

She shoved him away, rolling her eyes. “Whatever you’re getting at, don’t.”

Sokka held his hands up in mock innocence. “I’m not getting at anything. It’s nice to see the two of you getting along. I was right, wasn’t I? Azula’s not that bad anymore, once you get to know her.”

Suki sighed. “You were right, but I still can’t quite wrap my head around it. I keep expecting her to launch fire at me or something. I think part of me would appreciate it because it would right the world again. It’s bizarre seeing her act so…normal.”

“I wouldn’t call her normal.” Sokka laughed. “She still barely knows how to function outside of the palace. That’s why it’s good for her to meet other people. But now it’s just social awkwardness and not her trying to burn people’s hair off.”

Suki nodded as they reached one of the quieter, out-of-the-way courtyards. “Well, I’m glad I gave her a chance. It’ll be interesting to see what we get up to while you guys are gone.”

Sokka bit back a laugh. “I’m sure it will be,” he muttered to himself.

The next day found them bundling themselves into several of the royal carriages. Toph and one of the Kyoshi Warriors joined Sokka and Zuko in theirs. Sokka couldn’t help but strain his neck out the window to catch a glance of the palace before it was out of sight.

“I can’t believe I’ll miss the place,” he said as he settled back in his seat. Despite its flaws, it had become home over the years.

Toph scoffed across from him, but Zuko was kinder as he took Sokka’s hand.

“It’s a much different place from the one I grew up in,” he said. “I’ll miss it too.”

Sokka repressed a shiver. He was glad he’d never seen the palace back when Azulon and Ozai were Firelord. He’d only seen certain parts of it on the Day of Black Sun, and he hardly associated the palace with that day anymore. Amazingly, the palace had become a home for him, and he had mostly warm feelings about the place, even after two assassination attempts.

“I’m excited to see more of the country though,” he said. “Most of what I’ve seen outside of the capital was when we traveled around during the war, but that was different.”

“Are you referring to our thorough education on the Fire Nation’s cave system?” Toph asked. “That wasn’t bad. I enjoyed those accommodations.”

Sokka rolled his eyes. “Not all of us are as fond of sleeping in the dirt as you are, Toph. Anyway, that’s not exactly what I meant. We weren’t able to explore many of the cities back then.”

“We may not be able to now either.” Zuko cringed. “We’ll have to assess what’s safe as we go.”

Sokka smiled and kissed his cheek. “It will still be more than we saw during the war, I promise you.”

Zuko tried to smile back, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

When they reached their first destination, Sokka crowded up to the window to get a good look outside the carriage. His stomach dropped at what he saw.

“That’s a lot of people…”

Zuko scooted closer, peering out beside him, and swore.

“They don't sound angry.” Toph tilted her head, listening carefully to the sounds of the crowd. “If anything, they sound excited.”

Sokka scanned the faces of the crowd. They looked excited too. He didn’t see any scowls. There was no one holding insulting signs. He breathed a little easier.

“I should get out first,” Myla, the Kyoshi Warriors traveling with them, said. “Just in case.”

Zuko nodded as the carriage came to a stop. Myla jumped out, and along with the other Kyoshi Warriors, cleared the space around the carriages.

She was back a few minutes later and ushered them through the crowd, into the hotel. The others were close behind. All around them, the crowd tried to get closer, but the Kyoshi Warriors kept them at bay. Sokka focused on putting one foot in front of the other, one of his hands clutched in Zuko’s.

The second the hotel door closed behind them, Aang let out an exaggerated sigh. “That was more intense than I expected,” he admitted.

“We’ll check out the building,” Ty Lee said. “Stay here.”

The Kyoshi Warriors were gone a second later, leaving the rest of them in the lobby of the hotel. A flustered employee appeared, blinking in surprise at the Kyoshi Warriors that streaked past him. He quickly redirected his attention to Zuko and bowed.

“Firelord Zuko, we’re honored to have you staying with us.” He turned to Aang and bowed a second time. “And the Avatar of course.”

Sokka noticed the man’s eyes flicker towards him briefly before he looked away, but he didn’t care enough to press for an official greeting. That was a snub that he could easily get past. He wasn’t the Firelord or the Avatar. Katara was as ignored as he was, as was Toph. It didn’t have to be personal.

No security threats were found, but there was no chance of Sokka sleeping well that night. Thoughts of the speech they were set to give the next day swirled through his mind, and Zuko tossed and turned just as much as he did.

By the time they made it to the stage that had been set up in the middle of the town, Sokka felt close to losing his mind.

His last speech may have gone over well, but that had been given on a whim, born entirely out of anger and frustration. Years later, he couldn’t forget the disastrous speech he’d given on the Day of Black Sun. It haunted him, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that it might happen again.

Only this time, such a fumble might have even more terrible consequences.

Chapter Text

Zuko knew Mayor Itoshi. One of the more monotonous parts of his job in the beginning had been receiving local leaders from across the Fire Nation at the palace. There was a whole song and dance associated with it. Each of them had to declare their allegiance to him as Firelord.

He hadn’t seen Mayor Itoshi since, but Zuko had reviewed their correspondence in preparation for his visit to the village. Said correspondence had been primarily one-sided, with Mayor Itoshi sending him updates on the running of the village that Zuko didn’t have time to respond to. That didn’t appear to bother her. Perhaps she had expected it. Zuko doubted his father had spent much time worrying about smaller villages like these. His focus had always been primarily on the war.

From the records, he knew that Mayor Itoshi had been running the village for over a decade, and her family was a prominent one in the area. Many of her ancestors had held the position of mayor over the past century, but the family wasn’t nobility either. They had gained their wealth early on in the war by manufacturing weapons.

When he first learned that, he’d worried about starting their tour in Mayor Itoshi’s village, but it appeared that the family had sold that business long ago, when their weapons became outdated as better ones were invented. They couldn’t keep up in weapons manufacturing, but they had managed to hold onto their wealth, and Zuko couldn’t figure out how they’d done so. There was no good explanation in any of the documents the palace kept.

If Mayor Itoshi held any resentment towards Zuko or his friends for the end of the war, she was excellent at hiding it. She had nothing but polite smiles for them when she greeted them in the morning.

“We’re honored to welcome the Firelord and Avatar to our town,” she told them.

They stood behind the stage that had been set up in the middle of town, hidden by a large curtain from the citizens Zuko could hear on the other side.

Mayor Itoshi clapped her hands together, her smile widening. “Shall we?”

She motioned at the stage.

Zuko nodded. “Lead the way.”

He squeezed Sokka’s hand briefly before following the mayor, the rest of the group filing in behind him. The crowd hushed when they came into sight. Knowing they’d be seeing the Firelord and Avatar in their own hometown was a lot different than actually seeing them.

Mayor Itoshi stepped to the front of the stage and spoke loudly, her voice carrying over the crowd.

“Thank you for joining us today. As you know, we’re honored to have Firelord Zuko, his betrothed, and Avatar Aang with us today, as well as their friends. Please welcome, Firelord Zuko.”

The crowd broke into polite applause as Zuko replaced Mayor Itoshi at the front of the stage, fastening on his best smile.

“Hello, people of Ekani. I’m honored that so many of you have come today. It’s been a pleasure to see your wonderful town for myself. It’s been many years since I was last here, and it brings me great joy to see you all doing so well.”

A few people let out cheers as if confirming that they were doing well like Zuko claimed. That was a good sign. He’d take anything that wasn’t audible booing.

“As many of you have heard, I am now betrothed to Sokka of the Water Tribe.” He motioned to Sokka standing behind him, his smile softening into something more genuine. “I am honored to introduce you to him today. He’s looking forward to getting to know the wonderful citizens of Ekani just as I am. I hope you will greet him as warmly as you’ve greeted me. Sokka?”

He motioned for Sokka to come forward, and his fiancé did so. Zuko knew he was nervous from the stiffness in his shoulders, but it wasn’t obvious enough to be noticeable beyond those at the front of the crowd. He let his hand brush Sokka’s back briefly as he stepped back, giving him the spotlight.

“Hello.” Sokka gave a wave before deciding it looked ridiculous and quickly snatching his own hand out of the air. He chuckled nervously. “Like Zuko said, we’re glad that you’re all here. You have a lovely village, and I’m grateful to see more of the Fire Nation, a country I’ve grown to love over the past few years.”

He scanned the crowd, closely watching their reaction. A few people shared looks like they didn’t quite believe him. Zuko shot him an encouraging smile.

“Many of you were probably surprised when you learned that Firelord Zuko was marrying someone from the Water Tribe. I understand. A few years ago, I’d have been surprised too. I’m sure many of you still have reservations about how I’ll do in the role. I understand that too, but I promise you that I have the best interests of the Fire Nation at heart. I hope to use what I’ve learned from you to be what you need. Thank you.”

Zuko led the applause, thankful when the crowd went along with it. None of them looked particularly impressed, but anything was better than booing or shouting. Hopefully that was a positive sign about the rest of the tour.

Sokka moved back to stand at Zuko’s side as Aang stepped forward. He straightened his shoulders. To most people, he probably looked fine, but Zuko knew the stiffness in his posture was a sign that he was worried about how his speech had been taken.

It was hard to resist the temptation to reach out and take his hand, but the Fire Nation was weird about such displays of affection. That was one thing Zuko hoped could change over the course of his reign, but it wasn’t something he was prepared to push at the moment with tensions already high.

“Hello,” Aang said, his voice its usual brightness. “Many of you might know me already. I’m Avatar Aang. Firelord Zuko invited me on this tour to give me a chance to see more of the Fire Nation. I’ve been lucky enough to see many of your wonderful sights before, and I’m looking forward to getting to know more of you. My role as the Avatar is in service to the whole world, not any particular nation. It’s been heartening to see the increased cooperation between nations since the end of the war.

“I know that change has led to massive changes for all of you, and sometimes change is challenging. However, as an Air Nomad, we were taught to embrace change and learn how to ride it because change is inevitable. I hope that my lessons with the monks will be able to provide some guidance to you as well as we all learn how to move forward together.”

Zuko watched the crowd closely as Aang spoke. Most of them were watching Aang with the same politeness they’d shown him and Sokka, but they didn’t look particularly affected by his speech either.

Still, Zuko reminded himself, that was better than protestors and booing. At least he knew that not even the Avatar could win them over completely.

Less than an hour later, they were in their carriages, setting off for the next village on their itinerary. A few people lingered, eager to see as much of the Firelord, Avatar, and their entourage as they could, but most of the crowd dispersed as soon as Aang was finished speaking.

Zuko felt uneasy about the whole thing. After so many protests and angry citizens, he didn’t trust how quiet their crowd had been.

“That went really smoothly,” Sokka said as they traveled away in their carriage, the village disappeared into the distance. “Too easy?”

Zuko sighed. “I kind of thought so too, but maybe we built the situation up too much in our minds. After two assassination attempts, we started seeing threats everywhere. Maybe the unrest isn’t as serious as we thought.”

Sokka wanted that to be the reason, but the atmosphere of one village didn’t really tell them anything about the nation as a whole, as much as he’d like to think they’d all be so peaceful.

Their next stop was in a city three times larger than the last village. It sat in a valley surrounded by mountains, and Zuko warned the others that many would likely travel from the smaller villages up in the mountains to come see them speak.

“We need to be careful,” he told Sokka and Toph as their carriage rolled along, bumping over stray rocks that were common along the road, which didn’t appear to be tended to with any frequency. “The mayor of this city is a close ally of Lord Luo. He’s petitioned me to join the advisory council several times before, and I rejected him each time. From what I’ve heard, he’s even worse than Luo in some ways. There’s no telling what he’ll have up his sleeve.”

“If he tries something, I can always attack him,” Toph said with a shrug. “How intimidating can an old guy from an isolated place like this be?”

Zuko sighed. “He’s not that old. I believe he’s in his late twenties, maybe his early thirties now. Luo helped him get the mayorship right before the war ended, so he’s in Luo’s debt. From what I’ve heard, his policies are also popular in the area. Intimidating or not, fighting him wouldn’t do us any favors.”

Toph shrugged, crossing her arms across her chest. “Fine then, but the guy better not piss me off too badly.”

“I’m sure he’ll be polite.” Sokka rolled his eyes. “That’s the Fire Nation style, being polite on the surface.”

Zuko shot him a dark grin. “Yes, for better and worse. For better because we shouldn’t have to deal with any outright violence while we’re there. For worse because we may not be able to get an accurate picture of the current climate here.”

“You have me.” Toph lifted her foot in the air, wiggling her toes. “At least I’ll be able to detect any outright lies.”

Sokka tapped his fingers against his leg. Wherever they went, it felt like everyone else always had the upper hand, but Toph was right. At least they had some advantages that no one could escape from.

Mayor Inweda was waiting for them at their hotel. He smiled in a way that Zuko found excruciating as Zuko explained that the Kyoshi Warriors were inspecting the place as an extra precaution.

“You’ll find that our humble city takes our responsibility to our Firelord very seriously,” Inweda told Zuko with an incline of his head. “Great care has been taken to assure you’ll be safe here.” He turned to Aang and offered him another bow. “And the Avatar, of course. My family has long respected the Avatar. One of my own ancestors was a Fire Avatar.”

Aang’s eyebrows rose, but he immediately placed Inweda. “Avatar Lee III.” He hesitated, glancing at Zuko, before adding, “You look just like him.”

Inweda preened, though Zuko was fairly certain Aang hadn’t meant it as a compliment. He didn’t know anything about Avatar Lee III personally, but he got the impression from Aang’s demeanor that being related to him wasn’t as prestigious as Inweda wanted it to be.

“Yes!” Inweda said. “Our family is still in possession of a number of his artifacts if you’re interested.”

“Oh, no thanks.” Aang rubbed at his neck. “It’s a nice offer, but I’m content communicating with my past lives, you know.”

Inweda did his best to mask his disappointment. “Well, if you change your mind,” he said.

Aang shuffled closer to Zuko. As soon as Inweda threw himself into describing the local industries, Zuko leaned over to whisper to him.

“Avatar Lee III?”

Aang shrugged. “He was a relatively minor Avatar. From what I know, he spent most of his life here in his hometown. Occasionally, he’d leave if the Firelord at the time demanded something of him, but other than that, he required anyone needing help to come to him. His philosophy was that he was too important to travel around at others’ convenience.”

Zuko scoffed. Inweda was deep in a talk about why mountain puma goats produced better milk than those that lived at lower altitudes. He paid no attention to Aang, Zuko, or the rest of his audience as he spoke.

“How unsurprising,” Zuko muttered.

He’d never thought an Avatar could get by with behaving in such a way, but then again, they didn’t answer to anyone else. It made him feel a bit better about his own family’s failures as Firelords knowing that some Avatars had been terrible as well.

“It was a peaceful time at least.” Aang’s grimace belied his words. “There wouldn’t have been much for him to do even if he had traveled.

Zuko grunted in agreement.

At the palace, Zuko’s bedroom was always quiet (assassination attempts notwithstanding). It didn’t matter what was happening outside the palace, Zuko would be clueless to it unless he stepped outside himself or a member of staff alerted him to what was happening.

He hadn’t always been used to sleeping like that. During his exile, Zuko had gotten very good at sleeping through general commotion while knowing when something was happening that needed his attention. He’d lost that skill a bit over his comfortable years of being Firelord.

When the noise started outside the hotel, it woke him immediately, but he wrote it off at first, sure it was nothing more than the townspeople getting up and going about their day. In a place like this, they had to work hard to earn a living. It wasn’t surprising that some would be up as soon as dawn broke.

It wasn’t until Sokka nudged him that he realized there might be more to it. He opened his eyes and found Sokka peering nervously at the window, though he hadn’t moved from the bed.

“What is it?” Zuko asked.

Sokka shook his head slowly. “I don’t know, but it sounds like a lot of people out there.”

It did. Now that he was fully awake, it sounded like a lot more than just people going about their mornings. He got out of bed and approached the window slowly, not wanting to be spotted by whoever was on the street below.

He lifted the curtain just far enough to peek out and groaned at the sight.

“They’re surrounding the hotel,” he said, stepping out of the way so Sokka could look out like he had.

He started pacing, tugging at his hair. There were even a few people with protest signs. There was no doubt whose side those gathered were on, and it wasn’t his. Sokka put a hand on his back, and Zuko came to a stop.

“It’ll be okay,” Sokka said, though his voice was shaky.

Zuko took a deep breath and nodded. It would have to be okay. They couldn’t skip their scheduled speeches. It would give the protesters exactly what they wanted.

“I’m the Firelord.” Zuko squared his shoulders. “I’m not going to be run out of a town in my own country.”

Sokka nodded along.

“I’m going to speak to Ty Lee,” Zuko continued. “I want to see if we can set up a meeting with Inweda after breakfast.”

“Do you think he’ll be any help?” Sokka peeked through the curtains again. “It doesn’t look like he’s doing much to calm things out there. I don’t see any local officials, at least not in uniform.”

Zuko sighed. It was true that he hadn’t spotted anyone when he glanced out the window himself.

“It’s our best course of action,” he said. “Inweda knows this town. I want an explanation for the current situation and reassurance that he’s able to protect us later today.”

Sokka was already looking back out the window, his face clouded with anxiety. Zuko wished he could make it disappear. He pressed a quick kiss to Sokka’s cheek before he slipped out of the room to find Ty Lee.

Inweda arrived promptly with Ty Lee, but his attitude about the situation left a lot to be desired.

“They’re harmless,” he said as he settled down across from Sokka, Zuko, and Aang in the hotel’s lobby. “I know many of the people out there personally.” His eyes widened as he hurried to add, “As I try my best to know all of my constituents here. This is a rural area, which allows me to forge those kinds of personal relationships. I can assure you, Firelord Zuko, that no one out there is capable of violence. They merely want their voices to be heard.”

It was a nice idea, but Zuko had come too close to death recently to accept it.

“I’m not trying to keep them from speaking,” he said. “But you have to understand that there have been two recent attempts on my life by people who may have similar beliefs to the people currently standing outside this hotel. Have you spoken with the local police? Will they be there on hand if something happens?”

Inweda looked at him in surprise. “Of course, Firelord Zuko. We take your safety very seriously, but to be sure, I’ll speak to the police chief myself. You have my assurances that everything will run smoothly, as expected.”

Zuko accepted the answer with a nod, but he still got the sense that Inweda wasn’t taking the situation as seriously as he should be. Perhaps the fact that he knew many of the people outside was coloring his view of the situation.

Then again, Zuko had never met them. Maybe they really were as disinclined to be violent as Inweda claimed. At least they had the Kyoshi Warriors with them. Between them and the police, nothing bad could happen. He was always on guard when he was in crowds anyway. That was the nature of being Firelord.

You never knew what was going to happen next.

Chapter Text

It took some careful maneuvering, but they were able to make it to the curtained off area behind the stage that was set up in the city center. Sokka’s heart raced in his chest as he paced back-and-forth in their tent. Already, the sounds of the crowd outside were different from those in the last village.

Their current chant was, “Keep the royal family Fire Nation,” which made Sokka sick to his stomach.

He wasn’t the only one who didn’t like it. Zuko was using all his willpower not to storm out of the tent and shoot fire. Sokka kept shooting him smiles whenever he passed him in his pacing, but they did little good.

Inweda lifted back the flap over the entrance to the tent and stuck his head in. “It’s time.”

He was far too cheerful for the circumstances. Sokka hated him more and more with every interaction. He could pretend to be on Zuko’s side all he wanted, but Sokka knew that he was far more aligned with the protesters than he was with them.

Sokka turned to Zuko, who squared his shoulders and plastered on his Firelord face. He looked at Sokka.

“Ready?”

Sokka nodded, mimicking Zuko’s strong posture as they stepped out of the tent together with Aang and the rest of their friends following behind.

The chanting grew louder as they came into sight, but Sokka forced himself not to flinch. It didn’t matter what these people in this isolated city of the Fire Nation thought. He was going to marry Zuko and become consort.

As long as he wasn’t killed first.

He pushed that last thought from his head. Inweda had made good on having police officers placed around the crowd. Many of them lined the front of the stage along with the Kyoshi Warriors.

Zuko stepped forward, but the noise didn’t die down. “Citizens,” Zuko said, but his voice didn’t carry far.

If anything, he spurred the crowd on further. His hands balled into fists. Sokka stepped forward before his anger exploded, taking his hand and giving it a squeeze. The public hand-holding probably wasn’t helping them win any friends, but at least it was a sign that he wasn’t going anywhere.

“Please,” Sokka said, making his voice as loud as possible, “I want to connect with you.”

Most of the crowd couldn’t even hear his words over the protestors.

For the first time, Sokka noticed the people who weren’t joining in with the yelling. There were quite a few of them, scattered throughout the crowd. They peered up at him and Zuko, not necessarily with fondness but at least with indifference or curiosity. More than a few were clearly frustrated with the protestors.

Sokka tried to reassure him, but he couldn’t reach those people if they were unable to hear him speak.

“I’m your Firelord,” Zuko tried again. “Listen to me.”

Most of the protestors weren’t even looking at them. Their chants had dissolved into yelling. A few other citizens stepped forward, their faces screwed in anger. Police officers hurried forward, doing their best to separate the two groups, but the conflict only spurred others on as more began to fight.

A gust of wind grazed Sokka’s side. He recoiled, pressing himself into Zuko’s side, and Aang’s airbending weaved through the crowd. People cried out, and many cowered close to the ground, covering their heads with their arms, but Aang’s bending didn’t cause any damage, even if it left everyone windswept.

The fighting came to a stop. Even the police officers stared at the stage in stunned silence.

“Enough,” Aang declared, glaring down at the crowd. “You’ve made your points heard. Now it’s time for you to listen to us.”

There were no objections, not even from the protestors.

“I’ve lived many lives as a Fire Nation citizen,” Aang continued. “I’ve experienced this country both in my current and in my past lives. I know all the wonderful things this land has to offer, and I know the deep pride it inspires in its people. I’ve experienced that pride. Avatar Szeto decided to become an advisor to the Firelord, directing most of his attention to helping the people of his homeland even at the expense of other nations.

“Avatar Roku, too, struggled in his earlier years with letting go of the Fire Nation enough to serve all four nations. It’s understandable. There’s much about Fire Nation history and culture to be proud of, but you can’t ignore the rest of the world. That’s what led to the war. There’s only peace and harmony when every nation works together. Each nation has great things to offer to the others. Sokka can bring a unique perspective as consort that no Fire Nation citizen could. That doesn’t lessen Fire Nation culture. It makes it richer by allowing it to interact with others.”

The rapt silence was interrupted by a shout of, “We don’t want Air Nomad bullshit!” The rest of the crowd began shouting, individual messages drowned out by others.

Even Aang looked furious.

The police officers tried to break up the sporadic fighting through the crowd as the Kyoshi Warriors kept people from surging towards the stage. Ty Lee jumped onto the stage in front of them.

“Come on. We need to get you out of here.”

Sokka grabbed Zuko’s hand, doing his best to keep his legs steady as they hurried not towards the tent but towards the carriage that was already waiting for them. The driver took off before they managed to sit down, throwing Sokka half into Zuko’s lap. Zuko didn’t complain, only wrapped his arms around Sokka’s waist to keep him from tumbling to the floor.

The crowd grew loud outside as people tried to swarm the carriage. The Kyoshi Warriors shouted at them to keep back. Sokka squeezed his eyes shut, prepared for the worst, but eventually, the noise began to fade as they got further and further from the chaos.

Only then did Sokka slide off Zuko’s lap, squeezing into the space between him and Katara.

Inweda arrived at the hotel less than ten minutes after they did. For the first time, he actually looked angry.

“That was a disaster!” He slashed his arms through the air.

Zuko narrowed his eyes. “I asked if you had a good handle on things before we left. You assured me that everything was under control, that the protestors were harmless.”

Inweda stilled, reminded that he was standing in front of the Firelord. His face paled, and he quickly lowered himself to a low bow on the floor. “Firelord Zuko, I never believed that the people of this city were capable of such things. It’s never happened before. I’m sure they meant no harm. They merely need time to accept a foreigner as consort.”

There were sparks in Zuko’s eyes. “You’ll be lucky if I allow you to remain mayor after this.”

Inweda’s head jerked up, his eyes wide. Even after the chaos that had erupted, he hadn’t dreamed of losing his position as mayor, not after so many years of the position being in his family.

“My Lord, I truly am sorry.”

“Go.” Zuko waved a hand through the air. “We have another night in your city. If you want to apologize, then find a way to ensure our safety while we’re here.”

“Of course, Firelord Zuko.” Inweda pressed his forehead to the floor again briefly before standing up and scurrying away with his tail between his legs.

It was satisfying to watch, even if Sokka was still shaken from everything that had transpired in the city center.

Sokka didn’t love that they were spending another night in the city, but they’d already been run off the stage. They couldn’t let themselves be run out of town too.

He couldn’t sleep well. He stayed cuddled with Zuko, who was just as tense as he was no matter how hard he tried to play it off.

He didn’t really expect anything to happen. The Kyoshi Warriors were keeping watch, and Sokka knew they could handle anything that was thrown at them. The events earlier that day had proven that.

“I’m sorry,” Zuko whispered into his hair.

Sokka tightened his grip around his waist. “Nothing that’s happened has been your fault.”

Zuko sighed. “Maybe not, but if it weren’t for me you wouldn’t be dealing with all of this.”

Sokka propped himself up on his elbow to look down at Zuko. He cupped his cheek, tracing his thumb along his cheekbone. “Zuko, I chose this because I love you. Nothing they do is going to change that.”

With a smile, Zuko tugged him into a kiss.

Chapter Text

Zuko wasn’t sure when he managed to drift off to sleep. He knew the Kyoshi Warriors had every entrance to the hotel covered, but the violence of earlier in the day had affected him more than he wanted to admit. He didn’t like being away from the palace, where he had more control over his surroundings.

That was a ridiculous thing to say as Firelord. He was in charge of the whole country. If he gave an official order, it would be treason not to follow it, but he couldn’t rely on that like some of his ancestors had. Since his coronation there had been people willing to disobey him out of perceived loyalty to his father, grandfather, or even great-grandfather. It didn’t matter how hard Zuko worked to bring the Fire Nation into modern times with as little hardship as possible, there would still be those who saw him as undermining the nation.

When he did fall asleep, it was restless. He didn’t register the commotion as anything more than part of his dreams at first. It wasn’t until Sokka shouted that he jerked awake.

There was someone in the room wearing a similar disguise as the previous intruder at the palace. Zuko threw off his covers and took a defensive position.

Sokka stood on the other side of the bed. He didn’t have his weapons on him for easy access. There’d been a long discussion about bringing them, and they’d decided against it. They wanted to promote peace and a new Fire Nation, which didn’t fit with Sokka carrying weapons on him. There was meant to be Kyoshi Warriors for that, but no Kyoshi Warrior was appearing now. Zuko would have to be the one to fend the intruder off.

“What do you want?” Zuko demanded.

The intruder didn’t speak. They kicked out with their leg, sending a burst of flame toward Zuko. Zuko dodged it, but he wasn’t fast enough to stop the intruder from surging past him towards Sokka.

Sokka grabbed the only thing within reach, an extinguished oil lamp on the nightstand, and tossed it at him. The intruder dodged it, and it shattered against the wall, causing the kerosene to drip down. Sokka swore.

The intruder shot a flame at the kerosene, igniting it.

“Sokka!” Zuko launched himself over the bed, but once again, the intruder was faster.

They aimed their fist at Sokka’s face. Sokka brought his hands up to block them, and they took the brunt of the fire. With a cry, Sokka fell to his knees.

Zuko landed in front of him and lashed out. The intruder stumbled back into the kerosene-fueled flames, but they caused him no harm before he quickly danced out of them towards the door. Zuko shot another kick, pushing the intruder out the door. He doused the flames along the wall as he went. A dark blotch was left behind along the wall and floor where the fire had burned.

Zuko followed to the hallway and screamed, “Intruder!” as loud as he could muster.

Aang materialized in seconds, his pajamas ruffled from sleep. He wasted no time chasing the intruder. Toph wasn’t far behind. Zuko waited just long enough to see two Kyoshi Warriors materialize before he rushed towards the door to Aang and Katara’s room.

He nearly collided with Katara as she emerged, blinking rapidly as she tried to rid herself of sleep.

“Katara,” he gasped. “It’s Sokka. I need you.”

He didn’t bother to explain further. He turned on his heel and hurried back to his room, Katara’s footsteps echoing behind him. He rushed to Sokka’s side, falling to his knees.

Sokka’s face was contorted in pain. He clutched his hands to his chest.

“Let me see.” Zuko carefully pried them away, careful not to touch the actual burns.

The back of both Sokka’s hands were covered in angry red blisters. Sokka hissed as he splayed his fingers, and Zuko sucked in a sharp breath.

“I’m so sorry. I should have gotten there faster.”

“Don’t.” Sokka’s voice shook. “Don’t apologize. You were attacked too. It’s not your fault. I’m the one who decided not to bring my sword or boomerang. And I threw the lamp. That was stupid.”

Zuko was quick to shake his head. “No. You were just trying to protect yourself. It was the only weapon you had. It doesn’t matter anyway. The intruder was a firebender. If I can’t blame myself, then you definitely can’t blame yourself.”

Sokka let out a wet chuckle and nodded.

“Zuko.” Katara appeared at his shoulder. “You have to let me see him.”

Zuko nodded, his throat tight. He backed away and let Katara kneel in front of Sokka. She unscrewed the cap on her water pouch and bent the water to cover Sokka’s hands. The water took on the blue glow that Zuko had come to associate with Katara’s healing.

“Will he be alright?” Zuko asked.

Katara pressed her lips together but nodded. “The burns should heal fine. They’re second degree, but they’re pretty superficial. There may be some scarring, but it will be minimal. It’ll probably fade with time.”

The tension in Sokka’s shoulders eased as Katara worked, and Zuko was able to breathe a bit easier. But there was no escaping the tension in the pit of his stomach. He didn’t want to raise his doubts out loud and make Sokka anxious, but he remembered when his father had burned him and the agony of the pain afterwards.

He hadn’t had a waterbending healer to take care of him. Even the palace healers had provided him with only minimal care under his father’s orders. If his uncle hadn’t been there, he might not have gotten any medical attention at all.

He knew Katara would do far more for Sokka than anyone had been able to do for him. It was also true that Sokka’s burns didn’t look as bad as Zuko’s had when it was fresh, but these were on Sokka’s hands. Depending on the level of scarring, he might have trouble using them as adeptly as he could before. It could have a significant impact on his sword fighting in particular.

A hand fell on his shoulder, and he jumped.

“It’s me.”

Zuko looked up to find Aang standing above him, his expression serious. He motioned his head towards the door.

Zuko looked back at Katara and Sokka. Katara was fully absorbed in her healing and didn’t seem to have noticed Aang come in. Sokka glanced up at him and offered him a small smile, motioning for him to go with Aang.

He pressed himself off the floor and followed Aang into the hall, his heart aching the further he got from Sokka. He closed the door behind him. It was better for Sokka to focus on healing, not whatever bad news Aang inevitably had for him.

He took a shaky breath as he faced his friend.

“Sokka will be alright,” Aang said, offering him a smile.

Caught off guard, Zuko blinked at him. He’d been gearing himself up for news on the intruder, not reassurances. He couldn’t bring himself to say, “I know.” It would be a lie. In reality, he was terrified even more than he knew the situation warranted.

The burns were bad, but the night could have ended so much worse.

“What happened to the intruder?” Zuko asked.

Aang grimaced. “They got away, but that’s not the worst of the news. The one that made it to your room wasn’t the only intruder. The Kyoshi Warriors were ambushed by about ten others outside. It seems to all have been part of a plan. Those ten were the distraction while one of them slipped into the hotel unnoticed.”

Zuko bit back a groan. “Were any of them apprehended?”

Aang shook his head. “They all fled suddenly. It caught everyone off guard. Apparently all of them were firebenders and talented ones too.”

“Probably retired Fire Nation Army.” Zuko ran a hand over his face. “That could explain why they’re so angry at me. I’ve done my best to ensure every former soldier came home to a job, but there have undoubtedly been growing pains. Inweda also wasn’t on board with all of my plans, but I’m sure they blame me for that instead of him.”

Aang clapped him on the shoulder. “It doesn’t matter what their grievances are. They’re wrong any way you look at it. They also injured several of the Kyoshi Warriors.”

Zuko’s stomach dropped. “How badly?”

“Nothing life-threatening. Sokka’s worse off than they are. Manji has a sprained wrist, and Koko seems to have torn a muscle. They’re already performing first aid on each other, but I’ll ask Katara to take a look once she’s done with Sokka.”

Zuko backed into the wall, tilting his head back and letting his eyes fall shut. He wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and go back to sleep, but he wouldn’t have been able to sleep even if he tried.

“I should go see them,” he said. “I want to know every detail of what happened. Besides, they got hurt trying to protect us. They deserve to speak to me directly.”

They found the others huddled in the lobby. Ty Lee bounded over to him as soon as she saw him.

“We will have a few people stationed outside,” she said, “but we don’t think they’ll try anything again tonight.”

“They won’t.” Zuko lowered himself into the nearest empty chair, his body sagging into the cushion. “They know we’re awake.”

He scanned the scene in front of him. Manji’s wrist had already been put in a splint, and Koko’s leg was being elevated by a stack of cushions.

“Everyone’s okay?” Zuko asked, needing the extra confirmation.

Ty Lee smiled brightly. “Manji said she’s suffered worse from training, and she’s probably right.”

Toph appeared and threw herself onto the ground in front of them. “Are you going to fill in Inweda?”

Zuko pressed his fingers into his eye sockets with a groan. “Protocol dictates that I should. If nothing else, the local police force should be notified of what happened, but I just don’t want to deal with it. I have no confidence that telling him will make a difference. It will just make the whole thing decidedly worse. I’ll tell him before we leave in the morning and not a second earlier.”

No one had any complaints about that.

Zuko didn’t stay in the lobby long. He was itching to get back to Sokka.

When he returned to the room, Katara had gotten Sokka into the bed and had him reclining against the pillows. The backs of his hands were still red, but the blisters were gone, allowing Zuko to relax a little bit more.

Sokka smiled at him as he perched himself on the edge of the bed.

“How are you?” Zuko asked.

“Never better.” Sokka flashed him his best attempt at a smile.

“He’ll be fine,” Katara said, already moving towards the door. “I’ll need to look at them again in a few hours and again routinely over the next couple days, but pretty soon, he’ll be as good as new.”

She let the door swing shut behind her.

Sokka grumbled, shimmying down further into the blankets. “I’m never going to sleep tonight. How will I be fit to go on stage in the next town?”

Zuko stiffened. “Sokka, we’ve already decided to go back to the palace tomorrow morning.”

“What about the tour?”

Zuko almost covered Sokka’s hand with his before thinking better of it. He settled it on his abdomen instead.

“Aang will continue the tour by himself. The tour’s not as important as your health. I’d like to think the other towns and villages wouldn’t be as dangerous as this one, but I don’t want to risk someone else breaking into our room while we’re asleep, and you need your rest.”

Sokka huffed in frustration. “So much of the country already doesn’t like me. What are they going to think if we abandon the tour?”

Zuko pressed a kiss to his forehead. “We’ll explain that you were injured. Anyone halfway decent will understand.”

Of course, it was the ones who weren’t halfway decent that they were both really concerned about, but Sokka looked upset enough. Zuko was determined to put as positive of a spin on it as he could. He knew that, deep down, Sokka understood that they couldn’t continue the tour.

“We’re not canceling it for good,” Zuko said. “We’ll resume it once your burns heal and we can guarantee that everyone will be safe.”

Sokka closed his eyes and nodded, the fight leaving him. “Yeah, okay.”

He pulled back the blankets on Zuko’s side of the bed.

“Now can you come here? All I want to do right now is sleep.”

Zuko smiled as he slid into bed beside him.

A message was sent to Inweda before breakfast the next day, and the mayor arrived while they were still eating. He at least had the forethought to feign concern for their safety.

“Yes, Mayor Inweda,” Zuko said flatly, “you’re so shocked that such violence could happen in your city. You don’t need to tell us again.”

Inweda stilled. He’d taken the spot directly across from Zuko at the hotel’s long dining table, but he had refused the hotel staff’s offer of food.

“I assure you, Firelord Zuko. I truly never could have seen this coming. Nothing like this has ever happened here before.”

Zuko narrowed his gaze. The entire table around them was silent as Zuko asked, “Whose side are you really on, Inweda?”

The man visibly swallowed, but he otherwise did well hiding his fear. “Like all of the best of my countrymen, I’m on the side of my nation, which includes being on the side of the Firelord.”

Zuko nodded slowly. “If that’s the case, you’ve done a poor job of showing it.”

He didn’t linger on the insult. He would let Inweda stew in worry that this trip would have lasting consequences for him. Zuko would replace him, but he had too much on his plate to delve into that at the moment.

“We’re going back to Caldera,” he announced instead. “I’ve already sent a message to Brimstone to tell them we won’t be coming. I’ll write to the other cities as soon as I’m back to the palace. Congratulations, Inweda, your city will be famous for its role in this.”

Inweda may not have shown the proper concern for safety, but that comment was enough to make him twitch. Zuko stared at him blankly. “I think we’re done here.”

Inweda’s chair scraped across the floor as he stood. He bowed and hurried towards the door.

“Good riddance,” Toph muttered, loud enough for the man to hear.

Zuko had to explain why they were back no less than ten times once they arrived at the palace. The guards wanted to know, then the palace staff, and then Azula appeared with Suki trailing right behind her.

“Zuko?” Azula asked. “What happened?”

Before he could respond, she spotted Sokka’s hands, and her eyes widened.

“There was another assassination attempt,” Zuko said. “At the hotel we were staying at. Several of the Kyoshi Warriors were injured too.”

Suki gasped and hurried past him to the front courtyard, where the Kyoshi Warriors were still gathered, unpacking what had happened on their trip.

“I’m okay,” Sokka assured Azula with a smile. “Katara managed to heal them. They already look way better than they did last night.”

That was true, but they were still very visible. Zuko was pretty sure there’d be scarring, though Katara was right that it was likely to be minimal. It wouldn’t be as noticeable as Zuko’s own scar, but it will still be there, a terrible reminder of how much his own people were against them.

Zuko turned to one of the staff members standing to the side. “Send a message to each member of the advisory council. I need to speak to them at once.”

She nodded and hurried off to fetch the messengers.

“How were things here?” he asked as he turned back to Azula.

She shrugged. “The same as always. I only spoke to Luo once while you were away, and I don’t think he took me very seriously. Nothing serious came up, so I didn’t really do anything.”

“Will you come to the meeting?”

She looked unsure.

“Come on,” Zuko patted her on the arm. “It’ll be good to have someone who can confirm what things were really like here in case Luo makes some outlandish claim.”

Her eyes flashed, and Zuko knew he’d one.

“Fine.” She crossed her arms against her chest. “I won’t let that fool lie.”

“I’m going to sit this one out,” Sokka said.

Zuko stepped closer, wrapping an arm around his waist. “Why?”

Sokka held up his hand. “I don’t feel great about waltzing in front of Luo while injured if I’m being honest, but I also don’t think I’ll have anything to add that you can’t see for us.”

Zuko thought that Luo and his allies should see Sokka’s injury. Maybe that would impress on them the reality of the situation, but he also couldn’t parade Sokka around like that if he didn’t want to come.

“Okay,” he said gently. “I’ll let you know what we talk about.”

Sokka smiled and kissed his cheek. “ I know you will.”

Zuko watched him go, his chest tight.

Chapter Text

Sokka leaned back against the pillows on his bed as Katara worked on his hands. The glow of the water lit up the otherwise dim room. Sokka hadn’t bothered to open the curtains when he came in.

“I wish I was in that meeting,” he muttered, thinking about Zuko and Azula in there against Luo and his cronies.

Katara’s lips tightened in displeasure over her work being interrupted, but she still asked, “Then why didn’t you go? This could have waited until later.”

Sokka shrugged. “I couldn’t bring myself to see Luo. Not like this.” He nodded towards his hands, which were still glowing in Katara’s grip.

“Understandable.”

Katara fell quiet as she worked, a crease appearing in her brow. It was hard to see the actual state of his hands through the distortion of the moving and glowing water, but Katara could sense things that he couldn’t.

Finally, she bent the water away and back into her flask, leaving his hands dry. Sokka turned them this way and that, inspecting what was left of the burns.

“They seem to have faded a bit more.”

Katara hummed in agreement as she began to wrap his hands in loose bandages. “They should fade a little more too, but there will likely be some discoloration for a while even after it’s healed. With the depth of the burn, I don’t think it will be permanent though. It’ll fade eventually.”

Sokka shrugged. “I don’t care about that.”

He didn’t necessarily want a lasting reminder of someone bursting into his bedroom and trying to kill him in the middle of the night, but any scar that was left would pale in importance to everything else happening around him.

When they’d managed to catch the intruder in the palace, Sokka had hoped that was the end of it, that one rogue had taken such a task on themselves, but whether it started that way or not, others were clearly willing to take up the challenge too.

He wasn’t sure when he’d feel fully safe again.

There was a light knock on the door. Sokka looked up right as Zuko stuck his head in.

“Are you doing alright?” Zuko asked.

Sokka smiled and sat up straight. “I’m doing great. Katara says I’m healing well.”

“He is.” Katara gathered up her things. “I’ll let the two of you talk.”

As soon as she was gone, Zuko sat down on the edge of the bed. He gently took Sokka’s bandaged hand, careful not to put much pressure on them as he cradled it in his own.

“Is the meeting already over?” Sokka asked.

“Yeah.” Zuko sighed. “There wasn’t much to talk about. Nothing happened here while we were gone, according to both Azula and the council. I told them about everything that happened in the hotel. As expected, Luo tried to turn it into a supposed ‘lesson’ on why we shouldn’t have gone in the first place. I told him off. I’m long past listening to what he has to say.”

“As you should be,” Sokka said. “Please tell me you can replace him soon.”

Zuko chuckled. “I just need to find his replacement first. I was hoping to scope someone out while we were on the tour. Now it might take a little longer, but hey, at least we have more time for wedding planning now.”

Sokka laughed. For the first time since the attack, he actually felt light. “That’s true. Wait until you see what I have up my sleeve.”

“I can’t wait,” Zuko said with a smirk.

In reality, Sokka hadn’t had time to think about the wedding at all since they’d left for the tour, but he was fully committed to throwing himself back into it to forget everything else.

When you were injured, everyone wanted to check in on you. It didn’t really matter that Sokka could, for the most part, go about his day normally. Katara said the bandages only needed to stay on for a day or so more. For the most part, he felt fine. He just had to be more careful when it came to anything involving his hands, but he didn’t begrudge his friends checking in from time to time.

He was especially grateful when Suki joined him by the turtleduck pond in the courtyard.

“How were things here at the palace while we were gone?” he asked.

He didn’t actually care about politics. He was fishing for information about what had happened between her and Azula, but she didn’t bite.

“Not much,” she said. “It’s like Azula told Zuko. There wasn’t really anything for us to do.”

“Hmm.” Sokka tried to appear nonchalant. “So, what did you and Azula do, then, while we were gone?”

Suki laughed, but she didn’t shy away from the question. “Talked mostly, when I saw her. She did spend a lot of time alone in her quarters, but we ate every meal together.”

“I’m glad you’re getting to know each other. You can see how much she’s changed, can’t you?”

Suki had a far away look in her eye as she stared at the surface of the pond. “I can. It’s been pretty jarring realizing that you were right about her. The weirdest part is that she still feels like Azula too, though. I can’t shake the fear that she’s going to blast me with fire.”

Sokka grimaced. “Yeah, that takes a while to go away. Honestly, sometimes I still wonder, but there haven’t been any blasts of fire at my face yet.”

Suki laughed. “That’s good to hear. I hope I'm just as lucky.”

“Oh, I’m sure you will be.”

Suki raised an eyebrow but didn’t ask any questions.

She had to know or at least suspect what Sokka did. Suki was far from oblivious, and the one thing Azula was bad at lying about was feelings.

He didn’t ask anymore questions. That was for Azula and Suki to figure out on their own. He didn’t want to meddle.

“Lord Sokka!” One of the staff flew into the courtyard, her chest heaving and her cheeks flushed. “Something’s happened. You must come right away!”

Without waiting for a response, she turned and ran. Sokka shot up and followed her with Suki on his heels.

It didn’t take long for him to realize that they were heading for the kitchen. When they got there, it was packed with the kitchen staff and Zuko, who stood at the long table at the center of the room while everyone else kept a wide berth.

Sokka pushed forward, Suki still on his tail.

“What is it?” he asked when he reached Zuko’s side.

As soon as he asked it, the question was moot. On the table in front of Zuko was a large rock wrapped in twine. Hanging from the twine was a scrap of paper with, “Your time is coming,” scrawled across it.

Sokka grabbed onto Zuko’s sleeve to keep from falling over. “Where did it come from?”

Zuko pointed at one of the high windows, the only part of the kitchen that was above ground. The glass of one was shattered.

“They say it fell from there and narrowly missed the heads of one of the cooks.” He moved the rock to the side, revealing the large crack in the wood. “It broke the table.”

Sokka shuttered, but while he was scared, the incident had lit a fire in Suki. She cursed, pacing beside the table.

“The girls are meant to be patrolling. How could someone get this past them?”

Zuko looked away from the rock for the first time. The look in his eye made Sokka grip his arm tighter.

“I don’t know,” Zuko admitted. “At this point, I don’t know what to do. There doesn’t seem to be a good way to stop them.”

Suki’s eyes softened, but she remained determined. “We’ll figure it out. I’m going to make sure the girls know about this. We’ll see if we can find any evidence that points towards who threw the rock.”

As Suki pushed her way back through the gawking kitchen staff, Sokka had little hope that she and the Kyoshi Warriors would uncover anything. It wasn’t like they’d had any luck so far. The intruder that was still imprisoned within the palace hadn’t revealed anything at all.

Zuko looked around at the staff and said in his commanding voice, “I’ll take this in case it’s useful in our investigation. If anything else suspicious happens, come to me immediately. I’ll ensure that every food delivery is inspected before it’s brought to the kitchen as well.”

That was something Sokka hadn’t even thought of. He felt a little sick as he followed Zuko from the kitchens.

Desperate to ignore his pounding heart, Sokka asked, “Is this better or worse than a nighttime attack?”

The attempt at a joke fell flat. Zuko grimaced, but he tried to play along. “Hard to say.” He sighed and ran a hand along his brow. “Part of me thinks we should flee Caldera and hole up somewhere where only a select few know where we are. It might be the only way we’re actually safe, but Agni knows what the public reaction to that would be.”

“Probably that I was keeping you from doing your Firelord duties or something,” Sokka agreed. “I’m not sure if I’d feel safer in hiding anyway. Word could always get out, and there’d be less people to set off an alarm than there is in the palace. I know that hasn’t always been effective in the past, but at least we’ve had the Kyoshi Warriors around in the past. We couldn’t take them all with us if we were hiding.”

Zuko came to a stop, leaning against the corridor wall. “I know. You’re right.” He took a deep breath. “That leaves my other plan—giving a speech in Caldera that denounces all of this firmly and lets people know there will be consequences. I don’t know if it’ll make a difference with the real radicals, but it may be able to influence those who are less sure of where they stand.”

“Luo will probably hate it,” Sokka noted with a grin. “He’ll claim that it’ll create backlash or something ridiculous like that.”

“Let him.” Zuko grinned back.

Chapter Text

Zuko braced himself as he stepped onto the stage with Sokka at his side. Sokka had agreed to come with him for the speech, his hands unbandaged for the first time in several days, but he wouldn’t speak. Zuko wanted to bear the brunt of this alone, if with Sokka beside him, because he did feel guilty that such harm had come to his fiance, whether it was right for him to or not.

There were more people gathered than the last time he’d spoken in Caldera. News that they’d called off their tour had spread, and people wanted to know the answers. Zuko wasn’t sure if they were prepared for the answer.

“Thank you for coming today,” he said to the group.

His anxiety was already easing at the lack of any signs of discontentment within the crowd.

“As many of you will know, my fiancé Sokka and I had to call off our planned tour of the Fire Nation a couple days ago, and I want to be honest with you about why that is.”

He nodded at Sokka, who raised the back of his hands to show them to the audience. There were some gasps from a few people closer to the stage as they noticed for the first time. Curious whispers traveled through the crowd.

“While we were asleep in our hotel, someone with nefarious intentions gained access to the space. We were attacked. Sokka was burnt while fighting off the attacker.” He ignored the increasing noise of conversation. “This attacker didn’t work alone. He was able to gain access to the hotel by working alongside at least ten others who distracted our guards while he snuck inside.”

He fixed his gaze on a building in the distance, unable to take looking at the crowd’s expressions any longer. Sokka took his hand, running his thumb along Zuko’s knuckles.

“It’s not the first time we’ve been attacked. Twice, intruders were able to gain access to the palace. Yesterday, right after we’d returned, a rock was thrown through the window of the palace kitchens with a threatening message attached.

“This is why we believed we could not continue the tour no matter how much we hoped to see the citizens from across our wonderful nation. We’re afraid that our safety cannot be ensured, and we do not wish to make any other locations a target because of our presence.

“The good news is that we have apprehended one of the intruders who made it into the palace. We’re continuing to question him in the hopes that he will provide an explanation, but so far, we don’t have anything more to tell you.”

He smiled at Sokka, hating that it was more for the crowd than anything, but he still tried to channel his genuine love in it.

“Sokka and I are grateful for your support. If you have any information about these criminals we ask that you please come forward. We want to ensure the peace and security of the nation, just as I know all of you do. The Fire Nation has always been stronger when its people come together. I know that this time will be no different. Thank you.”

Zuko could tell throughout the speech that most of the attendees were on his side, but it was still gratifying to hear the applause once he finished. There were shouts of “Firelord Zuko” and “Lord Sokka” as they left the stage that sounded far more friendly than anything else they’d received recently.

The crowd was still talking among themselves in fear. Zuko hated having to do that to them, but he didn’t know how else they were going to learn the source for all the intruders. It was their only hope.

Chapter Text

Sokka’s heart pounded in his chest as he stood at Zuko’s side during his speech. He already knew everything Zuko planned to say, so he paid close attention to the reactions of the crowd. As soon as Zuko mentioned the assassination attempts, they appeared more on their side than any recent crowd had been. Maybe there was a chance of turning things around without further conflict.

Maybe brushing against death several times and finally having physical proof of it would be enough to gain their sympathy, if not their respect.

He wanted to put his burnt hands behind his back and hide them from the crowd, but he forced himself to keep them at his sides, not showing them off but not hiding them either.

There was commotion as Zuko finished his speech. Zuko turned to Sokka, his eyes soft.

“Are you sure you still want to speak?” he asked softly.

It was tempting to say no, but Sokka didn’t give it any thought before he nodded yes. It wasn’t a choice really. He was choosing to marry Zuko and become his consort. He had to speak to the citizens of the country when disaster struck, even personal disasters such as this. His life wasn’t entirely his own anymore.

He smiled at Zuko and took his hand, giving it a squeeze. “I’ll be fine,” he promised.

Zuko had done a good job of warming the crowd up. Many of them were already sympathetic to them. It would be the easiest crowd Sokka had spoken to in a long while. He set his shoulders as he faced them. The chatter in the crowd quieted, with people hushing each other as they realized he was going to talk.

“Zuko’s already covered what happened.” Sokka found his confidence as he continued to speak. “I won’t rehash that for you. Needless to say, we’ve been through a lot recently.”

He took a deep breath, looking around the crowd and trying to connect with as many people as he could.

“Look, I’ll be completely honest with you. Do I know everything there is to know about the Fire Nation? No, I don’t. There’s no way I could know about Fire Nation culture as deeply as someone who was born here, and I don’t want to pretend like I can.

“What I do know is that I want to learn. In many ways, this country has already become my home, and I want that to become even more true. I want to do what’s best for the Fire Nation. And I’m lucky that I’ll be at Zuko’s side because he’s an incredible Firelord. That’s become even more apparent to me both over the past few years and just in the last few days as we’ve been dealing with this.

“There’s no better person to be leading this country, especially at this point in history, and I hope you’ll all be able to recognize that. If you don’t trust me, at least trust him. Thank you.”

He turned to find Zuko watching him with a smile. Sokka’s heart fluttered right as the crowd began to applaud. It wasn’t as enthusiastic as the reaction to Zuko’s speech. He hadn’t shocked them, but it was still more polite than their past reactions. He’d take it.

Chapter Text

Once he was back in the palace with a renewed vigor for righting things, it didn’t take long for Zuko to find a replacement for Luo. After reviewing Xia’s recommendations and his own correspondence with various nobles around the nation, Hewei stood out. His correspondence with Zuko had been enthusiastic from the beginning, and as an added bonus, his hometown wasn’t far from Caldera.

Zuko sent the invitation, and arrangements were made for Hewei to come to the palace only a few days later.

He was punctual too. When Zuko arrived at the meeting room he’d asked to be set up for the meeting, he was fifteen minutes early, but Hewei was already there. He stood hastily when Zuko entered and bowed low.

“Firelord Zuko, it’s an honor to be invited to speak with you.”

“I’m honored that you agreed,” Zuko said. He motioned for Hewei to retake his seat as he took his own across from him.

Hewei was just old enough that lines were starting to become visible on his face. Hewei’s mother was still the nominal head of their clan, but in her own advanced years, Hewei had begun to take on more and more of the responsibilities of that role.

“Have you given thought to my offer?” Zuko asked.

“Yes, Firelord. Of course.” Hewei rubbed his hands over his thighs but his shoulders remained straight. “I must admit, I was surprised by the offer to join the advisory council. It has been over a century since someone from my clan had a place as one of your advisors, and Lord Luo has been a staple of this court since your grandfather’s reign.”

Zuko smiled. “You’re correct, and that’s exactly why Lord Luo’s time has run its course. He does not see eye to eye with me about my vision for the Fire Nation’s future, and he has repeatedly given me poor advice pertaining to the current situation.”

“And you think I would do better?”

The question was partially a test. Hewei stared at Zuko with clear eyes, waiting to see how he’d answer.

“Yes,” Zuko said honestly. “I can tell from our correspondence and your previous visits to the palace that your beliefs closely align with mine. To be clear, I’m not asking you to join the council so that you can blindly agree with everything I do. I merely wish to have someone with similar beliefs who can honestly tell me if I’m moving in the right direction or not, as opposed to someone who is actively working against me.”

“Do you know the full story of why my clan has been barred from the council for so long?”

“Yes.” Zuko pulled over a scroll that he’d retrieved before the meeting and placed it between them on the table. “I’ve read the records. My grandfather was very upfront with what he saw as your ancestor’s failings, but I’m not my grandfather.” He hesitated before adding, “Do you know how I got my scar?”

Hewei nodded, looking sheepish over the admission.

“My priorities are different from my own ancestors, but I can tell that yours aren’t. Your family has held on to important truths even when the rest of the Fire Nation got sucked into the fervor of war. Lord Hewei, you are precisely the sort of person I need on the council.”

Hewei pressed his lips together. “Lord Luo is likely to retaliate.”

“He already knows of his removal, and you’re correct that he’s unhappy about it. If you’re worried about direct action against you and your family, then I understand your hesitance. I am willing to provide you with security if you believe it’s needed, or provide you and your family with rooms here at the palace.”

“That is very generous of you, Firelord.” Hewei bowed his head briefly. “I will need to speak to my mother and wife before accepting your offer, you must understand.”

“I do, but I also can’t wait forever. Will a week be long enough?”

“More than enough.”

“Excellent. I look forward to hearing from you.”

Zuko knew all about the gossip mills that existed among the various noble clans, so he knew it was only a matter of time before Luo learned that he’d spoken to a potential replacement for him. It didn’t really matter that Hewei would clearly have preferred to keep it quiet, there were always people watching and willing to talk.

So, Zuko was prepared when Luo appeared in his office a day after he’d spoken to Hewei. With Hewei and his family still staying in the palace until their decision was made, Zuko was honestly surprised by how long it took for Luo to show up.

Luo’s face was furious as he pushed past the servant that let him in. Zuko sighed as he set his calligraphy brush to the side.

“Lord Luo, what can I do for you?”

Luo forced himself to give a jerky bow before he quickly took to pacing back and forth in front of Zuko’s desk. “You know what this is about, Firelord. Why did I hear from someone else that you’re in talks with someone about replacing me?”

Zuko raised an eyebrow. “I told you I was going to remove you from the council, Lord Luo. Who I choose to replace you is of no concern to you.”

He whirled to face Zuko, his hands in tight fists at his side. “The political situation across the country continues to get worse. Do you really believe this is how you can resolve this? If you were only to listen to my advice, this situation could be smoothed over.”

“How?” Zuko leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms against his chest. “All you’ve done is fan the flames with the way you speak about Sokka. I know I’m not the only one you voice your disapproval to, Luo. Those sentiments spread. That’s the sort of thing that stirs up conflict. Your method of fixing it is me ending my betrothal and marrying some nice Fire Nation girl from a respectable clan, is it not?”

Luo stared at him, sparks in his eyes.

“That’s not going to happen, Luo. The path you’ve dreamed up in your head is not one the Fire Nation will be taking while I’m on the throne. Your time on the council has come to a close. Please do not waste your time worrying about it any further.”

Luo spun on his heel and fled from the room without a customary final bow. Zuko took a deep breath, letting his head fall back against the chair.

He knew that wasn’t the end of things with Luo. The man would continue to make his life difficult in any way he could, but at least he wouldn’t have to listen to him in the council meetings any longer.

His reprieve didn’t last long before a servant burst through his office door without knocking.

“Firelord Zuko!”

Zuko shot out of his chair, instantly on alert. “What is it?”

“Lord Luo,” she said between gasps, “is challenging Lord Hewei to an Agni Kai in the courtyard.”

Zuko wasted no time taking off at a run. It was easy enough to find the men as a crowd of the palace staff as well as Toph—who looked far too delighted—and several Kyoshi Warriors had gathered due to the commotion. Suki hurried over to him as he approached.

“Do we stop them?” she asked. “I don’t know what the protocols are for an Agni Kai.”

“Leave them to me.”

No one could stop an Agni Kai once it was challenged, and any attempt by a foreigner to do so would only anger Luo further. But Zuko was Firelord, and he’d be damned if he let this play out without intervening.

The staff parted easily to let him through.

“What is the meaning of this?”

The two men turned to him from their spots in the middle of the courtyard. Hewei immediately bowed, with Luo following reluctantly a second later.

“Firelord, I have challenged Lord Hewei to an Agni Kai.”

“Why?” Zuko questioned. “What has he done to dishonor you?”

“He has taken my position on your council, as you well know, Firelord Zuko.”

“He has not. He hasn’t accepted my offer, but that’s neither here nor there. I, the Firelord, was the one who offered him the position, as it was I who removed you from the council. Your quarrel is with me, Lord Luo, and we both know it.”

“I will not fight you.” Luo took a step away from him. “You may think of me as a man of little honor, but I can assure you I am not. I will not fight my Firelord.”

Zuko took a deep breath. “I will not let someone else fight on my behalf.”

“It’s okay, Firelord.” Hewei bowed again. “I have no problem fighting on your behalf. I must not step away from a challenge.”

Zuko closed his eyes. There was no getting them out of this. Hewei might have been more open to new ways than Luo was, but both men came from old, respectable Fire Nation families. The challenge of an Agni Kai had been made. Neither of them could step down now. If Zuko forced an end to the spectacle, he would only be causing Hewei more harm. And probably himself as well. His enemies would love to hold up his disrespect of the Agni Kai tradition as a reason he was unfit as Firelord.

“Very well.” He stepped back. “But you will not do so here. If you insist on an Agni Kai, it will be done formally, in the Agni Kai chamber.”

The very same room where Zuko had gotten his scar. The one room in the palace that he adamantly avoided even now, and one that had thankfully gotten no use since he was Firelord.

Hewei and Luo both bowed.

“As you wish, Firelord,” Luo said.