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It is a truth universally acknowledged that Azula of House Sozin, Conqueror of Ba Sing Se, sister of Fire Lord Zuko, Peacemaker, Dragon friend, and Captain of the Wani; daughter of Ursa, Extinguisher of Azulon was one of the foremost strategists that the four nations had known. It was also widely known that Kiyi, daughter of Ursa and proclaimed princess of the dragon throne was Azula’s star pupil in Advanced Strategy and Tactics 531. Kiyi knew she was going to need all of her skills and smarts as she prepared for her most dangerous operation yet: Help Azula realize that she was in love with Sokka, Official Strategist to the Avatar, Heir apparent to the Southern Tribe, Wise-marked, and Ambassador to the Fire Nation.
Her plan had first become an idea at Zuko and Jin’s wedding when she noticed a peculiar look on Azula’s face. It was a look that she vaguely familiar with, having seen it on her mother and on Jin, but it was their private look of love at their…oh. She had twisted in her seat to follow Azula’s gaze and had seen Sokka leaning up against a pole, politely talking with Minister Ran. With her suspicions in mind, she had secretly observed her sister anytime Sokka entered the room. If Azula knew she was being watched by other figures in the room, she had no discernable change, but if she felt alone or unwatched, her eyes followed Sokka and her lip would curl up in the slightest, barely discernable smile. She had shifted her observations to Sokka and she had asked him about working with Azula under the guise of a school research project. An hour later, she had finally managed to extricate herself from his effusive praise and admiration of her sister. With the confidence established, she proceeded to enact her campaign of getting the two together.
Her first attempt was simple. Sokka loved shopping in the market and could be counted on frequenting the Caldera grand market from 8am until lunch on Wansday. It was a simple matter to convince Azula to head to the market with her. As planned, her mother had a sixth sense for when Kiyi tried to slip out of the palace and had stopped her before they had made it out of the primary residence. From there, it was a simple matter to turn puppy-cat eyes on Azula and ask her sweetly if she could still go down to the market and find Kiyi’s sweet sea prunes. Azula begrudgingly agreed and stalked off while Ursa took Kiyi to her etiquette class.
Azula scowled as she walked away from the fifth vender. Sweet sea prunes, she snarled quietly to herself. How hard could it be to find sweet sea prunes? With a large water tribe embassy and hospital, Water Tribe food was slowly making inroads in the Fire Nation capital, if only for the exotic appeal. After seven stalls, she scowled and resolved to head back to the palace, but a flash of blue caught her eye and she turned to see Sokka admiring the wares of a local weapons merchant. Striding up to him, she tapped his shoulder, “Ambassador Sokka, I could use your assistance. Have you heard of sweet sea prunes?”
Sokka blinked at her before beaming, “Of course, Princess. Shall we search the market together?”
Sokka grinned as the stern Princess fell into step beside him. She glared at him.
“Sweet sea prunes. That’s it.” She reiterated.
“Of course, Princess, but this is a market! There’s plenty to buy and barter. In fact,” he paused lifting vambraces with blue flame delicately engraved into them, “aren’t these nice?”
“The craftsmanship is adequate, perhaps approaching mediocrity.” She snapped and marched on.
Sokka winked at the merchant. “High praise coming from her impossibly high standards.” Setting them down, he hurried to catch up to the princess. She walked right up to a vegetable merchant advertising Water Tribe vegetables and as he met her, she snarled as she spun away from the merchant. “No sparking sweet sea prunes!”
Sokka concealed his smile as he looked at Azula’s flushed cheeks and her gold eyes sparking with anger.
“Maybe a drink to help us relax?”
“If you dare suggest tea, I’m hitting you with lightning.”
Sokka held up his hands in mock surrender, “There’s actually a new drink that is slowly growing in popularity called coffee. We could go grab cups of that?”
Azula nodded, “I suppose, Ambassador.”
“Call me Sokka.”
Azula glanced at him. “No, I don’t think I will, Ambassador.”
Kiyi was settling in for lunch in her family’s private dining room when her sister burst in, ranting about the pig-headed oaf who dared drag her all around the market before admitting that sweet sea prunes didn’t exist and was a favorite water tribe joke with the Earth Kingdom.
“Did you have fun before that?” Kiyi piped up.
Azula froze for a minute before her mask slipped on. “Of course not. Why would I enjoy traipsing around the common folk with that oaf?”
Before Kiyi could answer, Azula poked her head in the servants’ waiting area and gave orders for her food to brought to her room. Striding off quickly, Azula had nearly slipped away, but her mask of indifference slipped for a split-second as she remembered the banter that had punctuated her walk with Sokka and Kiyi spotted the slip.
Her next plan was two weeks later and would take place on the palace lake. Kiyi knew that her sister enjoyed kayaking and would always launch before her. Modifying Azula’s kayak was simple and she had made sure her sister was wearing a life vest. As her sister paddled off into the lake, Sokka hurried down with a note in his hand and looked around confused. “Where’s Zuko?”
Kiyi grinned internally at her forged note in Sokka’s hand and shrugged, “I’m not sure. Hey, do you know boats?”
Sokka nodded and Kiyi extended her hand revealing a plug for Azula’s kayak. “Is this important?”
Sokka took one look at it, taught Kiyi some very interesting new words that probably would get him kicked out of the Fire Nation if Ursa heard him saying them in front of her, and scrambled into a kayak of his own.
Paddling out towards Azula’s kayak, Sokka saw her boat riding lower and lower in the water before Azula stood and leapt out of her boat. Before gravity could claim her, fire erupted from her hands and feet as she raced back towards the dock in a cloud of fire and steam, passing over the front of his kayak.
As Azula landed on the dock, she shed her life jacket and stalked off past her sister without a word. A shout from Kiyi spun Azula around where she saw Sokka jumping into the water to escape the raging inferno his kayak had turned into.
Kiyi grinned as Azula’s swears blistered the air around her as Azula dragged a third boat into the water, secured her vest, and set off to rescue Sokka.
Her next plan took time to develop. Sokka trained in the morning with the non-bending guards and she learned his route that he took back to his chambers afterwards. She took to hiding around corners and when she heard his footsteps, whistle a distinctive three note ascending whistle before leaping around the corner to attack him. Soon, Sokka was roaring around the corner as soon as she whistled, scooping her up and tickling her mercilessly. With the routine established, it was time for step two.
Azula sat at the breakfast table when Kiyi poked her head in and blew a raspberry at her. “Can’t catch me, slowpoke!” Kiyi taunted as she took off down the hall. Azula shook off her shock and chased after her sister. Kiyi was quick with a decent head start, but Azula was gaining on her steadily. She frowned in confusion as Kiyi whistled a three note ascending signal before sliding into one of the secret passages concealed in the corner pillar. Before she could reach into the passage, a roar snapped her head up before she found herself being scooped up by a blur of blue. Her cry of “Unhand me once!” mixed with Sokka’s frantic apologies as he unceremoniously released her. Not expecting to be released that quickly, she wind-milled her arms as she began falling backwards. Sokka dove for her and with one swift motion expertly wrapped her in his arms and rotated so he impacted the floor first and she bounced off his chest before settling on top of him. The two of them froze as a few whisps of Azula’s hair drifted down to tickle Sokka’s cheeks. Before either of them could say or do anything, a soft “oh” drifted down the corridor. Blushing furiously as they attempted to untangle themselves, both of them exclaiming that there was a misunderstanding and this wasn’t what it looked like as the servant frantically apologized for disturbing the two. Kiyi sat atop the pillar and watched the chaos unfold with a slight frown on her face. So close, she thought, so flaming close.
Kiyi smiled as Azula followed her down the hall to the courtyard.
“What did you want to show me, Sparkbug?” Azula asked.
“It’s a surprise! You have to come see. Besides it’s not my thing to show off.”
Azula slowed as she parsed Kiyi’s meaning. “Kiyi…do you mean-“
Kiyi darted into the courtyard, ignoring Azula and then Sokka’s cheerful voice greeted the young child. Azula turned to leave, but Kiyi was already saying “-and Azula’s here too, she came with me.” She poked her head around the corner and beamed at her older sister. “Come on!”
Trapped into it, Azula walked around the corner with a nod. “Ambassador.”
Sokka smiled at Azula, “Hello, Princess.”
Kiyi bounced from one foot to the other, “Can you show us your airship now?”
Sokka beamed at Kiyi and bowed, gesturing them both aboard with a wave of his arm. Kiyi pretended to listen politely while Sokka explained about his new engine that would work without firebending, but using words she didn’t quite understand like experimental and finicky. Experimental meant new and finicky…wasn’t important. She had a plan and it was almost time to go. She spotted the gramophone, rigged a time-delay, and traded her record with Sokka’s before sliding off the edge and landing on the ground. Sokka had inflated the balloon to show Azula and her how everything worked. He had reassured them both that the balloon was tied by three guidelines and was perfectly secure. Kiyi “tripped” over one of the guidelines, severing the rope and as she fell, “accidentally” shot fire out of her hands and feet. While two of the fire bursts splattered against the stone walls, the other two flew true and scorched through the guidelines.
The ballon shuddered and Sokka glanced around, “Hey, where’s Kiyi?”
Azula pivoted and stepped on the stairs out of the engine room, but the ballon shook and she slipped, landing in Sokka’s arms. They froze for a minute, staring into each other’s eyes before Azula pushed Sokka away, “I need to find Kiyi.”
Sokka flamed red from their closeness, nodded and follow Azula out of the engine room only to run into her back when she froze at the view from the control room. Sokka peered past the frozen princess out at the beautiful sunset, painting the palace roof and the city spread out below them in a beautiful swath… BELOW THEM?
“Iceburgs and blizzards!” Sokka swore as he pushed past Azula to seize the controls.
She leaned on the door and watched his frantic moves. “I assume by your language this wasn’t part of your plan?”
Sokka threw a quick look at the princess, but returned to the controls as he tried to coax the engine into working. Just then, Kiyi’s improvised time-delay went off and the needle lowered onto the gramophone. One of the popular songs from Ala’din, the saga about the orphan air nomad and the sheltered Fire Nation princess, drifted through the ship. “I can show you the world, shining, shimmering, splendid…”
The romantic music played while Sokka and Azula drifted towards the sunset and frantically tried to restart the engines.
Azula breathed in, centering herself as she studied the five enemies in front of her. Exhaling, she threw fire darts hitting the first two targets and rolled away from the primitive retaliation blasts fired by the targets. Striking two more targets, she front-flipped to evade the next shots and then landed, drawing her arms in the familiar circle to generate the more powerful lightning burst, but an object whistled through the air and struck the target before circling back to Sokka’s hand. She frowned at him, “I had it handled, Ambassador.”
“Of course, Princess. I merely saw a target and an opportunity to strike while they were distracted.”
“It’s inanimate.”
“Well, it would have been distracted.”
“No, it would have been dead.”
“Precisely, because you distracted it and I hit it with my boomerang.”
Azula glared at Sokka who grinned back. She spun away, flipping her hair over her shoulder, “Well, unless you’re here to teach me the boomerang, spark off.”
“You want to learn the art of the boomerang?”
Azula slowly turned, her realization that her joke might not have been perceived as a joke. Flame whoever gifted her so-called “sense of humor.” She nodded shortly, “If it’s not a national secret.”
“Of course not, Princess! I’d be honored to teach you.” Sokka opened the weapons cabinet and retrieved several training boomerangs. As Sokka walked her through the process of gripping the boomerang and the precise angles to throw it for the return, Azula’s stomach prickled with an unknown sensation every time their hands touched. Analyzing it, it wasn’t unpleasant, just… unknown.
“Umm… Princess?”
Azula blinked. “Yes?”
“You’re staring at me.”
“Oh, I thought I was staring into empty space.”
“Pretty sure you were staring at me.”
“At your head, to be precise.”
“So you were staring at me!”
“No, empty space.”
“But you just…”
“Think about it, but you’re just proving my point.”
“Oh, OH! You’re cruel, Princess.”
She smirked at him, “And don’t you forget it.”
Sokka shook his head laughing. “Anyway, you ready to try?”
Azula shrugged and whipped her arm into the throw. The boomerang whistled out, gaining an impressive amount of distance before landing.
Sokka smiled, “Hey, you know what they call boomerangs that don’t come back?”
Azula glared at him.
Not taking the hint, Sokka continued, “Sticks!”
Azula snorted and Sokka beamed before yelping when a tiny electric spark struck his rear.
“You ready to try again?”
Azula nodded before stiffening as Sokka stood right behind her, chest touching her back, arms touching hers, and his hands delicately adjusting hers.
“Relax, Princess.” His voice breathed out, practically in her ear, “I’m just helping you get the angle right…”
Flustered, she rushed the throw and whipped the boomerang into the air but overbalanced and began to fall after her throw. Sokka’s arms enfolded her and kept her upright. Twisting in his grasp, she realized just how close they were and blazing bonfires, were his eyes always that brilliant shade of blue? Staring deep into each other’s eyes, their heads slowly inching towards each other when suddenly a whirring sound whistled right above her head and with a bone-shattering crunch, Sokka’s head jerked back, and blood sprayed across Azula’s face.
Azula yelped in surprise and was already screaming for a medic as she lowered Sokka to the ground.
Sokka winced as he sat down, but beamed at Azula, white and red teeth shining in a brilliant smile. “Good job, you got it to come back. Next time though, you should catch it before I catch the boomerang with my nose.”
Azula punched his shoulder as the medics showed up. One of them looked at her in horror. “Princess, your face! What happened?”
“It’s not my blood,” Azula said tersely, snagging a towel from the medic and wiping it away, “It’s his. The boomerang came back, broke his nose.” The chief medic briefly considered Azula’s statement and how close she would have had to be standing to Sokka to get that much blood on her face before deciding that discretion was the better part of valor and chose not to question her further. The medic team helped Sokka up and ushered him towards the infirmary. Before he stepped out, he stopped and turned to Azula. Bowing, he formed the flame with his hands, “It was an honor teaching you, Princess.”
Returning the bow, “The honor was mine; it was a privilege to learn from you…” The medics tugged and the small scrum exited the training arena, leaving her alone with no one to hear her finish in a whisper, “…Sokka.”
Kiyi rubbed her hands together after dropping her two notes in the palace mail room. Her forgeries were getting more precise and the secret passages into their rooms gave her access to their seals even if Sokka frustrated her by putting it in a separate place every time he used it. Now it was time to finish the set-up and wait.
Azula glanced at the note and walked through the balcony doors only to freeze at the sight before her. A fully set table for two was arranged with candles and flowers, the food a mix of her favorites and Sokka’s favorites. As for how she knew that information, well, it was only good strategy to know everything about a possible opponent. It had nothing to do with the weird feeling she got every time he smiled at her… or the thought of his arms wrapped around her… or how he had improvised a new engine so she could bend them to safety… sparks, was she falling in love? Before she could pursue or squash the errant thought, the door on the other side of the balcony opened and Sokka strode in, freezing when he saw Azula in her polished dress armor, the gold gleaming in the flickering candlelight, the sunset casting its beams through her radiant hair. They stared at each other before Sokka bowed respectfully. “Princess, you honor me with your invitation.”
Azula tried to control her racing heart, “My…invitation?”
Sokka gestured at the spread, “You invited me to meet at this balcony at 7 past Agni’s height?”
Azula narrowed her eyes and she extracted his invitation from her pocket. “You invited me.”
Sokka glanced at the note before pulling out his own and presenting it to Azula. Azula tensed. “Assassins?”
Sokka drew his boomerang and saxe knife. “Maybe? Seems like overkill to draw us up here when there’s plenty of opportunities throughout the day.” The center door opened between them and they both pivoted to face the very surprised head of the royal household.
Her practiced eye swept the balcony and the two figures in combat stances before her. “I’m sorry, was I disturbing something?”
“Who set this up?” Azula snapped out.
“I’m not sure, my lady. The order came in with the royal seal and all security precautions were observed. The food is safe and the perimeter is secure.”
Sokka shrugged and put away his weapons. “Hate for the food to go to waste. Join me?” He asked gesturing at the table.
The head of the royal household bowed. “I’ll leave to your date then?”
Both of them started sputtering out their denials, but the doors were already swinging closed. Azula shrugged, reached back, and closed her side door, not noticing the fishing line attached to it. As she settled into her seat, the familiar opening notes of “Can you feel the love tonight” from the Ember Island’s latest play, the Lion-Turtle King, began playing from the gramophone Kiyi had concealed atop a pillar. Azula flamed red as the soft notes drifted over the romantic setting. Sokka grinned at her, “Didn’t think this was your style, princess.”
“My style? You invited me.”
The two bickered and bantered as the sun set before them and their conversation continued long after the moon rose and the candles burned down.
Azula strode away from the balcony and walked out to the garden where she could wrestle with her feelings in peace. Just then a figure flipped down from the roof and hung upside down from a tree branch. “So you looked like you having fun up there…”
Azula turned to face the grinning figure. “Ty Lee? Of course, you would be on guard duty.”
Ty Lee’s smile stretched even wider. “I wasn’t close enough to hear you obviously, but I could see how bright your auras were! How was your date?”
Azula walked on, saying. “If there’s a prize for rotten judgement, I guess I’ve already won that. No man is worth this aggravation.”
Ty Lee danced through the branches as she sang. “Who you think you’re kidding? He’s the earth and heaven to you; Try to keep it hidden; Honey, I can see right through you; Girl, you can’t conceal it; I know how you feel and who you’re thinking of.”
Azula pivoted and walked away, saying. “Ty Lee, you’re being ridiculous. No chance, no way. I won’t say it.”
Ty Lee continued, “You swoon, you sigh; why deny it? Uh-oh.”
Azula growled in frustration, “It’s too cliché, Ty Lee!”
Ty Lee ignored Azula’s frustration and continued singing, “You keep on denying; Who you are and how you're feeling; Baby, I’m not buying; Hon, I saw you hit the ceiling; Face it like a grown-up; When ya gonna own up; That you got, got, got it bad?”
Azula skipped out across the heroes of peace reflection pool to stop Ty Lee following her from above, but Ty Lee landed in front of her with a triple front flip. To dodge Ty Lee, Azula side-stepped to a nearby statue and stood curled against its chest. “Ty Lee, no chance, no way. It’s not happening and I won’t say it.”
Ty Lee giggled as Azula looked up to realize she had tucked herself against Sokka’s statue and Azula softly smiled at the stone rendering of the Southern Strategist. Ty Lee started up her song again, “ Give up, give in; check the grin, you're in love.”
Azula scowled, “This scene won’t play. I won’t say I’m in love.” She blasted across the water, blue fire leaving a cloud of steam in her wake.
Ty Lee pursued, leaping from rock to rock while keeping up her song, “You're doin' flips; Read my lips, you're in love.”
Azula landed with a combat roll and climbed to the roof while Ty Lee followed her. Glaring back at Ty Lee, she said, “Get off my case. I won’t say it.”
Both of them reached the crest of the roof at the same time and stared out over the palace lake where Sokka was wind boarding under the full moon. Ty Lee leaned next to Azula while she finished her song quietly, “Girl, don't be proud; It's okay, you're in love.”
Azula stared at the solitary figure framed against the moon light and the wake he was cutting across the lake. Murmuring almost to herself, “Well, at least out loud…I won’t say I’m in love.”
Kiyi was working hard on her school assignment at the breakfast table with Azula next to her offering advice on how to phrase her geography report on the Southern Water Tribe. As she worked, Kiyi would make references to Sokka either in her report or ask Azula a leading question about Sokka to see her reactions. Zuko was absent-mindedly reading through a pile of reports and occasionally catching snippets of the conversation occurring between Kiyi and Azula. Finally, he looked up at Kiyi.
“Kiyi, do you have a crush on Sokka?”
Kiyi sputtered while Azula concealed a smile behind her raised hand. After Zuko shrugged and returned to his papers, Kiyi murmured softly to Azula right as Azula lifted her cup to her lips, “Zuzu got the wrong sister.”
Azula inhaled the tea through her mouth and nose and scalded her throat as the liquid raced down to her lungs and stomach. Coughing furiously, she summoned just enough lightning to shock Kiyi out of her seat eliciting a yelp from her younger sister. Kiyi retaliated by seizing her glass of water and tossing it in Azula’s direction. Standing, Azula heated her body dry and Kiyi gulped as she saw her sister glaring at her with a cloud of steam surrounding Azula like dragon’s smoke. Kiyi spun and crashed into Ursa, rebounding off her mom back towards the table. Faced with Ursa’s glare, both Azula and Kiyi locked eyes with each other and simultaneously pointed their fingers at the tired Fire Lord flipping through the grain yield report, oblivious to his sisters’ shenanigans. “He started it!” Both girls exclaimed in unison and Zuko turned the page of report, “Sure, whatever you say… WAIT, WHAT?!?!”
Kiyi opened the door from her secret passage and slipped into Azula’s room. Padding silently across the floor, she pulled the key from Azula’s hiding place and opened Azula’s desk. Concealed deep within the locked compartment was a letter that she had noticed on her last foray, but hadn’t had time to investigate. Opening the scroll, she quickly skimmed it. Finally, dragon’s hoard, she thought as she read through Azula’s clinical details of how she felt around Sokka, all the things he did that made her heart flutter, all the things she appreciated about him, and a pros/con list of the two of them dating. Better yet, Azula had written it as if Sokka was going to read it. Sealing the letter with wax and Azula’s signet ring, Kiyi quietly slipped back into the secret passageway. Making her way over to the guest wing of the palace, she entered Sokka’s room. Racing over to his desk, she removed the voluminous scroll of love poetry that Sokka had been secretly composing about Azula and sealed with blue wax and Sokka’s seal. Racing away, she locked the secret passageway behind her and headed to the mailroom. She just hoped she’d get there before the morning meetings were over.
Sokka strolled into the mailroom and hefted the red-ribboned letter with Azula’s seal. Kinda thick, he thought for a minute, but put it aside in his bag. Unfortunately, there were two letters to write and float off before the afternoon session of the council. He’d read it in the council meeting.
Azula flicked her eyes down the table at Sokka while the earth kingdom ambassador droned on and on about how the Fire Nation had gravely insulted Bosco, by not capitalizing his title, His Majesty’s Royal Bear, instead writing His Majesty’s royal bear. Sokka was engrossed in some document, but had a ridiculously goofy grin on his face. Leaning back in her seat, she sent a spark of lightening at him. Jolting upright, he beamed at her, but quickly composed himself. She wondered what that was all about.
Kiyi frantically paced outside the mailroom. This was a disaster! Sokka had picked up his letter on schedule, but Azula had not gone to the mailroom as she had every Sozday for the past three weeks before the afternoon meeting session. Kiyi needed them to both get their letters around the same time so that the ash-headed idiots would realize they were both in love and that their love was requited. Deciding on a course of action, she reentered the mailroom, slid Sokka’s note out of Azula’s box and dropped it in the urgent delivery section with Azula’s name clearly labeled on it. Ringing the bell for a courier, she dove back into the secret passages to make her escape.
After the meeting, Sokka met up with Azula, but Azula cut him off. “I’ve got an evening security meeting to prepare for.”
Sokka nodded, understanding. “Grab dinner with me afterward?”
Azula almost stumbled into the pillar, but years of self-control and discipline kept her upright. “Ye-Yes…I’d like that.” She graced the warrior with a soft smile. “Now, let me work.”
“Of course, Princess. Fair winds and good tides.” He nodded and took his leave. As he strode away whistling, a courier dashed up to him.
“Have you seen Princess Azula?”
“She’s on her way back to her office.” Sokka nodded respectfully as the courier headed down the corridor. Blinking, he rubbed his eyes, he could have sworn there was a blue ribbon on the message which was…odd. His office didn’t have any courier-urgent messages for Azula. He shrugged and continued; if it was important, he’d find out about it at dinner.
Azula closed the office door behind her after shooing the courier. She glanced at the letter. Curious, she thought, Sokka hadn’t indicated that he had sent her an urgent letter. She hesitated, wondering if she should review her security proposals, but curiosity won out. Cracking it open, she glanced it before stiffening in shock. Grasping the letter more intently, she studied it intently, soaking in every word. Striding out, she breezed past Ty Lee in her green and gold armor, “Meeting’s cancelled, Ty Lee.”
Ty Lee blinked, “Wait what? You’re cancelling a meeting? Your aura looks ok, but this is so unusual for you…”
“I’m going to say it, Ty Lee.”
“Um…oh. OH! REALLY!?!? I knew-“ Ty Lee yelped as a lightening bolt shattered a vase next to her. Drawing herself to attention, Ty Lee continued, “Understood, meeting cancelled, yes, ma’am.” Winking, Ty Lee threw out one last teasing barb, “Have fun!” before fleeing down the corridor.
Azula shook her head at her giddy friend and strode off towards the training grounds to find Sokka.
Sokka spun through a flurries of thrusts and slashes when he heard Azula call his name. Lowering his sword, he smiled at the approaching figure, “Princess! I wasn’t expecting you this early. What happened to your- Umph!” Azula grasped Sokka by the straps of his sleeveless shirt and pulled him into a kiss. Taken by surprise, he didn’t react for a minute, but then wrapped his arms around Azula and deepened the kiss. Breaking apart, she smiled shyly up at him. “Thank you.”
“For the kiss?”
She smacked him, “For the poetry, idiot.”
“The poetry?”
She produced the scroll. “Look, I know you’re dense, but you think you would remember sending this to me?”
“Ummm….”
“Did you not send this?!?” Azula blinked.
“Well, I wrote it and was going to give it to you eventually…”
Azula studied the poetry scroll for a moment.
“Speaking of mysteries,” Sokka produced Azula’s letter from his side, “I’m curious if you actually sent this or not…”
Azula took one look at the opening lines and flushed redder than a Fire Nation banner. “You weren’t supposed to see that yet; I was just using that to get my thoughts in or-“
Sokka laid a finger on Azula’s lips and she stopped. He smiled as he wrapped her in his arms, “Did you mean it?”
Azula bit her lower lip and looked up at him, “Every word.”
“Good enough for me.” Sokka dipped his head down and Azula rose on her toes to meet him. Kiyi peeked around the corner and saw the two enfolded in a kiss while the sun set behind them. She let out a squeal before she clapped her hands over her mouth to conceal her excitement, but it was too late. Azula was staring at her with a slightly irritated expression. Kiyi waved and started to back away when Azula’s eyes narrowed.
“Sokka. Your room was locked?”
“Yes, why…” Sokka grasped Azula’s point. “Her? Really?”
“It’s the logical conclusion.”
Kiyi, realizing that Azula had figured out her role with the letters, yelped in fear and fled down the corridor.
Azula watched her flee with disdain. “Excuse me, Sokka. I have to go arrest my sister.” She kissed him and took off running after Kiyi.
Sokka smiled goofily, “Go get her, Princess!”
Kiyi panted as she fled. Through corridor after corridor she ran, Azula hot on her heels. She raced around a corner and rebounded off a figure clad in blue…oh, inferno. Sokka’s arm lashed out and snagged her wrist. “Nice try, sparkbug, but I think Azula wants a word with you.”
Azula rounded the corner and took in the situation with a piranha-shark grin. She walked right past Kiyi and around Sokka, running her fingers along his shoulders, “I knew you’d make yourself useful.”
Sokka stole a kiss from Azula as she stood next to him. “I live to serve, princess.”
She smiled softly at him and then both of them stared at Kiyi, who gulped and smiled weakly at them. Azula produced a pair of handcuffs from her armor. “Come on, time to face the Fire Lord’s justice.”
Zuko was in his office, trying to read through the proposed zoning law for the new apartments surrounding the airship factory when his door burst open and Azula marched in, guiding a cuffed Kiyi in. Zuko sighed and pinched the brow of his nose. “Ok, what happened?”
“Breaking and entering, misuse of the mail system, forgery, and theft of personal documents.” Azula rattled off.
Kiyi glared back at Azula before straightening up and facing Zuko. “I plead not guilty, my lord. Besides, this trial lacks a quorum.”
Zuko face-palmed as Azula nodded and rang the bell, summoning the outside guards and Zuko’s sectary in to bear witness.
“Ok, let’s start with Azula.” Zuko said with a long-suffering sigh, “Present your case.”
“With pleasure. Kiyi breached both my personal chambers as well as Ambassador Sokka’s quarters to steal personal documents of a sensitive nature. Those documents were then sealed with wax and our personal seals to give the impression that they originated from Ambassador Sokka and myself before being sent through the palace mail system.”
Zuko glanced at Kiyi, almost impressed at her daring. “Ok, Kiyi, how do you plead?”
“Not guilty, my lord.”
Zuko rolled his eyes. “Explain in more detail.”
Kiyi drew in a deep breath as she heard the door open behind her. Zuko gestured for her to continue. “As for the charge of breaking and entering, I entered their chambers through the royal passageways, pathways which as a member of the royal family I have every right to use. Furthermore, according to the law laid down by Fire Lord Zaio, any member of the royal family has free reign to enter any room in the palace unless barred by express order by a higher-ranking member of the royal family. Azula did not bar me from her chambers, therefore, under the law, I had every right to be in there. Fire Lord Sozin’s security act passed sixteen years pre-air nomad genocide, gives any member of the Royal family in the immediate line of succession up to the fifth heir to the throne permission to examine any documents they deem necessary to the safety and well-being of the royal family. As the documents in question were love letters written by Azula and Sokka…” Zuko’s eyebrows climbed at that revelation and Azula’s glare intensified, but Kiyi blazed onward, “It would only benefit the well-being of both the Royal family and the Fire Nation for a relationship to develop between Princess Azula and Ambassador Sokka. Between the letters and my observations of the two over the past year, they both are in love and simply needed an opportunity to realize it. Since the letters were written by Princess Azula and Ambassador Sokka, I sealed them with the appropriate seals and wax in accordance with Fire Lord Azulon’s directive that any member of the royal family could utilize any seal or deception necessary to advance the glory of the Fire Nation. The letters were then mailed in accordance with all governing directives. Therefore, I stand not guilty of any charges, my lord.”
Zuko concealed a smile while Azula glared at Kiyi, “Why you little…”
Kiyi stuck her tongue out at Azula, “It worked, didn’t it?”
Zuko glanced at Azula, “Chance to deny her claim?”
Azula blushed and Zuko snickered before remembering he was supposed to be the Fire Lord and not their older brother in this charade. “Very well. I, Fire Lord Zuko, First of my name, so on and so forth, find Princess Kiyi innocent of all charges.” He grinned at Kiyi, “Good luck.”
Kiyi looked at Zuko puzzled before she heard a throat clear behind her. Slowly turning around, she looked at a regal figure glaring at her, arms crossed, and tapping her foot. Kiyi gulped and squeaked out, “Hello, Mom.”
Ursa smiled at Azula, “My apologies, my dear, but could you uncuff her for me?”
Kiyi looked back at Zuko, already busy with his work. “I don’t suppose I can throw myself on the Fire Lord’s mercy?”
Zuko didn’t even look up as he answered, “Remanded to parental care and punishment.”
As Ursa guided Kiyi into the corridor, she yelled back over her shoulder at Azula, “Worth it to see you kissing Sokka!” Ursa stumbled next to her, Azula gave a strangled growl of outrage before yelling at Zuko who was leaping out the window with his twin swords as he snarled about arrogant best friends and who did Sokka think he was that he could just kiss Azula and get away with it…
Kiyi beamed at her mother as she listened to the crack of lightening and the whoosh of fire bending as Azula and Zuko sparred in the garden, “Do you think Azula will ask me to be her bridesmaid?”