"So you're the one I've heard so much about. Ayame, is it? The girl who bends dual elements."

"Y-yessir." I kneeled in front of the Fire Lord.

Man, was he intimidating. He just looked down at you as the flames crackled in the background as you waited for your life or death sentence totally expecting death and cutting out the life part.

"How did this happen?" he asked with that very same smirk as Azula.

"I don't know. Sir," I quickly added.

"You don't, hmm? And your parents? Family?"

"I have none. Except for my grandmother," I said.

"And you willingly agreed to come here to the palace?"

"I actually came up with the idea." I shrugged.

"Ah. I see. So if, by any chance, the Fire Nation needed your help, would you help your Nation?"

I gulped. "M-my Nation?"

"Well this is your Nation, isn't it?" he said. "That's why you came back."

"I'm actually . . . " I didn't know what to say. "I don't exactly know."

"If you need time, you'll get time," The Fire Lord said. "But after the deadline, either you stay with our complete trust, or you leave."

"And how much time will I have?" I asked.

"The real question is, how much time do you need?" The smirk never washed away.

♋♋♋

"Look at all these," Sokka said, flipping through the letters. "She's such a two-faced traitor."

"I still don't believe it." Katara shook her head. "I just can't."

"Sometimes you shouldn't only focus on the good in people. Sometimes bad overrules." Sokka shrugged, scanning the papers. 

"Well, Sokka, sometimes people deserve a second chance!" Katara scowled.

"Actually, Sokka's got a point. She just left with Azula," Toph put in.

Katara sighed, putting her face in her hands. "Fine. Maybe you're right."

"Oh I am right." Sokka ripped out another letter. "I'm always right. There's never a time where I—wait." Sokka looked closer at the paper.

"What?" Katara leaned forward to grab the paper, but Aang was there faster. He read the paper.

"What does it say?" Toph said, suddenly getting to her feet.

"It . . . oh, no." Aang rubbed his eyes and then facepalmed, sitting on the ground. "Sokka you idiot."

"It was an honest mistake—"

"What does it say?" Katara yelled, standing up and pulling the paper out of their hands. 

"We were kinda . . . " Sokka trailed off.

"She was . . . "

"See . . . "

Aang put his hand over Sokka's mouth. "We were wrong about Mei."

Katara crumpled the paper up, furious with everyone. "You don't even give anyone chances!" she fumed. "It's like, boom boom boom, kill everyone you see! I swear I'm going to bring her back. And I don't care what you think, Sokka." And she walked away.

"Who understood a word she said?" Toph said after an awkward moment of silence.

Both Sokka and Aang shrugged.

🔥🔥🔥

"Azula, wait for me." I ran after her. "Hey." 

"What are you doing here?" She stopped, rolling her eyes and turning to me.

"Um, I just wanted to—"

"Talk?" Azula sighed. "I don't feel like talking."

"I know, but I'm just so lonely." I groaned. "No one here wants to talk to me."

"Go talk to Zuzu," she said crossing her arms over her chest. "Aren't you two like—"

"No." I put my hand up. "Mai will eat me alive and stick those little shurikens all over me, and besides," I shrugged, "I'm not speaking to him."

"Why?" she laughed. "What's the point of that?"

"He's just a . . . a traitor."

"Aren't you being a hypocrite then? You betrayed your friends."

"That's the thing!" I blurted. "They weren't ever my friends! But Zuko . . . he was like . . . "

"I think I get it," she said.

"You do?"

"Don't sound so surprised," she scoffed. "I have feelings too you know."

"I know." I smiled.

She just looked at me for a second, and then I did something I don't think anyone would have dared to do. I reached out and pinched her gut, right under the rib.

She literally screamed.

I was laughing so hard I couldn't breathe. "You should have seen your face." I gasped. "Oh, God . . . "

"What was that for?" she glared. "I will teach you a lesson—"

"Oh brighten up for a minute, Azula," I rolled my eyes. "You gotta learn how to smile and just go with the flow. Relax." I patted her arm. 

"Go with the flow?" she raised an eyebrow. "If it's one thing I don't do, it's go with the flow. Other people go with my flow. I don't go with anybody's flow."

"Your hair is literally on fire." I snorted. "Like Hades, ya know?"

"Who?"

"Hades . . . " I twirled my hand in the air. "God of the underworld . . . "

She raised her eyebrows.

"Greek mythology?" I suggested.

She shook her head.

"Hmph. Something tells me you're not into reading books."

"I don't have enough time on my hands to do stuff like that." She put her hands on her hips, sticking out her bottom lip. "I have better things to do."

"Better things like what?" I scoffed, "Ruining people's lives?"

"Let's not get into that—"

"Well of course we don't want to get into that." I rolled my eyes.

"Well you're taking this lightly, aren't you?" she put her hand on her forehead dramatically. "I have a headache. You're silly nonsense-y voice is getting to me."

I pursed my lips. "I do not have a silly nonsense-y voice—"

"You're doing it aga-in," she said in a sing-songy voice. "Now I know why my poor brother chose this over you."

"Well I—" I sputtered, feeling heat creep up my neck. "You know what you need?" I pointed my finger at her face, making her take a step back.

"What?" she raised her eyebrows carelessly.

"You need some fresh air." I fumed, turning around and walking away.

"Really? Is that the best you've got?" she called after me. "For pete's sake we're already standing outside. In fresh air!"

"You don't matter!" I yelled.

"Well neither do you!" she said, stretching every syllable.

I turned around and stuck out my tongue, blowing a raspberry. "Nyeeegh!" I made this really weird sound that was supposed to be made by toddlers when they didn't get their candy.

"Nye-nye all you want little girl!" she yelled. "You aren't getting any candy!"

I walked around the palace. "Oh, would you look at that." I reached out to touch a vase, when suddenly someone spoke, scaring the heeby-jeebies out of me and causing me to knock the vase over.

"You might not want to touch that."

The vase crashed to the floor, shattering to a million pieces. I cringed.

"Neeeevermind." I turned around to see that same girl standing there who was known for her crazy backflips and funniest sense of humor.

"Ty . . . " I chuckled nervously, kicking a few shards of glass behind a pillar. "Ty-Ty! The Ty-Inator. T-man."

"It's okay." she giggled. " I wont tell."

"Aren't you—"

"Azula's BFFLIT?" she grinned. "Maybe. But I'm no tattletale."

"Um, what does the 'IT' stand for?" I bent down to clean up the pieces.

"Oh. BFFLIT stands for 'Best Friends For Life I Think'."

I laughed, finding that insanely funny. "I think."

"I do think." She shrugged with a smile. "I mean, she is unpredictable."

"Tell me about it." I rolled my eyes. "Oh forget this. I'll blame it on the next person who passes by." I grinned. 

Suddenly, the one and only Mai passed us all smooth-like, lighting me on invisible fire. 

"Hey Mai!" Ty Lee grinned, doing a cartwheel towards her. "Where ya goin'?"

"Nowhere." she said bluntly.

"You must be going somewhere. I mean, it's not possible—"

"What on earth happened here?" the Fire Nation princess said, appearing out of nowhere and eyeing the broken vase.

Ty Lee and I made sudden eye contact and pointed at Mai in unison.

"She did it."

Mai raised her eyebrows. "I didn't—I mean . . ."

"Mai, clean this up right now! That was daddy's favorite!" And then she walked away, leaving Mai shooting eye-daggers at us.

I grinned at Ty Lee who laughed as hard as I ever did and high fived me.

"BFFLIK?" she giggled.

"Um, sorry, but what does that stand for?" 

"Best Friends For Life I Know?"

I burst out laughing, wiping tears from my eyes. "I Know, dude. BFFL I Know."

🔥🔥🔥

"I don't like you," I said.

"Are you absolutely sure?"

"Get out of my room."

"This isn't technically your room—"

"Zuko, get out."

"But Mei—"

'Don't call me Mei when you've got another Mai stuck in your head, hon," I snapped. "And this is my living space now. Your precious father has boosted me to an almost higher level than your sister. And I think that's saying something."

"Really?" Zuko raised his eyebrows. "He couldn't have. Unless . . . "

"Unless what?" I asked, eyeing him closely and crossing my arms over my chest. 

"Unless he made a deal with you. Did he make a deal with you?"

"I don't know what your talking about." I looked away.

He grabbed my arms, pulling me towards his. My elbows smacked against his hard chest. "Did he make a deal with you?"

I pouted, tryinv to hide the blush on my cheeks. "He said I had to be forever loyal to the Fire Nation. And if I wasn't, I couldn't stay here at all."

"You know he only wants you because you're powerful, right?" Zuko said, looking right into my eyes. He was way too close for comfort.

"Uh, no. He doesn't. He's being fair and giving me a choice."

"My father is never fair."

"Are you jealous, Zuko? I wasn't expecting this from you." I pushed his chest. "You're hurting my arms."

"Sorry." he let go of me. I blew out through my lips, realizing I'd been holding my breath. "And I'm not jealous. Look. I'm glad you're staying here and all but . . . he's using you. I know him, alright?"

"Yeah? How well?" I scoffed. "Did you have a father-son bonding meetup after your three year banishment?"

Ouch. He set his jaw. "You know what? You're really stubborn."

"Uh huh? Why don't you go complain to Mai?" I said. "I'm sure she'll be just glad to hear about it."

"You know what? I will."

"You do that."

"Fine."

"Fine!"

"I'll go then."

"Yeah you go." I put my hands on my hips. "The door is right there. Or shall I escort you out, your majesty?"

"I can escort myself out!"

"Good!"

"Great!"

I huffed. "Jerk." 

As he walked out the door, he look over his shoulder. "Sometimes . . . it's better to give people second chances than to hold grudges."

And then those beautiful golden eyes disappeared along with the rest of him as I slumped on the chair and groaned.