Aang stood over Ozai, the rest of the enemy having been detained by Toph. In other words, they were all cuffed up by bent metal scraps she'd torn off the walls. Some had been ornaments and decoration, others candle holders, whatever the case it didn't matter, the immediate threat was gone.
Ozai was knelt on the ground, his body encased in earth as Aang took away his bending for the second time. There would be no return for Ozai. Kiyi glared down at him for some time before lashing out. Her hand struck the side of the ex fire lord's face with a thundering smack.
"That's for my brother!" She frowned, back handing him a millisecond later. "That's for my sister."
She arched her hand back and slapped him a third time clean across the face.
"What was that one for?" Ozai rasped, his lips curling into a sneer.
"My mom." Kiyi moved to deck him a fourth time when Sokka caught her arm.
"Okay tiger, we get it, let's not beat a dead ostrich horse okay?" He looked nervously in Ozai's direction and if looks could kill, Sokka would be dead.
But while this all transpired, and as the crowds calmed and dispersed, Ty Lee looked for Azula. She'd seen her disappear in the crowd, but where the princess had gone afterwards, the acrobat didn't know.
"Suki?" Ty Lee asked, drawing the attention of her friend. "Did you see Azula by chance?"
"I think she went this way, I'll show you." The Kyoshi warrior waved for Ty Lee to follow, and the acrobat obliged. They wandered through the halls avoiding any visitors as they went until they arrived at Azula's room. "I was checking the halls for any other insurgents and she ducked into her room I think."
Ty Lee nodded, knocked lightly on the door, and entered. Everything was quiet. Nothing seemed disturbed or out of place, but there was the faint sound of running water coming from the adjoining bathroom.
"Hey, 'Zula you in there?" The acrobat asked, at least wanting to announce her presence before barging in. She received no response. "I'm coming in, okay?"
Easing the door open, Ty Lee stepped inside, identifying the source of the noise. It was coming from the bathtub, the water stained a vibrant red, a body curled up inside. The acrobat didn't think, she simply acted, nearly slipping on the floor as she darted to the tub and pulled the princess free.
"Suki! Get Katara!" She yelled over the running water. Azula wasn't moving, much less responding, and with a racing heart the acrobat started CPR. She wasn't sure if Suki had heard her, but she couldn't risk leaving Azula to find out.
Settling into a rhythm, Ty Lee worked until her hands ached and her arms started to cramp. The longer this went on the more she felt her panic rise, but she forced it away for the time being. She needed to focus.
Then, by some miracle, the princess stirred, rolled onto her side, and coughed the water from her lungs. Part of Ty Lee wanted to wrap Azula up in an excessively tight hug, but she resisted the urge.
"What happened?"
The acrobat looked over her shoulder to find Katara and Suki staring wide eyed at the scene. "I don't know. Azula-"
"I don't know," the princess rasped, her face scrunching up in pain each time she breathed. She was shivering and soaked from head to toe. Ty Lee noted the blood on her hands from holding the princess. The wound in Azula's side was the scariest of them all.
"We can sort that out later. Let me help," Katara worried, setting aside whatever reservations she had about the princess.
"Absolutely not," Azula glowered, though it lacked emphasis. Frankly, she looked horrible and in desperate need of medical attention.
"I won't hurt you. I made a promise a long time ago to help people who need it. I'm standing by that promise," Katara insisted.
"Let her help," Ty Lee begged, "please."
"Fine," Azula sighed, but the action pained her.
"I'll stay here, I promise," Ty Lee assured, as Katara drained the bath water and dried off the floor, princess, and acrobat. When her clothes were dry, Azula relaxed ever so slightly, but she still shivered from head to toe.
"I'll have to work fast. She's got burns which are dropping her body temperature." Katara explained, kneeling on the bathroom floor. "This'll be easier if we can-"
"My clothes stay on," Azula frowned, her breathing labored.
"Azula-" Ty Lee warned but not without worry. The princess held the acrobat's gaze for a moment, saw the quiet panic in her eyes and conceded.
"Fine. But she does it," Azula informed, trusting Ty Lee a thousand times more than the water bender.
"Fine by me," Katara snorted, taking a step back. "Hey, Suki?"
"Yeah?" The Kyosni warrior asked, eager to help.
"Keep the boys away and anyone trying to be nosy okay?" Katara sighed, sparing a glance over her shoulder at the two girls whispering urgently to one another in some form of a small argument. "She's defensive so this could take a while."
"I know you don't trust her," Ty Lee whispered, gently pulling one of Azula's arms from her ruined dress attire, "but I do."
"She has every right to get back at me for all the things I put her through. Why not do it now?"
"Because she's not that type of person," Ty Lee assured, resting her forehead against Azula's, "Let her help for my sake. Can you do that?"
"For you, and that's it." Azula grumbled, painfully shimmying out of her tattered clothes.
"Alright," Katara sighed, studying the extent of the princess' wounds. "We start here. It's the most urgent."
Azula remembered the feeling of the knife sliding between her ribs, she flinched violently at the feeling of cool and somehow warm water settling over the wound.
Katara worked slowly, making sure to address everything that needed to be tended to, all the while Azula stared dead ahead at the wall, occasionally searching for Ty Lee's hand like she needed to be grounded in reality.
There were times Katara asked Azula questions but received no answer, and Ty Lee had to explain that Azula was processing everything that had happened. That for the time being, the princess was 'shut down' so to speak.
"How long have the both of you been together?" Katara asked, her brow furrowed in concentration.
"I don't know. It feels like forever. We never really paid attention to any dates, they never seemed important." Ty Lee admitted.
"You're good for her, you know." The water bender noted. "This would be impossible without you."
"She's...weary of you." Ty Lee winced, not wanting to offend the water bender.
"Understandable," Katara laughed lightly.
"Well, I think I'm finished for now. Try and get her to rest. Keep her warm. If she remembers what happened let me know."
"Okay," Ty Lee nodded, "thank you."
"Of course. I'll give you a more thorough explanation of her injuries once she's in bed." Katara smiled gently, getting to her feet and leaving with Suki in tow.
Ty Lee managed to coax Azula to her feet, and supporting most of the princess' weight directed her to the bed. Still in a type of daze, Azula let herself be tucked into bed, still shaking and cold. Ty Lee piled on a few blankets before clambering into bed and nestling into the sheets as well. Carefully, she pulled Azula close, and held the princess tightly.
"I'm proud of you," she whispered, running her fingers through Azula's hair. "What you did was hard."
"Thank you," Azula replied, her voice barely above a whisper. Tucked comfortably into the acrobat's side, Azula fell asleep. For some time Ty Lee was afraid to move, but she didn't disturb Azula when she did. The princess was out cold.
— — —
It wasn't hard to find Katara, she was with the others helping clean up the mess from Ozai and his idiot friends.
"She's asleep," Ty Lee informed, crossing her arms and fighting back a yawn. Frankly she was exhausted too.
"Good," Katara smiled. "She'll need it. Her body has a lot of healing to do. When she tapped into the deepest aspects of her power she wasn't able to control it entirely. She was burning from the inside out. My guess is, before the exhaustion took over, she was trying to cool off in the bath. Get the heat to die out."
"Did she fall asleep?" Ty Lee worried.
"That or her body shut down and she passed out." Katara sighed. "It'll take at least a week for her to fully heal even with my help. Make sure she's careful. She won't listen to anyone else but she'll listen to you."
"Right," Ty Lee nodded, aware of Kiyi nestling into her side like Azula had moments before.
"Can I see her?" Kiyi asked hopefully.
"Not right now, but if she wakes up I'll tell her you asked," the acrobat promised, wrapping an arm about the young girl's shoulders.
"Okay," Kiyi sighed.
"I think it's probably best if everyone got some rest," Aang decided. "I'll take Ozai to a cell for the time being and we can transport him tomorrow."
"Seems like a decent plan," Sokka agreed, yawning loudly and without shame.
"Great, goodnight," Toph sighed, flopping onto the floor and closing her eyes.
"You are not sleeping on the floor," Sokka frowned, nudging the earth bender with his foot. Toph punched him harshly in the thigh. "OW!"
"Sokka," Suki laughed.
"Fine, sleep on the floor," Sokka pouted, sulking off with Suki while she teased him.
Slowly, everyone dispersed for the evening, and Zuko helped escort any lingering guests from the palace making sure they left safely.
Ty Lee went around the palace checking in on her siblings and doing a quick head count. She wanted to make sure they were all okay. Despite some minor scratches or bruises they were all in tact. She supposed now that Ozai wasn't a threat her family could officially go home sometime during the week.
It would be strange not to have them around, but she could always visit. At least, she could visit the ones who liked her.
Rubbing her eyes, the acrobat made it back to Azula's room and clambered into bed for a second time. Azula's eyes fluttered open for a moment and recognition flashed across her face along with a tiny smile. She was asleep almost instantly yet again, but the small moment warmed Ty Lee's heart. She never got used to seeing Azula light up when she realized it was Ty Lee sleeping next to her and not some stranger.
"Goodnight Azula," the acrobat whispered, kissing Azula lightly on the forehead, "sweet dreams okay?"
She took the silence as her answer. Things were okay for now. Fragile, but okay.