Sea and Sky

Chapter 29: Enemies, Allies & Outcasts

Sea and Sky

Chapter 29: Enemies, Allies & Outcasts

——

"So, the rumors are true." The icy, familiar voice slide over Katara like a bucket of frigid spring water.

Dropping the book, the waterbender pushed the braid over her shoulder and looked towards the source of the words. Standing a few measures from her stood the last person she'd expected to see.

"What rumor is that?" Katara asked, her tone slightly annoyed as she turned to face the woman.

"That the nomad knocked you up. Just look at you, you're the size of an empire-class warship."

Rolling her eyes, Katara knew better than to take anything Azula said for more than a grain of salt. After Ozai's defeat and the princess' exile and eventual return, most had deemed Azula as unreliable, wayward, and capricious. The princess had done her fair share of healing after the war, even experiencing a tumultuous reunion with her mother, Ursa.

What exactly Azula had been up to during the past few years, Katara was unsure of. The only information she did have was that Azula had long disappeared from the court and royal palace. To see the Fire Nation princess standing before her was slightly shocking.

"Azula, I'm only three months along. The baby's no bigger than an orange at this point..." She trailed, retrieving the book she'd dropped.

"Why am I telling you any of this? When did you get back?"

Offering the waterbender a guarded smile, Azula held her hands behind her back as she approached, standing a few measures from Katara. "Zuzu asked me back to court to help protect you. Seeing as you're carrying the new hope of the world and all..."

The thought of Azula offering her any sort of protection was both jarring and laughable. The last time she'd seen Azula, the princess had attacked Ursa and half-sister Kiyi. Since when did Azula protect anything but her interests?

"That's... surprising." Katara offered as she took a seat at the table, motioning for Azula to join her.

Holding a hand up in dismissal, Azula spoke. "I may be a guest at my brother's palace, but I still have no desire to break bread with a peasant. You and the Avatar's bastard have my vow of protection, nothing more than that."

Rolling her eyes, Katara reached for a bowl of cherries. "You sure, Azula? I made sure to have the maidservants remove all the pits this time."

"You dare to mock me?"

Cherries, as Katara had discovered, were both Azula's favorite fruit and a high point of contention for the princess. During her breakdown before the war, Azula had banished a maidservant over a wayward pit left in her cherries. It was a delicious coincidence that she had requested the fruit well before Azula's arrival. While she knew the princess was no immediate threat to her, Katara would never miss a chance to mess with the firebender.

"Of course not, Azula." Her smile was wide as she offered the bowl to the princess.

Arched brows drawing together in suspicion, Azula took a seat across from the waterbender. Plucking a single cherry from the bowl, she popped it into her mouth, chewing delicately. The fruit was as delicious as she remembered. It had been many years since Azula had last tasted the fruit of her homeland. To think she was sharing the experience with someone who was once her enemy left her feeling amused.

Offering Azula a smile, Katara poured two cups of jasmine tea. "See? No pits."

——

From within the tree canopy, the house looked utterly inconsequential. What had been told to them was that the house had been a palatial estate, filled with exotic animals and the rarest of flowers, finery, and riches. What they had found was the complete opposite. Settled within the outer stretches of Omashu, the house was a desolate piece of property, crumbling and forgotten to time. The clay tiles of the roof appeared ancient, cracking, and peeling with age. The paint was so sun-bleached it no longer resembled the deep green it might have in it's earlier days.