“Why did you hide your son six years ago?” She stood back. “What did he do?”
Iroh turned his head to the wall.
“See, I’ve been trying to figure out since we found you why you would hide him away. You lost the throne, you lost your command, It just doesn’t make sense. Uncle...” She let her expression soften, and she knelt down to touch his face. “Did he fake his own death? And let you suffer all these years.”
“Azula.” He pulled away from her. “You do not know what you are talking about.”
She stood back up and looked down on him. “Waterbending healers can be useful,” she said coldly. “If we can be sure of their loyalty...”
Iroh’s eyes grew wide. “What do you want?”
“Zuzu doesn’t have to spend the rest of his life in a cage.” She said softly.
“That’s Ozai’s discission,” he reminded her. “You have no power.”
Azula’s face twisted hideously before she left. “I hope you enjoy watching them die before they execute you.”
~*~
“Rinzee.”
The woman in the corner of the cell scrambled to her feet and hobbled into the light. Her braid lashed around her head as she clung to the wall.
Mai closed the cell door. “I came to talk to you about your daughter.”
“Is she okay?” Rinzee stumbled forward, straining against the shackles on her ankles. “They won’t let me see her, is she with Ao-” She closed her eyes and opened them again. “Lu Ten?”
Mai shook her head. “She’s fine. Azula thinks that if you’re kept apart, if all of you are in separate cells, you won’t try to escape.”
“She’s going to kill us,” Rinzee whispered.
“She’s not like that,” Mai snapped, and jerked back with surprise. “She just needs to know that you’re not going to try to put Ruili on the throne instead of her or the Firelord.”
Rinzee blinked the tears out of her eyes. “She can’t know that unless we’re dead. And Lu Ten told me-”
“Told you what?”
“Nothing.” She braced herself against the wall like she couldn’t stand up without it.
Mai felt her expression harden. “Tell me.”
“I’m not going to give the Firelord one more reason to kill us,” she hissed. “Leave.”
“I’ll see what I can do about your daughter.”
~*~
“What were you doing?”
Mai turned around, the key still in the lock. “Interrogating the prisoner.”
Azula smiled. “Get anything?”
“She wants to see her daughter.” She pulled the key out of the lock.
“Stay away from them, Mai,” Azula rolled her eyes. “The longer we leave them alone, the more they’re going to talk.”
~*~
Mai unlocked the chains around Zuko’s arms. “Why are you doing this?” he asked hoarsely.
She pulled his arm away from his body and put it in the water bowl. “Just shut up.”
The water turned blue and started to glow around his wrist again. The angry yellow and red skin on his hand calmed. The blackened burn flaked away into the water. Where the burn had been, when the water stopped glowing, Zuko had a thick, dark red, wrinkled scar on his wrist. He wiggled his fingers. “Thanks.”
“Your hand looked better than it did when I left last time,” she observed. “I mean, before you put it in the water.”
“Yeah, well there’s sea spray,” Zuko tried to smile.
Mai grabbed his arms and wrapped the chain back around them again and hooked the lock back through the links. But she didn’t lock it. Before she left, she put her key in the lock of the shackles holding his legs to the wall, and it clicked open.
~*~
“It’s good to see your wrist’s healing so nicely.” Azula gazed out the window in his cell for a minute, then looked back to her brother.
“Nice to see you too,” he shot back, sullenly.
She smirked. “My soldiers are tracking the Avatar.”
“What do you want?” He hung his head and tried to keep his arms still, almost crying. “You keep coming here, and- What do you want with me?”
Azula didn’t have an answer.
~*~
Ty Lee stood in front of the cell. “You know Azula doesn’t want us to talk to them.”
“She’s a kid, Ty Lee.” Mai shoved the key into the lock and spun it around. “She’s not going to tell us anything."
Mai, taking Azula’s plan down from the inside (AU of Ice Flows Through) Pt. 3/4
“Why did you hide your son six years ago?” She stood back. “What did he do?”
Iroh turned his head to the wall.
“See, I’ve been trying to figure out since we found you why you would hide him away. You lost the throne, you lost your command, It just doesn’t make sense. Uncle...” She let her expression soften, and she knelt down to touch his face. “Did he fake his own death? And let you suffer all these years.”
“Azula.” He pulled away from her. “You do not know what you are talking about.”
She stood back up and looked down on him. “Waterbending healers can be useful,” she said coldly. “If we can be sure of their loyalty...”
Iroh’s eyes grew wide. “What do you want?”
“Zuzu doesn’t have to spend the rest of his life in a cage.” She said softly.
“That’s Ozai’s discission,” he reminded her. “You have no power.”
Azula’s face twisted hideously before she left. “I hope you enjoy watching them die before they execute you.”
~*~
“Rinzee.”
The woman in the corner of the cell scrambled to her feet and hobbled into the light. Her braid lashed around her head as she clung to the wall.
Mai closed the cell door. “I came to talk to you about your daughter.”
“Is she okay?” Rinzee stumbled forward, straining against the shackles on her ankles. “They won’t let me see her, is she with Ao-” She closed her eyes and opened them again. “Lu Ten?”
Mai shook her head. “She’s fine. Azula thinks that if you’re kept apart, if all of you are in separate cells, you won’t try to escape.”
“She’s going to kill us,” Rinzee whispered.
“She’s not like that,” Mai snapped, and jerked back with surprise. “She just needs to know that you’re not going to try to put Ruili on the throne instead of her or the Firelord.”
Rinzee blinked the tears out of her eyes. “She can’t know that unless we’re dead. And Lu Ten told me-”
“Told you what?”
“Nothing.” She braced herself against the wall like she couldn’t stand up without it.
Mai felt her expression harden. “Tell me.”
“I’m not going to give the Firelord one more reason to kill us,” she hissed. “Leave.”
“I’ll see what I can do about your daughter.”
~*~
“What were you doing?”
Mai turned around, the key still in the lock. “Interrogating the prisoner.”
Azula smiled. “Get anything?”
“She wants to see her daughter.” She pulled the key out of the lock.
“Stay away from them, Mai,” Azula rolled her eyes. “The longer we leave them alone, the more they’re going to talk.”
~*~
Mai unlocked the chains around Zuko’s arms. “Why are you doing this?” he asked hoarsely.
She pulled his arm away from his body and put it in the water bowl. “Just shut up.”
The water turned blue and started to glow around his wrist again. The angry yellow and red skin on his hand calmed. The blackened burn flaked away into the water. Where the burn had been, when the water stopped glowing, Zuko had a thick, dark red, wrinkled scar on his wrist. He wiggled his fingers. “Thanks.”
“Your hand looked better than it did when I left last time,” she observed. “I mean, before you put it in the water.”
“Yeah, well there’s sea spray,” Zuko tried to smile.
Mai grabbed his arms and wrapped the chain back around them again and hooked the lock back through the links. But she didn’t lock it. Before she left, she put her key in the lock of the shackles holding his legs to the wall, and it clicked open.
~*~
“It’s good to see your wrist’s healing so nicely.” Azula gazed out the window in his cell for a minute, then looked back to her brother.
“Nice to see you too,” he shot back, sullenly.
She smirked. “My soldiers are tracking the Avatar.”
“What do you want?” He hung his head and tried to keep his arms still, almost crying. “You keep coming here, and- What do you want with me?”
Azula didn’t have an answer.
~*~
Ty Lee stood in front of the cell. “You know Azula doesn’t want us to talk to them.”
“She’s a kid, Ty Lee.” Mai shoved the key into the lock and spun it around. “She’s not going to tell us anything."