A few days after his visit to the Fire Lord's palace, Tai Lung received another visit from Zuko. This time, however, he wasn't alone. With him were Azula, Ty Lee, and Mai. Zuko looked less than thrilled by the company, clearly having failed to talk Azula out of joining them. Azula, for her part, had insisted on coming along.
Tai Lung, already irritated by the disruption to his usual routine, now found the group even larger. But his annoyance was met with his mother's elation. She was overjoyed to see her son spending time with others, believing he was finally breaking out of his shell. That glad, relieved look on her face made it impossible for Tai Lung to say anything, even though the situation grated on his nerves.
To his surprise, the girls didn't just idle around or just annoyed him with endless chatter; they actually joined in on the training. Azula, in particular, tried to mimic Tai Lung's movements, her eyes locked onto his technique with an intense competitive gleam. Ty Lee bounced around energetically, practicing her acrobatics and flexibility, while Mai opted for a quieter activity, calmly throwing knives and any other sharp objects she could get her hands on at nearby targets.
As much as their presence annoyed him, Tai Lung found it nowhere near as bad as he had initially expected. The girls were talented, determined, and not a complete distraction. Azula's fierce spirit shone with every failed attempt to copy him, and while Tai Lung largely ignored her, he quietly noted that Zuko could benefit from even half of his sister's drive.
The group returned to Tai Lung's house days later, and the same events unfolded again. Then it happened again, and again, until it became a routine. Every few days, they would come over and train. Tai Lung didn't mind that anymore. What did bother him, oddly enough, was his mother.
She would occasionally peek into the training yard, watching silently. At first, she was happy. But now her expression had shifted into something more complex, conflicted, sometimes even troubled. In her eyes, Tai Lung's passion for training seemed to have become infectious, affecting even noble girls from the palace. All of them were constantly sweaty, focused, and eager to improve. His mother, once glad, now felt guilty. She had thought their first visit would be the last when she saw them training, but here they were training junkies just like her son.
Tai Lung noticed. He always noticed. His mother's eyes weren't angry, but unsettled. He chose to say nothing and instead focused on what he could control.
Ty Lee, for instance, had talent. Natural, raw talent for acrobatics. Her joy in flipping, leaping, and balancing reminded Tai Lung of his old life, when Kung Fu masters would train acrobatic forms with reverence and glee. Something about her movements stirred old memories. Perhaps out of nostalgia, or something else, Tai began devoting some of his time to training her. He showed her moves she had never seen before, techniques from a past no one but he knew. Ty Lee, in turn, was ecstatic. Finally, someone who knew more than her and who was willing to teach her.
Meanwhile, in the background, Zuko and Mai would sneak glances at one another. There were small blushes, awkward eye contact, and quick looks away. Something soft and unsaid lingered between them.
Azula, however, watched all of this with growing bitterness. She felt left out. The princess of the Fire Nation, ignored. Completely overlooked. Especially by Tai Lung, who gave most of his attention and effort to Ty Lee, a girl who only knew how to juggle and bounce. Sometimes, he would show Mai tricks in throwing weapons, sometimes he would help Zuko, but when it came to Azula, the firebending prodigy, she was completely dismissed by him.
She challenged Tai Lung to spar often, trying to prove herself. Every time, she lost. Miserably. Quickly. Brutally. Her frustration mounted with each defeat. She was supposed to be strong. She was destined for greatness. And yet she kept losing. To Zuko's classmate. And the worst part?
There was nothing she could do about it.
___________
Today's visit was different. For the first time, the children arrived without Azula. Tai Lung noticed immediately but didn't say a word. It was Ty Lee who pointed it out, bouncing up to him with her usual energy and curiosity.
"Did you not notice Azula's missing?" she asked, tilting her head.
Tai Lung gave a short nod. "I can see that."
Ty Lee blinked, surprised. "You're not curious why?"
"Not really," Tai Lung replied, his tone flat.
Zuko stepped in to answer anyway, a trace of bitterness in his voice. "She stayed behind. Father wanted to teach her personally."
"I see, good for her" Tai Lung said, his expression unchanged. Then, without missing a beat, he turned to Ty Lee. "Did you practice the triple air kick from last time?"
Ty Lee's demeanor brightened instantly. "Yes! I did! I learned it!" she exclaimed, practically radiating pride and excitement.
With that, the group moved into their usual routine. Training resumed as normal, perhaps even better than normal. The lack of Azula's presence didn't bother anyone. In fact, it seemed to lift a weight off the group. Without her sharp tongue and constant competitive jabs, the air felt lighter. The laughter came easier. Ty Lee was more expressive. Even Mai seemed just a little more relaxed, her quiet stillness less like detachment and more like peace.
They all felt it, even if they didn't say it. The day was simply better without Azula.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the vast Fire Lord Palace, Azula stood proudly in a private courtyard, her golden eyes gleaming with fire and fierce determination. Her father loomed before her, a proud figure of power and control. Today, he was her teacher. She moved through her forms with razor precision, her flames hotter, her strikes faster.
She had only one thought.
With Father's training… I will beat Tai Lung. I will show him who the real prodigy is.
From that day on, Azula's visits stopped entirely.
___________
After six hundred days of relentless siege, the long-awaited news finally came, Ba Sing Se's outer wall had been breached. But instead of celebration, the Fire Nation was plunged into sorrow and outrage. The son of Crown Prince Iroh, Captain Lu Ten, had fallen during the final push. The cost of this achievement had been too high.
Not long after, Iroh called off the siege and ordered a retreat, his heart was broken after the loss of his son and couldn't continue the siege. The war, which had seemed to be on the cusp of a major turning point, was suddenly stalled. Across the Fire Nation, whispers grew into heated debates. Some called Iroh weak, accusing him of throwing away the sacrifices of countless soldiers. Others grieved with him, understanding that the pain of losing a son could shatter even the strongest of hearts.
But before the nation could process the grief, a second shock swept across the capital the very next day.
The Fire Lord was dead.
His final decree was revealed, Prince Ozai would become the new Crown Prince, bypassing Iroh, whose retreat was declared a failure too great to overlook. With that, Ozai rose as the new Fire Lord. The capital buzzed with both anxiety and awe as citizens flooded the ceremonial grounds to witness the transfer of power to the new Fire Lord.
Among the silent crowd stood Tai Lung. He watched the grand procession with serene, observant eyes. Fire Nation banners waved, flames danced in ritual arcs, and chants echoed in reverence of the new ruler. Yet something was off.
He scanned the platform, the nobles, the royal family.
Zuko and Azula were there but Ursa, Ozai's wife, was missing.
A few days later, Zuko came to visit Tai Lung's home, his expression clouded with confusion and sorrow. He sat beside Tai Lung and spoke quietly, as if the words themselves were heavy.
"My mother disappeared the same night my grandfather died," Zuko said. "No one will tell me where she went. Azula… Azula told me something else. She said Grandfather was going to kill me. To make Father feel the same pain as Uncle Iroh. Azula always lies but I can't help but fear that my mother was killed in my place."
Tai Lung listened, his gaze fixed ahead, unmoving. Something in his gut twisted. There was more to this than anyone knew. The Fire Lord's death. Ursa's disappearance. Tai Lung there was a covert murder mixed with greed to rule the nation.
But after a moment of silent thoughts, Tai exhaled slowly.
[It has nothing to do with me.] He thought to himself.
And just like that, he buried the thought.
That was the last time Zuko visited his home.
In the Royal Academy, Zuko began to avoid Tai completely. No explanation, no confrontation, only distance, growing colder by the day.