Ty Lee goes to Kyoshi Island. Azula goes to Ba Sing Se with Ursa.
Mai stays in the Fire Nation.
Ty Lee sounds happy in her letters. Azula doesn't write letters, but Ursa's letters to her son say Azula is not unhappy.
Mai hates the letters. She hates that Ty Lee is happy in the Earth Kingdom. She hates that Azula is not unhappy in the Earth Kingdom.
She hates that she is unhappy at all.
She loves Zuko.
She loves Zuko.
She doesn't love being his consort. She doesn't love all of the thousand and one ceremonial duties of the Firelord's wife, or the subtle machinations of court politics. She grew up with court politics going all around her, with silence as a weapon and armor both.
She is bored.
She has her husband after giving up everything for him, and she. Is. Bored.
It's not supposed to be this way.
It's not.
What did she expect, the part of her that had liked Azula asks. Did she really expect happily ever after? Did she really expect she would get to keep having fun? That being the Firelord's wife would be anything like what she wanted for herself?
She thinks she didn't expect the Avatar to win, honestly.
She thinks Zuko doesn't know anything about politics, and the daimyos would make him into a puppet if she isn't here.
She stops answering Ty Lee's letters, and Zuko is the person who actually writes to Ursa anyway.
Ty Lee keeps writing. Mai keeps not answering. One month, two months, three months.
Four months, and Ty Lee shows up at the gates to the palace, bright and sunny and dressed in the ugliest green dress imaginable with that hideous facepaint. "Mai! Come out and play!"
What did she expect, the part of her that still liked Ty Lee asks.
For takatohedgehog
Ty Lee goes to Kyoshi Island. Azula goes to Ba Sing Se with Ursa.
Mai stays in the Fire Nation.
Ty Lee sounds happy in her letters. Azula doesn't write letters, but Ursa's letters to her son say Azula is not unhappy.
Mai hates the letters. She hates that Ty Lee is happy in the Earth Kingdom. She hates that Azula is not unhappy in the Earth Kingdom.
She hates that she is unhappy at all.
She loves Zuko.
She loves Zuko.
She doesn't love being his consort. She doesn't love all of the thousand and one ceremonial duties of the Firelord's wife, or the subtle machinations of court politics. She grew up with court politics going all around her, with silence as a weapon and armor both.
She is bored.
She has her husband after giving up everything for him, and she. Is. Bored.
It's not supposed to be this way.
It's not.
What did she expect, the part of her that had liked Azula asks. Did she really expect happily ever after? Did she really expect she would get to keep having fun? That being the Firelord's wife would be anything like what she wanted for herself?
She thinks she didn't expect the Avatar to win, honestly.
She thinks Zuko doesn't know anything about politics, and the daimyos would make him into a puppet if she isn't here.
She stops answering Ty Lee's letters, and Zuko is the person who actually writes to Ursa anyway.
Ty Lee keeps writing. Mai keeps not answering. One month, two months, three months.
Four months, and Ty Lee shows up at the gates to the palace, bright and sunny and dressed in the ugliest green dress imaginable with that hideous facepaint. "Mai! Come out and play!"
What did she expect, the part of her that still liked Ty Lee asks.
Mai goes out to play.