His thoughts went back to his plans for the future. While he had no concrete plan as of yet, he wanted to stay here for now and solidify his knowledge of the world, as well as gather resources. The jobs he won from the wager would take care of the money issue, but he still needed to find a way to gather knowledge. To do that, he’d have to become literate and find some type of library he can visit or ask Ursa if she could lend him some books.

Then, there was the fact that he would have to wait for many years before the events from the show would begin. His presence would also complicate things and change much of the future he knew of, but he had already accepted that fact. He would just have to adapt based on the circumstances. Then there was his bending training. He still couldn’t get into the mental world. And while he would try to find other things to do—just as he promised to Ursa—he wouldn’t be able to stop training his martial arts. Not in a hardcore way, at least.

‘I don’t know what the world has in store for me in the future, but I’ll do all I can to prepare myself and try to change things for the better. For now, I’ll start small, like helping the girl on my back resolve her issues with her family.’

“Are you feeling better, Azula?” he asked, but received no response. He could sense her stable breathing and heartbeat, so he at least knew she wasn’t ill. “Azula?”

“…Why did you help me?” she eventually asked in a small voice.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“Don’t act clueless, you big oaf!” Azula clutched his shoulders with more strength, but Nathan could barely tell the difference. “You knew I was angry and helped me regain my calm by challenging me to your game. I also know you lost on purpose so that I can find something to eat. I’m asking you why you did those things.”

He chuckled. “You caught on, huh? Well, what if I told you I helped you because I thought you needed help?”

“Me needing help? I don’t need help. I’m Azula, daughter of Prince Ozai, the son of Fire Lord Azulon. Help is for the weak. In fact, I should burn you where you stand for even saying that to me.”

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea when you’re on my back.” He smiled in amusement before becoming serious. “What about your mother? You didn’t mention her. Aren’t you her daughter, too?”

There was a moment of silence after he asked that question.

“Don’t like talking about her? I see…” He paused for a long moment. “Do you not love her?”

“…”

“She loves you, you know,” Nathan softly said after a moment of contemplation. “Your mother loves you very much.”

“…That’s a lie,” she whispered, clutching his clothes tightly. “My mother doesn’t love me. She… fears me… She thinks I’m a monster.”

“No, she doesn’t,” he said insistingly, taking a detour so they could continue their conversation. “Has your mother actually ever said that to you?”

“No… But I’ve seen her look at me. She looks at me as if I was a monster.”

“While I think she may have given you that impression, I’m sure there’s another reason for it. Look, while I’ve only known your mother for less than a day, she has shown me—someone she barely knew—kindness and good will I haven’t experienced in years. If a person like her is afraid of someone, it’s definitely not because of you. You’re her daughter, for goodness’ sake.”

Azula scoffed. “I still think you’re lying. Like you said, you’ve only known my mother for a short while, so why should I trust you?”

Nathan knew there was a “but…” incoming.

“But let’s just say in this scenario that what you said was the explanation. Why does she not love me like she does Zuko? It’s obvious she loves my brother more than me, but I want to know why,” she said with a trace of frustration in her voice.

“I can’t really say for certain why your mother is playing favourites, but I have a feeling it has something to do with your father. Even though I haven’t known him as long as you have, I can tell he isn’t a kind or compassionate man, and I think you know this, too. I’ve seen you and your brother tuck into yourselves when your father showed signs of aggression.”

“…Let’s say you’re right. What has that got to do with my mother fearing me?”

“Before I tell you, answer this question first. Who do you take after more in terms of personality, values and beliefs, your mother… or your father?”

“Hmm…” she pondered to herself in thought. “I’d have to say I take after my father more. And why wouldn’t I? He’s one of the most powerful firebenders in the Fire Nation and is probably in line for the throne. Since I’m her daughter, it’s only right that I follow in his footsteps.”

“Then I’m probably right with my guess…” Nathan muttered to himself aloud.

“Right with what?” Azula asked, and he wondered whether she even noticed how imbalanced the power dynamic of Ursa’s and Ozai’s relationship was or not.

Nathan stopped and looked at Azula over his shoulder. “Keep what I’m about to tell you a secret between us, okay?”

Azula’s brows furrowed in thought. “…Fine. But this better be worth keeping as a secret. And you owe me a favour.”

“If that’s the price, then so be it,” he said playfully.

He continued walking. “First, know that I have a pretty good idea of what a bad relationship looks like. My own parents separated under tense circumstances when I was young. And what I noticed so far with your mother and father’s relationship is that your mother fears him to an unknown extent. Every time she spoke of him, she spoke with an undertone of caution, as if she was reluctant of even mentioning him at all.”

Nathan recalled how he noticed Ursa would almost always hold squeeze her fingers with one hand if she felt anxious or stressed. That gesture came out the most when she spoke of Ozai.

“Mom is afraid of father?” Azula pondered to herself for a moment.

‘If she hadn’t noticed, it’s probably because Ursa had been hiding that fact in front of her children.’

“It’s my best guess,” he continued. “I don’t know the exact reason, but I have a feeling it has something to do with what your father had done in the past. Or maybe I’m just overthinking things and your father is just someone that naturally inspires fear in people. I definitely thought he was intimidating when I first met him.” He stopped at the entrance to the house and let Azula stand on her own.

Turning around, he crouched down to her level, looking at her eye-to-eye.

“Look, all I know is that your mother is probably not afraid of you or thinks you’re a monster, Azula. I don’t think she’s that kind of mother. Remember how you said you take after your father more? If I’m right with my guess about your mother being afraid of your father, her fear of him might be extending towards you because of how much you resemble him in your actions and words.”

Azula didn’t reply and preferred to look at the ground, seemingly deep in thought.

‘For now, this is all I can do. I can’t just force Azula to make up with Ursa or force her to change who she is. That would probably just make things worse than they already are.’ He internally sighed. ‘I’m not even sure if I’m right about what I said. They were all just educated guesses based on what I knew from the show and my observations of Ursa and Ozai in person. And after Azula, I’ll have to see what I can do about Zuko. His desire to be loved by a cruel father is something I can somewhat relate to, but at the same time, it’s so much more complex than that.’

“Hey, you know what?” he asked, grabbing her attention. “You still haven’t told me what small dare I’ll be doing since I lost the game.”

Azula frowned. “I didn’t win the game honorably.”

Nathan’s eyebrows rose slightly in surprise. He thought she would jump at the chance of claiming her victory and using the wager to make him do something. “I think you won fair and square, but if you won’t claim victory, what do you think we should do instead?”

With arms crossed, she held her chin in thought. “Well, since neither of us truly won, let’s settle for… a tie.”

“A tie?” he asked. “Okay. Who am I to complain about getting a free pass? A tie it is, then.”

Azula stomped her foot and poked his chest. “But rest assured that next time, I won’t be so lenient. I still remember how you made fun of me.”

Her mentioning the event made him recall the memory. And due to how his mind now worked, he could play it in his head like a movie clip, complete with sound.

Suppressing a bout of laughter, he covered his mouth and looked away.

Azula’s cheeks became pink with embarrassment, and Nathan immediately stopped laughing when he saw it.

“My bad. I didn’t mean to make fun of you. I just find it hilarious. Why don’t we head back in?” He patted her head gently with a smile. “I’ll take you on for a Zen Showdown anytime you want, but I think we should take care of that growling stomach of yours first. Come on. Your mother might be worried as well.”

Nathan stood up and walked towards the entrance, but stopped when he didn’t sense Azula following him.

He turned around with concern on his face. “Azula? Is everything okay?” he asked.

As if frozen in place, Azula stared at him with no noticeable facial expression before nodding her head and running past him.

He scratched his head, completely puzzled.

“Maybe I went too far with the growling stomach comment?”