Second Chances

The End

"It's quiet now," Azula noted, studying the front gates with a careful eye. "How long has it been now? A month?"
"I believe," Ty Lee nodded. "But quiet is good. It means things are healing."
"I suppose," Azula nodded, wrapping an arm about the acrobat's waist. "At least the palace is repaired and won't topple in on itself anymore."
"That is a positive," Ty Lee grinned. "You know, your mom's been trying to make vacation plans."
"Let me guess; a beach trip?" Azula sighed.
"Your powers of perception are impeccable as always," the acrobat teased. "Come on. The beach is nice. It's always eventful to say the least. Besides, I think we've all earned a bit of a getaway."
"If it'll make them happy, I'll go. I hate the birds though. Their squawking is horrendous," the princess' nose wrinkled in distaste. She watched the clouds pass harmlessly overhead, the seasons changing slowly but surely. In a way, it was a reminder that the world had continued to move on and somehow Azula had too. She no longer felt tethered to the past, but that left an emptiness behind. One she wasn't quite comfortable with. It frightened her.
"You're thinking. I can tell by your face," Ty Lee smirked.
"Just a funny feeling is all," Azula reassured. With a shrug, the acrobat accepted the answer finding little concern in it.
Truthfully, Azula wasn't sure what to do with herself now that all her loose ends were tied up. Maybe not into neat little bows like she would have wanted, but never the less there were no more frayed strands of fate lying about. She would have to get used to that whether she liked it or not. Perhaps learning to find new hobbies would be beneficial.
"What do you think is going to happen now that everything is normal again?" Ty Lee asked, kicking at a stray rock.
"I don't know," Azula admitted, pursing her lips. "I don't even know what normal feels like. It's...boring. I suppose something will go awry. It always does."
"Yeah, the universe is a little shitty that way isn't it?" The acrobat mused. "But, maybe we can take the momentary lapse in chaos to do the things we want to do."
"Like what?" Azula asked, studying Ty Lee's bright and curious eyes.
"Adventure, exploring, even painting or something. We could go wherever we want whenever we want," Ty Lee smiled, talking rapidly like she always did when excited. "We could go to the South Pole-"
"They'll kill me," Azula frowned.
"Earth Kingdom?"
"They'll also kill me," Azula insisted.
"Maybe somewhere off grid then," Ty Lee suggested,
"That could work." The princess nodded taking Ty Lee's hand in her own and running her thumb over the acrobat's knuckles. It had taken some time, but knowing she was safe from her father once more, Azula began to find comfort in showing her affections for the acrobat. She wasn't scared anymore. There was no nagging sense that somehow she'd be caught doing something she shouldn't. Perhaps that was because she no longer cared what other people had to say. There would always be someone who disliked her whether it had to do with her appearance, her ideals, her past, or even her lover. At the end of the day, all that mattered was that she felt safe, happy, and home.
And, truthfully, it had been a long time since Azula had felt safe. It had been even longer since she felt truly happy and at home. It was bittersweet knowing it had taken so long to achieve such things, but it was worth it.
With a small sigh, Azula settled her head on the acrobat's shoulder as a breeze moved slowly through the courtyard carrying with it the smell of growing grass, blooming flowers, and possible rains. Pleased about the princess' growing confidence, Ty Lee pressed a light kiss to the top of the fire bender's' head. Azula was healing. Properly this time, and Ty Lee couldn't have been happier.
— — —
As spring continued to crawl across the nation and harsh weather was replaced with gentle storms, Azula found herself in Ty Lee's company more than before. Sure she studied and trained, but it wasn't a forced distraction like it used to be.
There was no reason to hide things from the servants or the guards. What would they do now that Zuko was the uncontested leader of the Fire Nation? Whether they liked it or not, the princess would continue to let the acrobat steal soft kisses from her until even that wasn't satisfying enough.
Eventually, Azula found herself being stolen away into spare rooms or closets. It was strange, she had to admit, but she didn't mind too much. Often times it was the only break she got from the outside world and what better way to spend it than with the pink acrobat?
Nevertheless, people always found a way to be nosy, and by 'people' it was Kiyi. The girl had yet to grasp the concept of personal space and knocking. Of course it was her fault the few times she'd barged into Azula's room unannounced to witness the two love struck idiots being hopelessly romantic and tangled up in bed. It was enough to make anyone gag. Of course, Azula had way too much fun purposefully bestowing second hand embarrassment upon her younger sister. If she couldn't do it to Zuko, she had to do it to someone. It just so happened that Kiyi was inadvertently her victim.
In order to get back at said older sister, Kiyi only had to mention that Azula was still the shortest of them all. Nothing got the princess more pissed off than that.
"You should have eaten your vegetables," Kiyi remarked, looking pointedly at Azula one night at the table.
"I did eat my vegetables," Azula insisted, looking highly offended that Kiyi would even insinuate the fact that she hadn't.
"I don't know. People are short because they don't eat their vegetables," the young bender continued while Zuko pretended not to laugh. "Science says."
"What science?" Azula asked, frowning.
"Uh..." Kiyi shrugged, unable to think of anything on the spot.
"That's what I thought," the princess smirked.
"You're at least average height," Ikem assured with a half hearted smile.
"It's not like I picked what genes I got," Azula huffed, growing cross.
"Ah, neither did I," Iroh sighed, shaking his head. "I got the short stick. Literally!"
Everyone at the table couldn't help but laugh at Iroh's self deprecating humor. He had a certain air about him which could bring laughter from anyone. It would be a shame when he went back to his tea shop. It had been wonderful having him around after the wedding.
Of course, he'd intentionally missed Ozai's grand entrance after word was slipped to him of the former fire lord's intent. As far as Iroh was concerned, it was best if he stayed away from his brother. Azula didn't blame him. Ozai wasn't someone you looked forward to seeing.
"So, about that vacation," Iroh continued, "is it just speculation or do I get to go to the beach and put my toes in the sand?"
"Well, it's up to all of you. Normally it's a tradition but...well, obviously it's been a few years." Ursa sighed, studying everyone at the table.
"No plays," Azula insisted. She'd had her fair share of horrible art forms and the Ember Island Players were something she simply couldn't take mentally or emotionally.
"That's the best part," Ursa gasped.
"Eh," Zuko winced, "you should have seen the one they did about Aang. That was a train wreck. The only good portrayal was Toph."
"Has it really gotten that bad since the last time we saw something as a family?" Ursa worried.
"Utter train wreck," Kiyi agreed. "They performed something at school during an assembly. Talk about a snooze fest."
"I guess theater isn't what it used to be," Ikem sighed, "what a shame."
"There's still the beach," Tom Tom reminded.
"Yay, sand." Mai spoke dryly not looking excited about it at all.
"Oh don't worry Mai," Ty Lee grinned, "we can bring board games to play in the shade and we can bring towels to sit on so you don't get all sandy!"
"If it's any sort of history board game, I'm not playing because Azula always wins," Mai looked pointedly at the Firebender. Azula only shrugged but she was rather smug to say the least. Her paying attention in school had to pay off at some point didn't it?
As the rest of the table debated beach plans, Azula found herself just enjoying their company. She didn't necessarily care what they decided, only that they were happy with the final result. Sure, she wanted to get away from the palace, but the beach wasn't exactly her first pick. She wanted to go somewhere brand new, but that wasn't an option for her. No matter what she did, people would still have their own perceptions about her and they were fair to judge her. Sins could only be absolved by those they affected. People had a right to choose whether they forgave or not and so the beach would be the only place Azula could go for an ounce of true freedom.
That was her life now, but at least she was living and not just surviving.
— — —
Traveling to the massive beach house was as uneventful as one would expect. Their 'vacation plans' had taken nearly a month to finalize. Royal duties didn't really stop when you wanted them to. They had a way of persisting and nagging at you until finally, everything important was able to be put on hold. At least for the time being.
Of course, Azula found herself unable to forget about the papers waiting for her back at the palace, or the reports she'd have to archive, etc. She'd always had a difficult time turning that part of her brain off. It was a gift and a curse.
Never the less, the presence of her family was somewhat of a helpful distraction. Their small talk occasionally piqued her interest and the first day of vacation was peaceful. They'd arrived late at night having kept their arrival a secret as not to draw any crowds. Azula was certain someone would figure out where they were staying at some point, but for now she pushed those thoughts away.
Instead, she watched as her little sister and Tom Tom competed at making the tallest card tower possible while Ursa and Zuko tried to make dinner. Azula thought about being a nuisance in the kitchen just because she could, but decided against it when Ty Lee sprawled out on the couch and settled her head in Azula's lap. The acrobat was spying over Mai's shoulder as the knife wielding woman doodled weird looking figures on a piece of paper.
Azula wasn't sure if they were supposed to look like anything in particular, but she found their odd little shapes amusing. One of the small creatures had an extra arm and appeared to be alarmed about it. Another was riddled with different sized eyeballs wearing a permanent look of surprise.
While the princess had never pictured Mai as much of an artist, it brought back memories of school where Azula caught Mai zoned out drawing strange shapes in her notebooks to pass class time. Maybe it was a relaxing habit she'd developed over the years. A way to calm the mind while keeping it occupied. Azula made a mental note to try it out sometime.
Sighing, she let herself enjoy the silence with occasional outbursts from Kiyi when her card tower toppled over. For the life of her, Azula couldn't remember the last time she'd actually enjoyed a family vacation. Even the ones when she was little were riddled with anxiety and nervous energy. Whether she noticed it from her brother or parents, or even felt it herself, vacations had always been a distraction from bigger problems. A temporary bandaid that let them all pretend things were fine. This was entirely different.
In fact, Azula didn't feel the need to lock her bedroom door that night, or keep the hallway slightly lit in case she needed to fend for herself. She felt safe, which was strange considering all the times she was certain that people walking the halls were out to get her. Even as a child she felt like a set of eyes was always on her, but that feeling was absent now.
She could sleep in her own room unbothered and unconcerned. Sure, she'd begun to sleep soundly back home at the palace, but being in relatively unfamiliar territory had made her nervous. Change wasn't something that her mind did well with, and yet she was perfectly fine. Perfectly adapted to the given circumstances. It was a relief to say the least, and when morning came Azula was actually excited for the day. Maybe she wouldn't run up and down the beach like a child, but she could certainly enjoy the sound of the waves and the antics of her friends and family.
"We're going swimming, come on!" Kiyi called, pounding on Azula's door. The sun had barely come up and already the young Firebender was bouncing off the walls. She had a mission, it was clear to see, and that mission was to get the day started as soon as possible. Azula wondered to herself whether Kiyi had tormented the others first or gone straight to her door.
Nevertheless, Azula made her way out of bed and down the stairs to the large kitchen where others were already grumpily seated. Both Tom Tom and Mai wore the same murderous expression, and their relationship to one another was painfully clear: brother and sister had both inherited the same genetic frown. It was almost enough to make Azula laugh. Instead, she bit the inside of her cheek and spared Mai and Tom Tom from her stupid laugh while the smell of breakfast carried through the house.
She didn't eat much that morning-not  being particularly hungry- but that was fine with Kiyi. Azula wouldn't have to wait before swimming because apparently you could get cramps and drown if your food didn't start to digest. Azula didn't feel like telling her sister that was a bullshit lie parents told their kids to keep them from running off into a large body of water unsupervised.
Not to mention, Kiyi was fully capable of supervising herself. She wasn't five years old anymore. She had common sense, at least Azula hoped so. If not, well, it'd be a little too late to instill it in her.
When the table was clear, and everyone meandered upstairs to change, Azula was the only person not to re-emerge from their room. Everyone waited patiently until at last, concern out wore their patience. Ty Lee was more than eager to check up on the princess but she had some idea of what was going on. Azula had made a side comment to her before regarding swim attire and the acrobat could only guess that this delay had something to do with it.
Sure enough, she was right. Azula stood in front of the mirror settled in the corner of her room looking small and fragile in nature. She was dressed in her swim wear as expected, this one different than her old one as she'd remained thin since her treatments and many of her old clothes no longer fit. This was ,in part, because her medications helped suppress her appetite.
"You okay?" Ty Lee asked, knocking on the door frame to announce her presence. The princess barely made eye contact with the acrobat as her hand left her scarred forearm. "Wanna talk about it?"
"Not really," Azula admitted, "but I know I should."
"Take your time," Ty Lee assured, shutting the open door and moving to sit on the edge of Azula's bed. It was almost like Azula got halfway out the door before deciding against joining the others. Sighing, Ty Lee watched as the princess took in her own appearance, gold eyes cold and calculating, mouth turned into a frown.
"I don't think I'm going to go today," Azula decided.
"It's your scars isn't it?" Ty Lee asked gently, taking note of the plethora of burn marks decorating the princess' body. Often times, Ty Lee forgot about the scarred and twisted skin of Azula's forearm where she'd been burned all that time ago by a group of men. Even still, there was the blade mark on her back, the scar between her ribs which was the freshest, along with a series of burn marks from fighting her father.
"Sometimes I forget about them. I've gotten so good at covering them up and avoiding mirrors that I can almost trick myself into thinking they're gone," Azula admitted, inspecting her arm once more. "Some of them hurt more than others. Mentally, anyways."
"I won't pretend to know what it's like," Ty Lee admitted, "but I don't think they make you ugly, you know. They tell a story, maybe a painful one, but it means you survived."
"It's not that I'm afraid of looking at them," Azula explained, finally turning away from the mirror and finding comfort in Ty Lee's saddened expression. "I just don't like the idea-"
"Of other people staring," the acrobat concluded, "I understand. It's a little weird when people always look at you. Never a fun experience. Sometimes you learn to cope and other times it gets to you."
Azula recalled all the unwanted attention Ty Lee attracted when they were younger, and while she didn't realize it then, it certainly wasn't fair for a young teenager to go through all of that. Unfortunately, they couldn't change the past. They could only learn from it.
"You seemed to manage it well. I always found that rather impressive," the Firebender admitted, sparing her acrobat a small smile. Sighing, Azula took Ty Lee's hands in her own. "If I get up the courage I'll join you all outside. For now though, I'd like to stay here. And please, don't let me ruin the fun. I know you like the beach."
"Alright, but I'll come back and check on you okay? Besides, I'll miss you," Ty Lee promised, giving the princess a chaste kiss, before heading back downstairs.
— — —
As promised, Ty Lee eventually made her way back inside, curious to see if the princess had changed her mind on joining them. Much to the acrobat's surprise, the house was painfully silent. Of course, Azula wasn't a loud person by nature, but Ty Lee was certain she'd hear the shift of a floor board or two if the princess was up and about. Frowning, Ty Lee inspected each room of the house only to come up empty handed. Azula was no where to be seen.
In the past she would have worried, but Azula was in a much better mental state than she ever had been before. Stifling the usual urge to grow anxious, Ty Lee reasoned that Azula must've grown bored, and instead of venturing to the beach she'd found some form of entertainment inland.
Never the less, as the acrobat rejoined the others she couldn't help but worry ever so slightly. It was simply her nature.
As the day wore on and the sun began to set on the horizon, their games came to an end. Zuko no longer kicked a ball back and forth with Tom Tom, and Kiyi paused in her attempt to dig a hole to the center of the earth using Mai to help dump buckets of dirt into an ever growing pile.
It seemed like the day had ticked away impossibly fast and yet it hadn't. Tom Tom's cheeks were a faint shade of pink due to the sun, Zuko was caked in dried sand, and Kiyi's hands were slightly raw from all the digging she'd done. Despite this, everyone smiled and laughed with one another, eager to head back inside for a nice warm dinner.
Ty Lee would be lying if she said she wasn't looking forward to a nice dinner too. Helping everyone gather up their things, she followed them back to the beach house where once again, Azula was absent. This time, Ty Lee couldn't stifle her anxiety. What if something bad had happened?
"Ty, do you know where she is?" Zuko asked, expecting the acrobat to have an answer.
"I uh, I actually have no idea. I was hoping she'd turn up by now," the acrobat admitted.
"Perhaps we should go looking for her?" Ikem asked, hesitantly sitting down to the table.
"She will be fine," Iroh chuckled, "she's a grown woman now. She can take care of herself. Let her venture out on her own. Let her grow. She needs it. If all of you go looking for her anytime she's by herself she'll never know a moment of independence."
"I suppose you're right, but I still worry," Ursa sighed, biting nervously at her bottom lip.
"That's your job. You're her mother," Iroh smiled warmly and patted Ursa's hand.
With Iroh's reassurance that everything would be fine everyone slowly relaxed. Conversations began to take shape and laughter was sprinkled throughout the evening. Ty Lee found herself enjoying the company of her new family, but it did make her miss her own, no matter how convoluted her relationship was with her siblings. There was just something so nice about a full table with smiling faces and people you liked,
"Ah, there she is!" Ikem grinned, waving excitedly at the back door. Glancing over her shoulder, Ty Lee had to do a double take. It was Azula, of course, but her hair was down. It shouldn't have been such a big deal except for the fact that Azula never left her hair down. If she did it was only on occasion when she slept.
"Where've you been?! You missed all the fun!" Kiyi exclaimed, gesturing to the open door next to her.
"I went on a walk. That's all." Azula shrugged, tucking her hair behind her ear before sitting next to her younger sister. Kiyi was more than happy to make up Azula's plate, giving her a rather large amount of food. "Kiyi, I won't  eat all of this."
"Oh come on. It's good! Besides, it's not like your clothes won't fit if you have a good hearty dinner. You could use it," Kiyi looked pointedly at the princess. "I mean that lovingly."
Rolling her eyes Azula accepted her meal and kept quiet for most of dinner. At one point, Ty Lee met the princess' eyes. She'd gotten good at reading Azula's micro-expressions and it was clear the princess wanted to talk. Giving a small nod, Ty Lee received a tiny smile in return.
She waited impatiently for everyone to finish what they were doing and to slowly wander off to bed. It took longer than expected, but one by one everyone vanished except for the two girls and Ursa.
"I wanna show her something," Azula explained, getting up from the table and moving to take Ty Lee's hand, "we won't be out too late."
Ursa nodded, pursing her lips, "Alright, just stay together. You know what I've always said-"
"People out and about late at night usually aren't up to anything good, I know," Azula sighed rubbing at her arm. "I learned that lesson already."
Ursa's expression softened. She regarded her daughter for a moment before pressing a light kiss to Azula's forehead. "I can't help but worry, you know that. Now, go on. I won't keep you any longer."
Azula waited patiently for her mother to leave before taking Ty Lee by the hand once more and dragging her out of the house. The beach down below was quiet, and nothing besides a bird or two was venturing about. It was a peaceful sort of scene, one Ty Lee could enjoy.
"Where are we going?" The acrobat asked.
"I don't know," Azula shrugged.
"I thought you said-"
"I told a small lie," the princess admitted, a tiny smile playing at her lips. She didn't wait for some half hearted chastising from Ty Lee, and instead lead the taller girl down towards the waters edge where they walked hand in hand along the beach.
Every now and then the water threatened to kiss Azula's toes but she'd expertly dance out of the way much to Ty Lee's amusement.
Eventually, they made there way to a series of rocks that barred them from going any further. It was here, that the princess gave a content sigh and settled down into the sand taking the acrobat with her. She'd be lying if she said it wasn't easier to enjoy Ty Lee's company in private.
"You look good with your hair down," the acrobat noted, laying down to look at the stars above.
"You think so?" Azula asked, arching a brow.
"I know so. You're very pretty," Ty Lee grinned. After a moment her face screwed up into a brief frown. "Do you know any of the constellations by chance? I've always wondered where they're at in that big mess up there."
"I know a few," Azula nodded, glancing up at the sky. It'd been a long time since she'd bothered admiring them, but she could pick out a few shapes from the "mess" as Ty Lee called it. "The one up there to the left is the Great Dragon. Father of all dragon offspring."
Ty Lee followed the princess' gesture to where a murky shape began to emerge the more she looked at the cluster of stars. It was like a winding body wrapping around itself with a large head and a single glowing eye.
"Is that another constellation next to it?" Ty Lee asked, making out a small shape like that of a turtle.
"That's the Grand Turtle, the only Lion Turtle to ascend to the sky above. Some believe it to be the only existing form of a god." Azula explained, absentmindedly tracing the invisible outline of the lion turtle.
She looked expectantly at the acrobat who lay rather still on the sand. The moon cast a faint glow over Ty Lee's soft features. Her pale skin looked somewhat translucent in the light. But her eyes were more captivating than anything. They were a deep brown and in them were a million galaxies reflected back at the princess. It was mesmerizing to say the least. 
Glancing away as not to be caught staring, Azula had no choice but to admire the girl beside her yet again. Ty Lee's lips were slightly parted, a faint pink like that of her clothes. Her cheeks were tinted a light shade of red, most likely from her time on the beach, and the gentle rise and fall of her chest was transfixing.
The way the acrobat smiled with such ease had always amazed Azula, but now it was different, now it was captivating. Everything about Ty Lee was perfect, or as close to perfect as you could get. It was enough to make her chest hurt and to make her lungs feel like they were stuffed with cotton.
"Azula? Did you hear me?" Ty Lee asked, propping herself up on her elbow to stare at the zoned out princess.
"I'm sorry," Azula sighed, shaking her head. "What were you saying?"
"Are you alright?" Ty Lee worried, noticing Azula's shallow breathing.
The princess nodded silently, her mouth having gone dry and her mind racing a million miles a minute. She wasn't sure what compelled her to say it but she did. "It's just that I uh, I love...you."
The words caught Ty Lee off guard. In fact, the wind left her lungs almost immediately. She wanted to say something but she couldn't. For a moment it was like her brain stopped working.
"Forget I said that-" Azula frowned, moving to stand up when the acrobat caught her by the hand.
"Hey, I love you too Azula," Ty Lee smiled, desperately hiding her excitement. She didn't want to make a big deal out of the moment. She didn't want to scare Azula, but she'd been waiting ages to hear those words said back to her. "Thank you for telling me."
"Well you're also...really pretty," Azula admitted, fumbling around with something in her pocket, "and I guess I should say what I want to before I get too scared. Or at least show you what I had made for you-"
"You don't have to-"
"Just listen okay?" Azula asked, her eyes earnest and vulnerable. Ty Lee clamped her mouth shut and sat up to look at the princess fully. Azula paused, frowning in though before taking a few shaky breaths."You...you mean a lot to me okay? You always have whether I  knew it or not. You've been a wonderful friend for as long as I can remember and I didn't deserve you. I know that's all in the past but it's still something I think about from time to time. How I could have been better back then. I'm different now, but that's because time changes everyone and everything. With time, some things become permanent. Some don't. But I'd like to think that you'll be a permanent point in my life no matter what. So I'm going to make you a promise. A promise that no matter what happens between us, even if someday you don't love me anymore... I'll be there for you. And this is a reminder of that promise. That way neither of us forget."
Azula finally found whatever it was she'd been fishing for in her pocket and held it out expectantly for the acrobat. It was a small golden ring, simple in design but all too familiar. Ty Lee finally understood why Azula's hair was down instead of being carefully tucked up and pinned in place. The golden fire emblem worn in the hair of every royal family member was now melted down and reshaped into something made just for Ty Lee.
"You're something special you know that?" Ty Lee asked, carefully taking the ring before tackling the princess in a bone crushing hug. "I could kiss you right now!"
"I wouldn't mind," Azula shrugged, smiling sheepishly, very much aware of the lovely girl on top of her. A small snort escaped the acrobat before she captured the princess' lips in her own far too aware of Azula's uncontained grin.
"It's hard to kiss you when you're smiling like that," the acrobat laughed. "Also, does this mean I can officially say you are without a doubt my girlfriend?"
"Yes." Azula laughed lightly, holding the acrobat's face in her hands and wondering how in the world she got so lucky. "Come on, we should head back."
"I don't want to," Ty Lee pouted.
"I didn't say we had to run back. We can take our time," Azula promised, bestowing a small kiss upon the Acrobat's lips that immediately erased the pout.
"Can I stay with you tonight? Please?" Ty Lee asked slowly getting off of the Firebender and helping Azula to her feet.
"Sure," Azula nodded watching Ty Lee slip the ring onto her index finger. It wasn't conventional, but Azula understood why. She didn't want her family getting the wrong idea and jumping to grand conclusions.
With a content sigh, Azula walked hand in hand with Ty Lee back towards the beach house. Neither one of them felt like going through the front door and instead snuck up the side of the house and through a window into Azula's temporary room.
Both girl's made sure to keep as much lingering sand as possible outside of the room as they took turns changing. Eventually, both were quite comfortable snuggled up in bed. Ty Lee was the first to fall asleep, her head resting on Azula's shoulder and her arm wrapped snugly about the princess.
Azula on the other hand was wide awake. Try as she might she couldn't fall asleep. Her mind was still racing as she began to realize just how much of a constant the acrobat had been in her life. Quite frankly Azula was certain she wouldn't be where she was without Ty Lee. She wouldn't have someone she loved holding her close at night, she wouldn't have a repaired family, and she probably wouldn't be alive. In a way, someone as simple as an acrobat had saved her life. Had given her a a future full of second chances. Something most people weren't lucky enough to get.
Maybe Ozai was right about one thing. Maybe Azula was born lucky. She'd somehow been given someone as incredible as Ty Lee when there was a world full of other people. And if that was luck or something more, Azula didn't care. She wouldn't trade any of it if it meant giving up her acrobat. Even if the world was ending, Azula would choose Ty Lee. The universe would just have to deal with it. And honestly, Azula wouldn't have it any other way.