"...And then you came running here?"
At the Eastern Air Temple, Guru Pathik asked this after hearing Kahn recount his experiences.
"Yeah."
Kahn gave a wry smile.
"My mind went completely blank at the time. By the time I came to my senses, I'd already run out."
Too many things he could never have anticipated had happened in the Royal Palace that day: Azula's early move had rendered the plan useless, all the preparations he, Iroh, and the White Lotus Society had made had come to nothing, the struggle for the throne had followed right on its heels, and then there had been Azula's final kiss.
In truth, even now, his mind was still a tangled mess.
For one thing, he had no idea how to explain himself to Iroh and the others, nor how to account for Azula's actions.
Azula might be able to treat the members of the White Lotus Society as disposable pawns, to regard them as enemies and rivals, but he could not treat the people who had come to help him the way Azula did, nor was he willing to help Azula deal with them.
For another, he had never even considered getting involved in Azula and Zuko's struggle for the throne.
Azula was intelligent, skilled at scheming, perceptive about people's hearts, ruthless, ambitious, and deeply suspicious.
Under her leadership, the Fire Nation might truly unite the entire world and blaze an unprecedented trail, but her brutality might also cost her the people's support, leaving her deserted by followers and family alike, attacked on all sides until she met her downfall.
Zuko, meanwhile, was kind, benevolent, considerate of the common people, willing to correct his mistakes, obsessive, and single-minded.
If Zuko became Fire Lord, he might restore peace to the world, beat swords into plowshares,