Chapter Text
Ursa may have been a lot of things, but she was not a naive woman. On the contrary, she noticed lots of details that people usually missed. Rubbing hands, discreet glances, strained smiles. So many gestures could be the tell for a lie. This was a particularly useful skill in the Fire Nation palace: it made her hard to manipulate. Her mind was a locked room to which the key was well protected. Unfortunately, that skill was not useful in protecting others from manipulation. That meant, when Ozai started pitting their children against each other, Ursa noticed, but didn’t know what to do.
The problem was Azula’s situation. Zuko had always been mistreated by his Father, always considered a shame, disgraced by a birth without a spark. That made him significantly closer to Ursa, distancing him a bit from his father’s manipulations. However, Azula was a bending prodigy and Ozai took great interest in her progress. He saw in her the perfect heir to his cruelty, the perfect pawn. Under his teachings, Azula grew ruthless, cold and calculating.
With her cruelty, grew her hatred for Zuko, Ursa realised as she dealt with the aftermath of her daughter’s attempt to burn her brother’s new robe. Of course, she had claimed it wasn’t her fault.
« Zuzu wanted to try a new firebending trick. He failed. », she had declared, looking straight in her mother’s eyes. Azula was only 7 years old, but she was already a better liar than most nobles around this palace. Just like her father.
Ursa sighed, and tried to chase these dark thoughts away in her attempt to save what was left of her son’s robe. Of course, she could’ve let the maids handle it, but Ursa enjoyed these simple tasks. It reminded her of a time where she was more than a noblewoman, when she was more than… Ozai’s wife.
She picked up a needle. How did we come to this point ? Ursa could still remember a time where her children had been the best of friends ; before Azula was even a firebender, they were inseparable. But when her father took a hold of Azula's training, things started changing. Zuko was used as an example of what not to do, what not to be. Making him appear weak would make Azula appear stronger. Soon, she began ridiculing and bullying her brother relentlessly.
This can’t continue. Ursa needed to do something. She may have been favored by her father, but Azula was also her daughter. She couldn’t just watch become the soulless monster ozai wanted her to be ! From now on, I’ll try to understand her. With time and will, Ursa would hopefully be able to tame her daughter’s temper, and set her on the right path.
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Azula sat next to her by the turtleduck pond, pouting. She had once again tricked her brother, by pushing him off a roof while they were playing tag. Miraculously, he wasn’t badly injured, only a few scratches here and there. Ursa had grounded her daughter, despite her protests that Zuko had “fallen on his own”. She decided to have a talk with her, but Azula kept insisting that she was telling the truth.
“I swear, I didn’t push him”
“You should know better than to lie to your mother, young lady!”
“But he just fell! You never believe me anyway!
“I know how to recognize a dishonest person Azula”
“It isn’t fair! You always defend Zuko, just because you prefer him over me!
Ursa’s eyes went wide. Azula thought she favored Zuko over her? That explains a lot… Ursa had been spending a lot more time with Zuko than with Azula. She thought he needed it more, since he was despised by his father. It didn’t occur to her that she was neglecting her daughter. Azula felt betrayed by her mother, that’s why she was so determined to please Ozai. The noblewoman’s heart sank as she realised that her behavior contributed to her children’s estrangement.
“Azula, believe me when I say I love you both equally. I’m sorry that you ever thought otherwise”
“Who’s lying now…” the young girl whispered in a barely audible voice.
Ursa grabbed her daughter by the shoulders, looking straight in her eyes as she spoke: “Azula of the Fire Nation, you are a beautiful, skilled young girl and I'm so, so proud of you. I love you more than anything on earth. Why? Because you’re my daughter, and nothing will change this love that I have for you. So please, please don’t ever think again that I love you less than your brother. You both are my children, and you both deserve all my affection. Do you understand?”
For an instant, Azula appeared speechless, as her widened eyes filled with tears. But just as fast, her features closed and her gaze went cold. “Whatever” she mumbled, before sitting up. "I have to go now, I have a lesson” She turned to face her mother. “Goodbye, mother”, the young girl said with a softer look on her face.
We’re making progress… Maybe dealing with her daughter wouldn’t be as hard as Ursa thought…
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From that point, things started to change. Ursa started going out of her way to include Azula in her and Zuko’s games. Azula would complain, but would usually join them. When her daughter tried to hurt her brother, Ursa had long talks with her, which would end up becoming stories.The noblewoman told the stories of kindness, generosity and justice. Stories of the spirit world that she learnt when she was a theatre actress. Azula wouldn’t be as interested as Zuko, but teaching her through stories worked better than grounding her.
Soon, Azula’s tricks on Zuko became more and more rare. The two of them got closer. When Ursa was too busy to narrate them stories, Zuko would clumsily tell Azula the ones that he remembered. When Zuko struggled with a firebending form, Azula tried to help him with it. When a noble’s son made fun of him, she would fiercely defend him. But she couldn’t do anything against their father’s rage. When her brother was mistreated by their father, she just... looked away.
They eventually grew very protective of each other. So, when their father decided to end Zuko’s life, Azula wasn’t going to let it happen.
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General Iroh had tragically lost his life to battle. His son, too heartbroken to keep fighting, was putting an end to the Ba Sing Se siege.
The news had fallen abruptly, shocking both Ursa and her children. Uncle Iroh had been very close to Zuko, often playing with him before his departure, and always sending him gifts while at war. Azula… Well, she never really cared for the old man (he always sent her those stupid dolls) but she couldn’t say that she wasn’t surprised: he was supposed to be master strategist, what kind of mistake could have possibly caused his death?
The evening of their uncle’s death, Zuko and Azula were called upon by their mother. Ozai had requested a meeting with their grandfather: Fire Lord Azulon. After some more or less successful firebending demonstrations ( Azula executed the kata flawlessly, Zuko failed miserably ) the siblings and their mother were dismissed, leaving their father alone with the Fire Lord. Azula wasn’t having it. What do they have to say that can’t be explained in front of us ?
She hid behind the curtain, dragging Zuko with her, much to his protest. He ended up running away when their grandfather started shouting at Ozai. Father’s idea wasn’t so bad though. The prince had suggested revoking their cousin’s birthrights, under the pretext that he was too weak, for ending a battle that they were winning just because of his father’s death. Azula liked the idea of being one step closer to the throne. What Azulon said next, Azula liked less.
“Your punishment should fit your crime. You must know the pain of losing your family, by sacrificing your firstborn son”
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Ursa had done… What needed to be done. It was her son’s only chance of survival, so she didn’t regret it. But still, when her distressed daughter had come to her, saying that Ozai was planning to kill Zuko, and when she had made this deal with her husband, she hadn’t imagined that she would end up having to leave the palace because of it. Now she had to make one last goodbye to her children, before leaving this life behind.
Surprisingly, she found them both in Zuko’s room. They were… packing?
“Mother, we’re running away. I can’t let father do that to Zuko”
“Don’t worry anymore, Azula. I took care of it.”
The young girl looked confused. “But, how did y-”
“Azula, Zuko.” Ursa interrupted, "Everything I've done, I've done to protect you. Now, you two must stand together and protect each other. Remember this, no matter how things seem to change, never forget who you are.”
Her children watched her, puzzled as she left the room. That would be the last time she saw them. But she wasn’t afraid: whatever would happen in the future, they will face it together.