Chapter Text
Chapter 1: Journey 1
"After studying her work, her motives at Ba Sing Se, at Omashu and the Boiling Rock, the siege in Sishu, and the other war-torn kingdoms, she was driven by her father, the Fire Lord Ozai, in the hope she would become the Fire Lord. As a result, she has been ruled innocent under stress and coercion," the judge ruled.
Azula sat in her wheelchair. She was confused.
Just a week ago, she was Fire Lord, about to inherit everything. She won over Zuko! Dad gave her the seat, then Zuko and she had the last Agni Kai, then Katara—that water witch—stuck her to chains.
Then she heard that Aang took her father’s bending?
Now Father is in prison for life.
Zuzu is now Fire Lord. No fire lord Zuko was the new ruler not her.
Azula was a wheel turn of her wheelchair away from the courtroom. Her fight, her last Agni Kai, had still scared her legs; it would take a while until she could walk.
"That means she’s free, right?" Ty Lee looked at Mai.
"Yeah, but look at her, Ty. There’s no way she’s happy. Azula thrives in combat, not... this. I mean, we did betray her," Mai halted the wheelchair she sat in.
"She will heal. It’s Azula; she’ll find something," Ty Lee said.
"I’ll take it from here," Zuko walked up to them in the corridor as two guards grabbed her and lifted her up.
"Well then, Fire Lord Zuko, I would like to take over the Yu Yan archers and use them to assist in rebuilding the Kyoshi Warriors, if you let me," Mai bowed.
"And I would like to help rebuild the Kyoshi Warriors as well. I should teach them my chi-blocking technique; it’s the least we can do after what we’ve done," Ty Lee said.
As she was carried off to her room, picked up by a guard and dropped on her bed, her door closed. Azula was still confused.
Why?
Why wasn't Zuko killing her? Why was he giving her compassion? Didn't he hate her? Resent her?
Didn't Father say compassion was weakness? A sin to purge? Isn't that why he sent Uncle Iroh to kill all dragons that were left?
But apparently, Zuko’s Uncle Iroh kept two alive?
A fang it.
She punched a nearby vanity table with her fist, but her flames were weak and blue.
The guards sighed; she heard them walk away and whisper.
"Poor thing. All I saw her do was break herself crazy to perfection. Now what?"
Now what, indeed.
At dinner, Zuko sat across from her; it was strange.
Uncle Iroh had a tea shop in Omashu by the name of Jasmine Dragon.
So it was her and Zuko now. She already looked for Mom—the coward who changed her name and made herself forget them.
"Let’s eat, it’s your favorite. Curry: spicy and sweet," her brother sighed.
Azula’s hand grabbed the utensil.
Like she had been taught in the Royal Academy, back straight, hand graceful, and she ate.
It did taste good, but something was wrong, missing.
She felt like she wanted to scream, but nothing came.
That is how the week went on.
Breakfast, dinner, and lunch. Zuko would talk; sometimes he wouldn't be there, as he was busy doing diplomatic missions and paperwork.
"Try taking a walk sometimes, or take her out a bit," he asked, but Azula was confused.
Why wasn't he assassinating her? Why show her mercy?
So she went to Father in prison.
Most people gave her a look of confusion.
"Why is she going to him?"
"Has she lost it? That man, he just—"
"Shh!"
They all whispered.
At Dad's cell, he sat there, arms crossed: "Azula... well look, you look pathetic. Hair out of line, your hair unevenly cut, and the clothes untacky."
Right, she did cut her hair messy before her last Agni Kai.
She sat across from Father: "Father, was I a great daughter to you?"
Because she didn't understand what she did wrong.
"Hm, you were excellent, greater than Zuko in firebending," he sighed. She sipped his tea.
"Then if we had won, would you let me become your successor?" she asked.
He put his cup down and laughed.
The laugh wasn't his usual one; it was a bitter, mockery one.
He lunged across the room and smacked her against the door. The guard outside ran and tackled him away as he screamed: "You fool, even if we won, I never let you rule. In our bloodline, a woman never ruled. You were nothing but a pawn. If only Zuko had your intellectual prowess and bending skills, not you. A woman, a leader? If only you had never been born with the gift of bending blue flame, I would have married you off, but you scared all men away, you foolish child."
"B-but you said if I had merit, if I was perfect and better than Zuko, I would become Fire Lord! You gave me the title when you became the Phoenix King!" she yelled as guards stood above her, protective.
"Ah, because the title would have no meaning; it would be a decorative title, no power. You wouldn't rule, just be there until I would have found the perfect groom. You fool, now all my power is gone, my bending, my dignity!" He tossed the tea after her, and as she cursed, he shouted: "Azula, a woman that can't be married is useless! Get it into your head. So what if you can bend blue flame and lightning? You’re useless."
Those words made Azula’s heart hurt.
Father always praised her when she did well in the academy at her bending lessons.
He would loudly say to advisors: "Look at her, that’s my daughter, a prodigy! She can bend blue flames like her grandfather and also lightning."
Every praise was just a lie. She should have known.
But maybe she can’t read people as well after all—at the Boiling Rock, Mai and Ty Lee betrayed her.
At dinner that day, Zuko watched her fiddle with the knife: "That’s odd, you’re good at cutting meat."
A guard came in and whispered; Zuko’s face became shocked before sighing in defeat: "Why don't you travel the world?"
Azula put her fork down.
Yeah, maybe she should.
So she packed her bag, and Zuko did offer her escorts, but she rejected them.
She cut her hair bun that had the royal insignia hairpiece and left it in her room, and packed what she would never wear.
And left to where she heard Mai was.
Because she needs to know.
She was maybe a while away when, oddly, Mai let her in.
"It’s incredible; these archers can pin a fly to a tree without killing it. They train by covering their eyes and using their other senses and chi, then use special tints to enhance vision," Mai explained.
They were busy loading a massive ship to Kyoshi Island.
"Do you resent me?" she asked as she leaned against the rock, watching the waves.
"Maybe, but not really," Mai said.
"You said you love Zuko more than you fear me. Do you see me as a friend?" Azula asked.
"Yeah, you’re a bit crazy, but you’re my friend. Remember when we first met? In the academy, there were some boys pushing me around. I wanted to see the martial arts class, but the teacher had been so secret. Then you came in, fists blazing, and made a decree that all girls can learn martial arts. That’s how we met, right? You, me, and Ty Lee," Mai said.
Then what was her purpose? What could she do now?
She trained all her life to be a Fire Lord.
But she was in the end a pawn.
How poetic. She had been treating others like pawns; now she became one.
"Now give me your head let me cut your hair again; it’s badly cut," Mai laughed as she tugged her to sit down.
She could read from Mai’s body that she meant it.
As Mai chatted about new laws and new stuff in the Fire Nation, her hair was gently cut into something much gentler, even if not like her attempt.
They arrived three weeks later at the island, and Ty Lee spotted them a mile away.
"Oh wow, I recognize the gray aura from Mai and blue is Azula’s—it’s you two!" Ty Lee waved off.
"What does that even mean?" Azula always wondered what Ty Lee meant with aura.
"Pink aura means ultra feminine which I always strove to have, gray means mastery and discipline, and blue means intensive, but your blue became dark... well, let’s unload first, okay?" Ty Lee smiled.
She wore that silly makeup and Kyoshi warrior outfit, and she had two metal fans.
"Tch, it’s her," another warrior said behind her that was Suki, if she remembered, the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors.
"Yeah, I know, but come on, Zuko said to at least try getting along with her. Suki, just a bit, okay?" A different voice spoke up—Sokka, as the non-bender in the Avatar team.
Azula looked around.
What was her purpose?