~ Childhood First flames
Azula was a fast runner, but she was only three. Her brother was not only two years older, his legs were longer as well.
'I got you,' he said, softly touching Azula's back.
'You always win!' she exclaimed. 'It's not fair, Zuzu.'
Ursa smiled at hearing those words. Until a few months ago, Azula hadn't been able to pronounce her brother's name. Right now, Ursa knew she could, but she enjoyed the nickname way too much to say anything about it.
'You should run faster,' Zuko said.
'I can't! You should run slower!'
Ursa chuckled as she reached her children. 'You're not going to fight, are you?'
'No mom!' they both said.
'Good,' Ursa said, kneeling down to readjust Azula's hair. It had only recently grown enough for it to be pulled back in the traditional Fire Nation topknot.
'I never win,' Azula complained.
'When you're older, you might,' Ursa said. 'And it's not bad to lose from your older brother.'
Azula obviously didn't agree with that statement. She drew in air and blew up her cheeks, remembering Ursa of the chubby baby she once was. How the time went by…
Ursa started tickling Azula and she had to let go of the air, giggling as she tried to push Ursa away.
Zuko decided to join in on the fun.
'That's not fair, Zuko,' Ursa said with a small grin. 'Two against one. Here, I'll make it even.' She outstretched her hand and started tickling him. Azula laughed as Zuko let go of her and started laughing instead.
She joined in as well and Zuko softly grabbed her hand.
'Ursa?' a familiar voice said. Ursa looked over her shoulder and saw Ozai, who looked at the trio. She smiled warmly at him, hoping it would erase the worried look on his face.
'What is it?' she asked him.
She had stopped tickling Zuko but still held him, so Azula had easy access.
He shook his head. She remember he had had a war meeting today. Did his worried gaze mean that it hadn't been successful?
Ursa worried about the war. Everyone she cared for was involved in it, one way or another. If the Fire Nation lost, there was no way of telling what would happen to her family.
She noticed Azula walking past her and grabbing her father's leg. 'Will you play with us?' she asked him.
'Maybe later,' he responded, even though he almost never played with them. He knelt down and touched the knot on her hair. 'It's grower longer. It might be time to have a hairpiece made for you.'
Azula beamed. 'Just like you and mom?' she asked.
Ozai nodded before standing up.
Ursa stood up as well. 'Zuko, Azula, why don't you two play together?' she asked.
'Okay,' Azula said, always happy to spend time with her older brother. Zuko didn't protest either. 'Let's play Firelord.'
'I want to be Firelord!' Azula quickly said.
'No, I want to be Firelord!' Zuko protested.
Azula pouted.
'Be nice kids,' Ursa said as she walked towards Ozai. It seemed as if he needed someone to talk to.
'You can't be Firelord,' Zuko said.
'Why not?'
'Because you're a girl.'
'Girls can be Firelord!' Azula said.
'Yes, but I would make a better Firelord,' Zuko teased her, without noticing her hurt her feelings. 'You can be the Firelady.'
'I don't want to be the Firelady,' Azula said, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
'Fine,' Zuko said. 'Then I'll play with someone else.'
Azula felt angry. She balled her hands into fists and shouted. 'You're mean, Zuzu!'
'You're annoying!'
'Kids!' Ursa shouted.
They didn't hear her.
'Besides, you need to be a Firebender to be Firelord,' Zuko continued.
'You're not a Firebender,' Azula said.
'Not yet, but almost,' Zuko said. 'Father says I'll bend my first flames before I'm eight. And I'm older than you, so I'm closer to being a bender.'
Azula didn't like his reasoning.
'And we don't even know if you're a bender,' Zuko said. 'Girls are less often benders, you know!'
'I am a bender!' Azula said.
'Prove it,' Zuko said.
Ursa sighed. 'They were getting along so nicely only a few seconds ago,' she said to Ozai.
'Let's call for some servants,' he said. 'I wanted to…'
He was cut of by Zuko's scream.
'Zuko!' Ursa yelled.
His sleeve was on fire.
'Ozai, do something!' Ursa yelled.
Ozai had been overcome with surprise, but after half a second her reacted swiftly and took control over the flames before letting them disappear.
'Zuko, you okay?' Ursa asked, checking if he had been burned.
'What happened?' Ozai asked harshly.
His eyes fell on his daughter, who had fallen on the ground. Her eyes were big with shock.
'Did you do that?' he asked.
Azula's eyes filled with tears. 'I didn't mean to!' she said. She looked at her father in fear, knowing she would be punished steeply for setting her brother on fire.
Instead, Ozai smiled at her. Azula was confused as he helped her to stand up.
'Can you do it again?' he asked.
Azula nodded hesitantly. 'I think so.'
'Show me.'
She stretched her arm, her palm upwards. It took her a few seconds - her nose wrinkled as she concentrated on creating a small flame. But she succeeded.
Ozai smiled. 'That is amazing, Azula,' he said.
'Is it normal for children to bend so young?' Ursa asked, still holding on to Zuko.
'It's extraordinary,' Ozai said. 'I'm so proud of you.'
Azula now smiled back, starting to realise she wouldn't be punished.
'I always knew you'd be a powerful bender, being born at the summer solstice,' Ozai said. 'We'll find you a teacher as soon as we can.'
'Isn't she too young?' Ursa asked.
Ozai shook his head. 'She needs to learn, Ursa.'
'I'll be the Firelord,' Azula said. 'Because I can bend flames.'
Zuko frowned. 'It won't be long before…'
'And father said there have been other female Firelords,' Azula continued. 'I asked him.'
'She's doing great - and if she wants to become even better, she needs to learn faster.'
'But she's still so young. Zuko…'
'Zuko should be able to bend flames as well,' Ozai said. 'His sister is two years younger - people are starting to talk.'
Ursa was walking when she heard strange sounds. She frowned before decided to follow them. She had a feeling she recognized the voice.
'Zuko?' she asked.
He looked up as if he was caught doing something forbidden.
'What are you trying to do?' Ursa asked.
Zuko let his shoulders hang. 'I am trying to Firebend.'
'How did your training go?' Ursa asked.
Azula frowned. Her mother never asked her that.
'Good,' Zuko responded.
Azula tried to ignore the small pit in her stomach and concentrated on her food.
'I spoke to your trainers, Azula,' Ozai said. 'They all speak of your talent.' He smiled at her and Azula felt some of the weight being lifted off her shoulders. At least one of her parents cared about her - about how hard she trained.
'Thank you father,' she said, glaring at Zuko. She might not get her mother's approval, but he didn't get father's.
Zuko and Azula almost never trained together. She was too quick for him, she liked to say. Zuko never responded. She trained in the early morning, him afterward on the training grounds. They were big enough to train simultaneously, but Zuko never wanted that.
He arrived early that day, which meant he could watch Azula. She was ten now and almost a master. He wasn't nearly at her level.
Right now, she was going through the standard kata's, performing them with a perfection that proved she had done all of them thousand of times.
It was summer and the sun was shining brightly. Azula didn't seem bothered by it, though. She concentrated on her movements, feeling the heat of the sun. She outstretched her arm, producing a flame…
Azula jumped back as if she had burned herself, her eyes wide with shock. She looked over her shoulder. Two of her teacher had turned around and were leaving the training grounds, almost running. The third looked at her, her mouth hanging slightly open.
'Your fire!' she eventually exclaimed. 'It was blue.'
Azula nodded, glad she hadn't seen a ghost.
Firelord Ozai was speaking to two of his generals when Azula's teacher reached him. He recognized them.
'What happened?' he asked, slightly worried for his daughter.
'My Lord,' one of them said. 'Princess Azula… she was amazing! She produced blue flames!'
That was the day Ozai decided that no matter what happened, his daughter would become his heir.
Her mother hadn't cared for her, but her father had, Azula thought. He had always been proud of her.
He was the only one. Her mother had left her, her brother had left her for the Avatar, her friends had left her for her brother…
But she at least had her father left.
'Remember, when we were little?' Zuko asked her.
She didn't respond. She never did.
'You couldn't say Zuko, so you called me Zuzu.'
They had tied her hands on her back. If she wanted, she would still be able to break free, but Zuko didn't want her in that straightjacket anymore. Not his sister.
'Remember the day you first bend?' Zuko asked. 'We were playing together. We always did, when we were little.'
In hindsight, he thought to himself, it was the day it had all gone wrong.