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Banished

She's eleven.

Her father stands in front of her, an Agni Kai. She knows defeat is imminent, her opponent is too skilled for any other outcome. An Agni Kai can end five ways - by surrendering, by dying, by being 'marked' and a ring out. She knows surrender isn't an option, her father would have her either marked or dead. This leaves her with only one choice.
She walks a quarter of an arc, step by step, slowly, until she s just by the edge of the arena; her hands are raised, ready to fight. Something in her screams, she wants to break down crying, explain that she loves him, that she'd never harm him. But that would do her no good, she knows that. Such a display of weakness would only anger him even further. If she wants to get out of here alive, she can't do that, she must keep a clear head.
They stare at each other for a moment, then she attacks. A small fireball, nothing major, he disperses it and strikes back. Exactly what she was waiting for, she gathers all her strength, and fires at her opponent's projectile. The two balls of fire collide and result in a massive explosion, knocking her out of the platform.

Ring out.

She lost, but she was alive and unharmed, she lost but she was alive. It was the best possible outcome, for her, it tasted like victory. On the next day they tell her she is banished. It hurts, deep down it hurts. She always knew her father's love came with a price be the perfect little princess and daddy will love you. Don't fail, don't be your brother, don't be weak. And yet, after one tiny mistake, here she was, having everything taken away from her. And strangely, bizarrely, the wealth and power took secondary place in her grievance she was much more devastated over her father's rejection of her.
They give her even more news, she is exiled until she returns with the Avatar in a tow. Some people would find refuge in this small hope, but she knows better. Even at eleven years of age she knows that it's a life sentence. There is no avatar, she is doom by her father to never return home, wander the world forever searching for a mythical figure that would never return. She has lost her future, never again shall she be Princess Azula, nor will she ever hold the power she once did.
She never expected it to be so hard to pack for a journey. Then again, she never thought she'd be going on a quest of no return. For a first time she wishes to take everything, every object that held any significance for her, every single thing of worth, all the shiny object, all the books, even the toys she always detested. But, as always, her practical side won over the emotions. She took a few traveling cloths and all her jewelry. She figured, if she was never going to come back, she might as well take as much wealth as she can carry no one said she has to be poor and those gems and golden rings were worth many times their weight in gold.
Her feet are leading her down the palace stairs. Mai came to say goodbye, so did Ty Lee, Zuko didn't. He didn't talk to her, or said anything to her. It was for the best, she wasn't in the mood for him either. Iroh came and gave her a few words of wisdom, she didn't remember them, didn't even register them, didn't care. Banished, stripped of everything she ever had, losing all that she valued and exiled by the only men she believed loved her - there was nothing the old fool could say that would cheer her up or provide guidance, words were insufficient,. Words could never make up the hole in her heart. Then she is alone - no escort, no companions, no servants, not even a ship or a squad to command. She must traverse the world, on her two legs, by her own power, to search for the most powerful being to exist.

She's twelve.

She never undertook her quest. It is a fool's errand and she is no fool. Instead she chose to build herself a new life. And why not, her pockets were lanced with gold, her gamble paid off and her jewels bought her wealth. Exile yes, poor never. She considered herself smart enough not to be trapped in the cage her father build for her and able enough to walk whatever road she chooses to walk.
So she build herself a life in a coastal town. She bought an apartment building and a tavern, and there was even some gold left to spare. She ran her own business, had her own employees, and lived in her own, relatively large, apartment. Many talked behind her back, for such a young girl to do this, but there was no choice, it was sink or swim, and she'd be damned if she sunk. Not after all the effort, not after all she had to live through, she was better than that.

And yet, as she stared into the mirror, she could hardly accept this girl. This woman, in her green robes, with her sandals and tanned skin, did not look like her, didn't exactly feel like her as well. She looked like an Earth Kingdom merchant, not a Fire Nation noble. And strangely, she was starting to feel more like that merchant every day.

She's thirteen.

She cleaned, she cooked, she washed her laundry. Alright, she hired a servant to wash the laundry and clean once a week, but now she cleaned after herself and cooked her own meals. She bought food from the market, she laughed and played with the local girls, she went over the books and bossed her own employees. If luck would have it she planned to start running a caravan to Omashu or Ba Sing Se. The future was looking bright, not that she ever doubted herself, but she had achieve more in two years than most people do in a life time it was expected, yet she still felt proud of herself.

She'd never see a royalty or high nobility ever again.

This was alright.

Somehow she was happy.

Somehow building her own life made her feel good about herself.

She's fourteen.

Rumors started to spread, the Avatar has return and with him false hopes. At first she dismisses them as just the regular imposter, but as the tells become more and more believable she can t help but start to feel that dreaded feeling of hope build inside her. Can she come back, go home? No, she wasn t supposed to find him, she wasn t supposed to bring him back, she was expected to rot in exile, die alone, poor and miserable. And as she thought that she began thinking, why bring the Avatar? If it was never her father s intention to succeed, why bother? Maybe she can have her life back and with it, she can have that sweet, sweet revenge.

A/N: Unless something other changes than "Azula get's banished" I don't think Iroh would do for her what he did for Zuko. In fact, I think he'd be glad with this arrangement, since Zuko would no longer have to compete with his sister or be influenced by her(let's face it, Iroh was nicer to Zhao in the series than he was to his niece). Maybe Ty Lee would go with the young ex-royal, but she ran off to the circus, so I doubt she and Azula would be compatible in exile. Also - the princess wouldn't go searching for the avatar, the girl is too smart to be tricked like that. As for the ship - I don't know where it came from, but I don't think it was Ozai and I don't think there is anyone out there other than her father that would offer her a helping hand.

Still, I believe she is strong and smart enough to make out the best of the situation. And let's face it - NOT being close to Ozai is good for you.

Hope you enjoyed it.