They thought she was crazy.
She heard the whispers as they dragged her through the town. But the whispers rang in her ears, like more than voices, like something that lived and breathed inside her very head.
She lived in the institution, her arms drawn back in a straightjacket. She lived a life not fit for a princess. A life not fit for one who was meant to be the Fire Lord.
Zuko came by, once or twice. All she could do was snarl, bare her teeth, and play her mind games, the only games she could play with no hands. At first he ignored her. Then he just stopped coming.
Life was long and lonely for Azula. She had no toys to play with and eventually break, as all of her toys had outgrown her. Zuko didn't care anymore; he was the Fire Lord, and her words had no effect on him anymore. He wasn't the sad excuse for a boy he'd been when they were young. Ty Lee and Mai were gone, too. Azula had no one.
But then, one of her faithful toys came back.
It was Ty Lee. She nodded politely as the attendants told her to be careful, and she sat down cross-legged in front of Azula. The princess's golden eyes were wide. She'd come back. She was here.
"Hi, Azula." Ty Lee greeted her old friend. Most of the boisterous joy that had always inhabited the circus girl's voice was gone, but Azula could still detect it. Yes, it was there, just hidden.
Azula didn't say anything, just pursed her lips. Ty Lee fell silent as well, her dark eyes full of sorrow.
And then, all of a sudden, words began to pour from Azula. "I'm not crazy, you know."
"I know, princess." Ty Lee replied softly.
And this was how it went, visit after visit. Ty Lee would come, sit down, and Azula would say, "I'm not crazy."
Ty Lee would always reply with the same thing. "I know, princess."
Over and over again. Time after time.
"I'm not crazy."
"I know, princess."
It was a simple game, but not one that Azula particularly liked. So one day, she decided to change the game.
When Ty Lee came in and sat down cross-legged beside the princess, waiting for Azula to give her line, she was met with new words.
"I am crazy."
Ty Lee nodded slowly, as if she'd been waiting for that. With a heavy sigh, a tear rolled down her cheek and she replied quietly, "I know, princess."
end