It was finally the end of the long war. Aang had defeated the self-proclaimed Phoenix King Ozai and Prince Zuko succeeding in stopping Princess Azula's coronation as Fire Lord. Although, after banishing the majority of the Fire Nation's capital, Princess Azula would not have had much to rule, anyway. Apparently, the pressure and power of ruling a nation had been too much for the young woman.
After becoming the new Fire Lord, Zuko locked Princess Azula in her chamber. Some people did not understand this. Why had he not thrown her in prison? Fire Lord Zuko had answered that he believed that Azula needed more care than punishment. In fact, he had some of the best therapists brought to the Fire Nation just to take care of his sick sister. Two years have passed since then.
Azula's hair had grown back since her mental breakdown and so had her rough exterior. She stared at the man across from her with fiery amber eyes and snarled at him. She hated these therapy sessions, but she painfully acknowledged that her return to sanity was due to them.
"It's the anniversary of your failed coronation today, right? I think it's important that we explore that event now that your mind has been cleared." The therapist said.
Sighing, Azula asked, "Is this really necessary? You already know what happened? I literally lost my mind!"
The therapist held up a finger. "Yes, I know of the events, but now that you have better insight, I want you to explore what was happening in your mind."
"I started…remember things." Azula started, wincing a bit.
Nodding, the therapist gestured to her. "Good. Continue."
"I started remembering my mother. I started thinking about what she would say to me if she was still around." She explained, remembering that Zuko had been looking for their mother ever since he had become Fire Lord. "I wondered if she would still think I was a monster, even then—or especially then. I had always dreamed of being Fire Lord, but when my father made me it, I realized that I had no idea what to do. Subconsciously, I always knew that I was not cut out to be a leader, but I did not want to admit it. Leading troops in a battle is one thing, but leading an entire nation is another.
"I wished so hard to be someone I was not. In that state, I became someone else. I looked to the only image I knew as a leader: my father. My father was ruthless, ferocious as the flames he commanded, and secretly insane."
Azula crossed her arms and looked away. She had one and a half years to think about this, not counting the time she was mentally incapacitated, so she had gone over the scenario in her head over and over again. Her pride made it hard for her to admit where she had gone wrong and, worse, where she had lost her mind.
Folding his hands in front of him, the therapist nodded. "Good, good. You've come a long way this year, Azula. Acknowledging when one lost their sanity is a big step toward recovery."
Smirking, Azula said sharply, "You misunderstand. I'm just saying where I went wrong. I've always been insane. Two years ago I just slipped deeper into the insanity. You don't grow up in this family and end up sane. Isn't that why you talk with Zuko, too?"
The therapist cleared his throat. It was true, he had been dealing with Fire Lord Zuko too, but Zuko was more interested in just having someone to talk to. The majority of Zuko's issues had been worked through by himself. Azula was a different case. Often she would take a large leap forward and then take a step back.
He freed his index fingers and used them to point at Azula without breaking his fold. "You're an adult now, Azula. A woman who can make her own decisions and shape her own life. Indeed, both your brother and yourself had traumatic childhoods, but need to begin making goals for the future. Personal ones. You need to start thinking about what kind of woman you want to be. Do you want to be a woman who is forced to spend the rest of her life locked away in her chamber alone? Or do you wish to be a woman who can forgive herself and look forward to a future with others?"
Azula stood up, shaking with anger, and pointed down at him. "How dare you! What makes you think I want such a life? Naturally, I don't want to spend my life lock away, but…" Her hand dropped and the therapist was surprised to see her expression soften. "Even if I wanted a life with others. Nobody wants me around. They're all scared of me or hate me."
Gritting her teeth, Azula realized how pitiful she was. She hated it! She wished that she was just doing one of her acts to manipulate this man into convincing Zuko that she was making progress; however, she knew it was not an act. For some reason, she sometimes felt her true feelings involuntarily come flooding out of her during these talks. The therapist was crafty, though, she is a good liar—no, she was a great liar—but he could always tell. She learned very early on that she could not manipulate him at all. In fact, he could often turn her plans around at her.
"And you hate this feeling, don't you? The pity, the loneliness, which leads to depression." The man said bluntly.
Her eyes widen. How does he always know? She was certain that no one knew about that! All her life, she had never cried once. Not once! But lately, late at night, the tears would come and she could not stop them. She did feel alone and she hated it. She hated the look of pity her brother gave her when he came to visit. She hated it!
Standing up, the therapist said, "I think you've made a lot of progress today; however, I think this is all you can handle for today. I'll see you again next week."
She watched the man leave and she was once again left alone in her chamber—her cell. Her eyebrows furrowed and she let out a roar of anger and azure fire blazed out of her mouth. She felt her knees weaken and she dropped to the floor. No, not again. Her eyes closed tightly as tears began to flow down her cheeks. No, anything but this.
"How is she?" A girl in blue Water Tribe clothes asked. She had gentle blue eyes and long, beautiful brown hair with braided hair loops. Katara had matured in the last two years. Her cute face had grown into dazzling beauty and her body had developed as well.
"The therapist says that she's been getting better, especially lately." The Fire Lord answered. Zuko had grown handsome himself, but his scar had not faded in the least. His hair had grown much longer, being brought up into a top knot.
Katara nodded and commented, "That's good. Really good."
Most people did not understand why Zuko had not sent Azula away to prison after the war. They were not there that day. On that day, Katara had been expecting the calculating menace of the Fire Nation Princess. What they found was a scared little girl who fought desperately, who was clearly not taking her new position well. Katara had been the one who convinced the Fire Lord to get her mental care instead of sending her away. She knew that the princess would have gotten worse inside a prison.
The Fire Lord looked down, frowning. "I'm not convinced. Maybe it's because I grew up with her. She's probably lying, getting him on her side. It's what she always does."
"What if she isn't?" Katara asked.
"Then it just means that she's back to who she was before. That isn't much of an improvement."
Katara laughed sheepishly. He had a point. Still, a calm, collected Azula is better than the mentally unstable one. Although, Katara never thought that she would prefer it that way before. Nodding, she thought that it would be best to see this for herself.
"I'll go see her myself and judge for myself," Katara announced.
"As you wish," Zuko began, walking over to Katara. "I'll go with you and—"
Katara put a hand on his shoulder and shook her head. "No, I'll go alone."
He turned and faced the waterbender and said incredulously, "You shouldn't go in there alone. She may have calmed down, but she's still dangerous."
Cocking an eyebrow, Katara asked, "Doesn't the therapist go in there alone?"
"He knows the risks. Besides, he's used to dealing with dangerous benders. That's why I hired him."
Katara jabbed her finger into the Fire Lord's chest and said, "I think you're forgetting who I am. She may be a firebending prodigy, but I'm a waterbending prodigy. Since I last faced her, I've been officially recognized as a waterbending master. I'm not a pushover."
Throwing his hands up in defeat, Zuko said, "Okay, okay. Geez, I forget how stubborn you are sometimes."
With that, she walked off. Despite having once hated the Fire Nation, she had spent a lot of time here since the end of the war, helping stave off old resistances who still had conquering attitudes. After Zuko assumed the throne, Zuko and Aang spent a lot of energy trying to keep civil war from flaring up. Now, however, she had found herself here less often. Due to all that activity, however, Katara knew the layout of the palace pretty well, so it was not any trouble finding Princess Azula's chamber. There were ten guards posted outside her door and window at all times. They all knew she was dangerous. In fact, Katara knew that Azula would have little trouble with twenty guards if she really felt like escaping. The fact she had not tried even once surprised her.
A guard approached her and announced, "Sorry, Master Katara, but this area is off-limits for your own protection."
She looked up at the guard and said, "Don't worry, I received permission from Fire Lord Zuko to enter and I'll enter alone."
"But ma'am!"
"Just unlock the door, please," Katara said soothing.
The guard looked behind him at the other guards, one of whom just shrugged in response. He turned back to Katara and heaved a sigh. "Alright, but don't say I didn't warn you."
"Your concern is appreciated," Katara replied with a smile.
Two guards in front of the door sidestep away as the guard with the keys walked over and unlocked it. Katara bowed to them before entering the chamber. As she walked in, she noticed the princess sitting on a chair, her legs crossed, leaning back with a finger on her cheek. She had her classic smirk on her face. It was as if she was meeting the cocky princess from two years ago before her episode. The look in her eyes was different, though, they were no longer filled with infinite confidence and ruthlessness. They looked almost sad.
"Oh, look who's come to see me!" Azula said with mock excitement.
Katara took a deep breath. The princess had always been good at knocking her off balance mentally. "I'm sorry I haven't come to visit you before now."
The princess waved her hand, as if brushing the worry aside. "Oh, don't you start with that pity." Her face immediately changed. "Please. I get enough of that from Zuzu. I understand that I lost my mind for a while, but I don't need to be treated as if I'm incapable for the rest of my life because of it."
Katara blinked. She just admitted that she was insane during that time? She has changed. This made her smile. "You're right. You deserve respect. I was wrong for coming in here thinking I would have to treat you with kid gloves."
"Oho! Kid gloves, you said? If you treat me with kid gloves, you'll regret it." It was not really a threat, Katara could tell she was just enjoying talking to someone.
"I understand that it's been hard on you. You went through that kind of event. It must have been hard for your pride to admit that you lost your mind." Katara said this quite bravely, given the look that Azula was giving her as she said it. "It must have been hard for you, living here this entire time and only having two people to talk to."
Azula laughed and said, "What are you talking about? I still live in luxury. I eat good food, sleep on the best bed in the Fire Nation, get pampered every morning, and wear the best made clothes. My life is great!"
Katara walked over and sat on the bed that Azula mentioned. "It really is a nice bed, but a beautiful cage is still a cage."
Narrowing her eyes, Azula stood and yelled, "What do you know? Do you even care? Did you just come here to rub my nose in it?"
Standing back up, Katara's eyes were wide in shock. Not because of Azula's outburst, but because there were tears in her eyes. Azula was crying? Katara looked determined and then walked over to the princess and put her arms around her, pulling her close.
"What…" Azula began, but stopped when she realized how good it felt. Another person holding her, comforting her. She had not felt this way since her mother used to do a similar thing. Then she remembered herself and said, "You dirty, little peasant! How dare you touch me!"
Katara looked up at the other woman and said, "I had no idea you were in such pain. I understand now. I'll be the person you can show this side to. I understand you can't show it to Zuko or even the therapist, but it's okay in front of me. I'm just some peasant from the Water Tribe. I don't matter, right?"
A wave of relief washed over Azula, but she was not sure why. Why would the thought of Katara looking after her make her feel better. It's true that unlike everyone else, Katara is not judging her or treating her as if her mind is as fragile porcelain doll. She just simply wants to be there for her because no one else is. Pity from anyone else would have infuriated her, but Katara felt different.
"Why?" Azula asked, fighting back her tears, "Why do you care?"
Looking up at the princess, Katara answered, "I never turn my back on anyone who is in trouble, even if she used to be my enemy."