After the door closes, Azula lets out a breath she wasn't aware she was holding. It has been difficult to trust but Aang seems so genuine that it is nearly tempting to tell him. For five years her life had consisted of a small room. She spent most of those years chained and sedated. By all rights she should hate the Avatar for her situation but she can't even summon up the strength enough to care.
Two weeks ago, everything had changed. The screams of the prison staff reverberated off the stone walls and there was the acrid smell of smoke in the air. The metallic smell of blood lingered. Men wearing Fire Nation Army uniforms entered her cell and cut her chains. They bound her and blindfolded her. The familiar sting of a needle preceded the drowsy effects of a sedative.
She lost track of time as they kept her sedated while they traveled. When her head finally cleared enough from the drugs and she could get her bearings, it was in a damp, stale cave and she was bound to a metal table. A man wearing a commander's uniform made his demands. As a Princess of the Fire Nation she refused the order of a man who was beneath her. A small table was laid out and various instruments were arranged on it.
Rolling onto her side draws a moan of discomfort from her unhealed injuries. Azula's resolve to not break under the hands of her captors carried a high price. Perhaps she should have let the Avatar heal the rest of her body.
The Avatar is not what she expected. Once she prided herself on her ability to read people but now she feels lost and alone. A small sob catches in her throat and fresh tears fill her eyes.
The world has moved on without her. The boy that was once her greatest enemy is now a man offering her healing. Her banished brother holds the crown that was to be hers. Old friends have found rich reward in their treachery. And what is she left with? She is a princess lost and fallen; fallen so far she isn't sure which way is up anymore.
Eventually she cries herself into a troubled sleep.
A few hours later Aang is woken from his sleep by Azula's scream. Quickly he scrambles across the hall. He opens the door without hesitation but instead of the midnight attacker he expects, he sees only Azula, huddled in the middle of the bed crying.
"Azula?" He asks cautiously, eyes searching the room for what has alarmed her. Approaching the bed slowly, he reaches out to gently touch her arm. "What is it?"
She shakes her head and only cries harder. He has dealt with many difficult things over the years but a woman in tears still has a way of making him feel uncomfortable. When that person is the cold, calculating Azula the feeling is magnified ten-fold.
Taking a chance, he sits on the edge of the bed to wait her out.
"Was it a bad dream?"
Lifting her head to wipe at her tear stained cheeks, she says, "I couldn't stop him." There is anguish in her voice as she admits her failure. Azula has had a great deal of practice overcoming uneven odds in a fight but this was one she couldn't win. In the end the commander got what he wanted.
Catching the dark meaning in her words, Aang draws in a deep breath and holds it. It would not do well to let anger get the better of him right now. No matter what Azula has done in the past, he feels a sense of compassion for her. He lets the breath out slowly.
When he doesn't respond, she plows ahead. "I should have been able too, but I was too weak" A fresh round of tears begin to fall.
"You're safe now." He tries to reassure her. "I won't let anyone hurt you."
She looks up at him, her golden eyes are rimmed red from crying. "Really?" There is caution in her voice like she can't quite believe it. "Even after everything that I did?"
"Yes." He is surprised by the conviction he feels to protect her. "I forgive you for the past."
She protests. "I shot you with lightening. I tried to kill you."
"Actually, you succeeded." He admits solemnly.
She blinks at him trying to comprehend what he has said. "I killed you?"
"Yes but I got better." Talking about his short death is a bit unsettling, even now so he tries to make light of it.
The look of shock in her eyes shines clear. "Oh." Once the thought would have brought her a perverse sense of joy and accomplishment but all she can feel now is a sick feeling in her stomach.
"No, really, it's okay. I survived and learned a very important lesson from it." Realizing how close he came to permanently ending the Avatar cycle with his rash actions has taught him to be more considerate of the consequences.
Something inside of her breaks and her shoulders shake as she sobs. He's not sure what else to say so he does the only thing he can do and that is to hug her. Her tears are soaking his shoulder and she wraps her arms around him. Her sharp nails dig into his bare skin but he grits his teeth against the pain. He focuses instead on rubbing soothing circles on her bare back instead.
When she quiets down and her hold on him relaxes, he speaks, "You didn't escape from prison did you?"
When she doesn't answer he thinks perhaps she has cried herself to sleep but soon she draws in a shuddering breath.
"No."
The pieces are falling into place but the picture isn't pretty.
"Tell me about it." He urges her.
She tightens her arms around him pressing more fully against him but he tries to not think that they are only separated by a thin sheet. One of her hands comes to rest on the back of his neck, absently playing with the short hair there. He represses a shiver at her touch.
"I didn't escape from prison. I was kidnapped by some low level lackey in my father's army who thought he could use me to get to the throne." Her voice drips with disgust. "He thought he could marry me and force Zuko into an Agni Kai for the crown."
She shifts against him to wipe her cheek with one hand but refusing to let go of her hold on the Avatar. There is something comforting about his arms around her. Azula has never been one to seek comfort through touch but she can see the merit in it now.
"Of course I refused but he had his ways of convincing me." It comes out in a rushed breath. For days she had been systematically beaten and tortured to the point she lost consciousness. In the end she prayed for death but the talent of a Fire Nation interrogator is to keep the subject alive until she breaks. Azula was in the hands of one of the best.
She turns her head pressing against his neck as she let out a sigh. He is warm and solid against her. "When I had my chance, I took it." The mistake of one sloppy guard had given her the opening she needed to slip away. It had been slow going with her injuries."I can't go back to prison. They'll find me again." Her voice is a plea, whispered against his skin.
He closes his eyes as he runs through all the ways this could go wrong. "I won't make you go back."
She relaxes against him and breaths a thank you over his skin.
The silence in the night stretches and he can feel the day wearing on him.
"Do you think you can go back to sleep now?"
"I think so." Reluctantly she lets him go and lies back on the bed pulling the sheet with her.
He moves to leave but she catches his arm.
"Could you maybe stay a bit until I fall asleep?" There is a tremble in her hand and a foreign look of fear in her eyes.
"Of course." He takes the extra pillow and lies on the floor next to the bed.
She moves to the edge closest to him. "Thank you, Avatar." The sleepiness is evident in her voice.
"You're welcome, Princess."
The rhythm of her breathing evens out and she quickly falls to sleep. For a long time, he listens to the steady beat of her heart as it gently lulls him to sleep as well.
The prison is a small island off the coast but the high cliffs and choppy waters are enough to put one off escaping.
The landscape is barren, rocky and unforgiving.
"What a depressing place." Sokka observes.
Toph digs her toes into the sand on the beach. "Glad I'm blind."
What was once a building meant to house an insane Fire Nation Princess is reduced to rubble. The outside walls are scorched and broken. They pick their way over the debris and Sokka tries to ignore the blood stains as they make their way to her cell.
The door has been ripped from the hinges but inside the walls are free from scorch marks.
"Azula didn't break herself out." Sokka observes looking at the room. Heavy chains hang from the ceiling but they are cut open rather than heated.
"She must have been working with someone on the outside then."
Sokka looks around the room. "How could she though if everyone here was killed? It wouldn't do well to kill your help would it?"
Toph frowns at him. "This is bat-crazy Azula we're talking about."
"True." He sees the wisdom in her words.
They pick through the rest of the room finding nothing of value.
"Guess this was a wasted trip." Sokka says as he leaves the room.
"Well, not all field trips are fun." The Earth Bender quips as she follows.
It seems that no matter how tired Aang is that he always rises with the sun. The chirping of the birds greets him as he sits up.
Azula is curled in the bed with her hands tucked under her chin like a child. The sheet has moved to reveal part of her leg that is riddled with more bruising. The skin is broken in many places.
He clenches his jaw at the sight. No one deserves that sort of violation. Later he will encourage her to let him heal the rest of her body. For now, he leaves her to sleep though and crosses back to his own room. Taking his place on the balcony he easily slips into a meditative state.
Normally, he is alone with his own thoughts when he meditates but from time to time one of the spirits or his past lives makes an appearance.
"Roku."
"Aang," the Fire Bender nods to him in greeting. "I see you have company."
"Azula has been hurt but I'm trying to help her."
The older man makes a small noise. "My granddaughter is a troubled one and I worry for her."
"She has been through a great deal lately." Aang isn't sure how much Roku knows but is reluctant to volunteer more.
"That she has. Her soul is fractured and it has been for some time. You can help her heal if you are willing."
"Of course, I don't want to see her suffer."
Roku smiles at him. The present Avatar is such a gentle soul."The power to bend the energy of another can be used to heal when that energy is broken."
"Roku?" Aang opens his eyes to see the balcony come into view.
"You were talking to Avatar Roku?" comes a soft voice from the woman seated beside him.
Startled he turns to her, "Azula?"
She is wrapped in a robe that must have once belonged to her mother.
A small smile graces her full lips. "I thought I would wait." Being alone doesn't sit well with her anymore.
"It's okay." After two years of traveling on his own he isn't accustomed to having anyone around but in a way he has missed the company.
"I brought you what's left of the food." A bowl of fruit sits in front of him
"Thanks"
As he leans toward the bowl, her eyes are drawn to the scar on his back. She can't resist reaching out to trace the broken edges. "Does it hurt still?"
Her fingers are cool against his skin, which seems so out of place to the Fire Nation Princess. It is another symptom of her imbalance.
"Yes, it does." His voice is gentle. It wouldn't do well to spare her the consequences of her own actions.
She pulls her hand back and hugs her knees to her chest. "How can you forgive me for that?" There is a sense of awe and disbelief in her voice.
"You were doing what you thought you should do. Just like I was doing what I thought I should do." There is a slightly bitter edge to the last part. The rash decision he made to leave before he mastered the Avatar State draws bad feelings to the surface. He put everything in jeopardy. Katara had to save him and the Avatar cycle.
The subject carries a weight he doesn't want to bear today so Aang changes the subject.
"There's something I want to try, if you will let me."
"Oh?" she looks at him expectantly.
"I want to do another healing session; this time on your soul."
"You can do that?" She is skeptical.
"Well, I've never tried it but I've done something similar before." Evasiveness is second nature to an Air Bender.
Catching the meaning in his words, she directs her gaze onto the ocean. "You mean like you did with my father."
He can't tell if she is angry with him or just considering the implications.
"Similar but different." He is careful with his words. "Roku asked me too." He adds her own great grandfather's part in this.
This gets her attention and the golden eyes flash at him. "He did?"
When he nods, she falls silent in contemplation.
"I will allow it." It is a begrudging permission.
Her nerves are on edge but this is not a feeling she is accustomed to. His hand is warm as he places it on her forehead and suddenly she feels herself falling. His presence is in her mind and it seems he is searching for something. All she has are impressions but she can tell the moment he finds what he is looking for. His unbridled joy shines through and is nearly blinding.
Being in the mind of another person is a very surreal experience and Aang has only ever done it one other time before. Ozai's mind had been dark and frightening but Azula's is just disconcerting. Sharp lines are broken and blurred. He has the impression that he is standing amongst the ruins of something once truly awe-inspiring.
She is there as a distant observer, watching as he finally finds what he is looking for. It is clear she doesn't know what is happening though.
The breaks are evident and he sets to work pulling the torn seams back together slowly knitting it until it is smoothed. It isn't perfect but it is a start to build on.
When he breaks contact with her mind, she falls limply against him. Gently he lays her down on the bed, smoothing her hair back. Her face is peaceful but Aang knows the road before them both is a long one.
Her eyes light up at the plates of food in front of her, bringing a smile to his face. She sits across the table from him dressed in an older style Fire Nation outfit he suspects also belonged to her mother.
The hungry woman wastes no time filling her plate with Fire Nation meats. Being a vegetarian he is content to leave her to it.
"I haven't had Komodo Chicken in years!" The enthusiasm is infectious and is so unlike his memories of her. It's a rare glimpse into the more light-hearted girl she could have been.
"I'm glad I chose well." It is a reserved and humbled response. It had been a bit overwhelming to pick from all the meat dishes in the market, so he went with what he thought Sokka or Zuko would pick.
"That you did, Avatar!" She punctuates the words with a leg of meat cheerfully, before viciously biting into the flesh.
While Azula may have mellowed over the years, there are times she has the same predatory air about her that puts him on edge. He has been here for four days now. Four days of alternating outbursts of anger and affection.
One moment she is trailing his every step afraid to be alone but the next she is hostile and making demands.
There is the occasional thrown object.
Roku assures him that this is a sign that she trusts him and that his presence is helping her. He is slowly becoming convinced that his past self is dealing with issues of self-loathing which leads to giving Aang such terrible advice. At least she let him heal the rest of her injuries.
If this is what she is like with a healed soul, he can't imagine what it would have been otherwise. Azula is finding her way and dealing with her past. He really is trying to be compassionate but at the same time he is thankful for his Air Bending agility.
For all the ups and downs, he has to admit that it is nice not to be alone day in and day out with just Appa and Momo. In her moments of lucidity she is a brilliant and challenging conversationalist but that same sharp wit can be used to tear him to shreds if she decides too. No wonder Zuko was as awkward as he was when he first joined them.
Next Chapter:
For a moment he hesitates internally debating his next step. Some battles are meant to be fought but Aang is tired of fighting. The Air Nomads had taught peace and harmony and to flow like the currents of the wind.