Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender
In a small room, the Fire Nation's Princess continued to train. She practised her kicks, punches, waves of fire and more unique moves like fire blades and breath. She had heard her uncle constantly chatter on about to Zuko with the idea of breath within her firebending, so Azula tried it out, trying to pull the flames out of her gut. This was one thing she happened to be not catching onto as easily as other kinds of firebending. She personally didn't know why she couldn't do it without ease, but nonetheless she tried again and again.
Watching her was her two advisers, Lo and Li, two elderly non-benders, which intrigued her to why they were made her firebending instructors in the first place. They congratulated her perfection and damned her imperfection. They had advised against her trying this new form of firebending and rather working on something more familiar, but Azula was a stubborn one. She felt like she was being her brother in this situation, which brought a crude smile to her face.
In her frustration, Azula decided to stop trying to work on breath and just kicked a blast of fire at the closest non-flammable wall. Suddenly she realised that fire blast was different to the others. It wasn't red and gold like normal fire, it was a deep blue.
"Ah... This is most intriguing, blue fire, it is essentially a legend..." Lo drawled, slowly clapping at Azula's performance. Azula tipped her up in pride, she knew she was good, but having a mythic ability just makes it ever better.
"We must tell Firelord Ozai of this new power you have, he will be pleased to know his daughter is even greater than we first believed!" Li said, almost laughing in happiness in the moment. Li was right, her father would be very happy to know she can use this extremely unique ability. Azula smiled but then realised this was one kick, she had to perfect it before even considering to tell her father. He would be infuriated to just see her make a simple blast of red fire if he was told she could make blue.
"I have to perfect this ability before presenting myself to father, leave me to train alone", Azula said before raising her hand to dismiss the two advisers. As they left the room she decided to sit down and meditate and focus on the blue fire she had made. She wasn't one for mystics but she thought to try it before beginning a drawn-out session of attempts to recreate the blue fire.
She felt weird, that was the only word to describe it. Even after a moment of triumph Azula felt simply weird about all of this. She loved that she was perfect and special, but she hadn't given much to ask why. It was a lot for an eleven-year-old to think about, no matter how tact and knowledgeable in firebending she was.
She took a deep breath and focused on the blue fire that she had made before standing and moving into her form. She swung her leg and kicked out again at the wall, making another blue flame. She smiled and almost laughed in glee.
"It worked! Now let's try something different!" she said to herself, pulling herself back into form. Then she swung her arm punching a blue wave of fire across the room, noticing that Zuko had been standing out at the door at the time. He squealed and dropped to dodge the fire, making Azula laugh hysterically at her brother.
"Zuzu! Here to watch my superior firebending... And blue fire?" Azula laughed triumphantly standing over her cowering brother.
"Azula how did you even do that? Blue fire, I haven't even heard of that... Ever!" Zuko said with interest and glee. Azula raised her hand and made a back kick towards the wall, spouting a column of blue fire at it.
"I just focus on the idea, the deepest and strongest firebending I can make, and this is what comes out", Azula said with a tone of confidence, flicking her hair and grinning at her amazed brother.
"So are you going to show Dad?" Zuko asked looking at the ash from all the blasts Azula had made, "He'll be happier than the last time I flopped my firebending in front of him".
Azula grinned and threw another high kick at the wall, visibly shaking the room. "That's the idea Zuko, he sees my skill, and then he'll be happy with my progress". She patted Zuko's shoulder, "Someone's got to make up for your failures Zuzu... To keep the Firelord happy". That made Zuko visibly angry and he pushed Azula back, causing her to stumble, and started to walk away down the hallway. "Don't cry Zuko, I'm only telling you what you need to know..." He looked at her with contempt and walked around the corner, and Azula turned back to train her firebending. She finished the sentence, not with words but in her mind, "... To keep you safe".
Azula stood before the Firelord in his throne room, the stark contrast of the wall of flames concealing his face behind. Behind her stood Lo and Li who had just told the Firelord how they discovered her blue fire and how she was able to use the new still with precision and perfection. A lot for even Azula to stand up to, only just found out she could use it a few hours earlier.
Bowing in front of her father, she did not gaze into his eyes, but she could sense his emotions. He was still seemingly troubled by the events over a year prior with his wife gone and the throne his, he seemed to be angry... All the time.
Azula begun by spinning and kicking a wave of blue fire above the throne and cutting through her father's wall of flames with a long blast of fire. She showed that not only that she could use her blue fire with relative ease, she could also sway her own father's firebending. She grinned maliciously at the shock on his face. He was a hard nut to crack, but Azula thought she had proven enough and bowed for him in respect.
"My daughter, your skills have improved immensely since the last time you showed me. How long have you been working on this blue fire?", Ozai asked with considerable interest.
This only furthered Azula's smug attitude, "A few hours, only since midday". Her father chuckled at the fact.
"Even I was not as quick a learner as you. You should begin training with more advanced sets. I believe you are ready for more than just throwing fire around, no matter its colour", her father responded, with a smug look similar to her own.
Azula bowed once more, "It will be done, Father", before he dismissed her, Lo and Li. The Firelord sat in his throne wondering of his daughter's immense skills and aptitude for the art of firebending, and reminisced of when he was her age, just beginning to fully grasp the art. It brought a smile to his face, but he soon turned back to one of a more serious demeanour.
He called out to his guards who had been standing at the door awaiting orders, "Prepare the war-table, the Generals will be here any minute". He had a war to win and a city to burn to the ground. He would not fail like his brother before him. He was stronger and Iroh was weak. Only time would tell if his daughter would follow his path or one of weakness.
Azula's bedroom was dark and only lit by a dim moonlight. She sat alone in her bed, thinking of the times to come. She knew she was superior and a prodigy, she never doubted her own ability, but she would not face her father easily. Even if she wasn't weak like Zuko, she would still have to be better than even she could ever hope to be to stand up to her father's expectations. Perhaps she wanted her to become a leader like him, a warrior, a tactician, or did he want something else, did he want a servant out of her. Azula didn't like the sounds of being her father's servant.
She rolled over in her bed and dismissed the idea, she was her daughter, and it was her duty and honour to be there for her father. Just like her mother had told her to be there for Zuko and protect him. But she was unsure who to trust more, her mother had disappeared for over a year but her father was always there, watching and telling her how to act. But she knew one thing, whatever action she made was the right one because she was destined to be the greatest firebender of all time, and perhaps Firelord one day.
Azula knew she was going to do great things, but didn't know what. She was told that she would have to follow to in the footsteps of Sozin like her father and grandfather before her, be a conqueror and vanquish the Earth Kingdom and other lesser peoples. But she kept hearing her mother's voice, telling her to protect the weak not destroy them. Why would she listen to that anyway? Being strong was her nature, and the strong make do with the weak. Zuko was weak, as was Uncle, and she was strong. Then she thought, as to why she would protect Zuko, because he's her brother, her family. Just like the Firelord protecting their nation. Maybe her mother was right, but that was not the outlook she needed. She needed to be the conqueror that her father wanted, or her fate would be worse than their fallen enemies, dishonour.
The story continues! The next chapter will be a dream sequence, and if anyone has any criticism or ideas for the story, just make a review. I have a general story-line down pat, being split into Five Acts (Books), two of those being outside of the main series (this one and the final one, which is a mashup of the graphic novels).