Chap. 4

Interlude 1: Going Home

The camp was at the easternmost corner of the Earth Kingdom, just by the seashore. It was a fairly barren place though; its proximity to the Fire Nation had brought many years of volcanic dust, and the sands were black as coal. No one from the Earth Kingdom lived there, nor did any attempt to fish, or make profit from the area. It was completely deserted.

And that was just how Azula liked it. As she would have enjoyed taking down some rogue Earthbenders, it was easier to just enjoy the solitude. She had stationed her ship here, while the troops had set up camp on the beach, waiting for her to announce her next move.

However, that was proving to be a difficult task. Despite it being two months since the incident at Ba Sing Se, Azula had not been able to construct a worthy plan to take the city. Not that she had been idle; the Fire Princess had managed to discover a few spots in the wall that she could enter through, thanks to spies she'd placed in the city. But even with that, she had not been able to ascertain a good plan. It was starting to worry her.

What is wrong with me? Azula thought to herself as she looked out over the ship's deck. I've never had a problem thinking up battle plans before. I wanted to crush Ba Sing Se so badly before. But now….. now it's like it doesn't excite me. How can destruction and power not excite me?

For a second, Azula thought back to her last visit to the city, thinking about the battle against the chaos demon. That still excited her, at least. She remembered how strange, and yet amazing it had seemed, battling with the Elemental Knights, the heroes she had heard about since she was a child. It had almost made her regret fighting them before. As Azula continued to reminisce about that day, she found her thoughts drifting back to when that Water-Tribe boy had saved her from the demon. He was pretty useful. Even if he wouldn't shut up. Azula thought to herself, as a smile unknowingly grew on her face.

But it vanished a second later, when she heard Ty Lee's voice call from the side. "Azula, look look!" the acrobat yelled as she bounded up the deck.

"What is it?" Azula asked, her face setting back into stone once again.

"We found this on the beach." Mai said, as she followed Ty Lee up the deck. Azula looked, and then gasped as she saw the messenger hawk perched on Mai's shoulder. Moving over to it, she took the note from its container and began to read it.

"What does it say?" Ty Lee asked.

"Let me read it, and I'll tell you." Azula snapped, as she scanned the scroll. Suddenly, the Fire Princess's eyes widened, but she regained control in seconds. "This note is from my father." She said, as she rolled it back up. "He wishes to speak with me."

"Huh? Why would he want that?" Ty Lee said.

"Do you think he has information on the Avatar or something?" Mai asked.

" I don't know. But if my father wants to see me, then it must be important. He even asked that I bring the troops back." Azula said. Motioning for the girls to follow her, she walked over to the ship and climbed to the top of the deck, where a large ram's horn was kept. Azula took the horn from its hiding place, raised it to her lips, and blew out a long, hard, note. At the sound of it, everyone in the camp turned and faced her. Once she had everyone's attention, the Fire Princess began to speak, her voice echoing across the camp.

"My father has sent word. He wishes for us to return home within the next few days. The camp is to be dismantled within the hour, and the supplies reloaded onto the ship. That is all."

Azula stepped down then, as the camp let out a mighty cheer. Many of the soldiers had not been home in years. The war effort had dominated their lives. But that mean little to Azula. She just knew that it would make them disassemble the camp faster.

"Keep an eye on them, and send the hawk back with a reply." She said to Mai, as she moved towards the lower deck. "I will be in my quarters." Mai nodded, and Azula stepped down into the lower hatch, moving through the corridors of the ship until she finally reached the large room that served as her personal quarters. Walking inside, she closed the door, then locked it, then bolted it. She scanned the room quickly, making sure she was alone. Only when she was sure did Azula finally drop the stone mask of her face, and let the fear replace it. Clutching the note in her hands, she paced the room frantically as her mind whirled.

Why would he call me home? I've been doing what he asked. I've tracked the Avatar and Zuko, I know where they are. I can sneak into Ba Sing Se and get them anytime. I've done better then Zuko ever did.

Unless…… does he know about what happened? She thought suddenly, her eyes going wide with fear. Yes, it was possible that her father had heard reports of her being in Ba Sing Se, and not taking the city. Worse yet, that she didn't even try to take the city. Ozai would not understand the chaos demon, would not care about the debt owed to the Knights for saving Ty Lee. All he would care about was that his daughter had thrown away a chance to deliver him the end of the war. That she had failed him.

Azula collapsed onto her bed, practically pulling her hair out in her frustration. If that was the case, there was nothing she could do. Azula was one of the best actresses in the world. She had been lying to people for years; her brother, her mother, even her friends. But the one person she could never lie to was her father. After all, he had taught her how to do it. There was nothing she could hide from him. And when he spoke to her……

Azula let out a long sigh then, and moved to do something that she had not done for many years. She took out a gift from its hiding place, one that her father had given her many years ago. But it had not been a gift of love. No, it had been a warning, a gift given to her to remind her of failure, and the price that it carried. As Azula unwrapped it, she thought about how she had earned this gift. She had only been six, beginning to learn her firebending. Her father said that she was showing great promise, and he gave her a test. He'd taken a turtle-duck, and tied it in place in the yard. He'd then turned to his daughter and asked her to practice on it.

But Azula hadn't understood. Why did her father want her to firebend on the turtle-duck? That would hurt it! But Ozai had insisted. Azula had brought up her hands, trying to do what her father asked. But at the last moment, she had lowered her arms, and the fire had freed the creature. As the turtle-duck had run off, Azula had turned back to her father, feeling shamed that she could not do what he asked of her. Ozai gave no response. He merely looked at his daughter in disappointment and then motioned for her to follow him. He had led her inside and then he had given her the gift. He told her it was a sign of failure, and what would happen if she ever failed him again. Ever since that day, Azula had carried that gift around with her, and she had never failed her father again.

Until now. Azula thought, as she wrapped the gift back up and hid it again. Now she had failed in her father's eyes. Azula trembled in fear, knowing that when she got home and met with Ozai, he would have another gift for her, something larger and more terrible then what he had given her before.