Chapter 9

"Hey, Sweetness. Sokka and Aang wanted me to tell you that your dad just got here," Toph said standing at the doorway of Katara's room. It was now late afternoon.

"That's great, Toph," Katara said, almost sounding annoyed. "Tell my dad if he wants to see me that I'm up here in my room. Azula shouldn't be left alone right now."

"Yeah, I figured as much. I can stay with her, you know," Toph offered.

"I need to do a healing session on her right now anyway."

Toph rolled her eyes, knowing full well Katara was lying. She just didn't know why. All she knew was that Katara sounded upset. "Sure thing, Sugar Queen," she said before walking away.

Azula had heard the two girls' conversation, having just woken up from her slumber. She was now simply laying on her bed with her eyes closed, still fatigued from the battle and fever—which had lowered significantly from the medicine Katara had given her earlier. "Guess she has issues with her father too. Wonder if he's a bastard like mine turned out to be."

"Azula, are you awake?"

"Yes," she said, opening her eyes.

"I have some more medicine for you. It will help with the pain and prevent infection."

"Alright," Azula agreed, taking the pills Katara handed her. A short while later, she was fast asleep again.


She entered her father's throne room and kneeled before him. She waited until he spoke before speaking or moving.

"Iroh is a traitor and your brother Zuko is a failure. I have a task for you."

She looked up at her father with a cold smile, to see the same expression mirrored back at her.

"They are an embarrassment to our family's name. Azula, it is up to you. Prove to me your worth as my true heir. I trust that you will not disappoint me."


It was late evening when Zuko and Mai came by to check up on Azula. She woke up to the sound of voices speaking. Groggily, she opened her eyes to see her brother and friend speaking with Katara.

Azula once again felt Katara's hands on her face and lips against her forehead. "Your fever is gone," she said, relieved. "That medicine really did the trick."

Katara reached for some water and once again held the cup to Azula's lips. "Here, you need to drink more liquids."

Zuko and Mai stood by watching quietly. Finally, after all the water was gone, Azula turned to look at her brother.

"Don't say it," Azula said, a slight scowl overtaking her features.

"I wasn't going to say anything," Zuko replied.

"I know what you're thinking."

"How are you feeling?" Mai asked. Azula raised an eyebrow weakly at the pair in front of her. She couldn't help but notice how close they were standing to each other.

"Like I was run over by a tank that was set on fire," she said and was met with worried looks from them both. "Don't look at me like that. I don't need your pity."

"We brought you guys some food," Zuko said, ignoring her words and gesturing to the tray he had brought with him—it was now on the nightstand. Azula saw Katara arranging some of it onto a plate. She knew she hadn't eaten in a day, but strangely found that she wasn't hungry.

"We need to talk once you feel up to it," Mai told Azula. "Call on me when you're ready."

"Where are you going now?" Azula asked.

"Ty Lee and I are supposed to meet with Iroh shortly." Azula wasn't particularly surprised by the revelation at this point, and suspected exactly what the nature was of what Mai wanted to discuss with her.

"Where is Ty Lee anyway?"

"I last saw her with Aang and Toph. She stopped by to see you earlier, but you were sleeping."

"I see."

"We have to go now. We'll see you both later," Zuko said before leaving.

Azula nodded, as Katara said goodbye.

Turning her attention back to the prodigy, Katara explained, "It's probably not a good idea to eat a full meal just yet, but you need some nourishment."

Just then, Chief Hakoda stopped by Katara and Azula's room and saw his daughter handing a cup of broth to the ex-princess.

"Hi, Katara," he said warmly as he walked into the room, holding his arms out.

"Hi, Dad," she replied, not looking at him and grabbing her own plate of food. Hakoda frowned, and Azula raised an eyebrow at Katara.

"Everything okay?" he asked.

"Fine."

Hakoda came up to the bed then and stood alongside his daughter, but brought his gaze to Azula. "I'm Hakoda, Katara's father."

"She knows who you are. I just called you 'Dad,' didn't I?" she snapped.

"I guess you're right," he said, uncomfortable.

"Now, would you mind giving us a little privacy?" she asked, annoyed.

"Of course," he said with a heavy sigh, leaving the two girls alone.

"Hmm… why are you so mad at your dad?" Azula asked, curious. At first glance, he seemed nothing like her father. If anything, he was like an older version of Katara's brother—not that she knew him particularly well.

"I'm not mad at him," Katara replied.

"Whatever you say," Azula said letting her arm fall to her side. The movement caused her arm to hit against the burns on her sides, and she groaned in pain.

Immediately, Katara's concerned eyes were on her. "You need a healing session and some more painkillers." Azula drank down the pills Katara gave her with the remaining broth, before handing the mug to the waterbender.

Katara then gently pulled back the sheet that covered Azula to reveal the firebender's body, which was covered in a sleeping shift and cropped pants. This made it easier for Katara to tend to the burns and also the remaining wounds from Azula's time while imprisoned by Long Feng.

Moving the sleeping shift up a bit, Katara began to remove the bandages that covered her burns. Azula gritted her teeth in pain as she looked down at her burned body for the first time. It took all her strength not to break down and cry at the sight.

"It was a lot worse before," Katara explained softly. "If I had done nothing, you would have had nerve damage, so the pain isn't a bad thing in this case. But the pain medicine should kick in soon, and my waterbending will help you feel better too."

Azula watched as Katara formed a water glove and brought it to her sides. She found that the girl was right. It did help her feel better, although some places the burns were more raw than others and it hurt.

By the time Katara had finished her healing session, the medicine began to kick in a bit as well. The waterbender then applied a thin layer of ointment to her burns before wrapping them in fresh bandages.

"How did I end up back here?" Azula finally asked.

"I stopped your father from striking you down and managed to get you back here."

"How?" Azula asked, suddenly very curious. What would possess this waterbender to do such a thing? And how did she best her father in combat?


"Zuko thought we should speak with you, Iroh," Mai began.

"Please have a seat. What is it that you ladies wanted to discuss?" Iroh asked.

"Let me just begin by saying that Ty Lee and I both assisted Azula on her mission for different reasons. I can only speak for myself, but frankly, the only reason I came along was because I was bored out of my mind in the city of New Ozai. I didn't even ask to hear what the mission was before agreeing to it."

"And what about you, Ty Lee?"

"Azula kind of bullied me into joining her, but I was happy to help her once I did. Not because I have anything against you guys, but because she is my friend."

"She bullied you?" Iroh asked.

"She told me that she was sent to capture you and Zuko, and would be honored if I would join her on her mission. She made it sound like a choice, and I would have rather stayed at the circus at the time."

"I guess the thought of invoking her title never crossed her mind," Zuko said sarcastically.

"Ty Lee, you should know better than that," Mai chided her.

"I know, but I hoped maybe being away from Fire Lord Ozai would have made her more like she was when we first played together as kids. When she wasn't so demanding of everyone."

"I guess what we're trying to get at is that we're at a bit of a crossroads. One thing is for certain: Ty Lee and I are no longer helping Azula on this mission to capture you guys or the Avatar. And I suppose after what happened to Azula, the mission is off for her as well. However, we're unsure of where that leaves us," Mai explained.

"Everyone says you give great advice," Ty Lee added.

"Well, I try at least," Iroh said with a smile. "What's on your mind?"

"After what Fire Lord Ozai has done to Zuko and Azula, we don't feel we can fight for the Fire Nation anymore," Mai said.

"They are our friends, and we want to stick with them," Ty Lee chimed in.

"That's very noble of you. So what's the problem exactly?" Iroh kindly asked.

"The idea of being thought of as a traitor is bothersome, especially when it's a result of doing our duty to the Fire Nation. But that's really minor compared to what we're actually worried about. Do you think Fire Lord Ozai would do anything to our families for fighting alongside Zuko, and therefore, the Avatar?" Mai asked. Zuko took a hold of her hand in a comforting gesture.

Iroh looked at them for a moment, stroking his beard, pondering how straightforward he should be. Then he decided there was no need to skirt around it.

"I will be honest with you. My brother's cruelty has no limits, although he is intelligent enough to know when to draw the line if it suits his purposes. Mai, I understand your parents and brother are in New Ozai right now—your father is the governor, correct?"

She nodded.

"I can't say if keeping him in that position benefits the Fire Lord or not. Sorry, I'm not close enough to the situation to properly assess that. As for your family, Ty Lee—where are they now?" Iroh asked.

"My parents are in the Fire Nation capital along with three of my sisters. The other three are married and live in the Fire Nation colonies."

"I see. I really wish I could tell you that everything will be okay, but I simply don't know." Iroh sighed. "Unfortunately, you both are in a lose-lose situation. Even if you were to return back to the Fire Nation, Ozai will not look kindly on you for having been Azula's closest allies."

Mai nodded grimly as Ty Lee looked at Iroh worriedly.

"I recently learned that the real reason my mother disappeared was not because she had played a role in my grandfather Fire Lord Azulon's death. It was just an excuse, as his death was easily explained away. The real reason my father forced her to leave was because she was my closest ally," Zuko added, his fist clenching.

"I'm sorry, Zuko," Ty Lee said softly, as Mai wrapped her arm around him.

"Well, we know going back to the Fire Nation isn't an option. I just wonder what Azula will do," Ty Lee said.

"It will take her some time to figure it out," Iroh replied. "I still am concerned about what kind of effect this experience will have on her mind, but the good thing is she isn't alone. I think it will do her some good to spend some time with someone who is in many ways her equal and her opposite."


Azula shook her head in equal parts disbelief and begrudging awe of how Katara was able to infiltrate the Fire Nation camp and stop her father from killing her.

"I don't understand you," Azula finally said.

"What don't you understand?" Katara asked, curious.

"What makes you tick. I'm used to people either worshipping me or fighting against me—save Mai and Ty Lee. And before that…" her voice faltered for a moment before continuing. "That is, assuming people knew who I was—the princess of the Fire Nation."

"Over the last several months, I've started to learn that people's titles and nationalities don't define them. I've met some good people from the Fire Nation and some people who aren't so good from the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes. And even people who aren't so good can change. I've seen it with my own eyes," Katara explained, thinking of Zuko and Jet.

"I don't know how to exist in my skin without the title of Fire Nation Princess," Azula quietly admitted.

"Your brother seems to manage okay without the title of Fire Nation Prince," Katara pointed out.

"My brother and I are nothing alike. My father always despised Zuko and favored me. He was the weakling and I was the stronger. We were raised completely different. My father barely acknowledged Zuko after awhile, and groomed me to be his 'true heir' as he called it." Azula sighed. "Since the day I was old enough to bend, my life revolved around the war. Even simple childhood games were a means to train my mind for battle. I was bred to be a weapon. Nothing more. But all weapons eventually get dull or wear out their usefulness. Without the war—the Fire Nation—I am nothing. I am a weapon that now has no purpose."

"You're not just a weapon, Azula. You're a human being."

"I am not a human being. Even my own mother thought I was a monster."

"I'm sure she didn't think that."

"She did. She told me so herself. It's okay. It's the truth," Azula shrugged, trying to brush it off as if it were nothing. But Katara was not about to let it drop.

"You're not a monster either. Would a monster care about her friends? Would a monster have nightmares?"

Azula's eyes narrowed at Katara then. "What, do waterbenders also have the ability to read minds now?"

"No," Katara said softly, shaking her head. "You talk in your sleep… and I've seen you cry."

Azula thought she should have been furious. This Water Tribe peasant had seen her in all her weakest moments. Instead, she felt empty inside. Her mind was fragile and never in her life had she been so afraid. She was truly lost now that her identity had been forcibly ripped from her by her own father.

"You're not alone, Azula," Katara said, pulling the firebender from her thoughts. She could only imagine what was going on inside her head, but she knew it wasn't a happy place to be at the moment. "You have your brother and uncle, Mai and Ty Lee…" she trailed off, not sure if Azula would want to hear Katara's name included on that list.

Azula shook her head slightly. "You'll all be leaving soon, won't you?"

"Not for another couple of weeks. You don't need to worry yourself with that. Just focus on getting better, okay?" Katara encouraged her, placing her hand over Azula's.

"Do you still consider me an enemy?" Azula asked.

"No, I don't."

"So what am I to you?"

"Honestly… I don't know. I don't really know you that well, do I?" she replied with a smile. "What about you?" she continued, her expression turning a little more serious. "Do you still consider me an enemy?"

Azula remembered when she had fought the Kyoshi Warriors, when she had told them that any friend of the Avatar was an enemy of hers. Was that still true? The Avatar was an enemy to the Fire Nation. But she was no longer part of the Fire Nation, so he wasn't her enemy anymore, she reasoned. Aang and his friends would never attack Azula unless she attacked them, so she had nothing to fear from them.

"I guess not," she finally said. There were a lot of things about herself and her life she had to reexamine. Hating people took a lot of energy, she realized.

Azula yawned then, the medicine taking full effect.

"You should get some more rest," Katara said as she pulled the sheet back up to cover the firebender's body. She then walked over to her own bed and climbed in, quickly falling into much deserved sleep.