Hey everyone!

Because this chapter is short I decided to post it sooner than usual.

Once again, I want to send a shout out to all of the people who have favorited, followed and reviewed my story.

Please continue to do so!

And I hope everyone enjoys the chapter!

The Chancellor's Scheme – Chapter Fifty-Five

The following day.

Azula sat in her throne with her arms resting on the side of her throne while she gazed ahead at the approaching official.

"Good day Princess Azula." The chancellor greeted in a bow while the royal woman stared at him with cold golden eyes.

"I can only hope that you are not wasting my time chancellor." The princess remarked in a haughty fashion as she leaned into the palm of her hand.

All the while watching impassively while the smiling man quickly made his way forward.

She knew that her father had grown to dislike him as of late.

But she could certainly see why.

He had a way of making every little interaction longer than it needed to be.

"Waste? I do not waste time. I came to tell you something important. Very important." Terak stated as he walked forward with a crafty smile on his lips.

"And what might that be?" Azula sighed in a bored voice as the man came to a stop before her.

"I come to confess that I have committed a grievous crime." The chancellor announced in a tone of feigned guilt while the monarch turned to him with surprised golden eyes.

"What? A crime?" The princess asked with her brows furrowing in curiosity while she eyed the official carefully.

This man was more complicated than she had once taken him to be.

Up until the last day she has always just thought of him as just another simpering politician slinking about in the background.

"I am crippled with guilt princess. I submit myself to your judgement. Whip me! Beat me! Execute me! I don't deserve mercy!" Terak exclaimed with a hand over his face while Azula now rolled her eyes against the palm of her hand.

"Oh, very well. I suppose I will play along. What is the nature of your crime?" Azula pondered with amusement in her voice while she observed the man retrieve yet another rolled up document.

"Oh! The guilt! I can't bear to live with it any longer!" The chancellor cried out in a theatrical voice while the princess sighed into her open palm.

Only to find herself gazing on in grudging curiosity when the document was thrust into her lap.

"If you continue annoying me with that feigned remorse than I really…is this my father's seal?" The princess demanded with a more frigid look in her golden eyes while she stared hard at the man shifting on his feet.

"Hm. It is. I…may have taken it from his study by mistake. Punish me as you see fit! I deserve nothing less!" Terak spoke in a rushed manner as he took a nervous step back when the blue torches lining the throne room sparked with greater ferocity.

"You stole from your Fire Lord! My father! And then you come to tell me about it!" Azula bellowed with her golden eyes narrowing into a truly dangerous glare.

'Just what is the chancellor playing at? Why would he…what is this?' The princess thought as she found herself gazing down at the rolled-up document in reluctant curiosity.

The seal was already broken because the politician had already taken a peek at it.

Her golden eyes glared back at the recoiling man once more before she began to open it with an intuitive finger.

"I eagerly await your divine judgement princess. But perhaps…you would like to look at it first? You can always kill me afterward." The chancellor suggested with a finger under his chin while the princess's callous eyes burned a hole in his skull.

Yet she opened it even so.

Azula reclined against her throne while she gazed down at the unraveled document.

And just like that her cold eyes widened ever so slightly as she quickly read its contents.

How dare he!

"On the eve of Sozin's Comet Princess Azula is to be crowned Fire Lord…the First Fire Lord to be subordinate to another's will." Terak declared with his sleeves falling down his wrists while Azula sat clenching her jaw in her anger.

And the flames in her throne room suddenly soared to even greater heights.

And somewhere deep down inside Azula's frozen heart she felt…betrayed.

'Coronation plans so father can become the Phoenix King! He is going to strip me of my claim over the Earth Kingdom and declare himself the ruler of the world! And I will just be…the Fire Lord who kneels.' The princess thought with her nostrils releasing a furious puff of blue fire while she continued glaring at the official through the corner of her eye.

It was damn apparent what the man's goal was.

Her father didn't like him.

So, he sought to see if he would live more favorably under a different ruler.

"If you like. Send word to your father that I have not only spied on him…but I have stolen as well. I have just one thing to say before you do." The chancellor quipped as he took a step forward while golden eyes formed a penetrating glare.

"Do you actually think that you can manipulate me chancellor? You forget that I am myself a master of manipulation. I am not Zuko!" Azula snapped in an icy voice as she crushed the paper in her clenched fist.

"No. You are not. But you are…number two. You are not the Fire Lord. You are…the princess. You do not have the most authority. Do you wish to remain…second best for all your years?" Terak answered with a curious tilt of his head while Azula gritted her teeth in her boiling rage.

Not a moment later the chancellor released a cry of pain when he was sent soaring to the metal flooring by Azula's unforgiving hand.

"You watch how you speak to me! I am the strongest firebender! And that is beyond dispute!" The princess barked as she sat with her fist held out before her while she glared down at the official as he pushed himself up.

"Perhaps in your waning years you will become the Phoenix King. Then you will truly be…number one. For a few decades at least. Aah!" The chancellor yelped after the tall woman had stood up and stepped on his palm.

"Test me again chancellor. And I will cook you like armadillo bear meat over an open fire." Azula hissed with two fingers crackling in lightning while Terak nursed his bruised hand.

"I save your life and bring you what your father has kept from you and you reward me with bruises. Go ahead then. Notify Fire Lord Ozai." Terak insisted as he knelt gazing up at Azula's wrathful countenance.

"What do you want? What do you seek under me that you cannot gain under my father?" The princess inquired in an icy voice while she watched the smiling adviser push himself to his feet.

"I want power. Power over those I hate." The chancellor admitted with an excited nod while the royal rolled her eyes down at him.

"You seek more power?" Azula asked as she turned to regard the man while he rubbed at his bruised wrist.

"Perhaps a position by Phoenix King Azula's side. If that should be the title that Your Highness chooses." Terak revealed as he turned to gaze up at the burning torches while Azula regarded him coldly.

"Phoenix King Azula? Why should I spare you? I can kill you right now and still pursue my claim to the throne. Why do I need you Chancellor Terak?" The princess snorted with blue fire escaping her nostrils while the official began to pace the flooring.

"Because I am intelligent. And because you are surrounded by fools that have no understanding of manipulation. Not like I do." The chancellor replied with a crafty smile while the princess gazed down at him in slight curiosity.

"One could argue otherwise. Based on your little confession." Azula commented with her hands at her hips while her brilliant eyes gazed at the pacing man.

"I trust that you enjoyed my demonstration yesterday? If I will do that to one of my comrades. Just imagine what I could do with the enemy." Terak spoke with a hurried nod while Azula's golden eyes followed his every move.

"I admit that you took me by surprise. But I don't need you to manipulate the enemy. I can easily do that myself." The princess sneered with a snort while the man turned around to meet her gaze.

"I found a rebel spy in the palace. I believe…that she reports to your uncle." The chancellor began as he rubbed a finger below his chin while the princess's golden eyes shone with violent intent.

"Who?" Azula queried in a merciless voice while she stared at Terak's smiling face.

"Now that would spoil the fun. If you are going to have me killed. I should at least have the satisfaction in knowing that the spy will go on unimpeded." Terak declared with his hand curling up beneath his chin while the royal woman's callous eyes narrowed into slits.

'He's a shrewd bastard. And grudgingly capable.' The princess thought as she took another step forward until she loomed over the scheming man.

"You are a fool if you think that I am incapable of finding and destroying a spy." Azula scoffed as she tightened her grip on the smashed document.

"Destroy? Why destroy? When you can help the spy instead." The chancellor questioned in turn while the princess gazed down at him with increasingly interested golden eyes.

"Go on." The princess ordered with a wave of her hand while the official clasped his hands together.

"Why not let the spy continue uninterrupted so we can follow the trail? Why not go one step further? Why not infiltrate the spies with one of our own?" Terak pondered in a quick-witted voice while Azula gazed at him in grudging approval.

"Infiltrate the spy circle? I like the way you think chancellor." Azula purred with a finger pressing into the underside of her chin.

Perhaps this man could work out in her favor after all.

"It pleases me that you think so princess. It stands to reason that the spies wish to see your brother's coordination yes? So why not make them think that is what you will give them." The chancellor continued with a growing smile while the royal woman gazed down at him intently.

"Elaborate." The princess commanded with a look of great distaste in her eyes at the mere mention of her brother stealing the throne from her.

"I would create a Zuko coronation movement. Make the spies think that there is growing support for their cause. Build up your brother's hopes. Make him overconfident." Terak explained as he gazed into Azula's intrigued golden eyes while she watched him closely.

"A Zuko movement?" Azula repeated with something akin to disgust in her voice while Terak offered her a conniving smirk.

"I would build the movement with only the most loyal of your supporters. Make them think that it a Zuko movement. Deceive the Avatar and your brother into thinking that they have a chance. When in reality it is a Fire Lord Azula movement." The chancellor remarked as his lips curved into a crafty smirk.

The princess found her lips enlarging into a pleased smile as she appraised the man further.

An Azula movement…disguised as a Zuko movement.

"And just when we've elevated their hopes and dreams…we will remove their perceived advantage out from under their feet and crush them!" Terak exclaimed with sadistic excitement in his voice that had Azula's red lips pursing into an amused smile.

"You surprise me again chancellor. But answer me this. How do I know that it wouldn't be the other way around? How do I know that this isn't a scheme to crown my brother?" The princess queried in a cold voice while she stared icily down at the official's smiling face.

"Every move will be made under your direct supervision. If at any point you grow doubtful…just have the guards put us all to the sword." The chancellor assured with a nod while the princess's domineering eyes stared down at him.

"If I say that I will think it over. You will do nothing until I say otherwise." Azula snarled just as she seized the man's wrist in a crushing grip while she watched in delight as he released a pained cry.

"I understand! No need for brutality." Terak exclaimed hastily as he winced while Azula loomed over him with her callous eyes still glaring down at him.

"Good. See to it that you don't forget who your master is. And do be certain to keep our little discussion to yourself." The princess commanded with her beautiful lips pursed in a scowl just as she released the official's reddened wrist.

"Of course, Your Highness! You are the master here." The chancellor agreed as he nodded while Azula cast him a gratified glance.

Just before she turned away to return to her throne.

Azula regally seated her backside in her throne once more while she reclined with a smug smirk growing on her gorgeous lips.

And then with a mere flick of her finger the torches in her throne room soared to towering heights while her golden eyes narrowed back at the intimidated chancellor's face.

"I am the master of blue fire and lightning. I am the matriarch of this nation. My will is supreme and my reign is imminent. And all those who stand against me will suffer my wrath. Even my father." Azula announced in a voice of absolute authority while she stared hard at the rapidly nodding official.

Her teeth clenched together once more as she crushed the document in her fist.

All of this time she has remained loyal to her father.

Even after surpassing him in strength.

And he has the gall to insult her after all she has done for him!

'Well no more! I will not wait until I am an old woman to truly rule this nation. Ty Lee was right…I have my Elle. I have Zoe. And my bending knows no rival. Not even my own father. So be it. I will take the throne from him! Then I will show him…and the Avatar that I am absolute!' The princess thought with her golden eyes glaring ahead while the blue torches accentuated her wrathful visage.

And just like that the document went up into azure flames while she lounged back in her seat like a true king.

"You speak true my princess. Before I go I have just one more thing to say." Terak stated as he retreated in a low bow while Azula stared down at him with imposing golden eyes.

"And what would that be?" Azula asked in a glacial voice while she eyed the retreating man with a penetrating golden gaze.

She will have to keep a close watch on this man.

If he so much as makes the slightest move against her maid…

She will have him burned to ashes without a second thought.

"Rumor goes that Governor Yoko has grown wrathful with House Lin." The chancellor informed as he backed away while the princess's golden gaze sparked with boiling aggravation.

'Damn you Mai! Even now you are nothing but a thorn wedged in my ass!' The princess thought with fire escaping her angry nostrils while she bared her teeth like a furious dragon.

"You are dismissed chancellor." Azula spoke in an imposing voice while she stared icily after the departing official.

"It has been a pleasure speaking to you my princess." Terak concluded in a final vow before he exited through the throne room door.

The princess gazed at the closed doors with her nostrils releasing another annoyed snort.

"What an irritating man." The princess snorted as she leaned back against her throne with a scowl on her lips.

But even so.

The chancellor was not without his uses.

Phoenix King…

Just thinking of it made her grit her teeth in an unimaginably cold fury.

Just wait until she shows him.

Just who the strongest really is.

But only when the time is right.

For the time being she will simply play the part of the loyal daughter.

And when the time comes…

She will strike her father down the same as anyone else!

AN:

Alright, so this chapter is a short one!

But before I get to my brief afterword allow me to respond to the reviews.

Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves Agent Banana. Chancellor Terak is a terrible person to say the least but he hasn't done Azula or anyone in her circle harm yet. For the time being he is on Azula's side. That may or may not change depending on the direction I decide to go.

And thank you very much, Sin Ouroboros! That is high praise indeed!

Now then on to the afterword...

This is the beginning of a rift between Azula and Ozai. For all of Azula's selfish musings of ruling the world, she has remained faithful to Ozai all of this time.

The way this situation played out is how I think she would have reacted if someone had told her three months in advance that Ozai was going to crown himself Phoenix King, and make her into a vassal Fire Lord.

I have a good feeling that she would not have taken it well and she would have almost certainly begun to plan against Ozai.

Now Terak is a cunning individual, he knew full well that Azula would be so furious with Ozai that she would completely overlook snooping through Ozai's documents.

And we also are getting a glimpse of just why Ozai may dislike Terak. He's useful, and that's why he hasn't been killed by Ozai as of yet.

But he's also a petty individual. For the last few months Ozai has been making preparations with his generals in private for his coronation. And that is largely, why he has ignored Azula's absence over the last month from the Capital.

For the most part, Azula being away works in his favor. But that doesn't mean that he isn't having people keep tabs on her either.

But Chancellor Terak was most likely excluded from Ozai's meetings for failing him in some manner and he is often mocked by the generals for his lack of combat prowess. This is a big factor in why Chancellor Terak went to Azula.

Ozai and his high generals angered him, and Terak never lets a slight go forgotten.

Now this doesn't mean that Azula will attack her father as soon as she returns to the palace. If that's what you're expecting you'll be disappointed. She's going to bide her time before she makes a move.

As Terak pointed out, she is still second to her father. If she betrays him now, many of the houses will side with Ozai and she will likely fail. Therefore, it is too risky to act without thinking. She needs to secure the houses to her and her alone.

And if anyone is wondering Ozai won't appear again until the sixth arc. I realize that he has only had one brief appearance back in chapter fourteen. But if you recall, he was barely on screen in the show. And I have decided to mostly follow the same formula.

A fallout between Azula and Ozai was inevitable. Chancellor Terak simply sped it up by a month or two.

The fact is, Ozai will not approve of Azula's affections for Elle or the way that Elle is causing Azula to slowly become more compassionate. He will also be angry that Azula may not have an heir, and that she is having relations with a peasant, a young girl at that.

Ozai would prefer Azula marry a highborn man and simply keep Elle as a slave. Because he would have no regard for Elle's feelings, that is ultimately why he and Azula are destined to fall out.

As for Chancellor Terak's plot with Iroh's spy. We'll get to that later on. He has some devious plans that he is going to enact against the Gaang and we'll get to see how they play out.

And I want to let everyone know that I made a small revision to the dates in the story.

Back in chapter Eleven, in Dinner with Team Azula. Elle stated that her birthday was two months away. And in chapter eighteen, Lessons in Gold, Azula commented that Sozin's Comet was two and a half months away.

For obvious reason, Team Azula is going celebrate Elle's 14th birthday before Sozin's Comet. And I realized that I needed more time in the story to allow all of the events and travel to take place.

So, I changed it so that as of chapter eleven it is two and a half months until Elle's birthday. And in chapter eighteen, Sozin's Comet is now three months away.

Basically, I just added two weeks of time to the story!

I am sorry if this confuses anyone. But there is still much that is going to happen before Sozin's Comet and I need it all to fit in the stories time frame.

Anyhow! I believe that covers everything.

Stay tuned for next time.

For chapter fifty-six! Fire Mountain!