Brother,

Sorry I haven't really been writing to you like Mother has. The past few months have been a little difficult.

Mother has tried to get dozens of physicians and they can't figure out what's wrong with my bending, if anything even is. Maybe I'm just weak. And I've been talking to my . . . counselor, I guess. He tells me that believing that I'm weak or strong or not is a remnant of Father attempting to disturb my mind, but that I am acting a little clearer in general.

Zuko, I'm sorry for being mean to you because Father pitted us against each other. I think I'm realizing now that he was trying to make me hate you and Mother and telling me all these things about how my fire made me better than everyone else even though that isn't true.

My bending has literally fizzled out, Zuzu. We only sparred that once when you came back from the South Pole and you saw that it was weak. But at least I could still bend. I can create sparks and they're still blue but they won't actually create fire. I know we've never been the closest but I don't have anyone else to really tell this to who will understand. Mai and Ty Lee definitely won't.

My counselor keeps telling me to open up, but I don't want to tell him exactly what Father used to do to make me bend and keep me angry. I don't want to hurt myself in order to bend because I don't think that's okay, not anymore. That's not what normal benders do — you've never done that, and of course you're not the strongest bender, but you still don't get your energy from pain. You never did no matter how hard Father tried, you always used to just cry.

Uncle and I talked about it and he told me, well, to talk to you, and also that I need to fuel my fire with love. But I have love, don't I? I don't think anyone really had Father's love but I love Mother and I love you and Uncle and Lu Ten and Mai and Ty Lee. I do love all of you, right? Or do I just not . . . understand love? My counselor also said that I need to rebuild my relationships. That I should take a break and try again.

Come back soon and help me with my bending again, dumb-dumb. I miss you. A little. And I love you. And I'm sorry.

Your Sister,

Princess Azula of the Fire Nation