Azula was started the day completely annoyed at herself. She had overslept... again. Thanks to Zuko, the guards seemed to think there was nothing wrong with letting her stay in bed long after she should have gotten up. If she were home, it still wouldn't have been acceptable since she wanted to help her brother, even though Zuko would tell her not to worry and just rest as much as she needed - he liked spoiling her a little too much. But now? On a mission where she was the one in charge? That was downright dangerous. Luckly some of the guards had some common sense and woke her up after a while.

She got ready to go about her day even though she wasn't feeling all that well. She was used to it really, after being trained by Ozai for so many years. She had lost count of how many times she kept practicing her fighting and firebending even though she was sick or hurt, but still acting like she was completely fine. It came in handy considering her current situation. She needed to pretend she was stronger than ever, and her past training had made her an expert on masking everything she was feeling and convincing the people around her that everything and everyone was under her control.

Still, the princess didn't go as far as she used to. If she were still trying to please her father, she definitively would have, risking her health in the process. But she wasn't going to allow herself to become nothing but a weapon again. Once she felt she could no longer go on, she stopped fighting and just watched the others training, taking mental notes on the weaknesses and strengths of every future opponent she and her brother would face when the time came. When even that became too much, she made up an excuse to leave, and spent the rest of the afternoon in bed.

You shouldn't push yourself that hard, honey.

For the first time, Azula was actually happy to hear 'her mother' talking to her. If it were up to her, it would be Zuko giving her advice, but she would take almost anything over Ozai's voice in her head again. The princess wasn't ready to forgive Ursa just yet, and wasn't even sure that she ever would be, but the woman seemed to truly regret her mistakes and neglect. That already made her 'presence' much more welcome.

Chise and Mayu would freak out if they knew I'm enjoying hearing your voice in my head.

Can you blame them?

Azula let out a little chuckle, then immediately looked around even though she knew she was very much alone. She had been more careful than ever to not let it show that she wasn't completely sane yet. It had become easier, but now that she was feeling sick it became much more tiring than it had ever been before.

Rest and try to recuperate your strength, my dear. You can't help your brother if you're not well.

Despite knowing paying attention to the voices in her head was often a terrible idea, Azula continued listening to 'Ursa'. After all, it had been that voice who had always tried showing her the error of her ways. If it didn't sound like her mother's, she would have probably stopped despising it a long time ago.

Maybe that would have made things easier for me. Maybe it would have even brought me and Zuko together much, much sooner.

Zuko... oh, how she missed him. She felt silly even thinking about it since it barely been over a week since she left the palace, but she couldn't deny it. She missed him so much it hurt. And it was starting to affect her negatively as well - she had more nightmares on that short period of time they spent apart than she had had the previous month.

Sick and afraid to sleep. What a terrifying Fire Lord I am.

A knock on her door pulled her away from her thoughts.

"Dinner is ready, your highness"

Azula practically jumped out of bed. Whatever sickness she had come down with, it didn't seem to make her lose her appetite. If anything, it seemed to have made her desperate to eat something.