CHAPTER 1

Caldera City, Imperial Palace

Azula was three years old when she first met her. She was meditating alongside Zuzu, who was attempting to firebend with a leaf and she sat next to him as she always did, with her own little leaf in hand to be just like her brother. When she had mimicked him, she never expected to bend blue fire on her first try. The flames were so pretty that she turned to show them to Zuzu. Only to fall on her back after he pushed her down and stormed away. She ran away with his words in her head.

"Freak!" He called her. She had never seen Zuzu so angry at her before. He was always next to her, and she, him. But now he pushed her way for making pretty flames? 'It wasn't fair.' She thought. 'Perhaps Father would like the flames.' Azula sniffled and got up from her little corner of the courtyard and began to make her way back to the palace. Only to see a flash of yellow and orange out of the corner of her eye. Quickly turning she saw a girl in a yellow tunic and orange shawl. Her boots were red and her trousers were brown. In her hand was a wooden staff with several whorls carved into it. She had a round face with grey eyes and inky black hair that was pulled up into two yellow pom poms.

"Hello little one." The girl had an easy smile on her face as she set down her staff and sat down across from her. "Why do you cry?"

"I'm not crying." Azula began. "Princesses don't cry. Now leave before I call the guards on you."

"I'm afraid I can't leave little one." The girl was grinning now, she didn't know why. "I think I'll be sticking around for a while." The girl stood up and picked up her staff. "Just call my name princess, and I'll answer." She began to walk away. Azula pushed herself to her feet.

"Wait!" She called out, the girl stopped and turned on her heel. "What is your name?" It could be useful to have a companion. The girl merely smiled again, the grin of hers was practically glued to her face.

"My name is Ikki. And we're going to get along splendidly." Ikki turned and skipped away with a laugh as Azula began to walk back to her chambers. She could speak with her parents about the pretty flames at a different time.

Azula never did speak with her father about the pretty flames, she was too distracted by Ikki. The girl would always pull her into fun games around the palace and keep her moving around. They would do everything from steal pies from the kitchen, to dump water over Zuzu's head as he walked through doorways. Ikki would always tell her fun stories about a man named Monk Gyatso and her little brother Aang. Azula listened to each tale with awe and rapt attention to her friend whenever she would speak.

Azula was four when her mother called her a monster. Not to her face of course, but she would sneak into her mothers room and read her journal "We are gathering intelligence Ikki, now watch the door." And came across a passage in her mother's journal.

I truly don't know what is wrong with that child, her malicious nature is too much for me to handle, why couldn't she be more like Zuko. Why did Ozai's blood make her a monster?"

Azula froze after reading that passage of her mothers calligraphy. She read it again to be sure, and then a third time. It read the same each time. She raced back to her room, Ikki on her tail and then cried in her friend's arms the whole night.

"Monster."

"Monster."

"Monster."

The word floated around in her mind for several days after, even Ikki couldn't help her. Then one night Ikki didn't come, and Azula cried even more, her friend had abandoned her.

"Now now child." Azula shot up, there was a woman in her room. She was older than her parents, but younger than her grandfather. Maybe she was around her uncle's age. The woman had a dark nut colored skin with ocean blue eyes, her hair was greying and pulled back into several braids with beads lining them. She was wearing a blue parka with white wolves embroidered on it, on each wrist was a hardened leather bracer and her belt had several water skins on it along with a bone sword, her feet were clad in a pair of boots with fur lining and a triangle pattern sewn into them. "There's no need to cry." The woman sat down on the bed next to her and pulled Azula into an embrace. Azula cried into her parka like a baby before looking up.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Mari little pup, I'm a... Friend of Ikki, she was looking for me to help you." Azula rubbed at her eyes while Mari stroked her hair. "She told me what happened, frankly I have a few ideas on what can be done with someone like that… without becoming a kinslayer." Azula smiled as she hugged Mari's side once more, burying her face into the warm parka. The next morning, Princess Ursa wondered why all her theater masks were turned upside down, and why a note written in a hand she had never seen before was left next to her bedside. But it was the words on it that made her shake and weep. "SHE'S MY DAUGHTER NOW!"

Azula never had to worry about a mother's love, why would she? Mari was loving and understood the real her. Not the doll her mother wanted her to be. Besides, Mari told some of the best stories of battles and war, it made Azula feel like she was truly there. Ikki apologized for disappearing, but Azula understood she went to find Mari.

Azula was five when she was being sent to The Royal Fire Academy For Girls. She knew it was a great honor to be accepted early and that she wouldn't let her family down, both families. Besides, Ikki would be going with her!

It was on her first day that she realized no one would be friends with her. The students would part around her like she was a ship at sea and she ended up sitting alone for lunch. Well, almost alone. Ikki was next to her but it wasn't the same. It was then Azula looked up and saw the large figure striding towards her.

He was tall. That was the first thing Azula noticed about him. His skin was a dark tan color that made his jade green eyes almost glow. His hair was cut short to his head but still curled his beard was curled and immaculately trimmed. The man was clothed in an emerald gi with a leather scale breastplate on top of it, his boots were made of thick leather with a steel shin guard and toe, and he wore a pair of leather guards that were reinforced with steel. In his hand he carried a staff… no a rod made of steel, no points on either end of it. It looked like it would hurt a lot. Azula looked at the giant as he sat down across from Ikki and gave her a kind smile.

"So you're the new girl." His voice was deep and powerful, not like the light airy pitch of Ikki or the calming wise nature of Mari. Azula nodded at him, he smiled, and she felt safe. If Ikki was someone she could play with, and Mari was someone she could talk to and cry on, then this is someone who would die to protect her. "Name's Han." He said as he leaned against the table "And you are?"

"Azula…." She straightened her back and looked him dead in the eye. "I am Princess Azula. Daughter of Prince Ozai and Princess Ursa. Granddaughter of Fire Lord Azulon." With each sentence her confidence rose as she sat a little straighter, rose a little taller. She cocked one eyebrow like she had seen her grandfather do when he wanted to dismiss someone lower than him who was a moron. "And you are?" The big man, Han, was frozen before letting out a powerful laugh that nearly made her jump until she composed herself. He on the other hand was releasing a deep laugh as he looked at her.

"You have spirit, I'm going to enjoy being around you." He looked up, and I think she might too. Azula turned around to see a girl in bright pink dance across the room before hopping into the seat next to her.

"You have the prettiest aura I have ever seen!" The girl was bubbly and smiling at her as she said this with wide eyes.

"Thank you?" Azula honestly didn't know how to respond to that as she looked into the girls grey eyes… grey eyes! Azula turned to Ikki, her eyes were the same grey color. And she was tearing up at the sight of this girl.

"Who are your friends? Her eyes are like mine! And who's the big guy?" Azula froze as she heard this, no one had ever been able to see the others before, perhaps her uncle could as he would sometimes look at Mari or Ikki with sadness.

"You can see them? What do you see!" Azula was panicking, she didn't know why but she was.

"I see a girl in yellow and orange robes with tattoos, and a man in armor." She could see them. "My name's Ty Lee, what's yours?" This girl didn't know who she was? That was… relieving in a way.

"My name is Azula." She replied to the now named Ty Lee who squealed in glee as they talked for a while. 'Perhaps the Academy wouldn't be that bad.' Azula thought as another girl in black sat down.

Azula was eight when she learned the truth. Ikki had called her to the Back garden of her friends home where she witnessed Ty Lee launch herself into the air. With airbending. Mai was there also watching, and she was the one who spotted Azula.

Throwing their friend behind her back, Mai flung several knives towards Azula causing the girl to raise her hands in panic. The next thing she knew she was hearing a WOOSH and as she opened her eyes, Azula stared in shock as she saw the knives were trapped in a ball of air. A ball of air she had created. That's ridiculous, she's a fire bender, not an airbender. The ball disappeared and the knives fell to the ground. This was madness… right.

"It isn't." Azula turned towards the voice and saw Ikki, she looked like she wanted to cry. "I wanted to tell you sooner Azula. You have no idea how much I wanted to tell you."

"What are you looking at?" Mai asked as she picked up her knives, Ty Lee was behind her quaking in fear. "Azula."

"No." Azula said. It couldn't be true, Avatar Han died when she was six…. Oh spirits… Han. The earthbender appeared next to Ikki.

"I died the day you were born Azula, at the exact time." Azula felt herself falling as she heard the words in her head, she couldn't hear her friends but she could hear the words.

'AvatarMonsterAvatarMonsterAvatarMonster….' And then she blacked out.

Azula awoke to her friends, living and spirit standing before her with looks of fear and worry.

"Azula?" Ty Lee was afraid. weather of her or for her she didn't know. "Are you okay?" She shook her head and curled up on the bed she was on before weeping. Ty Lee and Mai jumping on the bed and surrounding her. Her past lives acting as their guards.

Azula was ten when it all went wrong. She was dragged before her father with Ty Lee at her side. He sat on the Fire Throne, the flames growing as all the nobles in the room watched.

"My guards told me a strange story." He began. "A story of how a firebender or a non bender were airbending. They couldn't tell me which one of course." Azula knew what had happened. Ikki had been teaching both her and Ty Lee several airbending Katas, they were spotted as the two were practicing. "I think I'll give you a chance. Now tell me, which of you were airbending?" Ty Lee was afraid. Yet Azula saw her about to step forward, she couldn't let her friend, the last airbender die. Azula raised her hands, and a sphere of air formed in one, the other held a ball of blue flames. She could see her father's face tighten as he glared at her, along with Ty Lee's look of fear as she was dragged away from Azula. She could see the room was emptied of nobles, and filled with soldiers.

"Arrest the Avatar." Was all her father said before she felt an impact in the back of her head, and the whole world go black.