Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Avatar: The Last Airbender characters that appear in this story.

This is an AU/canon-divergence so there will be differences between the show and this fanfic. For example, this AU only takes a few elements from the comics that followed the original series. I am saying this here in the beginning so that people can leave a review after finishing the chapter instead of just reading said line and skipping the rest of the chapter to leave a review.

Hope will fall tonight with broken wings,

Descending entity in me

Radiant Eclipse Chapter 4

The Plaza, Glacier City, Southern Water Kingdom

December 18, 110 AG.

Azula was dumbfounded to see her mother standing right before her very own two eyes. She initially thought she was looking into a mirror and was staring at an older version of herself. She rubbed her eyes for a moment before blinking rapidly, trying to regain her bearing as she stood back up. The Queen then dusted the dirt off her dress before looking back at her mother.

The Gaang gathered outside, where they found mother and daughter staring at each other. Azula had a confused expression on her face while Ursa was more in the lines of "Oh, I miss my daughter so much" and "I shouldn't be here. It would make her more upset". If the two weren't wearing different clothing, it would be hard to tell who was who. Azula still had her signature bangs but had the same half-up top knot hairstyle as Ursa. They were both considered to be pretty tall by Fire Nation standards.

There was an awkward silence that was concurrent with the two staring at each other.

"Mother." Azula broke the silence.

"Azula." Ursa responded.

"I'm assuming that Zuzu was the one that invited you here, is that correct?" Azula asked.

"Yes, he did. I was going to be the one to invite you but..." Azula's words trailed off.

Azula reached into her pocket and felt the invitation inside. Inside the invitation was a small note for her mother to read. While the note wasn't as meaningful compared to the letter that she was penning earlier, it was still a nice gesture of appreciation from a daughter finally willing to reconcile with her mother. Something in her mind had discouraged her from sending the invitation.

"You didn't want to." Ursa said.

"Yeah." Azula replied.

She reached into her pocket and handed Ursa her invitation.

While the leaders and their families from other nations received an invitation to the Glacier Spirits Festival, Ursa's was specialized. The former Fire Lady could tell Azula spent a lot of time crafting the invitation. The invitation itself was inside of a blue envelope, with gray outlines and with the Southern Water Kingdom insignia right in the middle. An Otter Penguin silhouette provided the background.

"I know that Zuzu invited you but...I figured that you should still get mine." Azula said

Ursa looked at the invitation again. She could tell that Azula took time to make it, and was certain that she spent sleepless nights in order to make it up to her standards.

"I am honored." Ursa bowed.

Azula was shocked yet again at her mother bending slightly to bow at her. It should've been the other way around in her eyes, seeing as she was younger and she was Ursa's offspring. She remembered the olden days where she and Zuko used to bow to her as a sign of respect. The days where she had a good relationship with her mother.

She began to have doubts about trying to reconcile with her mother. Sure, Azula wanted to see if she could be close to her mother again, perhaps it was a gamble for her. It was clear as day that Ursa highly preferred Zuko over her, which broke her heart. Azula also feared the day that she would become a mother, that she'd turn out to be like Ursa, in characteristics and traits. Azula didn't want to end up like Ursa, no way. It was one thing to look like a carbon copy.

Her eyes darted to her uncle, who was looking back at her with a smile. She wondered if the Dragon of the West had anything to do with Ursa being present in her Kingdom. And if he had any involvement, no matter how minuscule or gargantuan, she was thankful.

She was thankful because she'll commit to trying to change herself. She was committed to becoming a better person than she once was. She wanted to be known as a person that cared for others, not as the person that tormented and manipulated for her own benefit. She was no longer that person, at least that's what she thought.

"There's no need to bow mother, it should be the other way around." Azula said, cracking a small smile.

Ursa nodded. Although Azula was right in the fact that she didn't have to bow, Ursa only did it to make her daughter smile. That was all she wanted, besides trying to be close with her again. It warmed her heart to see her daughter happy, not the sappy, arrogant, and bashful youngling she used to be. That, however, was her fault in a way for not trying harder to take her and Zuko away. Nonetheless, the former Fire Lady was committed to being in Azula's life again. So far, it was working.

"Yeah, of course. Um, is there somewhere else that we could talk in private?" Ursa asked.

"There is, follow me." Azula said.

The two walked into Azula's private carriage. Ursa, this time, wasn't shocked. The interior of the carriage was high-quality and had very nice elegant designs, which definitely suited her daughter. The former Fire Lady then noticed that the carriage was surrounded by her personal guards.

There was an awkward silence that filled the air.

"How have you been my dear?" Ursa asked.

"Doing well mother. Thank you for finally asking after all these years." Azula looked out the window, crossing her legs.

Azula then turned the mirror away from her. Ursa then took note of how different Azula was acting now compared to when she bumped into her minutes ago. It seemed as if she was biting her tongue back, fighting the urge of saying very demeaning things that would make her (Ursa) upset. Perhaps it was the fact that Azula was a spitting image of Ursa? Maybe that's why she hated looking into mirrors?

"I'm guessing that you had another child with your new husband?" Azula asked, finally facing her mother.

Ursa gulped. (uh-oh super awkward for Ursa, haha) She was prepared to answer that question long ago but for some reason, when Azula asked her that question, she seemingly forgot about her question and her mind was racing to remember it, or racing to find a new answer. She really didn't know how to answer that question without making Azula upset, more so if she already was.

She sighed before answering.

"Yes, I had another child with my current husband." Ursa answered.

"Is her name Kiyi by any chance?"

Ursa's eyes widened, how did Azula know? She hadn't told Azula about Kiyi yet unless Zuko or Iroh had talked about it in the past. Ursa then fiddled with her sleeve before speaking.

"Yes, her name is Kiyi. How did you know?"

"Zuzu had mentioned her name once. Wasn't too sure who she was up until he told me in another letter. Sokka knew too."

"H..." Ursa sighed.

"There's no need to explain yourself, mother. I could understand why you would have another child with a man that neither Zuko nor I know on a personal level. When I found out that Kiyi was your daughter two years ago, my recovery process seemed to revert and broke me mentally. I couldn't fathom the idea of my mother replacing me with another child, more or less with another daughter. I spent nights crying in bed, wondering why I was cast to the side in favor of someone who seemed like the perfect sibling to Zuzu." Azula spoke.

Ursa looked down at her hands on her lap. She remained quiet to let Azula speak more.

"It was painful mother, very painful to hear that you gave birth to another daughter. It seemed to me that she was the daughter that you truly wanted, not some evil, psycho war machine hellbent on carnage and destruction. Part of the reason why I agreed to recover here down in the South was to become a better person, and in a sense, become a better daughter so that we could try to make amends. I thought one that we could...that we could have a proper mother and daughter relationship." She added, fighting back tears.

Azula started to feel that the carriage was getting a bit warm. Her eyes slowly swelling with tears but she dared not to show her tears to her mother. She refused to look weak, to let her guard down again. She slowly gripped her hairpiece that she just took off, squeezing it at a slow space. It was true that she was a war machine hellbent on carnage and destruction thanks to Ozai manipulating her into being that person. Azula was lied to by the person she looked up to. It broke her, it destroyed her. It was one thing for Ursa to abandon her but for Ozai, her father, the one she admired, to backstab her? It pained her when she found out his true intentions. She should've known that he was going to use her as the Fire Nation's ultimate superweapon to win the Great War.

"We still can Azula, it's better late than never." Ursa assured, holding her daughter's hands.

"How can you be so sure? I cried every night when you left me, crying to Agni that he would bring back my mother! I cried because Ozai manipulated me into thinking that you were killed! You were gone for so long that you became a distant memory.." Azula sobbed.

Ursa moved from her spot and sat next to Azula. She then pulled her into a motherly embrace, letting her daughter cry on her shoulder. She too shed tears, tears of sadness and regret. She regretted not being there for Azula. She regretted not being a better mother and definitely regretted playing favorites. There were many times and opportunities where Ursa could've been there for Azula, to save her from Ozai's wicked influence. She could've stopped him from turning Azula into his personal war machine that only knew violence. There were many things that Ursa could've done but…but all of it was in the past and she'd have to live with the consequences.

Again, she remained silent to let her daughter continue.

"The news was too much for me to bear. There were so many projects that fell off due to my mental instability. I questioned my existence, why did my mother give me just to replace me several years later? I was fueled with sadness, rage, and agony for a bit! It was hard for me to accept what happened. Living with the idea… I hated it. I would be lying to myself if I hadn't thought about tracking your home down and burning it to the ground." Azula admitted.

Ursa hugged Azula. She helped wipe her tears away while adjusting the hairpiece. It broke Ursa's heart to see her eldest daughter cry. It was too much seeing either Zuko or Kiyi cry so it broke her too as tears pooled in her eyes.

"What about now?" Ursa asked, wiping her tears.

"Now? I don't even know. To be frank, there is a part of me that wants to kick you, Kiyi, and your husband out. But then, I would be breaking my promise to Sokka."

"And what would that promise be?"

"I promised him that I'd talk to you, like how we're talking right now. I also promised him that I would talk to Kiyi and your husband...pardon me, what was his name?" Azula asked.

"Noren." Ursa replied.

"Right. I also promised Sokka that I'd talk to Noren. However, I want to let you know that I am under no obligation to accept him. Kiyi, on the other hand, is more of a special case."

"Really?"

"Yes. As I have said, hearing the news of you bearing another daughter broke me into a million pieces. That recently, however, motivated me to become a better person, a better daughter, and a better sister. Me breaking down again made me realize that I can't live my life in misery forever or else I'd be stuck like that, a crazed Queen that could've been dethroned. I have much more to lose now, and I'm not willing to let go of any of them now. I'm trying to become a better person every day, mother." Azula said.

Ursa smiled, kissing her daughter's cheek as she hugged Azula once more. While she initially did think of her eldest daughter to be a monster, manipulated by Ozai and being molded into the absolute war machine, Ursa can now tell that the Azula right next to her was way different from the one that she last saw. Back then, Ozai was feeding lies into Azula, making her believe that Ursa, Zuko, and Iroh hated her. Ursa also knew that Azula was led to believe that the only way to achieving world peace was through utter dominance over the nations. Azula was also led to believe that the genocide of the Air Nomads was justified and that they were a threat to the Fire Nation. She was manipulated from the top to the bottom, trying to make her as evil as he was.

"Well Azula, I can certainly see that you're a completely different person now, way different from the last time I last saw you. I could also say that you're not the only person in the family that's been trying to change." Ursa chuckled lightly.

"And I'm guessing that the person would have to be the former Fire Lady?" Azula smirked.

"Yeah, it would be me indeed. When I gave birth to Kiyi, I told myself that I will not make the same mistakes that I did while raising you and Zuko. I needed to be a better parent to Kiyi or else I'd be a failure of a mother. Thinking about you and Zuko every day while holding Kiyi in my arms assured that I needed to do better. While what happened in the past was wrong and that I should've tried better, I do pray to Agni that you will allow me to be your mom again. I couldn't bear the pain of not having you in my life any longer."

Azula was about to speak but paused for a moment. While the idea of reconciling with her mother and trying to be closer with Kiyi did cross her mind, what if things were to go bad again? What if Azula somehow relapsed and reverted into the monster her mother once thought that she was? What if she screwed up in trying to be a big sister for Kiyi? The queen was scared of not being good enough. She was scared of not being the best version of herself. She feared that any crack within her would cause her to shatter once more.

She didn't want to feel the pain again. The pain that would've led to her demise.

"Sure I guess. I can't guarantee that our relationship is going to improve right away but I'm willing to try." Azula nodded

Ursa smiled as the two hugged but were suddenly interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Oh...did I disturb you two?" Kiyi asked sheepishly.

"No, you did not. Matter of fact, how about you walk with me?" Azula turned to Kiyi.

Kiyi looked at her mother for an answer. Ursa simply nodded, watching the two walk along right after. Though, there was a silence that followed the sisters as they walked along the plaza towards the sports complex, where the basketball game was going to take place in a few minutes. Azula saw Sokka giving his team a pep talk.

Azula inhaled and exhaled deeply as she quickly changed her mood for the better.

"So, are you ready to kick some serious butt?" Sokka asked with a smirk.

"YES!" his team shouted, nodding enthusiastically.

"Are you ready to beat Queen Azula?!" Sokka raised a fist in the air.

"YES!" The boys shouted enthusiastically again, raising their fists as well.

Kiyi chuckled, turning to Azula.

"They seem very energetic. Are you certain that your team is going to win?" She asked Azula.

"I can assure you that my team will win. They have beaten Sokka's team last year and this year won't be any different. I really don't see how his team could win unless something gets pulled out of Sokka's ass that would make his team win." Azula chuckled with a grin.

"What was the score last time?"

"131 to 92."

"Wow, your team kicked some serious ass then!" Kiyi said with a smile.

Azula raised an eyebrow at Kiyi. While she wasn't going to have a filter for her words around her younger sister, seeing as she already cursed once, she was still a little surprised to hear her curse. Perhaps it was Zuko being a bad influence? That thought made Azula chuckle. She then thought about the other people Kiyi could be hanging around with? Were they bad influences on her?

"Yeah, they did kick butt last year." Azula nodded as her team walked up to her.

The queen then gave a few words of encouragement. She reminded them of the beatdown that they gave Sokka's team last year, also letting them know that they should utilize the same strategy as it was already proven effective. Azula then encouraged her team to play to their heart's content. While Sokka's team was formidable, Azula was confident that her team was even more formidable and could even participate in the first Olympic Games, which was to be held in the summer of next year.

Kiyi watched her sister talk to her team as Azula's personal assistant came by to drop off the chocolate mochi. She looked at the delicacy in awe, her mouth watery as the temptation of wanting to reach for one grew. Though, she had heard from Zuko that Azula had an addiction to mochi, particularly the chocolate flavor. She was a bit worried that Azula would unleash her wrath if she touched the mochi.

She gulped when Azula walked towards her and sat down.

"Cat got your tongue?" Azula asked, eating a bit of her mochi.

"Yeah...it did." Kiyi answered.

Azula could tell that Kiyi wanted some of the mochis, it made her chuckle. It reminded her of her days as a kid, where she would try to take her mother's mochi, who too has an addiction to mochi. For some reason, the thought of sharing another similarity with her mother sent a shiver down her spine. Azula didn't know why. She just simply shrugged the thought off and passed the bowl to Kiyi, which surprised her a little.

"Really?" Kiyi asked.

"Yeah, really." Azula smiled.

Again, there was another awkward silence that followed the siblings.

The two remained relatively quiet, except for a few quick conversations. The basketball match was much closer compared to their last meeting. Last time, Azula's team completely dominated from start to finish. This time though, it seemed that the boys were much more prepared for anything that the girls were going to dish out, despite the girls' being ahead by 12 points.

Azula's thoughts were on something else. She was thinking of the questions to ask Kiyi without her emotions getting in the way. Did Ursa raise Kiyi much differently than how she raised Azula? Was Ursa a lot nicer to Kiyi and didn't call her a monster? Was Azula just a test for Ursa? Azula was well within her rights to turn Ursa and Kiyi away but couldn't find the urge to do so.

The promise that she made to Sokka.