THE DISHONORED PRINCESS
CHAPTER I – THE EARLY YEARS
Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar.
So I'm back again.
I've been busy and then I had to edit most of this chapter for it to make sense at all. So, yeah. Sorry for the wait.
By way of story, in this telling of Avatar, Azula is the one banished from the Fire Nation instead of Zuko. I've wanted to do this story for a while, so I hope you enjoy
reading it as much as I did writing it.
Starside,
-Skryr
The air was ripe with excitement as the crowd of onlookers gathered to see the Princess arrive. She too looked forward to the proceedings, as promising as they were. The day she had been waiting for what seemed like forever had finally come.
It was her birthday!
Finally Princess Azula could get around her bedtime, order her own servants around, and everything the pampered royal life could offer. She had spent eight years under the watchful eye of her mother and father, and though she was grateful that they loved her so, she was eager to be independent and command her own (admittedly small) part of the Fire Nation.
She stepped from the carriage escorted by her parents in all their celebratory robes, and crossed the terrace of the Grove of Elder Lilies. It was a sacred place in the Royal Palace of the Fire Nation, afforded only to the Firelord's guests and the absurd amount of nobility that came to stare in awe at the beauty of the place.
Azula had often felt amazed here herself, whenever she had gone to feed the ducks that inhabited the place with her mother, before Zuko scared them away by using them as target practice, anyway. It was a blissful solace she found not very often.
And now, in front of the entire world, she would finally get her princess duties! She ascended to the table that was set up in the corner of the Grove's walls, a place she had appropriated via her mother to allow for a combination of shade and the view of the pond. She took her seat with zeal as her family followed suit.
Her brother Zuko sat to the right of her father, while she got to sit next to her mother and her uncle Iroh. She was excited to see her uncle here as well, after his longtime campaign in a faraway place called the Earth Kingdom for her grandfather the Firelord. He only visited every now and then, but he always made sure to bring sweet rolls to sneak to his niece and nephew. They were Azula's favorite indulgence.
Azula's father stood after all the servants had arrived and held the birthday cake in his hands. "Daughter Azula! In celebration of your eighth year as Princess of the Fire Nation, the servants have worked long and hard to prepare your birthday cake! Are you ready to cut it?"
Azula was momentarily confused that he needed to ask that question. Quickly however she nodded with great enthusiasm and smiled as the cake was passed to her with her mother holding a knife. She grasped her mother's hand and was about to cut the thing open when her mother asked another question.
"Well aren't you going to blow out the candles?" In her haste to devour the deliciousness that was the pastry, she had forgotten all about the candles. Eight spires of light glowed in the shade of the maple tree. Azula summoned a breath and blew, and the candles soared off of the cake and into the sky, gleaming fireworks that made the image of a flame breathing dragon appear against the evening lights.
Azula loved it.
She then proceeded to cut the cake with her mother's aid and swore to Agni that she personally ate half of it. Though she was indeed quite full, when Uncle Iroh asked if she wanted any sweet rolls, she confessed that she wanted all of them. He merely chuckled as he slipped her two packages.
After some time Azula stood and moved to greet her guests, as was the way a princess was supposed to, she mused. Though she only really wanted to see her friends from the Royal Fire Academy for Girls, Ty Lee and Mai.
She had seen many noblemen's daughters at the Royal Fire Academy, but only the two she hoped to see had really caught her attention. Many of them just wanted to be seen as her friend because she was the Princess of the Fire Nation, but none of them saw what made Azula herself. That bothered her.
But Ty Lee and Mai saw that, at least. She liked them because they could make her laugh and would go with her anywhere she wanted to go, and do anything she wanted. She could trust them with anything.
She was overjoyed when she saw the somber figure of Mai flanked by the juxtaposed joyful gait of Ty Lee. They were like polar opposites, that way. Mai said few things and the things she did say were often sarcastic and mean, but to Azula and only Azula were they sincerely caring. Ty Lee, on the other hand, wanted everyone she met to know that she was the happiest person ever to grace the planet. It was as though she had all the energy of the world in her lithe little body.
"Ty Lee! Mai!" Azula cried, running to them. Mai's lips turned upward at the sight of her friend approaching, while Ty Lee tackled the young Princess in a backbreaking hug. "Happy Eighth! I can't wait until I'm eight! That's so awesome!"
After she untangled herself from her energetic friend Azula procured the remaining package of sweet rolls that Uncle Iroh had given her, and in turn handed them to her friends. Ty Lee greedily took most of them, and then seemed to remember her place.
Mai however simply grinned. "Keep them. I don't want any." Azula gave the package to a servant after Ty Lee had had her fill, and took the two on a "tour" of the Grove, though they had taken the same trip numerous times at Azula's behest. Mai shrugged as was her nature and Azula knew they were simply humoring her. But she didn't care in the slightest. Anything with her friends made her immensely happy.
Eventually the three tired out from the tenth race around the Grove, and Mai and Ty Lee's parents arrived to collect them, while Azula followed her mother back to the Royal Palace.
Azula reached her bed and collapsed, relishing the smooth silk sheets that the Princess' bedroom deserved. It was glorious. She made herself comfortable, and admitted a servant to enter and wash her feet, which she did with what seemed like genuine eagerness.
Azula loved the life.
Some time that week, Azula made a point to visit the Grove of Elder Lilies again. It was different now that no one was there. It was quiet, a mellow and reflective sort of silence, with only the birds and the trees rustling in the wind to interrupt the atmosphere.
Azula felt older, but not like her last birthdays. She had felt old then, maybe not as old as her grandfather or her Master Jeong Jeong, but still really old. Now she felt different.
Her mother had once told her that getting older meant getting smarter, simply because one does more the older one gets. But Azula didn't see that now. Now she saw the three servants that insisted upon following her everywhere, not that she had a problem with this notion, but she knew now that this was her life as the Princess. She could grow to get used to it.
Sure, there would undoubtedly be more times when her brother Zuko would bother her. He, unlike her, was a much more cunning person. Though she knew that the birthright of royalty was to order the ones beneath them, Zuko seemed to take a personal liking to this, using it most often after his own eighth birthday to keep Azula away from his "important business endeavors" with his friends Hanzo and Korosu.
That was fine. Azula didn't like Zuko's friends anyways. But it did distance him from her, and he seemed to change as a result. He was always showing off for their grandfather the Firelord, and even more so for their father. Azula did not feel any kind of urge to compete against this, but for some reason their father dismissed this as unsatisfactory. Azula did not understand why.
But now things would be different. Now Azula could what she wanted with Mai and Ty Lee, and Zuko couldn't order her around or make fun of her just because she couldn't firebend out of her nose like he could. So what? She didn't care.
She had the entire life of a Princess to look forward to!
The Grove of Elder Lilies was silent once again save for the footsteps of the hooded individual. She moved with a grace uncanny of someone her age and stature, as though a delicate bird of some sort was moving to relax in the sunshine not unlike the swans that frequented the pond.
But Princess Azula was not a bird.
Despite her elegant movements, her soul was quite the opposite. Tears streaked her face, her raven hair uncharacteristically disheveled and left at the mercy of the elements. She made no sound, not even a whimper, so as to not disrupt the tranquility that she could feel even in her distraught state.
Why did it have to happen on this day of all days?! The one day where even her grandfather the Firelord could have been pleased!
Azula tried to remember her disciplinary training. She could hear Master Jeong Jeong's words echoing in her mind. "Stop. Take a deep breath. Release your emotions. They are not always your friend." She tried to let go of her frustration, but it persisted.
She shouldn't have trusted her brother Zuko. She should have known that he was a treacherous snake, always waiting for the right moment to strike and increase his status in front of their father. Azula did not know why Zuko had to hurt her to do this though.
Azula heard footsteps behind her. She glanced upwards to allow her eyes to fall upon the figures of her only friends, Mai and Ty Lee. She could trust them.
They wore similar hooded robes, a commoner's clothing, presumably to escape notice from the guards that were surely wondering what was going on. Azula had left quite a mess in the palace after all.
Mai said nothing when she reached Azula, as was her quite demeanor, but Ty Lee was already in tears when she laid her hand on Azula's shoulder. "Azula! Are you alright?! We're worried sick about you! After what Zuko did-" She broke off to snarl in disgust.
Azula grasped Ty Lee's hand and pulled herself to stand. She looked at her friends. Tai Li's face was distraught, while Mai's showed only the slightest break of emotion from behind her normal mask. Azula broke the silence.
"Ty Lee," She breathed. "Have you seen my mother? Is she-?" She could not say the word that would have followed. It was too horrible. Ty Lee's face dropped. "They banished her a few minutes after what happened, I'm sorry Azula!"
She hugged her. Azula could not hold back the anguish any longer. She sobbed on Ty Lee's shoulder, not noticing a solitary tear rolling down Mai's cheek as she joined the embrace, not noticing the two figures approaching in the background.
The leader of the figures wore the same robe that Azula was wearing, long brown hair cascading from underneath the hood. The figure stopped. "Azula?"
It was her mother's voice.
"Mother!" Azula ran towards her mother. She didn't care what anyone thought about it. Not now. "Mother! Don't leave!"
Her mother's hands clasped her face. "My darling, do not cry. I have to leave you, but you have to remain strong. Please, listen." Azula stopped her questions.
"I've been banished, my darling. I have to leave the Fire Nation. But you have Mai and Ty Lee, they'll help you. I-" The figure on her left cleared his throat. It was Azula's uncle Iroh. "Ursa. I'm sorry, but we must go. We've risked your life to get you here as it is."
But she did not notice him. "Don't leave me mother! Don't go! Stay with me!"
Her mother's eyes were dimmed with tears. "I have to go Azula. Stay strong. Don't be afraid. I love you daughter." Iroh patted her shoulder as she began to sob, and the figures left the Grove. Azula sank to her knees. Ty Lee kneeled beside her to put her arm around her friend.
"We're with you Azula. You can trust us." Azula looked up to see Mai's face in front of hers. "We'll go with you anywhere."
Azula nodded, stifling further tears. It was time to go.
"Let's go back to the palace. They'll be expecting us for dinner."
Azula could not sleep. The way her father had acted as though her mother did not exist after she had been banished was maddening. It was like she had been erased from Azula's life. She hated that.
And her brother's teasing was worse. "She deserved it. She was a traitor to the Fire Nation." He had said, in that snide way of his. He seemed glad that she was gone. How could he be so heartless?!
She rolled over her shoulder for what had to have been the thirteenth time. Hm. One for each dreadful year, she mused. She had already decided this was the worst day of her life, and thus it was fitting that the day of her thirteenth birthday was the time when everything had gone wrong.
But even if everyone else forgot her mother, Azula wouldn't. She couldn't. The brown hair, the golden eyes, and the soothing voice refused to leave her mind. I love you my darling Azula.
Finally she felt sleep overtake her, but when the dreams came she wished she had stayed awake.
The day played out in her nightmares. Zuko had walked into her bedroom with a devious smirk. "Father doesn't like you much anymore." Azula had not known why he had said that. "What are you talking about?"
"Grandfather's dead. You know what that means." Azula let out a cry. "What?! How?!"
Mist swirled around Zuko's horrible laughing face. Azula was with her father as the Fire Sages crowned him the new Firelord. Her uncle was by her side, holding her shoulder as she struggled to keep back the tears. Her father looked at them with his malevolent manner. "Your father has become the Firelord, Azula. It is a joyous occasion. Smile."
Her uncle merely shook his head at his brother's words, leading Azula off to the side of the procession. "Listen, Azula. There is nothing that can be done about your father, Zuko, or anyone else. All you can change is yourself. Be strong, Azula. You have the heart of a dragon. Use it."
It had brought Azula the first smile that day.
Then she was at her father's side, next to Zuko, as the Fire Sages pronounced her mother's banishment. "We find Ursa, wife of the Firelord Ozai, to be guilty in the murder of our late Firelord Azulon. We hereby sentence her to banishment from the Fire Nation, to live out the rest of her life in exile and dishonor. We hereby strip her of all her royal title and Fire Nation citizenship, and by name she shall be called Ursa no longer."
Azula cried as a guard led her mother away.
And then Azula awoke hearing Zuko's laughter echo in the halls.
A year passed before Azula stood in the Grove of Elder Lilies again. Her fourteenth birthday had not been nearly as horrid as her thirteenth, but the year itself was grimmer than any that had come before it. Master Jeong Jeong had deserted the Fire Nation. Azula's uncle argued much more frequently with Azula's father. And Zuko's taunting grew extraordinarily.
She sought to find solace from all her troubles, and had been reminded of the Grove when she had looked at her mother's robe that had been left behind in Azula's room. It reminded Azula of her, the way she had always been there, and now the way that she was always not.
Azula had wondered over and over why her grandfather had been murdered, why everyone blamed her mother, why her supposedly loving husband could bear to banish her from the palace and her home, and why Azula's only brother could be so cruel.
She had lost her faith in her sovereign country. It had been great once, when it flourished under her grandfather Azulon and her great grandfather Sozin. But with her father as the Firelord, it was cruel and evil. The original intent of the war against the other people of the world was to spread prosperity and eliminate differences, so everyone could live in peace.
But now it was a war to make others suffer as much as possible before they broke. Azula did not want to be a part of it. She could understand why Master Jeong Jeong refused to take part in it, why Uncle Iroh retired from his title as the Dragon of the West, why evil men like Mai's uncle were allowed to torture prisoners in the Boiling Rock just for the fun of it.
She didn't know what to do. She wished her mother were there. She'd comfort her, help her make sense of her mind, and guide her on the right path. But her thoughts were interrupted when her brother entered the Grove.
"I thought I'd find you here. You have a "special" connection to this place, don't you?" Azula refused to justify him with a response. She was not in the mood for a fight today. But Zuko did not seem to notice.
"Father is hosting another war meeting this evening. It would be advantageous for you to attend." Azula glanced up at him. "Why? So you can taunt me in front of all the Fire Nation's generals?" Zuko merely shrugged. "Our uncle requested your presence personally."
That changed things. Azula would have to talk to Uncle Iroh to see if Zuko wasn't deceiving her again. Her brother left with a sideways glance at her, and Azula followed shortly after he vanished from sight.
"Uncle Iroh! I need to talk to you!" Azula called out her uncle from the palace door. Unsurprisingly he was simply relaxing in the lounge with a cup of tea. "Ah, Azula! What is it?"
Azula glanced around to see that Zuko was not present, then spoke quietly. "Is it true that you invited me to the war meeting tonight?" Iroh set down his tea. "I didn't invite you so much as your father did, and I thought it would be a good idea if you were there as well."
Azula struggled to keep her voice down. "Why?! You know how much I hate being in the same room as all those psychopaths! They're sending their corrupt men to kill and torture innocent people across the world-"
Iroh put his finger to her lips. "Shh, Azula. While your heart is correct, there is nothing that we can do at the moment. Plus, this war meeting is much more important than normal. It's about the invasion of the Earth Kingdom capital Ba Sing Se."
Azula noted that Iroh's tone was suddenly darker when he mentioned that place. She knew that was where his last campaign as the Dragon of the West had taken place, and where her cousin Lu Ten had died. She felt a pang of sympathy for her uncle.
"Why did my father request my presence there, though? Zuko made it sound different this time." Iroh frowned at the mention of her sibling. "Zuko makes a lot of things sound different, but in this case he was right. My brother did request you specifically to be at the meeting, at his side, in fact."
Iroh leaned forward. "And this is just between the two of us, but I think he's testing you." At Azula's raised eyebrow, Iroh explained. "Your loyalty. You were closest to your mother, and she was a threat to your father. He's testing you to see if you're loyal. It is imperative you attend the meeting and keep your opinions to yourself."
Before Azula could retort, Iroh spoke over her again. "I know its hard Azula. I too disagree with almost everything my brother does these days. But this is important, for your sake most of all. If you are assigned command of an armada to attack the Earth Kingdom, you could lead them in the right direction. You have the heart of a dragon, Azula. Don't falter."
Iroh stood and left Azula to her chaotic thoughts.
Azula put on her best robe, similar to the one she had worn to her father's coronation. It was highly uncomfortable, prompting Azula to think that her mother had tailored it specifically for the purpose of making Azula never want to wear it. Well, it was rather ingenious. Azula mused with a smile.
It was rather fitting, in that sense, that Azula hated literally everything about that meeting. From her father and his cruelty, her brother's inheritance of that trait, and the lack of a remotely sane person in that room save for her, for which she would surely feel out of place. Even the room was terrible, vaguely reminiscent as it was of her grandfather Azulon's inquiries about her firebending talent, still brought bad memories with it.
Yes, she chuckled. She hated everything about it.
Azula found Zuko in the hallway, who to her surprise looked almost disappointed at her arrival. "You finally decided to show up, did you?" Azula nodded. She had decided to trust Iroh. He was the only she could trust in the royal family.
"You know Father will request your presence at his side, don't you?" Azula nodded once again. She knew this as well. What was he getting at?
"It would be unwise of you to… object to his generals' decisions. I could only imagine the fury that he would have for a dissenter among his own flesh and blood." Zuko grinned at this thought. Azula resisted the urge to burn a hole in his head.
"We'll see Zuko. We'll see."
She approached the door to the royal chamber as the guards let her and her brother through the checkpoint. At the sound, everyone in the hall turned to look at the newcomers. Seeing her father's small smile, unsettling as it was, Azula walked the length of the carpet from the entrance to her seat at her father's left hand, ignoring the astonished remarks directed at her whilst in transit.
She knew that they did not want her here. Perhaps even her father did not really want her here. Perhaps he only meant for her to suffer through the slaughter of innocents of both the Fire Nation and the rest of the world. But she didn't care.
She would not cower like they expected her to.
"Ah, Azula. You have finally arrived. Please, daughter, take your seat so we may begin."
As it turned out, the meeting was almost exclusively dedicated to praising the "genius" of Firelord Ozai, the Great Warmaker, as was his ill-received title. Several times Azula refrained from either vomiting or making a derogatory comment about "his illustrious lordship" when he would have to order silence for the meeting to continue amongst all the clamor of applause.
Finally, the plans on how to invade the Earth Kingdom were reached. General Lee suggested a prolonged siege against the major Earth Kingdom cities, such as Omashu and Gaoling, before attacking Ba Sing Se directly.
"The Earth Kingdom's defenders wouldn't be able to withstand a prolonged assault of our elite soldiers." The general concluded, looking quite pleased with himself. Iroh cleared his throat, signaling his wish to speak. The Firelord noticed this. "Brother? You have a comment?"
Iroh rose. "I do. General Lee, of what you know of the Earth Kingdom's military, what do you consider their greatest advantage?" Lee paled. "Well, um, General Iroh, the Earth Kingdom's advantage is their entrenched settlements, and-"
"And what are their fortifications made of?" Lee gulped. "Well, earth, I suppose…"
Iroh rolled his eyes. "Don't you see? The Earth Kingdom's advantage is that we are attacking their homeland. As Earthbenders they control the landscape. Everything we fight in that land is theirs to shape as though it were clay. What takes us weeks to destroy would take them moments to rebuild, and anything short of exterminating all of them would take months, if not years, to make significant progress."
"That is also not considering their superior numbers and mobilization. The Earth Kingdom is more than six times the size of our sovereign land, and roughly that much more in soldiers. Even if our soldiers are superior in fighting prowess, we would be overwhelmed and nothing would be gained. Pointless deaths on both sides."
General Jian rose to Lee's defense and spoke to Iroh. "Forgive what may seem like impudence General Iroh, but how much experience do you have in conquering the Earth Kingdom?" Iroh merely frowned. "How much do you, Jian? I may have failed to conquer Ba Sing Se, but I breached the outer wall, and that alone took half of the time I had estimated it to take. The Earthbenders are a tenacious people, stubborn and tough, they outnumber us, they overwhelm us, and they would defeat any invasion we could possibly have ready."
Jian stood unmoving. "Then what do you propose?" Iroh sighed for a brief moment before answering. "I propose that we do not attack the Earth Kingdom. We are not ready."
The hall exploded into arguments, but in another moment the Firelord ordered silence to take its place. "Very well brother, your advice has been noted. But General Jian, you look as though you have protest. What is your plan for the Earth Kingdom?"
Jian smiled. Azula despised that smile. "I am not one to doubt the wisdom of the Dragon of the West. Though his campaign was, ashamedly, a failure," he cast a mocking glance at Iroh, who had turned away. "I believe he is correct. The Earthbenders are indeed stubborn. We cannot fight them head on and expect a victory. So, I propose a more symbolic victory."
The Firelord's eyebrow drew itself a fraction of an inch. "How?"
"I suggest we break their spirit. Their greatest advantage is their tenacity to fight and to win. Therefore we must take away that spirit before our soldiers can destroy them. We must lure out the spine of the Earth Kingdom and crush it."
He made a fist and planted it on the map where Ba Sing Se was located. Azula felt her disgust for the man increase exponentially when he continued to speak. "Several strategic targets to the soft underbelly of the Earth Kingdom's hard shell. Terror campaigns designed to strike fear into our enemy's heart, instead of fire to scorch them. That is what I suggest, my lord."
Azula's father smiled. "An interesting strategy, General Jian. Assuming it is put into motion, what would be your first target?" Jian bowed at the acknowledgment and returned to the map.
"We would first burn down as many small villages as we can find, or at least, the ones that would not submit to our dominion. If the major Earth Kingdom cities cannot fend for themselves, they cannot resist a siege for long."
He looked back to Iroh. "And yes, General Iroh, I recall that Ba Sing Se itself is entirely self-sufficient within its walls. I would not repeat the mistakes of the past and attempt a strenuous siege against a wall of the enemy, hoping to break it. I would use our resources to our advantage as well."
Jian directed his instructions via the map. "We would use our inexperienced squadrons to distract the enemy while specialists such as my own forces destroy the major targets of the city in question, such as armories, guard outposts, the like. They would then destroy all resistance from the inside of the city outward until we have claimed it for our own."
The Firelord responded. "And what of the citizens of the cities we have newly conquered? What do you intend to do with them?" Jian shrugged as Azula's blood boiled. "Resources. Expendable at any rate. They can easily replace the rank and file soldiers we would employ to distract the Earthbenders. Additionally, they could be held as hostages against our enemies in other cities as well. This would lure the Earthbenders away from their fortresses like lambs to the slaughter."
The Firelord chuckled. "I approve, General Jian. Your determination is noteworthy. And I-" Azula could not contain herself any longer. She had to stop this madness.
She rose and shouted above her father, though with how quiet the room became with her interruption, it was a rather moot occurrence. "You coward Jian! You seek to send our own soldiers to their deaths for some senseless trap?!"
Jian blanched while Azula's father snarled. "Azula! Sit down! This is not the time-" Azula ignored him. "You are a disgrace to the Fire Nation Jian! You have no right to call yourself a general!"
"How dare you!" He cried, pointing an accusatory finger at her. "You challenge my honor!" She refused to give in. "That's right! I challenge you, General Jian, to an Agni Kai!"
The silence was broken with a frenzy of whispers. Azula's father turned to her. "You have issued a challenge, Azula?" She nodded in defiance. Let none see her surrender without a fight. "I do indeed father."
"You realize that the loser is stripped of all honor and banished from the Fire Nation? Forever?" Azula nodded again. "I would settle for nothing less."
She would forever remember the expression on his face. It would haunt her for the rest of her life how he seemed to enjoy this proposition more than the idea of the Earth Kingdom suffering.
"Then prepare yourself Azula. The Agni Kai will take place tomorrow at noon."
Okay, first chapter is done! Leave a review and tell me what you think!
Enjoy!