Greetings readers! I hope everyone is doing well and that you're safe during these times. I've been doing well, but I've been knee deep in school work. Thank you all for waiting patiently for this new chapter.

Also, welcome to any new readers and followers!

Chapter Seven: Unexpected Detour

Zuko felt at peace today. So far, the day has been a good one. They had a full night's rest and, for the first time in days, he felt like they had finally made some progress on pinning down Azula.

Not only did they come across multiple burned areas, they had managed to find yet another campsite. Though it was a miserable sight to see the burned trees and grass, it gave him a strange sense of reassurance. They were close. He could feel it.

Now it was just him, his companions, and the forest on this fine afternoon. They sat in a small circle sitting on some old logs. Overhead a few clouds passed, but nothing that indicated rain. If Zuko looked hard enough, he could see the peaks of a few mountains and the rocky ridge of one of the island's volcanoes.

They had stopped in a nice clearing for the afternoon to have some lunch and recharge before heading out again.

On one side of the clearing, their animals browsed through the foliage. Appa tore through the bushes indiscriminately, while Suresh's ostrich horse browsed the tall grass. Zipping through the trees, Momo chased some insects.

Zuko sighed contentedly as he swallowed the last bite of his sandwich. "Thanks again for the sandwich, Katara."

"Yeah! Thanks for making me this ham and cheese one," Sokka said through a mouthful.

"You're welcome." Katara replied happily. "Though, sorry yours might be a bit bland, Aang. There weren't many vegetarian options."

Aang looked up from his lunch, which was a simple 2 slices of bread overstuffed with tomatoes and lettuce. "It's okay sweetie. It's the thought that counts, and I appreciate the time you took to make it." The Avatar smiled.

Katara returned his smile with glee.

Slowly shuffling up to the waterbender was their guest soldier. Suresh stopped before Katara and gave a short bow.

"Thank you ma'am for lunch."

"You're very much welcome. Also, there's no need for formality. You can just call me Katara."

"Oh! Then thank you for lunch, Katara."

Momo came swooping down, fluttering to a hover and landing on Aang shoulder. The flying lemur tugged at the boy's shirt and chattered with nervousness.

"Hey what is it buddy?" Aang asked, giving the flying lemur a quick pat on the head. Momo's ears perked and swiveled in the direction of the trail. Aang glanced at Momo and looked in the direction the lemur was looking. "Do you hear something?"

Momo froze. His wide eyes scanned the forest and his ears honed in on a single spot. Momo screeched in alarm, catching everyone's attention in the clearing. The lemur took flight and fled into Appa's saddle.

"I think something big is coming!" Aang jumped to his feet and stood with his staff ready to strike.

Food now forgotten, the rest quickly followed his lead and swiftly rose to their feet and got into their own battle stances.

Zuko and Suresh stood with fists raised, ready to fire. Katara had her pouch of water open, ready to strike. Sokka held his boomerang above his head, ready to throw.

Zuko took steady breaths as he gazed into the forest. All was calm and quiet for a few serene moments. His ears picked up on an almost inaudible rumbling noise that was quickly growing louder by the second. The sound of snapping branches and swaying leaves echoed through the forest. The ground began to lightly rumble as whatever was in the forest drew nearer.

His heart jumps. Through the thick of trees, Zuko spots a large flash of grey and the glint of metal.

With a roar, the komodo rhino comes charging out from the trees. The rider upon it's back pulls the reins and the beast comes to a quick halt. As the dust settled and the general shock faded, Zuko recognized the rider upon the rhino's back.

"Tarrak?" Zuko asked.

Their minds clicked with realization. Quickly, they slackened their offensive stances. Hard stares were immediately replaced with worried expressions.

"Fire Lord! There's been an incident," Tarrak said, sounding deeply distressed.

Alarm bells immediately went off in Zuko's mind. "Incident? What kind of incident?"

"Xing has been injured," Tarrak began.

More movement could be heard coming from the trail. Tarrak pulled the reins and shifted his rhino off to the side. Emerging into the clearing was Raleigh on his ostrich horse and Amal with his komodo rhino. Sitting on the back of the saddle was Xing.

Xing writhed in pain, large beads of sweat rolling down his forehead.

With a simple shift of the reins, Amal commanded the komodo rhino to gently lower itself to the ground.

"Help me get him down." Amal began to guide Xing's legs over the edge of the saddle.

The soldier gritted his teeth in pain as he slowly moved his left leg over the komodo rhino's back.

Katara gasped and rushed up to help as Xing's splinted ankle came into view.

Aang and Katara grasped onto Xing and slowly lowered him off the saddle.

Xing hissed in pain as his impact with the ground lightly bounced his injured ankle. "Agni dammit! Fuck it hurts!" Tears could be seen developing in the corners of his eyes.

"What happened?" Katara questioned as they guided him over to sit down on a nearby log.

"I've tried to readjust his ankle as best as I could without causing additional damage, but I suspect that it's either dislocated or broken," Amal explained as Katara slowly removed the bandaging from around Xing's ankle.

Zuko's eye widened as he walked up to inspect the damage. The soldier's foot was a mess of varying hues of purple. The bones in his ankle bulged from beneath the skin, making Zuko physically cringe away from the sight.

Tarrak and Raleigh dismounted their animals and came over to join the others.

"Tarrak, how did this happen?" Zuko questioned, turning to the soldier.

"We were on our way to catch up with you, Fire Lord," Tarrak began. "The trail suddenly ended so we had to guide our animals on foot. Xing was leading us because he was the one with the map. It didn't help that we were going down a steep embankment at the time, and the ground just gave way into this really deep burrow of some sort-"

"See! I told you those burrows were dangerous," Suresh suddenly cut in, pointing an accusing finger at Sokka suddenly and then throwing his arms up into the air. "I knew I was right to be concerned about them!"

"Right now isn't the time, Suresh," Tarrak said exasperated. "We have to figure out what we're going to do!"

Xing let out a whine as the splint was fully removed and Katara slowly lowered his limp ankle. Right off the bat, she could tell that this injury wasn't good. Bones shifted freely under the skin.

"I'll assess the damage and try to heal it as best as best I can. Just relax," Katara said in a reassuring voice as she uncorked her pouch and bent out the water. She let the water engulf her hands and she gently pressed her palms to the purple area of bruised skin.

Xing tensed and scrunched up his face in preparation, fully expecting to feel excruciating pain. The pain never came and instead he felt overwhelming relief as the water around Katara's hands glowed a light blue and began it's healing work.

Only a few seconds passed before Katara let out an audible gasp.

"W-what is it?" Xing asked nervously.

"It's bad. It's really bad…" Katara trailed off as her hands continued to glide up and down his skin.

Xing placed a stressed hand on his forehead. "Oh Agni. It's broken, isn't it?"

"There's a really large fracture." Katara swallowed nervously. "The tendons are also torn."

"A fracture? But how is that!? He didn't land on it hard enough to break!" Raleigh's eyes widened in surprise and he took to nervously stroking his short beard.

"It could have been from how badly he ended up rolling his ankle," Katara guessed. "You said you were on a hill, too. So with the uneven ground, he could have easily rolled it much worse than if his foot had simply been caught in a hole."

"You can heal it, right?" Xing gave her a pleading look.

Katara opened her mouth to answer, but Sokka cut her off with an enthusiastic, "Of course she can!" Katara flinched from Sokka's sudden intrusion. He quickly leaned in and whispered to his sister, "Can you?"

"Sokka, I-I don't know how to heal bones!" Katara stammered in a panic. "I've never done it before. Even if I tried, the bones might set in the wrong position."

"Can you at least try to heal it? Please," Xing pleaded.

Katara hesitated and bit her lower lip nervously. Ultimately it was Xing's desperate look that made her cave in. She didn't want anything to go wrong with this. Katara swallowed. "I can try to ease the pain a bit and heal up some of the bruised tissue, but I'm really unsure about the bone. That will have to heal on its own."

'Broken!' Zuko gasped, his good eye widening. The news was not unexpected, but he had been hoping that the injury would not be as severe. Now he had an injured soldier under his watch.

He had been planning to keep the soldier; expecting Xing's injury to be a simple sprain or dislocation. Those, Katara could heal over a short period of time and they would have been able to keep Xing with them, but with this new revelation it would be inhumane to force Xing to stay with them.

Quite honestly, he didn't have to ponder long on what to do with Xing. Zuko already knew he had made up his mind as soon as Katara had announced her findings.

"Xing," The soldier looked up at Zuko, a glint in his eye giving away that he already knew what was coming. Zuko's voice was laced with regret as he spoke, "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to dismiss you from this mission."

The soldier gave him an understanding look and sighed, "I expected as much."

"I was afraid it would have come to this," Tarrak said. He turned to retrieve a rolled up piece of paper from the side pocket of his komodo rhino. "We've already scoped out a place on the map to drop him off, Fire Lord."

Tarrak made his way back to Zuko's side and handed the scroll to him. Zuko opened it and observed the circled area on the map.

"There's an outpost at The Gates of Azulon. It'll have the proper physicians and medical equipment to treat Xing."

"Then we'll head there immediately." Zuko gave an approving nod. He handed the map back to Tarrak and turned to call for his friend. "Aang, can you prepare Appa?"

"Already on it!" Aang quickly glided onto Appa and guided him over to the group. The bison kneeled down to allow for an easier way up.

"Amal, can you redo the splint?" Katara asked as she removed her hands from around Xing's ankle and let the spent water fall to the grass.

"Sure thing, ma'am." Amal quickly fetched some new bandages from one of the side pockets on his komodo rhino before jogging up and kneeling down beside Katara.

Zuko made his way to Appa's saddle. Xing would need some help being lifted in. He leapt up to grasp onto the edge of the saddle and was about to hoist himself up when Tarrak's voice came from behind him.

"Fire Lord?"

Zuko peered over his shoulder and slowly let himself back down. He turned to face the soldier. "Yes, Tarrak?"

"If I may, I would like to request to come with you. It seems only appropriate for the leader of his team to see one of his soldiers off," Tarrak said in a somber voice.

"Of course!" Zuko answered. He wouldn't ever deny such a thing. Though he had to make sure there was enough room on Appa first. "Hey Aang, who's all coming with us?"

The Avatar looked up from his spot on Appa's head. "Pretty sure it's you, me, Sokka, Katara, and Xing."

The saddle was already pretty full, but Zuko was hoping there might be enough room for one more. "You wouldn't mind if Tarrak comes with us too, would you?"

"Oh, not at all!" The Avatar reached down to stroke Appa's forehead. "You can handle all these people, right buddy?" The flying bison let out a low groan, making Aang smile.

"Thank you, Avatar, Fire Lord" Tarrak gave both a small nod before he reached up and hoisted himself into Appa's saddle.

Zuko's eyes swept over the people in the clearing. Sokka, Katara, and Amal were helping Xing get onto his one good leg. Raleigh and Suresh were talking among themselves in the background.

'I suppose I should get ready to help Xing into the saddle,' Zuko thought to himself.

He turned and grasped the edge of the saddle before swinging himself in. Tarrak and Zuko positioned themselves on the edge, waiting patiently as Amal and Sokka assisted Xing in limping up to Appa. They stopped before the large bison and stood on each side of Xing, firmly grasping his hips in preparation to lift him up. Zuko held his arms out, ready to grab a hold of Xing.

"Okay. Ready?" Sokka asked. "Three. Two. One!" They quickly lifted Xing into the air, launching him lightly.

Tarrak and Zuko quickly grabbed a firm grip on each of Xing's arms and began to carefully hoist him upwards into the saddle while Sokka and Amal carefully raised Xing, holding onto the back of his calves.

Xing gritted his teeth in discomfort and let out a grunt as he finally took a seat on the edge of the saddle.

Tarrak kept Xing stable as Zuko leaned down to grab Xing's legs and carefully move them into the saddle. Tarrak slowly scooted the injured man off the edge and down into a comfortable sitting position.

Katara and Sokka lifted themselves into the saddle and sat in what free spots there were in the now crowded area. They seemed just about ready to head to the Gates of Azulon. Zuko's eyes scanned the ground below. 'But there is one thing left to address…'

The three soldiers they were about to leave behind stood silently in the clearing, their eyes watching the Fire Lord. Zuko couldn't just leave his men in the middle of a forest without orders.

"Raleigh, Amal, and Suresh." They seemed to expect this and gave him their full attention. "I want you three to continue following the trail for as long as you can."

"Wait. Fire Lord, sir. What should we do with the extra komodo rhino and ostrich horse?" Raleigh jutted his thumb at the two animals which would have no riders.

"Look after them for now and continue following the trail. Once we've dropped off Xing and figured out where to go from there, I'll send you a messenger hawk."

"Yes, sir," They responded. The three men bowed and turned back to what they were doing. Amal lifted himself onto his ostrich horse and Raleigh and Suresh walked over to the now rider-less animals and guided them over to their own mounts to get them ready for travel.

Now that Zuko thought about it, once they're able to meet up again with the full search and rescue team, they're going to have one extra animal with them; Xing's ostrich horse. He'll have to find a place to drop the animal off and organize a way to transport it back to the capital.

"Are we ready to go?" Aang looked back at his friends, reins ready in his hands. Zuko gave the Avatar a nod and the boy flicked the reins. "Yip, yip!"

The bison bellowed as it rose to its feet, lifted its massive tail, and with one powerful flick, the bison lifted off of the ground and climbed into the sky.

The Gaang were used to taking off and flying with Appa. It was a common use of transportation for them, and Zuko had to quickly learn to get used to it. Their guests on the other hand were hanging onto the saddle for dear life, eyes wide and faces full of shock as they pressed their torsos as close to the bottom of the saddle as possible to avoid falling out.

Sokka must've noticed their fear-filled expressions, for he asked the two, "First time flying?" To which the two soldiers quickly responded with jerking head nods.

The bison's steep and swift climb into the sky slowly began to plateau into a flat, smooth flight much to the relief of their terrified passengers. They slowly untensed and let go of breaths they had been holding.

"Oops. Sorry guys. I forgot you've never been on a sky bison before." Aang said apologetically, rubbing the back of his neck.

Zuko found his eyes drifting towards Xing again. His gaze slowly trailed to his bandaged ankle. The man cringed and gritted his teeth every time the bison made a sudden movement. Perhaps he should have asked Aang to make Appa take off a little less roughly.

"Once again, I'm really sorry, Xing. I'll be sure to pay for your medical treatment and your paycheck will come in shortly." Zuko couldn't help but feel remorseful, as if this had somehow been his fault. He felt partially responsible. After all, the soldier had been under his orders when he was injured. He felt obligated to at least pay for the man's recovery.

"It's okay, Fire Lord Zuko." Xing's eyes were tired and dim. He had already accepted what had happened. "It was just an unfortunate accident. I am honored that it was my expertise you had sought out for this important mission. Also, I am grateful for your offer to pay for my recovery."

"Here, I'll continue healing it while we travel." Katara edged her way across the saddle and sat before Xing, bending the water out of her pounce once more.

Zuko turned to stare down at the forest. The trail they had been following was invisible beneath the thick canopy of trees. He was about to abandon his only solid evidence and hope of catching Azula.

Zuko shook his head. 'No. I'm not abandoning it,' He had to remind himself. He had soldiers on the trail to continue following it. It was their job after all.

Even though he had left the trail, Azula was close enough where they could pick up where they last left off without too much fear of losing her again. The thought gave him some reassurance.

Zuko turned back around and made himself comfortable. It would be a little while until they reached the Gates of Azulon. He would need his rest for the upcoming encounter… and medical paperwork.

The thought of paperwork made him groan. He was not looking forward to it.

All she can hear is a loud thumping in her head. With every pulse, it aggravates the already raging headache that torments her exhausted mind.

Thump

Sensations come to her. Azula can feel that she is laid upon something soft. She can't immediately recall what had happened, but she knows for sure that she had landed on hard ground.

Thump

"Shh, It's okay." She registers a voice through the fogginess of her mind. It sounds distant, yet so close. "Shh. Just go to sleep." The woman's voice goes again.

Azula isn't sure if the voice is talking to her. Either way, she doesn't want to go back to sleep. She flexes her fingers and lightly shifts her arm.

Thump

"Hello? Are you awake?" The woman's voice goes again, probably noticing her movement. Her voice sounds fuller and clearer. Azula feels soft fingers lightly brush over the fabric on her arm.

Thump

Azula opens her heavy eyelids. She is greeted by the sight of a white canopy above her, the room shrouded in shadow. Her mind races with confusion.

'Where am I? What happened?' Azula cannot recall how she got here. She was in the forest, was she not? How did she get here?

"Oh! You are awake."

Azula looks over to see a woman, probably in her late 20's, sitting beside the makeshift bed that Azula was laying on. Her eyes are a chocolate brown that matches her hair and the woman is dressed in rather plain red cloth, which gives Azula all the information that she needs to conclude that the woman is likely a non-bending commoner of the Fire Nation. In her arms the woman holds a baby, of whom she is slightly rocking. The baby's features are soft and delicate, with eyes gently closed; indicators that it is fast asleep.

"Where- what…," Azula stumbles over her words, unsure of what to ask or where to even start. Her throat feels so dry and her voice sounds gravelly and hoarse as if she were sick.

The woman must have already looked her over while she had been blacked out, for she expressed extreme concern. "Oh dear… Your skin is so terribly dry; your lips are so cracked. Now your voice… It's just as I suspected. You must be severely dehydrated."

The woman got up from her seated position beside Azula and carried her baby over to a small wooden cradle across the small space, gently placing her child down onto the soft bedding. She then reached over to pick up a waterskin before making her way to the end of the room and poking her head out between the flaps of the canopy.

"Hun, she's awake. Can you fetch some water for her? Thanks," the woman spoke to someone out of Azula's view. She held the waterskin out for someone to grab.

"Sure thing," Azula could hear a muffled man's voice. She looked towards the back of the wagon and saw whom Azula assumed was the woman's husband take the waterskin from her hands and walk off.

Azula pushed off a blanket that had been placed upon her and sat up from the makeshift bed she had been laying on. She must have risen a bit too quickly as her vision faded out and a sudden wave of vertigo hit her. She closed her eyes and had to take a few seconds to let her body adjust to the new position. Azula groaned in annoyance and rubbed her eyes before slowly opening them.

The room in which she was in was surprisingly small. There was the white canopy above her, supported by carved wooden poles with flooring made out of sanded wooden boards. The space was cluttered with boxes of clothing and other household items. She could spot kitchen equipment stored in one corner and next to it was a small bed. This was way too small to be any tent, and contained too many valuable items.

By now the woman had turned around and returned to Azula's side, ready for any questions Azula may ask. The woman gave her a caring smile as Azula finally turned her attention to her.

"Where am I?" Azula asked in a demanding voice that seemed to take the woman a little off guard. She didn't speak with the stuttering confused manner that she had before, though her hoarse voice didn't give off the tone of intimidation that she had intended.

"I am Mizu and my husband is Shiro. You are in our wagon. I hope you do not mind. My husband and I were heading on our way to Phoenix City and we found you in the middle of the trail. We had to take you a bit up the trail to find a stream."

'That explains the small living space,' Azula thought.

Azula opened her mouth to speak, but quickly closed it before the question could slip from her lips. There would be no point in asking Mizu what had happened. She wouldn't know anyway. It wasn't like the woman was there to witness her before she had blacked out.

Instead she played off her confusion by trying to find something to talk about. She looked around the cabin when she suddenly noticed that she was missing something important. Something that she had carried with her the entire trip.

"Where is my bag?" She turned her head to stare at Mizu.

"There's no need to worry. Your bag is right here." Mizu tried to reassure her. Hearing the dangerous edge in Azula's voice, Mizu was quick to turn around and pick up the bag from her other side. She placed the bag in front of Azula.

Azula snatched it from the floor and opened the flap to her bag. Even on first glance, it was immediately noticeable that the contents of the bag had been moved.

"I assumed you wouldn't be staying long," Mizu explained. "I've already packed you some extra food for your travels and tidied up your stuff."

Azula was immediately suspicious.

'Did she take anything?' Azula gave the woman a glare. She doesn't appreciate people doing things with her property without permission.

Azula's glare, still piercing as ever, made Mizu shudder slightly. Her caring demeanor faltered and a slightly worried expression coming to the woman's face. "Don't worry. I didn't take anything, I promise."

Azula searched the woman's face for any sign that she had been lying. Though her facial cues indicated that Mizu was indeed telling the truth, paranoia made her go through with her own search anyway. As she should have expected, everything she had was still there, including a new sack of food placed there by Mizu.

With her worries eased, Azula placed the bag off to the side and the wagon lapsed into silence. She looked around the room once more. There was nothing else to do but sit and wait until Mizu's husband returned.

Before an awkward feeling could sink in, the sound of crunching dirt came from outside and the woman turned her attention to the canopy opening. Mizu got up from her spot beside Azula to meet with her husband at the end of the wagon.

"Here you go, hun." Her husband - Shiro - gave Mizu a warm smile and handed her the waterskin.

"Oh, thank you." The woman took the now full waterskin from her husband. "Before you go…," She reached over and lifted a wooden pail up by the handle. "Here, would you please fill this for me?"

"Sure thing." Shiro took the pail from his wife's hand and walked off once more.

Mizu turned and revealed the waterskin. The waterskin was completely full and plump with liquid. The sides were slick with water and large droplets fell to the wooden floor.

Time seemed to slow as Mizu drew closer. Every sensation in Azula's body seemed to multiply tenfold: her sense of where she was, her confusion, her painfully dry throat, the irresistible instinct to drink, and the absolute terror of coming in contact with water again.

Her emotions seemed to fluctuate. Azula's heart raced with adrenaline, but despite her fear she also couldn't help but gaze hungrily at the waterskin.

'You need to drink- No! The water. Don't touch it- You'll die without the water- They'll find out. You'll blow your cover- You've made yourself weak without the water- Don't risk it!- You can overcome this…' Her thoughts raged on. Before she could come up with a decision, Azula was thrust from her thoughts as the wet waterskin was pushed towards her face.

"Here you go dear. You must be so parched." Mizu smiled warmly at her.

Azula pulled back, startled by the sudden movement. She could only gape at the waterskin. She scooted herself further back as Mizu pushed the waterskin towards her.

"Uhhm - Can you dry it off first." Azula quickly said as soon as she had recovered from the shock. Much to her annoyance, she could not keep the tone of fear from her voice.

The wet waterskin was right above her; in the perfect spot to be poured upon her. A few droplets of water fell onto the blanket covering her legs, making small moist spots on the rough fabric.

Mizu gave her a confused look. "Uh... Sure. I could do that, dear." Despite the odd request, she turned around and began to look throughout the wagon for a spare rag.

As soon as Mizu had her back turned, Azula quickly and quietly shoved the blanket off of her.

Mizu grabbed a rag and wrapped it around the waterskin, dabbing it down until most of the water had been removed. Once she was satisfied, Mizu turned back around and presented the waterskin to Azula. "Is this dry enough?"

"Yes. It is." Azula nodded with approval and reached out. She hesitated before she could grab the neck of the waterskin. "I'll take the rag with it."

The waterskin enters Azula's grasp. Her hands tremble with fear. She couldn't help but feel nervous. It's the closest she's been to water in days, and the first water she's going to be drinking since that fateful morning. Instincts drive her onwards and - almost automatically - she uncorks the top and lifts the opening of the waterskin towards her mouth. Azula takes a careful sip of water.

The cool liquid slides down her extremely parched throat and the experience following could almost be described as euphoric. Any fear she had felt before was overridden by overwhelming instinct. There was no holding back the irresistible urge to quench her thirst.

Mindful of causing any spillage, what started out as a sip turned into desperate gulps. It was like every gulp of water was giving her renewed energy. The unbearable dryness in her throat was gone in an instant. Glup after gulp of water slides down her throat. What was probably a few minutes felt like a couple seconds as the waterskin was close to empty. She gradually slowed her drinking until she was fully satisfied. Azula gave a contented sigh and wiped her mouth dry, just in case any water had happened to slip out.

The longer Azula sat in contented silence, the more she began to realize something. She was still normal. Nothing had happened. That tingling sensation didn't occur, nor did the odd bubbles that appear right before her transformation. Drinking water had done nothing to her. Azula blinks, dumbfounded.

Azula can practically feel the rage beginning to boil within her. She had tortured herself for five days, avoiding drinking and pushing herself to the brink of death all because she didn't want to transform again.

Now she felt outraged. She had nearly killed herself all because of the irrationality caused by fear. This could have easily been prevented if she had not let fear control her! She wouldn't be in this wagon right now, weak and vulnerable, accepting help from peasants, risking having her mermaid secret exposed, and risking being reported to the nearest outpost. This is why she used fear to control others. Fear was not supposed to control her!

"Dear, do you mind me asking what happened?" Azula was pulled from her thoughts by Mizu's soft voice. She looked up at the woman. Mizu added a bit more respectfully, "That is, if you can recall what happened."

What did happen? Azula wracks her mind for answers, but all she could remember was kneeling before a sign in the forest. Everything after that was fuzzy. It was just hours ago. It shouldn't be that hard to remember. Azula had her own questions about herself to find answers for. If she didn't even know the answer, it wasn't the peasant's place to even ask.

"As a matter of fact, I do mind you asking what happened and it is none of your concern," Her voice no longer sounded as gravely, so Mizu heard the full force of Azula's ice cold tone. Azula took a nonchalant drink of water before recorking the waterskin.

"M-my apologies," Mizu stuttered nervously. Azula smirked slightly. Despite the woman's obvious nervousness, she tried her best to keep a gentle smile on her face. "I guess it would be best that I start with something simpler instead of jumping into big questions. What is your name?"

Azula's smirk turned into a sneer. Mizu was really getting on her nerves. First, she began treating her with motherly care as if she were a child and now she was beginning to talk to her as if she were a child. Either way, she did not want a stranger prodding into her personal life. She never allowed any one, except for a select few, into her personal life.

'And look where that got you.' Though they were her own thoughts, Azula had to bite back a reply. Her mood soured further.

"I have already said that it is none of your concern," Azula snapped. Mizu pulled back with fright. "I thought it would have been obvious that it extended to personal questions as well."

The smile on Mizu's face completely fell and the woman awkwardly looked away, looking everywhere but in Azula's direction. The wagon lapsed into tense silence.

"Hun, I've brought the water you wanted," Shiro called his wife from outside. Mizu's face flickered with relief and she quickly turned away from Azula to meet her husband.

"What took you?" Mizu asked him, sounding more desperate than curious.

"Hehe. Sorry it took me a while," Shiro rubbed the back of his neck apologetically. "I accidentally dropped the bucket. The incline down to the creek is pretty steep."

He handed the full bucket up to his wife and she placed it on the wooden floor of the cabin beside her.

"It's fine. Thanks for fetching the water, but…," Mizu leaned in and spoke to him in a hushed voice, no doubt talking about Azula.

"Oh. Alright." The man's golden eyes briefly flickered towards Azula. "If you need me, I'll be tending to the ostrich horse. No need to worry, hun." He gently grasped Mizu's hand and gave her a soft, reassuring kiss before turning away and walking to the front of the wagon.

Mizu picked up the pail full of water and brought it towards Azula.

Azula eyed the bucket full of water, gulping nervously. Her heart began to pound once more and her muscles tensed. What was the bucket for? She understood why the woman would ask her husband to fetch Azula water, but a whole bucket full of water?

"Would you prefer we stay in here or would you like to head outside?" Mizu asked her, placing the bucket off to the side and kneeling much closer to Azula than where she had been before.

She wasn't sure as to what the woman was asking of her. So instead of answering, Azula opted to stay quiet.

"I… suppose we can stay in here," Mizu said awkwardly. The woman sat beside Azula for a second, observing the young girl in front of her.

"You must have been out there a while without a bath. How long were you out there?" Mizu said as casually as she could and turned to search for something within the wagon.

Azula narrowed her eyes, now feeling a bit self conscious about the state of her hygiene. "Why do you ask?"

"I'm just concerned. Your clothes are all dusty and your skin is covered in a layer of dirt," Mizu carefully said. She quickly added, "No offence."

Mizu turned back around with another rag. She dunked it into the pail of water and waited until it was completely soaked before wringing out the rag. Azula's stomach dropped with dread as she was hit with a sudden realization.

"What are you doing?!" Azula could now hear her heartbeat pounding in her ears.

"Let's get you cleaned up." Mizu lifted the wet rag towards her. The rag leaked water, large droplets falling onto the wooden floor just inches away from Azula.

A jolt of terror went through Azula's body and her breathing quickened. Azula leaned backwards as Mizu continued to advance. The rag was mere inches from her forehead. "Wait! Don't-!"

She was going to get found out. She was going to be exposed. She was going to transform again.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Azula roared out and sent a swipe of fire at the woman.

The cabin was suddenly filled with a bright blue glow and the woman screamed out in terror as the fire licked her skin. The rag was blasted from her hands, safely away from Azula. Mizu recoiled and moved away from Azula, terrified. The baby that had once been soundly sleeping in its crib was now wailing with terror, awoken by the sudden loud noises.

In an instant Azula had leapt from the makeshift bed and was on her feet. She swiftly leapt from the back of the wagon into the open and turned to face what was soon to be the consequences of her sudden attack. She shifted into a fighting stance.

"What's going on! What happened!?" Shiro called from the front of the wagon, alarmed by the sudden screams. He hurriedly made his way towards the back.

Mizu wasn't too far behind Azula in exiting the wagon. The woman looked at Azula fearfully as she dropped from the back of the wagon with her baby in her arms.

"Shiro! H-help!" Mizu cried out fearfully.

"Hey! Get away from my wife!" Shiro shouted angrily, standing protectively in front of his wife and wailing baby. "What happened!?"

"S-she attacked me," Mizu sobbed. "Why would you do that?! You should be grateful that we even helped you!" Mizu shouted at Azula.

"After all we've done for you! After all my wife did for you! You have the audacity to attack my wife!" Shiro shouted at her with rage. He summoned orange fire to his palms. It didn't come as much as a surprise to her when he turned out to be a firebender. His golden eyes had been a dead giveaway.

Azula scoffed. If it was a fight he wanted, then it was a fight he would get. "I will do as I please, peasant! I did not ask for your help. Nor did I need or want it!"

Azula charged forwards and in retaliation the man charged at her. Blast after blast he shot at her, his untimed and unorganized strikes missing every shot. It only went on for a couple moments before he started to breath heavily. She hadn't even bent at him and she was already wearing him down by only dodging. Perhaps his skills would have been useful in defending against common thugs, but not firebending masters.

So when she finally summoned her own flames, the fight was over in less than a couple seconds. As Azula struck, she could see the horror in his face; the way her blue fire reflected in his terror filled eyes.

A well-aimed, precise blast to the chest sent him skidding backwards. Mizu screamed in horror as her husband came to a sudden halt before her feet.

Shiro painfully pushed himself up and let out a cry of pain. A small hole in his chest was smoking and the surrounding fabric had burned off, revealing angry-looking seared flesh. Both adults stared at the menacing figure standing before them.

Blue flames flickered in Azula's palms threateningly. Her eyes were ice cold, yet filled with a burning rage.

Azula took a threatening step forward. Shiro's face widened with terror and Mizu took a fearful step backwards, tightening her grasp on her wailing baby.

"T-take whatever you want; everything we have of value! D-do whatever you please! But p-please, just don't hurt my wife or child! Just don't hurt my family," Shiro begged. He seemed to be more afraid of her skill and fire than he was about her. Neither of them seemed to recognize her, which was a bit of a surprise.

Azula couldn't help but smirk. This is why she used fear to control people. These peasants were now kneeled before her, begging her for their lives. She was ashamed that she had let her own fear control her like she was controlling these people now.

There was a problem though. Her cover had now been blown. They would no doubt report her to the authorities.

It was once again a battle of her morals. Let them go and risk getting caught or kill them and stave off the authorities for a while. But once again, the point came up: if their bodies were found, she would no doubt be executed for it. Not only that, but she was not so mentally disturbed as to kill off an entire family. She wasn't completely heartless. They had a child with them.

The decision was much easier to make this time. Azula would let them live. They should know better than to automatically trust everyone they meet. Not everyone would have spared their lives. Though she wouldn't mind taking Shiro up on his offer.

Azula began to walk towards the family. The blue flames in her palms ceased; a sign that she had no more intentions to hurt them. The parents trembled as she walked past them.

"Out of my way, peasants." Azula spat and jumped into the back of the wagon.

She wasn't going to pass up such an opportunity to gain free supplies. Azula began to search through the cabin. First of all, she picked up her bag; the one that still contained her old clothing, sleeping mat, and now new food stock.

She picked up the nearly empty waterskin and tied it to the side of her bag. Now that she had figured out that she was able to drink water, she wasn't going to let herself fall back into such a pitiful and vulnerable state again.

On the other side of the cabin, Azula began to rummage through a pile of clothing. She was after something specific. It didn't matter if it was a cloak, hood, or piece of cloth. If it could cover her face, it'll significantly reduce her chances of being seen, recognized, and caught. Azula was nearly concluded with her quick search when her eyes laid upon the flowing maroon fabric. Pulling it from the pile revealed the cloak further. It had a large flowing cape that reached to her lower calves, a hood to cover her head, and a large collar that could be lifted and adjusted to be used as a face mask.

Azula tucked the cloak under her arm and began to search the smaller crevices of the wagon. Despite her keen eye, she couldn't find any sign of any money. She even searched the most unlikely spots. Though they were peasants, they had to have some sort of money with them. So she concluded that if there was no money within the wagon, one of the peasants must be carrying it on them.

Azula made sure she was finished within the wagon before jumping out of the back once more. Mizu and Shiro had barely moved, only mere meters away from where she had last seen them. It was a surprise. She had expected them to have left by now, but seeing as the wagon contained all of their possessions, they couldn't exactly just leave it all behind.

Azula stormed up to Mizu and Shiro. The woman quickly backed up as Azula approached. The man could only cower before Azula and look up at her fearfully. She stood before the injured man, letting a few seconds drag on. The man was tensed with anticipation, fearing what was to come.

"Give me your money. Now," Azula demanded suddenly, watching as the downed man flinched. Shiro could only whimper painfully as he reached into his pants pocket and removed a sack of coins. Azula snatched it from his hand and quickly stashed it away in her bag.

She was done here. There was nothing else for her here. It was time to go. Azula turned and made her way into the middle of the path. She paused.

'Where am I going to go now?'

The woman had mentioned that they had been heading towards Phoenix City; the exact location she was going to - no - the location she HAD been going to. Even with Azula's intervention, it was not going to prevent the family from continuing on their way to their destination. Afterall, she had chosen to spare the family. With that decision, it was inevitable that they would eventually report her to the nearest outpost: The Gates of Azulon.

Continuing with her plans now of going to Phoenix City was a large risk. If she were reported, It would not only give her location away and make her path predictable, but it would most likely expose her plans to usurp the throne. Not to mention that The Gates of Azulon were one of the largest and heavily fortified outposts on the main island. She'd have to be on guard 24/7 or else she'd be captured and returned to the asylum. She did not want to return to that Agni-forbidden nuthouse.

Azula clenched her teeth in frustration. She had been planning this for weeks! Everything had been intricately planned to make her path unpredictable and unassuming. Reaching The Gates of Azulon would have been one of the largest milestones in her travels. She had risked her life to make it this far. But nooo! This whole mermaid curse had to just be placed upon her to throw all sorts of problems into her plans. Now once again, another plan of hers had been immediately burned to ash.

Azula turned and took a few seconds to regard the family and their wagon. Mizu had said they were going to Phoenix City and that they had to bring her down the path a bit. If their wagon was pointing towards the way they were going, then she had to go in the opposite direction.

Throwing her bag over her shoulders and tucking the cloak under her arm, Azula turned and began to walk up the path. Behind her she could hear Mizu crying lightly to her husband and while he groaned in pain. The baby's wails were beginning to fade. She had already made it quite a ways up the trail when a thought came to her. She ceased in her walking.

Though it was inevitable that she would be reported, it did not mean that she couldn't stall them.

Azula turned back around. She took a slow, steady breath to calm herself and shifted into one of her stances. Bringing both of her hands together, she summoned up her chi. Her arms began to go through the familiar circular motions she had practiced thousands of times to master. Separating negative energy from positive energy, she could feel the static building in her fingertips and sparks began to fly.

In an incredible show of power, Azula brought her hands together and thrust her arm forwards. The lightning let out a deafening crack as the shot soared through the air towards its target.

The wooden wheel of the wagon exploded into splinters and firey sawdust. The couple cried out in fear and their child began to wail once more. The ostrich horse that had been pulling their carriage let out a cry of alarm from the sudden explosion. Thunder reverberated through the forest.

In only a few seconds, it was over and Azula was back to walking down the trail.

Now she was done.

...

Time drug on and Azula found herself further and further up the trail. Exactly how far she had been brought down the trail was never specified by the peasants, but she must have been taken down quite a ways. The most she could do now was continue walking to put as much distance between her and The Gates of Azulon.

Any previous symptoms and indications that Azula had been dehydrated were nearly gone. Her throat was no longer uncomfortably dry and her voice sounded much clearer. The heavy feeling of exhaustion that had plagued her body, which seemed to have been caused by her dehydration, was completely gone. The pounding headache and dizziness that had tortured her head had suddenly ceased. The only thing that had yet to recover was her dry skin, but with enough water and time she would be looking flawless again in no time.

Another undisturbed 10 minutes of walking went by. The cloak she had stolen flapped lightly in the breeze. Though the cloak was a bit too warm for the weather, the hood and mask covering her face made her feel much more comfortable walking along the trail. If anyone were to pass her on the trail, they would never recognize her. That's what Azula liked about a cloak. She could head into a town and leave, all without being recognized. The pros outweigh the cons, so being slightly warm was something she could put up with.

From beneath the hood, her sharp eyes spotted a familiar structure sitting motionless in the middle of forest ahead of her. The closer she got, the more comprehensible the words on the signs became. Azula slowly made her way into the middle of the four converging trails and stood before the looming sign.

Azula looked up at the four indicating arrows on the sign. The one labeled "Phoenix City" was pointing west towards the way she had just come from and another arrow labeled "Xin Tai" was pointing south towards the trail she had just spent 4 days traveling on.

The other two were unfamiliar to her. An arrow labeled "Koi Pond Village" pointed north, while another arrow labeled "Tsulko" pointed east.

She eyed each sign carefully. Obviously she wasn't going to pick the trail to Phoenix City or the trail to Xin Tai. She had just come from both of those. That left the trail to Koi Pond Village and the trail to Tsulko.

Which one to choose?

Well, since she had no reason to go to the other towns, she had not read up on them. The towns could be as close a couple hours to a couple days of walking away.

Azula weighed her options.

Between Koi Pond Village and Tsulko, going to Tsulko would probably be her best bet, seeing as it was in the complete opposite direction of Phoenix City. Going to Tsulko would put distance between her and The Gates of Azulon. Koi Pond Village on the other hand, based on the word "village", was probably small, thus making it easier to search for her. Plus with a name like "Koi Pond Village", it probably wouldn't be the best place to be, considering her whole "touch water and turn into a mermaid" ordeal.

It was decided. She would go to Tsulko, once again throwing her off her planned course.

"Oh well. Just one of the things I have to deal with while being on the run," Azula rolled her eyes in frustration.

Direction chosen, Azula began walking up the trail that would take her to Tsulko.

Now she was alone once more, with only her thoughts and the quiet forest. With only her imagination to keep her from boredom, Azula subconsciously twirled one of her bangs around her finger and tugged at it as she lapsed into thought.

At the back of her mind, an unanswered question lingered.

She was once again brought back to her question. 'What happened?'

Her mind races with confusion. It was such a simple question, yet the answers did not come easy.

What she can most definitely remember was that she had been walking down the trail in the early morning… then she came to the intersection and the sign… then she had… fallen down, and then… It's what happens afterwards that everything starts to break down.

Azula shook her head as if that would shake the fog that clouded her memories. She was determined to remember and she would not be deterred. She needed answers.

Azula scans her memories for answers as she walks, finely combing through the events moments before everything goes fuzzy. Scenes began to slowly form.

Memories clicked into place, like puzzle pieces being put together. Mother had been there, had she not...?

Like that, everything hit her like a rock to the stomach.

Azula ceased in her walking as her breath caught in her throat.

Azula remembers sitting in the dirt kneeling before someone that looked like… herself. It was like she had been looking in a mirror. The girl looking back at her had the same face and hair style, appearance completed with her black leather and gold trimmed royal armor. The girl had even spoken in her voice. It was her, but there was no possible way that it could have been her. Though the interaction had been hours ago, she couldn't help but feel disturbed.

Whatever- whomever it was she saw, it was not her. It could not be her. Azula refused it to be.

Azula fell back off the trail and leaned her back against a tree. She placed a hand over her hyperventilating chest while the other picked at the bark of the tree nervously.

"I need to calm down" She whispered to herself. "I just need to take a second to think things over."

She's heard stories before of people who got lost in the Wong Shi Tong Desert and how after extended periods of time without water, people would begin to experience hallucinations brought on by the lack of water in the body. As much as Azula hated to admit it, it had to be a hallucination.

The thought that she could even experience hallucinations made Azula's skin prickle uncomfortably. The staff at the institution always mentioned that she experienced "hallucinations".

But that could not be true.

She was not "sick" or "mentally ill", nor was she "schizophrenic" or "insane". She felt disgusted to even be labeled with such derogatory terms. It was her mother who had turned her own mind against her. They might call her all these things, but she was probably more sane than most of the staff at the institution.

There were countless times where the doctors would talk to her and try to convince her that her mother was not real.

She had always argued that her mother was real. There was no possible way that her mother, whom she had been speaking with for months, was a hallucination. Ursa had been following her ever since her coronation. She had spoken with her for months upon months. Azula even came face to face with her mother a few weeks ago and Ursa was still following her. She even placed this mermaid curse on her.

Even so, Azula was not blind. She saw the way her mother would disappear and reappear, how Ursa could hide within mirrors and reflections and be completely unharmed when Azula shot her fire at her.

Azula had made up her own theories months prior. Her mother was a spiritual projection showing up wherever, whenever, and however she wanted to. It was how Ursa was able to haunt her dreams. It was how Ursa could appear on the surface of reflective materials that would otherwise be impossible. It's why Ursa always had her old face when she appeared to her. Because her mother was reflecting her spirit; her true self.

On the other hand, that hallucination of herself was just that: a hallucination. She had never seen it before, there was no explanation behind it, and she only happened to see it in a moment of extreme dehydration.

Azula closed her eyes and took a deep breath before exhaling slowly.

While not entirely satisfied with her conclusion, Azula had to accept that her doppleganger had been nothing more than a hallucination brought on by her extreme dehydration. The answer had no comfort behind it and maybe she would have been better off not knowing the answer, but as they say: "Curiosity killed the owl cat."

Mystery solved, she supposed. Now it was time to continue.

With feelings and thoughts still fresh in her mind, she couldn't help but still feel uncomfortable. It wasn't going to be easy to push these feelings away, but there was no time for stopping now. She could ponder over it on her way to Tsulko.

She let her hand drop from her chest now that her breathing had calmed. Opening her eyes, she pushed off of the trunk of the tree and made her way back into the trail, continuing her walk towards Tsulko.

Definitely one of the longer chapters, but I hope the length makes up for the wait.

This time, both siblings have been thrown off course thanks to unforeseen events: Zuko's been put off course because of the injury of one of the soldiers under his command, and Azula now has to flee in the opposite direction thanks to another sudden action spurred by her irrationality.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I'll see you in the next one!