So sorry for the late update, been with fam for new years lol to many people here. I'll try to get back on track I promise. Also for those confused, Azula did got to Tylees and Tylee helped her master airbending with scrolls she took from her grandmother.
It started as a small spark in the darkness of her mind. She reached for the warmth of the white flame. As she did so, it grew bigger. It grew into a fire, filling her soul and shedding it's white light from her eyes. She motioned with her arms, and the water around her bagan to churn. It became a vortex, lifting her above the surface. The instant she could, she inhaled a deep breath. As she released it, she breathed fire. Flames that were not her signature blue, but a lighter, almost white one. She was aware of the earth of the island shaking, but paid no notice. Instead, she focused solely on her target.
Her uncle was huddled protectively over her brother, and the sight filled her with jealousy. Know one had every held her like that, no one had ever protected her. When her father would beat her for failing a Kata, mother would be to bussy tending to Zuko. They always chose Zuko. Her anger caused the water to become a violent creature. Waves crashed into the ship and the water boiled. When she spoke, it was no longer her voice. It was the voice of thousands who came before her. It was the voice of the Avatar.
"You dare oppose my will." She raised her hands and the water froze around the ship. Her Uncle was staring at her with confusion, and something else. The same look she received often from her mother.
"To fight me is to fight the earth you live on." The ground shook, houses collapsing on each other at her command. The elements bended to her will, for her will was all there was.
"To fight me is to fight the very water that surrounds you." The water unfroze and rose over the ship, held up only by her.
"The very air you breath." The wing rippled through her hair, causing it to fall from it's top knot and drop around her shoulders. She was aware as her pin fell into the ocean, but didn't care. "The very fire you bend." The water around the ship began to burn with fire.
"To fight me," she paused, savering the look of fear on her uncle's face. "To fight me is to fight against man and spirit alike. With that she released the water from her grip, sending waves of fire to the ship.
Azula, a voice called to her. Images flashed through her mind, images of pain and suffering. Before the waves hit the ship they turned to steam, and Azula fell to the now dry ocean floor.
--
Azula was in an earth kingdom village, or at least she thought so. She couldn't tell because everywhere she looked there were fire nation soldiers. She wondered why they were still here, as it seemed obvious they had already conquered the village. However, she didn't need to wonder for long. She heard the scream of a child, and instinctively ran towards the sound.
She reached an alleyway, and entered, hesitating for only a second. As soon as she saw what lay before her, she felt bile rising in her throat.
The girl was no older that 12, and the man atop her seemed to be at least in his 40s. His chestplate, the only thing that now clothed him, had the firebation insignia. From the looks of his armor, it seemed he was a general. The girl was crying and begging him to stop, but he didn't.
Azula closed her eyes, she didn't want to see this. She opened them and ran towards the man. She had to do something. It mattered not that this man was of her own nation. She couldn't let this more girl suffer such a fate.
As she drew closer to the man, her footsteps became harder. She was almost there when in came to a point where she could no longer move forward. Some invisible force was holding her back. "Stop." She tried to scream. However, no words escaped her lips.
And so she was stuck there, unable to draw closer but unable to leave. She didn't close her eyes however. She wouldn't just block out the pain this girl was in and ignore it. No, she would stand eyes open and heart raging until.
Until it stopped, as suddenly as it had started. The scene became frozen in time. She did not hear the footsteps, and was startled when a voice came from behind her.
"Hello Azula," the girl said. This was the same girl Azula had seen, the same girl that had just been-
Without thinking Azula ran to her, wrapping her arms around the child. She held her close, in a protective way. She had braced herself for the girl to break down, and was ready to comfort her. However, she was surprised when she didn't.
Azula released the girl from her iron grip and stepped back. The girl was not the least bit shaken, and appeared to be smiling at Azula. Azula raised her eyebrow to which the girl laughed lightly.
"That happened many years ago," the now women said. The sudden change in age shocked Azula, though she still could not have been over 20.
"Who are you?" Azula managed to ask the girl.
"I am you, while part of you." The girl said. This confused Azula more, what did she mean by this, it simply didn't make sense.
"We all are," The women motion outward and other people apeard. The two directly behind her were a water bending women, and a man who seamed to be forenation. Azula identified him from his portrait, Roku. Behind him was a monsterously tall women, next to a water tribe man who was next to an airbender.
"Your the avatars," she said with reconization. But, something was off. "Where's the airbender?"
The women sighed and wore a regretful look, however it was the tall women who spoke.
"Sadly Aang was trapped for far to long. We needed to find a way to stop the war. So, we did what we had to." She said, pausing slightly. Then it dawned on her. Somehow he was still part of the avatar, but it was as if he was cut off.
"You abondondrd him," Azula said. Azula said it with no malice or anger, however on the inside she was fuming. Having been abandoned by her mother, she felt a sort of affiliation for the boy. However, instead of angrily accusing the past Avatars, she asked the a question. She asked them the question she had been plundering since she set sail.
"How? If I'm the Avatar how is he the Avatar to," she asked.
The giant sighed. "I cannot answer that. None of us can. We believe that we never truly left him, as Roku has been able to make minimal contact with the boy." She said. Azula's eyes glared into her, her stair burning into her soul. Who were these people to decide to abandon him. If they abandoned him so easily, when would they abandoned her. When would she become another means to an end.
Kyoshi, sensing what was in her mind, stride forward toward her. "I know what it's like to be abandoned. Much like you, I was abandonded by my parents. It was not a decision we took lightly."
"Ha," Azula snorted. "You don't know what your talking about. Everyone adores me." She said, trying to convince the women as much as herself. Kyoshi smiled a sad smile, before reaching down to stroke her cheak.
"But you do know what it's like to be abandonded. You have felt it before, in many lifetimes. And now, the world has become abandoned. Azula, only you can stop the war and restore balance to the world."
Azula pushed her hand from her face. "You think I would betray my nation. You truly are foolish." She glared at them all. "Unlike you, I don't abandon my people." And with that she shut her eyes, pushing away the spirits.
Iroh had grown tired. Tired of walking and tired of Zuko complaining. He was tired of lying to his nephew about the true reason he had kept Azula. Because somehow, someway, she was the avatar. It made no sense to him, he had seen the avatar. The avatar was an airbender boy who had been trapped for 100 years in ice. That's what he kept repeating to himself
"Why are we taking her uncle," Zuko whined yet again. He had every right to be frustrated, considering his sister had just tried to kill him.
"She is your sister Zuko, you must try to get along," Iroh said. However, in truth Iroh though she was already to far gone. His brother had made her a slave of the firenation. If she was returned to his clutches, surely the world would burn.
Zuko did not complain any further, he knew it was futile. And so they walked. Zuko carried his sister over his shoulder while his uncle was deep in thought. They made it no more than ten miles before they heard Azula begin to stir.
Her eyelids felt heavy as she tried to open them. It took all her will to sit up from the ground she had been placed on. The first thing she noticed was her bound hands and feet, and the second thing her brother, smearing at her.
She groaned, feeling far to eschasted for anymore hallucinations. She was tired of the visions she kept getting from her past lives, she was tired of them trying to turn her against her nation. They had shown her Zuko before, the pain he indured at her fathers hands, his years of banishment. However they had never shown her him and uncle, who was sitting sipping tea behind Zuko.
"Let me guess," she said tiredly to the figments of their collective imagination. "Your showing me the pain I've cause my brother and Uncle."
Zuko looked at her confused, and she was wondering whos place she was taking in this memory.
"It's not going to work," she said. Her voice was escalating to a historical yell. "I wont turn against my nation." She was tired and wanted the suffering to end. "Why don't you just abandon me like you did the airbender." She now screamed at the spirit with her brothers face. "You had no problem leaving him in ice for 100 years." She was sobbing now, wishing it would end. She hated not being in control of her mind.
"Zula what are you talking about," her brother asked. Zuko was concerned for her despite their situation. She relized with a start that Zuko had addressed her. Tears of jooy began pouring from her eyes.
"You can see me?" she said in disbelief. Zuko was now becoming increasingly worried for his sister, and was staring at her confused. She began to think maybe she was wrong until her uncle spoke up.
"Of course we can niece," he grabbed her hand. She flinched but did not pull away. After all the horrors she had just seen, she needed his comfort. A single teared pooled bellow her eye, and then she was sobbing. Sobbing because of what she had seen, sobbing because it was finally over.
Her uncle hesitantly embraced her. And she didn't fight him. She sobbed into his shoulder as Zuko stared at her. Her uncle began to stroke her hair. "It's okay," he whispered to her. "Your okay."
But it wasn't okay, it was wrong. With a start she jumped back, fighting against her metal restraint. It was wrong.
"This is what they wanted," she spat, jumping to her feet. "They wanted to make me weak." she yelled.
Her brother and uncle got into firebending stances, ready to fight her.
"I'm not weak," she said. Hysterical tears filled her eyes. She pulled on her restraints and began to heat her fists and akles. Much quicker than expected the metal binder her melted, leaving her free. She smiled a wicked grin. She would show them she wasn't weak.
She pointed her to fingers and shot a jet of blue flame at her uncle. He blocked it easily, but did not send one back in return. Even he thought she was weak.
"Fight me," she screamed, begging him to. He shook his head sadly. Zuko on the other hand did not hesitate. He sent a ball of flames directly at her. She ducked under it and send a blast of blue fire back. It sent him tumbling over, and he struggled to regain her balance. She smiled maliciously, lighting a flame in the palm of her hand.
However, the flame quickly distinguished as her uncles hand squeezed her wrist. She yelped as he through her into a tree.
The wond was completely knocked out of her, and she struggled to regain her breath. Her brother took this moment, approaching her angrily. Despit his uncles protests he lit a flame in his palm. He released it right as Azula found her breath. She roared, but it wasn't fire. Instead it was a wirewind of air, aimed at both her enemies. It knocked them over, sending them tumbling over the grass.
She contemplated finishing them off, however decided against it, they would get a rematch. And she would show them who was weak. With that she lept into the air, until she disappeared from their limited view.
Rummers had spread throughout the fire nation, rummers of Azula, crown princess. They were calling her the daughter of the dragon, the daughter of fire itself. They were saying she possessed unearthly powers. And when the firelord had interrogated the surviving crew members, they said the same thing. They said it was asif she was possessed by a spirit. They said all the elements bent to her will. But, Ozia knew this was impossible, only the avatar had such power. Unless that wasn't true, unless somehow his daughter could possess such immense power. This made it all the more important that he found her faster, before that wretched brother of his corrupted her mind.
This is why he went about organizing a team to retrieve him. He would have it led by Zhoa, despite his failure in the north. He would have succeeded where it not for Iroh, and Ozai knew this. He gave him a fleet of 50 ships to search for the lost princess, as well as one of the war balloons. Though they were still in development, Ozia believed it may come in handy. And so Zhoa set sail and would only return once he had the lost princess.