Azula was slowly losing concentration. She could never get past the first strike. The second she moved from her cat stance, the stone fell to her side. This was impossible. General Jeong Jeong must have tricked her earlier with his demonstration. He was out to get her. This was all just some joke to him. The General wanted to make her weak. He was jealous and afraid.

She couldn't trust him. This was a mistake. She had to leave and take Aang to a real Firebending teacher. Maybe her father was available. Father would be mad if she showed up unannounced. The thought caused her stomach to turn. But, he would understand the seriousness of the situation. I'm sure he'd be thrilled to train the Avatar.

Father would fix this problem. He was the one who knew how to be strong. He was the one who trained her, after all.

Her mind flashed back to a moment she tried to forget.

On a training ground after dinner.

An Agni Kai.

Her brother's face.

Azula's flames grew hotter and out of control. The first strike turned from a small stream of orange flame into an inferno of blue fire. Azula had never seen blue flame before, not from any Firebender. What was this? Why was it coming out of her now?

In her shock, she lost control of the flame. The blaze blasted far beyond where she would have wished it to land. The trees lining the beach went aflame.

Azula could only look in horror as the now orange fire slowly consumed the forest.


In the bowels of Sokka's ship, a guard screamed out in agony.

"How did you get another harmony ring?", Ujurak was in disbelief.

"It's just about knowing the game.", Ty Lee smiled at the frustrated soldier, "Best 10 out of 15?"

"No," Ujuruak shook his head, "We're playing vagabond this time. I actually won that one once."

A knock came at the door.

"Bato's coming!", Aguta screamed, "Put the board away and get back out here!"

With a rush, the guard threw back on his helmet and grabbed his spear. Ty Lee, without skipping a beat, hid the Pai Sho board under her bed. The guard was back at his post within moments. By luck, Bato was busy reading over a scroll and didn't notice the man's absence.

"Is the prisoner properly starved?", Bato asked as he stood in front of the door.

Not only had their predecessors fed her, but Ujurak had to get her a plate of sweets after losing the first round of vagabond pai sho. If he won, she promised to tell them where the Avatar was hiding. Who could have known she was that good at vagabond pai sho as well as skud pai sho?

"Y-yes, sir!", Ujurak squawked.

Bato noticed the nervousness in the guards demeanor. The commander wrote it off as the fear many subordinates had when directly addressed by a commanding officer. A tad shameful, but not an action worthy of further investigation.

"Keep your ear to the door.," Bato moved to the handle, "The best I could discern from our intel is that her fighting style is called 'Chi Blocking.' Our spies knew little more than the name of the martial art. If she attacks me, I will need your back-up."

The guards nodded to their commander. They didn't feel too worried. Ty Lee seemed like an angel. They saw how she took down Prince Sokka before, but the Prince wasn't known as a warrior.

Bato entered with a commanding presence. He loomed tall in the room, cloaked by shadow. The small lanterns in the room illuminating only half his face.

"I hope you find your accommodations pleasing, princess.", Bato started in a cold, detached manner.

"I sure do!", the bubbly girl burst back at the bewildered commander.

Bato wasn't expecting her to be so happy. She shouldn't have had anything to eat or drink for almost twelve hours by now. The isolation and darkness alone should have put her on edge. The fire princess was certainly a fearsome foe to behold: did they train their royalty to withstand torture?

"I am glad to hear so.", Bato hid his surprise. He could not let any sign of shock through or else he would forfeit his leverage. "Now, about the Avatar."

"Ooooh, what do you want to know about Aang?", Ty Lee smiled.

So he's called Aang? Not an uncommon air nomad name. It would narrow the search. At least until the Avatar caught on and began using a pseudonym.

"Yes, about this Aang, what is he like?", Bato thought back to the small boy he met on Roku Island. He seemed rather brave. Or rather foolish. He needed to know about him if this hunt was going to work.

"Oh, well, he's super fun! He was so excited to go to my circus.", Ty Lee punctuated her sentences with her hands.

Bato lifted an eyebrow, "Your circus? I was unaware that the royalty had a circus?"

"Oh, I never did correct you guys, did I?", Ty Lee laughed, "I'm not the princess: I'm her best friend, Ty Lee."

Bato stopped for a moment. The weight of that sentence fell in on him. "Surely, this is a trick?"

"Nope, no trick! The only trick was me playing along with you guys earlier.", Ty Lee giggled, "I'm not even a bender."

Bato sighed. "You do at least actually know the Avatar, correct?"

"Yep, we're traveling buddies!", Ty Lee smiled.

"Would he come rescue you?", Bato felt some hope return.

"Of course, we're both Azula's friends.", Ty Lee put her finger to her mouth, "But he is away with Azula to some village. I don't think he would know I'm gone for a week or so."

"Village?", Bato felt his fortune changing back.

"Oh, I don't remember its name?", Ty Lee fanned him away.

"Surely, you must remember the first character? Maybe what it sounded like?" Bato paused.
"Perhaps you would like some food. I can have that arranged. Would you like that? Cookies and tea would probably be divine right now." Bato allowed himself to be devilish.

"No thanks, I'm pretty stuffed." Ty Lee's words caused the guards outside to tense up.

Bato looked at the door. Then, he took a closer look at the room. From the bottom of her bed, Bato could see a dirty plate. And, was that a Pai Sho board?

Fury took over the commander. He wanted to barge out the door and deck the two men. He sighed. What would that accomplish? Further divide his men? Set his crew against him? There would be a punishment, but direct violence was a poor solution for discipline. Spending the next three months cleaning the dishes and the toilets? That should do.

It didn't change the matter at hand: he had a prisoner the Avatar cared about, but he wouldn't notice their appearances for weeks. He might be able to get the village name out of her eventually, but he had no leverage at the moment.

The name of the Avatar will be useful, however. She was forthcoming with the information. Maybe he could push the information out of her. How could he trust it? She was in good spirits. She could easily be lying. The name of the Avatar could be as fake as any village name he gets out of her.

He had to come back later.

"I see. You're craftier than I gave you credit." Bato turned to the door, "Perhaps another time then?"

"Before you go," Ty Lee beckoned, "Can I ask you one thing?"

Bato raised an eyebrow, "You may."

"Can I speak with the boy from earlier?", Ty Lee seemed innocent.

"The prince? Why would you want to speak with him?", Bato was curious.

"I wanted to apologize about hurting him.", Ty Lee was suddenly a bit morose, "Also, I wanted to apologize to you as well."

"To me?", Bato was confused. He understood the implication, but he wasn't ready just yet to get on guard.

"Yeah, because I don't plan on staying too long." Ty Lee stretched, "I just didn't think I could do much when I was completely surrounded before. Not without those nice villagers getting hurt."

Bato laughed, "And escaping a ship will be easier? We are out at sea."

"Maybe.", Ty Lee seemed curious, "But I don't have to worry about those nice people getting hurt."

"I won't deny the danger of your 'chi blocking' technique," Bato stared the girl down, "but, if the blood witch of the colonies hasn't been able to escape her cell for decades, I doubt some fire island circus performer is going to escape on my watch."

Bato left the cell wearing a smirk. It masked his own worry. The girl was up to something. She knew something he didn't. He ordered the guards to cuff her arms and legs. Afterwards, they were to report to his office for reassignment: the kitchen and bathrooms were going to be spotless for the next few months.


Azula was frantic. A part of her thought she could bend the inferno away before General Jeong Jeong saw it. It was a pointless delusion, but a panic had swelled up in her. She was afraid that she would be exposed if the General saw the flame. That he would see her as weak and unfocused, unworthy of teaching. That he'd discard her and punish her. She would be treated like Zuko.

Try as she might, she could not stop the flame. The more she bent, the stronger the flame grew. She could only add fuel to the fire. With each failed attempt, her panic grew. Aang would see her as a loser. All the respect she earned from him would be lost. She would lose him.

Word of this would surely reach her father. He always warned her what happened if she proved to be weak. She wasn't weak. She could control this fire. She was going to put out this flame. If she didn't, she'd be the new Ursa, the new Zuko.

Her teacher.

Her best friend.

Her father.

She'd lose them.

The only person who wouldn't care would be her brother. He already hated her, she thought.

These thoughts came to an explosive conclusion when the General and Aang came within earshot of the panicked princess.

Without a word, the General took a strong stance. With the entire weight of his body, he pulled the flames from the trees and sent them into the nearby lake, extinguishing the blaze. The effort left the old man visibly exhausted.

"H-how?", Azula was astonished. There was an angier in her voice. "Why couldn't I-?"

The General had a dismissive visage. "Because you have been trained wrong!" Back was the angry mentor from the start of the morning. "You were taught only to fight! Only to hurt!" General Jeong Jeong was going to continue. He was going to lay the blame at the feet of her previous teacher. He knew she was simply doing as she was taught.

He didn't get the chance.

Aang could see the tears well up in Azula's eyes. She was scared like an animal caught in a trap.

In desperation, Azula shot a blast at the ground between them. Vanishing behind the blaze, she ran off out of sight.

The general seemed unmoved.

Aang, who had already begun to run after his friend, was confused at the general's lack of action. "Aren't you going to come?"

"My presence will only worsen matters.", The general turned his back. "If you were smart, you'd do the same."

"Good thing I'm not smart then.", Aang tried his best to mock the general's words. Though, the monk's words missed their mark.


Zuko was not an Airbender. That was pretty clear. He was a Firebender who played at being a Nonbender. Riding a skybison was not something in his skillset.

The beast was comfortable enough with him. No doubt, it recognized the young prince as a friend of Aang. It probably helped that Zuko had been caring for the bison the last few days.

Even with the bison' cooperation, Zuko was uncomfortable sitting at the creature's head. Below him, there was a long fall into the river. It made him nervous.

He tightened his grip on the reigns. The river only went out to sea from one side. The confederates had to be somewhere at the end of the river. They couldn't have gotten much farther in only a day's time, even with the help of Waterbending.

The dual dao swords clattered on the boy's back. He had only practiced for two days with the master. It was arguably too soon to rush into battle.

If it was for his little sister, however, he knew he had to. Her best friend was on the line. He couldn't let her down.


Aang knew Azula couldn't have gotten too far. She didn't seem to be in her best state of mind earlier. Something was eating her up. It couldn't just be the fire. There was something deeper at work.

Yesterday, she had called the monk "uncle" because of his reprimanding. She confided that her mother thought she was a monster. The young Avatar knew she was hurting inside, but he had no idea what to say to her then. He still didn't. However, something told him he couldn't just abandon her to "work it out" like General Jeong Jeong was doing.

Taking to the air, the monk scanned the treeline. It wouldn't be easy to find her from here under normal circumstances. The monk remembered how she almost burned Jeong Jeong's sign when she snapped a while back. He had a feeling she would be doing something similar now.

Sure enough, he saw smoke coming through the treetops. Turning his glider down, he landed nearby.


Azula sat with her back to the wall. To her left, she burnt a few leaves. A small flame that was unlikely to grow far. Still, it made her feel better to burn it. It was what she was best at.

Burning leaves.

Burning trees.

Burning her brother's face.

Her father always praised her for burning things. That was what Firebending was all about, wasn't it? Burning things with fire. That's what father taught her. Now, this old geezer is demanding she change everything because her father was wrong? If he was wrong, then what does that mean about her?

She always did as he asked, even when the order terrified her. She knew it was wrong when he asked her to do "that" to her brother, but she had to believe it was the right thing to do. Anything else would be too terrifying to contemplate.

The girl heard the light thud of Aang landing. She wanted to run away. Even attack him. But she let it pass. She was already exposed. At least he wasn't going to punish her for it.

Aang came next to Azula and sat down.

A long silence passed. "Are you okay?", he finally started.

Azula said nothing.

"You know, General Jeong Jeong said that if I had already learned Waterbending, I probably would have been the one to start the fire." Aang tried to joke. He could tell it failed to land from her silence.

Aang said nothing for a time again.

"Do you want to talk about it?", Aang tried again to reach her.

"Go away.", Azula mumbled, "I don't need your pity."

Aang was confused. "Pity? Azula, you're my friend. I'm here because I want to help you."

A weak laugh escaped. "Help me? Airhead, you really think I'm so weak that I need help from you? I'm Azula, princess of the Fire Nation!" Her voice raised into a shout. "I'm going to win this war! I'm going to destroy the Water Confederation! I'm going to be Fire Lord!" She turned to Aang with disgust. "Why would I need help from someone as pitiful as you?" An evil grin overtook her.

Aang got up in angier. "I don't know why I keep trying to help you!" He went to walk away, but he stopped. He turned back to the sitting girl and sat next to her again.

"What? Weren't you leaving? I don't need you! Go!", Azula snapped back.

"You're afraid, I can tell." Aang looked at the ground. "You want me to leave because you want to run away."

"Like you did?", Azula laughed, "Don't flatter yourself, airhead."

"I know you're lashing out because you don't want to let me in." Aang kept to a calm voice.

"Why would I be afraid of letting you in?", Azula was cruel and mocking, "I let you know about how Uncle and mother thinks of me. There: I'm not afraid. I'm an open book. A girl with mommy issues. Happy? Now go! I'm sure you can find another hard-luck case in that poor excuse for a town."

"This isn't about them." Aang looked to Azula. "This is something worse. Something about General Jeong Jeong scares you."

"I'm not afraid!", Azula shot at the top of her lungs. Aang leaned back in surprise. Guilt took Azula's face, tears coming out. Weaker, she said again "I'm not afraid."

"I'm not weak.", she muttered.

"I know you're not weak." Aang tried to put a hand on her shoulder but it was knocked away. Rubbing his wounded wrist, he continued. "You're one of the strongest people I know."

Azula grmly laughed. "Is this the part where I say I never had a friend before and we all hold hands?"

Aang sighed. "I mean it. You keep running towards your goal and never stop. You're relentless. You deal with your problems head on." Aang looked at the tattoo on the back of his hand. "I ran away. And the world turned out like this."

Azula gave the quiet airbender a quick look over.

"Fine!", she burst out, "I'll tell you. If only to stop this pity party you started."


It was three years ago. Zuko and Azula had just begun to grow into adults. Their Uncle had left on a political voyage to the Northern Earth Kingdom to beg for help from King Bumi.

Ozai was always the better diplomat. He knew what he wanted and pursued it without pause. Iroh was always quick to appease and find common ground, like a coward. His weakness was favored by the governors of the Fire Islands, it fed into their own pathetic cowardice. Ozai hated when he was left out of these important meetings.

Ozai was always more honest when his brother wasn't around. Azula thought it was part of Ozai's game. There was no way her father could be afraid of his fat older brother. Clearly, he cooled his angier around Iroh to keep his loyalty. For what ultimate purpose, Azula did not know. She just knew there was wisdom in her father's plans.

It was still difficult when he was alone, even as the favored child. She knew Ursa and Zuko hated her. They were punished for their transgressions where she was allowed to be in peace. That was simply the way of things, as father had told her once. The strong are rewarded and the weak are punished.

Azula was strong.

"What is this slop?", Ozai poked at his stew.

"It's beef stew.", Ursa cowardly whimpered.

Ozai tossed the soup aside. "I am a royal and you feed me commoner cuisine!?", Ozai reprimanded his wife.

"It's what I could afford today.", Ura insulted her husband's wealth.

Ozai huffed. "Are you calling me poor?"

Zuko stood up. Azula didn't show it, but, whenever Zuko acted like this, her blood would run cold. Why did her brother stand up to father like this? Was he trying to say he was strong? Couldn't he do things the right way for once? Just as father said? This fighting wasn't strength. He'd just be punished again.

She was always afraid how Ozai would punish her big brother.

"Dad, you're taking this too far! It's just dinner!"

Just dinner?, Azula thought. It's father's pride. Couldn't Zuko understand that? Did the weak think so differently?

Ozai turned to Azula's brother with disgust. "Shut up, you ingrate!", Ozai shot back, "You're my first born. Be lucky that I haven't revoked your right to the throne, you weakling."

"Zuko," Azula pleaded with her eyes, "do just as he said. Don't get into a fight, you'll lose."

Her eyes must have done the trick because Zuko did as father asked: getting him a new bowl of soup. Azula wanted to give a sigh of relief, but she knew better. Father would question it. How has mother and Zuko not figured out how he worked yet?

"You and Azula are behind on your training. Both of you are to follow me to the training grounds tonight."

Azula felt better. Training was always relaxing. She could never do anything wrong there. She didn't have to hold things back or keep her mouth shut. Just being herself was rewarded.

She wished the same was true for Zuko.

"Your leg is too low, Zuko."

"Your breath is too weak, Zuko."

"Your punch is too slow, Zuko."

Why couldn't he just try harder? Father's training was always easy. He never insulted Azula's work.

"Good kick, Azula"

"Exemplary power, Azula."

"Fast punch, Azula."

While she was in the middle of her routine, her brother did something that scared her again. Something that terrified her to her core. Why did he have to say that? Didn't he know how father was by that point? Didn't he learn?

"Can you say one nice thing about me? All you ever do is yell and complain!" Zuko was like a raging inferno. "You always act like you're so perfect. You treat me like dirt.

Zuko let it all out. His voice rose with every word. "Our family is not the royal line it used to be! Grandfather ran us broke! You destroyed every ally Uncle made! Stop clinging to the past! Stop acting like I have to be ready to inherit some throne our people lost a hundred years ago.

Azula could only look to her father with horror. What would come next? Would father hit him on the spot? Would he do worse?

"Please," she wanted to beg, "don't hurt him. He's just a dum-dum. He doesn't get how it works." But she knew better than to speak.

Moments later, she stood over her brother. In a way, she was relieved. Father simply wanted her to prove how superior her training was with a simple sparring match. A reminder to Zuko that Azula was strong and Zuko was weak. Maybe even a bit of hope that Zuko could become strong one day, if he just let himself learn for once.

"What are you waiting for? Strike!" Ozai commanded.

Azula felt ice. Was her father seriously suggesting she burn her brother's face? This was a joke, surely. "He lost, Father. We can end this sparring match here."

"Did I say this was a sparring match?", Ozai foamed at the mouth, "this is an Agni Kai: burn his face! He will wear a mark for his shame."

Azula could not believe what she heard. Father was strict, but this was too far. Zuko didn't deserve such a punishment. Not even mother deserved that. "That tradition died even before great grandfather Sozin. People will think it's a Ryujin bokkei. They'll think he's a traitor to our people."

"Did he not insult the crown prince of our fair nation? Did he not insult our divine right to rule?" Ozai was relentless. "He spoke treason. The punishment fits."

"Father," Azula whimpered. She was scared. She looked down to her big brother for help.

"Azula, do you want to be the next Ursa? The next Zuko? I have treated you with privilege because you were strong." Ozai had no love in his voice. "Prove you're weak and I will show no mercy."

Azula's face was pained. She couldn't become the next Zuko. Her brother could endure it. He was stronger than her. She couldn't. She was weak. She was afraid. She wanted someone to save her. Give her any reason to escape this moment.

That's when she saw her brother's mouth "It's okay." She wanted to thank him. Instead, she did as father asked, as always.


Aang was speechless. After hearing that story, he couldn't stop himself from staring at the girl.

Azula looked away. "You think I'm a monster too now, don't you?"

The monk was flabbergasted. "You? No, not you. Your father is the monster."

Azula shot back at Aang, "I'm the one who burned him. And f-father must have had his reasons."

The young Avatar had a sullen look. Rising to his feet, he stretched out his hand.

"What? Aren't you going to say something? Some sappy speech about friendship or some garbage like that?", Azula refused to take his hand.

"What happened to you is awful, but I can't fix it.", Aang looked away for a moment, "I can be here for you now, though. We can learn Firebending together. I'll listen whenever you need a moment to talk like this, just like before with Ty Lee. I'll do what I can to help you deal with things."

Azula scoffed, "Because you think I'm weak."

"No," Aang shook away her words, "Because I know even someone with all the power in the world still needs help sometimes."

Azula waited a few moments. The air grew heavy.

She grabbed Aang's hands.

On her feet, she tried to shake the last few moments off. "General Jeong Jeong just reminded me of how father treated Zuko. I was afraid he was going to make me the new 'Zuko.'"

"General Jeong Jeong seems strict, but I think he's a good person." Aang smiled.

"Well," Azula was starting to get back to her old self, "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to trust an airhead's judge of character once and awhile."

The two started to head back to the shore.