Update:

This story originally started because I was bored in quarantine but once I started writing it, the ideas just kept coming. However, I noticed that the start of my story was quite stiff. English isn't my first language and I didn't expect this story to continue after three chapters or so. So, I have rewritten parts of this story: the story is pretty much the same, but I have adjusted the grammar, spelling and added some new details.

I rewrote the previous chapters to give their backstory more depth, make the emotions more realistic and let the story flow more to the idea that I now envisioned. (Not enormous differences, but just a bit more so it fits my writing style now)

I view Book 1 as more of Elyrie's story to find herself, while Book 2 focusses more on Zuko's journey. Book 3 will be divided between the two of them. I think I will finish the whole series (if people of course like the read it). I have the whole plot planned, but please leave feedback because it does help me write.

Thank you :)

"Do you really want to fight me?"

"Yes." Zuko answered as he jumped off his ostrich-horse, "I really do."

Tossing aside his straw-hat, Zuko straightened his spine as he looked at his younger sister. Her face showed no surprise at his sudden appearance.

"I was wondering when you'd show up Zuzu." She said casually as she crossed her arms.

"Back off Azula!" Zuko said, ignoring her comment, "He's mine." He immediately took his fighting stance, stretching both his arms to his adversaries.

This was a showdown he had been waiting for since his sister's betrayal. He had now the two people in the world who he'd wanted to beat more than anything else.

In the corner of his eye, Zuko could make out his familiar figure. The distinctive orange and yellow clothing, his bald head, the prominent Airbending tattoo's. It would take all his strength to take down the Avatar, especially now he mastered at least two elements. Zuko didn't knew how far he was with his Earthbending training, but knowing how talented he was, he'd assume the worst.

Yet, for the first time he wasn't the one Zuko was worried about.

Azula took her stance as well. "I am not going anywhere." She said, her voice dangerous and threatening as she smirked at him.

A silence fell over the abandoned town. The soft breeze made the old buildings creak and moan, but the three people in the middle made no sound.

Zuko's eyes went from the Avatar to his sister, keeping his gaze fixed on them as he tried to see who would attack first. The Avatar had his staff raised in defence, but his eyes had dark circles under them and he seemed not in his best shape.

Zuko flexed his fingers as he waited. He had tracked his sister for hours as soon as he saw the mysterious metal machine cross through the silent landscape of the Earth Kingdom. At first, he had avoided her but he quickly realised he wasn't the one she was after.

This confused him, but only for a second. He might not have the same cunning mind as his sister but it wasn't difficult to guess who she'd been tracking. There is one person more important to capture, Zuko thought as his eyes went to the Avatar.

And now, he found himself standing between the Avatar and his sister. This is a rematch I've been waiting for, he thought. If he defeated his sister and captured the Avatar, he might have a chance to regain what he had lost.

Lost in his thoughts of the future, he saw the twitch of Azula's lips too late.

Without hesitation, Azula aimed her blue flames at him. Zuko conjured a fire shield to deflect it, but reacted too slow and felt himself flying backwards against the old building. With a loud crash, he landed on the wooden porch, which broke when he was smashed against it.

Couching and panting, he felt his back sting when it had collided with the old wood. Splinters flew in all directions, but none seemed to have caused him permanent damage. And even if they did, Zuko wouldn't have noticed. He was far too angry now.

Immediately standing up, his eyes searched for his sister. She wasn't on the ground anymore but was aiming her flames from the rooftops. He gritted his teeth when he saw her move with elegance, as if it didn't take her any trouble facing two enemies at once.

The Avatar was still on the ground, which gave Zuko the opportunity to aim his fireblast at him. Azula had landed as well, aiming a blast of her own. But the Avatar – always evading a fight – circled around all their attacks as he tried to make his way out of the town.

He didn't get that chance, but now Azula was standing between Zuko and the Avatar. To any other person, this might have been a disadvantage. But for Azula, this was a chance to show how precise and in control she was. Aiming with her middle and index finger, she shot her small blasts to the two men she was facing.

Zuko tried to land a blow, but she was too fast. He tried several shots, but missed all of them. Feeling his anger grow, he leaped in the air directly behind his sister. He used his legs to firebend as he struck the ground.

Azula reacted quickly and shielded herself with her blue flames. For a second, Zuko was blinded when the two fires collided. The orange and blue flames created a wall of fire as a result of the impact, but neither one of them was fazed by it for long. Zuko ducked when his sister fired another time and tried to knock her off her feet. Of course, she managed to evade his attacks again and forced him to back away when she unleashed another attack on him.

Zuko landed with both hands on the ground to prevent any damage as he took a second to catch his breath. Lack of food, water and proper training took its toll on him, but he refused to give up now that he was so close.

When he looked up, he saw that his sister ran up a flight of stairs in pursuit of the Avatar in an old building. He stood back up and ran after them, taking the stairs two flights at a time.

The doorway at the top of the stairs was open and Zuko ran as fast as he could through it. In less than a second, he realised that might have been a mistake.

In a flash, he saw the Avatar floating on a ball air and his sister standing with her back against the wall. Before he could wonder why they where doing that, he felt the ground disappear beneath him. With a yell he fell roughly down onto the first level floor, sending up a cloud of dust.

Wiping his eyes, he could just make out the Avatar as he pushed Azula off the railing in an attempt to get away. His sister landed next to him on the floor as he pushed himself back up. Like a cat, she landed elegantly on her legs with an almost bored expression at her brother.

"You know," she began as her eyes followed her brother as they circled each other on the floor, "When you came here, I thought it was for your little friend."

Azula feigned her surprise very well, but it wasn't entirely a lie. She was of course an excellent liar, but some part of her had expected her brother to come barging in and demand that the little wench was to be set free. After all, that had been the reason for her to keep that nasty halfblood alive. She was no further use to her, except to bait her brother.

Zuko's eyes widened when his sister relaxed her stance. "What are you talking about?"

"Your little halfblood friend? She was so nice to come and visit me." Azula elaborated, her amber eyes carefully examining her brother's face. Her words did not miss their intended effect, because she saw fear and rage cross Zuko's face.

"What have you done to her?" Zuko growled, "Where is she!?" Fear gripped his heart when he saw his sister's face split in her menacing smile.

What did she do to her? What happened? Why did I leave her alone? She can't have..

In his surprise and shock, Zuko had lowered his guard which was exactly what Azula was hoping for. Azula didn't wait for a moment to knock him over with a fireblast.

Not having enough time to shield himself, Zuko was pushed through the walls and landed hard on the unforgiving earth. The air was knocked out of his lungs and the impact on the back of his head made his vision go black immediately.

Pathetic sentimental fool, Azula thought as she stepped over the unconscious body of her brother. She almost felt pity for him when she saw how easy it was to bring him out of balance. Don't you know? Love is weakness.

"She is Zuko's sister?" Katara repeated, at the same time Sokka cried out: "There are more?!"

"She is far more dangerous than he is." Elyrie answered as she held onto the side of the saddle.

Appa yawned again, obviously tired from lack of sleep and the continuous activity of the night. Elyrie tightened her hands again of the side as she filled in Katara and Sokka on their new enemies.

Azula had been right when she had opted that the Avatar was trying to distract them, which caused Elyrie to be taken with Mai and Ty Lee in pursuit of the skybison. The ride – on which she was swung up and down – had been most uncomfortable in her paralysed state, but that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was when Azula had been right and Ty Lee and Mai found the skybison with Katara and Sokka on it.

After a short chase, a fight had ensued. Elyrie had never felt so useless: while Katara, Sokka, Ty Lee and Mai were battling each other, all she could do was try to get Appa's attention. The poor creature had been exhausted and was sleeping soundly while his friends were almost captured.

Luckily, her fervent cries were enough to make him open his eyes just long enough to send Ty Lee and Mai flying into the river. Elyrie would be lying if she didn't feel bad for them, but they were working with Azula. And remaining Azula's prisoner equals a lot of trouble, so she wasn't too sad about it.

Katara had managed to free herself from Mai's daggers and used her healing powers to patch up both Sokka and Elyrie. The reunion, although quite joyous, was short-lived when Elyrie filled them in on Azula's plans.

Appa had recovered enough to fly them, but Elyrie didn't feel anything for falling mid-air without anything to hold on. So - as she gripped the saddle and hold on for dear life –, she had filled in Katara and Sokka as much as she could about Mai, Ty Lee and Azula. How dangerous each of them was, what their particular skills were and how skilled they were at what they were doing.

"I thought we had strange friends," Sokka said as he steered the reigns to follow the fur trail Aang had left, "But your circle of friends seems to be made up entirely of psychopaths."

"You have no idea." Elyrie mumbled as she looked over the dry lands. They had left the forest behind them when the trail seemed to go into desert-like environment.

"There they are!" Katara exclaimed as she pointed in the distance. Elyrie squinted her eyes and she saw an old town being lit up by orange and blue flames. That is hard to miss, she thought dryly. Even from this distance, she could she that at least half of the building had been set on fire.

"Aang!" Katara yelled when she saw an orange and yellow clothed person jumping on a roof. Sokka stirred Appa to the battle and both siblings jumped down to assist their friend.

Elyrie followed, but she had seen something else. They arrived just in time to see a blast of blue flames knock over someone. Even from the far distance, Elyrie would recognize the figure everywhere.

Zuko! She ran to him, practically falling over her own feet to get to him as quickly as possible. Her breath hitched when she saw that he didn't get back up and she kept praying he wouldn't be hurt badly. Please, no, please. Not like this, not like this.

She fell on her knees in the sand as she frantically felt his pulse. Her other hand touched his face, hoping she would at least see some sign of life. He groaned as she did this and a wave of relief flushed over her. At least he was alive. She leaned back on her heels as she exhaled, but she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Help them." a calm voice instructed her when she felt hand on her shoulder. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Uncle Iroh's determined look as he knelt down by his nephew, "He will be all right."

Elyrie only nodded as she let go of Zuko's wrist and followed the trail of blue flames into the town. As she looked up, she saw that fire had spread across the roofs. It wouldn't take long before the entire town – small though it was – burnt to the ground.

As she searched for Katara and Sokka, she heard a cry when Katara sprinted out of a building which might have been a tavern once. Azula was hot on her heels, which was never a good sign. However, before she could catch Katara, Elyrie saw that Sokka blocked her way and swung his machete at her.

Azula ducked in a reflex, but it didn't take long for her to retake control. Now that she had the two Water Tribe peasants in front of her, she had free range. One of them wasn't even a bender, which would make it all the more easy.

Azula smirked when she blasted a firewhip at the siblings, but was surprised when her flames changed course before they even came close to them. She followed the string of flames and she saw that one familiar face smirk as she aimed the flames back at her. For the second time, Azula ducked and when she looked back up again, a pair of glittering blue eyes glared at her.

How did she get here? Azula cursed inwardly when she saw Elyrie block her attacks without effort. For some reason, the fact that the halfblood blocked her attack again was enough to get under her skin. The one thing Azula always prided herself on was the fact that Elyrie never received any firebending training, while she herself was considered the best bender in the Fire Nation.

In her frustration, she aimed a second attack at her but the girl managed to avoid it just as easily. But what truly surprised Azula was that she didn't just evade the flames. She had seen it on her ship, but that little halfblood summoned a circle of flames around her. With the flames dancing around her, she again shot small fireblasts in her direction.

I should have killed her when I had the chance. Azula thought just before the ground moved under her feet and she lost her balance.

"I thought you guys could use a little help." The Fire Princess heard someone say as she extended her hands to avoid collision with the ground. Azula mentally damned every single one of the people in the old town at that moment.

At the same moment, her brother finally opened his eyes again. "Uncle?" Zuko said as his blurry vision made out the form of Iroh.

"Get up!" Iroh ordered as he pulled his nephew from the ground.

"Where's Elyrie? Azula said-," Zuko began before his Uncle pointed over his shoulder. He saw her familiar figure blocking Azula's attacks. He wanted to help her, but a firm grip on his elbow stopped him.

"This way." Iroh instructed in a tone which didn't allow any protest. All Zuko could do was nod and follow his Uncle between the ruined buildings.

Just when he was about to ask why they were going in an alleyway, he saw his sister cut the corner and ran straight onto his Uncle's massive form. His rotund belly was enough to halt Azula in her flight and let the others catch up.

As soon as he saw the familiar auburn curls, Zuko let out a sigh of relief. She didn't appear to be hurt, but her cheeks were flushed and her eyes shimmered with a new form of determination.

He saw that she gave him a mischievous grin. He had seen that grin often enough when they were younger and they were hiding from Azula's taunting. And he knew what it meant now: Let's do this.

"Look at this, enemies and traitors all working together." Azula sneered as she looked around the seven enemies that forced her agains the wall. Her catlike eyes went over all of them as she tried to calculate her chances. On her right, she saw the Water Tribe siblings: one waterbender, the other a warrior. The Avatar was standing between them, his hands raised in a threatening manner.

Then came the Earthbending girl, the one who'd knocked her over just moments ago. From her gaze, Azula almost immediately saw that she was blind. She wasn't looking straight at her, but Azula was clever enough not to assume that this was in any way a disadvantage.

On her far left, she saw her Uncle and her brother. Both of them accomplished firebenders, she had to admit that even her brother had improved over time. The famous Dragon of the West was difficult enough to take on one-on-one, but with six others around it was nearly impossible.

Finally, her eyes landed on the last one in the group: the girl standing between her brother and the Earthbending girl. She had been the most unpleasant surprise of them all, and if it were up to Azula she would have obliterated the halfblood right on the spot.

But for now, that had to wait. Azula was a patient woman: her time would come.

"I am done," Azula said while raising her hands, "You got me, I know when I'm beaten. A Princess surrenders with honour."

Nobody moved. She didn't expect them too, but she kept her gaze focused on the blue eyes in front of her. All it took was for Elyrie to let her guard down just a moment. Come on, Azula baited her, lower those hands. Hurting one of them as a diversion was a fool proof plan. The damaged wall behind her was low enough to blast herself over, which meant she would be out of their sight. Also, she thought with a menacing grin, when one is hurt, they will all flock to her like the fools they are.

Iroh saw the amber eyes of his niece focus Elyrie. As he briefly looked over at Elyrie, he noticed the young Earthbending girl next to her. It was the same girl with who he had only hours ago shared a cup of tea.

Their little chat over tea had cheered him up, but he hadn't expect to see her here. She stood just as fierce as the rest of the group and her body language told him that she knew the Avatar and his group.

An Earthbender, he realised, she is his new teacher.

The second he realised this, was the second Azula reacted. She too had seen how her Uncle was briefly distracted. And to take out the most powerful of them all was exactly the kind of advantage she'd hoped for. I will get my chance with her one day, Azula vowed as she moved into motion.

Quicker than the lightening she often produced, Azula shot a precise fireshot straight to Iroh's form. She hit him right where his heart was.

With a cry, Iroh lost his balance and staggered backwards. As soon as he was hit, Elyrie had turned around in a reflex to catch him. A loud explosion quickly followed and the thick, black smoke blinded her for a moment.

As soon as the smoke had cleared, she saw Zuko sitting on his knees in front of her on the other side of Uncle's unconscious body.

"Get away from us!" Zuko yelled as he looked over his shoulder at the Avatar and his group. He immediately turned back to search Elyrie's face for clues as she listened for a pulse. Her face was undisturbed, as if she didn't notice the other people.

"Zuko, I can help." he heard Katara say behind him. That made him snap: her pity was the last thing he needed right now.

"Leave!" He roared as he raised his fist to blast fire at the group behind him. But before he could do that, he felt another hand grab his wrist and pull it down. In a reflex, Elyrie had grabbed his arm to prevent him from aiming at the group. He looked at her in disbelief, but she didn't look at him. She had already let go of him and walked to the group.

"No! Wait, please!" Zuko heard her cry out as the group started to run away. He didn't turn around to see what she would do, but instead bowed his head as he tried to find any form of life in his Uncle.

Elyrie immediately turned to Katara. "Can you heal him?" she said in a pleading tone, her blue eyes large with worry.

Katara said nothing at first as she looked wary at Zuko, who still sat beside his Uncle. Elyrie gave her a quick nod of understanding before she turned around to place a hand on Zuko's shoulder. He didn't react to it, but she spoke to him even so.

"Zuko," Elyrie said softly, "Please let her help him." Zuko didn't say anything, but he remained on his knees beside Iroh.

"He is wounded and in a lot of pain." The soft voice was firmer now, as he felt her hand gliding down his arm to his hand. He still kept his head bowed, but she took his hand and gently and pulled him away. Zuko didn't look up once, but felt that Elyrie pulled him away to a safe distance.

Elyrie strategically placed Zuko with his back to his Uncle. She put her arms around him and turned his face away. He could hate her for this, but Uncle was not about to be a victim to his pride.

"She healed me too when Zhao-, when I was wounded at the North Pole. She won't hurt him" She whispered to him, but Zuko didn't miss the faltering in her voice when she misspoke. He remembered the puddle of blood on the ice when Zhao had stabbed Elyrie.

"Please?" Elyrie whispered as she pulled him closer and wrapped her arms around his neck. Finally Zuko slumped his shoulders and leaned onto her smaller frame. Taking that as a yes, Elyrie nodded over Zuko's shoulder to Katara.

The waterbender nodded back and the ribbon of water flowed out of her waterskin as she knelt beside Iroh's unconscious body. Glowing water covered his burned skin as Katara's skilled hands moved to heal the damaged skin and nerves. Elyrie let out a sigh of relief when she saw his face relax when he felt the pain lessen.

All that time, Elyrie hold onto Zuko as if she was afraid he would suddenly turn around and attack them. Zuko said nothing as he felt Elyrie holding onto him. He could feel her bones sticking out as he leaned his head on her shoulders. But despite her apparent weakened state, she hold him quite forcefully.

He knew better than to protest now, but he felt betrayed. She talked to the Avatar and his group so freely, as if she knew them. His thoughts came to all sorts of conclusions, but none of them satisfied him. Even more strange, that wasn't the thing that bothered him the most. Well, it was, but now he kept thinking of the hint of fear in her voice when she talked about Zhao.

After less than a minute, Katara stood up and nodded to Elyrie.

"He'll make it." She said when the water flowed back into the waterskin.

"Thank you." Elyrie mouthed to her over Zuko's shoulder. Sokka motioned to Zuko's back with a questioning look in his eyes and Elyrie shook her head at him. She was staying with Zuko and Uncle. They needed her.

"Go!" she said. The group all ran back to Appa, who had been waiting for their return.

Only when Elyrie saw Appa fly off did she let go of Zuko.

He said nothing to her and Elyrie did not expect him to.

While he got the ostrich-horse - the one Uncle had travelled on since Zuko's animal seemed to have disappeared when the fighting broke out -, Elyrie knelt down again next to Iroh. He was still unconscious, but Elyrie was comfortable enough to move him now that she knew that most of his wounds were healed on the inside. She mentally thanked Katara again, because she had been too afraid to move him if he had any internal injuries.

As Zuko lifted his Uncle on the ostrich-horse, Elyrie steadied him with both hands. Zuko took the reins and stirred the animal up the hill to a lonely cabin. The whole way, they didn't speak and for the first time, Elyrie didn't mind in the slightest; she had no idea what to say to him.

Zuko was occupied too much with his own thoughts as they walked on. He did his best not to look at the burned skin and the charred clothing of his Uncle. The feeling of nausea resurfaced when he thought about the smell of charred flesh, but he swallowed it down. Ever since he received his own scar, the smell and look of burn wounds made him feel physically sick. But now, the thought that his Uncle's life had been hanging by a thread was even worse.

And she let them help him, he thought angrily as he looked over to Elyrie's face. She didn't look at him as she was completely focussed on Uncle. He wanted to yell at her, but he was afraid he'd disturb his Uncle.

After what felt like an eternity, they finally reached the cabin. It was abandoned – just like Zuko had hoped – and he lifted his Uncle from the animal. Elyrie had placed straw on the floor to soften it as much as possible.

Zuko carefully laid down his Uncle and turned away when the wound was exposed again. Elyrie, on the other hand, only needed one look as she stood up and grabbed something out of the saddlebags

She was glad she had bought so much bandages before, because this was exactly the moment she needed them. She dipped her middle and indexfinger in the ointment and gently applied it to the red skin on Uncle's chest.

"Where did you learn to tend wounds?" Zuko asked as he watched her fingers skilfully apply the ointment.

"At the Stonghold." She answered without looking up, "I often received burns during training. Hold him for me, will you?" she asked as she measured the amount of bandage she would need to cover the wounds. Zuko carefully lifted his Uncle up again while Elyrie tore the shared pieces of his clothing off so she had better access. We can buy new clothes, she thought as she started winding the bindings around Uncle's chest and shoulder.

As she was so occupied with nursing Uncle, she didn't see that Zuko's focus shifted to her. Now that he knew his Uncle would make it, he allowed himself to look at Elyrie. Her sapphire eyes were fixed on her work and she pushed a lock out of her face.

Zuko had seen her do that at least a thousand times. For some reason, it had a calming effect on his conflicting thoughts. He knew she knew the Avatar: she had helped him when he was captured in the Stronghold. And of course she knew the rest of his group, she had been with them on the North Pole.

So why was he so offended? He had known for some time that her loyalty was always to herself, not to any nation or group. Was it because he was still afraid that she didn't need him? That she would leave him when she could? But she had stayed with Uncle, even after he left them. Had that been a mistake?

"Thank you." Elyrie interrupted his thoughts as she secured the bandages with a small pin. Carefully, they both lowered Uncle on the straw to make sure he wouldn't be disturbed.

"I think rest is now the most important thing." Elyrie said as she turned to Zuko. When the golden eyes met the sapphire eyes at last, she gave him a small smile.

"I'll look for food." Zuko said, not answering her smile as he stood up. Elyrie put the remaining bandages and ointment back in the bags as she watched Zuko walk out of the cabin.

What I would give to be able to know what goes on inside his head, she thought to herself as she leaned against the wall. Little did she know that Zuko was just wondering the exact same thing.