Azula in a Year

by Baby Dolnar

Azula's therapist keeps track of her progress in the asylum. Second chances are for everyone. Note: This story takes a very unethical turn and I hate it. I wrote this about nine years ago, but it's complete and kind of interesting so I thought I'd go ahead and post it here.

Title: Azula in a Year
Author: Annie Dolnar
Language: English, Rating: Rated: T
Genre: Drama, Hurt/Comfort
Originally Written: 12-17-2011

AN: Thanks, I hate it. Someone on Reddit told me to label this story- something about killing the dove? Basically, I do not endorse ANY of this strange thing I wrote when I was 17 as a model for a healthy relationship or even as ethical practice. Holy god, this is so unethical. The shame is real.

Progress Log

Patient: Azula

Physician: Yan-Lee

Day: 1(five days after the Firenation's defeat)

Notes: The Princess has been anounced as clinically insane and therefore cannot be executed, so she has been put under my care. Five trainees are required to keep her subdued. She eats sloppily and screams regularly. There is little hope of her sanity returning, and most of us hope that it does not, for she was manipulative and scary before she became insane.

Firelord Zuko has made it known that though he himself often wished she was dead, anyone who tries to assasinate her will be given horrible consequences. He said that killing the weak is wrong, and that at this time, Azula is very weak-minded. He does not want to see anyone in the firenation or beyond commit that kind of crime.

Day: 30

Notes: Azula shows signs of improvement, as well as a certain bond with one of the five trainees. Said trainee is the only one who can get her quiet alone. We believe she has taken a liking to him, of some kind.

The princess eats more neatly now, and goes to sleep without a fight. She screams less each day. But her mind is still broken and weak, and she is still insane beyond hope of improvement.

Avatar Aang has been to see her, but she lashed out at him. She did the same when her mother came to visit.

Day: 50

Notes: Princess Azula's condition is much the same. The trainee whom she took a liking to had to go away for a week, which caused her to go into an uproar and reverse her recovery process. It took a week after he returned for her to go back to how she was before he left. Firelord Zuko is now making arrangements for this trainee to be her personal guard, as he seems to be very helpful in her recovery.

In my own observations, I have discovered that the trainee- called "Jon"- speaks to Azula as though she is a human being and not a crazy person. He talks about his family and his friends back home. Once or twice I have heard him insult her when she acts up. It seems to work with her, though, as the bond between them is increasing.

Day: 90

Notes: Azula is now acting rather shy and oddly submissive around Jon. When he is not by her side, she sits and stares into space wistfully. Firelord Zuko came to visit with Jon in the room, and she did not protest, only stared blankly at him as though she had been hypnotized, like she does when Jon is around. Her only signs of life are that she moves, and sometimes there are expressions on her face, as well as tears and screaming some nights.

The princess is still clinically insane, however.

Day: 130

Notes: The princess has fallen ill. She collapsed one morning after eating a bowl of Firepuffs and has been in a coma-like state with a fever ever since. Jon is by her bedside at all times, holding her hand and stroking her face. I have never seen anything like this- it seems a trainee has fallen in love with an insane princess.

The patient has been in this condition for four days now, and we have contacted Firelord Zuko to let him know. General Iroh contacted us not long after to explain that Azula has a choice to make, and that she could possibly be returning to sanity. Either that, or she has truly fallen ill.

GranFirelady Ursa came to visit again, just before Princess Azula collapsed. She may have said or done something to cause Azula's "choice to make" illness, if that is what this is.

Day: 135

Notes: Princess Azula awoke for about thirty minutes today. While awake, she ate some oatmeal and said her first word since becoming truly insane(besides NOOOO): Jon. Jon smiled at her and had her eat, and all she could do was repeat his name over and over. I jokingly told him I was jelous that she didn't know my name.

The princess has been sleeping since, and her sleep is peaceful and without fever.

Day: 140

Notes: Princess Azula is now able to speak with Jon, but will only speak with Jon. Her speech is slightly slurred because she is tired from her last illness. Tomorrow we are examining her to see if she is insane any longer.

I saw Jon give her a kiss on the cheek just before coming out to tell me of her improvements. She accepted this.

Day:141

Notes: Before examination, Princess Azula expressed concern of what would happen to her if she were declared sane. She has told Jon she wishes to face the consequences, whatever they may be. Avatar Aang came to visit just before the examination took place, and she began to cry and beg him not to kill her and apologized profusely for everything she had done. The Avatar was extremely shocked as he reassured her that he was definetly not going to kill her or take away her bending. She still did not come out of her hysterics, and so was taken away.

During the examination, the doctors declared that although she had improved considerably, she was still considered insane. But now she will be examined every thirty days.

Day: 170

Notes: Princess Azula has been learning management of her emotions. She has made little progress. She cries herself to sleep every night, and goes into hysterics when any of her friends, family, or the avatar and his friends, comes to visit. Only Jon is able to pull her out of this. Azula is still considered insane by the doctors.

Day 200

Notes: Princess Azula is still making very little progress with her emotion management. Some nights, she screams, and Jon goes to comfort her. Sometimes, Jon stays with her for the entire night, just because she sleeps better with him nearby. Because her mother is a frequent visitor, she has started to break through to Azula, to where Azula will listen to her when she speaks and will not scream and flail when she visits.

Jon is able to get her to play Pai-Sho with him sometimes, and she is getting better at the game. Her mind is still calculating, and Pai-Sho helps her calculate without hurting others. Azula has expressed no desire to hurt others for 8 days now.

Day 230

Notes: Princess Azula is making good progress now. She will now play Pai-Sho with her Uncle and GranFirelady Ursa- her most frequent visitors. She no longer goes into hysterics when Firelord Zuko or Avatar Aang visit, and she speaks animatedly with the nurses.

One of the nurses showed her how to properly treat a wounded animal after one stumbled on the asylum doorstep the other day, and she seemed overjoyed to learn how to do so. She seems perfectly normal, although her dreams are still plagued by nightmares, she becomes quiet when anyone mentions her father, and she still goes into hysterics if someone says anything about her punishment without her bringing it up first(you can thank an idiot trainee called Chan for this. I suspect that Jon is the one that gave him a black eye and locked him in the supply closet, but I cannot be sure.

Day: 260

Notes: Although it seems to me and everyone else that Princess Azula is now completely sane, and is now only dealing with things every normal human has had to deal with(nigthmares, silence when someone speaks of something she is ashamed of), the doctors who are supposed to examine her are hesitant to declare her sane. I have contacted Firelord Zuko, Avatar Aang, and Lady Katara about this, and Jon has told me tha Azula wishes to face whatever punishment is meant for her, although he seems to believe she should not be punished. The rest of the world is calling to Avatar Aang to remove her bending, but he has expressed no wish to do so, and even assured her before that he would not.

Day: 270

Notes: Avatar Aang and Lady Katara came to visit together, and Lady Katara caused quite a scene with the doctors. She said what all of us have been thinking for a very long time- "Azula is as sane as I am, and she doesn't belong here anymore than I do! What are you keeping her here for?"

The doctors have promised to declare Azula sane on the next appointment in 20 days, which was approved by the Avatar because he, Lady Katara, and Firelord Zuko needed to meet and figure out what would happen to her and if she would be punished.

Day: 290

Notes: Azula has been declared sane today. Firelord Zuko came to a decision that she would do community service and that she would be supervized by Jon, whom he trusts to let her stop working when she is too tired.

The rest of the world is not at all pleased with this punishment, as the rest of the generals from the war were sentenced to life in prison, shoveling manuer. Firelord Zuko backed his actions by saying that Azula had been insane since a little after the Day of Black Sun, and as well by saying she was only fourteen when she commited her crimes. He also reminded the world of his part in the takeover of Ba Sing Se and explained that Azula deserved a second chance just as much as he had.

Day: 365 Follow-up appointment

Notes: Princess Azula is doing well. She is still sane and kept sane by Jon, without whom she says she would still be in the asylum. She works hard in a firenation hospital far away from the capital. She also picks up trash and participates in firefighting(she is usually assigned to trying to keep the flames from spreading). She says that the work is not fun, but she doesn't plan to try and escape from it.

Day: 730 Double follow-up

Notes: Azula's work is much the same, and she is now comepletely healed. She is married to Jon and expecting a baby. Doctors are now trying to get patients out of insanity using the same methods which were used by Jon with Azula.

THE END.