Azula barely slept. She wasn't sure if that was due to the excitement of her achievement or the turmoil from her realization. She opened and closed her hands repeatedly throughout the night, consistently producing a bright blue flame. She thought about her fuddy duddy uncle every time she saw it. It was nearly unbelievable that his advice, not Ozai's, was the reason she was able to achieve this. The fact that such a weak man helped make her successful nearly made her desire orange flames again.

She tried bending orange fire. She couldn't anymore. Her chi flowed so powerfully that she could feel its violent hum throughout her body. It felt as if it were begging to escape.

You know what? No. It couldn't have just been Iroh. That was more impossible than her turning into a purple platypus bear with pink horns and silver wings. He merely told her how to tap into that power, power that Ozai gave her. Yes, that was it. That was, in fact, the only plausible answer. Besides, if she could do it now, she would have probably done it on her own with her father. There was no way Iroh helped her become stronger. He was weak. His mercy, his inability to act, his loss of the throne. It was all because he was weak. Ozai became Fire Lord because he was strong. He was willing to sacrifice anything to achieve his goals. Her father even sacrificed her mother and brother for the throne.

Azula froze. Would he sacrifice her too? No, father would never do that to her. She shook her head violently to rid herself of such treacherous thoughts. Azula felt helpless. She felt like a slave to her racing thoughts. Why did they keep disobeying her? This was all her foolish uncle's doing. Since her uncle helped her achieve this, she wondered if it were even in her best interest to show Ozai. Yes, it was quite the legendary achievement, but it was partially Iroh's doing. He gave her the key and she used it, unaware of the consequences until it was too late. She couldn't control this fire. She was scared.

She took a deep breath and forced herself to think about how much stronger she was now. Ozai would be proud of that. She knew she could not say that it just happened out of nowhere. She would have to tell him the truth. Even if she wanted to lie to her father, the threat of getting caught was too large. The act of lying to Ozai about something like this would only result in severe punishment. Then again, he might see her as a threat because of her newfound abilities and punish her just as harshly. She knew that either way, Ozai only wanted what was best for her.

Azula steeled her nerves and stood. Her first training session today was with Ozai. She called in servants to prepare her for the day. They were prompt and quickly brought in her clothes. She tried to relax and clear her mind while they dressed her and fashioned her hair into its usual topknot. She couldn't decide whether her intrusive thoughts meant anything or not. Perhaps she was just being paranoid. Paranoia that wouldn't exist if her uncle had not meddled with her training, no doubt.

Once the servants were finished, Azula assessed her reflection. It was adequate, she supposed. With a swift flick of her wrist, the servants made their leave. Breakfast crossed her mind, but just the thought made her slightly queasy. She was definitely too nervous to eat. Throwing up on the Fire Lord during training would definitely result in some form of heinous punishment. Just the thought made Azula wince slightly.

She looked at the position of the sun in the sky. It would do her no good to put this off any longer. Azula clenched and unclenched her fists to help put her more at ease. It was time to eat the proverbial ostrich-horse.

Ozai was already waiting at the training grounds when she arrived. His expression was unreadable. The unease that had taken root in Azula's mind increased tenfold. It took nearly all of her self-control not to gulp in front of him. She did not know how to calm her nerves, he would notice any of the methods she employed. Ozai would notice them and consider them displays of weakness. There was no room for apprehension on the battlefield. He would be cognizant of her hesitation and her anxiety, then he would exploit it.

Her apprehension was palpable. Azula knew it was impossible for him to miss. He had designed her. Ozai's eyes narrowed as he examined his daughter. He noticed the slight shakiness of her breath, the short falter in her step after she saw him. Something was amiss and she would either tell him immediately or he would wring it out of her.

"Azula," he began, "is there a reason you are moving so slow?"

Her usual quick response was absent as she paused to think.

Ozai took note of this.

Her heart was pounding in her ears, it was a wonder that he couldn't hear it too.

She dipped into a low bow. "No, Father. I apologize."

"Then I suggest you begin."

"Yes, Father."

She bowed once more before assuming the proper ready stance. It took all of her willpower to remove the shakiness from her voice as she announced the name of her first form. Ozai's eyes looked down on her in scrutiny. His gaze spoke one thing: mistakes would not be tolerated.

Intimidating power met graceful fluidity as Azula expertly went through the movements. She had sworn to herself that she would refrain from bending, but her control quickly became truant as her breathing flawlessly synchronized with the steps. Her inner fire began to sing louder than it ever has. She has never felt more alive. For once, Azula chose to follow her heart's desire and relinquish what little control she had left.

Blue fire burst from her fist in a breathtaking display. She did not stop until her form was complete. She remained in her final stance for an appropriate amount of time before returning to ready position. Her euphoria was unmatched by anything she had ever felt. It was like she was floating. If Ozai struck her down this exact moment, she would still be content.

She steadied her breathing.

Her eyes met his.

He did not look mad, but he didn't look pleased either. His eyes were wide for just a moment before he narrowed them again.

Azula finally pinpointed what was hiding behind his stare.

It was envy.

Ozai was envious of her.

"When?" It wasn't a question. He was demanding a response.

Azula cast her gaze away from his, knowing that holding it would only coax his anger. It was a subconscious sign of submission; an act of self-preservation she learned through observation. Although she feared the repercussions of the truth, lying to father was not an option.

"Last night, Father." Azula thought maybe she could omit some of the facts, she hated the look he was giving her. Telling him it was Iroh that helped her would only make it all worse. "It happened while I was practicing my breathing. I-"

"Tell me the full truth, Azula. If you think your deceptive tactics will work on me, you're more of a fool than your brother was."

Was. That implication stung.

She knew this was a possible outcome, but she had dared to hope otherwise.

"Uncle Iroh taught me some methods to use during meditation that would help me utilize my chi more efficiently." All of her courage was swiftly escaping her. "After all of our training thus far, I thought it might prove beneficial."

Did she just openly refer to Iroh as her uncle? She mentally cursed herself. She knew better than to do so around her father.

Ozai remained silent.

"Why would you think Iroh's methods would be useful? He is weak. He abandoned his post simply because his son died. You know this, Azula." His tone was so cold that Azula was wholly unaware of the thinly-veiled jealousy that hid behind it.

"Of course, father. I meditated with him once before and it resulted in my fire changing for a brief moment. I thought that-"

His glare became much more pointed.

"So you lied."

Azula's eyes widened slightly. For a moment she thought that her heart stopped. The world around them seemed to vanish and all that existed was her father, staring down at her like she was nothing. She felt like she was lower than dirt. Like she was Zuko.

He's never looked at her this way before. He has never looked at her with such contempt.

"No, father." She knew better than to hope that Ozai wouldn't catch the shakiness of her voice. "The fire was inconsistent and I was unable to reproduce it until last night."

"I see."

Ozai looked away from her, but she didn't dare to move.

They were both silent and she wanted to scream at him to say something.

Finally, Ozai spoke.

"If you are strong enough to achieve such a legendary feat, then you are strong enough to begin sparring with me." He cast a judgemental glance in her direction. He was examining her, trying to gauge her reactions.

His smirk returned as he watched Azula's trepidation morph into relief, soon followed by pride. Ozai noticed that he still had complete control.

She bowed to him.

"Yes, Father."

He shed his outer robes and she bowed to him once again to signify respect before their first match.

He didn't return the gesture before stepping back into a sparring stance.

Her blast met his.

He would remind her of her place.

By the end of the day, Azula was left wishing they allowed waterbenders in the palace.

Iroh walked around the palace in search of his niece. He had heard the servants whispering about the change in her bending. Ozai must have seen the blue flames if the servants are talking about it. The former General had hoped to be there when she finally managed how to control it. He could have properly celebrated with her, now all he could do is worry.

There was no telling what Ozai would do. Would he be proud? Threatened? Agni, he couldn't imagine Azula's fate if she let it slip that he taught her. He had to get to her before Ozai could. He couldn't let the Fire Lord's talons sink any deeper than they already had.

"Ah, brother, I've been looking for you." Ozai's tone was laced with shameless hostility.

Iroh eyed him closely, quickly deducing that this was not going to be a very pleasant conversation.

"I had a very interesting training session with Azula this morning." Ozai paused to take the older man's appearance. Iroh looked rather unsettled, but he kept silent.

Ozai took in a slow, agitated breath.

"Yesterday evening, her fire was orange." He opened his hand and produced a small flame to punctuate his statement. "Then, she arrived for her lesson and her fire was blue." He closed the same hand violently, effectively extinguishing the light in his palm.

"I am aware that she has the ability to do this, yes. She did it once after we went through various breathing exercises and had tea together." Iroh smiled slightly, despite himself. If was one of the only fond memories that he had with his niece. "I am happy that she has gained control of it."

Ozai was silent while he stewed in his own fury.

Iroh's face turned serious as he faced his younger brother. "Are you not proud of her? Your daughter just achieved something that only the dragons themselves have been capable of."

"I am aware of that, brother. Or do you think me a fool?" Ozai sneered.

"I didn't mean to offend you, Ozai." Iroh dropped the Fire Lord's title on purpose, knowing that coaxing his anger would get him to reveal his true intentions. "I just hoped you'd see the gift the spirits placed in your hands by giving you such a prodigal daughter."

Ozai's fists clenched and fire left his nose with an angry exhale.

"I am aware of her prowess, Iroh." He growled. "I don't want your weakness to infect her. We all saw how well that worked for Lu Ten."

Iroh frowned. "You want to control her."

"She is my daughter."

"She is just a child, Ozai!" Iroh was angry with his brother. How could he treat his own child so cruelly?

"No, she is not 'just a child', Iroh." The Fire Lord glowered down at the shorter man. "She is the Crown Princess of the Fire Nation."

They were both furious. Neither spoke in an attempt to gain their bearings. Minutes passed before Iroh finally opened his mouth.

"Let me be one of her tutors." He was desperate at this point. "The only campaign of mine that failed was the Siege of Ba Sing Se. I could help her with understanding war tactics and formulating strategies. I could bring her to war meetings."

This made the Fire Lord pause. A tempting offer, he had to admit. If Azula fell short, he could simply punish them both and make sure Iroh is no longer one of her tutors.

"Fine." Ozai stroked his beard as he spoke. "But if I sense that any of your foolish teachings have begun to take root in her, you will both suffer."

"Very well." At this point, Iroh would take what he could get.

Ozai nodded at him and turned, the flashy robes of the Fire Lord billowing behind him in an impressive display as he made his way down the hall.

Iroh let out a sigh of relief once he was sure everyone was gone. Although he found a way to bond with Azula, Ozai's message was clear. They were both on thin ice.

A/N: This chapter was in the works for quite a few days before I was able to finish it and also proved to be the most difficult for me to write. This is where the major conflict in the story begins. The different forms of influence in Azula's life are stronger than they ever have been. Now that Iroh has found a way to actively be part of Azula's life, how will that change things? Where are Mai and Ty Lee? Thank you for reading! I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter! The next one should be up in the next week or so (I still have to write it).