Ozai stood over Azula at the end of their sparring match. The look of envy and anger never leaving his eyes. Azula's eyes were wide. This was the first time that she has ever been truly terrified of her father. She looked up at him and frantically tried to scoot back. Fire surrounded them both, she would burn no matter which direction she went. Ozai stepped forward and punched his fist out at her. All she could do was scream as searing pain overwhelmed her senses.

Azula's eyes shot open and she felt her chest heaving. The room was dark. Was she dead? She sat up and looked around. Everything was black, but both the feeling of her sheets and the scent of her room were familiar. She opened her palm and generated a small flame. The cold blue light illuminated her surroundings and allowed her to gain her bearings. She still had blue fire, she could still feel its heat. In a way, it made her much more uncomfortable. It was strange that a flame burning at such a high temperature could send a shiver down her spine. The quiet hum of the fire in her palm only served to remind her of the violent roar Ozai's own flames made when they consumed her.

Her breath was still shaky in the wake of her nightmare. Father would never kill her. She meant too much to him. She meant too much to the Fire Nation. She flexed her fingers and tried to take long, deep breaths to calm herself. She closed her eyes, but that proved to be a mistake. All she could see was Ozai's hateful glare. Her mind was racing all over again. Azula doubted that she was going to get much rest tonight.

Sunrise came earlier than she had expected. Although the light was welcome, the arrival of morning filled her with dread. The nightmare that she absolutely knew was an impossible event, still played clearly in her head. This was ridiculous. She was above this level of paranoia. Azula sighed and sat up, deciding to busy herself and keep her mind off of things. She stood up and stumbled a little.

The effects of yesterday's sparring session with Ozai were more consequential than she originally thought they would be. Her legs felt nearly useless and light burns coated her arms. To put it shortly, she was in pain. Going to the palace's infirmary was an option, but they would most certainly tell her father. Then again, they were also taught to keep their mouths shut. It could also be a test for her. Could she endure the pain or will she give in?

Azula chose to endure. She would never become a stronger firebender if she couldn't withstand a few sore muscles and burns. She chuckled to herself; Ozai would doubtlessly agree with that sentiment. Alternatively, he might be proud of her performance yesterday and let her have a break. It would certainly be a surprise, but a welcome one nonetheless. She rolled her eyes and sighed bitterly, she had to time to dwell on silly little daydreams. Father hasn't given her a spare moment since he found out about her lessons with Uncle.

Her thoughts froze and she frowned.

She just thought of him as "Uncle" again.

A rap at her door immediately tore her away from the sour thought. The princess's stomach sank. This was not a good sign at all. Being called upon this early only meant one thing; her father wanted to have breakfast with her. The harsh sound of a fist against her door echoed through her eerily silent room once more before she finally decided to open it.

"Come in," her voice was missing the dominant, commanding tone it usually had. She swallowed to lubricate her suddenly dry throat. Why was she so scared?

A servant entered her room and bowed respectfully. "Princess Azula," the servant kept her head down, "Fire Lord Ozai has asked that you meet him for breakfast." Azula's stomach dropped and she wanted to throw up. Her usually warm skin felt clammy and it felt like she couldn't breathe. This was much different than the trepidation she usually felt when her father summoned her in the past. Refusing to allow these feelings the pleasure of showing themselves, Azula simply nodded at the servant.

"You are dismissed." A simple wave of the hand was all it took to get the woman to leave. This left Azula alone again.

Deciding that she couldn't let her cowardly thoughts grip onto her, she busied herself with getting dressed. Not willing to face anyone, not even her servants, she did all of the usual morning tasks herself. Her hair proved to be the most difficult thing to arrange. It was constantly slipping out of her nimble fingers and into her face. She managed a bitter smile after finally deeming herself presentable. After taking a deep breath and schooling her expression into a cool mask of indifference, she was finally ready to meet with Ozai.

She could hear her father's voice as she got closer to his sitting room. There must be more than one person present. It sounded like he was making conversation which meant it wasn't a servant. The only people that could come to her mind were Uncle and Ozai's advisor. As if it were on cue, a jovial laugh filled the air.

"You need to relax, Ozai. She's still just a child, she can be a few minutes late to breakfast."

Surprisingly, hearing Iroh's voice immediately soothed her. Perhaps breakfast wouldn't be as horrendous as she thought it would be, she knew her father wouldn't be extremely harsh with an audience present. Then again, uncle may have something to do with whatever Ozai had planned. Though not as intense as before, Azula's uneasiness returned. She stood outside the door and took a deep breath in order to calm herself. It was never smart to keep Ozai waiting. She nodded at the guards and let them open the door for her.

"Princess Azula," Ozai spoke slowly, his personal way of passively showing displeasure. "It is nice of you to finally join us."

She bowed lower than what was deemed as respectful, turning it into a bow of submission. "I apologize, Father. I have no excuse." She kept her head down, not daring to move without his permission. He analyzed her for a moment before nodding his head, the small non-verbal piece of communication allowed her to straighten herself and sit across from her father and uncle. Iroh's gaze softened once it settled upon his anxious niece. Her rigid expression was too mature for someone her age, the title of Crown Princess meant she had little time to be a child.

"Good morning Princess Azula." He smiled warmly at her. "It is a beautiful day, isn't it?"

His lighthearted attempt at conversation would usually vex her, but it was a surprisingly welcome distraction from her father's judgemental gaze. She, for once, truly appreciated his presence. Noticing that she had gotten lost in her own thoughts, she forced herself to nod in response. No one spoke after that, the tension in the room becoming just as thick as it had been when she entered. The silence was uncomfortable as both she and Iroh waited for Ozai to speak.

The clinking of dishes eased the silence away as servants deftly set their meals in front of them.

"I spoke with Iroh after your display," Ozai began.

Azula's stomach dropped, the food on her plate suddenly becoming very unappetizing.

"He mentioned that he has been assisting you with your training."

"He has." Azula looked up at him.

"Are you aware of the feat you achieved?" He looked at her questioningly. She was surprised to notice the lack of condescension in his voice. It was a true question. This morning was so full of surprises that it was beginning to make her wonder if she was in another dream. Realizing that she had, for the second time this morning, gotten lost in her own thoughts, she dumbly shook her head. She wasn't sure if words could really explain what she was thinking.

"No, Father." She could almost feel her father's eyes examining her, looking for any hint of deceit. There was none. She was certainly proud of her fire's new level of intensity, but there certainly had to be other benders capable of this. She wasn't even officially considered a master yet.

He exhaled slowly, carefully thinking about what to say next. "Is it consistent?"

Azula nodded. "I am unable to change it back."

"I see."

The room fell silent again while they ate. The air in the room felt a little lighter than it had been, but it didn't keep Azula's mind from wandering. Her father wasn't usually this hard to read. Aside from that, why was Iroh here? Ozai was usually running her into the ground at the training yard by now. She didn't even know whether to be afraid or hopeful. Then again, he always put her in situations like this before being unimaginably cruel. She knew his pattern, yet she was always foolish enough to let it take her by surprise.

"Azula." She looked up at the sound of her name. It was slow and dangerous, threatening in a way that only her father was capable of. She started to put up her walls, bracing herself for whatever Ozai was going to dish out. Her mind went blank, all she could see was the look of envy he wore at the first display of her bending.

"I have selected a new tutor for you. From now on, you will be meeting with General Iroh for your lessons when you return from the academy."

Wait.

What?

Had there been in food her mouth, she certainly would have choked. She looked between her father and her uncle, not sure how to make sense of it. As she finally started to put the pieces together, she just became more and more confused. He was punishing her for spending time with Iroh less than two days ago, but now it was practically mandatory for her to meet with him. Was this part of Ozai's punishment? Was he making a statement? Her eyes landed directly on her father. He was expecting a response.

"Why?" It was a dumb response and she was surprised that he thought it to be worthy of an answer.

"My brother is a successful general. Although he failed when his country needed him to triumph, he will be able to teach you more about strategy than any of your current tutors."

His tone was deliberate and filled with conviction. She sensed that all these theatrics were a form of an elaborate threat. Was he simply posturing and putting on a show simply to prove that he could? This had to be a trap, but Azula couldn't figure out how. He had never gambled away his own daughter, not even when he was sure he would win.

Then again, it could be neither of those things. Iroh had helped her make leaps and bounds with her bending. It was because of her uncle that she could bend blue fire. Her father knows this; she told him herself. With Iroh's help, it is possible that she could become even stronger. He did this arrangement for the benefit of them both. She becomes a more capable bender as well as a useful strategist and in turn, she will be able to work with her father more. He was preparing her for the throne; these things were necessary.

Azula knew that her father was never supposed to become the Fire Lord. That is why he keeps Iroh around. Unlike Ozai, Iroh was groomed to be the Fire Lord. He received more lessons in diplomacy, strategy, and sat in on many more meetings than her father ever did. Iroh served as her father's right hand during nearly all of the meetings Ozai held. It would only make sense for him to be her tutor.

After hashing it all out in her mind, her stupefied look turned into one of pride.

A/N: Hey everyone! I apologize for making you all wait so long for this update! It's exam season and school managed to sap away all of my inspiration. This chapter was pretty had for me to write due to the ways I like handling these characters. I really want to cover the Ozai and Azula power dynamic and highlight a few things. Also, I drew some inspiration from a very specific scene in the series for the end of this chapter. Can anyone guess what it is? Thank you for reading!