4
Azula feels anger. She fires another blast of fire at a palace guard. Perhaps she should feel bad for the man. Daddy… No, Father. Father placed specific instruction that all her training partners cannot fire back, yet. All they can do is deflect. Maybe she would've felt bad last year, but Father taught her how sympathy only lets others attack her. She will be the best firebender ever, so she cannot have weaknesses.
This blast hits the man's armor. He says a new word under his breath, one that Azula places into her ever expanding diction of words to make Mother angry. She will beat that woman. She didn't start the battle, but she will win the war. Azula must always win the wars. Fire Lords never fail, and Father said she would make a good Fire Lord. Then, everyone will love her.
Her anger turns to rage. No one will love her. Only her tea-guzzling uncle and his warrior son seem to like their Fire Lord. Everyone else respects him, nothing more. If no one will love her, except Father, then everyone will respect her.
Why doesn't that thought appease her?
Her rage fuels the flames, rage and determination. Determination the one thing she and Zuzu have in common. She is determined to be the best bender ever and to become Fire Lord. Who cares if she's fifth in line for the throne? He's determined to take all of Mother's love. He succeeds n that every day. Azula will succeed too. Maybe, she could challenge her uncle and his son to an Agni Kai and win. Then, Azulon. That'd let Father be the Fire Lord. She'll have to get older and better first. When Father passes away at an old age, she'll challenge Zuzu to an Agni Kai and kill him.
She shakes her head. She'll burn him, not kill him. He… He should live to see how amazing she is. That's why. Nothing else.
Stupid emotions. Emotions are bad. Father said so. Except for anger and rage. Those help fuel her bending.
She jabs another burst of flame at the guard. This time, she gasps. The man doesn't deflect this one. Instead, he stands there awestruck. The blast hits his head and he tumbles to the ground.
Azula looks around. Her instructor stands with his mouth agape. She looks at her hand again as if it became a new appendage.
She lights her hand aflame, though the fire doesn't burn her. It soothes her, like the sun. Unlike the sun, this flame is now a brilliant, beautiful blue.
It's too beautiful to hide from others. Everyone should see this. It's so… "Lovely," she mutters. Looking down at the guard with his armor still smoldering, she demands, "Tell me where Zuzu is! I wanna show him this."
5
Azula inspects the knife. "What are you doing with that?" Everything about the girl seems normal, except the knife she uses to carve her fruit. It's a throwing knife.
The girl doesn't move to acknowledge Azula's words. Instead, she sighs. "I'm taking off the skin." Azula shakes her head. She picks up another fruit from the ground and bites into it. Maybe this will get a reaction. It does, since the girl raises one of her eyebrows before shrugging.
"You're that politician's daughter." It's a statement, not a question. Azula likes to know who's who in her palace. Well, it'll be her palace one day.
"Tragically."
"Yet they gave you a throwing knife."
The girl takes a bite of the fruit. Some of the juices fall onto her clothing before her dull companion wipes it off. "Why not?"
At this point, Azula realizes that the girl has spoken in nothing but a bored drawl. Perhaps this is all a waste of time, but there could be a benefit remaining.
"Do you throw it much?"
Instead of answering her, she girl stands up. With perfect form, she thrusts her hand outward. The knife flies straight an into one of the tree's fruits. Azula didn't know that the girl was aiming for a different fruit, but it looked like she knew exactly what she was doing.
"How much do you practice?"
"Whenever I'm bored." Judging from her character, she feels boredom every day.
"You're going to be my friend now."
"Whatever." After retrieving the knife, she sits down and proceeds to carve more skin off the fruit.
Azula nods, happy to gain an ally. If she has that girl's accuracy along with her sheer power, then it will be one step closer to being the best firebender ever and the best Fire Lord the world has ever seen. It will be-
"Excuse me?"
She speaks without prompt now? Why? "Go ahead." Is she… blushing?
"Is your brother… nice?" This girl has a blush, no doubt about it.
"Nice?"
"Yeah, he's… he looks nice."
Azula holds back a laugh.
"Does your silence mean he's mean, like everyone else here?" The girl looks down.
Azula sighs and looks at the sun. "He's nice." She shifts her gaze back to the girl while making a stern looking face. "But he's still a dum-dum. Maybe you could talk to him."
"But, he's so old looking. Is he eight?"
"Seven."
"His name is Zuko, right? You're Azula, the one who bends blue fire?"
"Yes."
"I'm Mai."
6
"Who was that?" She didn't think Zuzu was paying that much attention. He seemed much more focused on that sand… sand mound? Perhaps it was supposed to be a palace or castle. That dum-dum has no artistic sense.
"A new friend."
"Like Mai?" His eyes shimmer with that word. After a moment of contemplation, she decides it's a shimmer of fear. Poor Zuzu's afraid of girls, herself included. That's good.
She nods. "Uh huh, this one's flexible and jumpy. I'm gonna be so good, no one could shoot me in an Agni Kai, even if I don't bend."
"And she wants to be your friend?"
"Of course."
Actually, Ty Lee, apparently from a family with a surname, seems to do this out of selfish reasons. She has a bunch of sisters, so being friends with a princess would differentiate her. All her actions scream "look at me" anyway. She'll be easy to control.
Zuzu crosses his arms. "Will that one be heading to the palace?"
She raises her eyebrow. Why would she not? I wouldn't befriend people who won't be around. "Yes."
"Oh."
She puts her hands on her hips. "It's not my fault if I have more friends that you."
He smashes the sand mound with his fists. Mother would've yelled at me if I did that. She didn't even notice her precious son doing it. Even if she did, Mother would coddle him. She doesn't see regret in his eyes. If it wasn't for Mother, maybe Zuzu would've had a small chance at being a warrior.
"It's not fair." He stands up. "How come you have so many friends?"
It's Azula's turn to cross her arms. "I have two friends. That's not much."
"More than me."
She shouldn't be so surprised. He either flounders in his training or gets coddled by Mother. Is he capable of doing those boy game? Probably not. She should've put two and two together. Her brother's isolated. Azula has broken free.
"Zuzu, how many kids have you ever talked to?"
"Um…" He stares at the sand as if it has become the most interesting thing in the world.
"Let me guess…" She talked to him. Mai… Has Mai? Maybe. It's hard to tell. "Two."
He doesn't say anything, but his fist clench and he takes a quick breath of air. I'm right, as expected.
"Do you even know how to play Hot Rocks?"
"No."
Of course, you wouldn't know. I made it up, just now.
"You heat up a rock like this one." She runs to the edge of the beach where there's a stone, probably sandstone. She uses her flames to make it hot, but not enough to make it explode. She found out how painful those can be. "Then, we throw it at each other." I can let the heat flow through me. Can you, Zuzu?
She tosses the rock at him. He caught it and gave a very feminine yelp. Why am I behind him for the throne? He tosses it from one hand to another before chucking it back at her. She catches it and glances at the sun. From that angle…
She tosses it at Zuzu, but she lobs it at a high angle. Her training with Mai will reap some fun rewards. He looks up but can't see it. The rock is falling in his eyesight to the sun, a blind spot made of light. Of course, a warrior or anyone with common sense would move out of the way, yet Zuzu's too stubborn for that.
The rock hits his head, and he falls into the sand. Would Mother believe a bird would've dropped a stone on his head? Probably not. Did anyone see this? Mother and Father are down the beach sitting on the sand. The guards are back at the house, since it's safe here. No one else dares come close to part of the royal family, except Ty Lee, but that girl has already wandered off.
She walks up and lies down next to her dazed brother. She pokes his shoulder without a response. He's unconscious. She snuggles closer to her brother feeling the burning warmth of the sand on her back and the rhythmic breathing of her brother. Maybe he's playing dead to make Mother upset, but it won't work. They'll think we're lounging around in the sand if they see my lying with Zuzu.
She feels the cool breeze drifting over the ocean carrying the faintest tinge of salt. The waters lap against the sand like a heartbeat. She clenches some of the sand and sprinkles it on Zuzu's forehead. She giggles and some falls into his mouth.
He opens his eyes and groans.
"You should've dodged, dum-dum."
He rubs his forehead, brushing off some of the sand. "There's no honor in running away." And now he's talking about honor?
"There's also no honor is being thunked by a rock. Firebenders break through flame, but our soldiers without bending must dodge."
"But I'm a firebender."
"A really bad one." She pokes his side. Oddly, he hasn't tried to get away from her yet. "Maybe you should act more like a soldier than a bender. Maybe try some swords?"
"No son of Sozin or any firebender would use swords."
"Which's why you should."
Zuzu stares at her, trying to read her expressions. He's trying to decide if she's insulting him or offering advice. Who says I can't do both? She can read others easier than she can read that awful old poetry Mother likes so much. Zuzu couldn't tell if she was sad if she was crying, not that she ever would.
"Why are you still here, next to me?"
"Don't you trust me, big brother?"
He cringes. "No."
Ouch. "Fine. You don't have to, but I'll always be on your side when we're in battle. Well, unless we're in an Agni Kai. I'll just beat you quickly instead."
"We haven't had a princess in battle for centuries, right?"
"Yeah, but I will. You can be my armor bearer or something."
His demeanor darkens. Ug, that sounds like Ty Lee and those auroras. "I don't think I'll ever get to a battlefield. I'd just get in the way."
"Which's why you should be my helper. That way, you'd have a purpose."
They lie there on the beach until sunset. Neither wanted to leave, since both knew what'd happen. They'd revert to their normal ways. They'd fight for their parent's attention. Azula would scheme.
Both were right. They didn't have a quiet moment for the rest of the trip. When they got home, they'd either avoid the other of fight. Azula would come out on top. She had to. Only perfection can reach the throne, and she'll prove she's perfection incarnate.
However, she didn't lie, not when making that promise. Even though their daily lives are like a battle against the other, on the real battlefield, she'd be there for her brother. No matter how much she dislikes the dum-dum, she knows it's the duty of a royal to protect the weaker members of the family. But, that'll happen years from now, maybe a decade. The Fire Lord will probably be her tea-loving uncle by then.
Even Azula with all her cunning could never predict that the battlefield will come so soon. It'll come charging towards Zuzu from the most unexpected source.