Chapter 1

I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender

Azula felt her entire being relax and return to the way it should be. She immediately pulled herself out of her loyal friend's embrace, which caused Ty Lee to pout, and cleared her throat. "Well, now that we have that settled that, I should decide what to do with you." Ty Lee looked confused. Azula sighed "Since your family seems to have wasted your talents, it is obvious that I should put you to better use." Azula explained.

Ty Lee pointed to herself. "I have talents?"

"Yes Ty Lee, I do not have useless companions, now do not interrupt me. " Azula used a tone that caused Ty Lee to straighten up and look at her. "I have to keep her here, she belongs to me" Azula told herself, she did not know why the thought of Ty Lee leaving had emotionally unbalanced her so, but she would not have it happen again. "First of all, you will stay here with m- in the Palace." Azula sealed her lips. "What is wrong with me?" She almost never lost her composure or misspoke, but she already done both in one night, both due to the now gently smiling girl in front of her.

Clearing her throat, she continued "And from now on, you will act as my personal aide." Ty Lee eyes widened "Wow a personal aide….what's that?" Ty Lee looked adorably innocent, and airheaded. Azula rolled her eyes "Being my personal aide means you will be by my side at all times and assist me in my daily duties; that is your primary function at least." Ty Lee looked like she understood, at least somewhat. "Oh. Ok. What do you do exactly?" Ty Lee again asked innocently.

Azula had to keep her eye from twitching; she was going to have to instruct her oblivious friend on various subjects. "You will receive the details when the time comes, and if you interrupt me again I will vaporize your eyebrows." That caused to Ty Lee to let out a squeak and hopefully would keep her lips sealed for a time.

"I will apparently have to explain everything to you in the morning, so tonight getting you settled in the Palace will have to do, follow." Azula was already heading inside, towards her bedroom door. With Ty Lee behind her, still silent, she opened her door and addressed the servants who attended her chambers.

"You." The young women nearly jumped at Azula's voice. "I need my guest escorted to the visitor's chambers." Azula thought for a moment. "She knows which one she prefers."

The servants were surprised seeing Ty Lee, probably wondering how she had gotten past them, but one quickly bowed and asked Ty Lee to follow her, they knew better to ask about their Princesses guests. Ty Lee was halfway out the door before turning and looked as if wanted to say something. "You can speak, your eyebrows are safe." Azula stated.

Ty Lee looked relieved and smiled, "Have a good night Azula, I promise I will be the best personal aide ever." Azula had to resist the urge to laugh; she would not be saying that if she knew what was in store for her. Ty Lee's next words caught her off guard "I also promise to never leave your side." She said that with an emotional tone that Azula could not read and a quick nod was all she could give, after which Ty Lee bounded off with the servant.

Azula, flustered and confused, turned to the other servant, who immediately straightened up, and said in the most level tone the she could "I want my retainer's chambers prepared and ready by morning, understood." The attendant quickly bowed and scurried off, leaving Azula alone to think.

She closed her door and made her way to the vanity, she had to sort through her thoughts. Looking in the mirror she began to wrap her hair the ponytail she wore to bed and began to think about the visit that should not have had as much affect as it did.

Azula did not like this feeling that had come up as soon as Ty Lee said those to two disgusting words. "Who does Ty think she is, it should not matter how her family treats her, she's mine, and everyone should know that by now." Azula always liked that Ty Lee was the one person that was truly hers, mother had loved Zuko, Mai was an acceptable friend/rival but had that ridiculous attraction to her brother, and though father favored her he was Fire Lord and belonged to the nation as much as the nation belonged to him.

But Ty Lee, she had always looked up to her Princess, often literally, and was very good at praising and following in her shadow. She could always count on Ty Lee to be there and follow her command without question. But then she had to suddenly appear on the balcony in a disgusting outfit, to inform her that she was running away from her family issues.

That was somewhat of a blessing; Azula had thought perhaps Ty Lee was running away because of something she did, some imperfection of hers that had shaken Ty Lee's view of her but luckily that was not the case. But the fact still remained that Ty Lee was leaving and Azula felt something….unhinge in her mind. And when Ty Lee made for the railing that something had nearly snapped and it actually scared Azula how she had reacted.

She knew she had Ty pinned to the wall, but she could not remember anything she had said or done, only that it revolved around stopping Ty Lee, HER Ty Lee, from going any ware. It scared her that her faculties had seemingly deserted her and she was acting more in like a desperate addict then a princess. But then Ty Lee had put her arms around her and her mind returned to her, she heard Ty Lee say she would stay and Azula could tell she was sincere; Ty Lee was a terrible liar.

Now she was left with a dilemma, why did the thought of Ty Lee leaving affect her to such a degree. "I should be good at handling people vanishing into the night." Azula thought bitterly, her mother apparently did not have time to say goodbye to her when she left, yet Zuko got a last minute visit.

Azula puzzled over why she reacted and felt the way she did, and came up with nothing. She finally decided that she had more important issues to deal with, mostly making sure Ty Lee stayed here, where she belonged. Azula smiled, it did not matter why she felt the way she did as long as her Ty Lee stayed. That meant making sure that Ty Lee understood that her princess was all she would ever need.

Ty Lee's family would have to persuaded to leave their free-spirited daughter alone, not too difficult. "They will probably be ecstatic that she has been made my personal attendant, most noble families would kill for such a connection to the royal family."

That left her father as the only real obstacle, but he had told her when she had turned twelve a little over a month ago that she would need to put retinue together. Being a royal required a literal army of advisors, assistants, bodyguards and other useful individuals.

As of now she had only Li and Lo, for which she was actually thankful as they advised her on everything from Fire Bending and politics to makeup and manners. Honestly they treated her almost like a granddaughter at times; they were certainly more than willing to act more casually around her than anyone else, save one.

Ty Lee would be her personal aid, she would have to explain what that meant to her in the morning, and that should satisfy father if she could convince him that underneath Ty Lee's bubbly personality there was twelve year old girl who could leap over and, apparently, incapacitate a grown man in seconds.

Pleased with herself, Azula snuffed out the candles around her room with a lazy wave and retired to her bed, knowing she had a long list of things to accomplish tomorrow.