Chapter 19: Last Chance

Azula stormed. She stalked through the hall, sending out dangerous vibes of 'do-not-talk-to-me'. Servants and soldiers practically threw themselves against the wall in order to avoid her deathly march down the chamber. This was the place she called home.

She hated it.

A scowl of disgust and aggravation knotted her eyebrows together, as she remembered her situation. She took an all too familiar route; towards the man she called her father. Not even bothering to be called, she forcibly pushed the large double doors open, knowing he would already be seated on his throne, awaiting her arrival.

The return trip back to the fire nation couldn't have been worse. Another ship had to be called, as Azula was dangerously close to completely destroying the first one—not like it was close to falling apart before. The two benders had completely wrecked her ship. Frustration and annoyance pent up in her skull, causing the air to dry around her. And that old man… she would have to do some extensive research to figure out his true identity.

"Azula."

She shot her gaze to the man behind the flames, his deep voice echoing throughout the room. She brought her forearm in front, and lowered her head in a swift motion, aversively submitting to his presence.

"So, you have returned," he continued, his head slightly cocking to the side in dangerous curiosity. "Advisor Kang is not with you?"

She knew it wasn't a question. It wasn't the first time Azula had returned without her 'watchdog'.

"My apologies," she flatly said, knowing any hint of emotion could send wrong signals. "There was an accident on board. He was unfortunately lost at sea."

"Pity," he simply responded. He didn't sound regretful at all. "And your prey?"

"Unsuccessful," she retorted, immediately feeling the rise in temperature. It would have cooked any other person, but she perfectly kept her body heat in a balanced state. It wasn't also the first time she had come back with an unsuccessful mission. She had expected his anger.

"You have taken countless men, lost them in your duty, and returned fruitless?" Azula could hear his voice rise, his anger augmenting the flames before him. She lowered her head even further, knowing not to say anything back. Technically, all the men she lost wasn't because of the mission, but simply because she needed to vent her anger somewhere. But he didn't need to know that. "Is there anything you have to report?"

Azula smiled, taking this as her chance. She raised her head, gold meeting gold. "Yes, father," a satisfied smirk creeping across her face. "The prey has fled to Kyoshi Island, where they are currently being sheltered. Unknown enemies guard them, and their abilities were not within my calculations. However, they are deeply wounded and won't be able to flee for some time."

"Wounded?" he repeated. "Have I not told you of the importance of bringing her to me alive?"

She slightly flinched, but kept her eyes forward. "They are minor injuries. To a degree she cannot maneuver, yet still survive." It is what she hoped. If she was being honest with herself, Azula had no idea if the girl was alive or not. She seemed to take a direct hit from her lightning, a feat no one had escaped from alive. Grumbling, she bit her tongue and kept her eyes forward.

"I see," he replied, his patience seemingly cut short. "You are dismissed. I will call you again when we prepare for the last assault." He paused and glared down at her with ominous energy. "And mark my words, Azula, it will be your last."

"Yes, father."

Azula lowered her head one last time, before turning on her heel and stepping out of the throne room.

She continued walking, knowing that she didn't have much time to research. She knew it was pointless asking her father about the old man and his nephew, Lee. No, it was Zuko. The name bounced around in her head, as she swore to figure out who they were. The old man especially. Fighting him once was enough. Azula could tell he was far more experienced than she, a master firebender who was knowledgeable about lightning generation. A firebending master—who she had never seen or heard of, it was all too unusual. But most of all, they both bore what she considered the cursed eye color—a golden hue that were an immediate indication of fire nation royalty. Azula frowned deeply, striding faster to approach her destination.

A large hexagonal room came into view as the smell of old paper filled her nose. Towering shelves of scrolls and books were stacked on each other to no end. She breathed, staring into the rows and rows of text. She had to start somewhere.

"Princess Azula?"

She turned sharply, mildly startling the old man that stood a few feet behind her. It was the old curator of the library. Her face stayed emotionless, yet the old man broke into a smile.

"It is you, princess," he continued. "Why, you haven't been in here for years. What can I help you with?" His wrinkly hands came together, awaiting her command.

Azula hesitated, but figured he was no threat. If anyone were going to start rumors about what she was searching for, it wouldn't be him. She remembered he had always treated her kindly, respecting her as a curious child, and not a murderous princess.

"I'm looking for text on fire nation history, specifically information related to the royal family."

The old curator paused, and shifted his eyes for a moment. "Of course, this way."

Azula followed him to the back of the room; silently wishing the shelves were marked somehow. She glanced over the stacks of scrolls piled on top of each other, threatening to crumble any moment. The old man pulled out a few books, and grazed his hand over the entire shelf.

"Fire nation history is marked on this row," he said, pointing to the top. "As you go down, there is information of the water tribe, the earth kingdom, and the air temples." He gave Azula a small glance, and handed her the books he had pulled out. "These are specific to the royal line. I do not know if it is what you are looking for, but they are all I can offer you."

Azula stared at the man in genuine thankfulness. "Thank you," she softly replied. Turning her attention towards the books, she accepted them in kind, and began flipping through the pages.

The first book was an entire list of all the Fire Lords, the successions, the period they ruled from, and the deeds they have accomplished. The text was unbelievably thick, she had no idea how ancient and immense the history was. The royal gallery illustrated the number of Fire Lords, yet there was no doubt the old portraits were removed in place of the newer ones. As she quickly scrolled through the first couple pages, a line caught her eye.

"Fire Lord Zong," she read to herself. "The sage who ended the first war of Shuǐ and Huǒ." She quickly translated the words in her head, water and fire. "Long live he, who defeated General Kuna of Shuǐ." Azula frowned. So there was a war between the fire nation and the water tribe long ago. She scowled, trying to decipher the dates, yet none of the characters were familiar to her. Huffing quietly, she skimmed through the rest of the page, before deciding the book was useless. She impatiently tossed the old book down, and picked up the other one, eager to find her answer. After tossing several other books and old scrolls, she settled on one of the newer looking prints—a book of lineage. Catching her breath, she flipped towards the back, grazing her finger down the page for any familiar names.

Sozin—Her great-grandfather, instigator of the Hundred Year War. She continued to run her finger down the multitudes of accomplishments done by the Fire Lord. Azulon—her grandfather. Husband of Ilah, father of— her finger fell off the page. Azula blinked and frowned. She lifted the page to her horror, and found that it was torn. Fixing her gaze towards inside of the spine, she could tell another chapter of pages were forcibly torn out. She abruptly got up, sending bookings tumbling down her legs. She closed her eyes, feeling for a concentration of heat in the large room. Locating the old man again, she bolted forward, anger and confusion swelling her head.

"Princess…!" he jumped, startled at her sudden presence. Azula shoved the book towards his face, her voice aching to rise in anger.

"This book is torn. What happened?"

The old man widened his eyes, and lifted a shaking hand to the page. "I'm not sure, princess, perhaps there was an accident—"

"This is no accident," she replied, her voice lowering dangerously. "I can see the pages were torn cleanly, as if it was done deliberately." The old man seemed at loss for words. He quietly darted his eyes away from hers and let out a shaky breath. "Who did this?"

"Princess… I really—"

"I know you have been the guardian here for well over thirty years," she interrupted, her patience dropping. "If you do not know what happened to this book, I assume you are not taking your duty as the curator seriously." With that, she raised her free hand, letting a small blue flame ignite above her palm. The old man stepped back, a look of horror settled on his face. She continued to tend the fire as she glared down at him. "If… there happened to be an accidental fire in the palace library today…" She calmly glanced at the man, a look of sadistic innocence in her eyes. "You and your household… will be the first to go."

Azula pushed her flaming hand towards the shelf; the fire now crackling in heat and small bursts of electricity shattered the silence.

"W-Wait!" he pleaded, dropping on his knees in fear. "P-Please, don't do this!"

"Why is the book torn?"

He closed his eyes roughly and looked away. "Lady—F-Fire Lady Ursa tore them!"

"My mother?" Azula stared wide-eyed, waiting for the man to continue. "She did…? Why? When was this? Speak!"

"I don't know why, princess—she came in many years ago and tore the book out. Please believe me, I really don't know anything else." The man trembled on the floor, his hands begging for understanding.

Azula stood, dumbfounded. Her mother had torn the book? Ursa was the last person she would have ever thought of doing such a thing. Quiet, she dissipated the fire in her hands, causing a weak sigh of relief to escape the old man's mouth. Her suspicions were becoming more and more real. Something didn't feel right with her situation. She unwillingly brought her gaze back to the man, a certain name sitting on her tongue.

"Tell me…" she quietly spoke, bending forward on one knee to face him. "What do you know of the name 'Zuko'?"

The curator's jaw dropped. Azula could see his pupils shrink in unknown fear, his lower lip quivering in dread. He pulled back slowly, shaking his head.

"I…I…"

Azula pressed forward, her eyes blazing with authority. "It's an order. Tell me." She could hear her voice rise, eager to hear what he needed to say. The hair behind her neck stood, as if every cell in her body was receptive to the new intelligence.

"Zuko…" He swallowed, looking defeated. "Is the name of your deceased brother…!"

Azula's mouth traced over the word again. Brother. She hadn't heard wrong. Brother. So the old guy hadn't lied to her. He wasn't delusional, as she claimed.

'How can I attack my one and only niece with intent to kill?'

Shivers ran up her spine, tingling her arms. She couldn't feel her hands anymore. She stared at the old man, yet her gaze seemed to slip right past him, as if nothing in the room appeared to her. But why did he say deceased? If that boy earlier was truly her brother, he seemed alive and well.

It seemed all too set up. The torn book. Proclaimed deceased. As if someone was forcefully trying to stop her from realizing his existence.

"Deceased?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.

"P-Prince Zuko passed with an illness seventeen years ago," he muttered back. "It also claimed the life of the great Dragon of the West, General Iroh." The old man's voice toned out. He looked as if his life was over. No hope, no assurance, no life. "I don't know where you heard that name, but since then, it's been decreed by the Fire Lord that no one speaks of them in this nation. My life… is as good as dead. But please! Princess—my family have nothing to do with this, please, at least spare them!"

Azula couldn't register the man's pleas. An illness. They were proclaimed dead from an illness. Just what exactly was going on? The mere fact that she had a brother sent her into waves of shock, yet he was somehow pronounced dead, when he was living well in the Earth Kingdom. She inwardly growled in frustration. She hated feeling so confused and helpless. Zuko was one matter, but the uncle was a whole another. It meant that he was her father's brother. Older brother it seemed. Which meant the crown prince, yet there he was, gaining age out in the wilderness of a small island. If all she assumed were certainly true, nothing made sense anymore. She brought a hand to her forehead, sighing with the overload of questions.

'The great Dragon of the West…"

Azula almost gasped. The name finally clicked in her brain. He was the almighty general who led the six hundred-day Siege of Ba Sing Se. It was a topic that she had glanced over, reading a history of renowned war generals.

General Iroh.

It was no wonder he had such a powerful aura. As much as he ticked her off with his careless remarks, or his unmotivated blows, she genuinely admitted she was stunned by his prowess over fire bending. Azula breathed and closed her eyes. Her emotions were starting to show again. She did her best to push back all the newfound information to the back of her head; it was something she had to take care of step by step. Asking her father was suicide. The next time she met the two of them, she would get her answers. Azula steeled her expression and stood up, keeping her eyes on the man before her.

"Your disloyalty to my father's commands will be overlooked this time," her voice had returned, empty and cold. "I will see to it. You are free to resume you duties as you have done before."

Without another word, she set her eyes straight and walked around the old man, dropping the book of lineage on the floor next to him. He remained in the same position, shaking and looking ahead.

Azula stepped out of the library and set herself into a speed walk towards the only white room in the entire palace. She knew the route like the back of her hand, cutting the corners and trying to arrive as quickly as possible. It was the first thing she should have checked up on upon returning, yet other matters had clouded her mind. Azula made her way past the hidden white doors in a small corner of the palace; a familiar smell of disinfectant filled her nose. It felt unusually sharp after months of being absent.

Two nurses behind the counter glanced up at her arrival and immediately stood to greet her unexpected presence. "Princess Azula." The two both bowed.

"Any change?" She immediately asked. It was the same question she asked every time she came. The answer was no different this time either.

One nurse shook her head and looked down. "My apologies, she is still the same."

She had expected it—yes, but she couldn't stop the feeling of disappointment that settled in her stomach afterwards. Azula gave them a curt nod, and began walking to the back room. One of the nurses coughed to say something, but the other one quickly elbowed her and gave her a stern look. Azula glanced away, acting as if she hadn't seen anything. Curious about what the nurse was about to say, she walked absentmindedly, until her hand reached for the familiar old doorknob.

She froze on the spot, her eyes widening.

Someone was inside. Azula could tell from the amount of body heat that she sensed, the person on the other side was no ordinary being. If she hadn't felt the heavy presence before, she would have been surprised, but it was unmistakable.

Azula braced herself and softly opened the door, coming eye to eye with the man in front of her.

"Father." Her toneless voice addressed. She was completely surprised to find him there, but she wouldn't allow her voice or her face to show it. Not once had he entered this room. Not once had he came to see her, until now. Azula understood what the two nurses were about to say to her now. Something was about to happen, and she felt her stomach twist in anticipation.

"Azula," he greeted, his voice unusually more cheerful than it should be. His eyebrows had lifted unnaturally, as if he was trying to look more approachable. "Your arrival is timely, there is something that needs to be discussed."

She inwardly rolled her eyes, knowing he was waiting there for her. She suppressed the urge to bring up the topic of Zuko and Iroh.

"What brings you here, father?"

He looked towards her, his eyes sparking with dangerous heat. "It is unacceptable that the water tribe girl has escaped your grasp once again."

Azula almost raised an eyebrow. She hadn't expected him to bring that up. She stood in silence, waiting for him to continue.

"It is… truly unfortunate for me to say this," he began, not sounding concerned at all. "But it is time you need to be pulled by a bigger incentive. This is your final chance, Azula. If you cannot bring me the girl, I will no longer wait and be patient with your failings." Without losing eye contact, he reached down and pulled the covers off the patient on the bed.

Fire Lady Ursa was stretched out on the large white bed, giving no reactive movement that proved she was awake. Her pale skin contrasted greatly with her raven black hair that was spread neatly to the side of her face. Azula involuntarily flinched, and felt a frown crease her forehead as she watched the Fire Lord.

Her mother. Fire Lady Ursa. Knots of guilt and condemnation piled in Azula's throat looking at her mother, unconscious and unresponsive to everything around her.

"The lady has been sleeping for quite some time," he casually continued. "It is not benefitting of a Fire Lady to be unconscious like this." The sheets that were gripped by his hand began to burn, seared by the mere temperature of his skin. Azula grew alarmed, feeling her instincts kick up—he was attempting something dangerous. "If you are unable to capture the girl this last time, I will personally see to it… that she will not be here when you return."

"…Father!" Azula growled through her clenched teeth, her emotionless face finally cracking under the weight. She couldn't believe it. Her breath seemed to cut into pieces as she stared at the man before her. Infuriated, she glared at him, unable to find the words to snap back at him, she was utterly at his mercy.

"Azula," he snarled back. "How many years has it been since I've given you the order to capture her? How many times have you returned unsuccessful, hundred of my men gone? How many days have I waited to finally conquer the other nations? This is enough. Before I am your father, I am the Fire Lord. And there is no mercy or chances to those who fail me. You will no longer be an exception!"

"If you would only tell me who she is and why you need her!" she yelled back feeling her anger rise. She had never yelled at him like this before. "Why must you keep me in the dark? If you would tell me just what exactly she is, I could get a better understanding of how to capture her!"

"Do not provoke my anger, Azula." His eyes slightly widened murderously, as the sheet in his hand suddenly erupted into flames. Shocked, Azula instinctively plunged forward, and tossed the blazing sheet off her mother, neutralizing the flames with her own bending—extracting a noticeable amount of energy. Thankfully, the sheet under the first remained untouched and the blanket had torn from the Fire Lord's hand, burned into useless strands of string. The Fire Lady remained motionless, oblivious to the situation around her.

He stared at her, wordless, but she could feel his anger rising. Narrowing his eyes, he turned his head away and began to stride towards the door, his royal garments floating behind him.

"New soldiers and ships will be granted to you in three days time," he spoke, turning his head for the last time. "Remember, Azula, the life of the mother you loved so dearly… is in my hands now. I will not hesitate, if you fail me this time."

The door shut behind him, leaving Azula in bitter silence. She wanted to scream. She wanted to flip a table and burn everything and everyone who tried to calm her.

But she couldn't. Sighing quietly, she took another look towards her mother. Her expression softened, but she could feel her heart thicken in pain. There were so many things she wanted to ask her, and get answers for—about the book, about her brother, and about everything else wrong in life. But most of all, she wanted to see her mother awake again.

She mumbled an apology and let her head hang low. After what seemed like an hour, sitting alone in silence next to the Fire Lady, Azula stood, her eyes hardened and determined. She breathed. It wouldn't be the last time she saw her. She promised herself.

Azula quietly stepped out of the room, even though she knew no amount of noise she made would wake her mother. She stood quietly in front of the door, waiting for particularly nothing. Breathing again to control the remaining anger, she walked towards the entrance, and heard the two nurses whisper to each other.

"When is she leaving? This is the longest she's been in there."

"I don't know, but don't say anything, even the Fire Lord was here. It was probably serious."

"Why does she come here so much anyways? I heard she's the one who practically killed her own mother."

"Shhh! Don't say that! What if someone hears you?" The first nurse scoffed, adding a childish 'hmph' at the end.

"It's not just me. Everyone knows about it. One of the servants and the cooks told me…"

At this sentence, Azula walked out. She didn't give them a chance to gasp at their overheard gossip and beg for shallow forgiveness. She didn't even give them the time to scream. Her expressionless mask shadowed her face once again as she walked out, the smell of two freshly burned corpses hanging onto her clothes.

A/N: Detests her father, yet is everything like him. This concludes Azula's perspective.
To be honest, writing this chapter was difficult, (which is why I'm late with the update). I'm not sure if it was the character or the content, but damn, I had a hard time. -.- Nevertheless, I hope you guys liked this chapter now that almost everything is revealed!
Some chapters ago, I mentioned I would change Azula's personality a bit, due to her change in childhood. She now has a moderate guilty conscience. She will feel guilt, regret, and remorse. And I will explain my reasoning at the end (:

Review! And enlighten me with your impression, I'd love to hear them. *or, uh, read them.*