Chapter 2

A/N: Nope...still don't own Avatar,never will,but fan fictions are fun to write. Enjoy!

Zuko,the benign new Fire Lord of the Fire Nation,after six months of keeping me locked away released me of my chains and darkness and offered me a light. Do I take his weak fire or return to the darkness? I really do despise that muzzle...

After my audience with brother dear in the war room he did not send me back to the dungeon but instead let me stay in my old bedroom. Mai followed me there.

"It is just as you left it." She said as I pulled the great door open and stepped inside. "Almost..."

The mirror was still shattered but the shards of glass were gone from the floor,the bed was made the way I liked it,but not the way I left it. I suppose Mai sensed my confusion,she let herself in and walked past me and stared into what was once my mirror and spoke in her typical bored tone...

"He insisted that we fix the room to your taste...in case you accepted his proposal. I have to be honest with you,Azula,I thought your pride would keep you in that cell,with your stubborn attitude I thought it would be an eternity until you came to some sense...so...enlighten me...why the sudden change of mind?"

How could she possibly expect me to answer that? I wasn't angry with her question,nor did I think it even deserved a response. How could she know how it feels? She doesn't know how to feel,I've never told her that but deep down I think she knew it already. I was once the symbol of perfection and out of no where I was casted down into a morbid rodent infested lifestyle hearing voices of ladies who were probably not even there,what does she know of insanity?

Smugly I turned away from her and touched the red satin bedclothes delicately and said...

"You've been in prison before haven't you?"

I could feel her eyes burning the back of my neck and it felt good. In that brief moment things were as they used to be,I could say anything and everything to step on the last of any nerve this new found "Fire Lady" thought she had and there was nothing she could do about it.

"Zuko may have faith in you,but I don't. I see right through you,Azula,and after this evening,you won't be our problem anymore."

"And you won't be mine."

With that she started to walk away from me,as she approached the door I turned to face her once again and called to her. She stopped in her tracks but refused to look at me. My curiosity wavered for a moment before I dare ask once again who my escort out of the Fire Nation would be. Mai turned to her side and glanced at me briefly with this clever looking grin on her face that,I must admit,was a little scary coming from her.

"You'll see." She nearly laughed.

"You said I would be pleased...do I know them?"

"Well...you might be pleased. I know your escort will. they've been dying to see you since they were released from the prison."

Laughing as she left,she locked the door behind her,obviously I wasn't to be trusted just yet. No matter,I'm sure whoever my escort is mustn't be such a threat if I'm the one who put them in prison to begin with. Then again...I've made a lot of strong enemies out of this war...

I took a normal fighting stance,took in a deep breath and tried to shoot fire from my fingertips,only a spark came out but it hurt. My wrists cracked and I fell back against the end of my bed,weakened from such a small move.

"What's happened to me?" I whispered to myself,breathless.

The Avatar did not strip me of my bending so what is wrong with me? Damn it! I don't understand! How could my fire bending skills be gone.

"FUCK!" I threw myself up into a standing position and violently kicked at the air,unleashing a greater flame I fell back with a searing pain in my ankle. "Oh Agni..." I cursed under my breath in pain.

The shackles made my joints feeble and arthritic so it seemed. For the time being I could not do much valuable fire bending. I would have to conserve my energy the best I could and train more when strength was in my favor once again. For now...I should only rest...

As I rose to my feet I nearly stumbled,my right ankle felt like it had shattered,hopping a bit on my left side I managed to slip into bed,in pain,but in bed. Hanging over my head was the mild concern of who I would wake up to in the morning...

In the Fire Lord's War Room

I was restless when I found out about Azula's release from the palace dungeon,I knew Zuko for his indecisive actions,but as Fire Lord shouldn't he have a little more sense than he did before? My step was quick paced and nearly in flight as I hurried to the war room where I requested to speak with Zuko alone.

"Zuko,what's going on? Why is Azula out of prison?!" I sounded panicked and almost angry.

"She needs to figure herself out." Zuko put it simply.

My mouth hung open,shocked at Zuko's bizzare calm form,"Can't she just do that in jail?"

"I didn't have to,why should she?"

"Because...she's insane?"

"No different than I was when I was your enemy."

"Yeah..." I sighed heavily,after a beat I grinned and added, "But we never thought to put a muzzle on you."

Zuko kept his back to me but I could hear him let out a small chuckle at my comment. I knew he meant well and wanted what was best for his family,but this didn't sit with me well enough to openly accept it immediately. The thought of Azula running freely through the Earth Kingdom sent a horrible pain through my back. Reaching behind me I could still feel the small burn from the spider-looking scar she left with me. Touching it sent a shiver up and down my spine and the memories came flooding back,the look in her eyes,that careless smile and her wickedly precise movements sometimes makes me feel a little fortunate that I fought her father instead of her. Shaking it off I looked back up at Zuko and stepped towards him,trying to find some way to show my support in his decision I put my hand on his shoulder but stood there speechless.

"It's ok." He broke the awkward silence. "I know no one trusts her. Frankly,I don't completely trust her either...but she is my sister and I am willing to help her in any way I can."

"I wish I could understand that."

"You're the Avatar,you do understand. You let a monster like my father keep his life instead of dying some agonizing death even when everyone else told you to do just that. Everyone wanted you to murder him,even me,but now,after time,I see what you wanted to accomplish. You wanted to keep the world peaceful and end the war with just that. Although he isn't dead,his threat is. And so are his strings that made Azula his toy."

"Zuko..."

"Ask Katara..." He finally turned to me,eyes wide and searching in mine for some understanding. "She was there,she saw with her own eyes...Azula fell apart...proved she was more than my father ever was. You know that. Did my father shed any tears after his defeat?"

Point taken. I can't argue with that,Ozai was just as heartless by the end of the fight as he was at the beginning just with less arrogance and no fire power. Other than that he was just the same. Evil never dies. Evil is eternal. Perhaps Azula did change a little. Enough to at least give Zuko the idea to free her. With his past hatred for her I suppose he would have to understand my confusion.

"I guess you're right." I finally gave in. "You're sending her to Ba Sing Se right? Would you want me to fly her there on Appa?"

"No. This is a journey she needs to take,not a quick trip." Zuko looked over my head as a messenger came in behind me. "I've sent for an escort to take the journey with her. That way she's not alone and...well..stays out of trouble."

"Fire Lord Zuko," The messenger said with a bow. "Please pardon my interruption so late in the night,but the princesses escort has arrived."

"Very good. Send them in."

"Who is it?" My eyebrows arched up curious to see the one powerful enough to tame the beast in Azula.

The figure stepped into the war room and paused before taking another step forward they just lingered in the dark.

"Welcome,your journey here must have been straining..." Zuko welcomed the escort. "The room for you is prepared,feel free to relax as long as you need to."

As they stepped into the light my eyes widened in disbelief...

"YOU are Azula's escort??"

Later that Evening: In Azula's chambers...

"Look at how she tosses in her sleep..." Mai said grimly. "She used to sleep much more sound than this..."

Sleep...I feel like I can slip into my old blissful dreams where there is no one else but me...

I can still feel the satin spread around my thin framed body,but I'm still cold...like in my cell...I can see the guards walking back and forth along the corridors,stopping at a point just before they reach me.

"Azula...?" A soft voice...her voice...calling to me again.

I want to answer her,but my throat is dry and I feel so weak,like a starving infant or a dying wanderer caught in the middle of a desert. Besides all of that the leather of the muzzle is scraping against my skin...any words I could speak would be inaudible.

It is so cold in this cell,my shackles are too tight,hurting me if I move in certain positions. Finding comfort physically is near impossible in this place...

"Azula..." I can barely hear her call to me once more but I feel her hand caress beneath my chin and up my neck cool and soft...I can feel myself trembling beneath her touch and nearly cry as I reach to cling for her...and unlike the real times this would happen,I do cling to her,I feel myself crying softly in her embrace and I don't feel so cold anymore...

"It's ok...it's ok...hush...I'm here...I've got you..."

Lucid dreams are cruel. I know I'm dreaming but I can still feel and see everything around me...I see the inside of the cell and the guards pacing back and forth,avoiding me at all costs even if I am still behind bars,shackled and muzzled away from harming them or anyone else...but that lady...I can't see her but I know she's there and I know she is still holding me...

Still...holding me? The bed was warmer now,as I came out of my dream state slowly,feeling groggy as if disturbed,my body was cloaked by another,holding me close like my dream. At first it didn't seem to phase me,perhaps I was still dreaming? Whoever it was,their face was plopped lazily against a large pillow. No matter,I'm still tired...I laid back and gently pushed out of the embrace and tried to sleep again. Once I was out of their grasp the person stirred and sat up quickly.

"Good Morning Azula!" Came a shrill cheery voice that made my eyes shoot open widely.

Sitting up quickly I was pushed back against the bed and nearly flew off in the bone crushing embrace of my old friend,new found enemy,but some how seemingly forgiving companion,Ty Lee.

"It is SO good to see you again! How was prison? Did you make any new friends?! I did and now I'm a Kyoshi Warrior!"

"Well...she hasn't changed much at all has she?" I thought to myself as my old friend bounced on my bed.

"That's...interesting...but what are you doing here?"

Ty Lee stopped her incessant bouncing and stared at me as if I had six thousand fire spewing heads,smiled once again and then bounced some more as she announced her being my appointed escort to Ba Sing Se. I could feel my jaw drop as she explained it to me. Zuko had called on her to be the one to travel with me through the Earth kingdom.

"Zuko says I'm probably the only one that can keep you in line." She giggled.

"Excuse me?" I tried to rise against her but the smile on her face vanished like it was never even there and she was in a fighting stance,keeping her fingers just above my assumed pressure points.

"I've been trained well in the last six months and I haven't missed a beat in my old abilities either. Please don't take it personally I just have a job to do."

Ty Lee had me in a position where I had to accept defeat,so for now I would surrender. But on my fathers name I swear once my strength is back...

"You're not too upset by this are you? That it can't quite be the way it used to be...?" She interrupted my thoughts as she often did.

The way it used to be...as bad as I treated her in public there was a whole other side the friendship I held with Ty Lee...

"Well,you better get ready,we need to leave soon!" Ty Lee said before merrily skipping away.

Maybe...maybe this won't be so bad afterall...I kept thinking that to myself but shook those old feelings off. She just said so herself it won't be the way it used to be...those days...those blissful and quiet days...are over. I need to remember my place in this Nation,in this world for that matter...I need to...I need to...

"I need to see the eyes of the man who made me his puppet." I said through my teeth as a final request to my brother.

He gave me a weird look,slightly suspicious,this might not have been the best time but it would be the only time I could have to do this.

"Why?"

I looked up at him with all of my redirected hatred and responded,nearly crying, "To wave my strings in front of him."

I was promptly taken to The Boiling Rock where my father had been transferred some time after the war. Zuko claimed they kept him in his own cell,constantly monitored and away from the other prisoners. Zuko accompanied me until we reached father's cell,he stood beside me with his hand on my shoulder.

"Do you want me to go in with you?" He asked of me softly.

"No. I must do this alone." I said as the guards unlocked and opened the heavy steel door and allowed me entry.

"Be careful." He warned me as the door slowly shut behind me.

A shell of his former self...the man I had come to adore sat in the corner like a lowly peasant. I sat down before him and waited patiently for him to acknowledge my presence. His hair,like mine,was matted down and in his face,he was shackled but not nearly as heavily as I was back at the palace dungeon. He turned and saw me sitting across from him,his eyes looked tired but still had the same fear striking spark in them as I had once inherited from him.

"My daughter..." He smiled at me.

"Hello father." I smiled back...

Perhaps this won't be so bad after all...