A/N: I don't own Avatar.

This chapter is a little longer and because of the several narrators I'm giving this chapter the name "royal flush"

Please enjoy and comment what you think of it. thank you.

Chapter 6

There has only been one escape from The Boiling Rock. Only One. Until now. Ozai had been committed to the prison for six months now and although he spent most of that time alone in one cell he has had enough time to think. Considering how his own son managed to escape he tried to think of a less elaborate scheme. After only a few months in prison he was allowed some time outdoors for air and exercise with only a few other high risk prisoners.

"Fire Lord Zuko..." Said Mai's Uncle, The Warden of the Boiling Rock. "Your father has escaped."

"What?! How could this have happened? I thought that prison was inescapable!" I allowed my temper to explode as flames grew around me.

"With all do respect sir...there has been an escape before this..."

"I WAS THERE!! I WAS ONE OF THE MEN TO ESCAPE IF YOU DON'T REMEMBER!"

"Zuko...calm down." Mai said firmly.

"Calm down? You want me to calm down? HOW can I CALM DOWN when the most dangerous man in the Fire Nation is roaming free?"

"He USED to be the most dangerous, he's not a fire bender anymore remember?"

"It doesn't change the fact that he's a threat." I managed to calm down a little bit and then looked to the Warden. "Find him and when you do you have my permission to end him."

"Yes Sir." The Warden bowed and left.

This was only days before now. Perhaps Mai was right, maybe I have gone soft...allowing my father basic Prisoners rights to a little air every now and then proved to be a failure. I pray that Azula does not prove Mai's point further.

"Fire Lord Zuko." A messenger urgently rushed into my war room.

"What is it?" I stood up seeing that he had been running with a letter clasped in his hand.

As he drew nearer I took the letter from his hand and read it to myself...it was from Ty Lee...Now I had two family members on the run.

"Damn..."

After reading the letter, I wrote one back and sent it on its way via messenger hawk. With only so much I could do after already sending out my top investigators and secret services I sent out another team to help search for Azula. A team I knew that I could trust and that would definitely assist Ty Lee in her search...

"It would be a pleasure, Fire Lord." Suki said with a grin. "It's weird calling you that now."

"Thank you, and the rest of the Kyoshi Warriors. I've already sent word to Ty Lee. You all know the Earth Kingdom better than my own secret service, please make sure she's in one piece."

"I have to admit, I'm not all that fond of your sister..." Suki sighed. "But Ty Lee seems to adore her, so anything to help her out is fine by us. She's like our family now."

"That's good to hear. Just don't knock my sister around too much when you find her." I tried to keep good humor about the situation.

"Yeah, I'm sure Ty Lee will want a piece of her too." Mai laughed.

"What is up between them anyway?" I was still baffled by their relationship.

I looked between Mai and Suki, both giving each other odd looks, then they both looked at me and said not to worry about it. I hate being the last to know things. After Suki was dismissed she returned to the Earth Kingdom to help assist in the search for Azula. Unlike my father she was not to be killed on sight, only brought back home.

Blindly not even considering the welfare of myself or my family, Mai ordered that there be extra securtiy around the palace, in case my fathers intent was the over throw me. With out any fire bending I don't even understand how he could try. With no ally in the world how could he go up against me?

"There's always your sister. No one can be sure where she stands anymore. You could give her all of the chances in the world, Zuko, and the odds are still in favor of your father. She can still fire bend, and you know she's more than evenly matched with you in bending." Mai warned me.

"I know. I just hope she's smarter than that now. I just wish I knew what he was planning..."

Walking out of my War room I wandered the Palace alone. With luck, maybe Azula headed to Ba Sing Se on her own, or maybe Uncle Iroh would get a hole of her before anyone else. With even more luck...Maybe Azula headed for...no. She wouldn't have. Stepping out into the private courtyard I stared up at the night sky and remembered my only visit to my father...his voice...although weak and defeated, still ran cold through my body.

"I should count myself lucky. The new Fire Lord has graced me with his prescene in my lowly prison cell." He said sarcastically.

"You should count yourself lucky that the Avatar chose to spare you." I refused to let him bully me anymore. "Banishing me was the best thing you could've done for my life. It put me on the right path. Maybe your time in here can do the same for you."

"Why have you come here?"

"Because you're going to tell me something." I went down low to his physical level and stared into his eyes ominously and then continued slowly, not missing a beat. "Where is my mother?"

She was not killed, only banished. Now I knew where she was and as much as I wanted to go see her, I couldn't, some how I was afraid to face her. She gave away her citizenship, her whole life, just to spare my own. The last benevolent thing my father and grand father ever did for this family was sparing her life along with mine. I should be grateful to them but I'm not. Only to her, and I couldn't even face her. Even if I have earned the forgiveness and trust of my people and the Avatar it still does not make up for all of my sins. The shame my father held over my head was always there and my mother was always proud that I was myself. I let that person go for so long and must have caused her such great shame. I could not go see her. Not now, not yet. Not with out making her proud, even as Fire Lord I could not do that, but giving Azula a second chance, maybe one day Mother will see both of her children as she would want to see them, sane and in good health.

"Are you thinking about her again?" Mai had her way of always being right there beside me.

"Azula is closer to her than I am now..."

"I'm sure she knows."

"How do you know?" I turned to her.

"Like I said...you two have that strange telepathy thing...even if you two hated each other growing up..." Mai seemed to hate admitting it. "She always knew how to find you when you were down, it always went both ways too."

"I guess."

"Remember the beach? She knew you would be at the summer house when you walked out of that party. Common sense I guess, but she knew to find you. She could have left you with your memories. Even when the trail was cold while we hunted down you and your uncle she knew where to go."

"Yeah..." I looked back to the stars.

(Ozai's Point of View)

My son is a moron. He kept me in a dark cell for six months in a prison where I already knew who everyone was. Despite my evil I did at one point have friends in my own Nation. The Warden in particular, who, before my fall, would tell me of all the high risk and peculiar prisoners he held here at the Boiling Rock. Four months of imprisonment and what the Warden deemed as "good behavior", for a man who nearly dominated the world, earned me some time out doors and amongst other prisoners. unfortunately I was not good enough to be amongst the common criminals, only the other high risk and dangerous type that were still under extreme supervision.

Among them was Chung, a wise man and dream weaver. A Dream Weaver is a kind of sorcerer, a bender in its own right, that can literally weave ones dreams with another. Before his imprisonment he acted as the Fire Nations head of secret service intelligence, he would stay in intense coma like states and wake up with information from all over the world. He had the liberty to penetrate any mind he wanted, I only needed one.

"Chung." I sat in front of him as other prisoners passed us in the yard.

He said nothing to me, only stared blankly. They had heavily sedated him with a drug that would make him sleep dreamless or not sleep at all. It seemed that he had overdosed and they stopped drugging him.

"I need your skill, Chung, wake up."

"The Fire Lord." He said, astonished. "What are you doing dressed as a prisoner?"

"Did you sleep through the end of the world you old fool?" I grinned, keeping my cynical smile to myself for now. "I was overthrown by my son."

"Little Zuko is the Fire Lord?" He laughed. "Didn't think the lad had the nerve, and to defeat you..."

"Not me." I interrupted him. "My daughter, she lost to him in an Agni Kai...I need your help talking to her..."

"Is she here as well?" He asked, referring to the prison.

"No. She was held elsewhere for the last six months...now she is wandering the Earth Kingdom, as ordered by the Fire Lord." I said the last bit in utter disgust.

"And..." He seemed to be gaining his composure. "You need my help getting into her head?"

"I don't think all of the drugs in the world could keep you from weaving."

At that he laughed a little more, my own smile showed only slightly, and the old man looked to the guards standing by who were hardly paying attention to us at all and then he looked back at me.

"You know an old man too well, Ozai. What's the message?"

"Well..." I stared off cautiously. "I actually wanted to know if you could...teach me your methods?"

"Dream weaving?" His face grew darker as he looked down seriously. "It's a dark art, and takes decades to perfect."

"I'm a fast learner." I assured him in a low voice.

For two months I practiced under Chung's instruction, between the two of us we would meet in dreams, establishing physical contact. It was not as simple as I had hoped but studied hard as I did with Fire Bending when I was a boy. After weeks of establishing a body within a dream we moved on to idle conversation and timed how long we could last before waking up or before my mind would wander to other things. It took all of my patience and focus but in the end I became good enough to do as Chung had done for my secret service, I pick a victim and invade their dreams during the twilight hours. If the subject was not asleep I would remain in the coma like state until they were and then I would strike.

Most of our conversations while training were simple things about the day and weather but that slowly turned into a plot to escape. During the day Chung would act as though he was still sedated and I would be a humble prisoner causing no trouble. However, by night Chung would invade the dreams of the Warden, and I with the guards, creating a distraction, a slip in their perfect system to leave a set of keys out in the open. As planned a novice criminal picked them up and set us all free, leaving the prison in chaos. Easily as it had been started we slipped away on an unguarded gondola. No one noticed we were gone until some hours later and by then it was too late. Zuko can put up all of the wanted posters he wants, he will never out wit me again.

(Azula's Point of View)

Laying in silence beside the one I held most dear I felt safe, something I had never felt in the arms of any other man or woman. The room was still, dark and comfortable, my lover was already sound asleep and soon I found myself drifting into the same sweet slumber.

"My Ty Lee..." I murmured.

It seemed like a moment passed when I woke up again. The room was now icy and tinted blue, I shivered and clung to my lover only to discover that she were as cold as the room. I sat up and turned my frozen companion over to find her eyes and mouth wide open and skin abnormally pale. I placed a hand to my first loves pulse and cried out after feeling no heart beat.

Immediately I hurled out of the bed and ran out of the room crying out for help and ran straight into dark nothingness. I kept screaming for someone to help but it was useless, no one could hear me. The thought of losing my loved one felt like a rusted spear driving itself into my stomach. The feeling became so overwhelming that I collapsed.

The room spun rapidly and I felt hot tears stream down my face and all I could hear was the sound of my own heart pounding.

"Azula." Came a deep and captivating voice. "Wake up."

Before my eyes could even open I felt like I was in hell. Flames touching my skin, burning me, not cold like my dream. Slowly my eyes opened and I could see that I was indeed in a pit of flames. Looking around I saw no one. Getting up I managed to walk around a bit...away from the flames, it felt unreal, I was still in the cave I had retreated to after leaving Ty Lee.

"I'd be the first to master Fire Bending while asleep..." I laughed to myself as I started to leave the cave, where there were no flames.

As I started leaving a figure stepped out in front of me, a woman, her silhouette moved closer to me and revealed to be my mother. Once again with that damnable frown on her face. I stepped back at the sight of her and nearly spoke out against her but was interrupted.

"Come to me, child, it is not safe in there." She said gently.

"Why should I turn to you? I can take care of myself." I turned away from her.

"Azula!" Called a second voice from amidst the flames, the one that woke me up to begin with.

The fire cackled and grew stronger with the voice nearly touching me again as I tried to step away from it, knowing who was behind me I stopped myself and found myself in the middle of them both. Another shadow appeared, on the other side of me in the flame.

"Father?"

"You have a chance to redeem yourself." He said as he stepped out of the fire.

"Azula, come to me!" Mother shouted from behind me.

"SILENCE!" My Father Roared, shooting a flame at her.

"How can you do that? I thought the Avatar..."

"The Avatar..." He interrupted me. "Is only a child. You have trained your entire life, you are the perfect Fire Bender."

"Ozai, leave her in peace!"

"This is none of your concern, wench. Zuko is your child..." He said glaring at her, then looked to me with a grin. "And Azula is mine."

"She is our child," Mother corrected him. "Equally ours. You have had your time with her, now she is with me. Azula. Come with me. Now."

"Azula, you have a choice, go with her and be a shame to this family and our Nation, but if you come with me I will make sure your honor is restored as well as mine and our lives will go back to the way they are supposed to be."

"Don't listen to him! He can not make promises like that and you know that. your brother is the rightful ruler now."

"Azula!" He growled at me, waiting for my decision.

"Azula..."

"ENOUGH!" I screamed blowing flames at both of them.

They remained silent as I tried to think things through, with out thinking a began walking towards my mother. After realizing where I was going I did not stop. I only looked upon her with my usual scowl, and for once she smiled at me, reaching for me as I drew closer.

"You weren't just banished from home, you were banished from me as well." I hissed waving a flame between me and her as I did to Ty Lee back at the palace.

A wave a sadness flowed through her face once again and she turned from me. A warm hand rested upon my shoulder and praised my obedience. I was always faithful to my father and I always meant that. I turned back to him, seeing more fire in his eyes than around him...

"How do I redeem myself?"

"You must kill your brother."

Typical of him to say that, I already knew that would have to be done if I wanted to reclaim the throne for my father. Before I could ask anymore questions he and the fire died away, leaving me wide eyed and confused. Running deeper into the cave I felt the same as I did in my other dream, the world around me spun and I could hear my heart racing as I breathed heavily, screaming his name. Looking tot he far end of the cave again my mother was still standing there, she reached out for my hand but stubbornly I kept my distance and fell into a deeper darkness. Forcing myself upward I found myself in the cave where I had fallen asleep. Another dream. Wiping the sweat from my brow I laid back down and stared up at the stone ceiling and thought about my dreams. I felt like Zuko...angry, confused and pathetic. A proud fire bender knows no weakness or flaw. That is what I have always been taught and I must never let that go.

(Iroh's Point of View)

My tea shop is still the top of Ba Sing Se, oh how I've missed it. My regular customers had no problem welcoming me back after the war was over. It has been nearly half of a year and business has gone smoothly. Everything would be ideal except for one thing, I missed my nephew. Of course I am proud that he has taken the right path and restored honor to not only the Fire Nation but our family as well. His mother would certainly be proud.

Some time before now I had received word from Zuko that he was planning on sending Azula to Ba Sing Se, I was skeptical of his judgement at first but he humbly asked me to try to steer her in the right direction as I did for him. He seemed to have enough faith in her that even after time in prison she should be able to have an equal opportunity as he did only a few years prior. I think Azula is insane, and quite honestly I do not think she has what it takes to change, but as always I gave Zuko the benefit of a doubt. Unlike every other time he thought of something crazy he seemed to think this one through. So I sent word back that I would take her in and try to help her the best way I knew how. I need more help around the shop anyway. When I offered to return to the Fire Nation to get her, he claimed he had an escort for her already. Now all I can do is wait for Azula's arrival and hope for the best.

"Another cup of tea?" I said to one of my customers who looked a bit out of luck.

"No thank you..." He sighed. "I don't even have enough money to cover this one."

"No charge." I said heartily sitting down across from him and poured him another cup before pouring my own. "You look like something is troubling you, care to share what is on your mind?"

"My son...he was a fire nation soldier...he was killed in the war about nine months ago...I don't blame the war for killing him exactly...just the man who sent him out to begin with."

"Fire Lord Ozai?" I was taken back at this mans troubles, I understood the loss of a child more than most, but it did not feel right. "But he has been overthrown by Fire Lord Zuko, he is in prison now, no need to worry."

"You haven't heard have you?" He looked up at me, shocked, I gave him an odd look and he hurried to pull a folded piece of paper out and handed it to me.

Opening it up it took me only a moment to truly react, my tea dropped to the ground and the cup shattered into several pieces as I stared at this wanted poster. Ozai had escaped some days before and now everyone was out looking for him. Even Zuko. At the bottom of the poster I was shocked to see "dead or alive" printed with Zuko's signature.

"How great can the new Fire Lord be if he allows monsters like Ozai to escape?" The customer spat angrily.

"You underestimate Ozai...he has been around longer than the new Fire Lord and is very clever and manipulative. How old is this?"

"About a week old why? Do you think he is going to over throw Fire Lord Zuko?"

"Not with out any bending. The Avatar stripped him of that luxury." I was puzzled. "Even if that was his intention he would have tried to do it by now. No...there is something else he wants."

Walking away from my customer he thanked me for the tea and headed out, leaving me with the wanted poster. Pinning it up on the wall all thoughts about my younger brother rushed through my head, old memories, good and bad, his fight with the Avatar and his imprisonment, what could he possibly want?

"Azula..." I whispered to myself, heart dropping into my stomach.

If her mind was as fragile as Zuko claimed, she would not hesitate to return to Ozai if he found her first. There had to be something I could do to stop him before he got to her. Grabbing only a few essential items I closed my tea shop and left Ba Sing Se. It would take me a few days but only one person could help at a time like this and although I promised years ago, I would have to break a promise to a dear old friend and beg for help.