Azula has never been a fan of sea travel. She much prefers the freedom of the air.
However, the daughter of the Fire Lord does not give into weakness and will put on a brave face even as the tossing waves make her want to toss her lunch.
Iroh places a cool cloth on her head. The wrinkles around his golden eyes are deep with concern.
"I never knew you did not take to the waves."
Azula groans at the grating sound of his voice. No one knew. She kept it hidden but it's not as if she has anyone to impress. No high standards to live up to. Not now that she is in exile.
"Please try to drink the ginger tea. It will help settle your stomach." He encourages her with a warm cup of steaming liquid.
Opening her eyes she nearly wants to throw the cup across the room from the smell alone but her Uncle has yet to lead her astray. She drinks wrinkling her nose against the taste but as she finishes off the cup her stomach does begin to feel much better.
"Thank you, Uncle." She rasps out, throat raw from pain.
"How is your back?" He turns his attention towards other matters.
Azula grimaces as he lifts the blanket to reveal the mangled ruins of her back. The whip lashed deep into her tissues and it is healing somewhat.
Opening a pot of ointment, Iroh begins to systematically rub it into the cuts to ward off infection.
"Perhaps when we get to the Earth Kingdom, we can find another Water Bender to heal you. That may prevent scarring."
Azula nods mechanically. Finding a Water Bender is far down her list of priorities. The pain in her back barely registers anymore. It has become nothing but a hot mass of cold fury.
The Fire Lord will pay for this and pay dearly.
"Where do you think Zuko could be?" She asks, distracting herself from the light feather touches Iroh uses to tend to her wounds.
"That may be difficult to say. Zuko is a master of stealth. He could be anywhere."
They speak often about what Zuko must be up to. Is he with the Avatar? Is he on his own? Is he even still alive?
Of course he is, Iroh said with a smile. If Ozai couldn't kill the Prince what makes you think the world could?
Azula doesn't want to admit just how much she has missed her brother. His exile has been difficult on her as well. Ozai has been difficult. Iroh did what he could to protect her but it wasn't enough. It could never be enough.
"Do you think he will forgive me?" Her voice is small like that of a child. Surely Zuko will forgive that she had to betray him. She had to do as the Fire Lord ordered.
"Zuko will understand." Iroh says. His words neither confirming nor denying her question of forgiveness.
The ship rocks with unnatural rhythm jarring Iroh out of his sleep. With a quick look, he sees Azula stirring as well.
His battle instincts are kicking in. "Something is wrong."
Her own instincts agree and she is already moving quickly to pack their bags.
When they reach the deck, they are greeted with the salty smell of seawater and the metallic scent of spilled blood. The ship is under attack.
Iroh pushes her away from the bow where a boarding party is fighting its way through the sailors.
Pirates are rare but vicious.
"You must go." He urges her as he guides her into a small boat.
Her eyes flash. "What about you?"
Iroh shakes his head. "I must help my friends." The vessel that snuck them out of the Fire Nation was under the control of friends of the old general. He won't leave them now.
She shrugs out of his grasp. "I can help too."
Anger bubbles from inside of him."No, Azula." He will not fail her again."The odds are not in our favor and you cannot be captured."
Understanding lights in her eyes. A woman in the hands of pirates. A Princess in the hands of pirates.
"Come with me." Her voice takes on a different tone. An almost pleading one.
"I will catch up to you." Iroh pushes her into the boat and kisses her forehead.
Azula glares at him, her golden eyes screaming betrayal, as he lowers the boat down the side of the ship.
"Stay hidden and do not come back. They will search the debris for survivors." Iroh yells instructions to her as the rift between them widens. "Find Zuko. He will understand, Azula."
She nods, brave mask sliding into place as she watches the man that was more of a father to her than her own fades from view.
The rips and tears in her back ache as she rows her boat to shore. She manages to avoid the debris from the small explosions the pirates are using to disable the ship.
Pulling herself onto shore her shoulders and back burn and fresh rivers of blood run from her wounds, soaking the back of her shirt.
A large explosion strikes the forward magazine igniting the explosives the ship was carrying and she is thrown to the sandy beach from the impact.
Large swaths of beach are covered in flaming debris and Azula watches in horror as the ship's bow sinks below the surface of the water.
Azula should cry. She wants to cry. She finds she can't and with a hardened resolve she turns her attention to the forest behind her and to the brother that lies beyond.
Every town she is in, she hears word of their travels. It seems Azula is always just one step behind the Avatar. At this point she isn't even sure if Zuko is with them but she is at least certain that the Prince won't be far behind.
They have the same goal of working against Ozai. Not many things are certain in her life but stopping the Fire Lord and ending the war are.
For all her training though, Azula finds she is lousy at survival. She finds herself knee deep in a swamp with strange creatures buzzing around her. When she lobs a fire ball at one of them and misses, it strikes a tree. She watches in fascination as a splash of water rises up to put out the small fire.
"Hey, little lady!" A near toothless man calls to her as he pulls close in a small boat. "You might want to be more careful."
She warily eyes him and the reptile at his side. The giant best stares her down with unblinking eyes. Flames spark from her fingertips. The old man flashes a gaping smile.
Dinner that night is some sort of winged insect. Azula wants to refuse but she has gone too long without a proper meal. If these swamp people can withstand the revolting meal, then she can too. After all she is not some spoiled princess that needs to be looked after. Dinner has a surprisingly tangy taste.
"I'm looking for my brother." She explains around the campfire."He may be traveling with an Air Bender and a Water Bender."
They stare back at her with rapt attention, as if her every word was gold.
"Air Bender, you say? Why they passed through here a few weeks ago."
Azula smiles in gratitude.
The small village has been ravaged by war. That much is clear. The residents stare at her with open distrust. Golden eyes give her away and she pulls her cloak around her more. Staring at a fruit stand, she fingers what few coins she has left in her pocket.
A small boy bounds up to the stall and picks an apple, handing the merchant a coin.
He turns to stare at her with wide eyes. "Are you a Fire Bender?"
Azula keeps her calm and smiles. "If I was a Fire Bender do you think I would be dressed like this?" Her clothes are rather poor even for a peasant.
He eyes her up and down. "I guess not but that other Fire Bender wasn't dressed much different."
She chokes back her hope. It won't do to get excited at the prospect of finally finding Zuko only to be let down again. Azula isn't sure how many more letdowns she can take.
"You've met a Fire Bender? I don't believe you." Azula scoffs in disbelief as she buys her own apple.
The boy's eyes take on a determined look. "I did! He took on a whole gang because they were mean to me." He calls as he follows after her.
That sounds like something Zuko would do.
She gives him a disbelieving look though."And what happened to this Fire Bender?"
Eyes averted he scuffs at a rock with his shoe. "We kinda ran him off."
Azula can read people and everything about this boy screams guilt.
"Did you want him to leave?" She says as she sits on a rock nearby.
He shrugs. "I guess. I mean he's Fire Nation. Fire Nation is bad."
Polishing her apple on her sleeve, Azula looks at her reflection in it. "They can be." She allows. It's true that some in the Fire Nation are bad. Zuko isn't though.
"He saved me." The boy says in a small voice as he runs his fingers over the surface of his own apple.
Sharp teeth pierce the skin of the apple with a crisp sound and Azula chews the fruit in thought. "So where did this heroic Fire Bender disappear too?"
The boy looks up at her as if trying to determine if she is really serious about hearing what he knows.
"I think he went off to the east."
Azula nods mentally picturing the Earth Kingdom map she had seen in a treehouse not too far away.
"The farther away the better right?" She asks in a teasing tone.
The boy smiles hesitantly at her. "I suppose. He seemed nice though. I kinda feel bad for letting them run him off like that."
Azula smiles. "I'm sure he forgives you."
And he will, that she is sure of. Azula just hopes that Zuko is feeling as forgiving with her and gives her a chance to be the sister she should have been instead of the daughter that she was.
AN: Azula has left the Fire Nation and is in search of Zuko.