Chapter Seven: The Sandcastle

Waking to the smell of warm, baked delicacies, the girl ventured from her long and fruitful sleep to the kitchen. There, standing over a large cauldron, was the woman, hard at work preparing a breakfast for her houseguests. The woman looked up from her toil and offered a smile, and the feeling of a new day shined in her golden eyes. The girl shot back a generous smile as the woman walked up to the girl and gave her a hug.

"Thank you for letting me handle Azula. I just felt like it was something I had to do on my own," the woman said, gratitude expressed in her words.

"And thank you, Ursa. Azula really needed this," the girl said as she stepped back and bowed in respect to the woman. The woman returned the action, still smiling. Her smile quickly faded, however. She went back to her cauldron and turned the rice with a large spoon with a distant expression on her face.

"Please. Tell me. What happened to my daughter?" the woman said woefully. The girl's face also began to express sadness.

"Well, between the pressure for perfection placed by a father, the expectation to rule a nation at such a young age, the loss of friends, intense jealousy towards a brother, and the feeling of abandonment by a mother, I think I'd go a little crazy too," the girl answered solemnly.

"I know this is all my fault. I wish things had gone differently that night, but I had no choice," the woman revealed with a tone of regret in her words.

"If you don't mind me asking, what actually happened that night?" the girl inquired with curiosity. The woman immediately stopped churning the rice. Refraining from looking the girl in the eye in favor for staring at the floor, the woman began to tell her story.

"Ozai was ordered by Azulon to kill Zuko. I couldn't…I wouldn't let that happen," the woman said as her body became tense.

"Azula doesn't get her methodic personality from just Ozai," the woman said with a conviction similarly expressed by her daughter.

"I knew Ozai wanted the throne. It really wasn't that hard. I sneaked into Azulon's room that night. I'd rather not go into detail…but Azulon had two choices. Name Ozai his successor, or die. Obviously, he chose wisely. But I had to…get rid of him anyway. It was part of the plan. I had to do it to save Zuko. But because of what I did, I had to leave. If they ever found out I killed Azulon…. I had no choice," the woman said, a tear rolling down her cheek.

"It's strange. Ozai actually sought me out before I left to say goodbye…but that was years ago. It's all just a part of the past, now," the woman finished, wiping away her tear. The girl was bewildered, still left with unanswered questioned.

"From what I heard, Azulon was the most powerful firebender of his time. How did you…you know," the girl asked shyly.

"Katara. I'm sure you've noticed. No one in the royal family is to be underestimated," the woman answered without feeling or emotion. The girl only gulped, realizing the truth in the woman's words.

Waking up abruptly, she found her senses overloaded, like someone waking from a coma. She sat up and groaned from the grogginess and slight headache, blankets spread about her on the bed she was on. Next to the bed on a perpendicular wall was a large mirror. Gazing into it, she found herself in disbelief. For the first time in many months, it was no longer a struggle to look in the mirror. Looking down towards her lap, she discovered she was no longer wearing her prison uniform, just some new undergarments.

She tried to recall the events from the night before, but she found it difficult. She could only remember the coldness of the rain and the feeling of bliss. She smiled slightly to herself, but her smile faded when reality came crashing back once more. With everything that had taken place prior to that morning, only awkward conversation could result.

"Here we go," she said as she ruffled her hair and proceeded downstairs to the kitchen.

As she made her entrance, the girl and the woman exchanged worried looks before they greeted her.

"Good morning Azula. Did you sleep well?" the girl asked, obviously forcing a cheery disposition.

"Yea, sure. Um…you got appleberry juice?" she inquired with indifference. The girl couldn't help but giggle.

"Of course…" the woman replied proceeding a long awkward silence.

"Azula, can I talk to you alone for a moment?" the woman asked her daughter. The two exited the kitchen to chat without the presence of the girl.

"Listen, I was wondering if you wanted to go into town to shop. We could catch up. I know I still have a lot to explain to you," the woman said, sounding humble and calm. She petted her hair as she thought over her mother's request.

"Well, I do need some new clothes…" she answered half-heartedly. The woman smiled and briefly put her hand on her shoulder in response, then proceeded to walk back into the kitchen.

Feeling the urge to talk to the girl, she went to the kitchen as well but discovered she had left. Searching through the house, she was haunted by a ghost of sorts, a ghost of the past, each little section of the precipice exuding its own little memory. Each memory stabbed into her heart as she searched for the girl. Finally, she found the girl sitting on the porch, gazing at the mighty waves as they crashed onto the shore. Tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, she crossed her arms and leaned against the porch's railing.

"So. Ursa is taking me shopping. You realize my feelings on heart to hearts, don't you?" she said as she examined her fingernails for any trace of dirt. The girl looked up at her with a curious expression.

"I would appreciate it if you would act as my crutch for this little outing," she insisted, flipping her hair in a carefree manner in an attempt to hide her worry.

"I'd like that. I've been needing to go shopping for some time now," the girl responded, rising up from the floor to be on a more even footing with her. The two remained silent for a while, simply staring off in a trance like state at the dancing waves.

"I can hardly believe how much the sandcastle hasn't changed, despite the fact that everything else is completely different now," she said in a mumble, not intending for the girl to hear.

"The sandcastle?" the girl asked, not fully understanding.

"When I was little, we would come to Ember Island every summer. I didn't like the idea of staying in an old beach house, so father told me to think of it more as a sandcastle, a palace away from home," she said, patting a lock of hair as if it were a momento of the childhood memory.

The girl looked at her with an inborn reaction of pity.

"You still love your father, don't you?" the girl asked, fearing that she was digging a bit too deep.

"Yes. Very much," she replied almost in monotone. She looked away, but then turned back to the girl with a wicked smile on her face.

"Let's go get ready for this fun shopping expedition, shall we?" she asked, sounding more like a demand. The girl nodded with a smile in return, and the two were off towards their rooms to get dressed.

Adorned in new clothes, she entered the beach house holding a bag full of groceries. Her mother and the girl were trailing behind her, still unloading their purchases from the day off the makeshift cart they made out of Appa. Looking in the mirror in the foyer, she studied her attire. It showed more skin than she usually preferred, revealing her strong forearms, her flat and toned stomach, and her muscular, svelte legs. It was also a bit brighter than what she normally wore, abundant with flaring red and gold, almost no trace of black. A majority of her arms were covered in gold, gauntlet like bangles, and her shirt had the familiar design of the armor she normally wore. She wore baggy, knee-length trousers with a flowing skirt the same length parted three ways overtop. Her new shoes were simple and gold with a swooping end.

She ran her fingers through her hair as though to comb it and sighed. She hadn't felt like putting her hair up into her trademark hairstyle. For some reason, she felt like she needed to earn the right to carry herself like that again, so she left her hair as is. Before she could criticize herself any further, she was interrupted by a sudden noise.

Walking about the house carefully, not even making a sound on the creaky floorboards, she searched for the source of the noise. Walking past the room she thoroughly destroyed, her stomach dropped abruptly. Standing with his back turned, she had the misfortune to find her brother before her, looking urgently for something.

Suddenly noticing her presence, he turned around with a surprised look on his face. She simply stood cool and calm, still holding the groceries in her hand. His expression changed from shock to hatred in a matter of seconds, and the two stared each other down. She didn't even blink, glaring with resolve. She knew he wanted to attack her. She also knew she wouldn't start the fight, but would most certainly end it.

Taking a deep breath and relaxing a bit, he closed his eyes, still apparently angry. She still didn't falter in her stance, waiting for his absolute reactions. Like a rapid mood swing, he stiffened up again. Throwing a punch, a fierce ball of searing fire came hurling towards her.

Dropping her groceries, she executed a back roll to dodge the fireball. She hopped back on her feet, sliding a bit in the process. With her two fingers, she launched an attack of her own, sending a whisp of blue condensed flame at her attacker. He performed a sweep kick as he ducked, sending an arc of fire to her feet. Jumping up in the air, she maneuvered into an axe-kick, summoning a quick bolt of fire to him.

This dance of fire and fury continued through out the room until with one deft move, he sent a large blast of fire towards her, which she managed to block. This blast was more powerful than she expected, and it sent her flying out the hole on the side of the house towards the beach. Kicking her legs up in the air and pushing off the sandy ground with her hands, she landed back on her feet. Her hair was in a fine frenzy across her face, and with a quick huff she blew the strands away from her eyes. Although it wasn't her most concerning thought at the moment, she realized that the one thing she had never lost in the last few months was her style.

He came running onto the beach directly at her with full force, his arms out stretched behind him in a fist. From his fist came jets of fire he used for extra propulsion, making him almost glide over the sand. She could only smile on the inside. Despite his current status, she knew that he still didn't have the raw fire power she did, and knew to use it as an advantage. With a quick downward jab as he was a few inches from her face, she flew into the air like a rocket for a short amount of time. Executing a full twist over his head, she landed on the ground with stunning grace, causing the sand to shuffle into the air in a dust cloud. Blowing blistering hot air from her mouth towards the sand, she managed to make the dust cloud bigger. Firebending required intense control of breath, and she certainly had control. The dust cloud was blinding, and soon the siblings couldn't see each other.

Keeping his stance, he took the defensive, waiting for sudden motions in the world of sand surrounding him. He couldn't help but feel the resolve churning in his stomach when fighting his sister. But the crown currently placed on his head made him feel the confidence he needed to detain his deadly sister.

Before he knew it, blue fire surrounded him from all directions, coiling around him like a lethal rat viper. With a long full body movement, he used his own fire to redirect the blue fire outwards, along with the sand cloud. Once again exposed to the full environment of the beach, he turned to see his sister coming at him.

The fight once again became close combat, with short bursts of fire and many exchanges of skin to skin. Both were determined to win. Finally, both jumped into the air and executed round house kicks charged with their respective fires. As their attack landed directly into each other, a brilliant flash of white strained their vision, and an incredible wave of energy pushed both scrappers backwards at intense speeds. He landed hard into the trunk of a palm tree, and she landed into the porch of the beach house. Both were out of breath and out of patience.

The woman came running onto the beach, anger clearly displayed on her flawless face. The girl also came along, plagued with worry and doubt.

"Zuko, Azula, for heaven's sake stop this senseless fighting!" the woman ordered with regal fierceness. As she got up with the girl's help, he stood up immediately with ferocity and rage.

"What in the world is she doing here? Why is Azula walking around freely? Do you realize she's crazy? And Katara what the heck is wrong with you? Are you aware I've placed wanted posters of you around the fire nation? One of you answer me!" he demanded, his voice cracking slightly.

"Zuko, I'm sorry! I forgot to tell you I was taking Azula to Ember Island," the girl answered nervously.

"Forgot? How did you forget you had illegally moved a prisoner from the capital city?" he questioned with complete bewilderment.

"Well you said I could do whatever I thought was necessary to help Azula," she replied with a shrug.

"I didn't know you'd find it necessary to execute a Prison Break!" he yelled with aggravation.

"Zuko, please calm down. It's not Katara's fault. Please come inside so I can explain things," the woman said, her voice seeming to calm the air of the intense moment.

"Mother….ugh, fine. But she stays outside," pointing to her as though she were a third party. She could only stare at him. For once in her life, she didn't feel the need to add her two cents in the situation. He, the girl, and the woman left for the privacy of the beach house interior as she sat starring at the culminating sunset. She patted her hair once again in confirmation that she was in one piece. For some reason, she felt like she had done something wrong.

"I just don't see why she needs to be here. She's dangerous!" he yelled to the girl. While the girl knew of his status as Fire Lord, she could only take so much of his raised voice before her natural self-righteousness kicked in.

"Zuko, YOU asked ME to help HER! And I'm doing just that. I thought bringing her to her mother would help, and guess what? It did! You need to put your personal feelings aside for the betterment of all of us!" she reasoned with strong conviction.

"Oh yea, you sure helped her. Helped her blow a hole in the wall!" he added sarcastically.

"Enough! Zuko, Katara, regardless of what you both think, I want Azula to stay here with me. I just got my daughter back and I'm not giving up on her again," the woman said as she smashed her fist into the table, leaving a hole in the wooden furniture. Both teenagers could only stare blankly at the woman, both stricken with a little fear.

"Sorry. Look, Zuko please. As a mother, I am compelled to trust my maternal instincts, and they're telling me I need Azula here with me. I would think you could understand that," the woman pleaded earnestly. He looked his mother in the eye, and realized the value of her words.

"Okay, mother. I'll trust you," he said. After a few moments of silence, the three departed ways awkwardly. The girl headed back to the beach, now blackened with the blanket of stars and space. She was still there, leaned up against the porch, staring up at the sky.

"Hey," the girl said as she sat down next to her.

"Hey," she returned emotionlessly.

"We've decided that it's best you stay here with your mother. Of course this is completely up to you."

"No, I think staying here is what's best. For now."

"Okay. But I can't stay with you,"

She looked at the girl dead in the eye, almost as though she were sad. The girl couldn't be sure of her reaction though.

"I've done all I can do. And I have a life of my own to get back to, " the girl said as the cold night wind blew through her wavy hair. She could only stare for a few moments, but realized a response was appropriate.

"Of course! Of course, I understand," she said with a light forced laugh. Both laughed awkwardly, leaving a long pause afterwards.

"I'm…..ugh….thank you." She said, surprisingly serious.

"Azula, you may not know it, but you're worth it," the girl said with a smile.

Taking a deep breath, she daringly and unusually leaned into towards the girl in a hug. The girl quickly responded with a tight hug of her own. The moment was ruined however, when she pushed the girl away.

"You're pushing it, peasant," she retorted quickly, turning away and crossing her arms. The girl could only get up and laugh as she left her on the beach. The girl knew that everyone could change, but not everyone could change completely. Azula was still Azula, but now she was Azula….refined. Looking at the sky for one more quick glance, the girl smiled to herself before entering the beach house. People's lives take them strange places, and they do strange things…even make strange friends.

"Katara, I need to talk to you." He said under a whisper to the girl as she walked by. The woman was sitting on a chaise lounge close by, sipping on hot tea.

"Sure, Zuko. What's wrong?"

"I've received some intelligence that the former Fire Nation troops in the Earth Kingdom are being resistant to my regime,"

"What are you saying?"

"Katara, the military isn't loyal to me,"

Both the woman and the girl felt their hearts skip and their stomachs drop, giving him their full attention.

"The army is running around still claiming allegiance to Ozai. They're stealing, ransacking towns, and killing innocent people in direct refusal of me. I'm going to the Earth Kingdom tomorrow at sundown to recall the troops personally," he said almost monotone. The room grew still.

"And here I thought that the hard part was ending the war. I guess this is only the beginning," the girl said, sitting down next to the woman.

"Zuko, you can't go at this alone, Fire Lord or not!" the woman said in a fluster.

"Don't worry, I've got help. The Avatar is joining me," he assured, still not feeling entirely secure with his plans.

"You're going to need more help than that. You're taking on the entire Fire Nation army. I'm coming too, and I'm sure I can get Sokka and Toph to tag along," the girl replied, walking over to him and placing her hand on his shoulder.

"Thanks Katara. Mother, will you be okay when I'm gone? I'm leaving Mai in charge while I'm away since she's Fire Lord Consort, but I want to ensure your safety. I can't guarantee the Government will stay loyal while I'm away. These are troubling times, after all," he added to his dear mother.

"Don't worry. I'm sure Azula and I can handle ourselves. You just worry about getting home," the woman said as she walked over to her son and placed a comforting hand on his cheek.

"Don't worry mother. We won't be apart for too long this time," he said as the three exchanged a group hug. Little did they know, she was hiding in the shadows, listening to every word.

Later, after the girl had already left on Appa and he was waiting for his royal ship to circle back around to take him the Royal Capital City, the woman walked passed her daughter's room, just to check up on her. As she walked by, the woman found her packing her belongings into a bag with vicious speed.

"Azula, dear, what are you doing?" the woman inquired. She stopped what she was doing, dropping her clothes on the floor. She felt like she had just been caught disobeying parental rule. The woman simply looked distantly into the candle she held.

"There's a knife in the bottom drawer. Take that with you," the woman peeped. She continued her packing, avoiding eye contact with much skill.

"Ursa, I have to go. I feel like somehow I can help, and maybe this will help me in the long run, you know?" she said as she packed.

"I understand, Azula, and I agree. I just wish I didn't have to see both my children off so soon," the woman answered, tears beginning to fall. She stopped packing for a moment, feeling a pang in her heart.

"Ursa…I need to do this. I need to find my place in this world," she said, feeling philosophical. The woman left the room briefly, only to return with a flowing flame shaped headpiece. At one point, the woman wore the headpiece when she was Princess of the Fire Nation. She backed away from the woman, feeling unworthy to her intentions.

"Ursa, please, you don't need to give me that,"

"I do. It's supposed to be worn by the crown Princess," the woman said, holding out the artifact with a demanding stance. She finally took it, and looked at it with a longing.

"I'm no princess. Not anymore," she replied, a slight tear falling from her eyes.

"Yes you are, Azula. Never forget who you are!" the woman said as she took her daughter's chin, leveling her eyes to look into her own.

She turned away and packed the crown with her other belongings.

"You don't have to wear it now. But when you find yourself, dear daughter, promise you'll put it on," the woman requested, now fully crying.

"I promise," she replied, momentarily stopping her packing to look her mother in the eye.

Finally done packing, she went to her mother for one last hug.

"Goodbye mother. Don't give up on me," she whispered just as she darted off.

The woman watched as her daughter sped to the dock to stow away on her son's royal ship, which was just now pulling in. She saw how her daughter's features shined in the moonlight, recognizing her own face mirrored in her daughter's. The woman couldn't help but feel proud of her estranged daughter. Though she wishes she could have played a larger role in her daughter's development, the woman knew that her daughter had grown into a powerful woman, and possibly a force of reluctant good, despite her dark past. Taking her hair into her hands, the woman patted her hair in confirmation that she was in one piece as her heart was breaking.

"I'll never give up on you again," the woman whispered as she blew out her candle.