"So, what have you guys been doing while we were out?" Katara asked the boys as Team Avatar settled themselves in their usual hangout, the upstairs lounge of the Jasmine Dragon.

Sokka shrugged. "Meh, nothing much. We just read a story where I marry Toph, Zuko marries Suki and giant Momo makes friends with the Unagi."

Toph widened her sightless eyes. "That's… actually not so surprising, given what we've known about the book's contents so far."

"So I've been spared from the horrible fate of appearing in a crazy story?" Katara said wryly.

"Oh no, you and Aang go penguin sledding together and have three kids named Kya, Bumi and Tenzin."

"Sounds good to me. Maybe if I do have three kids with Aang I might name them Kya, Bumi and Tenzin as well." Katara sat down next to Aang on the couch and gave him a wink, while he turned away to hide his steadily growing blush.

"Still, you make it sound like people make babies from going penguin sledding." Toph propped her feet up on the low table. "Hasn't Twinkletoes taught you about the birds and the bees yet?"

"I know about the birds and the bees, thank you very much." Sokka picked up the Companion from where it lay on the table at a dangerously close proximity to Toph's not-exactly-fragrant feet. 'So, what story should we read now?"

"How about one without us for a change?" Aang suggested. "You said there were other people mentioned in the book, right Sokka?"

"Yeah, I did. Let's see what we've got." Sokka began browsing through the pages before suddenly stopping at a certain spot. "Hey, this one's about Azula!"

"They have a story about Azula?!" Zuko cried in surprise as he emerged from the stairs with another tray of tea.

"Oh good, Iroh's tea should be able to get us through a story." Toph accepted a cup of tea and began sipping.

Zuko set the tray down on the low table (and a safe distance away from Toph's feet) before turning to Sokka. "So what's this about a story on Azula?"

"It's actually a collection of stories titled The Earth Kingdom Chronicles," Sokka said as he turned the book around for everyone to see. "They have Aang, me, Toph and Azula, so since we've decided to read about someone else we'll be starting with Azula's first."

"So they don't have me or Zuko?" Katara asked as she sipped her tea. "That's a relief."

"Yeah, or they might put you two together again." Sokka then began the story.

My name is Azula. I am a princess of the Fire Nation. My father is Fire Lord Ozai, leader of the most powerful nation on Earth. Soon he will rule all the nations – Fire, Earth, Water, and Air. They will fall under his iron grip once my work is complete. Then, in time, I will succeed my father to the throne of the Fire Nation and become the next Fire Lord.

"Is it just me, or is Azula sounding really arrogant?" Aang asked.

Zuko shrugged. "Actually, I think it sounds just like her. Everyone says she's perfect, and she knows it. I'm not surprised to find that she's full of herself."

"Well, you're her brother after all. You know best," Sokka said before returning to the story.

But first things first. My task at the moment is to track down my uncle and my brother and return them to the Fire Lord for the punishment they deserve. My uncle Iroh is a traitor and a coward. Oh sure, once he was considered a great warrior, but when he ran from the battle of Ba Sing Se, he let control of the Earth Kingdom slip from his grasp. For that he has been banished from the Fire Nation for life.

Zuko frowned at the book. "Uncle was never banished from the Fire Nation at all. He was just appointed by my father to come with me when I was banished. Of course, he was quite happy to do so – he used to tell me how he'd rather be out on the sea with his favorite nephew than in some stuffy palace."

"I think he was just trying to make you feel better. Of course you're his favorite nephew; you're his only nephew."

"Thanks for telling me, Sokka."

And what of my beloved big brother, Zuko? He is a failure, total and complete. My father said so just recently when he assigned me this task. Of course I already knew: Zuko's been insufferable since we were children – a weak, whiny boy who never actually grew up. Whenever things didn't go his way, he would go crying to our mother – until one day she was no longer there to protect him. He would never stand up for himself, and he certainly never stood up to me. He's been afraid of me since I was nine years old, and that's just the way I like it. I'm fourteen now, and I could destroy him with just one look. And to think that he's next in line to become Fire Lord! The very idea makes me laugh.

Aang turned to Zuko. "She really hates you, doesn't she?"

The firebender shrugged. "Well, it's rather obvious from the story."

"Wow. At least Katara can't destroy me with just one look." Sokka wiped his brow in relief.

"Yup, I have plenty of other ways to destroy you," Katara smirked.

Toph grinned. "Good one, Sugar Queen."

I know Zuko's older than me. But Iroh is older than HIS brother, and Iroh's cowardice and incompetence rendered him unworthy of the throne. And so it was my father, Ozai, who became Fire Lord. Well, history has a strange way of repeating itself. I believe that once again the younger sibling will ascend to the throne of the Fire Nation when the time comes. I will be the next Fire Lord, definitely not my useless brother.

"And yet when all is said and done, you're in a Fire Nation asylum and your 'useless brother' is the new Fire Lord. Take that, Azula!" Sokka pointed a triumphant finger at the book.

"Yeah, who thought the 'useless brother' would go from angsty guy to celebrated ruler?" Toph added.

"Um, can you guys stop referring to me as the 'useless brother'? Azula calling me that was already enough."

"Sure thing, Zuzu."

Zuko groaned.

Zuko was banished from the Fire Nation for disrespecting our father. He has since been searching for the Avatar, to bring that little pest back to Father and eliminate any threat to the Fire Nation's plan for world domination. But, of course, Zuko has failed. Time and again the Avatar has slipped through his fingers, and Zuko now runs and hides in disgrace with our uncle. But he cannot run forever, and he certainly cannot run from me!

"I have nothing to say," Zuko said simply.

"As do all of us, except that if it weren't for your horrible Avatar-catching skills we all wouldn't be here," Sokka said. "Thanks, Zuko."

"You're welcome."

My father has supplied me with a beautiful ship, a Fire Nation royal sloop, to be precise – and I am nothing if not precise. The ship is filled with the luxuries befitting a princess, and is crewed by Fire Nation soldiers at my command. A great warrior and leader deserves nothing less.

"Even though she's actually just a teenage princess on her first trip out of her nation," Zuko pointed out.

Sokka raised an eyebrow. "Really? Because when we first met her, I had the impression that wasn't her first attempt at murder."

"Well, I guess you guys qualify as the first non-Fire Nation citizens she tried to murder. She has to start somewhere if she wants to be Fire Lord, right?"

"If the criteria for the job of Fire Lord involves killing people, I'd think they'd be better off with a professional assassin," Toph said.

As the magnificent ship approached the port where Iroh and Zuko had last been seen, I addressed the troops who had gathered on deck.

"My brother and uncle have disgraced the Fire Lord and brought shame on all of us. I understand that you may have mixed feelings about attacking members of the royal family, but I assure you, if you hesitate in your duty to me and to your country, I will not hesitate to bring you down."

I can feel the fear spreading among them like a plague. Good. I like it when people are afraid of me. Frightened soldiers are obedient soldiers. They will obey my every wish, or they will know my wrath. Trust me. They don't want to know my wrath.

"Dismissed!"

'Is she always like this?" Katara asked Zuko.

"Well, she used to terrify the servants taking care of us when we were kids. I guess terrorizing soldiers is nothing new."

"Yeah, they're just servants with armor and a little experience in combat," Sokka piped up.

Zuko raised an eyebrow. "Um, not exactly, but it doesn't matter anyway."

As the troops hurried off to their posts, the ship's captain, a spineless little weasel, came scurrying up to me, muttering some gibberish about how the tides wouldn't allow him to bring the ship into port before nightfall.

I know just how to handle this poor excuse for a soldier. "I'm sorry, Captain," I said with extreme politeness, "but I do not know much about the tides. Can you explain something to me?"

"Of course, Your Highness."

Weakling. I'd love to get rid of him. But then who would steer the ship?

"Oh, I'm sure she'll figure out how to steer a ship eventually. She's just so perfect," Zuko said in a mock worshipping tone.

"Well, the chances are she might crash the thing against some cliff and the whole ship will sink. Then none of us would have a lightning-bending dangerous lady after us," Sokka said.

"Always the optimist, aren't you Sokka?" Toph snorted.

"Do the tides command this ship?" I asked him.

"I'm afraid I don't understand."

Of course you don't. You have no idea how close you are to vanishing in a flash of blue flame. "You said the tides would not allow us to bring the ship in. So again I ask you: Do the tides command this ship?"

"No, Princess."

He seems to be catching on. Good. "And if I were to have you thrown overboard, would the tides think twice about smashing you against the rocky shore?"

"No, Princess."

I see the sweat bead on his forehead and his neck muscles tighten. He is afraid of me. "Well then, Captain, maybe you should worry less about the tides, who've already made up their mind about killing you, and worry more about me, who's still mulling it over."

At this point the nervous man won't even make eye contact with me. "I-I'll p-pull us in at once, Your Highness," he stammered, swallowing hard.

Smart man. I'll let you live. For today, anyway.

Sokka gave a low whistle. "Woah, killer princess on the loose. I'd admire her style if she hadn't tried to kill us on so many occasions."

"Maybe I'll try it on my students," Toph grinned. "Just picture it: they're whining for their mommies and I say, 'Do your mommies know how to earthbend?'

Then they'll say, 'No, Sifu Toph.'

'Can they crush you with falling boulders?'

'No, Sifu Toph.'

'Can I crush you with falling boulders?'

'Yes, Sifu Toph.'

'Well then, students, maybe you should worry less about your mommies, who are no hazard to your lives, and worry more about me, who can very well be a really dangerous hazard to your lives.'

And then they'll stammer, 'Yes, Sifu Toph. We'll do our 200 push-ups right now.'" Toph finished with her arms stretched out in bliss.

The others stared at her in silence for a minute before Sokka finally spoke. "Now I really am starting to worry about you, Toph."

I gotta admit, writing Toph's version of a killer princess speech is really fun. As for The Earth Kingdom Chronicles, they're not fanfictions but actual AtLA-based books published by Simon Spotlight/Nickelodeon. The original series included the tales of six characters - the four mentioned above plus Zuko and Katara's – but my four-in-one collection only contained the first four, so that's all the Gaang will get to read, if they read it at all. You see, I still haven't made up my mind whether I should continue with them reading The Tale of Azula and the others, what with them not being fanfics and thus not supposed to be in the Companion. If you have any opinions on whether I should or should not continue including the Earth Kingdom Chronicles in the Companion, do tell me because I really need feedback from readers! Till next time, folks!