Chapter 12: Instincts

Azula was feeling conflicted.

On one side, the fact that there haven't been any attacks or any actual appearance from the New Ozai Society meant that her family hadn't been in danger for the past month…

On the other hand, their sudden silence only means that they're waging their time.

For what though, she didn't have the faintest clue…

Although the way Suki just can't seem to stop hovering over every little thing Zuzu does is pretty amusing.

"This sucks." She heard coming from in front of her.

Kiyi had seem so excited to start her training, what with her pretty much pestering her every chance she got. But she already seemed two seconds away from giving up completely.

Not that she'd let her.

And to be fair, the endurance part of her training back when she started was also her least favorite.

"Firebending requires focus and control of your breathing." She replied sternly. "Without it, you'll go nowhere. So stop complaining!"

"But this is so boring!" She whined but kept up her stance anyway. "I want to be able to shoot blue fire like you!"

She chuckled at her words. "Then be a good girl and listen to what I tell you to do, then I might just teach you!"

Kiyi grumbled.

"You're no fun when Aang's not here…" She said just loud enough for her to hear.

She rose an eyebrow. "What was that?" She said dangerously, but Kiyi just stuck her tongue out and went back to her exercises.

She sighed.

This girl was nothing if not cheeky.

She'd almost be proud if it wasn't directed at her.

And it's not like she wasn't somewhat right. Aang had a bunch of Avatar things to do, including teaching his little band of Acolytes, which had him coming and going from the palace.

So even if she would never let it show to anyone, she couldn't help feeling grumpier on those days he wasn't here.

But she was a reinstated princess now, so she had an image to uphold. And having seen the state Zuko had left the palace in, she felt no choice but to do something about it.

Getting rid of every corrupt official she knew only pledged allegiance to her brother out of self-preservation was her first step. Which was easy enough, since she kept a bunch of dirt on them ever since she was first allowed to take part in her father's war councils. And thankfully no one seemed to care enough to check the hidden passages in the place, so most of her stuff remained intact.

And with those rats out of the palace, the second step was keeping an eye on them to see if they were stupid enough to try and contact the Society, which she had hoped would happen sooner rather than whatever much time has transpired since then…

But if they were smart enough to survive them losing the war, then they were smart enough to know what would happen to them should they try something against her stupid brother.

If only she still had the Dai Li under her control, then she could just have them scour the capital for any possible hiding spots.

The Royal Guard was capable enough, but she still couldn't trust some of them to not hold some loyalty to her father. And if she was seen anywhere in the vicinity of one of the Fire Lord's spies or the Yuyan Archers, then she's sure being thrown back in the institute would be the last of her worries…

But a couple of footsteps had brought her out of her thoughts.

"How goes the training?" Her brother's voice echoed through the empty training grounds.

"Azula is being mean!" Kiyi kept her whining.

There was a lot she saw of herself in her, but she was never this whiny… That was more Zuzu's thing, and even then…

Zuko chuckled. "So same as usual then." He then walked over to where their little sister kept diligently going through her stances. "But you're definitely looking a lot better! Maybe soon enough we could go for a round or two."

Kiyi's eyes beamed. "Do you really mean that?!" And through her excitement, she began jumping happily around Zuko.

She sighed. "Could you please not distract MY student?" She stomped to where her two siblings were and elbowed Zuzu on the side.

He recoiled from the contact, but his face kept the smile he had since he arrived. "C'mon! You guys have been going all morning! Besides, Mom has been looking for you…"

"Me?" She asked a little taken aback. Their mother's mood had somewhat improved ever since they arrived back to the palace. But she still seemed to be struggling with some things.

Zuko had told her that giving her space would be for the best… But it was getting concerning, if not almost frustrating.

So, in other words, this was definitely a first…

"What for?"

But Zuko just shrugged. "She didn't say… But it sounded serious from what I could tell."

Serious…

Could it be that she found out about Kiyi's firebending?

She's been nothing but careful in making sure no one eavesdropped, but…

Kiyi gasped. "Are you in trouble? What did you do?" She asked, sounding almost too excited.

She flicked her on the forehead. "Don't say stupid things, you twerp. I've been nothing but the model citizen this past month, so I haven't done anything."

Which meant that, whatever it was, it may have to do with whatever it is she's struggling with… And it now involves her.

"But I'll go and find out anyway." She said as she began walking out of the training grounds. But before she left, she gave one last glance at her brother.

"Zuzu, you're in charge now."

He looked at her confused. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"She hasn't finished today's lesson!" She pointed at Kiyi. "So you're going to make sure she does!"

"What?! But I don't even know what else she's supposed to do!" He protested.

"Yeah! Can't we just end for today?" Kiyi whined once more. "I'm tired!"

She smiled smugly. "I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out Zuzu. You did train the Avatar after all…"

Kiyi's eyes widened. "You trained Aang?! Why didn't you tell me?! That's so cool!" She gushed around Zuzu, which almost made him fall on his ass.

"I-I—Uh…" He scrambled for words as he regained his balance. "I mean, yeah! I did!" He laughed awkwardly but she could tell he was proud of the fact from the way he puffed his chest while his cheeks reddened.

That was too easy.

And with that out of the way, she made her way out.


"Are you sure you can do this?"

Ursa took a deep breath. Whether she could or not was something she didn't know.

But she had no choice.

If she wanted to be able to remain with her children, then she had to face the past. And the person who's put her life in an unescapable chokehold was now powerless and behind bars.

She couldn't keep letting him control her.

"Thank you for worrying, Suki." She smiled at the Kyoshi Warrior. "But I'll be fine."

She kept eyeing her worriedly but didn't press her. She pulled out a key and opened the metal door in front of them.

Entering the cell, the first thing she noticed was how dark it was… Not a single source of light other that the tiny grate on the door itself.

But it was enough to outline a hunched over shape leaning on the far wall opposite to her.

The same person she feared so much was now a shell of his former self. His hair was long and matted, his clothes were the typical prisoner rags, and he looked a far cry from the imposing figure he once was.

And even then, one thing remained the same…

The same anger and hatred that radiated from him was still there. Perhaps even stronger than before.

Her hand began shaking, but she stifled it after taking a deep breath. She couldn't let her resolve waiver after coming this far.

She stepped forward.

And then, a pair of tired golden eyes locked in on her.

Silence hung over them for what felt like an eternity.

He then let out a low chuckle. "So my wife finally decides to visit me…"

His voice was coarse, but it somehow remained the same as she remembered all those years ago.

"I'm not your wife." She tried to sound defiant. "Not after you wiped me from all palace records."

Which was more a blessing than anything.

"Ah, that's right." He grunted deeply. "Now it's that peasant rat and that new daughter of yours, isn't it?"

"H-How do you—"

"Word travels fast." He stood up, rising to his full stature, causing her to almost stumble back. "Especially here in prison… Whether it's from some one of the other inmates, or even the guards themselves, everything that happens in the palace eventually reaches me…"

His eyes looked tired, but the way he was smirking brought back more memories she wanted to be rid of.

"I even that our daughter has been allowed freedom thanks to the Avatar… Quite the turn of events if you ask me. Although not too surprising, considering he even deemed my life fit to be spared. Even if what I have now can barely be considered one…"

"It doesn't matter what you know. You lost, and you're powerless now."

And it should've been true, no matter how much her head was trying to convince her otherwise. She wouldn't be surprised if he was still scheming even after being stripped of everything.

But Ozai just stared at her, almost as if he was taking her in for the first time since she entered the cell.

"That's true enough…" He began approaching the iron bars separating them. "But you're somehow still scared… aren't you?"

She hadn't noticed until now, but she had been slowly backing away from him as her back suddenly made contact with the wall behind her.

"You're right. I lost, and I'm powerless. I can't escape this place no matter how much I want it, and even if I did, I'm sure the Avatar would make quick work of putting me back. So why are you still scared? What has you so terrified about seeing me that has your face looking the same way it did on our wedding day?"

By this point, his hands were gripping the bars tightly in front of him, as his matted hair trailed down his face which was being fully lit by the light behind her.

"W-What do you—"

"Or that night before you killed my father, and then abandoned your children."

Her anger rose at that.

"I had no choice!" She managed to regain some of her fire. "You held them hostage over my head! And look at the state you left them in! That scar on Zuko's face—And who knows how Azula would've ended up had Aang not been there to help her—"

"And even with the Avatar on your side, you're still afraid of what I could do to them if I get out. Isn't that right?"

This wasn't right. She couldn't let him get to her. She had come here to make sure he wouldn't, not ever again.

She had to hold herself together.

"No, even if you somehow get out, I know there's nothing you could do to them. I promised myself to never let them down ever again, and I won't let you interfere with that." She replied sharply, mustering all defiance in her eyes.

But Ozai met them with equal power.

"And what can you do? Word is your life in the palace has been nothing but painful remembrance. You're not even sleeping in our old room, and you purposely avoid any hallway holding any proof of your old life. I may be behind bars, but you're just as powerless as I am now. You couldn't protect them then, and you can't protect them now."

She wanted to back away, but forced herself to stand straight through sheer willpower.

"You're wrong." She replied without missing a beat. "I will protect them, and their happiness, no matter what it takes. So if I ever see you try and disrupt that, I'll make sure you suffer for it."

Ozai gauged her expression for a moment, before backing down and walking deeper into his cell. "Is that so... I look forward to the day that happens." He gave her a final smirk before sitting on the darkest corner of the room, almost disappearing out of sight.

She narrowed her eyes. She couldn't tell if he was just trying to mess with her head, or if he was actually serious…

Either way, she knew asking him would be useless.

At this point, there was nothing left for her in that cell.

So without another word, she turned around and left.

Maybe talking to someone will help her get through her worries.

But Ozai's voice caught her right as she was right at the exit.

"I heard there's a new firebender in the family… Do try and not mess this one up."

"What?" She turned back around, but Ozai was now facing the back wall. And no matter what she said, he wouldn't respond.

She felt dizzy. Whatever he was thinking, she seriously needed to speak with someone about it…


"So… you and the psycho princess, huh?"

"I told you, she's not like that anymore…" Aang replied from Appa's reins.

"I don't know, twinkletoes… I think the fact that she was ever like that is a pretty big red flag."

He chuckled while shaking his head. He knew she was just trying to get to him, and it was somehow working.

"Can we not do this right now, we're about to reach the Palace and I don't think Zuko would appreciate bad mouthing her after all he did to get her reinstated into the royal family."

"Right… speaking of—" Toph rose from where she was laying down. "I can't believe you guys went on an adventure to find Zuko's mom and didn't think to invite me! I was dying to know what the hell happened to her after Zuko told us the story!"

"You were in the middle of nowhere training your students on some random mine! I don't think any of us would've been able to reach you even if we wanted to!"

But Toph just scoffed. "If you bothered learning metalbending yourself, you might've found us if you just walked around the earth kingdom for a bit."

"I don't think my seismic sense is good enough for that, even if I learned metalbending."

Toph laughed.

"You're the Avatar! It'd honestly be weird if you couldn't if you ask me! And metalbending is easy enough once you figure out the trick. Trust me, if my students could do it, then you'll pick it up soon enough."

He let her words process in his head. It was true that learning metalbending could help him become a better Avatar in the long run… but just learning all elements in less than a year when he was twelve was enough to burn him out for the next decade if he was being totally honest…

"I don't know…" He replied with little confidence.

Toph rose an eyebrow. "What are you so scared of? I'm sure you'd let your girlfriend teach you how to fry enemies with lightning if she just offered nicely, so I don't see what's the big deal!"

"I—She hasn't—" He stuttered but just sighed in defeat. "Listen, we're already here so can we just finish this some other time."

And he was definitely grateful that the palace was finally coming into view.

Toph grumbled in annoyance. "Fine! But we WILL finish this later!" She said as she laid back down on Appa's saddle.

He let out a breath of relief, even if he wasn't really looking forward to actually finishing that conversation.

But his temporary respite lasted a lost less than he had hoped.

Because he saw something in the distance that made his heart start racing.

There was smoke coming from the palace.


Something was wrong…

She couldn't say what it was, but she could tell.

Just like those weeks in Ba Sing Se where she was constantly looking over her shoulder…

Azula was making her way through the palace on her way to her mother's room. The path there was the same as always.

Same red carpet, same decorations, same windows overlooking the gardens, and same hustling servants making their ways across…

She wasn't one to ignore her own bad feelings… but she really wanted to find out what it was that her mother wanted to speak with her, so she put it to the back of her mind for now.

Which she knew would somehow find a way to come back against her knowing her luck…

But there was no room to second guess herself, now that she was right outside the room.

And so, she knocked two times.

And almost instantly, the door swung open, and two arms greeted her in a tight hug.

"Oh Azula, you don't know how happy I am to see you!" Her mother said as she held her even tighter.

Well, this wasn't what she was expecting at all…

So she just awkwardly returned the hug with a puzzled expression. "Didn't we see each other last night during dinner?"

Her mother squeezed her one last time before breaking off. "I'm sorry, you're right."

"Is everything okay?" She asked still trying to recover her bearings. The amount of hugs she'd gotten lately had increased by a lot, but she still wasn't overly used to them... Not that they were unpleasant to her, just hard to handle emotionally…

"Zuko said it was something serious."

And to be fair, she did look troubled…

"I just…" Her mother started but had to take a breath as if to balance herself. "I visited your father in prison." She said steadily.

"You did?" She asked slightly surprised. "Why?"

"I thought I needed to confront him after all this time, to not let him control me anymore…"

Well, that made enough sense… Although something was telling her that it didn't go the way she hoped for.

"And what happened?" She asked.

"We just talked… but something was eating me from the back of my mind… and I don't know if it was me being paranoid or him actually planning something…"

"Planning something?" She asked almost incredulously. "You mean planning to escape?"

"I-I don't know, but he seemed to be keeping tabs on everything that happens in the capital… He said that gossip tends to run deeply among the guards and other prisoners… But it's hard to trust his word."

Gossip… Could gossip be enough to keep tabs on the palace?

The institution was in it of itself a prison but instead of prison cells, they just forcefully used tranquilizers to keep people in. A place made for those deemed unsuitable for society, but not enough to be considered criminals. Even if she only landed there because of her brother.

And even with that semblance of 'freedom', she's sure the most gossip she heard were about Avatar's supposed exploits, and whatever other meaningless new policy her brother implemented to maintain peace…

The palace itself…

"Why tell me about this, and not Zuko?"

But her mother only looked at her with pain in her eyes. "I… guess I just wanted to see you… And apologize for not protecting you from him even before I was banished…"

Her words almost made her stumble back. "B-But didn't we go through this back in Hira-a?"

"I know…" She looked down at her feet. "But I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive myself for it… so at the very least, I wanted you to know how sorry I am once again. Seeing your father again after all this time… It just made me realize how awful I was for leaving you with him."

This was definitely not what she was expecting when Zuzu had said this was serious… And it was getting quite overwhelming, as she could feel herself wanting to just run away, and not have to think about the past anymore.

But she fought against herself, and just shook her head. "We both know that father was to blame for everything that happened, mother. So please stop blaming yourself… We can only keep moving forward."

Her mother had tears in her eyes by this point but managed to put out a smile. "You're right. We're back together, after all."

She smiled back. The number of emotions she was feeling was keeping her feeling overwhelmed. She hoped that she'd be able to get better at moments like this as time went by… Especially now that she was part of the 'good guys'. She's sure that this wouldn't be the last time she'd have to deal with stuff like this…

But then, her mother took another serious look on her face.

"There's one last thing, actually… Your father said something strange right before I left."

Her mother looked worried now.

"Which was…?" She asked, with her own concern brewing.

"He said something about a new firebender in the family… I tried to figure out what it meant but… Do you know what it could mean?"

Her eyes widened, and her blood ran cold.

All the emotions that were filling her before were gone, and all her instincts she had buried in her mind while walking through the palace had taken their place.

It wasn't gossip, and she had messed up.

And it was at that moment, that an arrow flew its way towards her mother.

But thankfully, she managed to react fast enough to push her out of the way.

She didn't see who shot it, but she managed to figure out the path the arrow took and prepared to shoot lightning right at the source.

She separated her energies and began focusing.

But there wasn't a spark.

There wasn't anything.

She then stumbled back.

And that's when she saw it. A dart was sticking out from her right thigh.

The last thing she saw, was her mother screaming something before everything turned black.