Chapter 9 The Choice.
Jin wrapped her day robe tighter around her waist, then put her hands together within the sleeves. Stepping out into the street, she coughed only once, as smoke rose over the city of Ba Sing Se, creating a haze that turned the sky a shade of yellow, and blotted the sun. Another neighborhood in the western quarter of the lower ring had been razed to the ground the night before, the winds carrying the haze into Jin's as of yet untouched block. It seemed like every week another raid was conducted, another resistance member discovered, another attempted arrest, another gunfight, and another house burned... Another two resistance members added to the fold...
Ba Sing Se had become a new front for the war init of itself, with army remnants and resistance partisans fighting Fire Nation regulars in the streets, as the land became more and more like a bone yard. The buildings became skeletons, and the ground turned gray with ash. The sound of musket shot echoed over the horizon, as the Fire Lord's army somewhere in the more arid farmland outside of the city proper, clashed with the resistance fighters.
Jin began her trip into the middle ring, walking the entire way. The Fire Nation had quickly figured out that the resistance was using the bending powered train system to move information through the city, and promptly destroyed several key junctions to restrict movement to a single linear rout forward and backwards through the rings, replacing the monorail itself with a metal train that ran on twin iron tracks for use exclusively by the army. The trip took significantly longer, but Jin always preferred walking... It made slipping the occupiers all that easier...
As she approached the wall between the lower and middle ring, the sun beginning to set, Jin took out the passport she'd applied for after the Fire Nation had taken over the city.
The only good thing that had come from the occupation was the Fire Nation's new passport system. Before, under the rule of the king, a citizen could not travel to a ring deeper into the city than they were assigned to, unless otherwise invited by someone of a higher social standing, usually within the government, or their passport was granted an exemption for the likes of merchants. Jin being born in the lower ring to a seamstress, could visit the farmland within the walls of the city, but never the middle ring.
The Fire Nation however, saw no difference between the classes in the city, only the difference between Fire and Earth, and so when they'd taken over, the system was gutted, and rearranged. While Fire Nationals could freely move around or beyond the city however they pleased, Earth Kingdom citizens were required to apply for a new passport should they wish to go anywhere outside their ring, but passports were handed out freely with no biases to social standing. It was a double edged sword. The citizens of the Earth Kingdom could, (with a little bit of paperwork) move as freely as the Fire Nationals, since the occupation didn't care what their social standing was, which was a first for many before the revolution had toppled the crown. Of course by the same stroke, the little red booklet gave the Fire Nation all the information it could ever ask for in regards to every citizen who applied for it, and it was still a system of control, that for a short while did not exist during the revolution, where the city guard and Dai Li could not enforce movement restrictions... Then again the Earth Benders and those members of the resistance who could not walk in the light as Jin did, made their way around the city through other means.
Jin entered the wall, and after moving through the short line, reached the security checkpoint, manned by two Fire Army soldiers. She took a deep breath, before reaching them and holding out her passport. The two looked it over, then moved the seemingly innocent young woman along.
Once outside again, the shadows of the city's wall dimming the middle ring around her, Jin quickened her pace to arrive at her destination as the lamp tenders set to their task of illuminating the streets candles. Making sure her hair didn't have any ash in it, she cleared her throat, and put on a seductive smile. She knocked three times, and the door was opened. A Fire Army Captain, (easily a decade older than her) answered the door. "You wrote for me?" Jin asked. The captain smirked, as he led who he believed to be his escort for the evening into his assigned house...
Later that evening, (after thoroughly enjoying herself, which she would freely admit) Jin slipped from the sheets she shared with the captain, and in the darkness of the unlit home, took from the kitchen, a single 8 inch blade, that the Fire Nationals loved to carve their meat with. Crawling back into bed, knife behind her back Jin straddled the captain whose name she'd already forgotten, as he started to wake up. "Oh Lily, so eager for more?" He asked, before Jin put a finger from her free hand over his mouth.
"Shhhhh." She whispered to him gently, as she leaned in, and planted a kiss on his lips, obscuring his vision, and muffling his voice. As she kissed the older man, the sharpened steel was drawn, and then smoothly guided into the side of his abdomen. The man's eyes went wide for a moment, as he screamed into Jin's mouth, only for her to grab his throat and kiss him harder, ensuring he couldn't make a sound, as she twisted the knife, then pulled it free, and stabbed him in the side again, and a third time, the blade finally striking its intended target, causing the man to pass out before he could even move to burn her with his firebending.
As the captain's eyes rolled back into his head, Jin pulled away from him, before wiping her mouth with the back of her free hand. "All of you firebenders taste disgusting." She said, before getting off of the body she'd created, and then shoving him to the floor, where the blood that was pooling in his abdomen started leaking out onto the hardwood. Walking into the hallway, she dropped the knife, then went around in the dark, taking anything that looked like a robber would pilfer had this been a regular home invasion gone wrong, before dressing herself, and stuffing her spoils into her sleeves. She opened one of the back windows, then made her way to the front door. Once just beyond the threshold, Jin looked back into the home as if saying goodbye, blowing a kiss to no one, then shut the door firmly behind her.
Zuko awoke with the sun, and after his usual morning routine, he was attended to by the palace servants. Freshly washed and dressed, the prince made his way to the palace gate, and stepped outside to the expected assortment of fanatics. After politely refusing the palanquin bearers, he walked across the road to Mai's family house in the Fire Nation, which fortunately was left to her while her family remained in Omashu.
Most of the day was spent lounging around, and though two servants were on the premises, Zuko waited for the opportune moment to send them away. Once the sun had set, he'd request food be prepared, which would take a few hours, as the servants would need to rouse cooks from their sleep to even begin making any dish requested.
As Zuko sat on the couch in the second floor living room, Mai curled up against him, he smirked, and asked a question. "Tell me, if you could have anything in the world, right now, what would it be?"
Mai gave the question some thought. "A big fancy fruit tart, with rose petals on top." She said, resting a hand on his chest, trailing it down towards his waist, unseen by the servants at the door.
"Being a prince and all, I might just be able to make that happen." Zuko said, before looking over the back of the couch and speaking to the two servants. "Do you think you two could find a fresh fruit tart for the lady… With rose petals on top?"
The two servants bowed. "An excellent choice, sir." One said, before they left.
Mai gave Zuko a grin, and for a moment, everything felt right. All his worries of the past few days were left behind. "I guess there are some nice perks that come with being royalty huh?" Mai asked, as Zuko laid back down with her. She caressed his face gently, as he held her around the waist. "Though there is some annoying stuff too. Like that war meeting coming up… You think you could skip it and-" Mai was cut off just before Zuko could lean in to kiss her, as he sat up sharply.
"War meating?" He asked. "What are you talking about? The War's over."
"Azula mentioned a meeting last week. Apparently it's happening tomorrow. I thought you were going too." Mai said.
"I guess I wasn't invited." Zuko closed his eyes. "But… Azula knew… And I haven't seen her since..." Zuko stood up. "I'll be back." And with that, he left Mai sitting on the couch, frustrated.
Back within the palace, Zuko found his sister being attended to by two servants, who were brushing her now nearly waist length hair in a flowing basin of water, the wash room illuminated by gas light. She opened one eye when he opened the door, and smiled lightly. "Hello, Zuko. If you're here for a hair combing session, you're going to have to wait."
Zuko didn't like how cheerful she sounded. The last he'd seen her, she'd run out of Iroh's prison cell crying, and that had been almost five days ago. He could question her about it after he got the answers he was looking for. "So there's this big war meeting coming up. And apparently I'm not welcome."
Azula glanced to her side where Zuko stood. "What do you mean? Of course you'd be welcome."
Zuko raised his good eyebrow. "Is that why no one bothered to tell me about it?"
"Zuko, don't be so dramatic. You weren't invited because it's expected of you to be there." Azula said, as the hairdressers looked at her out of the corner of their eyes.
"Well…" Zuko started. "Were you invited?"
"Of course. I'm the princess." She said.
"And I'm the prince." He retorted.
"Which is my point exactly. You're the heir to the throne. You can get away with showing up to important events like this unannounced. It's called growing a pair of balls. You're sixteen, you should have them by now." Azula said, closing her eyes as she let the barb fly.
Zuko grit his teeth at the insult. "You're one to talk. You get some uncomfortable news and disappear for almost a week."
Azula shrugged. "I was spending time with Connor."
Zuko blanched at his sister, then screwed his eyes shut. "Ho-hold on. You spent five whole days with Connor?" Zuko opened his eyes. Azula nodded slightly. "Ugly, discolored, and near unintelligible, Connor?" Azula just smiled. "Like spending genuine alone time with him?..." Only the sound of flowing water broke the silence. "Wow… And I thought you were incapable of feeling anything other than malice."
Azula sighed quietly at the memory of her second night spent alone, and the three nights after with the redhead she'd come to love. "What can I say, he makes me feel warm and fuzzy." The servant girls giggled to themselves.
Zuko cringed at the thought of his sister bedding anyone, but especially Connor. "You have officially lost your mind, and Dad's going to lose his mind if he finds out about you two."
"Oh, let him." Azula sighed again. "What's he going to do? Burn and banish me for falling in love? He's expecting us to continue the bloodline as it is, if anything it's his fault for putting the idea forward... Besides, Connor is a de facto noble, white skin or not."
"Did your apparent loss of a grip on reality have anything to do with… You know, the bad news?" Zuko asked vaguely, not wanting to speak about their uncle in front of the servants.
"Perhaps." Azula said, opening her eyes again. "It gave me a lot to think about, and I've made decisions about my life that I otherwise wouldn't have."
"Right…" Zuko started walking towards the door, then a thought popped into his head. "So, when exactly can I expect to become an uncle?" He asked over his shoulder
"Oh, crawl up your own ass, and die." Azula said from her chair as Zuko closed the door. Azula glanced up at the two ladies attending to her hair. "I expect complete silence in regards to everything you heard spoken about in this room today." The two women nodded firmly.
Zuko returned to Mai's, and despite his desire to resume his personal time off, he found himself looking out the window toward the palace. Mai pouted, knowing what was bugging her boyfriend still. "Zuko, it's just a dumb meeting. Who cares?" She asked, approaching his side, and resting a hand on his shoulder.
"I don't." Zuko lied.
"Well that's good. You shouldn't. Why would you want to go, when the last one you attended went so badly?" She asked rhetorically.
"I know… Still. I think I might have to." Zuko said, looking away from Mai, as she wrapped her arms around him.
"You know what would make you feel better?" Mai asked with a whisper in his ear. "A good night's rest." She gently nipped at the nearby lobe. Zuko closed her eyes as Mai pulled him away from the window, which he grabbed the shutters of as he backpedaled, closing them off from the world.
The following morning, after returning to the palace to make himself presentable for the upcoming meeting, Zuko walked the halls in his ceremonial armor, and approached the curtain that led to the throne room entryway. Connor was there, propped up against the wall, with a foot resting on it, and his arms crossed.
"Zuko, so glad you could make it." Connor said, as he put his foot down, and uncrossed his arms as if to greet Zuko in earnest. "You're early too."
"Why are you here?" Zuko asked, stopping only for a moment.
Connor grinned. "Same reason Azula is. I was invited. Your dad wants my otherworldly advice, or some such about a good mind being a terrible thing to waste. That or the court jester was out, and they need someone else to laugh at."
Zuko grimaced at Connor as he started to walk past him, only for the taller boy to grab his arm. Zuko looked up and left at Connor. "Get your hand off me."
"Azula told me to pass a message." Connor spoke in a low tone. Zuko resisted showing any signs of surprise. "Find us at the duck pond after the meeting." Connor said, before letting Zuko go.
Zuko turned, and glanced over his shoulder only once as he ducked under the curtain. Quickly finding his seat beside his father, Zuko looked around and saw that there was a free cushion on the floor, left of where Azula sat.
"Is that everybody?" Admiral Chan asked.
Connor ducked under the curtain, late to the meeting, and gave a quick bow. "My sincerest apologies, your highness. The palace is so grand, I can hardly keep track of all the hallways still."
Ozai blinked only once, as he held his hand up. "Think nothing of it, Sir Connor. Please take your seat." A lesser trained ear would have missed the restrained bit in his words.
Connor smirked to himself, unseen, and sat beneath Azula, who rolled her eyes at Connor's flirting with danger, maintaining a thin smile.
"Ahem…" Grand General Hun cleared his throat. "My lord, I do believe our first order of business is the approaching solar eclipse. As you're well aware, we're expecting an attack on the capitol by tomorrow afternoon."
"Have all the preparations been made?" The Fire Lord asked.
"The bunkers have been refortified, and the civilians are currently being notified of the evacuation to the west coast, and the countryside." General Hun said.
War Minister Qin looked around the room. "The production of firearms has been exponentially increased as well. Enough that every soldier will be capable of carrying a musket or pistol, with a fair number possessing the much more reliable caps lock models."
"The Navy is patrolling the sea's as well, My lord. Though with the rearmament recall, and the Northern Navy having acquired Fire Nation manufactured ships, we can not guarantee an air tight grip around the entire archipelago." Admiral Chan said.
"It matters little. The eclipse is only to last a total of eight minutes out of a day." Lord Ozai said.
"And…" The newly appointed Air Force General Sora spoke up. "If and when any enemy navy invades, our fleet of airships and balloons will be able to chase them down, and destroy them with impunity."
Lord Ozai interlaced his fingers. "I'm glad to hear that… Now, on to the matter of the resistance to my rule. As I understand it, there is an ongoing quasi-war in the north sea with Water Tribe vessels, as well as pockets of resistance within the remains of the Earth Kingdom. What, if anything is being done about this?"
"The Northern Water tribe have been employing piracy tactics. Capturing ships and equipment from naval posts along the coast, and taking spoils from battle. With the false flags, and their ships being captured most often, it's been nearly impossible to detect them until the first shots have been fired." Admiral Chan said. "Even then, the battles come down to who leads a successful boarding party first, as neither ours, or the cannons in possession of the savages can pierce the hull of our ships. Additionally the Northern Tribe has managed to claim a foothold on the north shore of the colonial territories, which I'm sure General Hun can inform you of in detail... The north fleet has sent a detachment to contain the issue, but I fear if we do not deal with them at the source, our people in the colonies will eventually come under threat. We'd need to mount another invasion of the north pole, this time without the interference of the spirits."
Ozai kept his thoughts to himself for a moment before looking at General Hun. "We've lost land to the water savages?" He asked with an eyebrow raised.
General Hun eyed Admiral Chan before he spoke. "As the Admiral said, it is a temporary state of affairs, my lord."
"One that the army is seemingly unable to take care of?" Ozai asked.
Hun swallowed a lump in his throat. "The cavalry brigade dispatched to the region fell victim to circumstance. For all their new weapons, and better equipped mounts for the terrain and weather, our intelligence had expired, and leadership broke down. What we thought was only a few ships of tribesmen turned out to be an entire town's worth, and they'd anticipated our movements and ambushed us before we could arrive at our point of attack. After which, the forward leaders called for a retreat when they should have pressed onward. Once they'd created camp, the unit was pulled from the territory by the rear garrison commander on the grounds that the unit would lose more horse-hounds than could be reasonably procured..." Ozai's brow furrowed, as a displeased look crept across his face. "The garrison commander has been transferred to a home guard unit where his, ahem, financially minded leadership can be put to better use in a supply brigade, where he will not hinder progress in theater. The captain who called for retreat amid the ambush died without honor in the field."
Ozai hummed at that before Azula spoke up. "Well then, it's nice to know that those responsible for such a failure have been dealt with appropriately, or suffered a karmic consequence for their cowardice."
Ozai smirked slightly at his daughter's ever-present verbal ferocity. "What of the rebels in the occupied Earth Kingdom?" He asked.
General Hun cleared his throat again. "The resistance in the Earth Kingdom has expanded since the conquest of Ba Sing Se. The remains of the Earth King's Army and civilian militia groups have been fighting a guerrilla war since then, and we've been encountering more and more guns both captured and of a homemade design. Maintaining order within the city's lower two rings has proven to be difficult.
In the farmland of the lowest ring, we've seen the organized remnant Earth Army use their bending more for instantaneous fortification and tunnel building than actual fighting... It's alarming how quickly they can appear, throw up cover, fight against our regulars, then disappear into the countryside. I think it would be advisable to reconsider how cannons are employed within the ranks, as to better allow small units to deal with these hasty fortifications without support from a separate battalion.
Within the city proper, the infantry complain of their muskets being too long to fight within the crowded streets. Firebending while effective at demoralizing those who resist order, can quickly spread out of control and not only worsens relations with the otherwise non-aggravated citizens, and presents a danger to our own men. The advantage in the city it seems is held by dismounted cavalry with their latest carbines, officers issued pistols, and soldiers holding outdated issue side swords, or privately purchased ones.
The middle, and upper ring have seen far less conflict, with only one true fight taking place in the upper ring during the initial invasion, but we've had three company commanders found dead in their assigned homes within the middle ring, which leads me to believe that the now defunct Dai Li may be working within the shadows again.
The most credible threat outside of the city of Ba Sing Se, remains here." General Hun pointed to the map with a long stick. "This section of land, stretching from the west coast where the remnant of the military in the region has been holding out for months, east, to the recently discovered Full Moon Bay, North in between these two points to the Great Salt Lake, with a few conflicts between the serpent's pass and the outer wall of Ba Sing se. While foot units have been vulnerable to ambushes in the region, we've seen success with the cavalry in dispatching the rebels.
That is to say nothing of the unconquered Si Wong Desert, and the far east wilds... I'm afraid, my lord, that even after a hundred years of war, we've only just begun fighting... As I cannot see with certainty any conclusion to conflict with these people as the war currently stands."
Ozai stroked his beard at this before looking at his children and then down at Connor. "Prince Zuko, Princess Azula, Sir Connor…" Azula's eyes shifted to look at her father without turning her head, as Connor's shoulders tensed slightly, and Zuko's good eye went wide. "You have lived among the commoners of the Earth Kingdom, what are your recommendations?"
Zuko spoke first as he felt his father's gaze on him. "The people of the Earth Kingdom are proud and strong. They can endure anything, so long as they have hope."
"Yes…" Ozai said… "We first need to destroy their hope." Azula cleared her throat. "You have something to add, Princess Azula?"
"Yes, My lord. Hope is an idea. It cannot be destroyed, or rather, any attempt to do so would simply change what hope means to the people of the Earth Kingdom. If we were to simply demoralize the Earth People, it would only lead to desperation." Azula said.
Ozai looked down at Connor. The red head stuck his tongue in his cheek before speaking. "Even then. The Earth Kingdom is too large, and too populated… If you kill one rebel, you've just made two more out of his brother and his son, and like Princess Azula said, they will be less inclined to abide by the rules of war, whatever they may be to you."
Ozai thought about this for a moment, and then smiled. "Yes… You three make compelling points… We can't just destroy their hope… We will have to destroy all of them as well." Ozai stood, and Connor resisted the urge to turn his head and look at the Fire Lord with an incredulous stare.
The Fire Lord walked down the steps of the throne, and onto the floor of the meeting, arms spread wide. "We all know that the ultimate goal of My grandfather, Fire Lord Sozin, was to replace the inferior cultures of the other nations with that of fire, and with the comet, he was able to wipe out the Air Nation. We, with our technological advancements, have the ability to do so once more to the other lesser races of the world. When the comet arrives again, when every fire bender is imbued with the power of one hundred suns, we can burn the earth where this resistance cell remains from our airships, and begin to cleanse the land of the earthen filth with our troops on the ground in both the colonies and our newest conquests. Even the water tribes will fall, as their city of ice can be melted from the sky. And once the comet has passed, the world will be mine, and the Fire Nation will be free to remove what inferiors remain, and rebuild from the ashes. Until then of course, we can put our latest technological advancements to use in combating the rebels and the savages. After the day of black sun, the new air force can hunt stolen ships from the sky untouched, and in the Earth Kingdom, we need only treat the rabel like the subhumans they are until such a time we can remove them." As Ozai finished, many of the attendants in the room applauded, however, Connor, Azula, and Zuko all looked between each other.
"What. The. Fuck?" Connor said in English to Azula, as he started slowly clapping with a fake smile, the language barrier hiding his true thoughts from all but her.
Once the meeting was over, Azula promptly left first, then Connor, and finally Zuko. Walking quickly along three separate routes, the trio arrived at the turtle-duck pond at the same time. Connor was the first to speak. "Well, that went swimmingly." He said, entering the grassy courtyard.
"Swimmingly?" Zuko asked, approaching.
"Your dad, up and said he was going to have the inferiors killed, and I don't know about you, but my lily white ass, isn't exactly considered the prime specimen of a Fire Nation citizen." Connor said, thumbing his own chest, as he reached the edge of the pond near the cherry blossom tree.
"Would you two be a little more discreet?" Azula hissed, as the turtle ducks swam away from her. "What we're talking about could have us branded traitors." She said through her teeth.
"Hence the public meeting place?" Connor asked sarcastically.
"Oh please, nobody ever visits the pond aside from the grounds keeper anymore, and he's deaf." Azula said, pointing to the one other person near them, who was hunched over, feeding the turtle ducks. "But yelling is a sure way to attract attention... If that meeting wasn't enough of a kick in the head for you Zuzu, I'm going to come out and say it… Father's lost his mind. The military leadership is too scared to speak out against him. Continuing the war is going to do nothing but waste the lives of our countrymen, and I would dare say..." Azula looked at Connor for a second, Connor, her earth bending lover. "I would dare say that I disagree with the notion that the people of the other nations should be exterminated... We need to end the war."
"And how exactly do you plan to do that?" Zuko asked. "Just kill our father so one of us can rule? Oh, I know! We can lead a rebellion from within the capitol and have the people overthrow him for us like in Ba Sing Se." Zuko suggested sarcastically.
Azula didn't quite seem to catch the sarcasm. "One) Neither of us has any amount of political support other than from our father, and if we did usurp the throne, even if in secret, we'd be dodging assassins sent by all the war profiteers in the ministries for the rest of our lives once we decide to stop the war machine of our own accord. Two) the only reason that I was able to instigate an insurrection in Ba Sing Se, was because the crown was abusing their own people. So unless your first unenforceable act as Fire Lord is going to be to arrest all the current politicians and industry heads our father and grandfather made rich, or you plan on figuring out a way to tax our own middle and lower class to the point they want us killed, you need to come up with another plan."
"Plans are your thing! And I was being sarcastic!" Zuko said, throwing his hands up.
"You're the one who's supposed to bring balance to The Fire Nation, Mr. Special destiny." Azula said. "Though to be fair, an uprising due to taxation would be rather valid. The war budget nearly tripled to cover the cost of all the guns and cannons."
Zuko looked between his sister, and Connor, and sighed. "Both of you believe The Avatar is alive?" He asked, getting nods from the two. "Then he's our best chance of stopping our dad's plan to destroy the other nations."
"You're assuming that the little devil's participating in the invasion tomorrow?" Connor asked.
Zuko narrowed his good eye. "I'm sure of it. I'm also sure that if he doesn't defeat the Fire Lord, he'll escape. We should wait until after the battle is over to try and meet him. That way thing's will be less hectic."
Azula put a finger to the corner of her mouth and hummed. "Or we think about this rationally. The chance that our father is going to actually face The Avatar is almost nil. We should attempt to contact The Avatar in the middle of the conflict, when our fire bending is gone. It will make us look more trustworthy. Hopefully if we're fast enough, we can lead The Avatar to daddy dearest, before the invasion force is utterly decimated." Azula said. "If he's the one who kills our father, and no one else knows of our involvement, then your succession would only be natural, and we could pressure the court into compliance under the guise of fearing the Avatar."
"I second that. The demon boy's trusting if nothing else. He'll listen to us if we haven't just come out of a battle kicking his ass… And being truthful, there's a chance he might not survive if we don't make peace." Connor said, rubbing his neck. "There's gonna' be a lot of guns out tomorrow."
"Then we're in agreement on meeting The Avatar amid the eclipse?" Azula asked.
Zuko took a moment to answer. "Fine."
"Well, there's another issue." Connor said. "What if we never even meet The Avatar? regardless of if the boy survives or not, if he's even seen tomorrow your dad will know we lied, and then we've got a bigger problem to deal with."
Azula looked between her brother, and her boyfriend. "Believe me, if The Avatar does appear tomorrow, he'll find us first. Father has me placed in the forward bunker below the mountain. I'm supposed to mislead any invaders who come that far into an ambush... I suppose we should still pack a bag, should we be branded traitors. And I know where we can catch a ride out of the city if we'll need one."
Connor nodded. "Then God's speed be with us." He said in English.
Author's note.
So for those wondering if I was going to have people become turncoats... Yeah... Yeah that was sort of the plan. But it's not without good reason.
Connor's loyalty to any party or nation is pretty much non-existent.
The only, and I mean, only person who Connor has consistently remained loyal to, is Azula. Even with their little spat back in Book 1 over Azula's emergency surgery, he never intended to leave, or hurt her.
Azula's loyalty however, has changed. Previously the only person who Azula was loyal to was Ozai, BUT... Like I said, she got vibe checked. She's changed. She's not "good" but she's definitely better than she used to be.
More rationally/politically speaking, Azula is aware of what's going to happen if the war keeps going, because of everything she's been exposed to. Zuko, Azula, and Connor, hell even a few of the top brass, try the diplomatic route first, all pretty much spelling out the warning of... "You will be locked in a forever war, it will not be civilized, your family will become targets, there's no such thing as uniformed combatants anymore, have fun dodging lead and IEDs."... Which Ozai ignores, in favor of genocide, as all sane dictators seem to do.
The breaking point for both Azula and Connor, is of course, hearing Ozai's best imitation of the Austrian painter with a funny mustache, and so they come to the decision that Ozai's gotta go, but he's gotta go in a way that won't make too many enemies at home. So they want to let The Avatar do it...
Let's watch the shit hit the fan, shall we.