A/N. So ! I'm back from a week in a cave! It was fun, but my own house is so much more comfortable lol! I have an extra long chapter, from Azula's POV. Some details : I have no experience writing from the POV of someone with mental breakdowns, so I kept it as general as possible. If it triggers some people, I would like to apologize.

"The Air Degenerate is gone."

"I'm unable to see where. The others are blocking my access to the creature."

"Listen to me and my grandfather Zula. They are not your friends. You must block out the voices."

"Don't listen to her. That whore of a mother is not worth your time.

"I may speak about her as I wish. You do not." She whispered, sitting in the dark.

"I may do whatever I wish. The Air Degenerate was in the Fog of Lost Souls, but that traitor Gyatso got him out."

She didn't know who, or what, Gyatso was, but the firebender felt a burning hatred for the man. The voices had told her to abandon Kirashi, and that was gnawing at the edges of her mind. To abandon even an inch of the Fire Nation to her fool of a brother, was a shameful act.

But threatening that Air Degenerate with the safety of the Water Savage, that had been a stroke of genius. The voices had assured her that the waterbender would go missing, and so she had. So, they had sent the necklace to the Caldara, and surely enough, it had drawn her brother to war.

What an idiot. He had promised peace to the Fire Nation, and the first thing he had done was go to war. Of course, war was a natural way to live for them, but to have a civil war? Agni, no one would forgive him for that.

The Avatar had also gone missing for a time but had reappeared when they had made landfall on Kirashi. Azula had thought that that would mean he had found the waterbender, but still, the bitch was missing.

What had irritated her was that most of the people in Kirashi had not seemed overly enthusiastic of supporting her. That man, Orsu, had even dared to speak against her plans. For that, she had burned his home. His family had probably been inside, but to be quite honest, she had not cared for Kirashi. Or the Eastern Islands in general.

Her brother had spent the last weeks of the campaigning season battering the walls of Fire Fountain and Kirashi, and did not have much to show for it. The Avatar was not at his side, his advisors were savages and old men, and he controlled the clans only by holding hostages.

And that delicate situation was perfect for her plans.

"My plan." The cold voice whispered. For some reason, the old man's voice made her think of her grandfather Azulon, but that was nonsense. Her grandfather had not had the accent the voice used, an accent that suggested that the common language was not his native tongue.

"Our plan." She said forcibly into the darkness. She could feel the ship shake slightly on the waves, and felt her lips twitch into a smile. Waves. After abandoning Kirashi, the few remaining men, some five hundred, had taken the ships to the east. Ever east.

"Oh please girl, the only one in the family that would have thought of it is Iroh. He at least is what you could wish in an heir. Of course, he is old and weak now, but I was proud of him as he battered the walls of that cursed walled city. You? A mere girl that doesn't even know who she is talking to in the dark."

"I took it! Unc… Ir… That old fool abandoned the siege when his son was crushed to death!" She hissed, hurt that that voice thought so lowly of her.

"Deceit. The coward's way of fighting a war. When the Air Nomads fell, at least it was through a fight, a hard-fought battle. But you? You rely on fighting a war with words and whispers. Coward."

"I at least managed to find the Avatar's weak spot."

"Oh, bravo!" The sarcasm dripped from the voice, "Understanding that the weakness of an Air Degenerate is the person they love! Agni, everyone knows that."

The voice had talked about the Air Nomads as if he had known them. He had spoken about the fight at the temples during the comet. He had her grandfather's voice.

"At least I managed to catch the Avatar. I believe you had some difficulty in that department… Great Grandfather." Azula felt her lips form a wide smile, and a short bark of a laugh escaped her throat as she straightened in the dark cabin.

"Oh, not that stupid at least." The voice sounded amused, but not in a friendly way. It sounded like her father when Zuzu had done something mildly impressive "So tell me, child, what that little empty head of yours is getting to."

Azula hissed. She was not a child, nor was she stupid. Zuko was the stupid one. Not she. Not she. Not she. Not she. N…

"Child." This voice was also old, but sounded kinder. Weaker.

"Oh, what now?" She hated this voice.

"Don't listen to Sozin or Szeto. They are using you for their own revenge. They hate the fact that Aang beat your father."

"The Air Degenerate didn't beat Father!" She still didn't believe it, even though she had seen the chains around her father's wrists, "I am Fire Lord! Father named me! Not Zuko!"

"And yet, he is. Azula, your fate is not to be Fire Lord… I am sorry, but it is just not meant to be. Your father made you his weapon, as he was made into a weapon by his father. That is Sozin's way of thinking. One heir, one weapon. A Fire Lord and a weapon to be wielded by said Fire Lord. He never intended you to be Fire Lord… But you are at a crossroad. Pursue this folly, and you will not be able to come back from that dark pit."

"Don't listen to that old fool." It was Sozin's voice, "You shall be Fire Lord, even though you are just a girl. Crazy and unnatural, but it is the best we've got."

Silence. Azula sighed, waving a hand to the oil lamps that stood on the desk that huddled the corner of the cabin. For weeks, this was her reality. At first, when the voices had started, she had thought them to be hallucinations. But those were too specific, they knew things she had no knowledge of. So, quite quickly, the firebender had realized they were real.

But what about the shadows?

She saw them from the corner of her eyes, but each time she moved her head to face them, they weren't here. In the palace, before her coronation, she had seen some shadows that had made her think of the two traitors that she had thought of as friends. She still regretted that her father had refused her ideas about how to punish them.

One had been the only daughter of an important clan, one of the few that wholeheartedly accepted Ozai as their Lord and sovereign. The other was a minor scion of a minor clan, but for some reason, her father had forbidden her to punish that circus freak! Why? Why?

Had her orders been obeyed? As soon as her father had left for the Earth Kingdom, she had sent the orders! Execute her brother's whore! And make the freak watch! Or had it been the other way around?

A knock on the door made her snap out of it, and she turned her head to the sound, still seeing those cursed shadows in the corner.

"What?"

"May I remind you that there is a council session?" A soft voice answered from the other side of the metal door, and Azula bit the inside of her cheek. Damned council. It wasn't a council! Her father had councils! The most important people of the nation, listening to his commands! But this lot? Agni, if just one had brains, she would be surprised.

"They are too early. They will have to wait." She answered. Truth be told, she doubted they were early, but she would not be late. That was just not possible. She was always on time. Glancing to the broken mirror, she frowned. When had that happened? Not today.

"I think it was when you mistook your reflection for your horrible mother." This voice, she knew. Azula would recognize it anywhere. It was her own, in her own mind. Smiling at the silence and the peace in her head, Azula crossed the cabin to grab the dark red and gold tunic. If it had been a good idea, she would have worn the elaborate breastplate that she usually wore, but having spent more than a day on sea, she knew better. If, in bad weather, you wore such heavy armour, a small wave on deck could mean your death to a watery grave.

Water. Water. Water.

Agni how she hated it. She could still taste the bitterness of the ice-cold cell that the waterbender had created the day of her coronation. She had won! Azula had won! Her brother had been defeated, lying on the marble ground of the coronation plaza!

"You cheated."

"I didn't cheat! I don't cheat!" She suddenly screamed, remembering the soft golden eyes in the mirror.

"You would have killed the girl. Zuko just protected his friend."

"Agni, friend? A Water Savage! I wouldn't have killed her! I made a promise to the Avatar, to make him watch as she was degraded! I wouldn't just kill her. But Zuko thought so, and the fool jumped in front of the savage." She hissed, the flame of the oil lamp dimming.

"Zula… You can't say such things. Imagine yourself in her place if you managed to do that. What would you feel if that happened to you?"

But that didn't happen to her. It would never happen to her. Just imagine being so weak that your feelings got in the way of the practical choice! She had seen that weakness in the Avatar's eyes when she had whispered the promise to him during the solar eclipse of the summer. The hurt, the fear, the anger. Just because she had threatened some minor horrors on the Water Savage. Nothing she wouldn't recover from. Probably.

But she had seen how much the words had made the Avatar fear for that girl. And that was exactly what her plan relied on. As long as the Water Savage was missing, then nothing could go wrong. To be frank, Azula was surprised that the savage was still lost. She had seen the girl run to the beast after… after the chains had been wrapped around her hands.

So, where was the bitch? Azula was sure that a long as the Air Degenerate didn't fight for Zuzu, then she would win the war. And her supporters were convinced she had the girl in her grasp. They were fighting for her because they supposed that the Avatar wouldn't be their enemy as long as his sweet little wife was their prisoner.

Wife. Agni, that had made her laugh. Apparently, the Avatar had cried and shouted for his wife when he had heard the news. She would have liked to see it, for the mere mention of what could happen to the girl had brought him to anger and tears. Azula would have liked to see him break. If she could make the Avatar break, someone who was supposed to be invincible…

She had already broken him once, physically at least. She had seen him crack emotionally at the invasion. But to see him truly and utterly broken… That would be sweet. Sweeter than seeing all her enemies burn. For she knew that if the Avatar was gone, nothing could stop her. Zuzu ruled the Fire Nation only because the Avatar let him. So, without him, he was nothing. As he had always been. A little worthless nobody.

"Lady Azula?"

Again, that servant!

"Let them wait!" She answered. Agni, no one would have dared question her father is he came an hour later than he had said. Being Fire Lord was a busy duty! Some dull advisor could spend an hour waiting! She could not!

Pulling the tunic over her head, she glanced into the mirror. Her hair had grown slightly, making it far more even than it had been just a few weeks ago. What had happened? She didn't remember it, but whoever had cut her hair into that horrible nest, they would have to be executed. Surely it had been Ty Lee. That stupid hippo cow didn't even know what fashion was.

"Ty Lee was imprisoned on your orders Zula. Because she protected Mai. Because she wanted to protect her friend. How wrong was that?"

Azula ignored the voice, turned around and swung the metal door open and stepped into the corridor. It was dark and slightly humid, making the walls look like copper from the rust. This ship was a wreck. She shuddered as she smelled the rot and decay. This tub had been decommissioned years ago, but had been kept around Ember Island… Just in case.

How had the admirals dared go over to Zuzu? He had ever been around, and when he had been, he had tried to impress the generals. Surely they had just gone over because of Iroh. There was no other choice. How could anyone support someone that literally bore the sign of shame and cowardness on his face?

Walking through the corridor, she heard whispers in the dark behind her, but not loud enough for her to hear. Glancing back, there was just… nothing.

"Going crazy, are we?" Lu Ten's voice sounded in her left ear, and she whipped her head around. Nothing.

"Since when are you around?" She asked, inhaling deeply.

"Who says I left, little cousin? Zuko had Father, but you had no one… Someone had to keep an eye on you, no?"

"Whispers in the dark can't keep an eye on me. I don't need ghosts." She shrugged.

"Everyone needs someone to look after them. Even you, Zula." The mirthful voice spoke softly, "Or have you forgotten how I snuck all those treats to you whenever Uncle Ozai made you train too hard?"

"Get away." Azula didn't want to hear the false niceties her cousin had done her. They had been done to impress Iroh, or to show Zuko how flameo Lu Ten was. Agni, what a sick person.

"Lady?" a new voice spoke, and, lifting her head, she saw that the servant was keeping a door open, clearly for her.

"Shut up, vermin. Don't speak to your betters." She hissed, lifting a hand to the man. All servants of the royal court were non-benders, and her father had always taught her to use force on disobeying servants. Physical force, not bending. Servants were unworthy of being burned by Agni's flames. The man didn't flinch away, those servants were more than used to being slapped around. Azula also knew that that wasn't the only things that happened to the servants. Some found themselves quite severely injured, maimed, or pregnant.

Choosing not to slap the servant, she walked past him, into the room that served as the council chamber. She could feel her nose lift slightly in disgust. Councils were traditionally held in the throne room, with the Fire Lord presiding. This rusting corner of the world was a far cry away from that.

"Lady Azula." Kantuno spoke up, and looking at the man, she saw him stand next to the chair on the right side of her own seat. That man had probably thought he was entitled to the spot. Vermin. Peasant.

"Kantuno." She answered, a curt nod in his direction. There was also the Fire Sage that had freed her from the bounds put on her wrists by the waterbender. The others, she hadn't cared enough to ask their names. All in all, there were around fifteen people around the table. She sat down in her chair, leaning her weight against one of the sides. Putting her chin in the palm of her hand, she let a finger rest against her cheek. Show them you are relaxed.

"But you are not. This is a folly Zula…"

"Well, what news?" She asked. She already knew, she had read the reports. But those idiots were probably not clever enough to read.

"Well…" The Fire Sage stood up with a hesitant gestured. Clearly, he wanted to resume the situation. She waved a hand to the squirming Sage, so he would continue.

"The Lord Azulon has taken on water." He meant one of the ships in her fleet. Her tiny, puny, fleet. "We will have to go to port for repairs."

"What port?" One of the captains sitting at the table asked. Azula didn't answer, just looked at the ceiling. Her father had always said, let them argue among themselves. When they realize that they won't have an answer to the problem, you bring the solution.

"We are close to Crescent Island…" The Fire Sage answered.

"The port there is too shallow for our ships!" the captain sighed, "We need a deep-water port, a city to let loose the sailors, a place to get provisions! Kirashi was perfect! High walls, a good port, good taverns! The brothels were shit, but they did the job." Suddenly, he glanced towards her, and began to sputter, "S-Sorry, Lady Azula. I didn't… I just meant…"

She lifted a hand, not wishing to listen to such nonsense.

"Kirashi was burned by the Traitor. We had to leave. The Avatar was inside, he opened the gates. What could we have done?" The Fire Sage spoke in a defeated tone.

"Send him a piece of his savage. It would show him we mean business, and that he shouldn't interfere in Fire Nation politics!" Another captain suggested. The man, dropping moustache and all, looked as if he has been taken from a small alley somewhere in the Caldara, holstered into a uniform and given command.

"It would only enrage him." Kantuno spoke up, "No, we need to keep her close and make sure the Avatar knows it."

She couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the man. He seemed rather ignorant and egocentric, but what he had said wasn't too stupid. Sure, they didn't have the bitch, but that didn't matter. The Avatar didn't have her either, and that was what mattered. Make your enemies believe you hold all the cards.

Kantuno apparently mistook her surprise to be encouragement to continue his speech.

"When I was at dinner with Orsu, a guest of his said that our only hope to survive the Avatar wroth was using the Water Savage as a shield. She seemed rather passionate about it." The man laughed, "She looked indignant when I called the Savage a whore."

That made her frown, just for a second. Why would any good Fire National feel disgusted by that?

"Sounds like a piece of work." The back alley captain chuckled, and some of the other captains joined him in their amusement.

"Don't know why Orsu let the peasant into his home to be honest, but he always had a tendency to lower himself. At least, I won't have to listen to his eternal sermons." Kantuno smiled too. They had sent orders for Orsu to be killed, and he had probably burned with the rest of that town's council when their guild hall had been destroyed in the inferno.

"Peasant into his home." The cold voice of her great-grandfather whispered.

She frowned once more. That was strange indeed. No one, not even the nicest person on earth, would just let a peasant into his home, let it eat at their table. You only invited friends, family or guests. But not some peasant you collected from the gutter.

"What was her name?" She asked. It was too strange.

"No idea, it was a friend of the former fiancée of my son." Kantuno shrugged. They had heard that the son had been taken prisoner by Piandao, but to be frank, she didn't care. Shaking her head, she knew it would eat at her mind. She wanted to know. She needed to know! Apparently, the voices found it important.

"Doesn't matter." The Fire Sage waved an irritated hand towards Kantuno, clearly not very happy about being interrupted in his important task of listening their problems, "The fact remains we need another base. Ember Island was good enough to gather the support from the Home Islands, but now, the island is deep into enemy territory."

"We need a place to gather more troops." The first captain nodded.

"Oh, this one has brains!" Lu Ten's voice laughed, "You should promote that one to High Admiral, little cousin." Laughter. Laughter. Her head began to hurt as the sound echoed in the room. Pressing the nail of her finger into her cheek, Azula concentrated on that feeling.

"We already have such a place." She spoke up, and all eyes turned to her. Some seemed surprised, while others looked relieved.

"Kirashi and Fire Fountain were meant to make Zuzu waste his resources. He had the domestic army." She swept the hand that wasn't pressed against her cheek through the air, "But that rabble couldn't stay together for more than three months. No, after the monsoon season, when the warm weather returns, he will have to get professional soldiers. And they are all in the colonies now. So, where do we get a base, soldiers, provisions and make Zuzu weaker while he hopes for new troops?"

Agni they were slow-witted.

"The… Colonies…" She spoke slowly, so they all understood.

"In just a day, we will be at Cranefish Town. The garrisons of the colonies are soldiers, and more importantly, they are connected by roads, instead of by sea lanes. If our information is correct, the garrisons have been ordered to stay in their bases, but they haven't sworn themselves to Zuzu. Cranefish Town alone holds nearly three thousand. From which more than half are benders."

Meaning, half would be useful.

She heard the sighs of relief. They had wanted guidance. She had given it. This was ruling. Being the most intelligent, the one with a solution to their problems. And seriously, it had seemed obvious, no?

"It will not change the outcome Zula…" Mother's voice. She winced slightly, the nail driving deeper into her skin.

"Shut up!" She screamed at the voice. That voice! She didn't want to hear it! Her mother had always preferred Zuzu! Zuzu! Zuzu! Zuzu! And Iroh! And even Father! Everyone wanted Zuko! And why? He was weak, easily corrupted and vile! He was not like her!

"Lady Azula… No one spoke." The Fire Sage spoke hesitantly. Lifting her eyes at the assembled people in front of her, Azula could see the looks they exchanged.

"They think you are mad."

"Well, they aren't entirely wrong."

"Zuko would help you get better."

"By throwing you into a cell, next to dear old Father."

"Ozai deserved his sentence. You do not. Not yet."

"Leave me. You have the instructions. Go to Cranefish Town." She spoke evenly. As long as she didn't speak about her outburst, it hadn't happened. Simple as that.

The shuffling and scrapping of the chair over the metal floor were short and hastily, as if all those present wanted to get away. As the man on her right, the former governor of Kirashi, stood up, Azula held up a hand.

"Not you." She spoke in a tone that didn't suggest contradiction. And she didn't miss the looks towards the man. She saw one of the captains glance at Kantuno as if he was a dead man. He wasn't, of course. But it didn't hurt to make people afraid. Ruling was done by fear.

As the others left the room one by one, Azula lifted the finger that had pressed against her cheek. Looking at the nail, she saw it was painted red. Strange. She had not put any paint on her nails this morning.

As Kantuno stayed next to his chair, Azula looked into his eyes. As she kept staring at him, the firebender noticed he didn't look into her own eyes. His gaze went from her eyes, to slightly lower, to her cheek. And she saw puzzlement in his look. Good. Let them ask questions.

"Orsu's guest." She said as the silence had stretched for almost too long, "Tell me about the peasant."

"Just a peasant, Your Majesty. No one of worth." Kantuno didn't seem to think it was important, but she did. Since when had peasants spoken against their betters? And, more importantly, since when had peasant felt insulted at things said about Water Savages?

"What did she look like?" She was insistent. It was no ordinary behaviour. No Fire National would bridle at a Savage being called a whore.

"Probably from the Southern Island group, judging by her complexion." Kantuno pulled the chair slightly back, as if he wanted to sit down. Azula just lifted an eyebrow, and he didn't make a move to make himself comfortable. Peasants were supposed to stay standing in her presence. Even if that peasant had been named Governor.

"And?" She waved her right hand, and saw that the red nail paint dripped down. Strange.

"Brown hair. Rather pretty for someone from the southern islands."

A strange feeling crept into her throat. As is her air pipe was being constricted.

"Ember eyes?" Why did she ask that? Of course, Fire Nationals had ember eyes, or brown. She had only met one person from the Fire Nation that had not fitted that description, Ty Lee.

"Grey eyes you would have gladly gouged out, no?"

Kantuno frowned, and Azula felt the same reaction. It felt as if her breathing was laboured. Why did she get this reaction?

"No… She had dark eyes. I remember it, because her eyes were so strange."

"Dark blue." Now, she knew.

"Yes!"

Suddenly standing up, Azula lifted her hand and grabbed Katuno's chin, forcing him to look into her own eyes. Where her finger touched the man's skin, she saw a smear of that red paint. Seriously, how had it not dried since this morning?

"You… Idiot." She hissed at him, "For three months, you had that description placated all over your miserable shithole you call a town, and not once, you thought about it?" Azula saw the panicked expression on his face, but she didn't turn away, or lifted her hand.

"You ate at the same table as the Savage." She felt the words tumble out of her mouth.

"But…" He began.

"I didn't have her. Never had. The important thing was that the Avatar thought I had. Now, you tell me you had dinner with that bitch? What was she doing there?"

Realization began to dawn on Kantuno's face.

"Y-you mean… The Savage was…"

"Yes." She felt her cheek twitch, "You had our victory in your grasp. My vengeance. That was why that Air Degenerate was in the town when we burned it." Reports had told them that the Avatar was the one who had blown up the gates.

"Lady…" The former governor spoke in pain, why, she didn't know.

"They send her into the town! They knew!" She didn't know when she had begun to scream. Balling her left hand into a fist, she punched Kantuno in the stomach, "You had her! All you had to do was put her in a cage, where she belonged! Traitor!" She punched once again, and the smell of burning fabric filled the room.

"You had her!" She watched as he dropped onto the floor, and she kicked him. Azula saw the shadows of flames dance on the walls, and realized she had fire around her fist. A fist that had reddened with the same colour as her fingernail.

"Agni, you imbecile. Not even able to control your bending. Look at the state of him." Sozin's voice whispered, and she listened. Looking down, Azula saw that the burning fabric had been his robes. And that a charred hole stood where his stomach her been. Looking into the ember eyes of the dying man, she felt disgust. Traitors and idiots, everywhere.

The Water Savage had been in Kirashi. She had been hidden by Orsu! Orsu, traitor! Traitor!

Straightening her tunic, Azula rolled her shoulders. Not important. That traitor was dead, with the rest of his worthless town. The Avatar was important. Nothing else. If Zuzu lost the Avatar as greatest supporter, then she would reign, as had been her Father's plan. He knew that, so he would try and hide that asset as long as possible. He would try to rule the Fire Nation alone, without the Degenerate's help. So, hide his weapon, along with the savage. But where?

It would have to be a place they could reach in, at most, a few days, on that flying beast. One of the temples? No. She had made that mistake once before, not believing an Air Nomad would hide in a place with so much death. They would know she would start looking in the temples if she wanted to kill the Avatar once more.

So, where? Ba Sing Se? No, too big, too many people. Too many people that would know his whereabouts. And too many Dai Li.

The deserts of the Earth Kingdom? Too remote.

Omashu? Too obvious.

The Avatar knew what threat hung above his beloved waterbender. They would travel together, he would never let her out of his sight as long as Azula was loose.

So, a place they could reach, together. They had been dumb enough before, by hiding in plain sight. The Western Air Temple had seemed the obvious place to hide. So, another obvious place probably. So obvious it was hard to believe they would be that stupid.

Last time, it had been a place familiar to the Avatar. This time, it would be a place beloved by the waterbender, if they kept by that logic.

What did she actually know about the savage? The girl was gifted, as much as one could be gifted with an inferior bending art. If she was a typical Water Tribe savage, she would put much faith in family and friends. Weaknesses, in her own opinion. But still… It would mean she would seek refuge with the Air Degenerate somewhere where friends and family lived. The father of the savages had escaped with Zuko and the brother of the waterbender. Not enough. A non-bender could never provide the same protection as the Avatar and the waterbender provided themselves.

Her home.

The Savage's father was chief of the south pole. There, they had unlimited hiding places in the tundras. It was where the Avatar had hidden for a century. If during a century, his hiding place had not been discovered, they would think it the perfect place to wait out the war.

South.

South!

Throwing the door open, she caught sight of the captain that had seemed unsure of their plans, talking to the Fire Sage. As soon as they saw her, they fell silent. Something that looked like fear crossed their faces.

"We will stop at Cranefish, order the soldiers to accompany us. We will not fight on Fire Nation soil, but bring the fight to our enemies." She smiled. Perfect. They had isolated themselves. She had already defeated the two one before at Ba Sing Se.

This was going to be so easy.

Answers:

McChartney : Yeah, in my story, Aang is slightly more serious, but him making toys for kids is so spot on I had to include it! I hope Azula's POV was good! It tried to show how she was no longer in control. That somewhere in her mind, she realizes something is wrong, but doesn't want to admit it. And I'm an archaeologist, so I spend a week in a cave for research lol! And I ha Secret Tunnel in my head when we walked around in there !

The Talent : I actually enjoy writing the northerners, as they make such hateable characters lol! They don't really mean it in a bad way, they just have no idea of how to behave around people. And Katara is going to have field day lol!

Alyssa: First of all, congrats on your son! I hope the surgery went well! And I'm happy I provide a small pause in the chaos!