Sorry for the late update. My life was kind of chaos.
Got sexually assaulted by my now ex-boyfriend, and when I went to write, I just couldn't do it. So I apologize, but it really wasn't my fault? Still, I'm sorry :)
Anyways, I hope you like this chapter. It's basically just Azula being a brain and proving everyone wrong.
It was tradition for the Royal Family to share breakfast and dinner every day. It had been fifteen years since the last meal was shared by the complete Royal Family (with the exception of Ozai), which made the first meal all the more awkward.
Tensions were running high in the family, the only person unaware of it being Izumi, Fire Lord Zuko's one-year old daughter. However, from Ursa to Iroh to Lee Ten, the Royal Family was not in the best of terms. The breakfast was also going to be shared with Zuko's friends: Sokka, Aang, Suki, and Ty Lee. All of them had helped bring Azula back to the palace, therefore were invited as honorary guests to the familial meal.
The seating arrangement had been prepared by Fire Lady Mai, who had seemingly decided to make the worst seating arrangement ever. Zuko sat at the head of the table, her sitting on his right and the Dragon of the West sitting to his left. Next to Mai sat Kiyi, who had Lee Ten by her side. Besides Iroh sat Azula, and next to the Princess sat Lady Ursa. Suki was sitting beside Sokka, who was sitting beside Lee Ten. Ty Lee sat next to Ursa.
Everyone in the Fire Nation, regardless of whether or not they could bend fire, woke up with the sun. It had been a practice implemented by Fire Lord Sozin, and one which was almost impossible to get rid of once it had been adapted as part of the general culture. Because of this, the royal breakfast was set at a very early time of the day. The royal family and Fire Nation citizens did not make a scene out of this arrangement, but the foreign guests were not used to this. The time of the breakfast had been excruciatingly cruel on Sokka, who had been woken up by a servant and had whined about his lack of his sleep for the first five minutes of the day.
Even if the Fire Nation was not thriving economically, the Royal Family still got to enjoy a certain lavish lifestyle. The servants brought a tremendous amount of food, varying from Water Tribe dishes to traditional Fire Nation ones. From spices to different kinds of animals, the food at the table was clearly one of the best and most diverse plates in the entire planet.
Soon after the food was placed on the table, everyone around began to dig into the food. Avatar Aang took strictly vegetarian dishes, while Sokka had gone straight for the meats. Azula had narrowed her eyes at the comically large amount of food brought to the table, feeling some sort of resentment towards her own family. She never would've thought that she, one of the most classist persons in the entire world, would one day find this blatant disregard for food as offensive.
Lee Ten sat still as he saw the foods. Growing up in Ido, the teenager had never experienced such a vast quantity of options to eat. Most days it was just rice and meat, which was much more than other people in his town could eat. Even if it was filled with cattle, Ido still had a malnourishment rate higher than that of the Water Tribe during the 100-year war. He couldn't even imagine how it was like in towns that were based off mining or other types of non-animal or non-agriculture source of income.
"You have to try the Seaweed noodles. It's from the Southern Water Tribe." Sokka told Lee Ten, putting a plate filled with the soup in front of the boy.
Lee Ten grimaced at the smell. "I'll try the soup once I'm more used to new flavors. For now, I'd really just prefer eating Fire Nation foods I haven't tried yet."
"Alright, but you better try it before I leave." The fourteen-year old nodded with his head before grabbing some more authentic Fire Nation dishes.
The rest of the table kept eating, with an occasional glance at their most hated person of the table (this being Azula in many of the cases). The Princess on her part was simply eating, savoring the foods she had loved when she had lived in the palace that she could no longer obtain or afford living as a peasant in the Fire Nation.
"Thank you for the breakfast invitation Fire Lord Zuzu," Azula said as she ate a meat dumpling. "it has been a while since I've eaten like a princess."
Zuko gave a small smile, "The whole family is invited to breakfast, and you're part of the Royal Family."
"Naturally." Azula nodded. Her gaze moved to look directly at the Fire Lady, who was eating some gruel. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but there are two members of our family who are not eating with us today. One of them has a legitimate excuse, being imprisoned and all. But the other, I would've though a princess would have a seat reserved at the table."
"Izumi is with the wet nurse in her room." Mai replied, narrowing her eyes at the prodigy firebender.
"That practice is so backwards. You should be the one who breastfeeds your child." Azula stated
Mai dropped her chopsticks on the plate and glared at Azula. "Who are you to say that?"
"A doctor, but a mother above all else. The bond between mother and child is always strong, but it gets stronger when breastfeeding is done. Mothering behaviors like caressing, making eye contact, and using affectionate language help both the child in development and the mother. It is also beneficial to the mother because it helps with the release of a hormone, which will make the mother have lower risk of having anxiety and postnatal depression. If you need proof, just look at mother's relationship with me and Zuko. She breastfed Zuko while a wet nurse breastfed me. You can clearly see the difference between the bonds." Azula explained
"Mothers who breastfeed also have lower rates of tumors in their breast, or ovarian illnesses. The hormone released also causes the uterus to contract and decreases the amount of bleeding after giving birth, which can cause some problems later on if not treated." Lee Ten added, feeling like he could state some input in the conversation.
"That is true. It can also help with reducing the probability of developing blood and/or heart disease. That's why I always recommend my patients to breastfeed their babies for the first 6 months at least. They could continue until the 12th month if the bond between mother and child is strong." Azula said
Mai grumbled silently on her chair for a few seconds before returning to her food as if nothing had happened. The rest of the table sat silent, staring at Azula as if she had just revealed a secret portal to the Spirit World.
"Why didn't the Royal Physician tell us about all of that?" Zuko asked
"Mostly because only few people have actually studied it with as much depth as I have, therefore it's highly likely that he wouldn't have known about that. I am the best doctor in the Fire Nation, probably the world." Azula replied
Sokka put his hand up as if to ask a question. "I doubt that. Not that I don't trust this new Azula-"
"You shouldn't trust her." Suki interjected
"but I'm pretty sure Water Tribe healers are the best doctors in the world. They use their waterbending to heal." Sokka continued to say, completely ignoring his ex-girlfriend.
"I had a feeling you would say that." Azula began to say, taking a sip of her ginger tea. "Being a healer and being a doctor are two different things. Both heal people, but a doctor has a scientific background behind it. What makes me different from the rest is that I'm the first person to fully combine both the spiritual spectrum of the body with the scientific one. Everything is connected, and as far as I know, I'm the only person who has been able to fully heal a person using these two aspects simultaneously. As for the waterbending aspect, I use firebending in my healing, so they can't up-hand me from that side."
Kiyi's eyebrows furrowed. "How can you use firebending to heal?"
"The body is a meat sack filled with organs and blood and other disgusting things. However, a person is not merely the body: a person has a mind and a soul. In order for the mind/soul and body to work effectively, it needs to be completely in balance. This is where the chakras and chi come in. The body has seven chakras, and the chi flows through the chakras and on the rest of the human body. Many illnesses come from a disbalance between the chi, chakras, and the body. Thankfully, because the chi is basically energy, I can use my firebending to bring balance back to the body, which in most cases help many patients with grave illnesses. If that doesn't work, then I simply go into a more traditional method and either prescribe them some medicine or open them up and fix the problems they may have."
"Isn't firebending all about destruction?" asked Suki, who was clearly apprehensive about all this new information.
Azula scoffed, "It's clear that someone as uneducated as you would think that. Fire, and by extension firebending, is seen as this destructive power, which was mostly due to the 100-year war. However, fire is what gave humans life. Without fire people in cold climates would freeze to death, and meat would not have been able to be cooked, which helps in the development of the brain. It also gives us light, and the sun gives us energy for agriculture. But, foremost, firebending is all about energy, and energy is what makes the world around us."
The table sat silence for a bit. Most of the guests were watching Azula intently after her display of knowledge, which had been relegating to them. It wasn't uncommon for someone to say that fire was important, but almost nobody had given such concise examples and still been able to make a strong point.
"How did you reach that conclusion?" Iroh asked, sipping some of his Jasmine tea
"You could say that I had an epiphany. Or you may also say that I analyzed fire to its purest component and how it has affected the way we live from the pre-history. Either way, I know I'm right."
"Azula," Aang began to say, making the princess raise an eyebrow. "I know that we've had our ups and downs, but I feel like you truly have come a long way since we last saw you. For Iroh, Zuko and me to reach that conclusion, we had to go to the Sun Warrior ruins and learn from their transcript. You were able to realize that all by yourself, and I have to say that I admire that about you."
"Thank you, Avatar." Azula replied courtly.
The rest of the breakfast went by without any interruption or meaningful conversation. Everyone finished their dishes around the same time, which left them time to go to their respective responsibilities. This, in some cases like with Sokka and Ty Lee, was simply not causing havoc.
"Zuzu, could I join you in the meeting today? I think that it would be in the best interest for the Fire Nation to start rebuilding our nation as soon as possible." Azula said
Fire Lord Zuko thought for a minute before nodding his head in approval. "Yes, you shall join us. However, please be mindful about your words in the meeting."
"As you wish."
"Can I go too? I could be of great help!" Lee Ten expressed from his side of the table
The princess shook her head. "No. We do not know how the advisors are, so let me be sure that it's a safe space for you. Just hang around with Sokka or Aang for the day."
"Yes mother, but I really hope that I can join you to the meetings soon."
"Let's just see how this one goes." Azula replied, ending the conversation then and there.
The Fire Lord stood up from his seat, and as of custom and respect, the rest of the guest also rose with him. He made his way outside of the dining room, with the Fire Lady, Prince Iroh and Princess Azula following suit. The rest of the people also left the room, but at a much slower and relaxed pace.
The meeting was not held in the throne room or in the war chamber, where they used to take place back when Ozai and Azulon reigned over the Fire Nation. Instead they took place at a room with a long table and a mini throne for the Fire Lord. It looked almost identical to the war chamber, yet it didn't hold the grand fire in front of the throne. It was made to seem like Zuko was a more approachable Fire Lord.
When Azula entered the room, she felt the gaze of every advisor shift towards her. They bowed down to her brother, but their minds were clearly on someone else inside the room. The princess considered sitting down on the ground, but then remembered that she had status in the palace. Nobody would expect her to actually sit on the dirty floor like some peasant, even if she had done so when she lived in the rural town.
She spotted an empty seat near the head of the table and sat on it, disregarding the looks the advisors threw at her. It was clear that the advisors were not comfortable with her presence at the meeting, but Azula couldn't find it in her heart to care. These people were the ones responsible for the Fire Nation economic downfall, which caused the major societal problems she experienced back in Ido. The ministers were not young, but they were inexperienced and naïve, just like her brother Zuko.
"This meeting is now in order." Zuko declared, his voice vibrating through the walls of the chamber. It was truly amazing how the voice of such a feeble man could sound so intimidating. "Please state your reports."
One by one, each advisor gave their reports on their own specific fields. There was an advisor for education, an advisor for foreign affairs, an advisor for economy, so on and so forth with every ministry in the Fire Nation. It took all of her will for Azula not to interrupt the advisors and their reports. For each department, there seemed to be incorrect data, either by it being incomplete or just being completely false. What little data they seemed to have correct, their advice wasn't what was best for the nation. In fact, these advisors seemed to be the worst team ever put together. But what could she expect from her brother?
Once all the advisors expressed their reports, Zuko looked at his sister and made eye contact. Azula's face was unreadable. He couldn't tell if she was mad, if she was ashamed, but it was clear as day that she wasn't happy with the reports.
"As you may see, we have been graced with the presence of Princess Azula. She will be joining us from now on in our meetings and will help us bring the Fire Nation to its former glory." Zuko announced
The advisors all looked at each other in apprehension with the news. Azula narrowed her eyes but maintained her straight composure.
"Forgive me Fire Lord Zuko," the advisor of foreign affairs began to say, "I do not mean to question your leadership in any shape or form, but I do have doubts about the mentality Princess Azula will bring to your government. I fear that under her influence, our peace with the other nations will be disrupted."
"I take your concern into consideration but know that Princess Azula only has the good of the Fire nation and its people in her mind. If by any instance her priorities change, I will be the first one to make sure she is punished. However, I'm sure this will not be a problem. Now, Azula, do you have anything to say after listening to the reports?"
Azula nodded, making eye contact with each of the advisors and intimidating them with only a look.
"Yes, I do have quite a few things to say." Azula smiled, taking in the aura of superiority she felt in her position. It had been far too long since she had felt like that. "It was my understanding that lying to the Fire Lord was punishable by death, but it seems that you all are living your best lives, sitting here in my presence and unpunished."
"What?!" the advisor of justice exclaimed, voicing the outrage of all the other advisors. "How dare you call us liars in front of the Fire Lord! We are nothing but loyal to Fire Lord Zuko."
The princess passed her fingers through her signature bangs, making her eyes ever more visible. "Each and every one of you has lied to the Fire Lord in this meeting at least once. For example, it is not true that the southeast part of the Fire Nation has had fewer fire-flu deaths this past month. Not all patients with fire-flu experience the same symptoms, but the sheet doctors have to fill out, which has been given by our government, only has some exact symptoms. If a patient doesn't reflect all of the conditions, or if it has new ones, it cannot legally be considered fire-flu, and therefore the death does not add up to the total tally. That is just one example of the mediocrity that is this government."
"Impossible. Our forms have been effective for over ten years and no doctors have sent any complains." The advisor of health said.
"That's another lie. I personally sent quite a few complaints, but there were never any improvements."
"I can assure you, Princess Azula, that there was never any complaint under your name."
Azula smirked. "So you admit that there were complaints, just not under my name."
The advisor opened his mouth to retort but closed it soon after finding no words to defend himself with.
"Azula, what do you think would be the best course of action to improve our nation?" Zuko asked his sister, quite curious about what was going on in his sister's mind. He was certain that this was no longer the power-hungry sadistic teenager he knew back in his childhood, and he knew that she had lived as a peasant for fifteen years. But this did not mean that her methods were going to be the most innocent ones. They could be effective, but the way they were executed could become a problem further on.
"After living outside of the palace and Caldera for fifteen years, I can say with confidence that there is a plethora of issues in the Fire Nation, both economically and socially. These problems will not be solved in one day, but it is our duty to make sure that from now on, our nation reaches the prosperity it once had. I think that the economy is the issue that should be tackled first. The unemployment rate is almost at 40% outside of the Caldera, and 70% in rural areas. Many industries have closed down because they no longer have customers, and with the high tax rates the government impose on the citizens, many of our own people are dying of hunger. It is hard to improve the economy, but I think we should start by revoking the reparations." Azula explained with authority
The advisor of foreign affairs' face turned red. "How can we stop paying reparations when our nation has been the one who made the world suffer for 100 years? If we do that, it would seem as if we no longer seek peace between the four nations."
"While I understand your concern, we cannot put foreign nations before our own people." Azula said. "By paying the other nations reparations, we have admitted that we were wrong in our quest of world domination. It was a good idea, but now, almost twenty years after the end of the war, it makes the Fire Nation look weak. The other nations have a steady source of income because of our past, while our people die as they repent for the actions of their parents and grandparents. Our children die of hunger just so an earth kingdom citizen can buy a home decoration.
We should not live in an endless world of shame. Yes, we must accept our past, but we must also move on. By paying these reparations, we are taking money away from the people, most of whom become desperate and search for a way to better their lives. This is where many of the revolutionary groups come from. They promise people a better government, who will not bow down to any other nation and who would make the Fire Nation a livable place once again. If we cease the payment, it will make money stay within our economy, so our people will be able to purchase things once again. With an active economy, it will be easier to tackle many of our other problems."
"What if the other nations take this the wrong way? What if confrontation comes from this?" the advisor of Armed Forces asked
Azula made eye contact with the advisor, who shrunk in his seat. "Must I remind you that the Fire Nation didn't lose the war? We simply withdrew from it, but our militia still proved to be stronger than that of the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribe. The other nations will be all talk, but when the time comes, they will all be afraid of an actual confrontation. Besides, the avatar will agree with us. He saw how underdeveloped the Fire Nation really is now."
"I think that's a good idea." Zuko said from his throne. "I cannot allow my people to suffer just for the benefit of our image. From now on, the Fire Nation will stop paying reparations."
"You should also re-legalize alcohol." Azula said nonchalantly.
"For what purpose?" the advisor of interior asked.
Azula rolled her eyes. "For consumption. What other reason would there be? Who even came up with that awful idea?"
"I did," Mai said from her seat besides Zuko. "alcohol has been a great evil in our nation and has been accountable for many misdeeds."
Azula laughed. "Oh Mai, I didn't know you could joke."
"Alcohol makes people unproductive and violent. Many people all around the world become addicted to alcoholic substances, so to prevent this, we made it illegal." Mai explained
"After watching that people did unwanted stuff under the influence, which ruined lives, we thought this was the best course of action." Fire Lord Zuko said.
It didn't take a genius to guess that Zuko was talking about the princess. Azula wouldn't put it past Mai to pass such law merely because of her drunken mishap. She understood that alcohol had ruined many lives, but it seemed extremely unprofessional for a Fire Lord to make such an important decision just because his wife's friend got cheated on because of one drunken night.
"Just because something is prohibited, it doesn't mean that people won't do it. Just look at domestic violence. While you both had good intentions, the reality is that the decision to make alcohol illegal just worsened the problem. Clandestine businesses grew exponentially when alcohol was declared illegal, and alcoholism rates also rose. If something is legal, you can put restrictions on its consumption and its distribution. You can also apply taxes, which helps with the economy.
When it's illegal, like it is now, people who have access to it either use it to gain too much profit, or they consume it irresponsibly. Because it is an underground business, it also creates a problem of violence between leaders, which is reflected badly on the quality of life of our citizens. Taking all of this into consideration, I think that it would be crucial to make alcohol legal once again."
The advisor of Public Action raised his hand. "If we make alcohol illegal, wouldn't that create a boom of consumption?"
"For a short while, but it would not have a long-term negative consequence. Think of it as if the people were your child. If you tell your kid that he can't do something, like go to a party for example, the child will have a temptation to rebel. If he does, he will try to make the most out of the situation, which is where problems arise. If you are a lenient parent however and tell him that he can go but with certain restrictions, the child is most likely to obey you. Same with this legalization. Alcohol will be legal, but there will be certain restrictions that citizens are likely to abide to because they don't have a reason not to. There will always be a sector of the population who does not follow the rules, but we cannot base our laws on a small percentage."
The advisors all nodded their heads, having understood the princess' logic.
Fire Lord Zuko also nodded, resting his chin against his hand.
"Princess Azula makes a very compelling argument. I think that it would be a good decision to implement her ideas as soon as possible." Prince Iroh said, speaking for the first time in the meeting. Azula's eyes widened. Her uncle had never shown any kind of praise or appreciation towards her ideas before, no matter how good they had been. Maybe he thought she had changed, or maybe he just wanted him on her good side, so he could use her later on. She never knew what kind of games her family was playing.
"Yes, that shall also be put into law. Azula, do you have any other concerns?"
The prodigy looked at her brother and slightly shook her head. "Not as of now. First, we must see how this works out, so we can keep modifying laws according to the reaction of the people."
"Very well," Zuko stood, everyone in the room following suit. "This meeting is adjourned. Bring accurate reports next time, or I won't hesitate to punish you for dishonesty against the Fire Lord."
The advisors bowed down as Zuko left the room. Azula took this as her queue and exited next, making her way towards the garden. She had no idea where Ty Lee currently was, so they could finally drink that pending tea, but she would rather not talk and ask Mai.
The princess decided that it would be a good idea to walk at the gardens, where she used to play as a child. It was one place where the acrobat would likely be at, and if she wasn't, then it was still a pleasant place to be. Her mind was still slightly overwhelmed by the meeting. It had been relatively short compared to the ones she participated in back when she was her father's right hand, but that had been so long ago. It would take some time to get used to the meetings and politics.
As she walked through the garden, she came across a smell. It was a smell of sweat, yet it was different from other sweat. Her mind quickly ran back towards the memory of waking up on an empty hotel bed. It wasn't the exact same smell, there was something missing, but that smell was clearly there.
Azula furrowed her eyebrows, trying to find where exactly the smell originated from. All her thoughts were focused on the smell. The memories came crawling back, as she walked beside the turtleduck pond, her mind was still reminded of that night. The image of Ty Lee bawling her eyes out, of Ty Lee pushing her aside, of her mother basically banishing her from her life, of a disappointed Zuko, of the hardships she went through because of one night.
Her nose led her to a clearing in the garden, where her son, the avatar, and the Water Tribesman all trained. The avatar seemed to be laughing at something Lee Ten had done, while the blue-eyed man was patting her son's back. Azula noticed that her son was holding a boomerang and that the Water Tribesman was now lacking a boomerang.
The way the man had behaved around her, and her son had been unnerving at first. Azula didn't know if he was genuine or not, and if he was, why was he showing so much care towards a boy he had never met before. He gave the excuse of them both being "Water Tribe" even though Lee Ten made it obvious that he did not feel Water Tribe.
There were certain mannerisms that made Azula question the real intentions behind Sokka's actions. As time passed, he seemed more and more genuine in his will to help her child, but the reason was never clear.
Watching them side by side, Azula could notice certain key similarities between her son and the Water Tribesman. The hair was the exact same color, and the eye region seemed almost identical. Although lee Ten still had much left to grow, the body type was clearly almost identical to that of the blue-eyed man. The humor was also somewhat similar, if Azula remembered correctly. Her son seemed to have a little bit more of an edge, but there was a similarity with the Water Tribesman.
The smell, the similarities, and the way Sokka had been acting with Lee Ten. The evidence seemed to stack up as time passed by. The answer couldn't be that simple, yet it was. Azula narrowed her eyes as her mind drew a conclusion, one which would change the perspective Zuko and everyone else had of the Water Tribe war hero.