Chapter 1

Azula panted as she ended her kata with a kick, the bright orange flame dancing throughout the room before it fizzled out, leaving the area to be illuminated only by the Agni's setting rays. She righted herself quickly, her sharp gaze landing on the two old crones who watched her, hiding the nervousness she was feeling internally.

'Perfect. Surely this one was perfect…' she thought, her nerves growing as Lo and Li shared a look she couldn't decipher.

"Incredible form…" Lo, or was that Li, stated as she looked down at the still princess.

"Almost perfect…" Her twin continued.

"A slight stumble…"

"A simple misstep…"

Azula felt her heart sinking even as she maintained her poker face, not allowing the growing fear that was encompassing her to show on her face. She silently stalked out of the room after a dismissal from one of the seemingly ancient women. She knew her father would not be happy with her.

Being the favored child, she found, was often a blessing and a curse. She was saved from the worst of Ozai's wrath for the most part, but the growing weight of his expectations was beginning to eat at her. The princess was too proud to admit that the growing weight of the responsibilities being placed was eating away at her. Not that she could admit it to anyone. Loneliness was not a new feeling but it had never been this prevalent before.

It was only a few months prior that her cousin, Lu Ten, had died. Crushed by a boulder during a prolonged siege on Ba Sing Se, just for his death to be for nothing as her Uncle withdrew from the siege, and the war as a whole. She felt some feeling bubble up in her as she thought of her cousin's sudden departure but she pushed it to the side, something that was becoming increasingly common.

While she didn't have much of an opinion on her cowardly, wayward uncle, she did feel her mood dim at Lu Ten's passing. He was a good cousin. He would often play with her when he was pleasant, despite being busy himself as the next in line for Firelord, behind Iroh. He enjoyed spending time with her and was one of the few who complimented her rapidly growing skills as a firebender. Something even her mother wouldn't do.

As she reached her room, she angrily shut the door behind her as she thought about her absent mother. Her relationship with her mother, Ursa, had been strained for as long as she could remember. While her brother, a boy who failed more than he succeeded, gained her affection, Azula had often only gained her ire. Various plans to try to get treated similarly to Zuko ended in abject failure and hurt feelings, though she made sure Ursa hadn't seen that humiliation. In this way, she understood how Zuko felt about their father.

While she had become her father's favored child for her prodigious skill, Zuko was seen as a failure for his lack of proficiency. Her relationship with Zuko had always been difficult due to that dynamic, but that had only increased after Ursa left a few weeks prior. Her stoic attitude clashed with Zuko's tears, putting even more strain on their relationship than was the norm. Her "heartlessness" and "disregard" for Ursa's "mysterious disappearance" caused her brother's short fuse with her to become even shorter. Azula scoffed to herself as she prepared for a bath before dinner, as was normal.

Azula was a bright child, any of her tutors would tell you that, so it wasn't difficult to see the connection between her grandfathers, Firelord Azulon's death, and Ursa's departure the same night. There was nothing mysterious about what occurred. Her father's ascension to Firelord only made the foul play more clear.

It was curious to Azula how the same man who taught her about loyalty (to him especially) would conspire to kill his father. She shoved that thought aside like many others, knowing that such a line of thinking could easily lead to painful consequences.

All this to say that her already small list of people to socialize with, in any way, had substantially shortened. The empty pit in her stomach grew as that thought surfaced again. Azula quickly got dressed, seeking to distract herself from this feeling she couldn't avoid, and headed to dinner.

Linebreak

Dinner was never a lively affair, Azula mused to herself silently, but this was sad even by her standards.

Azula and Zuko ate in tense silence, her brother in a foul mood from some lesson or another, and their father was absent, which became more common after his rise to Firelord.

"Pass the komodo rhino," Zuko mumbled quietly, a scowl etched across his face. That expression was becoming quite common for him.

"Is that how you ask for something Zuzu~" Azula asked teasingly, trying to ignore the uneasy feeling in her stomach. She hadn't forgotten how her firebending lesson had ended, and it was likely her father would make sure that stayed the case.

Zuko scowled at her and slammed his fist on the table, causing the plates to shift and food to fall on the table. "Just pass the damn food!"

As Azula got a smile on her face, ready to engage in some form of entertainment, she heard footsteps approaching the room. The previously bickering siblings shared a panicked look and hurriedly cleaned up the mess from Zuko's outburst. As the door opened they bowed to their father, who hardly seemed to notice.

If the previous silence was tense, this one felt like something was ready to snap. 'Or someone,' Azula thought to herself with silent dread, her face remaining impassive.

The silence, outside of the sounds of the three eating, lasted 10 minutes before Ozai raised his head, his gaze piercing through Azula. She fought the urge to fidget as she met her father's gaze.

"Azula," he began quietly, authority clear in his voice. "I spoke to your firebending instructors." He began, confirming the topic was about what she had been fearing.

She remained silent as she nodded, knowing that minimal verbal response was the best way to deal with her father when he was angry.

"I expect more from you," he continued, glaring down at her as he stood and walked closer to her. She felt the need to run, which was silly. She knew it would make things worse. "You are nearer to the throne than ever, but your inattention is growing. That ends now."

"Yes, Father," she responded quietly, her voice not carrying its normal pride. She held back the urge to glare at Zuko who was smiling slightly, likely happy that it was not him at the center of their father's ire.

He placed his hand under her chin, lifting her chin, and removing any thoughts of Zuko from her mind. "The time for distractions is over," he said, his hand was abnormally warm. It wasn't enough to burn, but it did convey Ozai's intent. Don't disappoint him again. "Your training will be increasing. As a future leader for our nation, more discipline will benefit you. Do not disappoint me."

"Yes, Father," She said again, her voice lacking inflection.

Ozai looked her over one last time before removing his hand and looking at both of his children. "You are dismissed."

Azula and Zuko quickly exited silently walking to their rooms, and entering without a word to each other. Azula started to prepare for bed, but despite the exhaustion, she felt her shoulders remained tense. Her father dismissed her like she was nothing.

She had to be useful. She had to be better. She would not be a failure like her brother.

A quiet voice whispered in her weary mind that success or failure, continuing like this may not leave much of her left.

Line Break

The school was a boring, if not relieving part of her day. She found the work relatively easy where her peers struggled, and the tension that had been building within her all lately seemed to fade slightly.

She walked through the courtyard her two friends on either side of her. Ty Lee, the excitable girl she was, was babbling happily while Mai looked on with her normal impassive face. Despite herself, Azula felt more comfortable with these two than she had with her father yesterday. She shoved that thought aside and tuned into what Ty Lee, was saying.

"...and yesterday I learned this new super cool stretch! I wanted to show it to my dad but then Ty Lin fell, and Ty Liu needed help with schoolwork, and…" Ty Lee trailed off, something the chatterbox rarely did.

Ty Lee was one of seven, septuplets who all looked identical. She loved to stand out, which made her the black sheep of her sisters, who were content to remain an indistinguishable matching set. Azula and Mai shared a look and took over for her.

"I expect you to show me," Azula said, her prideful voice hiding the odd feeling she felt at seeing her friend sad. Mai silently nodded, a slight smile playing on her lips.

Where Ty Lee wanted to stick out in her family, Mai became the opposite. Born to ambitious parents, they wanted a boy and were disappointed in Mai for having the nerve to be a girl. Their distaste was clear in a passive manner. Mai, not being able to live up to their expectations, grew more silent, almost like a shadow.

Ty Lee's smile returned tenfold, and she excitedly jumped at Azula and Mai, pulling them into a hug. "Really!? I'd love to show you guys"

Azula nodded, not noticing a smile of her flitting across her face. "Yes yes, now get off me," She said as she pushed Ty Lee off her and adjusted her clothes. "We have to get to class."

Line Break

Today's class was focused on dragons, a topic Azula was greatly interested in. She knew much about them and their history, having read about them in the palace library in her free time frequently. It was due to this that she started to focus less on the lesson and more on her thoughts.

The Fire Nation's history with dragons was vast, spanning before the nation had even formed. It was said that dragons were created by Agni, the great fire spirit and the origin of fire bending. Dragons were the first to receive fire from the spirit, but eventually taught the secrets to people. People would use fire bending as a means to survive, advance technology, create art, and more. Because this gift was given by dragons, a close bond had formed between them and the benders.

It was this that often confused her. Many grand tales in the library spoke of dragons. They were allies, and friends, and many bonded with them, similar to the extinct air benders and their bison. They were powerful companions, and much of the fire nation's history can be attested to them.

So why had Sozin started the dragon hunt? There was no denying that killing a dragon spoke of great firebending prowess, it was one of the things she could respect her uncle for. But surely having dragons as partners would have aided the war effort Sozin himself started. Why kill beings that would have made invading the impenetrable city child's play? Azula, though she would never say it aloud, couldn't think of another way of describing it than as a blunder.

It was as she was thinking of this that she heard her being called.

"Azula!" the teacher said, snapping the princess out of her thoughts, her inattentiveness clear. Her classmates snickered as the teacher stared her down, causing her face to redden.

"Yes?" Azula asked, trying to gain back some degree of decorum.

"I was asking what year the dragon huntings started, but there is something more important on your mind than my lesson," the teacher said, her voice dripping with disapproval.

The teacher continued her lecture, but Azula, while outwardly paying attention, felt her mind drift to more immediate problems. The pit in her stomach grew, larger than ever. Hadn't her father just last night asked for more from her? She knew he would hear of this, and she felt herself grow cold at what may happen. If she were also seen as a failure…

Class ended soon, and the school day was with it. Azula stalked out of the room, knowing she couldn't be lackadaisical now. She needed to leave, to get home, to…

"Azula! Do you want to see my trick now?" Ty Lee said, her voice full of joy. The tone grated on Azula's nerves, knowing she couldn't afford to feel the same way.

"I don't have time. I have to go," Azula said absently noting the way Ty Lee's face fell and the sharp feeling that struck her chest. Azula needed to go home, she couldn't be late, she couldn't add more failures to her growing list.

Mai, it seemed, had also seen her face. "Surely you can spare a minute Azula," Mai said, frowning minutely. For some reason, this seemed important to her. It was for that reason she tried grabbing Azula's hand to stop her.

Azula snarled, her panic rising in her chest and making her emotions flare. She wasn't conscious of the flame leaving her hand until after it happened.

Firebenders were the only benders who could create their element. They used their inner energy, their chi, to coax out the flame. There were many ways to do this, but the most common was by using emotions as fuel. This could bring great power, but it almost guaranteed little control.

Azula's orange flame burst out of her hand and licked Mai's. Despite both their quick reflexes, to stop the fire and to remove her hand respectively, the damage was done.

Mai yelped, the sound from her uncharacteristic, which was what snapped Azula back into the present. She looked at Mai's hand, clutched to her chest, and the tears forming in Mai's eyes that never fell.

Before Azula said anything, before she knew if she could say anything, Mai fled, and a worried and spooked Ty Lee followed. Azula saw the fear in Ty Lee's eyes before her back turned.

The sharp feeling in her chest, reminiscent of what she felt for refusing Ty Lee, came back a hundredfold, almost crushing her for how abrupt it was. The feeling persisted even as she walked the path to the palace in a daze, mixing with the feelings of worry about her father's reactions to her recent failures.

Line Break

The next morning Azula woke in a dreary mood, knowing that today would be awful.

The rest of the previous day seemed to blur by after school, thankfully without adding another failure to plague her. Thinking about the tears in Mai's eyes and the fear in Ty Lee's made her feel the urge to vomit.

It was by luck that her father didn't seem to get told about her inattention in class or her hurting Mai by accident. Was that because Mai covered her burn from her parents, or because her parents would rather Mai hurt than burn a connection with the Firelord? Both thoughts caused her mood to plummet further, even as she tried to push aside the uncomfortable feelings again. They were stacking quite high.

When she first told her father about Mai and Ty Lee over dinner, she did so with earnest joy. Loneliness, while not as prevalent back then as it is now, was still a common feeling for the princess.

Her mother smiling at her from across the table had caused her joy at times, but it was her father's words that were permanently etched into her mind she remembered most clearly.

"Friends are a weakness," Her father had said, his voice authoritative and his gold eyes blazing. Her mother's smile had dropped, but Azula focussed on her father. "The weak need companions because they can not support themselves. To be strong you must stand on your own. Subordinates, servants, your inferiors, belong behind you, in your shadow."

She hadn't understood exactly what he had meant back then, what was the difference between friend and servant? The answer became clear by watching her family, her father especially, interact with the palace staff who served them. She hadn't known how to treat those two, who brought her joy, like but she had tried. Her father wouldn't have allowed it otherwise.

She cursed herself for feeling guilty for what she had done, she had seen her father do much worse to the palace staff, but she couldn't bring herself to buy into her father's words completely. The image of Mai, her ever-stoic friend, on the verge of crying with her hand, cradled brought felt as though it were burned into her mind.

Already exhausted by the day, she started to get ready for school.

Line Break

Mai typically enjoyed school.

Though she didn't often show it she thought of school as a good reprieve from her home life. The lessons were boring, and she didn't like most of the students, but she felt seen.

Ty Lee, in her typical bright and bouncy way, could make anyone comfortable it seemed, even gloomy girls like her. There was never silence when she was around which she was grateful for, having, ironically, grown a great dislike for quietness.

It was more complicated with Azula.

Mai liked Azula. When they had first met it was the first day of school. The three friends had banded together as the weird girls, no matter how much Azula would deny that.

Ty Lee's relentless pep, along with her reluctance to join her sisters, caused her to be alone, similar to how Mai had been alone due to others either not noticing or ignoring the quiet, ghost-like girl.

Then Azula came.

Azula was passionate and had the intensity of a bull moose. On the day Ty Lee and Mai had stood alone, Azula had marched to them and demanded they sit together. She was excited and wanted to excel. Her weird girl status came from her powerful drive, and the intense need to be the best. Mai admired that spirit.

Recently it had gotten difficult with her though. Azula wasn't ever the nicest person, Ty Lee had that title, but she had treated her and Ty Lee well, and had been seemingly happy to have friends. Mai knew loneliness well and could easily recognize it in this spitfire of a girl.

As time passed though, it felt like Azula had grown distant. Her typically happy, if impish, true smile seemed to come around less, being replaced with sneers or smirks. They were reminiscent of the expressions Mai had seen Ozai wearing on the few occasions she had seen him.

Despite not expressing much emotion on the outside, Mai felt very strongly. She had been concerned by these changes but figured that change was natural.

It was recent times when things deteriorated more. The ongoings of the royal family, while not completely known, weren't all that mysterious. There had been much upheaval, with the family being reduced to half of what it once was. Along with that Mai had seen more physical changes in Azula.

Azula was often more tired, the light makeup she wore not completely covering her eyebags, and often she had bruises (which Mai dearly hoped came from sparring). Her temper had shortened, and the true smiles she gave recently could be counted on one hand with fingers left over.

Mai could see that Azula struggled, she was perceptive, but that didn't make the burn hurt less.

Mai cared for her friends, but this burn hurt more than just her hand. She felt betrayed. She knew Azula hadn't thrown the fire on purpose, the shocked look after the incident made that clear, but it felt like something had shifted in that moment.

As Mai made her way to class, with Ty Lee fussing over her hand, she wondered what this meant for her and Azula. She met the princess's eyes and could see guilt in Azula's expression. Azula opened her mouth, but Mai didn't know what she was going to say. A conflicted look flashed upon her face before she looked away, her expression blank. Mai sat down next to her, face equally blank, with silence and tension growing between them.

Mai cared for Azula, but it felt like they were on a cliff edge. She would never be able to leave Azula, her parents wouldn't allow it, but she didn't know what would remain of their friendship if something didn't change.

Line Break

"Friends are a weakness"

The words echoed in her head as she made her way home. It had been two days since the incident, and though the three friends still sat and worked together, the conversation had been minimal. Despite Ty Lee's best efforts she and Mai hadn't been up to it.

The loneliness before had felt crushing, but now it felt like it would consume her.

When she first saw Mai she had opened her mouth, an apology on her tongue, before her father's words echoed in her head. Superiors did not apologize to those below them. Her father wouldn't have allowed her to apologize.

It felt like two sides of her were fighting on how to handle the situation, but every time her father's words played in her head, she couldn't bring herself to say the simple words. To apologize.

It was night now, but despite the exhaustion, she felt to her bones, she couldn't sleep. Her mind kept replaying Mai being burned while her father's words echoed within her mind. She stood quickly, getting changed out of her night clothes without paying much attention. She needed to get out.

She snuck out of the palace without notice by the guards easily, she knew the grounds better than they ever would. Sticking to the shadows she went to the outside training grounds.

Despite her firebending being a source of her stress, her father expected perfection, she still loved it greatly. If there was one thing she loved above all else, it was her fire. Taking a deep breath she went through the motions, starting with basic katas before quickly advancing. She lost herself in the motions, allowing herself a brief respite she hadn't felt in a long time.

She loved to bend. It was almost easy for her to forget that when two old crones were watching and waiting to report to her father. The quick and strong motions, the shapes she could make, the feeling that this was truly hers and no one else's. She felt in control for once, not weighed down by mistakes or the future.

It was as she delved further into the feeling, closing her eyes and becoming blind to everything but her flame that she felt it.

It was odd. She didn't hear it, and with her eyes closed she didn't see it. It was a new feeling, sensing something burning with a heat she had never felt far above her. She focussed on this object, feeling it soar through the air, getting closer and closer. She felt it soar above and past her. She opened her eyes to try to see the object, not sure if it was real or if she was losing her mind.

The answer was soon clear.

She saw a large, dark shape tumbling through the air, the night helping to cloak it unless you knew where to look. She followed it with wide eyes, and her mouth opened as she saw it landing far past her and out of sight.

"What the…" she was at a loss for words. Knowing she was too curious to even consider going to sleep she headed in the direction it flew.

It was as she was walking that she considered how she would find whatever it was. She knew the general direction of course, but there was a large chance she wouldn't be able to spot it. That was when she had an idea.

She hadn't seen it the first time right? She had sensed it, sensed something burning, and had been able to follow that sense. She needed that again.

Not knowing how to replicate it she tried to focus on what he did before, which was easier said than done as she was very curious about what that was. Taking a deep breath she created a fire and focussed on it.

It had always been easy for her to be mesmerized by her fire when given the chance. After all, she loved fire. It was following this line of thought that she started to replicate what she wanted. She reached out, slowly going further as she focussed harder until…

"There!" Without wasting a beat she ran, following the path, and stopping to sense again when she needed to. It was getting easier the more she did it.

Eventually, she had long lost track of time, she came to a far-off wooded area, completely isolated from the rest of the city. It was as she stared into the dark forest, and heard noises like that of a growling animal, that she started to feel some measure of fear.

'This was stupid,' a voice in her head yelled. She couldn't help but agree with the thought before another took its place. 'That feeling though… it felt like fire itself. I have to go."

If nothing else, no one could say she died a coward's death.

With that pleasant thought, she proceeded to march into the forest, an orange flame on her hand to light the way. She walked for a while, the faint sounds becoming clearer until they felt not even a hundred feet away. She spotted a clearing and hid behind a tree before peaking her head out to see what it was.

She had to clamp down on the urge to scream and quickly ducked back behind the tall tree.

'That's a dragon!' she yelled in her mind, shock and fear clear on her face. She took a moment to try to calm her racing heart as much as she could, with some measure of success. Feeling a little calmer, she gathered her courage to peek around again.

It was clearly a dragon. Its dark, pitch-black scales glimmered in the moonlight, and its underbelly and fur were an almost ethereal blue. It had large wings in the same colors and four legs. It was without a doubt a dragon, but the coloring was unique. She couldn't help but find it pretty.

The other thing she noticed was its size. It hadn't registered at first due to the shock, but the dragon was small, or at least small for what the library scrolls depicted. The dragon was still much larger than her. So either the scrolls had been wrong or…

"It's a young dragon…" she murmured to herself softly, but it seemed loud enough for the dragon. Its head perked up and its (cute) face noodles looked alert. She shook her head at the thought, thinking it was too much like Ty Lee, and watched as the dragon peered around before stretching its wings. She held her breath, waiting to see it take off.

Only for it to plummet down to the ground. She stood, her mind blank as she tried to figure out what happened when a pitiful whimpering sound emanated from the dragon. Looking closely, she saw that one of its wings was hurt. She couldn't help but wonder how that happened, and how it had even come this far…

She quickly shook her head, banishing these thoughts. She needed to leave. Hurt or not the dragon was bigger than her, and she had no doubt that, at least currently, she was no match for a dragon. With that thought, she turned around a took a step away from the adolescent dragon.

Only to hear a loud crunching sound. Looking down slowly she saw a stick under her foot. She stared for a second before she heard rustling behind her. Turning around slowly, she saw the telltale signs of the dragon moving towards her. Without another thought she bolted, panicking when she heard the dragon swiftly following.

She tried to evade it, twisting around trees and even attempting to boost herself with her flames, but the sounds of her pursuer were getting closer. Before she knew it, she felt something pounce on her. Without turning she kicked, amplified with flames, and shoved herself out. She was about to start running when she found herself face-to-face with the dragon.

She found herself frozen. Not at the, admittedly terrifying face, but at the beautiful blue flames that were cloaking the dragon's maw. Whether in bravery or the knowledge that her end was nigh, she reached towards the fire.

After all, she had always loved fire.

The dragon flinched in surprise when her hand reached out, growls coming from its throat and its eyes following her hand, until it froze when it felt her hand caressing its maw and the flames around it. Even more surprising was that she wasn't being burned.

Azula continued, her golden eyes reflecting the blue flame. She knew she looked a mess, her face and clothes were grimy with dirt, she had bags under her eyes from exhaustion, and she felt blood dripping down her lip. Despite this, she smiled, genuinely happy to get the chance to witness the beauty of this fire, even if it meant she may not survive the encounter.

Her eyes shifted from the flames as the dragon twitched and they gazed into each other's eyes. To Azula, it felt as though her soul was open to the dragon completely. All the pain, joy, loss, and conflict within her bared for it to see. She waited not daring to breathe, still in that strange trance from the fire.

After a time that could have been seconds or hours, the dragon broke the staring contest. It looked one last time at the young girl before it walked past her, back to the clearing she had found it at. Azula didn't turn, she just stood there, visions of blue fire, slitted golden eyes, and (cute) face noodles clouded her mind.

Soon she righted herself, and started the walk back to the palace, somehow slipping through without notice even in her distracted state. She sat on her bed once she reached her room until morning, not sure if what she had seen was real. When the rays of Agni hit her face, she slowly, methodically, took a bath and got ready for the day.

She didn't know what to make of the encounter, but the turmoil she had been feeling felt muted if not gone completely. As she ate breakfast silently next to her brother, she smiled to herself, scaring the heck out of Zuko.

"What are you smiling like that for? What did you do!?" He exclaimed loudly, thinking she had done something to him.

"Nothing," she said, finishing her food and standing with a smile on her face.

"I just need to talk with my friends."