In this AU, some changes to the ages have been made for purposes of the plot. Here, Zuko and Azula are twins, both being 11, Sokka is 10, Katara is 9, and Aang is 8 as well as the same age as Toph again.
In a palace far too quiet stood a prince. He hated the silence. Just a few months earlier, Fire Nation citizens had been everywhere, all eagerly tending to their firelord. It should have been filled with subjects this day as well, each one bowing further than the last and all expressing their admiration of him. Alas, there he was, alone in the throne room. He was not even sitting on the main throne. It did not belong to him…yet. When the prince could no longer stand the emptiness, he left to go somewhere else. He just wanted to find a servant–to remember that he was indeed royalty despite not feeling particularly special at the moment. So, his disappointment was immense when he found some speaking amongst themselves.
"The firelord's work is going so well!" one of them said excitedly.
"This might even begin to rival the work done by Firelord Sozin."
"It all builds upon itself. Firelord Sozin showed everyone what we can do and Firelord Iroh is bringing our nation to the rest of the world."
"They don't call him the Dragon of the West for nothing!"
The people began joyfully laughing, then stopped when they noticed the newcomer. Quickly, they bowed. That was more like it.
"Prince Ozai," they said, heads low.
The man regarded them calmly, but his gaze was also cold. "You like that my brother is conquering places?"
"Yes, Prince Ozai," the servant said, eyes low to remain respectful. "He is expanding the kingdom wonderfully."
After a few tense moments, Ozai left them to continue their work. He walked until he found a room with fireproof dummies inside. With them, the prince saw a young girl burning the items with bright blue fire. It made him so proud to see that. Even his fire was not blue, but he felt no envy. How could he? Before him was a representation of himself. His child having blue fire was the same as if he did. The girl quickly noticed his presence and executed a new move she learned, using only two fingers to shoot fire. Then, she turned to him with a smile.
"Hello, Dad."
"Hello, Azula," he said, a small smile on his face. "I haven't seen you do that before."
The princess proudly nodded. "I just learned it yesterday."
"Just yesterday? It already looks like you've been practicing it for weeks."
"Thank you. I think it's how I'm going to start firebending from now on. It's more precise than when I use fists."
Azula could see the joy on the prince's face, but she saw something else in his eyes and it piqued her curiosity. Stepping closer, she asked her question.
"Is something wrong, Dad? You seem like you're in really deep thought."
"I am. I've been thinking about your uncle."
Instinctively, the girl scowled and he continued, vindicated by her shared resentment.
"The citizens love him."
"They should love you."
"I agree, but they love how he is spreading the Fire Nation around the world in the Earth Kingdom. He is conquering them, my grandfather conquered the Air Nomads…I should conquer someone."
Azula's eyes lit up in excitement. "Who would you attack?"
Ozai considered this for a moment. "I think the Water Tribe, starting with the southern one. We've already rid them of any waterbenders. They're weak and vulnerable. We left too soon. We should have stayed and made establishments there. If we do now, I can do what my father did not and simultaneously show that Iroh lacks proper vision. While he continues his siege of Ba Sing Se, I will be making colonies."
"I like that plan. When would you want to go?"
"I see no reason not to immediately. There won't be any real resistance unless they're willing to lay down their lives." He started to go towards the door. "I'm going to speak with some of the generals. If everything works as it should, we can be there by tomorrow."
The prince strode out of the room, leaving Azula to continue her training with a thrilled smile. Ozai kept walking and slowed as he heard the sounds of more training. He stopped and went to the entryway, finding another fireproof dummy. This time, it was not being blasted by fire. It was not being blasted by anything. Instead, it was being sliced to pieces by a Dao blade. Holding the hilt, a young boy was targeting sensitive areas like the neck and gut. His grip was firm and his technique was flawless. He was so focused on this that he did not immediately realize that his father was there. When he did, he stopped and bowed his head.
"Hello, Father," he greeted.
Ozai just looked at him. Zuko felt small beneath the scrutinizing gaze, but he tried to stand as tall as he could. The man glanced at his hand which held the sword and took it from him. Holding it up so that he could inspect it, a slight snarl appeared on his face.
"I don't understand why you use these pitiful weapons. It's disgraceful. You're a firebender–however barely–and yet you use a sword," he scolded.
Releasing the weapon, Ozai let it fall to the floor. Zuko would have caught it, but his father's harsh glare warned him against trying. He heard it clatter against the ground and then Ozai's footsteps as he left. Once he was gone, Zuko picked up the blades again and went to his room. He could practice undisturbed there.
As Ozai began working on his plan, another plan was being prepared in the Southern Water Tribe. A group of men were gathering weapons and supplies. They were not mere men–they were warriors. One of them was giving orders to let everyone know which machetes needed maintenance and which crates were improperly filled.
"Bato," he said, putting several large crates into ships, "are there enough bandages and ointments in the case of injuries?"
"Almost, Chief. We just need a few more and we'll be ready."
"Good, be ready by dawn. We need to get an early start."
"Hakoda," someone called from behind him.
Only one person called the chief by his name now. Turning, Hakoda saw his mother. She had a troubled look on her face.
"Mom, what's the matter?" he asked, becoming worried.
"I wish you wouldn't leave. We need you here."
The chief went up to the elder and bent down to kiss her forehead. "I'll miss you and the kids too, but we have to go. It's our responsibility to do everything we can to stop the Fire Nation. They're conquering the Earth Kingdom more and more every day. If we do nothing, we're abandoning the world."
"And I've never been more proud of you for wanting to help, but Sokka and Katara aren't ready," the grandmother said, eyes filled with despair. "So little time has passed since…" She did not finish her sentence, seeing the pained look on her son's face. "They need you now more than ever. Please, don't do this."
Hakoda softly sighed and tried to push down the ache he felt in his heart. With a slightly forced smile, he left the woman and went to find his children. Heading home, he found Katara over a pot being warmed by fire. She was in the middle of making dinner and had a frown on her face that barely left when she saw the chief.
"We might be gone before you wake up tomorrow," he informed her.
Katara just nodded, feeling too angry to speak and not knowing what she would have said if she had. Her father could feel the rage and sat down.
"We have to do this. The Fire Nation won't stop with the Earth Kingdom."
"So why leave then?" she asked, finally looking up from the food. "What if they come while you're gone? You're taking all the warriors with you. I can barely waterbend, Dad. I can't keep Sokka, Gran Gran, and the others safe."
"I'm not expecting you to."
"But what are you expecting us to do if they come back?"
No answer came to the father's mind. He had none. His plan was based on hope and that alone. He hoped no one would attack while they were gone, hoped they would be able to help some citizens of the Earth Kingdom, and hoped their work would actually make an impact in the grand scheme of things. Before Hakoda could come up with something, Katara huffed and set down her spoon.
"I don't have enough sea prunes."
The girl left the hut to get the ingredients she needed (and to avoid the conversation going on any longer). Hakoda sadly watched her go and left soon afterwards. It was not difficult to find his son. He was helping Bato and several other warriors fill up the ships. Even though they were too heavy for him, he was undeterred and determined to help in some way. Deciding to help the weight not be so extreme by dragging a crate with a strong cloth underneath it, Sokka found success.
"Sokka," Hakoda called, getting him to stop what he was doing.
The boy grinned and ran over to him before saluting, almost making his father chuckle.
"All the materials for making shelters have been loaded," he said, looking happy with himself. "We'll be ready for tomorrow."
"'We?'"
Sokka did not even hear him, being too excited. "Bato thinks we're just about ready with the healing supplies too. I think we still need some more rocks for blade sharpening, but it could just be me."
Hakoda could not stop the boy before he hurried off to start helping the others again. He put a hand to his forehead in frustration. Neither conversation had gone the way he had wanted and time was running out. The chief went to help the rest of the warriors with the final preparation, still trying to figure out how these last few hours would go. They went by sooner than he would have preferred, the warriors were saying goodbye to their families and boarding the ships. Hakoda gently awoke his mother and she sadly hugged him. He then went to find Katara. She was under a blanket, but she was not sleeping. She had been unable to the entire night.
"Have a safe trip," she said, hearing him approaching.
"We won't be gone for too long," he said, hoping he sounded more encouraging than he felt.
Katara did not say anything this time, but several tears fell down her face.
"I love you."
"I love you too."
Hesitantly, Hakoda left the hut and went to find Sokka. He had not been in there. The father had a good idea of where the boy might have been and had his hunch proven true when he saw him being about to board a ship. His face was covered in warpaint and his eyes were twinkling. This brightness faded some as he saw his father's concerned look.
"Sokka, you can't come with us."
"What? Why not? I want to help you and the others fight," he protested.
"I know, but it'll be dangerous."
"All the more reason why I should come help!"
"I won't lose you or Katara to–"
Hakoda stopped abruptly as a sight made him feel ill. The snow was turning black. It was mixed with soot.
"No," he quietly said. "Not again."
On the horizon, a fleet of Fire Nation ships was approaching. The tribesmen were not ready. They could have handled an attack with earthbenders involved or a sneak attack, but they had barely survived the last visit from the Fire Nation and with no waterbenders or time to prepare a proper strategy, they would fail. This realization was not lost on the others and panic began to fill them.
"What do we do, Chief?"
"Do we attack?"
Despite every atom in Hakoda's body wanting him to confirm that they would battle and win against the intruders, he did not.
"No," he said to the surprise of the listeners.
"No?"
"No, because we aren't prepared. They have no reason to believe they didn't kill every waterbender. If they're back, they're not here to kill us. They would have done that the first time if that was their goal."
The ships were fast approaching and seemed to arrive even faster than possible. Anxiously, the Water Tribe warriors watched as the vessels docked and it seemed like the world went quiet as they waited to see what was about to happen. Suddenly, the ships opened to let their riders disembark. A man with sideburns proudly walked into the village, followed by a large group of soldiers. The look he gave to everyone had a mix of disgust and superiority. It made the warriors' blood boil. Finally, he stopped walking and put his arms behind his back.
"I am Admiral Zhao," he informed them. "I'm sure you're wondering why we're here. It's not to end your pathetic existence. No, our gracious prince, Prince Ozai, has decided to give your lives meaning. Effective immediately, you will be part of the Fire Nation. You will serve our royalty and play your role in making our nation the strongest it can be. Anyone who doesn't will suffer the consequences."
No one said anything. They were waiting on their chief, but he would not take the bait and lead his people to their deaths. Satisfied that they were being obedient, Zhao told several soldiers to begin unloading the ships. One by one, soldiers started leaving and returning with crates of their own. In horror, Hakoda realized they were relocating there. His home was being overrun by their enemies. Still in the middle of deciding what to do, the chief glanced down to look at his son…or where he had been last.
Hakoda felt almost paralyzed as terror coursed through his veins. At this time, fury went through Sokka. How dare these soldiers return. How dare they come to the home they had tried to destroy and act like they would make it their own. He would not stand for such injustice. The boy had a spear with him. If he used that, maybe he could stop someone. He had to at least try. As the soldiers were finding places to set down their belongings, Sokka tried to decide who he could attack. As if on cue, he saw a boy who looked to be around his age. He was someone he could win against, then he would move onto one of the larger soldiers. Jumping out from where he was hiding, Sokka charged full speed at Zuko.