"Well done! It came out well princess," Huang said, smiling proudly down at his unofficial apprentice.
Azula mirrored the smile as she gazed at her first solo creation. In her hands was a simple pot, made of clay with a simple swirl design etched around the outside. It was perfectly round, something which had taken her many attempts, with a narrow bottleneck top. It was quite basic and ordinary, but her chest swelled at the feeling of accomplishment it felt.
"I'm glad I managed to make it even," She said while spinning the pot around to look for imperfections, "it's better than I expected."
Huang let out a laugh and clapped her on the shoulder, causing her to clutch at the pot tighter so as not to drop it. She tried to send the man a glare, but she couldn't find it in her to do so. Her mentor seemed very happy.
"You shouldn't be so hard on yourself," He removed his hand, bending slightly to get a better look, "it was much better than my first attempt at pottery." His face turned slightly sheepish, causing the princess to smirk.
"Oh? Please tell me more about this first attempt." her smirk widened slightly as she spotted a slight dusting of red on his cheeks, indicating that the story was quite embarrassing.
"Who am I to ignore an order from my princess?" Huang took a seat, his gaze reminiscent. "It started when…"
Azula found herself listening intently to the story of the man's disastrous attempt at bisque pottery, or firing pottery. He had been an artisan for several years when he decided to try his hand at it, in an attempt to make a gift for his wife.
"...When I took it out I had a nice enough looking dragon, not including the occasional fault. I had been so excited that I brought her into my workshop to see for herself." Huang grimaced slightly as he took a second to think about the next part of the story. "What she saw was the fragments that remained after it collapsed. Turns out moisture and clay don't mix…"
Azula laughed as he finished, savoring the flush that colored his cheeks. She could imagine his wife had reacted similarly to her. She calmed slightly as she regained control of herself, taking the time to look Huang over. She paused at his face which, while still red, sported a content smile.
Azula had seen the expression on her mentor(?) before. It was always present when he talked about his wife or young children. At first, she had been slightly envious, severely doubting her parents had felt the same about her, but now she just felt curious.
She had spent quite a lot of time in Huang's company, but she didn't know much about the man outside of the odd story he would tell her. Much of their time together had been professional and focused, but maybe it was time to change that. They had finished earlier than usual after all.
"You said you were making a dragon right? Is your wife interested in them or…?" She trailed off as Huang started talking enthusiastically. She sat down on the small chair near his station with her pot in her lap, listening to the man with a pleased smile.
Line Break
Azula sighed as she finished her firebending set, practicing on her own in the outside bending area. She was on her own today, something that had been becoming more frequent in her training. While she still had much to learn, she was well on her way to gaining mastery, which included developing independence from another teacher.
It had been a couple of weeks since her sickness had passed, and she had quickly resumed her studies and training as expected of her. Her father had not been happy to learn of her 'resting', especially with her continued struggles with lightning bending.
He had been angered at her lack of progress almost a month after her first lesson but had thankfully stalked off to handle something. She had felt immense relief that he had, the poor shape she had been in after the last lesson with him still stuck in her head. Azula wasn't very eager for a repeat experience.
She took a second to calm herself down before moving towards the water she had brought outside with her. It was as she was drinking that she heard clapping, causing her to whirl around quickly and almost drop her bottle.
"A splendid performance niece," Iroh said as he approached her, "You performed that last set exceptionally well." He was smiling at her gently, as was normal for him, but she could see that he was curious.
"Of course, it was," Azula returned, her smile slightly smug, "I will be a master soon after all." She was very proud of that fact and she would make no effort to tamper or hide it.
Iroh laughed at her words in good humor. Still chortling, the older man said, "Yes, I have heard rumors around the palace. 'The youngest master in over a century' is quite the title isn't it?"
The princess's back straightened at his words. While tacky, they were not false. Her rapid progress had jumped since she had met with Sora and reignited her love of fire. Though the expectation had been placed on her by her father, that goal was her own.
She would be the best firebender. She smiled at Sora's agreeing roar which echoed within both her mind and the far-off forest. While she appreciated the sentiment, she would need to stress the importance that she does not make that a habit.
"It has been no secret among the servants," Azula continued after the moment with her dragon, "I've been working hard to ensure that it happens." That was also true. Despite having more responsibility than ever, her efforts had doubled to achieve her mastery.
"I can see that," Iroh hummed to himself softly, "I have seen you working in passing many times since my return, even after your sickness." The man's eyes glinted with worry as he looked at her sweat-drenched form. "Are you sure you are not pushing too hard?"
A sharp pang of annoyance spiked in her chest at his words. She was not a helpless child who needed sheltering! She knew what she wanted, and she would work as hard as she could to realize it.
"I can assure you, uncle, that I am fine," Azula said through clenched teeth, "I am doing what is necessary to achieve my goals." Her words were pointed, but she stood by them. She was not weak.
Iroh raised his hands in a calming gesture, his smile losing none of its luster. "I meant no offense Azula," He set his hand on her shoulder seemingly not noticing her tension, "But I understand pushing oneself too far all too well. It is a curse carried alongside ambition."
Azula looked at his hand before meeting his eyes once again. She could see the concern in his expression, even as he tried to hide it. She exhaled slowly, her shoulders slowly untensing. He was just worried about her. She knew that she shouldn't take that for granted. It was a rarity in her life until recently.
"I'm sorry for my rudeness uncle." Her words were sincere, but she did not bow her head. She did not concede to his point about rest. "I promise that I am not pushing myself too hard. My friends made it clear they would not allow that…"
She mumbled her last words, but Iroh seemed to light up at hearing them. He released a great laugh while holding his slightly protruding belly. Maybe she ought to invite him to do some training with her, he seemed to be letting himself go these days.
"That is good to hear," Iroh said as his laughter faded. He looked pleased as a thoughtful expression came over him. "Having such friends is truly a blessing."
Azula nodded, not having any disagreements with his words. "They are." Mai and Ty Lee had helped her through the most difficult time in her life and continued to do so. She doubted she would be as untroubled as she had been recently without them.
Iroh looked at her again before looking around the training area they still occupied. "Your form was spectacular. It was better than many 'masters' I have seen in my years."
The prodigy smiled at the compliment, pride surging through her at the words. "Thank you, but I am still far off. I haven't even managed to produce a real lightning bolt yet." She felt shame swell in her briefly before she pushed the thought away. She would get better at it, she still had time.
"Lightning!?" Iroh whipped his head back to her, his eyes open wider than she had ever seen them. "You have already started lightning generation?" His voice was an odd admiration and sorrow, which caused the princess to tilt her head.
"Yes?" She was confused. Lightning was the mark of a true master firebender, or so she had been told by Li and Lo. It was a technique known only to the royal family and one of the reasons their members were considered as powerful as they were. "Why is that so surprising?"
Iroh stood still for a second before shaking his head, regaining his composure. His back straightened slightly, which barely caused his height to change, being a naturally short man. Though he still stood a fair bit taller than her, she thought with a huff. She shook those thoughts from her head when he finally opened his mouth.
"Lightning generation is an incredibly complex and dangerous form to learn," He began the smile that had been on his face since he arrived missing. "Many within the royal family have struggled or failed to master it as adults. To start at ten…"
The sorrow returned to his eyes, but she ignored that. "Well, it looks like I will be an outlier." Azula knew that it was dangerous, she had experienced that personally, but she would not stop. She knew she could do this, she just needed more time. "I'll have it mastered within the year."
That wasn't her father's expectations, it was her goal.
Her uncle looked unsure for a moment like he wanted to warn her to stop or slow down. Azula waited, staring at him defiantly. She would not give this up.
After a moment longer, Iroh sighed and, even though it was smaller than before, his smile returned. He nodded at her and chuckled. "I suppose I should expect nothing less. Hard-headedness runs in the family."
She glared at him for that comment, but her lips twitched against her will, exposing her amusement at his words. He was right after all, the royal family never did things by halves.
"I suppose if I can not stop you," Iroh looked at her, a spark of hope glimmering in his warm golden eyes. "Then I should offer my help."
Azula's eyes widened as she looked at the older man, joy blossoming in her chest. She could easily read how sincere he was in his desire to help. Her uncle wanted to aid her because he cared for her safety and goals, not looking to gain anything in return. He was quickly shooting up in her list of favorite family members.
Though the competition was so little that may not mean too much.
Getting over her shock, Azula nodded her head excitedly. "I'd like that uncle." Iroh was one of the nation's premier firebenders and likely had connections to a dragon as well. He was also much older and more experienced than most of her tutors. There was no one else in the world that she knew of, who could help her as he could.
Iroh laughed once more before looking at the sky, which was beginning to darken. "Well it is too late to start now," He grinned at his niece, "How about having tea and a game of Pai Sho?"
"I would like that," Azula said nodding in agreement, though she felt the need to voice a problem with that activity. "But I have never played Pai Sho."
Iroh's eyes widened dramatically and he grasped his chest as though he were in great pain. "First Zuko, now you," He wiped an imaginary tear from his eyes, "What do they teach you kids these days!?"
Azula laughed at his dramatics as she began her walk back to the palace, calling to Iroh over her shoulder, "Spoken like a true old man uncle."
She smiled as she listened to the mutterings about 'disrespectful youths'.
Line Break
"Close but try to listen and match my tone a little more."
Sora nodded to show her understanding, sitting patiently in front of Azula to begin again. The princess took a deep breath and sang a simple four-note tune, the dragon doing its best to imitate her tone. The result was odd, a melodic and guttural voice intermingling, but they were harmonizing together.
Azula smiled as she finished her last note, patting the dragon on the head proudly. "That was better," She said encouragingly, conveying the truth through their bond. "You've been getting a lot better recently."
Azula was giving Sora one of their usual music practices as they sat in the clearing. The dragon was improving slowly, but to be honest, any advancements were shocking to the princess. She hadn't expected these singing lessons to stick as they had, and subsequently had not entertained the thought of the dragon improving…
She was still trying to figure out how this had become her life. Though she would never change it, a singing dragon was not on her list of expectations.
"Maybe one day you will be able to perform for an audience." The statement was mostly teasing, the chance of that happening was very low, but Sora perked up at the thought, her large eyes twinkling happily.
The dragon gave a joyful crooning noise, causing Azula to smile. It was a silly idea, but she might look into ways to make it happen at some point in the future if the opportunity arose.
Sora's happiness was always a priority.
Azula looked up in surprise as Sora stiffened, the dragon looking towards the edge of the clearing and growling. The prodigy got up slowly, worrying pooling within her gut at the idea of them being caught. She focused on her resonance, trying to get a feel for who or what it could be, before blinking slowly.
She knew this signature…
"So this is what you do together." Came Mai's dry voice as she stepped into view, a wide (for her) smirk on her face at catching Azula doing something so odd. The princess felt her cheeks heat slightly, feeling more than a little embarrassed at being caught singing with her dragon by Mai of all people.
For some reason, she found herself extra cautious of herself when in the taller girl's presence.
"Look… it's not what it looks like," Azula said, cringing slightly at the unconvincing reply. Really, she was a much better liar than this, so why was she feeling so flustered? "We were just… practicing signals?"
Mai raised an eyebrow, the smirk not leaving her face. Azula would have thought she looked endearing with it, had she not been the one it was aimed at. "Really?" She questioned in a dubious voice while looking between the two. "Practicing signals with the dragon who can read your mind?"
Azula thanked the spirits that it was dark so her flushed face wasn't very visible. She was finding herself at a loss at how to reply. The awkwardness she was feeling was definitely not helped by her infernal lizard sister questioning her innocently.
No, she didn't know why her face was so red! 'Stupid dragon…'
"Fine," Azula huffed, choosing the annoyance that bubbled up over embarrassment, "I was teaching Sora how to sing. She has been interested since I did it a while back." Her tone sounded irritated, which she would gladly choose over shyness.
She was not the type to shy away from anything.
Mai raised her hands, her expression going back to her usual resting blankness, though Azula could still see an undeniable curve of the lips. "I'm not judging," She said while moving closer towards the two. "It's just not what I would have expected from you."
Azula sighs to herself, before pausing. In her embarrassment at being caught as she was, the oddity of Mai's presence had been ignored. The realization dawned on her as Mai closed the distance between them. "Not that I don't like seeing you, but what are you doing here?"
Mai had not returned to the clearing since she fed Sora that one night. They had only sparsely talked about the dragon as they had to make sure no one would overhear. The few times they had, Mai had not seemed very inclined to return, likely due to her house being a not insignificant distance away.
So what had changed?
Mai shrugged, her focus on Sora who was staring back at her curiously. "I was curious about all of… this," She confessed with a last pointed look at the dragon, before looking back towards the princess, "My parents are gone for the night so I had time."
Azula remembered that Mai had mentioned that her parents would be attending a party without her the previous day at school, but she hadn't asked much about it. "You could have mentioned you wanted to come here." It surely would have saved her pride if she had.
Mai's smirk returned slightly as she shot the two other occupants an amused look, "And miss out on such fine singing?" Azula fought the heat that wanted to make its return as Sora perked up, the sarcasm lost on her. "I wish I could tell Ty Lee. She would find it 'cute'."
Azula turned serious at her words, ignoring the 'cute' teasing. "You know we can not tell her." As much as Azula cared for her friends, Ty Lee was not known for her ability to keep secrets. "It would be too dangerous. For all of us."
Mai nodded slightly showing her understanding. Ty Lee was emotionally driven and sought attention, and knowing about a dragon would achieve that. Though they knew Ty Lee would never harm them intentionally, it was possible she might let the secret slip.
"I know." Mai mirrored her serious expression, but she was looking at Azula in concern. "So why do you do it? If it's so risky, why keep meeting here?"
Azula felt Sora bristle at the words, but she quickly calmed her dragon. She could see where Mai was coming from, she had had similar doubts herself at times. Sora was only getting bigger, to the point she would need a new saddle soon. It was already possible that someone would discover her, which was only increased by the dragon's growth.
The princess could guess the dragon's age from her looking through her memories, to an extent, but she did not know how large Sora could grow to be. She would outgrow the clearing soon and should leave sooner rather than later. It was the most logical option.
But Azula didn't want her to.
As much as she feared what being caught would mean for them, Sora especially, she couldn't find it in herself to send the dragon away. Even if their connection remained regardless of the distance, the thought of Sora being so far away was almost painful. Through the bond, she could tell that her partner felt the same.
"Because…" Azula started softly, trailing off as she contemplated how to answer. She didn't have a fancy or clever way to word it so she decided on sincerity. "It's worth it."
Azula saw Mai raise an eyebrow, doubt clear in her expression. She could understand why. Being caught would most likely ruin her life, and worse for Sora, so how could the risks be worth it? Azula barely understood it herself, but she cared too much for her dragon to leave her alone in the world.
"Even if you lost everything?" Mai only seemed more perplexed by her answer, wondering how she could be willing to make such a sacrifice.
"I know it would be safer if she left." Azula conceded, patting Sora comfortingly when the dragon made a whining noise. "I know that this could end in disaster but I would rather face that together than be separated."
That was the true crux of the matter. Until a few months ago, Azula would not have been able to say with certainty that she knew what love was. Her relationship with her mother and brother had been strained since she could remember, and her father appreciated her ability. While Lu Ten and her uncle had cared for her, which was more apparent now than ever, it had been in an offhand manner.
That was not the case now.
She could feel the intense emotions Sora felt for her. The need to protect her, tease her, and comfort her. The bond revealed all of these feelings to her leaving nothing hidden between them, which included her reciprocation of such thoughts.
The only love she had known before had been of fire, the element she poured so much time into mastering, the element that gave her worth, the element that provided her a constant warmth. Even that paled in comparison to what she felt for Sora.
She would sacrifice nearly anything to keep them together.
"I'll stay with her until the end." Azula said with finality, a smile overtaking her face, "I couldn't abandon my sister."
Mai's eyes widened dramatically at her words, but any response she had was cut off by Sora rushing forward, her face barreling into the princess's chest. Azula fell onto her back as the dragon started licking her face affectionately, laughing as she attempted to force the large reptile off.
Though she could not see it, Mai's confused expression faded into a tender smile as she gazed at the scene, understanding exactly what the princess had meant by her words. Azula would have never allowed herself to act like this in the past, but now she seemed truly content as she received the aggressive affection.
Mai watched the two wrestle for a couple of seconds, the sight of the large dragon struggling to pin the, though she would never say it to her face, rather small girl. She took a seat on the grass, patiently waiting for the two to finish.
Azula sat up a moment later as Sora pulled back, her hair a mess with twigs and grass strands and her cheeks slightly red with exertion. She fussed over her clothing, but the smile on her face had not faded in the slightest. She looked over to talk to Mai but stopped herself.
She raised an eyebrow in curiosity as she saw the girl studiously staring in a different direction, seemingly attempting to hide something. "Mai, are you okay? Your cheeks seem red."
The princess blinked at the quick nod she received, before shrugging the strange actions off as unimportant. She was sure her usually composed friend would be back to normal soon. Instead, she turned her head to look at the sky, noticing it was quite dark. Perhaps even enough to fly…
Azula's eyes held an excited gleam as she turned a grin toward her human friend as an idea formed in her mind.
"Hey Mai? Want to do something fun?"
Line Break
Azula felt the warmth of the candles around as she took steady breaths in and out. She focused on the heat that they produced as well as her inner flame. She could feel the presence of every person within the palace grounds with her resonance, taking it all in as she sat completely still.
"Keep yourself steady and breathe," Came the calm voice of her uncle, his presence like a beacon to her sixth sense. She could feel the power of his fire, along with its immense warmth.
She took another breath in, allowing the candle flames to recede, before calmly releasing out, causing the blue fires to grow. She repeated the motion as she lost track of time, focusing only on the cycle of growth and decline of the fire.
After an indeterminate amount of time had passed, she heard her uncle's voice echo throughout the room, sounding slightly muted due to her intense focus. "Good Azula. Now, extinguish the candles."
She did as he asked, smothering the fire before relinquishing her grasp on her firebending. As her resonance shut off, she felt her awareness of the palace dwindle back to normal, which caused a slightly nauseous feeling within her.
The feeling was familiar to her, going from sensing a wide area to nothing always felt odd. Thankfully the vertigo had decreased the more she used her resonance, but it was still unpleasant.
She got up and started approaching her uncle once the feeling had passed, but she paused as she got closer to him. She felt like she was still sensing his inner fire, though it was much more muted than when she used her resonance. She wasn't using it now so why…?
"Are you alright, niece?" Iroh asked, looking at her with concern as she was lost in thought, "You seem distracted."
Azula quickly shook her head, vowing to explore the strange sensation more later when she was on her own. "I'm fine uncle," She said while pasting on a convincing smile, "I was just wondering why you were having me work on this exercise." That was true.
While not the cause of her spacing out, she had been pondering on his insistence that she meditate with the candles. She had performed the exercise before, years ago when she had first started firebending. It was often the first step a firebender took when they started learning.
Breathing was necessary for all firebending, it was the very core of the art. Meditating without moving allowed one to focus fully on their breath. The candles' preexisting flame helped novice firebenders convert their breathing into control of the fire.
The princess had excelled past that quickly, having had an 'unnatural' control of her fire since she had started according to her tutors. She had breezed past many of these exercises quickly because of that, which was why she found herself confused at repeating them.
"Surely you do not think that I am still at this level." The thought, despite knowing that was not the case, stung at her pride. Her uncle had complimented her bending previously, and she knew that she was far past this point. How would this help her on her way to mastery?
"I do not doubt your abilities niece," He responded, still calmly sitting across from her as he sipped on his tea. "You are quite the splendid bender."
His words only made the prodigy more uncertain. She was not in the mood for word games so she decided to be upfront with her questions. "Then why have me work on beginner exercises? How will this help me with my lightning?"
That was why they had met up today. It had been several weeks since the man had made his promise to help her achieve the difficult technique, but so far she found these meetings lacking. It was only the third time he had helped, but he didn't seem to be interested in her generating lightning.
He ignored her question as he took another sip of tea, eyeing her intently. "Tell me, niece, when you do these exercises what do you focus on?"
His evasion of her question annoyed the princess, but she decided to humor the man. Perhaps if she gave him what he wanted, he would be more inclined to reciprocate. She took only a moment to formulate her answer, choosing simplicity. "I focus on my fire."
Her uncle looked at her for a moment before motioning to continue with his hand. "And what does that feel like to you?"
His question was odd, but she tried to give an appropriate answer. "My fire is… warm," She slightly cringed at the obvious answer before continuing, "When I create fire I feel warm and content. The fire is mine and relies on me to keep it going. It almost feels like it is alive…"
She trailed off, not knowing how to continue. She had been speaking without thinking, but the words were true. She was shaken out of her thoughts by her uncle laughing.
"That is a good answer Azula," He said as his chuckles ended, looking at her speculatively. "I feel much the same when I bend, but it took me a long time to realize that…"
He looked at the ground intently, but Azula could see that his mind was elsewhere. She waited as he gathered himself, wanting to see where he was going with this. After a few moments, his eyes met her own, and she could see both pain and resolution within them.
"Let me tell you a secret Azula," He began, setting his now empty cup of tea down, "When Lu Ten passed I had been lost."
Azula nodded, having understood that by how long it took him to return. She quickly decided against voicing those thoughts, allowing him to continue.
"My son was gone and it was a greater pain than any I had experienced before. Losing my child felt as though I had lost my very soul. I felt empty and confused, sad and angry, too much to put into words." He took a deep breath, dabbing at the tears that were forming in his eyes.
Azula watched him silently, contemplating his words as he collected himself. Many months ago she would have called him weak for how she was acting, but she could not find it in her to do that now.
When she had first heard of Lu Ten's death and her uncle's retreat she had been furious. Her cousin had given his life for the war and her uncle could not even honor it? She had readily agreed with her father's cruel words, yet now she didn't feel the same certainty. She'd had very little to lose back then but now…
She had Sora.
Azula couldn't pretend to know what losing one's child was like, but the thought of losing her dragon sent a deep ache through her chest. The pain receded as her dragon sent her assurances that she would not leave like that, but what if she did?
Would Azula be angry and burn the whole world down in revenge? Would she break down and lose herself completely? Would she become nothing more than a husk? The truth was that she didn't know.
Her uncle had experienced that and returned strong, and she would respect that if nothing else.
She snapped her attention back to her uncle as he opened his mouth, forgetting about her frustrations with the training as she listened to him speak.
"I resolved myself to travel to the spirit, to find his soul and return with it or die trying," He looked up, giving her a tender smile at the look of worry that flashed in her eyes. "Fear not Azula. I have found several reasons to continue living since my return."
The meaning of his words was obvious, and she felt a now familiar warmth settle in her chest.
"At the time of my search, I found myself incapable of bending," He continued, ignoring the visible shock that overcame the princess's face. "I was so lost in my grief that I could not create the smallest spark, let alone lightning."
The princess felt a cold feeling washing over her at the thought of such a thing happening to her. She absently focused on her flame, keeping her resonance up as he continued.
"For so long I had been fighting that I only saw fire as a tool for war, forgetting the lessons that my masters taught me. After Lu Ten was gone, I had no more fight in me. It took many months for me to regain the ability to bend once again, only doing so when I had rediscovered the meaning of firebending."
Azula nodded to his story, though she felt several questions bubbling up. The main one being 'Who were these masters?' She had her theory, but she would keep it to herself despite her curiosity.
"You feel the same about fire as I do," Azula stated confidently, his story and inner flame giving her all the clues she needed. Her uncle nodded, a smile appearing back on his face as he did so.
"Observant as always, niece," He praised, taking the time to refill his tea. "Firebending is merely a tool that we are lucky to use. It can be used recklessly to destroy or it can be nurtured to create."
The prodigy silently agreed as she regretfully remembered burning Mai in a lack of control, as well as witnessing Sora's amazing fire for the first time. Fire was beautiful as it was deadly and it was the mark of a true firebender to control such volatility.
Iroh smiled at her understanding, his eyes closed as he continued. "Which is why you are struggling with your lightning."
Azula felt the joy that had built within her plummet as she stared at her uncle incredulously. "What?" Hadn't he just affirmed that her interpretation was correct?
Iroh laughed as he sipped his now full teacup, laughing at her perplexed expression. "Do not look so shocked Azula. Surely you had felt how different bending fire was from creating lightning?" His words were jovial, but she considered them seriously.
Of course, she had felt how different lightning was, comparing them was like night and day. Firebending was fueled by emotion and energy, while lightning was almost callous in its expression. They were so different that it was almost difficult to connect the two techniques together.
She expressed such thoughts to her uncle, who hummed at her words. "There lies the problem Azula. Lightning generation requires one to be completely calm and focused. One guides lightning but can not control it. It is the opposite of how you described firebending, which is correct. You can not 'connect' them together."
Azula took a moment to think on his words, the meaning becoming clear to her. "You are saying that I need to view lightning as separate from firebending." Her uncle nodded, affirming that her conclusion had been correct.
Without another word, she stood up and walked out of the training room they had been occupying within the palace. She marched to the outside bending area with determined steps, internalizing what she had learned.
Her recent jump in her bending prowess had been due to her learning and applying what she had learned from Sora into her practice. That had worked until the lesson she'd had with her father. While she had performed the motions right, she had focused incorrectly, which led to her failure.
It made sense, she supposed. She had never seen a source that described a dragon capable of shooting lightning, and Sora had been no help. The reason was that it differed entirely from what the first firebender species believed, to the point that they were almost incompatible. Azula would have to take a new approach.
She arrived at her location quickly and wasted no time striding towards the center of the area. She stood on the stone floor, absently noticing her uncle running towards her, and took a deep breath.
She focused on her inner flame and took care not to nurture it as she usually would when creating fire. She closed her eyes and cleared her mind of all thoughts, emotions, and even closed off the bond with Sora, trying to ignore the unpleasant feeling of loneliness. Now was not the time.
She needed to focus.
When she felt ready, she opened her eyes and performed the circular patterns of the technique. She felt the electricity building as she separated the poles, but she made no effort to seize control of them. She was but a vessel at the moment, meant to guide the dangerous energy.
After a few seconds, she ceased the motions and threw her arm out, allowing the energy to travel through her freely in a way she had not done before. In a flash, a large bolt of lightning released, the loud crack startling away the birds that had been on the palace grounds.
Azula breathed as she finished, wiping away the sweat that had formed on her head at her actions. She quickly reopened the bond, sending quick and sincere apologies to her nervous dragon. Though it had been important for her success, she hated having to shut Sora away like that.
She reveled in their shared feelings for a moment longer before a sudden applause startled her, causing her to twirl around quickly.
"Congratulations Azula!" Iroh said warmly, looking at her in amazement. He had not expected her to progress as fast as she had even after her sudden breakthrough. "That was truly magnificent. You will do the title of master proud."
The princess basked in pride at his praise and at her accomplishment, which was made all the sweeter by Sora's sudden bout of envy. She assuaged her dragon absently as she looked towards the sky.
She knew that she could improve. She had taken a while to create the bolt, her hair was incredibly messy, and she knew she could make it stronger. Still, she allowed herself a smile, knowing that she had time to improve. This was just another step in a line of many.
"Thank you, Uncle," She said sincerely, to both his praise and the help he had given her. He was proving to be quite reliable.
He waved away her thanks as he walked towards her, setting a gentle hand on her shoulder. "It was no problem Azula. I was honored to help." His smile was as wide as hers, pride evident in his voice.
She looked away from the sky to look at the man, feeling a question scratching at her mind. "What now? Still willing to teach me more?" His aid had been invaluable and she would be disappointed to see it go.
His smile widened, and she could swear that there was a mischievous edge to it. "Tell me, what do you think about redirecting lightning?"
Azula felt her mind blank for a second as she silently stared at her impishly grinning uncle. It was clear to her now that she had not imagined his earlier mischief.
"What."