A/N: New chapter! As always, let me know what you think. Reviews are always appreciated and I'll answer any PMs you have. Hope you enjoy!

Word Count: 5035

8. An Agni Kai (They Sound Pretty Cool)

Azula woke the next morning with a plan. Well-rested and somewhat bright-eyed, the princess strode through the hallways of the palace. The early morning sun flickering on and off her back as she moved between the columns.

It's desperate.

The harshness of the voice in her head screaming at her. But after a night surrounded by the soft fur blanket, she found herself able to rid herself of it. But he kept coming back.

She made her way to the room where she'd be meeting the man and his family, hands shaking only slightly.

I have a plan. It'll work.

She kept repeating it to herself in her head like a mantra.

Unlike usual familial proceedings, there would be multiple people in a room with the Fire Lord. And this wasn't a military matter, so they weren't doing it in the throne room. It was another royal meeting room, but she was very pleased that it wasn't by that throne. She could barely think straight as it was, and there was something about that room…

Azula hid her appreciative smile at seeing both of her friends waiting for her outside the entrance. Hearing them follow along behind her, she entered the room. There was a low table, not unlike the one used in the throne room for war meetings. Azula sat on the one to the right of the head of it, with Ty Lee seated next to her and Mai one further down. Azula was actually quite happy to see Zuko's absence from this particular meeting. The princess took up a meditative pose and it seemed that both her friends knew to just let her focus.

After a few minutes, she heard the scuffling of footsteps and the sounds of people speaking. Azula opened her eyes to see what she could only assume was the Sei'naka clan family. Her eyes immediately locked onto the youngest member of the group. He looked to be in his early to mid-thirties, and held himself with such arrogance it made Azula smirk.

It might be a lot easier like this.

He was looking at her as well, although his eyes moved up and down her making her skin crawl. She just wanted to snarl at him. Not only was it disgusting, but she was royalty. With the way he was looking at her, the princess could tell that he felt he had the control.

Well, time to take that away.

The man sat opposite her, with the rest of his family sitting down along the other side across from her friends. Just before the Fire Lord entered, he managed to slip one sentence in.

"I look forward to becoming the Fire Lord from you, Princess."

She narrowed her eyes at him, watching as he leant back and seemed to bathe in his victorious moment. His family beside him seemed very wary of how he was handling himself, but did look the part. They were obviously a noble family that was undying in its fidelity to the Fire Lord.

Her father entered and she bowed, as did the rest of them. She noticed how the man seemed to stoop incredibly low.

He'll bow like that to me soon.

Once he'd waived his hand in dismissal of the bows, they all sat back up. Azula felt Ty Lee's hand slide into her lap and squeeze her own hands. She maintained her focus, but realised that the shaking of her hands had increased. Almost imperceptibly, she nodded back to her friend and Ty Lee let go.

"We're here for the marriage between my daughter and Junsik." The Fire Lord started. "Your family comes from a long lineage of firebenders, and for that, you will serve the Fire Nation well."

"We are your humble servants, Fire Lord Ozai." The father, it seemed, replied.

"Good."

The coldness of his voice made Azula start to shake once more. Her heart palpitated as it was all going too fast. Her father continued, unencumbered.

"So, the ceremony will be in the next few days. The two will be together after that."

Her father's timeline had it happening far too quickly for her tastes. Azula raised her hand, willing it to stop shaking. She knew she couldn't speak out of turn or there would be even greater consequences.

"Yes, Azula?" Her father said, clearly displeased.

The harsh voice inside her head was screaming at her, raging against her actions and telling her to give in to his every whim. But for once, she didn't want this, so she had to speak up.

"Father," she said, in a sickly-sweet tone, "I'm aware that they do indeed come from a long line of firebenders, but I'd hate for my betrothed to be anything but perfection."

She felt Junsik's overconfidently curious, disgusting eyes on her but she still maintained eye contact with the Fire Lord.

"What do you suggest then, Azula?" Her father's voice rang out through the room.

She turned her golden eyes to the man across from her.

"I challenge him to an Agni Kai."

She watched as he seemed to hold back a chuckle.

Oh he'll pay for his arrogance.

Azula did see her father's gaze harden at her. All the attention in the room was on Junsik, but her father's was on her.

It's desperate. You're desperate. You're weak. Echoed repeatedly in her head.

She did her best to let it not appear to crush her, but that was even harder with the Fire Lord looking directly down upon her.

She'd put the man in a position where, if he declined, he'd be seen as showing weakness in front of the Fire Lord, and if he accepted then lost, he'd lose honour in the court. He'd either lose all power or be humiliated into not becoming her betrothed. The princess was going for that second option.

But, Azula knew, her father could see exactly what she was doing. She involuntarily flinched her shoulder back at his scrutinizing gaze, praying to Agni that he'd missed it. Finally, her father's eyes turned to Junsik. She saw his cocky smirk on his face, and her plan fell into place perfectly.

"I accept, Princess."

Azula saw the look on her father's face, and almost regretting going down this path.

"The Agni Kai will be tomorrow. All of the palace will watch."

The Fire Lord stood and they all bowed again as he exited the room. As soon as he was gone, Ty Lee and Mai moved to her side.

"Princess, I look forward to tomorrow. It'll make it much easier to bring you to your knees later when I do it now."

The man's comment nearly making her gag and throw up in disgust. He'd said it quietly enough that the only ones who heard it were Azula and her friends. The family seemed to be nowhere near as excited about the Agni Kai as the man was.

END HIM!

All the voices in her head voiced out in unison. And for once, she couldn't help but agree with them.

"Tomorrow will be the last day I see you."

She swivelled and strode out of the room, both Mai and Ty Lee shadowing her once more.

You won't have a face to show in public after tomorrow.

Mai was worried for number of reasons. First and foremost was Azula. She knew firsthand how bad it was to be told have to be quiet and let your parents decide your life for you. And it was much worse for her, having the Fire Lord as a father.

Her secondary concern was Zuko. Her idiot boyfriend seemed to be settling back into royal life. There was the occasional moment of doubt she'd see flash across his face, but there wasn't the confliction she'd hoped for. He seemed set on figuring it out on his own, and at the moment, that wasn't going well.

Azula had told her about the Avatar being alive, and she knew she had to pass on the information. Zuko hadn't even gone to his uncle last night, when he had the previous day. She knew he would, eventually, but the fact that he didn't have that other option, didn't have that potential alternate destiny, it would be a lot more difficult for Mai to get him to renounce his father.

So, after a long day of supporting and preparing the princess, Mai set out to find her boyfriend. She left Ty Lee with Azula, because it seemed that they'd at least patched up their friendship and the firebender definitely needed company in that moment.

It didn't take long, the sun now low in the sky, before she found her own firebender.

"Hey Zuko."

He turned and met her, giving her a slightly more passionate kiss than usual. She raised her eyebrow at that, but allowed herself to be enveloped by him. After she was released from the kiss, a somewhat flustered Mai struggled for words.

"What was that for?"

"I do like you too. I was just… I'm glad you said it."

Mai smiled in response.

"Well, I mean, the kiss kind of gave that much away." She replied, in her typical deadpan style. But internally, she was quite excited at what he'd said.

She gave him a kiss on the cheek and dragged her finger across his chin. With one hand, she pulled him towards his room and they both strolled along, hand-in-hand.

Well, here goes nothing.

It wasn't really something she was good at, the type of manipulation Azula did, but she'd seen it enough times to know the basics.

"I was talking to Azula earlier."

Zuko raised an eyebrow at the topic, giving her a noncommittal hum.

"Her father's ordered her betrothal to a man."

That got the reaction she was looking for. A wince and some sympathy. Mai thought it might do well for Zuko to see that Azula being their father's favourite and his best weapon wasn't actually something to strive to be.

"When are they getting married?" He asked, and Mai was proud to hear at least a hint of genuine concern in his voice.

"There isn't a date." She paused, waiting to gauge his reaction. "She's challenged him to an Agni Kai."

Zuko's eyes widened dramatically.

"An Agni Kai?" He whisper shouted.

Mai just nodded in response as he processed it.

"When is it?"

"Tomorrow, the whole palace will be there." She answered.

Mai could see Zuko remembering the events that led up to his banishment.

Let's see if this works.

"Azula was telling us about how she'd received the messenger hawk about it, to come home. She'd almost caught the water- and airbender, only to see another boy with an arrow on his head."

Mai then slipped away from his hand, moving towards Zuko's room, leaving a very conflicted firebender in her wake. It hadn't been as smooth as when she'd seen and heard Azula do it, but her words seemed to do the trick.

After a while of laying in the bed, she was joined by her boyfriend. He didn't speak so much as a word to her, but the rustling of the sheets and the constant flipping of the boy in his bed was enough of a giveaway.

Early into the evening, she felt his weight leave the bed. Mai smiled. She hadn't enjoyed watching and listening to him be painfully confused by what he was going through. But she hoped that it was the push in the right direction he needed.

Azula was sitting at her desk after a day of pampering from her friends, more Ty Lee than Mai. She'd appreciated it, especially considering what her father looked to be about to do to her at the end of that meeting.

Her bed was calling out to her. Or, more specifically, her fur blanket. But she had things on her mind. Things that had kept her up deep into the night.

This most likely wouldn't be the last time her father had her betrothed to someone. She needed a way around it. A way to remain the powerful one. And, once again, the only one who she could see herself getting that information from was her traitorous uncle.

Who'd know the Fire Lord better than his brother?

Azula took a deep red cloak and left her room. Stalking the shadows of the palace, she made her way towards the prison complex. Everything was going expectedly, until she saw a familiar red cloak wandering away from the prison.

Hmm, what are you doing, Zuzu?

Making a snap decision, she chose to follow him.

She slunk through the darkness, watching Zuko move through dark alley after dark alley. They both arrived in a factory area of the capital and he stopped. Azula moved off to the side, not making a sound.

The prince removed his hood and seemed to be looking for someone. Azula looked past her brother, only to see a man with a metal arm and leg approach him.

Oh, I've heard of you.

The princess smirked, seeing exactly where the conversation was about to go.

"You're sure you weren't followed?"

Oh Zuzu, what about yourself?

"I've heard about you. They say you're good at what you do, and even better at keeping secrets. The Avatar is alive. I want you to find him. And end him."

Azula had a sharp smile covering her face.

My brother is on my side. Good.

The princess remained still, allowing both her brother and the assassin to go their separate ways. Feeling slightly relieved that it wouldn't be either her or her brother doing the actual killing of the child, she backtracked towards the prison complex.

With her hood up, she brushed off the guard who she'd seen before. He seemed to be about to shrivel into a ball when he noticed that it was her again. Azula smiled at that. It was turning out to be a pleasant and effective evening. What she wasn't looking forward to, was the conversation with the man behind the cell door.

Powering through, she pushed open the barrier. Instantly, she saw that he seemed to be chewing solemnly on some food.

Is that Komodo chicken? That's not prison food. How pathetic, Zuzu.

"Is that you, niece?" Her uncle's voice bounced around the cell walls as she sat, meditatively, in front of the bars. "Managed to get out of your betrothal?"

She was only mildly surprised to hear hope in his voice. He had his back to her, and she could only just see around him where the food was sitting thanks to the flickering firelight cast by the open doorway.

"Not yet." She replied.

"Ah, so you haven't captured Percy."

"No, not yet…" She trailed off.

Do I really want to capture him? YES! He is the enemy.

Azula saw her uncle sit up slightly straighter.

"So, what information do you want about the waterbender this time?"

Iroh turned to face her directly.

"I'm not here for that, I'm here about my father."

Azula saw sympathy in the old firebender's eyes. It disgusted her.

"Do not pity me, traitor." She snarled at him.

He seemed to shake his head despairingly.

"Pity is not something to be ashamed of, Azula. It is not always bad if someone pities you. They may be sympathetic. And sympathy is a compassion for your situation. They might care about you."

Azula paused, contemplating his words slightly, before pushing them out.

"I'm not here for your aimless, nonsensical ramblings, Uncle. I'm here to see if you know a way to get my father to not have me betrothed again."

She stared directly at him. A fire lit itself in her palm as she started to seethe.

I need information. Burn him.

"Okay, Azula. I'll help you-"

"I don't need your help!" Azula shouted, through gritted teeth.

She thought she saw her uncle hiding a smile, but if he had, it wasn't there for long enough that she could see it in the minimal light.

"Okay then, Niece, I'll tell you what you want to know. Although, receiving help is very similar to pity in that way."

It seemed her uncle had noticed the increasing size of her flame and decided it was best not to continue with whatever he was going to say about help. He shook his head, as though what he had to say about her father was disgusting.

"My brother values blind loyalty above all else."

Azula looked at the old man, finding it hard to find any of the brotherly connection between the two men.

"So?" She questioned him.

He sighed at her in response, drooping his head into his lap.

"If you want him to not go down the betrothal path," he winced, "you could pretend to be blindly loyal to him. Although, in all honesty, I do not know my brother. Not anymore. He's strayed so far away from when we used to know each other. Or maybe I have."

He paused, gazing up to the roof of his cell as though he could see the night sky outside. It was a lot of traitorous talk coming from her uncle, though that shouldn't have surprised her.

"Everything has changed so much for me, ever since Ba Sing Se."

"When you failed. When you were weak." Azula drawled at him.

"When I lost Lu Ten."

He looked at her with such emotion, Azula didn't really know how to respond.

"When you lose someone, you get a whole new perspective on everything." Iroh continued, as Azula just watched him. "You find purpose in the things that really matter, and lose interest in things that don't."

This seems to be going a bit off topic.

"What does this have to do with my problem, Uncle?"

He just smiled, kindly, annoyingly.

"It's not something that you'll need to stop your betrothal. And for that, and for my brother, I'm sorry. But the loss of someone you love, and someone that loves you, it is something that you'll deal with."

Azula found herself slightly at a loss for words.

"The loss is something I'd never wish on anyone. But the love, the unconditional love that I wish I could've given to my son more of, that is what I hope you can find."

She stood up to leave. It seemed her uncle wasn't going to give her anything more than he already had. And now his aimless ramblings were just annoying her.

"Azula," She paused to look back at the old man. "this family, our family, has failed you. Surround yourself with people who love you, not people who use you."

The princess flipped up her hood and left her uncle to his cell. Once again, his words echoed in her head.

(-)

Azula woke then next morning, cocooned once more in the fur blanket. The scent, whilst slightly fading, still filled her surroundings with a pleasant beach-like aroma. She was almost convinced that she was back, sitting by the lake, before the day came rushing back to her.

It was the Agni Kai.

She was feeling confident, but after getting in late the previous night, Azula was a little tired. Thoughts of the fight she had today were grating on her mind. She knew she could beat Junsik. That wasn't the problem. The problem was her father.

The princess didn't know how he was going to deal with her. The look of disappointment on his face when he'd left the meeting yesterday was burnt into her memory. Trying to push all that aside, and very much failing, Azula got ready.

The day, filled with long hours before the fight, was spent being worried over and comforted by her two friends. After all of that, the princess found herself meditating outside the arena-style area. The girls had gone in earlier and without her. That was tradition, the time alone before the duel. As was tradition for the duel to be held at or near sunset.

She couldn't help but remember her brother's Agni Kai oh so long ago. The short palanquin ride to this building did nothing to help her nerves as flashes of her gleeful enjoyment of her brother's failure went through her mind. Azula tried to push out the comparisons between the two situations.

He'd never do that to you. He'd never treat you like your brother.

But a part of her, a not insignificant part of her, thought otherwise.

It was time for her to enter, and as she did, she saw the stands as full as they were with Zuko. High-class generals, admirals and commanders littered the seats off to the ends of the raised platform. Other important families of the Fire Nation sat in the staired seating running lengthways in the building. Azula didn't concern herself with that though. She looked up to the royal throne, a semi-enclosed box up near the top of the stands on one side.

It was empty. The throne was empty.

The princess' hands began to shake and she clenched her fists. As she rose on the platform, deftly climbing up onto it, she saw a rather large shadow waiting for her at the other end of the space. The Fire Nation emblem displayed prominently behind him. As his back was turned to her, she couldn't make out who he was, but with the empty box and with what happened with Zuko…

Azula turned, having her royal cloak hanging over her shoulders, and knelt facing away from the man. She tried her best not to panic. It was the first time that she really thought about what happened with her brother.

Maybe it wasn't weakness. Pathetic, you're just like him. That's why he's there. That's why it's your father on the other side.

She saw her brother, sitting next to Mai, with Ty Lee on the girl's other side. Her brother wasn't smiling, like she had when he was in this position. He looked concerned. Sympathetic, almost. As did both of her girls. Azula's hands stopped shaking, a feeling of calm settled over her as she focused on them.

A general hush fell over the crowd and the princess looked to see what it was. It wasn't traditional, but she was saved by the attention being drawn up to that very same royal box.

Her eyes followed everyone else's as finally, her father appeared in front of the throne. His hand was raised as he looked down at her. His imposing figure confirming he wasn't the shadow at the other end of the platform. It released her from a lot of her previous anxieties about having to fight him. But with how he was gazing down at her, a whole set of new ones rose from within her.

What will he do? How much do I have to do to get out of the marriage?

"Princess Azula has challenged Junsik of the Sei'naka clan to an Agni Kai, for their honour, and for her hand."

He let it hang in the air as his eyes never left her. The gong sounded signalled the duel to begin.

Azula centred herself, closing her eyes and doing some deep breathing. A soft voice whispered to her, in a calming, flowing tone.

One, two, three… it continued until she felt her heartrate was back to perfectly composed.

The princess stood, allowing the billowing cloak to fall from her back dramatically. The calm voice in her head blocking any thoughts of what her father would do from coming in.

She gazed at the shadow that rose only ten or so feet from her. He seemed to be thoroughly enjoying being a part of this Agni Kai as he turned to face her with a cocky smirk. His very own cloak fell away, much less elaborate than her royal garbs, to reveal defined muscles and a strong frame. But to Azula, it all looked gross.

With the way he was looking at her, the same way he had done before, it just made her want to jump out of her skin. Burning out his roving eyes became a priority for her. He started to move closer to her, although it seemed just so that he could speak to her.

"I told you I'd get you on your knees in front of me." His slimy voice spoke to her, just loud enough for only her to hear. "And this won't be the last time I do it."

He stepped forward and blasted a ball of fire directly at her. She slid to the side effortlessly as the flames dissipated over the heads of the onlookers. He came at her with flaming hands, fireballs flying everywhere. Azula ducked and weaved out of the way. Every strike down of his was met with her wrist or arm, deflecting it off to the side.

After a few more swipes, Junsik overextended. He pushed his arm towards her chest, trying to reach for a very specific part of her. She grappled his limb into her hand. Quick as lightning, she brought her leg up and firebent using her foot, directly into his chest. The man was sent sprawling to the other side of the platform, with a smouldering bare chest.

"You bitch." He said, forgoing any kind of subtlety with his insults.

An audible gasp rang around the crowd. Azula risked a glance at her father. Some part of her, some false hope, thought that he'd defend her. Not overly so, but at least in a fatherly way. Or even a royal way.

That would show weakness.

Or that he cares? The softer voice countered, though it was drowned out by the noise.

Her father just looked at her, his posture and demeanour unmoving, his gaze aggressively inscrutable. Azula turned back to the man trying to get up in front of her.

"What? You're not going to say anything?"

It appeared as if the man, given the lack of repercussions, thought he had a free pass to do and say anything he wanted. To treat her however he wanted.

The princess looked at him, gaining the royal visage she'd had her whole life. She breathed deeply, letting her fire roar within her. Blue flames arced along her palms, lighting up the arena in an eery, flickering light that dominated any natural light that tried to enter the room. The pyres of fire behind her turned blue as well.

Azula looked at him, questioningly. It was the first time that this man had ever hesitated around her, and she relished in it. She held his gaze, as he slowly started to wither below it. She started by creating blue fire whips, flicking them around him experimentally as he hastened to dodge the explosive blows.

With an unnatural calm, she transitioned into just a regular blast of fire. Her scalding blue flames leapt from her hand and billowed towards the unprepared firebender in front of her. As she stopped, she saw him desperately try to push the fire to his sides but he failed miserably. Junsik was pushed back to the very edge of the raised floor.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her father with a wide, thin smile on his face as she unemotionally tore down her opponent.

The man began to run at her, in a last-ditch attempt to gain some power in the fight.

Weak.

Azula bent down, in her routine position. Her hands, with a perfect two finger position, started to circle as lightning sparked between them. Blue flickers of pure power surged around her form as she saw the man halter in his run. He seemed to be frozen in both shock and fear.

Azula extended her two fingers directly at the person in front of her.

But something stopped her.

An image of the back of the twelve-year-old boy covered the gross creep of a man at the end of her fingers. The look in those sea-green eyes after, puncturing her façade and making her want to collapse in on herself. The hole dug deep into the blue tattoos of the Avatar engulfed her eyesight.

Time felt like it took an age as she felt the fizzling of her lightning, itching to be released from its containment.

At the very last moment, she dropped her fingers.

The boom of thunder was heard as the bolt struck right in front of Junsik's feet. He didn't have the chance to react at all. His body was blown all the way to the edge of the arena. The man dragged himself back up onto the floor of the fighting area but he could only do that much.

Azula strode up to him. Once she had, the princess turned to see the disappointment in her father's eyes. He didn't seem to be prepared to end the fight any time soon.

This can't end until you've destroyed the weakness.

As the injured man rolled over, he exposed his battered chest to her. Layered in dust and grime from the floor, he looked at up at her, too weak to even flinch or defend himself. The princess felt her father's eyes weighing down on her.

You have to. It's the only way.

Only one voice pushed into her mind, forcing all the others to be silent under his gaze. Her father's gaze watched her expectantly and she knew there was only one way she'd escape the betrothal and minimise her punishment.

She knew.

Azula raised her right arm to above her left shoulder. Slicing diagonally down, fire scorched the man's upper body, leaving a trail of angry red skin. It tore its path, from his right cheek down across his shoulder, all the way to his left hip.

The princess turned, leaving the broken man behind her. Her face and posture hiding how utterly shattered she felt inside. Any and all sounds faded to hollow murmurs as her catatonic body was practically placed in her palanquin and escorted to the Fire Lord's throne room. Her father's own palanquin looming large in front of her, casting a harsh shadow over her in the fiery red, evening sunlight.

A/N: So, a lot happened in this chapter. One of the things I liked most about writing this was the Zuko/Ozai fight parallels. Azula puts herself in place of Zuko initially, but by the end of the fight (thanks to the fatherlord) she is in the opposite position. There's a lot more than just that too! Had some Mai and Zuko stuff, also a bit of Iroh and Azula, it's always great writing some Iroh. Everything he says will come back two or three fold by the end of this story. Anyways, hope you liked it!

Next chapter will be a catch up to where the Gaang is, while finishing up this betrothal arc (although the impact of it on Azula will continue to be felt through the story). A little hint for anyone who is interested, it'll involve the episode of prison Iroh.

And on the previous chapter, a lot of crying which is awesome! Exactly what I was going for! It's great that it touched a lot of you in some way or another.

As always, some review replies below:

WildMan98: That's awesome! Glad you enjoyed Azula (ice cold probably is insulting to her haha). I'm happy you cried! That's the emotion I was going for and I'm glad it landed! Hope you liked this one too!

HellRaiderS/Death Fury/Iamironman15/plebston323/CRUDEN/GreenNight97/UQJTAk8cx9dpbvEL: I'm glad you all enjoyed the chapter! Hope the feels will continue in some chapters and Annabeth with be intermittently in the story being on Percy's mind or with him in spirit (either literally or figuratively depending on how you took the ending to the previous chapter).

HaywireEagle: That would absolutely be hilarious and awesome. Can't say that's going to happen as I'm keeping it a slightly more serious tone (while still throwing in jokes to keep it light), but that's be so funny.

Gabe1234: Thank you! He is an asshole! And I hope you enjoyed the battle. It is supposed to be set up to be cathartic only to have a more realistic reaction. We'll get a few more insights into Percy's psyche throughout so I'm super stoked you enjoyed that one!

Tom2801: Thank you! I tried to make it as heartfelt as possible and I'm so happy that came across! Hope you enjoyed how Azula dealt with her marriage.

A-gods-flame: Thank you man! Appreciate the heck out of them all, no matter how long the reviews are! You take care and get your sleep haha I'm glad you love the story that much to prioritise it over sleep but be healthy, this story isn't going anywhere for ya!

MCain: Thank you! That was one of the things that I've focused on, so it's great that you and others are starting to see her as a sympathetic character!

Thank you all for your reviews! They're all awesome and appreciated! See you soon (most likely next week)!

-PS