Work Text
PrologueThe trip had been bad so far, but now it was particularly bad. Azula had began ranting and been acting erratic. "What are you talking about?" Katara asked, a little irritated. "None of you had even met me yet!" She yelled, eyes wide. "How did she convince you to help her to ruin my life?!" Zuko raised a fist, it was smoking. "That's enough Azula!" Azula felt afraid for a second and seemed to change with a blink and replied. "Put that away Zuzu. It's just small talk."The scene took on an air of unreality, Zuko didn't notice what he had done until he heard a piercing scream to his right, when the red haze had cleared, he saw Azula clawing at the fresh burn on her face, writhing as the waterbender rushed to her side. "What the fuck is wrong with you?!" She yelled. "Appa, we need to land!" "I-I didn't mean to." Zuko felt sick. "Then why did you do it?!"Azula felt the world spinning. "Carry her," she heard the water peasant warrior say. "Quick, I need to get her to a bed." The Avatar said. "I hope your happy Zuko, you're just like Ozai." The Agni damned peasant was standing up for her? "It hurts." Those were the only words she managed before falling into deep unconsciousness . Her dreams were a twisted jumble of memories and sounds, of course nobody cares, not even the person she cared for cared for her. Everybody left her to rot.Hours later Mai sat at a table sipping tea, a hawk with a message appeared. She almost threw up when she read the letter. 'I screwed up Mai, I lost control. I burned Azula in a fit of anger, I'm sorry. I hope I understand that she was acting violent, I did what I had to, didn't I? I'm sorry.' Mai was furious, what in Agni's name was Zuko thinking?! When he gets back, she'll let him know it's over for good. She would never love anyone who willingly hurt their family. "Damn it."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Chapter One; What It Is To BurnAzula awoke with a bandage on her face, what happened to her? "Hey," said a voice, the peasant. "What happened to me peasant?" Her voice was weak. "Zuko, he burned you." Azula gasped and not thinking she tore off the bandage and looked in the mirror. Her face now had a perfect mirror of her bother's burn, but the tissue was worse and her eye burned out, almost as if all thought was gone from Zuko's mind when he burned her."No!" She roared, smashing the mirror. Katara helped her to her seat her heart breaking as the realisation hit. The asylum must have done nothing but make her worse if she still acted this way, perhaps even abused her. Only Ty Lee could help with her, chi was life after all. "Spirits help me."It had been weeks Azula felt numb, Zuko was off on his mission to find his mother and she was hideous. Is this all there is? "You're still beautiful." Not now. "The why do you think I'm a monster?!" "I don't, you know what I think. I think you're confused." "But this is all I have!" Azula stopped, when she felt the emptiness hit. "Isn't it?" She felt herself weep until she fell asleep, the pain burned more than her face.When Ty Lee arrived, she was nervous. "What if she hurts me, after everything?" "She's to broken emotionally at the moment to do so, if she tries, you know what to do." Walking into the room, Ty Lee gasped, she had expected the burn was bad, but this was horrific. Looking at the chi, he saw it was all tangled, her aura black. Suddenly she realised, that Azula was as much a victim as she herself was.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Chapter Two; Healing WoundsWhen Azula awoke, she saw the acrobat. She was about to shout at her, calling her a traitor, but something about seeing those eyes looking so sad and fearful at her made her heart ache. "What do you want?" She asked, ignoring the itch of the changed bandages on her face. "I've been sent to help, what happened to you?" "Ask whose boots you kiss, he did this." Ty Lee knew Azula meant Zuko."That bastard!" Ty Lee was defending her? "What is he thinking?!" Azula didn't care anymore, she was hideous. "I'm here to help you." "Why? So you can betray me again?" Azula couldn't cope with that. "No, I loved you Azula … I couldn't let you kill Mai!" "Then why did you not intervene another way?!" "I was afraid." Azula felt awful. "I've been told to help you through this, no matter what."It took months and Azula began to feel more comfortable. "Zuko has found Ursa," Aang said, bitterness in his voice. "We're to meet them back in the palace." Ty Lee wasn't happy, she had to tell Ursa what her sons had done. "Very well." Was nervous on the journey, she hadn't seen her mother in so long. "We're here," the Avatar said, trying to be comforting.Azula placed her hand to the patch that covered her empty eye socket, this wasn't however what plagued her mind, she had forgotten how it felt being around Ty Lee. "I'm sorry," she said. "What?" "I'm sorry, I was wrong in the way I treated you and Mai. I don't expect forgiveness, just for you to know, I'm sorry." Ty Lee couldn't believe it, surely this was a ruse, right?
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Chapter Three; The Truth BurnsWhen Azula was helped off the sky bison, she saw her mother and felt nauseous. Her mother had a man besides her and a child to her right. When Ursa saw her, her hands raised to her mouth with a gasp. She knew it, her mother fears her, she's a monster, she's—. "Azula? What happened to you?!" Ursa had ran to her and hugged her. "Ask Zuko."Ursa turned, Zuko looked awkward. "I may have lost it." "Lost it?! She was having an episode abs you burned her when she snapped out of it! She doesn't even have a right eye anymore!" Sokka yelled. Ursa felt sick. "Tell me this is true." Zuko looked down in shame. "I wish I could." "Then you're no better than Ozai! Who raised you to think you should treat your sister this way?!" "That would be Iroh," Ty Lee realised, feeling angry.Mai had heard the commotion and without warning, slapped zuko. "We're done, no more chances. You're a monster Zuko, I hope you're happy." Walking to Azula, she scowled before speaking. "It may take many years to like you again, but you don't deserve this." Even Suki and the Kyoshi Warriors joined Azula's side as Azula cried in her mother's arms. "We're going to Ba Sing Se, ASAP."On the journey the little girl, who was named Kiyi asked what was going on, but Ursa said nothing. "Why did you replace me?" Azula asked, sadness in her voice. "Kiyi is my daughter as you are mine, you can never be replaced. I'm sorry I was never there for you, the way I was. I was a bad mother, but after what had happened, I'm taking you and Kiyi far from that dammed palace, I promise to make it up." "What if I'm a monster?" Ursa wiped the tear from Azula's remaining eye. "Azula, you were never a monster." Something about this Cleared every fog in her mind, it was all in her head that she was a monster, that all she had was insanity, her mother loved her, she had always loved her.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Chapter Four; Mother Bears ProtectIroh was cleaning up when he saw Ursa walk in, he'd face red and clenched fists shaking with rage. "Ursa? To which do I owe this pleasure after all those years?" Ursa couldn't believe the arrogance. "You call yourself family. You destroyed every inch of love my son had for his sister, a sister who is only two years his younger!" Iroh laughed. "I don't know what makes you think that, she's always been crazy.""No," Aang said, walking in with the rest. "What's crazy is you believe this is okay." "I don't see how you don't get it Avatar, she's dangerous, the fact she has bending at all is because you haven't taken it." "She's only two years older than me! Is this what you want?!" He walked to the side to reveal Azula, Iroh didn't flinch or look away, he just sipped the tea he had brewed. "What about her war crimes, that she is related to Sozin?" "Says the butcher of Ba Sing Se who lives in Luxury while his replacement son is left alone to rule a nation, she only killed me and I was revived, plus she is also related to Roku."Iroh was about to speak, but Ty Lee chi blocked him, forcing him to the chair. Ursa walked over to Iroh and looked him in the eyes, her own filled with hatred. "If you go near my daughter, I will show you what I did to Azulon, you won't even know when or what's happening, but it will be quick, like falling asleep. Understand me?" Iroh felt beads if sweat form. "Yes." "Good riddance." After leaving, Ty Lee walked to Suki when Azula walked over. "What do you want with Ty Lee Azula?" Suki asked, she still didn't fully trust Azula. "I'm not expecting you to come, nor any expecting a chance. But I loved you too Ty Lee, please. Can I try to show you that I will be what I should have been, I will try if it kills me. You never betrayed me after all, you saved me." She knew this would likely not work, but she had to try. "Let me make things right, let me start anew."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Chapter Five; Warrior PrincessAzula looked at the mirror, looking at the thick white and red makeup on her face, she was nervous. Today was the start of something she was uncertain would happen. "You can do it," Ty Lee said, only for Ursa to help Azula with her topknot. "I'm proud of you." "Thanks mother." Azula placed the fan on her belt and walked outside, taking a deep breath as she walked to Suki before kneeling in respect."Azula, do you promise to take this mantle with duty and respect?" Suki asked. "I do." Ty Lee felt proud as Suki continued. "Do you promise to uphold justice and help those in need?" "I do." Suki placed a peace of headwear on Azula's head. "Then you are a warrior of Kyoshi Island." Azula rose and bowed as Suki passed her a blade. "Use this with honour, sister Azula."That night, Azula and Ty Lee sat by the sea, the waves soothing to their ears. "I never thought you accept me," Azula said. "I didn't for a while either, but in time I began to realise that you weren't just Azula, but the Azula I love." Azula smiled, the small island felt so much better than the palace and she enjoyed the small shack she lived in with the acrobat. "You will always be my acrobat Ty." "And you are my princess Zula."Ursa sat on the porch of a shack two houses down smiling, while she would never see Zuko or Iroh again, she was glad to see Azula was happy, that she was now in a place that gave her hope. "They spend a lot of time together mama," Kiyi said. "They sure do." "Like you and dada." Ursa smiled. "Yes Kiyi." "Why's that mama?" "I'll tell you when you're older Kiyi, I'll tell you when you're older."