Not a biweekly update as promised but I worked a lot harder than expected to get this chapter out. Enjoy.

"Very good, Azula." Uncle clapped slowly, as she mastered yet another movement, swishing a globe of water around between her arms. A technique, which at first had appeared simple enough, but took several more attempts than she she thought necessary to fully understand it. Her quest for power and her drive for perfection made her a more than able student. Not only this but her calming lessons with Uncle served as a nice break from her grueling and often brutal training with Ozai.

Uncle had guided her seamlessly through the basics of waterbending during her nights for many moons, and she picked up easily with him as a teacher. Waterbending was surprisingly enjoyable for her, if inferior to firebending. The motions were relaxing and graceful, making for a great break from the intense cardio and physical work that firebending required by training more through flexibility.

The art focused on the concept of the tides - a push and a pull - switching between a defense that absorbed an attack, and redirecting back in a flowing motion. With Iroh's instruction, she flourished with the natural properties of the bending art, which involved attacking and defending rather than evading or standing ones ground. The voices rescinded further and further into her mind the more she practiced. Iroh also taught her the importance of mediation very early on to control her thoughts, and restrict the effect the voices of the Avatar. All was well for Azula, and she found herself at a peace she had not felt since she toddled.

"You have learned exceptionally quickly, especially for an eleven year old, and while that is a good thing," His smiled wrinkled sadly at the edges, "I have no more that I can teach you." For a long moment Iroh received no response.

"Nothing?" Azula questioned in disbelief. He couldn't leave. She had grown accustomed to her nightly lessons with Uncle. Not that she would actually miss him. The idea that she didn't have to hide her true self in front of someone excited her, and now that would all go away. The outlet had been important in her need to balance her life, allowing her to continue to please her father to the best of her ability without totally pushing back the thought of ignoring her responsibilities.

"Nothing. I have exhausted all the material I brought back to the firenation." Iroh admitted, seemingly at a small loss himself. Emptiness in her grew more and more with each breath. Desperately, Azula searched her thoughts, thinking of something, when she remembered the movements she'd witnessed from him in the training room, a time that felt so long ago.

"What about the moves you practiced at night, before you started teaching me?" Iroh stopped mid-stand.

"You saw those as well?" He asked wryly. Suddenly, an excited smile crossed his face, and Azula knew she had reeled her Uncle in once again.

"I did. You aren't out of this just yet." Those moves were what started this whole ordeal. It was only fitting Azula used them to continue. Iroh sat down back onto the floor, and she eagerly followed crossing her legs, and propping her hands under her chin.

"What can you tell me?" Her cheeky grin prompted a brief chuckle from her Uncle before he schooled his face, becoming the teacher once more.

"You have begun the basics of lightning creation haven't you?" She gave a single nod, wondering where this was going.

"Well, I began to study the movements of waterbending in order to create a new technique to protect myself from lightning."

Her intuition and quick mind put the pieces together quickly.

"You studied waterbending to learn how to redirect lightning." Her grudging respect for Iroh's firebending ability, turned into clear awe for his ingenuity. Then another thought connected into place.

"But only you and Father can generate lightning..." She trailed off uncertain of how to continue, "Did you think..." Iroh nodded gravely.

"I learned what I had to in the event I needed to protect myself." Something twisted in Azula's stomach. By having Uncle teach her this, then she expected to have to use this to defend herself against her own Father. Wasn't that the reason I sought out Iroh in the first place? Father wouldn't hurt me, but...

The war of thoughts continued in her head for a while longer.

Then, "Teach it to me." At that, Iroh smiled, and pushed himself to his feet, beginning one of his last lessons with Azula.

"Wow, Azula, you're getting so good at this!" Ty Lee gushed at the back flip Azula finished with relative ease. Mai rolled her eyes, lingering off to the side under the shade of a tree.

The fire princess took a dramatic bow for the praise, making eye contact with Ty Lee upon rising. The girl nervously shied away from eye contact. Still scared of that threat from all those years ago? Ty Lee had proved Azula's theory that fear was a simple way to get people to do exactly what she wanted. The mere threat of her power was enough to make people bend to her will for now. Her Uncle might just be the one exception, him and her father as they did not seem to fear her as the others around her did. Iroh certainly was a peculiar case.

Before she had time to dwell on her thoughts, a well dressed servant ambled into the gardens, walking straight up to her. She recognized him as her father's messenger and raised a brow. What now?

A brief cough to clear his throat, then he unrolled a scroll, "When the sun is at it's highest in the sky, an Agni Kai will take place in the Royal Arena. Your presence is required by decree of the Firelord."

An Agni Kai that required her presence? A creeping sense of foreboding itched in the back of her mind.

"Very well, you may go." She had never been required to attend a duel before. She dismissed her friends, quickly walking back to her room to dress herself then meet Iroh, hoping he could inform her of the reason for this. Shrugging on some clothes appropriate for an outing and putting her hairpin into place, she ran out the door, and out of her wing. A clamoring, sounding much like a gathering of people, echoed in the strangely empty halls of the royal wing, becoming louder as she approached the entrance to the arena.

Her first impression upon entering the waiting area was the this was far too crowded far too soon, seeing several people had already begun to enter the grand dueling room. The amount of people here signified something of importance had occurred at the very least. Her eyes darted from each person in the crowd, before landing on a man with a smaller stature than the others. Her mouth set in a determined line and the princess nudged her way past several people, when someone grunted as she passed.

"Watch it-" A single look at the person - Zhao was his name, a rather ambitious captain in the navy - silenced him into a quick blubber, "-Princess Azula I'm so-"

Ignoring the captain, she continued moving people aside until she reached Iroh's side. A quick once over of the aged general told her something terrible had occurred. His mouth was set in an frown - just the act of saying something negative would have been uncommon enough for her Uncle - but his eyes told a story of a fear. Azula hadn't know anything to shake up Iroh, the Dragon of the West.

Deciding this was a delicate matter, she started light, "What is going on?"

"Your brother disrespected a general in the war room." Iroh mumbled, still not quite present in the moment. How, Zuko. Such a thing would make sense, Zuzu never did know when to stop talking.

"Explain." Azula snapped, trying to get something more out of him. Iroh shook his head, breaking his trance a little.

"I brought him with me." A brief moment of hesitation. "The war meeting was discussing battle plans, and General Bujing suggested we sacrifice lesser troops to wear the enemy down, before sending in our more experienced men from the flank." The avatar in Azula grimaced.

"And Zuko just couldn't help himself." Azula murmured mostly to herself. Stupid. She expected nothing less from her boneheaded brother. One does not speak out of turn at a war meeting, especially to someone older, more experienced and knowledgeable, even if the plan is as foolhardy and wasteful as his. Ethics aside the plan was foolish to begin with. The firenation princess in her knew that such a slaughter would only result in distrust among the fire army ranks. The avatar in her brooded more over the careless, callous way the firenation treated life with.

"He should have asked me to handle it afterwards privately!" The brief outburst of anger from Iroh startled her from her thoughts, and the nobles around them looked at her Uncle fearfully. Azula wondered just what worked him up so much.

Iroh rubbed his face, and shook his head, "I'm sorry. Let's go." Together they walked into the arena, which had been filled with eager spectators. Blood lust and anticipation were rampant in the air, making Azula curious about what exactly everyone was so excited about, and after a quick once over of the arena noticed that every seat was filled with highborn firenation officials who eagerly whispered to one another.

The attendance and tense atmosphere was certainly puzzling. Perhaps, a young prince in his first duel made everyone want to attend. Then again, he would be facing some old fart, who sat in a chair all day and likely hadn't actually practiced bending in years.

However, the fact that she was required to attend and Iroh's all around tense demeanor made her consider that perhaps she was missing something.

What about this is so important?

Iroh softly nudged her forward, and they continued to shuffle to their seating area, front row, where royalty and the higher ups typically sat for such events. Her eyes vacantly drifted across the seating once more, but snapped quickly to the center of the room once Zuko emerged from behind a curtain on one end of the arena, walking to his place. A dull clap filled the stadium, not at all matching the electricity that seemed to keep everyone on the edge of their seat.

Zuko didn't seem to absorb the atmosphere, and knelt with his mouth set in a determined line. His eyes though, were not what Azula would call prepared for battle. Focused, yes, but not prepared to go for the killing blow. Azula couldn't see the other entrance from her seat, but the crowds dull applause turned into a roar as the other competitor stepped out.

Moments later the Fire Sage rushed forward, made a small speech, and with a flourish announced that the duel would begin, ringing the bell. Zuko turned around, shrugging off his cloak and facing his opponent. At first he did nothing, but gaze in slack jawed shock, then his confidence deflated, and his posture became uncertain.

Out of the corner of her eye, his opponent stalked forward. The physique was most certainly not that of an old general. No, he was muscular, lean, and powerful.

Then, he moved into her line of sight, and stopped all coherent thought in Azula.

Father?

Her throat felt full suddenly, and her breathing came in troubled gasps. Oh, Zuko. Azula hardly knew her brother, disliked him even, but even she would not wish this upon her brother. Father hardly broke a sweat when he trained her - beat her, really, as she hardly ever won against her senior, and she was magnitudes better than Zuko at firebending. This will be fine, Zuko won't get hurt too badly.

Then, "Why is he kneeling?" No. No. No. Fight, you need to fight. Ozai merely looked down disdainfully, as Zuko - his son - begged meekly to not fight him, burbling about having the firenation's best interests at heart. The Avatar spirit within her found it admirable. Zuko wouldn't fight family. Then, the princess thought, dishonorable, weak, he needed stand his ground, father would not tolerate what he saw as a cowardly move. He already disliked Zuko, favoring her talent and prowess over Zuko's inadequacy. Not that she blamed him, as Zuko was woefully inadequate in her opinion as the heir apparent, and despite her recent disconnection with Ozai she was still leagues ahead of Zuko in her father's eyes.

"You will fight for your honor." Her father growled from in front the groveling prince. The size disparity between them became very apparent in that moment. Ozai's muscle bound form towered over the tiny, adolescent body of Zuko. Azula, Iroh, and all of the noblemen waited for the prince to do something.

A hush fell over the crowd as Zuko begged once more, bowing his head in submission, "I meant no disrespect I am your loyal son."

Azula could hear the past Avatars growing louder in her head, some telling her to look away - Aang - and others telling her to watch the cruelty of her father unfold - Roku. She chose to watch, anything but would have been an act of weakness.

"Rise and fight, Prince Zuko!" Her father's final grave demand carried across the arena, if Zuko refused this there would be no return.

"I will not fight you." Her brother's soft words were more defiant against him than Azula ever had been, and for a moment she was jealous. Not of what she considered his brazen stupidity to defy him, but of the act itself, to have that ability to act on his own accord despite the punishment.

Then again, Azula's brother had sealed his fate with that, and the princess was uncertain how her father would react. His punishments were notably harsh, but this - refusing him in front of the entire nobility? - her father would take this as a grievous insult to him and as a further show of Zuko's innate weakness.

"You will learn respect and suffering will be your teacher." A chill rose up her spine at those words, as Zuko looked up fearfully, tears spilling from his eyes. Azula's breath caught as Ozai's fist lit with a bright orange hue, raising his fiery hand above his head and bringing it down with force, right onto her brother's face.

The blow made a loud crack and Zuko's following scream of anguish would have made anyone else sick to their stomach, but Azula merely frowned. The Avatar spirit in her had softened her to the world and calmed her more sadistic inclinations, but only made her care little more than an ounce for Zuko. Such a thing did not affect her much, if at all, as the siblings barely spoke. Still he was her blood, and she did at the very least pity him. However, she didn't dare glance at Iroh, knowing he likely blamed himself, and sorrow touched her for her Uncle, knowing now he had almost lost the boy whom he considered a second son. You should have looked away. Aang's sad whisper made her grit her teeth. She was not weak like the child spirit.

Then, still standing over his son's unconscious body, Ozai began to make a declaration, "For his dishonor, Prince Zuko is hereby banished from the firenation!" Now her brother was scarred and banished. This made her next in line for the throne. If this had come any other way, in any other world, and without the Avatar spirit Azula would have counted it a blessing. This time she grimly realized that with Zuko banished, Iroh would likely leave with him, leaving her alone with Ozai, where she would become forever vigilant and suspicious of people.

No, that was not a future she desired. She resolved to leave, perhaps pack and tell her father she would go to the war front and abandon the firenation. She had time to consider her plans. However she lingered on the injustice of it all - she had done nothing wrong. Fate had cursed her. All she had wanted to do was please her Father; not all of her work was an act of self preservation as she did love him - mother had left, Zuko and her rarely spoke. So for the longest time before Iroh, he was the only one she confided in. She would have submitted herself to hiding the Avatar spirit within, putting it aside all for him, but in this moment she hated him, and realized her act would not have lasted forever. Destiny would have forced her leave eventually.

Her eyes returned to where the servants and palace staff hovered over the fallen, former prince, attempting to raise his crumpled form onto a stretcher. The air now had a faint scent of burnt flesh. After seeing the result of Ozai's wrath for merely speaking out, Azula did not want to even consider the possibility of him discovering she was the Avatar.

Then, her father continued again, "However, this is not to say Zuko cannot return to the firenation. If he captures the Avatar, and brings him to the firenation, his honor and birthright will be restored, and his banishment lifted." Time stood still for a moment around Azula. Her timeline would need to be sped up. Fate was cruel, pitting brother against sister once more, and worse yet, Iroh knew her secret. A faint gasp at her right reminded her of who was still with her.

Her eyes rapidly shifted to Iroh as Ozai's decree dawned on her. Suddenly years of watching over her shoulder to protect her secret turned to rampant paranoia for her life as she looked to the one person who she entrusted her secret to. The one person still in the world who loved Zuko enough to do anything. Slowly the older man turned his head, his mouth beginning to form her name, and his hand beginning to reach out for her. She swatted his attempt to grab hold of her aside and ran, pushing and shoving through the crowd of gaping nobles. She didn't have much time. Iroh would likely tell Zuko the moment he woke, and she would spend the rest of her life in a cell, chained, and drugged. She had to hurry. Her little but lithe legs pumped as hard as they could, carrying her to the royal wing. She threw her door open to her room and began grabbing essentials: jewelry, coin, change of clothes, and the waterbending scroll she kept from her night training.

Her breaths came in heaves as she shoved all her items of choice into a small knapsack, one she once used to collect seashells at ember island. A different time, a different Azula. Then, the door creaked open, and soft footfalls made her whip around and ignite her hands in a blaze of blue.

"Uncle, you aren't with Zuko." She observed, watching the man catch his breath on the door. Her eyes peered beyond his shoulder.

"No guards, Uncle? Think you can capture me and bring me to Zuko yourself?" She snarled, firing off a warning shot that exploded just above her Uncle's head, splintering part of the door.

"Azula-" Iroh raised his hands in defense.

"I will kill you. Leave now, that was my only warning." Her pupils had dilated as the adrenaline began to kick in. She felt like a dragon with Agni's blood running through her veins, but it was an empty threat all the same. She would fight tooth and nail for her life, but her Uncle despite his age, was likely on par with Ozai in terms of raw bending skill and possibly even ahead of him in technique with his craftiness. Azula might be able to take him on, but she didn't want to.

"You are planning to leave." He observed casually, as if she hadn't just hurtled a fireball at his head. She gave the barest of nods.

Iroh had the nerve to speak again, but decided better against stepping toward her, retracting his foot, and still assuming no stance.

"Azula, I'm not here to take you to Ozai or Zuko. I understand your ... anxiety about your situation." His wording did little to calm her racing mind as images of her in chains and scarred - just like Zuko - passed her minds eye. However, she said nothing, feeling only her heart thump rapidly against her rib cage.

"But, you need to calm down and listen to me." He pressed gently, even taking a moment to kneel down before her.

She bared her teeth at him, "I know your ways, uncle. You taught me after all, but now I know all of your secrets. I'm not letting my guard down."

"And that's okay. I just want to reassure you is all. And give you something." She shook her head and the fire in her hands burned hotter.

"I want nothing from you, snake!" She noticed her arms began to shake, and she hoped Iroh thought it was from adrenaline, and not fear about having to fight the dragon of the west - her uncle and her teacher. Something inside her - powerful and dormant - began to threaten to emerge. His hand began to move slowly, and her eye twitched to watch it go into his pocket. Azula waited as he removed a pai sho tile - The white lotus.

"Is this a joke?" She asked, more calmly, "A signal?" Her eyes darted behind him again but he merely remained on his knees, and slid the tile over to her.

"I had a feeling for a long time that the day would come when we would part ways. I had hoped it wouldn't be so sudden and disruptive to both of us." Speak for yourself. His own nephew, the one thing she knew her uncle treasured in life more than tea and board games had been scarred and yet, he remained so calm, more than her. "I was to give you that tile when the day arrived. Should you ever find yourself in trouble, give that tile to a game master, they will help you. I know we were not able to spend time as a family, but I've come to realize-. You are the last hope for the world, Azula, and I would never endanger you. Even if that means keeping your secret from Zuko. I understand why you do not trust me, but I hope that once you are away from the capital and all it's stress, you will begin to see that I would never hurt you, Azula." They both stared at each other for a long moment, and Azula's mind began to clear from it's paranoid haze, but she did not trust him still.

"I'm touched." She bit acidly in response, picking up the lotus tile, "Now leave."

A brief look flashed on his face, between disappointment and hurt, that nearly made Azula reconsider her words, but he schooled his face and bowed. So, she swallowed whatever emotion had arisen at his expression, and kept her eyes narrowed and directed at him.

"As you wish. Goodbye, niece." Azula did not lower her arms until he had rounded the corner down the hall and was far out of sight. She threw the tile in with her things, and removed her royal hair pin, tossing it with her sack and letting her hair flow freely to obscure her face. Then, she tossed on an old, worn, night cloak that didn't quite fit her anymore around the shoulders and also smelled like an old closet. Finally, after taking one brief look at the room, at the home she was leaving behind, she ran.

The docks were roughly a thirty minute walk from the capitol, but Azula made it in fifteen without being recognized - aside from a few odd gazes at a wild, poorly dressed girl running through the caldera. She would slip away unnoticed. So far, Iroh appeared to be true to his word, not a single guard had been on the lookout for her. She scoured the ships, listening, when she heard a ship departing for a port near the colonies in the Earth Kingdom. Perfect. She snuck beside some crates that looked scheduled to be put on the ship.

Creeping up to a modestly sized crate, she undid some of the rope tying the top down and peered inside, a crate of apples. I don't think this is going to work. Aang's nervous and timid voice was silenced as she began to make due. Her small head poked above the wooden box, scanning for potential witnesses, before ducking back down, moving the apples inside away, and tossing the ones that would stick out into the sea. Once certain her body would fit comfortably; she jumped in, moving the top of the crate back above her head, sinking below the apples and waiting. She was unsure how long time had passed after a certain point, and considered leaving her crate of apples to simply walk on board the ship. Then, some voices muffled through the container began to move closer.

"Hey don't forget these over here!" Mentally, she praised Agni for watching over her.

"Hey, this rope fell off." Another voice added in hesitantly. She grit her teeth, and held her breath. Damn it all. Stupid plan. I've never done something so stupid. If I wasn't so scared and thinking clearly-

"Hmm... check inside." She didn't even have time to react as suddenly a small amount of light poured through the layers of apples above her head, as the crate was opened up. Then after a long moment, it was shut again.

"Looks fine. The rope must have just slipped off." She nearly breathed a sigh of relief, but held her breath further as the crate was jostled. She could feel them moving.

"This must be a lot of apples." One of the men grunted as he readjusted his grip.

"You're telling me. Weighs about as much as a large child." Azula in spite of her gratefulness for not being caught rolled her eyes, completely baffled by their incompetence. No matter, in a few weeks time, she would be in the Earth kingdom away from the fire nation and it's morons. She would be... What would she be doing?

Azula for this first time in her life realized she had no plan, no direction, and no one to turn to, making her tune out the rest of their conversation as she began to think. She was completely alone, and lost. The crate jostled once more as the men gently put it down on the metal floor of the ship.

As the Avatar she was supposed to master all four elements which was a start, but then another problem sprouted. She needed to learn airbending. There were no more organized airbenders left. She tried to recall on of her lessons with Iroh, desperately trying to bring the conversation to the forefront of her mind. Slowly she realized her efforts were in vain, and the toll of the past few hours began to wear down her resolve, and she fell into a deep sleep.

"This tea is actually ginseng for once." She observed, put into a good mood for the first time after a lesson. Usually, Iroh would experiment on her with all sorts of nasty teas, some nearly made her sick.

"Yes, I figured you deserved something special after mastering your first waterbending movement." Iroh seemed to smile with a hint of pride. Azula hated the idea of being rewarded like a child by her Uncle, but the sight of that smile made her hold back her insults. It was not the cruel, satisfied smirk of watching a girl be shaped into a weapon, no, it was a genuine pride that filled the creases of Iroh's weathered smile.

So, Azula settled on silence for a few more sips. Then, the desire to speak again struck her, and she decided to ask about a subject that had nagged at her mind ever since the voices of the Avatar began appearing. "What else did you come across in your travels, Uncle? Did you ever explore the air temples?"

If Iroh looked surprised, he didn't show it, tasting his tea once more. "That's an interesting question. Why the air temples?" Azula didn't reveal that it was because of her nightmares, watching the airbenders burn to death under the red hue of the comet.

"I'm just curious. Isn't air one of the elements the Avatar is supposed to master? How is the avatar to do that without airbenders?" She hoped her question would challenge him, pick at his brain, but instead he laughed.

"Azula, the airbenders did not all stay at the temple. They were called air nomads for a reason." Now, she was intrigued, and put her tea down gently in front of her.

"Explain."

He sobered slightly and put his tea down as well, "The air nomads were not all massacred. Certainly, they left it to be believed that way, knowing that Sozin and his sons would hunt the remaining ones down relentlessly to ensure the death of the Avatar cycle." Azula nodded taking this in.

"How do you know they survived?"

"I received reports from sentry posts far and wide about traveling strangers, some who traveled with exotic beasts. The reports said that these strangers had strange tattoos, and I was reminded of my studies on the air nomads from my childhood. Naturally, I dispelled the rumors slowly, and burned all evidence that such reports had been sent my way to protect them and the balance of the world." Azula's respect for her uncle grew in that moment, if slightly for the effort, and yet she still was not certain he was right about this.

"I watched them burn, Uncle. I felt it. I wouldn't get my hopes up." Her eyes met his and she could see the pain and horror she felt mirrored in his, and she looked away. "Are there other ways?"

Iroh was silent for a moment before he sighed and picked up his tea.

"Many of the scrolls from their time are lost. You would be incredibly lucky to get your hands on even one, and one is not even close to enough to master such a complex art." Azula scowled at his admission.

"So then, the only hope, are these mystery people you've put your stock in?" Just then, she could see it, a crazy idea in her Uncle's brain going off.

"If you don't believe in that, then let me tell you a story about a vast collection of ancient knowledge, where you might just find what you are looking for-" And so Azula dozed off, allowing herself to be regaled by another of her Uncles grand tales of the world. Perhaps, she too would see it someday.

Azula awoke with a start and realized that she could not move, meaning that recent events recent events had not been a dream, and that yes, she was stuck in a box of apples with no plan and no place to go. Bitterly, the wayward princess accepted her situation, realizing despite how lost she was now, things could always be worse. So, she bit the apples closest to her mouth, reminded herself that she had an entire boat ride to consider these things, and began to crawl her way out of the box.