I am getting used to the plot again. I'm hoping to hit past a certain word count, but this will do.

Chapter 5

Lu Ten had not been defeated. General Iroh had breached the Inner Wall.

The results had been devastating to the continent. As they seized the city of Ba Sing Se and began to take over economic affairs, they removed the Earth King Kuei from his role and replaced the government with their own appointed officials. As the Earth King was only a figurehead, however, they did not yet realize that Long Feng had been the one hiding information about the war from the people. Their sanctuary had shattered and Ba Sing Se's safe haven was now long gone.

Long Feng's purposeful covering of any international affairs had backfired on the people. The civilians within the Inner Wall had no clue of how well they were faring in the Hundred Year War as refugees continued to pour into Ba Sing Se in greater and greater numbers. When the Fire Nation had finally entered into their sanctum the peaceful era they had created died away. The city had been upturned, ransacked.

To his credit, Uncle Iroh had performed the role of an upstanding and lenient general. He ordered his men not to kill any nonresisting civilian and to escort the King safely away into prison where he would be held in captivity. It was a far better choice than death, although many of the people believed otherwise.

Their armies had come home victorious. And amongst them were the rumors of the child who'd saved General Iroh's son from a fatal blow, sparing weakness and providing assistance through the bending of lightning. Only the strongest firebenders had inherited the ability, they had murmured, and it appeared that there were new contesters appearing to challenge the older generation.

A child who had covered their face with a hood and a mask, who had generated lightning without the need for redirection, one who had rescued Lu Ten from near death. Iroh had been very concerned for Lu Ten, but he had also wished to thank whoever had stepped up to save his son. That was all that Azula had heard from him.

Azula was not blind. She had seen the consequences that her actions had created. The Earth Kingdom will never trust firebenders again, whether or not said hatred was warranted and regardless of whichever person their anger was directed towards.

But it did not matter how many years down the line the difference made. The outcome was still the same - Ba Sing Se fell to a member of the royal line. The Fire Nation would take over their country. The Earth, much like the Air and Water countries, would be snuffed out.

It did not lessen the sting of pain when she remembered the way she had realized her mistake. Mai, distrustful. Ty Lee, brokenhearted.

But in the end, that was how far her circle of allies had reached. She was not a sheltered girl as they may have said if she were a weaker princess, but she cared little for anyone other than those loyal to her cause. She did as she pleased and whenever she pleased. She did not stop even for family.

She had wondered, once, what the Avatar had felt. His allies were from every nation provided, her brother included. He needed to learn all of the elements in order to defeat her father. She had only learned one aspect of it, and she knew that while her touring of the world had done nothing for her spiritual journey she had questioned why the balance mattered so much to them.

As long as one defeated the others, then Azula was content. But to create a balance where all four had to be equal had disillusioned her to the idea. Fire was the strongest and it had always been, capable of the most destruction and versatile to fit.

Or so she thought.

Ozai had requested that she begin her training once again. He had caught word of Iroh's success and was somewhat approving. "At least he did not turn out to be a failure in the end," he said, and casted his glance toward Azula. "Now, begin again."

Surprisingly, her father had grown to be more careful in pushing her too much. He still worked her to the bone, but he did not want a remake of her week-long vacation and ordered her to take longer breaks and stop when needed. "Your body is a vessel," he said, offering her a lesson that she had not been taught before. "Work too hard and it will stop moving. This enthusiasm to become greater is what makes us alike, daughter, but too much and it becomes overwhelming."

Azula's brow furrowed. She had forgotten for a moment that her father had often shown acts of concern in her brief periods of lapse, offering her better ways to do certain things. They both grew out of it once Azula learned to cover her weaknesses, becoming just as stoic and mocking as Ozai had been.

Again, her heart wrenched.

On future matters, Ozai's request using Iroh's failure as an excuse would not occur in this timeline. Fire Lord Azulon was more conservative and remained a stickler for rules involving who the next lord in line would be, and so Iroh's spot for the throne was almost completely set in stone.

This did not mean that Azulon's 'disappearance' would still not happen. Uncle Iroh had not experienced the same loss that he had before, but he had gotten a brief taste of it. He would still have a fighting chance when going against Ozai and he still respected his father. Lu Ten was the next available heir afterward. His path to victory was almost absolute.

Azula wondered how far she could go until Ozai would be backed into a corner and retaliate. His time was nearing. He would likely begin to get impatient.

She was jerked out of her thoughts when Ty Lee collapsed into her with a watering smile.

"I've missed you so much, Azula," she sobbed loudly, leaning into her with almost all of her weight. Azula tried not to move too much and pretended to frown.

"Yes, thank you for the concern," Azula noted dryly. Mai merely watched, unmoving.

"Welcome back," Mai replied, nodding her head. Ty Lee then suddenly whirled her about in a spinning frenzy until Azula nearly careened into a nearly column.

"Yes, yes, I'm still alive and well, Ty Lee, now put me down," Azula said, closing her eyes to ward off a sudden headache. Ty Lee placed her down, suddenly worried again.

"Oh, no! Are you still feeling sick?" She cried out.

"More like her lunch is going to be thrown up if you keep moving her like that," Mai told her, and Ty Lee's sudden endearing and tear-ridden face made Mai roll her eyes. "I'm glad to see you're alright, Azula."

Azula's heart twinged again, this time with guilt. She had not been kind to either of them throughout their entire journey together, and although they had been useful she knew that their form of 'friendship' was not a wholeheartedly good once. Her way of love showed in abusive, raging anger and then passive moments of peace.

She had seen Mai's far-off, cast away glances as she drifted away into the recesses of her own daydreaming. Ty Lee never questioned Azula but there were times when she showed a nervous but headstrong attitude depending on the situation, relying on a half-coaxing simper to sway Azula into her good graces.

Her guilt ebbed as she began speaking. "I've missed a lot. Care to tell me what happened in the Academy?"

As Ty Lee eagerly began spouting off stories that were utterly intangible and out-of-context to the lessons, Mai dropping subtle hints of the actual things they were supposed to be learning, Azula sat down and felt content just listening to them talk. They were good friends, she thought, propping her head on both hands and closing her eyes. She hoped that her abrasiveness wouldn't rip it to shreds.

Azula grew a year older. The Fire Nation prospered as her birthday soon passed over, and she was left to stew silently during the aftermath.

The dreams continued to occur sometimes, often when she was finished with an exceptionally tiring spar and decided to sleep it off and replenish her strength. Uncle Iroh continued to treat both war prisoners and the residents of former Earth country with the utmost care, but Azula could see that there were cracks beginning to seep through. The Fire Nation soldiers were attempting to cover up any incidents where they had been seen terrorizing the civilians, beating up shopkeepers and wrongfully imprisoning any wayward earthbenders trying to hide their powers.

Slowly the resistance was being snuffed out, and they would only be left with a husk of the stubbornness the Earth Kingdom prided itself on. Azula did not reflect over what she had done. She knew that no matter what she did, she could not save a country by herself.

The Fire Nation began siphoning heavily off of the Earth Kingdom's people. The taxes increased, and those who were not able to pay it were forced into direct servitude lest they be killed or starved. That was only the few who did not own any property to their name - but it caused much stress to those who would suffer the same fate if they did not work harder, and for longer hours.

Azula knew this was a foolhardy move on the Fire Nation's part. Eventually there would be another uprising that they would 'conveniently' be able to use their armies upon, and the cycle would repeat countless times on the further enjoyment of Azulon's reign. Her grandfather would condone these actions to the death, she knew, and there were politicians willing to do anything to gain more power.

There was no easy long-term solution for the people of Ba Sing Se.

Azulon was a complex character, as well. His reign was effective although cold to his people and even his closest family members, but at times Azula had been reminded of the kind actions he'd made. One was when Uncle Iroh had been mourning his lost son. Another had been his compliance in guiding Azula through her firebending himself, once Ozai had put in the effort to request his tutelage.

However, the Fire Lord had also been known for nearly annihilating the whole of the Southern Water Tribe. He had personally taken part in the conquering of various Earth Kingdom countries, expanding the continent while developing the war machinery needed to further his control. He was a great leader, but much like Ozai he was a terrible human being.

Azula still had not heard any news of Lu Ten and wondered if he had been injured at all during the siege. She did not have any reason to go seek him out other than to ask where Iroh could be, but even then she did not believe that Lu Ten would know the whereabouts of a high general. They were perhaps more lenient due to the spoils of their not-long-ago victory, but she assumed that Iroh would not be satisfied with that. Not while Azulon was still watching him.

Ozai had congratulated him once they had returned, but Azula had not seen them interact at all after that. They were both fully immersed in their own affairs, although at this point Azula did not know what.

Inwardly, Azula curled her lip. She was sure that Ozai had been stewing silently over Iroh's possible failure, but that plan had long passed and she was still glad for it. Now, she would have to focus on what happened next.

Her first thought came when her uncle came barreling in during one of her spars against her father, picking her up and spinning her about much like how Ty Lee had a few times before. In the process, Azula just barely ducked an incoming fire blast from Ozai's fist.

"Uncle, you nearly singed my hair off," Azula complained, and with a laugh General Iroh set her down. Ozai said nothing to him.

"I just wanted to see my little niece again. How have you been?" He asked, smiling. Azula eyed him.

"How did the battle go?" Azula asked instead.

That answer was expected, as Iroh did not miss a beat in his reply. "Well, it was a splendid battle, of course! There were many small disputes over which wall to break through, and diverting our troops caused much strain on the individual soldiers, but in the end we marched our troops straight through the streets of Ba Sing Se and took hold of their main capital with ease."

"I see," Azula replied, and in the corner of her eye she could see Ozai clench his fist. But she did not turn to face him, knowing that he would notice immediately.

"Ozai, let's go out and celebrate!" Uncle Iroh spoke eagerly. "The beaches to the north are wonderful at this time of year."

"Yes, the perfect weather. For one to freeze and drown in cold waters, at least," Ozai sneered.

"Aw, come on, what's a light splash gonna do you?"

"When a waterbender comes back to drag you underwater and into the depths, don't come crawling back to me to ask for help."

Iroh was wearing a large, imposing grin, and as she looked further to her own father she could see the hint of something beginning to form, exasperated and almost amused in kind.

The image struck her as profoundly absurd. Ozai was smiling.

Azula stared wide-eyed, mouth hanging open in shock at the way the two people she'd long known were interacting with each other, before realizing what she was doing and absconding as quickly as she could without interrupting them.

She blinked to process the situation. They were still talking, and Ozai had still not moved away in a huff.

As Azula slowly moved away from their sibling-feud before they turned into something that further broke her image of the people she had once known them as, she realized belatedly that Ozai did have a sense of humor, albeit a bit dry. Azula had never noticed the dynamic between them as brothers, most likely because they had never been together sharing a victory before. She had only ever witnessed the fighting part.

The thought frightened her a little to realize. She had not expected another side to him, one that she had never had the privilege of meeting.

It raised many questions that Azula had little to no evidence on solving.

What had happened to make Ozai become so cruel and ruthless? And when?

When Azula came to she was standing by the edge of the turtle duck pond once again, stone cobbled floor crunching gravel under her feet as she walked over them calmly. No one else was nearby and so she saw fit to peer into her reflection with contemplative intent as the surface rippled with movement.

She had always been so afraid of him when she was younger. He was an adult, and she was the helpless child ready to become his most faithful soldier. She was meant to be a successor, a Fire Lord, because that was what Ozai had wanted.

She had never come to know the reason why Ozai had wanted it so badly in the first place. His reasoning was out of her range of knowledge, and even in the end he had never saw it fit to explain to her the machinations of his plan, the power-hungry tyrant his character had been labeled as. He wanted control. Azula did as well.

But people were rarely ever that one-dimensional, and Azula herself had never took to looking past other people's first appearances. What she found to be useful, she used, and what she found could be manipulated she did so eagerly.

Talking to them, realizing why their hopes and their aspirations were what they were and how their reasoning had come to be? Azula needed to know.

For the rest of the day it continued to eat at her as Azula watched her companions laugh and joke around in carefree camaraderie. Mai looked at her once and nodded as if letting her know that her solitude was fine before returning to listening to Ty Lee rant about some feature about balancing on one hand.

That aspect of letting Ozai develop into a different person entirely - Azula had never expected that. She had never expected that Ozai could even have the capability of change. But if Iroh had lost his son and transformed into the kindest firebender she had ever known, then with enough force maybe her father could as well.

She had no expectations on that plan and quashed it before any stupid repercussions made its way into her mind. Even if Azula recreated all the aspects of loss that Iroh had faced during the war, that would likely not translate into a positive outcome. While Iroh was strong, able to persevere with emotional wounds and able to be flexible when faced with backlash, Ozai was impervious to anything but. He would publicly oust and humiliate anyone who dared offend him, and his pride was unsteady and false.

Ozai only respected the strong. Azula supposed that this was his only reasoning to acquiesce to his brother's wishes. But that blade was double-edged, and once Iroh fell out of favor once again Ozai would continue to make the same actions that caused much suffering to those around him, Azula included.

So warily, she returned to her friends while speculating the new thoughts taking form in her head. Perhaps, at some point, Azula could finally uncover the reason why Ozai had changed. And with that, she could finally let herself be at ease.

Azula has a long way to go before she encounters the Avatar. To be entirely transparent here, I would hope that Azula eventually breaks off from the shackles of loyalty to the Fire Nation once she gets what she needs. I'm thinking that she learns some forgiveness along the way, especially for herself.