Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, places, or things.

Chapter One – Into the Fire

Warm air heated by the boiling lake drifted in through the tiny barred window overhead. I felt sweat on my brow, but I was too lost in thought to care about such trifle things. It had been about a year since my failure during Sozin's Comet and since then, I haven't been able to firebend. Besides not being able to firebend, my mind has been fractured. Half the time I don't even know what's real and what is an illusion. At some point I was transferred out of the 'nice' health institute and placed under watch here. I've been vaguely aware of the guards and the way they treat me, but mostly I'm lost to myself.

A slight shuffle outside my cell drew the attention of my true self, but the rest of me didn't react. It was probably just a guard passing by, checking on all the inmates. Still, in a dark corner of my mind, I felt a bit afraid that he would open the door. When I first came here, the guards were all frightened of me. After all, they all knew me and what I was capable of. But after a while here, they began to see me as less and less of a threat. And then they found out I couldn't firebend. Now, the guards did whatever they wanted to me, whenever they wanted.

Suddenly, the door to my cell creaked open. I absently tested the strength of my shackles, as trepidation began to crawl back into my mind. I saw a flash of red robes and dark hair and instantly realized it wasn't a guard. My heartbeat steadied a bit; however, the astonishment of who it was made me hold my breath. It was Mai. The one ultimately responsible for my defeat and imprisonment.

Mai knelt before me, taking in my disheveled appearance and sighing even more despondently than usual. "What happened to you, Azula? The Azula I knew would never let herself go like this."

For the first time in almost a year, I felt rage building up inside of me. The very sight of Mai had rekindled a fire long dormant, and the way she looked down at me fueled it further. I remained silent, though, for I was still not completely in control of myself again. But the rage was slowly beginning to put me back together.

"Even your father, who had his bending and kingdom taken away is better off than you." Her voice, despite how low and morose it usually sounded, seemed to be genuinely sad and disappointed. "I couldn't believe that they had no luck trying to help you and just gave up…I feel sor-"

"Don't!" I snapped, finally regaining the poise and fury of who I used to be. "Don't you ever dare say that to me!" The shocked and startled look on her face was the most expressive I had ever seen it.

She moved her lips as if to say something, but nothing came out. She simply sat there in front of me, dazed, for quite some time before she got a grip on herself. "I see you didn't lose yourself like everyone thought you did. But…I really don't know if that's a good or bad thing."

"Mai, how could you betray me like that?! You made me question everyone. If I couldn't trust you or Ty Lee, who could I trust?" I felt the power of my firebending coming back to life in the heat of my anger. "It's your fault I'm in here."

"No, Azula. You brought this upon yourself. You're the one who drove us to 'betray' you. If only you didn't take after your father so much, things might be different." I could tell from the tone of her voice and the way she looked at me that she was genuinely sad that things had turned out this way. But if she was so remorseful, why did she do what she did? "You both aren't ones to listen to reason."

"You wanted me to turn my back on my father? On my nation? Zuko's a traitor, and I was only doing what was necessary at the time." The yearning to let the energy free was building up so rapidly that I could barely control it. Small azure flames began to leap from my fingertips, only to be snuffed out immediately afterward.

"That's not the case anymore, Azula. Zuko is Fire Lord now, and he's actually doing a really great job. Although, I don't think you'd appreciate his work. It's not quite up to you or your father's standards."

"I still see him as a disgrace to my family, along with my uncle." Memories of the battle at Ba Sing Se drifted back into my mind, bringing a smirk to my face. "I'm not at all surprised that he let Zuko be named Fire Lord. He probably made up some excuse about having to make tea or something and that he couldn't become Fire Lord. He was always one to avoid anything substantial. So, what exactly is he up to now anyway?"

Mai disregarded my condescending tone and shook her head in displeasure at what I said about the man. "I disagree with you about the man, but…you are right about his obsession with tea." A small smile played onto her features, but it quickly faded when she looked into my eyes. "He went back to his tea house in Ba Sing Se."

"I knew Uncle would never do anything important." I shifted my weight around in my bindings so that I was now sitting straight up, my back against the stone wall. "I'll have to pay him a visit and knock that sense of laziness out of him."

"At least he's free, unlike you and your father." Mai's snapped in Iroh's defense, much to my surprise.

A few moments of silence came between us, before I decided to change the subject to keep her talking to me. "Speaking of my father…where is he? And what was that about him not being able to firebend that you mentioned earlier?"

"He's in the prison near the palace. Zuko thought it would be best to keep you two separate. As for his inability to firebend, well, the Avatar did that to him." The mere mention of the Avatar threw even more fuel on the fire. He and Zuko were more troublesome to capture than any city in the Earth Kingdom.

"Father must have made a mistake to let that happen to him. What a fool." My snide remark toward my own father seemed to agitate Mai more than anything else I had said so far.

"If you haven't noticed, Azula, you must have made a mistake, too, since you're, ya know, in prison."

I looked her straight in the eye with an icy sense of indignation. "I still have my firebending."

"A lot of good that'll do you in this prison." The entire guard force was made up of firebenders, but they were nowhere near powerful enough to keep my bending in check.

"Come on, Mai." I went to raise my hands to gesture mockingly at the cell around us, but the shackles kept the secure behind my back. "You know they wouldn't be able to hole me if I really wanted out."

In a split second, Mai had a knife out and pressed it to my throat. "Maybe I should make that possibility disappear." Her unblinking, challenging stare was more fiery than I had seen in the past, and I knew exactly why.

"Calm down, Mai. You have nothing to fear from me." All of our years of friendship must have had a lot of influence on her, for she retracted her blade from my throat almost instantly. "I'm sure your uncle could easily keep me here. He actually does work, unlike my uncle, remember? You're letting your feelings for Zuzu get in between us again." Her and Ty Lee's betrayal ran vividly through both our minds, bringing up mixed feelings within both of us.

However, even though I knew she still cherished our friendship, I knew that she would always choose Zuko over me. And how could I blame her? "Only because I know he would be the first one you'd go after, if you ever got out."

"You said he's Fire Lord now. That means he's no longer a traitor, so why would I go after him now? Besides, he's not the one who bested me." Vague images of Katara passed before my mind's eye and caused the fury building within me to once again almost explode. "He was too weak to beat me. I'm no longer interested in what he does."

"You've never been one to give up on something before. Don't lie to me, Azula." Her voice was commanding and dreadful, almost sounding exactly how I used to before everything feel apart on me.

"That hurt, Mai." I feigned sorrow, as I rolled my eyes at such a ridiculous demand from her. "I would never lie to you. I really have no more interest in hunting Zuko." My eyes drifted down toward the floor before I continued in a soft voice. "He's merely a pawn."

"If I hear from my uncle that you've escaped, I will have no problem taking you out. Don't continue down your old path, Azula." Mai got up without saying another word, turned toward the cell door, and walked out. The metal creaking of the door hinge made me twitch slightly. And then I was alone again; left to rot in a prison cell for the rest of my life. Too bad I didn't feel like wasting the rest of my life like Father planned to.

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Even at night there was no relief from the hot air, but that was alright. It stimulated the raging fire inside me that demanded to be set free. Tonight was going to be the last time I ever saw this horrid prison and all its contemptible guards. Mai would be back in the capitol by now and wouldn't hear of my escape for at least a few days. Maybe even more if I got a bit…creative with my escape. Either way, I would be long gone once her and Zuko found out. Zuko might even send the Avatar after me, but I had my doubts about that. Mai would want to deal with me herself, without the help of some know-it-all kid.

I curled my fingers around so that the tips were touching the bands of my shackles. With violent yet controlled power, I released my energy and became a firebender once more. The familiar azure flames cast an eerie glow upon the falls of my cell, as they made quick and easy work of my bindings. With a distinctive pop, the shackles fell off my body, leaving me free for the first time in longer than I could remember. It felt wonderful to be rid of my constraints as well as being in full control of myself and being able to firebend again. I missed the sense of undeniable power it gave me.

The clamor of a key right outside my cell made me well up with anticipation and excitement. I snaked my arms around like I had done hundreds of times before, channeling my energy into my most potent attack. The crackle and screech of lighting filled the cell with its commanding presence. I heard the guard on the other side yell at me, but I couldn't understand his words. I was far too engrossed in the exhilarating feeling of having my power back. And before long, my attack was at full strength, and I let it free after being trapped for so long.

It ripped through the door as if it wasn't even there. I heard the guard scream while he attempted to avoid my violent outburst, but to no avail. The wall on the other side of the hallway was torn open, the remaining scraps melting away. As soon as the wall disintegrated, the prison alarm began to wail in the distance. Arcing lighting lingered around the tips of my fingers and sent a thrilling tingling sensation throughout my body. I was back, and there was nothing that could hold me back any longer.

Firebending guards ran toward my cell from down the corridor, as I made my way through the burning threshold that used to be the door. They launched a pathetic barrage of red-orange fire toward me, a palpable sense of fear throwing off their bending. With simple flicks of my wrists outward in both directions, I snuffed out the puny flames with my own bright azure ones. The ease in which I repelled their attacks froze them in their tracks. The all knew what I was capable of, yet their duty to the Fire Nation drove them to try and contain me. I held still for a few seconds, giving them a chance to abandon their duties and let me be on my way.

Much to my surprise, they all resumed their assault after only a few tension-filled seconds of decision-making. Flames sailed toward me in flaring walls, but there was nothing that could shake my confidence now. Instead of simply extinguishing their attacks, I punched through them with my own. Every surface my azure flames touched ignited despite the inflammability of the materials the prison was made out of. Power surged through me, flowing out of my extended arms in vicious thrusts. The few guards that challenged me soon either fell to my firebending or ran for their lives. It had been far too long since I had felt this kind of sweet release.

As I strode down the corridors, navigating my way toward the gondolas, I heard the warden's lively voice barking out orders. No doubt he was attempting to gather the veteran guards to act as a wall to keep me in. It mattered little to me if they decided to show themselves or not. Either way, I was making it out of this place tonight, and I would punish anyone who dared to get in my way.

The veteran guards decided to keep themselves out of my path for as long as possible, only appearing when I stepped out onto the platform for the gondolas. Fifteen of them stood between me and my freedom, with the warden frantically shouting from behind his so-called elite troops. "Princess Azula, I'm afraid I cannot let you leave this place." The warden, despite his imposing position, trembled faintly at the ferocious look in my eyes.

"So, you're still calling me 'princess'? Glad to see you still fear me enough to indulge me." Lighting began to crackle around my fingertips on its own, as if reacting to my next thought before it even entered my mind. "I want you to know it's still warranted."

I released the congregating lighting in a wide arc across the entire platform. The intensity of the attack illuminated the entire crater of the boiling lake, as well as the fearful faces of the guardsmen before me. One of the guards leapt out in front of the rest of the group, seeming to attempt to shield the rest of his comrades from my lighting volley. His right hand shot out toward me, and the lightning began to swirl into the tips of his index and middle fingers as if he were absorbing it. After all the blue-white lighting had disappeared into the man's body, he shot his left hand up toward the sky away from everyone. In a flash of blinding light, all of my lighting was redirected toward the shimmering night sky.

"I see the new Fire Lord has taught you some new tricks in case something were to happen with me. No matter…" Azure flames leapt out of the darkness around me, creating a thin barrier around my body. "You should know that's not my only trick." I felt my matted hair stand on end, as the fire around me twirled around it, enveloping it. Blazing fire began to blur my vision while even more of it began to erupt into life all around me. Soon, all that I could see and feel were the burning flames except the tiny black spots where the prison guards stood. With a ferocious roar, I propelled myself toward them like a raging inferno with the strength of my bending.

I could not see the terror etched on their faces, but, by the way they ran from me as I charged, I could clearly tell they were frightened. The man that had redirected my lighting, no doubt their leader right under the warden, held his ground against me. What a foolish mistake that was. He tried to stop my rapid advance by summoning what normal people would consider powerful firebending. However, all of his attacks simply dissipated as soon as they came into contact with my glorious azure fire. And, as soon as I was close enough to him, I merely batted him off the platform with a flame-swathed punch.

The other guards cried out for their officer over the thunderous roar of flames, but they, too, were soon silenced. I sent out a massive wall of fire that three mediocre firebenders could not halt. They somehow managed to keep themselves alive despite the magnitude of my attack, nevertheless, they were unable to do anything further in attempts to subdue me. The remaining firebenders all launched matching fireballs toward me. I skidded to a halt in front of their barrage, my right side facing them, and began to swirl my hand around counterclockwise. Every single one of the fireballs betrayed their masters and fell under my control instantaneously. None of them could stop me, as I sent their own attacks back at them tenfold.

Sporadic fires burned uncontrollably all about the platform, showing no other signs of life except myself and one other. Instead of speaking out against me as he had so boldly done when his guards were still protecting him, the warden seemed to want to run and hide. The manner of authority he usually carried himself with had vanished, leaving behind a pathetic frightened man. He had no bending skills of his own, and, even if he did, he knew better than to try anything more to try and stop me.

The flames around me began to shrink until they were barely visible, before finally ceasing to exist. "I've grown tired of your prison, warden. I'm leaving now." As I strode confidently past him, I shot him a wicked smile that sent him running for safety.

Once the gondola was to the other side of the boiling lake, I shot the cables allowing their travel with lighting. After all, I didn't want word of my escape to get out too early and have Mai and Zuko looking for me before I got anywhere. I started fussing with my hair as I listened to the crash of the gondola cables, trying to get it back into the style I had been so familiar with. Bits of cloth from my prison clothes worked well enough to secure my hair for the time being. Soon, though, I would finally have some real clothes and would have restored my royal bearing. No one could stop me, even if they recognized me.

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The night was unprecedentedly cool, especially after the heat of the boiling lake, but the long Fire Nation robes kept me comfortable. I wore my hair down to throw anyone I came into contact with off, as well as to aid in keeping the chill away. The day before I had washed up and gotten some new clothes, and I began to feel a little bit like myself again. There were still many conflicting thoughts swirling around my mind, but I tried as best I could to focus on the task at hand. I couldn't let myself fall back into the insanity that caused my downfall. There was no way I could allow myself to be so weak again.

Much to my surprise, the troops standing guard outside the palace prison were already taken out. I rushed over to their fallen forms, searching them for anything that would give me a clue as to who could have done this. At first, I didn't see anything that jumped out at me. But, upon further searching of the men, I found tiny darts pricked into their flesh. I cautiously tugged one out of one of the guard's neck and gave it a look over to see if it had any markings whatsoever on it. Nothing. This made absolutely no sense. No one would attack Fire Nation troops, unless…they wanted someone inside like me.

Fire ignited in my golden eyes, as I picked myself up and stormed off toward the prison complex. If the person or persons responsible for the death of the guards was still here and were after the same person I was, I would dispose of them—whoever they were. I didn't risk traveling through a nation that obviously knows my face, getting closer and closer to my brother, for nothing. The thought of me finding an empty cell made me want to just torch the place then and there, but I couldn't jeopardize my cover. Azure flames drifted around my fingertips, waiting impatiently for me to release my fury.

Rapid footsteps clamored down the stairwell in front of me. I quickly ducked away into a hallway to get out of sight, not knowing who was racing down the stairs. I held my breath as the small group of men rushed past the corridor I was hiding in. They were all wearing unassuming clothes that appeared to originate from the Fire Nation. As I pondered all the possibilities as to who these men were, I saw him. A few paces behind the last man ran my father.

He was smiling that wicked smile of his that he had passed down to me. My emotions raged out of control, threatening to send me spiraling back down into darkness. I tried to reign them in, to prevent me from slipping again, but met no success. The only thing I could remember was how he had left me all alone to unravel while he went out to conquer the world. If only he had let me be by his side, things might have turned out differently. Then again, if I had been by his side when the Avatar beat him, I might not have my firebending as well. But still...how could he do that to me?!

I singled my rage out from all my other turbulent emotions and latched onto it like my life depended on it. Azure fire crackled to life, as I leapt out from around the corner to ambush the group of escaping men. I unleashed my fury full-force upon them, desiring to rid the world of such wretched men, yet I could not bring myself to hurt my own father. My flames whipped around him so quickly that he didn't realize what was going on. The men breaking him out were instantly crushed by my attack, their screams disturbing the otherwise peaceful night.

Father skidded to a halt just before he hit the wall of flames, spinning around to face his attacker--me. "A-Azula?!" His voice was as commanding as ever, yet the shock of seeing me made him question his own confidence. "What are you doing here?"

"I've come to discuss some things with you, father. I'm glad I caught you before you disappeared." I kept the wall of flames burning so that he had no choice but to talk to me.

He took a long look at me and somehow saw past my calm exterior to my inner turmoil. "I can tell you're still not yourself, my daughter. You know you shouldn't be out and about in your condition. It's...dangerous."

"For who, father? You? Or me? Judging from the skittish look in your eye, I'd say you. I can handle myself." I could feel myself slipping back into the darkness of insanity, but I had to hold on if I was ever to be rid of it.

"That's what you thought before, Azula, and then you had that breakdown. I don't think you know how to handle yourself."

"And who's fault is that?!" The azure flames around us roared with restored vigor, almost drowning out the sound of my voice. "You're the one who brought me up to be like you. And then you abandoned me when I needed you most!"

My father shook his head as if he were disappointed in me. "Poor child. Is that what you really think of me? Some monster that gave up on his own daughter."

"Yes, because you are!" My rage pulled free from my control for a split second, and I had him by the collar.

He chuckled to himself, as he stared into my burning, confused eyes. "You may be right. But...the fact remains that you are responsible for yourself. Don't blame others for your inadequacies."

"You're lucky I don't kill you where you stand." Venomous hate dripped from my every word, threatening to overtake me as well as my father.

"Come now, Azula, you could never kill me." Somehow, my father made his voice sound soft and caring while he spoke such powerful words. "I'm your father. The one who actually raised you, unlike your mother. You rely on me too much to do anything to me."

"But I realize now that you never truly cared. You were just using me my entire life to get what you wanted, and I fell for it. Losing your mind brings your attention to all the little details of one's life." I felt a nervous tick in the back of my mind when I spoke about my own insanity. It made my body shake to remember just how far I had strayed from my path.

"It only took you how many years to figure that out? Your brother figured that one out a long time ago."

Images and thoughts from my interrupted coronation flashed in my mind, resurrecting some of those twisted emotions. "Don't bring Zuko into this. He has nothing to do with it."

"Oh, really?" He mocked in a condescending tone. "Then, tell me why you got so flustered when I mentioned him? Are you still bitter over the fact that he was crowned Fire Lord instead of you?"

"You know that has nothing to do with it!" I was at my limit for tolerating my father, and if he didn't stop messing around, I would put him in his place.

"What is it, then? Come on, refresh my memory."

The way he was treating me made me believe everything anyone had ever said bad about the man and that I had ignored. All I wanted to do was get the information I came for and be rid of him. "Just tell me where my mother is."

"Was that really so hard?" The fire in my eyes was about to manifest itself into my murder weapon. "You need to be more open with your feelings, Azula."

"Shut up!" Lightning crackled all around me, filling the room with its eerie glow, it's thunderous noise, and unrivaled power. All i needed to do was let it free, and I would no longer be in my father's shadow. My father just stood there with an impassive face as if he wasn't in any danger at all. His complete indifference caused my anger and frustration to break my concentration. I shot my right hand out at him, my pointer and index fingers aimed at his chest. In a split second it could all be over, and I felt so relieved that I was finally going to be free. But when I went to release the energy to end it all, it simply vanished. I was left standing there, in position to deliver the final blow, staring up into my father's eyes.

"What's the matter? Can't do it?" As I eased away from him, he smirked arrogantly. "I have no reason to fear you."

I tried to harness my firebending, to give him something he could fear, but nothing came. "Just tell me where my mother is."

"Why is it so important to you children to find your mother? First Zuko and now even you." He let his posture relax, as he spoke, which gave away the fact that he had feared what I would do. "I'm actually quite confused as to why you would wish to see her."

"I have my reasons. Now, tell me where she is!"

"Since you're so persuasive," Once again he mocked me, but there was something different about it this time. "I'll tell you. She's in a small village near Ba Sing Se. You've been so close to her before, but you never knew it. Your brother was quite frustrated at learning this little bit of information."

The hopes of my plan being successful were already beginning to wither. "So Zuko has already seen her?"

"No. If he had, he would have already brought her back here, since her Banishment would no longer matter."

Doubts began to fill my head about the validity of his information. "Why are you being so straightforward with me now?"

"I have my reasons." He sneered, obviously trying to provoke me into another impotent humiliation.

Before I could do anything, we were alerted of incoming guards by the sound of their hurried footsteps. "You'd better leave, Azula. You don't want to go back to prison with me, do you?" I gave him a long, hard look and then strode toward the back entrance behind my father. Once he was behind me, I heard a sharp scraping sound and the crunch of gravel under foot directly behind me. I spun around to see my father lunging toward me. Stunned, I couldn't react for what seemed like minutes until he put a hand on my left shoulder.

His touch snapped me out of my daze, and sent me tumbling into action. I threw my left arm upward, knocking his big hand off my shoulder and up into the air. While his right arm was out of the way, I hit him in the stomach with a quick jab before he could block with his left. The blow did more damage to him than I thought it would. He staggered backwards a few steps and then just glared at me. Without thinking, I kicked him in the stomach with enough force to knock him back against the wall.

As he floundered on the ground in pain, I towered over him with a contemptuous glare. "You've grown soft, father." He looked up at me through his tangled mess of hair and spat at me. I easily dodged it, kicking him in the ribs for his cowardly act. "Prison life is the best way to make you suffer for what you have done."

"You're going to regret this, Azula…" He shakily tried to defiantly stand back up in front of me, but I pinned him to the ground with the hell of my boot.

I shoved his face down against the dusty ground, leaning down to speak directly into his left ear. "Have fun rotting in this prison, father." Grinding my heel against his should, I spun away from him and ran off toward the rear exit of the prison.