Welcome to the prologue of Avatar: The Legend of Azula. This is a Avatar Azula Fanfic with a twist that you'll see immediately in this first chapter.

Summary: One simple act has altered the world around her. Now with the duty of being the Avatar, master of all four elements, can Azula save a world at war? Azula as the Avatar plot with a twist. Sokkla.

Avatar: The Legend of Azula

By Nerdman3000

Prologue

What do you do when an act of duty becomes the worst mistake of your life. It's hard for anyone to comprehend the significance of the mistake until it's too late, and the consequences have already doomed you.

For Fire Nation Princess Azula, this mistake would change not just her life, but all of existence. A simple act, like killing the Avatar while he is in the Avatar State during her conquest of Bai Sing Sai would have great fundamental changes to the world around her.

So here she was, in a conquered land, standing in front of what appeared to be a thousand very angry Avatars, all dead and glaring down at her. She herself had just killed the one before her, a young boy named Aang. She had killed him with a bolt of lightning to his back. She had killed the Avatar, and now it seemed she was going to pay dearly for it.

One would expect a person in the situation Azula was now in to cower in fear, break down crying, or attempt to go on her knees in forgiveness. Instead she just stood there, glaring back at them. She was too proud to do such weak things as beg. She had killed the Avatar for her nation and her father, why should she be asking for forgiveness.

Although a thought did occur to her, was she somehow in the Avatar State?

Moments before she had been in the chamber of crystal under the great city, during her great conquest. Now she appeared to be in some cloudy place, standing before the avatars of past.

Suddenly what seemed like a thousand voices all yelled out simultaneously "FIRE PRINCESS AZULA! YOU HAVE BROKEN THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE SPIRIT WORLD AND THE MORTAL WORLD! THIS ACT HAS WEAKENED THE FABRIC OF REALITY SO MUCH THAT IT MAY NEVER RECOVER!"

"Do you need to be so loud?" She bitterly replied, desperately trying to cover her ears.

The glares intensified in response.

"THE AVATAR IS MEANT TO BE A BRIDGE TO THE TWO WORLDS. YOU HAVE DESTROYED THAT BRIDGE! THE KEYS TO EXISTENCE HAVE FALLEN! UNLESS WE ACT, THE WORLD WILL DIE!"

Azula sneered, yet began to doubt herself at the words.

"YOU EVIL ACT AS GIVEN US A OPPORTUNITY WE CANNOT AFFORD TO AVOID. KNOW THAT THIS OPPORTUNITY IS BOTH TERRIBLE AND GOOD. WITH THE WORLD BEING DESTROYED AROUND US, YOU LEAVE US NO CHOICE BUT TO USE IT. WITH THE FABRIC OF REALITY WEAKENED AS IT IS, AND THE OPPORTUNITY IN FRONT OF US, YOU MUST NOT BELIEVE YOUR PUNISHMENT SHALL BE FORGOTTEN."

For once at these words, Azula gulped in the first signs of fear. Had she really broken reality so much that it now was in danger of destruction?

"YOUR PUNISHMENT WILL BE YOUR REDEMPTION. IN THE NEW WORLD TO BE MADE, YOU WILL SERVE AS IT'S AVATAR. WELCOME AVATAR AZULA TO THE AVATAR CYCLE."

Azula yelled in pain, as her eyes glowed white, as the world around her was completely altered.

Azula woke up in her bed in a gasp.

She carefully looked around the room trying to calm herself from the bad dream. She looked around desperately for anything familiar, before sighing in content when she spotted her brother Zuko sleeping peacefully in his own bed not too far away.

"Just a nightmare Azula, no need to go so scared." she muttered to herself.

She ran a hand over her head, removing all the sweat it could claim, before she shivered from the cold around her. While the noise of the ship's engine may not have bothered her, the coldness of the region the ship was traveling to sure did.

Sighing once again, Azula got up and carefully began to put on some boots and a coat, trying as best not to wake her brother, while at the same time creating a small blue flame with her right hand to warm herself.

Walking toward the door, she heard a soft voice catch her by surprise.

"Azula? What are you doing awake?" Zuko softly asked, the tiredness clear as day in his voice. The worn scar on right eye that he received when he was little shown slightly.

She looked over to him and smiled softly. "Don't worry about me Zuzu. I'm just going to see if I can find mother before we approach New Hama."

He somewhat tiredly nodded before going straight back to sleep with little difficulty.

Leaving the room carefully, Azula walked through the Fire Nation Rebel ship, trying as best to avoid the awed gaze of all the crew who walked by her. The fourteen year old girl hated the looks, but she could hardly avoid them. They were everywhere she went ever since she had discovered who she was two years previously. It was when everything had changed for her.

Azula finally found her mother's quarters and knocked politely. She was met with silence for a moment before the door open to reveal her mother's maid, Lin. The old woman smiled at her and bowed respectively.

"Is my mother here?" Azula asked.

"I'm afraid not my lady, she is on the deck with Fire Lord Iroh." The old maid replied respectively with another bow. Azula just nodded and began to head there. The deck was on the other side of the large ship, and it did give her time to think and access the situation she was currently in.

It was one of the many things her father had taught her before the assassination attempt when she was little that had separated her family. The very same attempt that had scared her brother and killed her grandfather. Since then, she had never seen her father, not since her mother took her and Zuko away. Not since her mother joined the very rebels who had attempted to kill the Royal family. Although she could hardly blame her mother. The Fire Nation was losing the war.

Or was it the Phoenix Empire now? Wasn't that what her father had declared only two years previously when he had announced the birth of her half-brother Zu-Lang after he had married that whore who was now technically her stepmother. Was it not the day that her father Ozai had declared himself the Phoenix King to the remnant of his once great nation.

The Phoenix Empire, as it was now called, had to deal with a war against the Water Alliance, The Earth Republic, and the Air Remnant, as well as a civil war with the New Fire Nation, of which her uncle was Fire Lord to. While it was true the Phoenix Empire was fighting against a united world, their brutal genocide tactics and their far advanced war technology did give them a huge advantage. The only downside to this is that most public option in the Phoenix Empire was both against the war and the Phoenix King. It wasn't that surprising that Sozin was one of the most hated Fire Lords of today, especially by his own people. The only reason why most didn't simply join the side of the rebellion were that they were terrified they would be killed by the Phoenix Empire.

Sadly that was the way of the world today, people living in fear of death. The world had changed since the attempted attack on the Air Nomads during Sozin's comet. While it was true many Air Nomads had survived through the efforts of Avatar Aang, a large percentage hadn't been saved. Aang, as history remembers would then create the Air Remnant, marry his wife Malu, and create a family line that currently governs the Air Remnant. His efforts would change the course of the war, having saved an entire race of people. Aang was also famous for rediscovering the art of energybending. He would die at the age of twenty eight, protecting his family.

After Aang came Avatar Hama, the avatar famous for reuniting the North and South Water tribe to create the Water Alliance as well as completely destroy the Fire Nation's Navy to a point where it would never fully recover. Although the Alliance was essentially a merger of the two tribes, many of the customs still stayed the same. She was also know for developing the art of bloodbending. What was formally known as the capital of the Southern Water Tribe was now named after her, and was in fact the very place the ship Azula was in was heading to. Hama would later on die in the Great Battle of Jezing Bay, the largest naval battle ever recorded in history, and the very battle Hama would die through self sacrifice.

Then you have Avatar Long Feng. He was the Avatar who would be most famous for completely overthrowing the corrupt Earth Kingdom Government and turning it into the world's first fully realized Democracy. He would also be famous for completely driving out the Fire Nation from the Earth Republic. Since then the Fire Nation, and later on the Phoenix Empire, had much difficulty entering the Earth Republic. This act was one of the main reasons for the civil war the Phoenix Empire now faced with the New Fire Nation.

The New Fire Nation, lead by none other than Former General Iroh and Former Fire Lady Ursa, was the response the fact that the Fire Nation had been losing the war. At its heart was Azula herself, the current Avatar after Long Feng's assassination. While only fourteen, Azula was already a Master of the elements Fire and Air, but had yet to learn both Water and Earth. Her young airbending teacher, Tsubasa was currently on the ship with her. The nineteen year old airbending master was the granddaughter of Avatar Aang and the daughter of his youngest son Bumi. Tsubasa's uncle, Tenzin, was the current leader of the Air Remnant.

Together, the four nations made up what was known as the United Coalition Forces. An early version of this coalition had been created by Avatar Hama and later improved upon by Avatar Long Feng. Once the civil war began in the Fire Nation, her uncle Iroh, later forcing himself to be declared Fire Lord of the New Fire Nation, sent a message to all the other nations to create a League of those Nations to battle the Phoenix Empire. Although the Water Alliance and the Air Remnant had officially joined the Coalition thus far, the Earth Republic technically was only an ally and had yet to completely join, although Iroh remarked that there were close to joining. Azula's cousin Prince Lu Ten was helping to negotiate the deal with the current Prime Minister of the Earth Republic.

Sighed to herself, Azula stopped in her tracks as she exited through a metal door into the extremely cold deck. She noticed the ocean around her was now covered in glaciers and ice, something that wasn't there last night at dinner. Then again she shouldn't be so shocked considering the ship they were on was state of the art.

Using her firebending and airbending to warm herself a little more, Azula strolled further along the deck until she caught a glimpse of her mother arguing with Tsubasa about something. Gracefully walking, yet shivering on her way, Azula eventually reached them.

"-I'm telling you, your wrong! There is no way the Coalition will view her as such. They know she's too important for that!"

"You don't know that Ursa! We are in a war, and war's have costs."

"Uh, mother?" Azula interrupted the argument between the two women before it could go any further. Both looked at the young Avatar and Azula noted her mother's eyes softening a bit. This, like always, confused Azula.

The fact that her mother acted like she cared for Azula really felt to her unusual, considering it had been the exact opposite when Azula was younger. When Azula was little, she had always thought her mother viewed her as a monster. Yet suddenly an assassination attempt on the family occurs, and Ursa leaves, taking bother Azula and Zuko with her, and suddenly the woman is acting like she really cares.

"Azula what are you doing awake so early?" Ursa asked her daughter patiently.

Looking away slightly, she mumbled "I had a nightmare."

Ursa reached out and ran her fingers through her daughters hair gave her a small hug. The show of affection caused Azula to mentally gag. The woman was treating her like she treated Zuko for Agni's sake!

Tsubasa just gave her old student a smirk as she noticed her discomfort. After Ursa pulled away, Tsubasa messed up Azula's long hair, to the annoyance of the young girl.

"Hello my favorite little brat. Or should I say, great young Avatar." Tsubasa gave a mocking bow at the end of her sarcastic greeting, while emphasizing the word young. She then gave a swift nod to Ursa and left, leaving the mother and daughter to bond.

Azula glared at the woman as she left. She then turned to face her mother who smiled down at her. A small moment of silence was present before Azula asked "How long before we reach New Hama mother."

"We should be there within the hour." Azula just nodded quietly and questioned further "Who will be my waterbending teacher?"

"We hope to have the New Hama's Chief Hakonda as your teacher, and you'll be training along with his daughter Katara." Ursa answered, noticing the way her daughters face crumbled up in annoyance.

"Great, let me guess, she's an Avatar fangirl." Azula bitterly asked. Ursa sighed.

"Azula, I hope you can make friends with her. She and her brother are around your age and-" Ursa began before Azula snapped at her "I don't need any friends! Mai and Ty-Lee are fine enough!"

"Azula, you know Mai and Ty-Lee can't be here with us. Mai's father is still loyal to Ozai, and Ty-Lee joined the Circus." Ursa stated calmly.

"Don't you think I know that! Everything in my life is the way it is because I'm the AVATAR! I HATE IT!" the avatar yelled at her mother, who sighed in defeat.

"Please Azula, at least try, for me." the former Fire Lady begged her daughter.

Azula glared at her mother and clenched her jaw. "Fine." she snapped at her.

Storming away from the woman who had birthed her, Azula headed toward the bridge, her favorite sport on the ship. The Bridge.

She didn't know when she developed the liking she had for steering a ship. It must have been during the many times she had been on the ship after her mother took Azula and Zuko from her father. It was a unusual hobby of hers.

Azula knew everything about how a ship was run, and sometimes people commented she would be a great sailor. She usually just huffed in annoyance.

Entering the bridge, she groaned when she spotted her uncle drinking a cup of tea, looking over the horizon. The crew all acknowledged her with a salute or bow, which like always got on her nerves. Her uncle turned to her and smiled lightly.

"Hello niece. Would you like some Jasmine Tea, I know it's your favorite." Iroh greeted with a chuckle. She glared at him for that. In her mind, it was his fault for getting her to like tea. It was because of this that many had remarked that Azula was almost like a miniature Iroh. She really couldn't go a week without some type of tea because of the old man.

"Damn you Uncle. You poisoned my mind with your tea obsessions!" she sneered at him. He just gave her a big belly laugh and passed her a cup of tea.

"Why niece, should you not be thankful." The look of anger she gave him intensified. As she brought the tea to her mouth, she yelped, exclaiming that it was too hot. Running a quick had over the water, she released a cool current of air to cool down the tea with a proud smirk on her face.

'Sometimes airbending is just too wonderful.' she thought.

"Why Azula, you look exceptionally beautiful today. You look just like your mother." Iroh remarked. She huffed when he mentioned her mother, who she was very angry at.

"I'm not that pretty Uncle." She looked at herself in a nearby mirror, trying to self-convey her point and utterly failing.

Azula was truly a delicate, but beautiful young woman. Her skin was pale, her eyes golden. Her skin smooth and her body tiny and lean. Her long raven black hair went all the way to her waist. She remembered when she was little and she used to tie her hair up in a nice braid, but as she got older, she began to let it fall.

Other than the boots and large fluffy coat, she was dressed in a winter nightgown, made especially for the cold weather, although she much preferred the nice silk nightdress she owned and wore when they went to the Air Temple, or even back home. Heck, even her airbending clothes were better than the heavier ones she currently wore.

While she may have been for what boys called, for lack of the better terms, hot, she did not feel like it. Maybe it was just her low self esteem. She didn't know.

"You look much like you're grandmother as well my niece. " Her uncle continued on, oblivious to her thoughts.

"Oh, ah yes, of course Uncle." Nodding away, completely oblivious to his words. She was too busy starring at herself in the mirror.

Iroh sighed however, knowing she wasn't paying attention.

"Azula, would you like to go to have breakfast with me?" Iroh politely asked of the young girl.

"What?" she snapped her head at him, finally out of her own inner thoughts.

"I said, would you like to have some breakfast with your dear old uncle." Iroh repeated.

"Um, sure Uncle. Should I get Zuzu?"

"Don't worry niece, Zuko will come when he's awake." Iroh answered. Inside he was pleased however that his niece and nephew were at least getting along. Compared to how they used to behave with each other, it was a warm relief to his heart. With Lu Ten currently negotiating a alliance with the Earth Republic, Iroh did not mind spending time with his niece and nephew, both of whom he loved dearly. He was however sadden by the news that his niece was the Avatar, and feared others might try to use her as a weapon against his brothers Empire.

Together the two exited the bridge and walk side by side to the mess hall. The walk was quiet and peaceful. Yet Azula was lost in thought.

A lot had changed since Azula had first learned she was the avatar after she at the age of twelve year old girl who accidently waterbended a puddle. She had grown from a small girl into a young woman.

Yet something in the back of her mind always plagued at her. It felt as if the world around her wasn't right. That it was wrong.

She had never encountered any of her past lives, although she once had a strange dream, of what she believed was a young Aang, together with two water tribe peasants, and a blind earthbending girl, being chased by her brother Zuko. The dream had bothered her because she had sometimes seen herself, fighting against Aang. She had killed him in one such dream.

When she had addressed this to her uncle, he had relayed to her that perhaps the dreams weren't meant to be taken literal, but to see it as having a deep meaning. She really couldn't see any meaning.

The world was at war, and she realized to end it, she would have to fight her own father. That scared her.

In her great world, people could bend the elements. Water, Earth, Fire, and Air. Long ago her great grandfather had started a war against the three other nations of the world. This act would divide the world. In this hundred year war, four avatars reigned. Each completed a task that helped advance the war against the Fire Nation, and later the Phoenix Empire. She, Azula, was the fourth Avatar in this hundred year war. The Avatar of Fire.

Two years ago, she everyone had discovered that she was the next Avatar in the cycle. Although the world needed her most, she really wasn't ready to save anybody. Everyone else thought she could save the world. She thought the opposite. Now of all the people in the world, she really was the last person who could save it. Perhaps she would prove herself wrong?

This was Azula's turn. Her own legend to lead.

The Legend of Avatar Azula.

Author's Note: Welome to the Legend of Azula. This story is my take on the Azula is the Avatar story, but with one major twist. Azula is technically the Avatar since at the end of Season 2 of ATLA, Azula really did kill Aang, forcing the past Avatars to alter and attempt to fix reality, but as punishment for killing Aang, Azula is made the Avatar in this new timeline they were forced to create. Note however, this will later on have huge effects on the story.

I've always loved the Azula is the Avatar fan storyline. I've liked this storyline ever since I read 'A Twist of Fate' by Akatsuki Leader13. So I did my own take on it. The whole universe being rewritten thing actually only came to me a few days ago, and I rewrote the story I had in mind to include it.

Now if you're wondering why everything seems so different from canon, it has to do with what is called the butterfly effect. This story by the way will be a Azula and Sokka pairing.

Now as for why Long Feng being an Avatar, and somehow turning the Earth Kingdom into a Democracy, think of it this way. First, he was the Avatar, so how he views the world is already different, plus the fact that Avatar Hama was considered a hero to him, and he turns up to be her successor, and you get a man who in canon was manipulative and evil and suddenly in a new timeline he's the good guy.

In case your wondering, the Zula of the new timeline does not remember her life from the old canon timeline. She sometimes has nightmares and dreams from the old timeline, but for the most part, she has no knowledge of it. That's not to say it will stay that way.

I really hoped you liked it and I hope you review.