Seetang

Just like every teenager from a vaguely influential family that resided on Ember Island, Chan had invited you to his party. He did this sometimes, to boast with his father’s importance and reaffirm his position as most important teenager around.

You would think that there would be at least a few people here you could talk to, but most guests did not think less of themselves than Chan. That left you standing beside a table with your drink in your hand, appreciating the furniture. Very intricate woodwork, yes.

After some time of standing and exchanging occasional greetings with a few people, you saw two friends of yours! Finally! You quickly made your way up to them, meeting them in the middle of the hall, and spoke with audible relief: “Zao, Soko, I am SO happy to see you! I had no idea Chan invited you too.”

They smiled at your words: “Oh, hi y/n!”, Zao began, and Soko continued: “You know, my father got a promotion at court a few weeks ago, and it seems Chan now deems us worthy to join his illustrous group of rich teenagers.” She gave you a grin and hugged Zao’s arm a bit more tightly.

Then you remembered. Oh. Yeah. They were not just your friends, they were a couple too. And during a party, a couple naturally had better things to do than to entertain their single friend. A few more sentences of small talk were exchanged, but they quickly left to some unattended corner to do couple-things. You didn’t look for your own good.

Instead, you continued living your life of a notorious third wheel that doesn’t have anyone to talk to and looked around the room from your new location in the middle of the hall. Hm. The room did look pretty different from here. You hadn’t even noticed that the curtains leading to the balconies were open. You were actually pretty certain they had been closed when you entered.

Upon closer inspection it appeared that someone had opened them after you had first looked (you never would have guessed). It was another couple that was now making out on the balcony. You were about to let out a long sigh of singleness when you noticed - was that Chan? With a foreign girl? A beautiful foreign girl so pretty it almost made you jealous?

No, this was not the time to get caught up in Chan’s affairs. He did not appreciate that, and he made sure everyone knows that. So you left and went back into the hall, a weird feeling in your gut after seeing that scene on the balcony.

But as if you did not suffer enough already, the image of the girl outside, Chan’s smug lips on hers, did not leave your mind. And as time went on, your thoughts on the matter became pretty clear, despite not knowing anything: this girl, whoever she was, was far too good for Chan and you had every right to be jealous! Against your better knowledge, you decided to take one more look at her.

But as you made your way back to a point from where you could peek through the gap in the curtains, you noticed something peculiar. Chan stood in the hall again, but not with her. He was already flirting with some other girls, apparently completely unfazed by the fact he had just kissed someone else.

When you walked past them, you overheard him speaking: “Yeah, she’s crazy, I tell you. Kissed me once and then rambled about world domination and stuff. I swear, my kisses are just too good, they make lonely people like her lose their minds.” Of course the girls laughed at that, and it went on like that. The sight of him talking down on her made you angry, and even more determined to find her.

You made your way over to see if she was still on the balcony, and sure enough she was. Alone, shoulders slightly slumped, head lowered. Seeing her stand out there like that made something in your heart clench. You apparently cared for her more than you thought, for reasons you dared not yet admit. Normally you were not the most outgoing type, but in this situation - a beautiful girl stood up by an arrogant dork - it wasn’t about your comfort zone. Real chivalry was needed, and you would provide it.

Taking a breath, you pushed the curtain to the side and stepped onto the balcony. The girl heard your steps and turned around lightly, looking as if she might snap, but when she noticed that you were not Chan, her face changed into one of mild confusion, maybe annoyance. Her eyebrows were furrowed and the look she gave you was a suspicious side eye at best. But dear God, she was even more beautiful than you imagined.

With a heart beating very rapidly and a ton more nerves than you expected to feel, you briefly considered turning on the spot and fleeing, but you stood your ground. “Hey.” Your word hung in the air, and even though you were pretty nervous, it came out relatively calm. Congratulations. You talked to her.

She turned to you fully, and after a few agonising seconds of silence, she replied: “Hey.” She looked at you, arms crossed and eyes glaring, as if deciding whether to take her anger on Chan out on you or hear you out. But you noticed that there was something beneath her annoyed facade too, something that was probably pretty hurt by Chan. And it made you want to help.

So you said, trying to keep your tone light-hearted: “So, um, what’s your name?”

“I am Azula.”

“Ah, very nice to meet you. Er, do you come to Chan’s parties often?”

“No.”

“I see, haha… I’ve never seen you on the island, are you from here?”

“No.”

“Okay, so, what made you come here?”

“I was forced to take a break from the frontline.”

Geez. This was going to be more difficult than you expected, but you refused to quit. And you had a feeling that she didn’t want you to quit either, despite her repellent behaviour.

“Forced… from the frontline?”, you asked, cautiously. She did not look older than you, and as far as you were concerned, nobody your age was allowed to enter the army.

At that the girl, Azula, let out a sigh, as if what she was about to say was completely obvious: “Yes, the frontline. And yes, they had to *force* me to leave because if it went my way, I would much rather fight for the Fire Nation with my impeccable firebending abilities than to waste time here doing nothing. The soldiers are probably already waiting for my return because they can’t get anything done without me.”

Wow. That was a level of boasting you hadn’t even witnessed from Chan, and it caught you so off guard you didn’t even mind it. Somehow, the way she did it made it charming, even. But that might just be you finding everything Azula did charming. Anyways, you managed not to laugh, and instead raised an eyebrow, getting an idea: “You are a firebender? Prove it.” You grinned into your words, suddenly very curious about her supposed skills.

She did not hesitate. Every bit of a grin you had vanished instantly as she, with a choreographed punch into the air, sent a blue ball of fire flying towards the beach, illuminating the sand in flimmering blue for a few moments. Wide eyed, you watched as she turned back to you, a smug grin on her face. “There. That’ll teach you not to doubt me again.” If you had felt some small infatuation because of her looks before, it had now grown into genuine admiration for her skill - and for how effortless she made it look.

You swallowed once. “That’s- that was so cool.” You knew that this formulation didn’t exactly do her display of firebending skill justice, but it was honest, and you immediately followed it up with your next, almost excited, question: “Can you show me the move again? How you did it?”

Azula looked at you for a moment, and it was clear that normally giving some random person an instruction for firebending moves was beneath her, but the way you said it with genuine amazement at her skill pleased her and made her humour you. “Hm. I’ll do it, but only once, so look closely.” You did. She made the movements in slow motion again, and you tried copying them, accidentally knocking a small lantern off the balcony. You flushed red in embarrassment, as Azula could barely hold back laughter.

“Eh… look, I made a flame move too…” was all you were able to say, trying to come up with anything funny. To your surprise, Azula actually laughed out loud at that, wheezing wildly and having to grip the railing of the balcony for support. Wiping a tear from the corner of her eye, she looked up again: “Wow, that was terrible. You’re so funny. What was your name again?” A bit surprised but very much happy she asked, you answered: “y/n.”

“Well then, y/n. With your moves I wouldn’t want to miss out on a dance.” She promptly grabbed your wrist and dragged you inside. You could almost not believe your luck until she added: “By the way, if you embarrass us, I’m doing target practice with you.” It was clear what that meant. But at the moment you were too happy with how things went to be scared.

After that, time passed in a blur. You danced, chatted, wandered around Chan’s mansion and the beach a bit… until most partygoers decided it was time to go. A group of people who you assumed to be her friends came to pick Azula up and go together, which meant you had to act fast, no matter your nerves. “Azula, how long will you stay on Ember Island?”

“Three days, then a ship picks us up.” Something in your stomach tightened at these news. But still. “That’s not long… where do you live here?” She gave you a once-over, as if assessing your trustworthiness. Then, she spoke, raising an eyebrow: “Do you know Lo and Lee?”

Your mind worked hard for a moment. Then, it clicked: “Ah, you mean the old twins? Of course! Would it be okay if-” you stopped yourself. You had seen what kind of person Azula is, that demure approach won’t cut it. “I would like to pick you up tomorrow. To show you around the island and the town. At two?” Your heartbeat was so heavy and fast you were surprised it wasn’t visible through your shirt at this point.

Once again, Azula mustered you. You could see how she evaluated this evening’s experiences with you. Then, a smirk crept up on her face again. “At four. And if you do well, you will have the honour of treating me to dinner. See you tomorrow, y/n.”

It actually made you, who was known for always being happy anyways, SO happy that people became suspicious. When you were asked about it, you shrugged it off and blamed the sun. You said the weather had been better recently. Which was an odd thing to say in the fire nation where the sun always shone, but given your naturally positive attitude people didn’t question further.

You were so taken up by your blissful thoughts that you did not notice you were not alone until you stood before Zuko and Ty Lee, who were… chatting? Seeing the cheerful Ty Lee and the grumpy Zuko engaged in harmless talk was unusual. But your confusion quickly dissolved as Ty Lee shot you a wide smile and waved excitedly: “Hiii y/n! We’re waiting for Mai to try on a new dress! Wanna wait with us?”

You smiled back, which made Ty Lee and you smile in unison. The sight made Zuko cringe. “A new dress for Mai? How, um nice!” Even though you normally would not have hesitated to join your friends, you currently had more pressing matters to tend to. Very royal and very girlfriendy matters.

While you thought of an excuse to get away, you heard Zuko mumbling frustratedly that he had just gotten used to the old dress of Mai and he found all of this fuss about a new dress highly unnecessary. He would have rather gotten her something that didn’t change her so much, like a houseplant. Then it hit you, and you mentally thanked Zuko. “I would really like to join you, but I have to water some plants in the garden!” Right after you had said it, you mentally facepalmed yourself as it was obvious this was not your job but the gardener’s one, but you just started walking again. “So, see you!” You waved and smiled innocently to not raise any suspicions.

Just when you had reached the end of the corridor and thought you had gotten away, you heard Zuko’s voice calling: “By the way, y/n…”

“… yes?”

“Have you seen Azula? We couldn’t find her anywhere.”

“That happens quite often lately…” Ty Lee chimed in, tapping a finger on her chin in thought.

You begged your brain to give you any acceptable answer. “Um. She’s probably training, right?”

“We checked the whole training grounds. She was nowhere to be seen.”

You slowly inched through the door while responding: “Uhh then she was probably changing when you were there? Anyways, she is definitely not in the garden, haha! Um, bye!”

You quickly hurried away to not make this even worse, leaving Zuko and Ty Lee staring down the empty hallway in confusion. But, luckily for you, they soon got distracted by Mai who stepped out of her room to show her grumpy boyfriend and her absolutely amazed bestfriend her new dress.

After a few more paces, you had reached the entry to the garden. You took one last, careful glance around, making sure nobody was close, and then stepped outside. You felt the yellowish light of the sun hit your skin, making you feel even more energised and excited than you already were. You went into the garden, your eyes scanning the surroundings for any trace of your girlfriend, and finally, you spotted her at the pond, looking at the turtle ducks. This seemed to be her favourite spot here.

You walked up to her, and, just as she was starting to turn around, enclosed your arms around her in a gentle embrace. You couldn’t resist it, your joy at seeing her again was simply too much. She huffed in feigned annoyance and pushed at you a bit as if to get you away, but you knew she secretly loved being hugged by you. Nobody else did that, after all.

Azula eventually gave in, leaning into you slightly, her expression softening. When you let go, though, she quickly put on her tough exteriour again and crossed her arms in front of you. “I see you are already trying to make it up to me for being late. What took you so long, y/n?” Her offended tone was likely a cover up for the fact that she had been getting anxious when you didn’t show up right on time.

“I’m sorry, Azula. Ty Lee and Zuko stopped me. They wanted to show me something, but I turned them down. I promise I came over as fast as possible.” Then, your face lit up again. “And I am so happy to see you again, it has been far too long since our last rendez-vous!”

“...”

“...”

“That was yesterday, y/n.”

You answered by grinning and giving Azula a small kiss on the cheek, to which she replied first with a scoff at your overaffectionate nature, before giving you a small kiss on the cheek too, of course with a face that put emphasis on how ‘annoyed’ she was. She would never admit it, but secretly she was incredibly thankful that you always made the first moves. Of course you knew anyway.

After that, you strolled through the garden, watched the turtle ducks, regarded the plants, all while chatting over everything and anything that went through both your heads. For you, it was mostly her you thought of, so a never ending waterfall of praise and adoration left your mouth - much to Azula’s satisfaction.

You spent the whole afternoon in the garden. After all there was nowhere else you’d desire to go when you already were with each other. You forgot time - and you also forgot that you had a group of friends that could come looking for you both if you stayed away for too long.

And so it happened that, in your little garden paradise, seated in an arbor, Azula and you suddenly heard footsteps. Azula immediately was on guard, as if faced with an approaching band of earthbenders. She, currently sitting on your lap, and DREADING the thought of being seen like that, pressed one hand onto your mouth to keep you silent and whispered: “Not one word.”

You rolled your eyes slightly and spoke, your voice slightly muffled through her hand: “But Azula, who would look here behind this hedge? Surely none of them would suspect to see you or me in this-”

Your words died in your throat as you were faced with a pair of eyes looking at you. It was evident whom they belonged to as they did not look at you normally but from above; Ty Lee was hanging upside down from a tree in front of you, peeking inside the arbor.

Azula tried to shoot her a warning, almost desperate glance to order her to keep her mouth shut, but as little as it had worked with you it did with Ty Lee. In a happy, cheerful and, in the context of the moment, painfully loud voice she exclaimed: “Ah, here you two are! We searched for you eeeverywhere!”

In a matter of moments, Zuko and Mai were there too, taking in the sight of Azula sitting on your lap in a little arbor. Ty Lee looked at you with wide, fascinated eyes as if you two were a never seen before rarity, Mai facepalmed and sighed, and Zuko, of course, looked like the sight of you elevated his anger issues into a whole different dimension. But before either of them could start talking, or in Zuko’s case screaming, Azula, who had remained on your lap, frozen in shock, spoke up, her voice as cold and threatening as an open grave: “One word, and you all will wish to never have been born.”

She slowly and earnestly untangled herself from you, stood up, brushed non-existent dust from her clothing, and asked, her voice still as friendly as a guillotine: “Any questions?”

Ty Lee took that literally and asked without hesitation: “So, like, are you two actually together?? I mean, y o u and y/n??” She was practically squealing. The idea clearly excited her considerably, and even Mai could not hide her interest as Ty Lee so bluntly asked what they all were thinking.

You, who had watched this whole interaction quietly, now stood up too, walked up to Azula and carefully put an arm around her shoulder, smiling like sunshine. In a movie, your smile would have been enough to make birds sing and motivate some dolphins to jump over some waves in front of a rainbow. Yes, even in the fire nation.

Azula lightly put an arm around you too, obviously still somewhat ashamed but unable to resist you. Ty Lee immediately rushed towards you and squeezed you both in a tight hug, unfathomably happy for the two of you. Mai thought about what a strange turn of events it was seeing Azula and the happy y/n of all people as a couple, and Zuko fainted.

The temperature would probably be twice as high as outside, if it was not for two little windows desperately trying to provide some kind of cooling airflow - and even that “cool” air was that of a bright summer day in the fire nation. But it was not just any day, especially in the fire nation’s capital: today, a week of festivities would commence to celebrate the birthday of Ozai, the Fire Lord. The whole city was decorated, public places and private homes alike, shops and vendors put on their finest wares on display, the city guard donned their parade wear and masses of people were expected to celebrate yet another year of life for your benevolent and just leader.

Your family’s business, a bakery located at a rather central marketplace, of course did their best too. You prepared all kinds of pastries in the shapes of flames and crowns, hoping that the countless celebrants in the city would not only be hungry for the sight of the Fire Lord but also for your food.

Needless to say, even though the day had only just started for most people and the sunlight just now crept about the first rooftops of the city, you already were absolutely done. Luckily, since your bakery would open now, your job would change from toiling in the hellish heat of the oven to tending to the customers who were going to - hopefully - visit your shop. Your parents were considerate enough to not let you suffer a heatstroke, after all, and took it on themselves to continue baking.

So, to prepare yourself, you washed yourself quickly, not wanting to present yourself to the customers in the sweaty, messy state baking in intense heat for about five hours straight had left you in. After that was done, you quickly went to the shop area in front of the building, already carrying some baskets of breads, and opened the wooden shutters, creating an invitingly open shopfront. You then quickly put as many pastries and breads on display as the shelves and counters could fit, prepared some money for change and awaited your first customers with a slightly tired but friendly smile.

A few hours passed, and quite a few people had visited your bakery, the shelves constantly having to be restocked. You probably made as much money today as in a month normally. But around midday, with the festivities slowly reaching their climax, something happened.

All of the sudden, guards entered the bakery and ordered all customers to leave. You were nervous, as you had no idea what this meant. It quickly became clear though as just a few moments after the last customer had left, SHE stepped inside.

She, who had it in her power to have cleared any and every shop she wanted to visit by the city guard, who would not be seen in the same room as lowly peasant customers, who made even your humble bakery seem like a royal dwelling simply due to her presence.

Azula, Princess of the Fire Nation.

All the heat your oven could emit was nothing in comparison to what warmth washed over you when you saw her.

Did… did the Princess Azula want to try your pastries?? You felt nervousness and awe rise inside you as you realised that the verdict of Azula, whether your pastries were to her liking or not, may very well decide the fate of your bakery. And the fate of your neck, maybe. You swallowed.

You were frozen in place as Azula sauntered around the shop, inspecting the anniversary pastries, a confident smirk on her impeccable face. Wait, what? You were supposed to be afraid!

Anyways, her percing eyes suddenly landed on you, and your mouth went dry.

“Give me one of these.”

Her slender finger pointed at one of your small flame-shaped breads.

Your hands began moving without you giving a second thought. It was as if her voice directly commanded your actions without taking the detour through your brain. You had never heard such an unwaveringly commanding voice, neither such a beautiful one. It sent shivers down your spine.

You held one of the small breads out to her over the counter with both hands, noticing, to your relief, that your hands were not trembling and that the piece you had picked in a haze was luckily a rather good one. She reached out and took the bread from your hand with a kind of firm elegance you had never witnessed before.

With an almost cruel smirk, she lifted it to her mouth, keeping her eyes on you, and took a bite. She munched, and then… her expression changed. Her face went from a look of superiourity to one of surprise, and then discontent. But the discontent was not directed at your pastry, no, but at the circumstance that she was not - like she had hoped - able to criticise it. In disbelief, she took another small bite, her gaze flickering from you to the bread in her hand and back, and then, a look one only rarely got to see on her entered her face: one of genuine appreciation.

She put the unfinished pastry down on the counter, and then, without giving you another look, turned around and stated, the order unmissable: “I want this one in the palace.”

With ‘this one’, she meant you, as she made clear by a quick but direct motion, pointing her thumb at you over her shoulder while she walked outside.

Only minutes after she had left, you and your parents found yourself in the company of a royal notary who was writing a document officially making you the new royal bakers, which included both living quarters and baking rooms inside the palace complex and a payment you could have only dreamt of before. All of you were too stunned to say anything, still not quite sure whether this was real or just a big joke or mistake.

Some days later, however, when you found yourself baking your first batch of bread in a spacious and well ventilated cellar beside the palace’s kitchen, you were very sure it was real.

The new oven and impeccable equipment you had been provided with in addition to your love for baking made it very easy to get lost in your work, so you did not notice at first when someone else stepped into the room. Only an audible, intentionally placed cough made you turn around in surprise, just to be met with the sight of Azula’s face. You immediately bowed.

“Your highness!”

A content smirk played at Azula’s lips at your reverence. “You may rise, baker. Are your parents not here?” She asked in an almost innocent tone, feigning surprise. Of course they were not here. She had waited until they were gone. “No, your highness… they are on their way to buy new flour.”, you responded nervously.

“Oh, what a shame. Well. Then I suppose we are all alone.” The last words she spoke in a tone you could not quite decipher. Your instincts told you to run but your heart… it throbbed heavily each time a word spoken in her voice reached your ears. “Yes… how may I help you, your highness?”

Azula’s eyes darted over to the oven. “What are you baking there?” You scrambled your thoughts together and replied: “Fire breads… those that you tasted during the Fire Lord’s birthday festivities.” “Aha”, came her fast answer, “How long until they are done?” She always got to the point fast. “About three minutes, your highness.”

“Perfect.” You expected her to say something else afterwards, but she really just stood there and waited for the breads to finish baking, not saying a word. For three minutes straight! The worst part, but also the most thrilling, was that she was looking you over the whole time, as if having to decide something in her head. As the time drew closer to its end, you silently excused yourself and went to look for the breads and take them out of the oven.

Azula approached behind you, taking in the scent of the warm, freshly baked pastries, and then promptly grabbed one. You froze, wanting to warn her because of the heat, but then remembered she was a firebender. But still, you couldn’t help but be astonished when she took a bite out of the still burning hot bread, nodding her head in recognition. As before, she seemed not to be too hungry and put the bread down after the second bite, her mind already having different priorities.

“So, y/n, show me how you make these.” You were too astonished she knew your name to notice how unusual it was for the Princess to ask about something so un-war-like as baking.

So you started to explain. You showed her where you made the dough, how you let it breathe, how you formed it, how you got the little flame shape, and explained how long and at which temperature you put it into the oven. Azula listened attentively, only speaking to ask questions that were strictly related to the topic. It was almost scary how seriously she seemed to take this. Then, after you were done, she nodded.

“Well, that does not sound too hard. Let’s bake some.”

This would have sounded outright arrogant from anyone else, and you would have laughed at most people saying this, since, as a baker, you knew the experience one had to have to get proper results. But from Azula… this kind of answer did not surprise you at all and the thought of doubting her abilities did not even occur.

Still, you were perplexed for a moment.

“You mean, bake them right now, your highness?”

“Of course, now don’t keep me waiting, y/n.”

You did not. You gathered dough that should have been breathing for long enough from the storage, brought it into the baking room, and before you even knew it, you were shaping little fire breads together with the princess of the Fire Nation.

Since you did not talk much while doing that, you had a little time to reflect over what you had felt during the last minutes, and it occurred to you that you may be one of the unluckiest but also luckiest persons in the whole nation, maybe the whole world. Unlucky, because feeling giddy in the way you did towards a princess, someone far, far out of your reach, was bad, and lucky because somehow the person out of your reach was still in a room with you - out of their own accord.

You stole a glance towards Azula, trying to secretly admire her beauty, which she of course noticed immediately. And instead of letting you get away with it, she asked, with a voice dripping with teasing innocence: “I get the impression you are quite impressed by my ability to form bread, are you not, y/n?” and then shot you a smile that you could have died for.

You contemplated jumping into the oven to escape this situation. But you had to be reasonable, so you answered: “Yes, your highness, um, your breads, eh, they look fantastic, yes, very tasty.” You cursed yourself. Maybe the oven was the best option, after all?

Azula simply chuckled. After you were done forming a few breads, the actual baking part came. Azula didn’t wait for you to light the oven but instead shot a ray of blue fire inside. She insisted she only did it so it would get hot faster, but she knew very well she did it to impress you, which obviously worked. She relished in the way of how full of admiration your gaze was.

Then, once you had put the breads into the oven, Azula began walking towards the door, as if to leave you alone. You were surprised, but when she reached the door, she turned around once more and said:

“Now, y/n, when these are done, you may deliver them to my quarters. Personally.”

It had not taken a long time until you both had to admit that it was more than prison camaraderie or mutual suffering that connected you. Soon after Azula had become your cellmate, you spent the whole day in each other's arms as there was nothing else you could do here. Or rather, Azula spent the day in your arms - hers were bound by the straitjacket that so humiliatingly restricted her body.

It was a melancholic kind of love. You were happy you were together, yes, but you each wished for something better for the other, and for you together. You wanted to live together, in a place where you could go outside of your room just for once and where your skin would be touched by sunlight again. Azula wanted you to be by her side on the throne, finally paying you back for the injustice you and her suffered in this cold place. And you wanted Azula to have the happiness and the fulfilled youth that was robbed of her by her father. You wanted her to have her happy life - with you. 

And yet everything you had was a cold, black cell. You still had each other, and you were grateful for that, but sometimes it seemed like your lives were already over. That you had lived through everything that was possible in this cell and that every coming day would just be a repetition, going on forever and ever, that you would watch eachother grow old, your bodies becoming weaker in eachothers arms every day, until one day one of you was so weak they wouldn’t wake up again, you never having experienced a real life together. It was a dreadful thought.

One thing you had rarely struggled with before in your life but that was tormenting you now was your muteness. You wanted to show Azula how much you loved her and you wanted to talk or communicate with her the whole day, but since you had nothing to write and not the means to teach Azula sign language all you could do was hug her even closer and gently kiss her cheeks or her bound hands. Sometimes, when the coldness of the stone took over the room and everything was silent, you cried because you knew that each passing moment you spent in this cell, unable to truly live and show what you mean to eachother, was one you were never going to get back.

This was your life full of love.

However, after a few months, something unexpected happened; Zuko, the new fire lord and Azula’s brother, visited. With the Avatar and his companions. You knelt beside Azula when the doors opened. Your hand held Azula’s bound hand tightly, as you were afraid of what the fire lord’s visit could mean for you. Zuko, followed by the others, entered your cell.

So these were the people that Azula had told you about - they fought against her, and through dishonesty and cunning brutality defeated and humiliated her, bringing her to this place. All of this was their fault! 

You were surprised to feel, for the first time in ages, genuine anger flare up inside you. No matter how innocent or kind they looked, you would not be deceived. Azula had told you what they really were like. They, the Avatar and the ‘Fire Lord’, were the villains here. You noticed some eyes lingering on you and on the way you held Azula’s hand.

There was a deafening silence for a few long moments, until Zuko spoke: “Azula. I have come to assess the situation… your situation. I have informed myself about your behaviour here, and, apparently, in the last months your behaviour has improved significantly. As your brother, I have let myself be convinced by my friends…”, he says, meaning the Avatar and his companions, “... to give you another chance.”

Your eyes widened and you looked up to Azula. She did not bat an eye at what her brother said, holding her royal gaze up unwaveringly. She did not want to jump to early conclusions and miss her chance. She waited patiently - even bound to her chair and weakened from months of prison, she clearly held more power in this conversation than Zuko would have anticipated.

Zuko continued: “We have decided to let you out of this straitjacket. If your condition continues to become more stable, we will… we will let you out. If it doesn't, your life sentence will continue as planned.” Zuko, the Avatar and the others looked at Azula cautiously but at the same time waiting nervously for her answer.

Her voice found its way into your ears, letting a shiver run over your back. “That is so thoughtful of you, Zuzu. Looks like reason finally found its way to your head, fire lord.” Her voice was dripping in thick honey, but as sharp as a sword. The last two words were spoken in utter contempt, but only enough to make her opinion clear, not challenging Zuko. She was smart enough to see this was a chance - a chance for you and her to get out of here.

Zuko frowned, as did the Avatar, looking worried. They still, honourable as they were, would stand by their word and remove Azula’s straitjacket. Two prison guards removed it, and you were sad you had to let go of her hand for that. You watched in awe as you finally got to see Azula whole, wearing a simple fire red robe under the jacket. The aftermath of this form of imprisonment were clear; she could barely stand on herself. Of course you quickly rushed to her aid, holding her up. Again, curious and worried looks hit you, especially by the waterbender girl that accompanied the Avatar. She seemed to understand a bit better than the rest of them what was going on with you and Azula.

Azula clearly was not well and her body weak, but she had to show her old attitude to the visitors to not seem completely helpless. “Finally that tight jacket is off. About time.” She smirked at Zuko. “My dear brother, at the end of the year you visit again, you say? I promise to be on my best behaviour, okay, Zuzu?” Her tone was condescending and very obviously sarcastic. Still, it seemed honest enough, at least for Azula’s standards, to not let Zuko lose all hope in her becoming better.

Soon after, Zuko and the others left. The first moment you were alone you immediately hugged eachother, smiles you had not worn for a long time creeping to your faces as you finally, after such longing, could hold eachother in your arms - completely.

The next days and weeks were filled with relentless labour.

Azula had somehow convinced the prison governour to let her have paper and ink - she had told him she wanted to write her memoirs, and under the impression of Zuko’s benevolent attitude towards Azula, he had agreed.

Of course, the thing the writing material was not used for was writing memoirs; instead, a plan to escape was formed. And you finally could teach her sign language, which, for the first time since knowing her, enabled you to speak to her with actual words.

Azula was constantly working on and perfecting her grand escape plan, and, talented as she was, after a time you would have considered much too short she already understood almost everything you told her using sign language.

Of course, Azula began training again too to work against the effects of sitting in a straitjacket for months. She made you train along with her, which was, even though you could only barely keep up, probably for the better.

All in all, even though the walls did not become any less cold and the sun did not shine more into your cellar, the days went by quickly and some kind of anticipation, or even joy, found its way into your life.

Then the fateful day came. It was exactly a week before Zuko would - maybe - have let you out anyways, but Azula did not intend on letting h i m decide over her freedom. If she was to get out of the prison, she would do it herself. With you of course.

Despite your insistence, she had refused to let you know how exactly the plan was to unfold; probably because she knew you would have thought it was suicidal. But she had assured you that you would play a crucial part by… cutting a piece of wood from your bed? Well, it wasn’t really a bed. It was more of a wooden plank attached to the wall, so you managed to cut a piece from it with a little stone over the course of a few weeks, but you could not imagine what this could be useful for.

Anyways; the guards came to bring your food, just as every day. Since Azula had been let out of her straitjacket, there had always been a firebender accompanying the normal guards, just in case. Unbeknownst to the prison governour, that was actually of advantage to Azula.

You both stood there, completely calm, as the door opened. Then, Azula stepped forward, and took the first guard out with a few practiced moves. You were shocked, as were the other guards, but they quickly recovered and shouted an alarm. Then, the second guard attacked her, but was swiftly overcome by Azula, who seemed like all the months in prison had not affected her martial skill in any way. She was an impeccable fighter, and you were in awe.

After a few moments, the last guard standing was the firebender. And Azula stood there too, unmoving, in the middle of the door. The firebender was confused at her sudden inactivity, but then simply unleashed a ray of fire straight at Azula. She smirked, and in an instant evaded the fire while finishing the bender as well, and quickly calling for to you to get the wooden plank you had ‘worked on’ for the last weeks.

She turned around, and a wide smile of satisfaction came to her face. She had taken a risky gamble, but exactly what she had hoped for had happened: the guard had shot the fire in such a way that it had shattered the window behind her and all that was left was a smoldering pool of molten glass and iron.

“Quickly, y/n, put the plank there, or we’ll burn ourselves!”

You immediately understood. The window was open now, but the hot remains of the molten covering were impossible to climb through. Unless you covered them with wood. You admired the simplicity of the idea, then quickly put the plank there as a kind of flooring in the window, and already found yourself being pushed up by Azula, through the window. You squeezed yourself through the little opening and fell on the hot and rocky floor outside. When you turned around to help Azula, she already stood beside you.

“Come on, y/n, let’s get going. I know a quaint little spot in the mountains by a nice lake where we can live a bit more comfortably. And make a plan to overthrow Zuko and seize the throne, of course.”

Azula gave you a wicked but loving smile and then grabbed your hand, dragging you along to a walk that would lead you away from this prison, into a life of freedom, and, most importantly, a life with her. The same grin she had given you spread on your face too as you followed her and thought about how good and happy the life with her would be. And how you would overthrow Zuko and seize the throne, of course.

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Guys guess who isn’t dead yet! I left you waiting for this to be written for over a year (part 1 was february 2024 💀) but I hope you still enjoy it! I cannot promise I will be as active as before again, but I am very open towards requests. Have a great day, all of you! Also, the latter part of this isn't proofread so please excuse any mistakes and message me when you find any. Seriously, please do.

You had never met Mai as you only knew Azula since a short time, but you knew she was the daughter of Omashu’s new Governour.

Having arrived in the palace, you were escorted to the private rooms of Mai’s family by guards. Once you were inside and the doors were closed, Azula didn’t wait for any formalities and quickly introduced everyone; you greeted Mai and her parents, the Governour Ukano and his wife Michi, who was holding Mai’s infant brother, Tom-Tom.

You immediately liked them; it was rare but all the more nice to see a happy family in such a high political position.

Michi sat Tom-Tom down in a chair and excused herself and her husband, she said they needed to prepare something.

After they had left, Azula shot a glare at Ty Lee, who immediately began talking to Mai and trying to convince her to join the gang. Azula had instructed Ty Lee that she should try first because Azula knew very well that her usual ways of convincing people might not work on someone like Mai and she expected Ty Lee to have better chances.

You sat down too, not knowing what else to do with Ty Lee talking to Mai and Azula observing them. You looked around the room and noticed Tom-Tom sitting on his chair. He seemed to have noticed you too and looked at you with interested, big eyes. You smiled and waved at him, making him laugh. He stood up and began walking towards you with small, clumsy steps.

When he reached you he lifted his arms up, pointing to you. You picked him up very gently and lifted him up to your lap. He seemed to be very happy and you played with each other for a bit, and somehow it was so nice even for you!

Azula watched Ty Lee and Mai impatiently. Why did this take so long? Couldn’t Ty Lee just say what she wanted to say and convince Mai to come with her? Did she always have to be so sickeningly sweet and first talk about unimportant things like Mai’s family, her health and what her life was like? Azula could not wrap her head around how other people actually enjoyed talking about that kind of stuff. To her, it was torture, but if ‘being nice’ really, like Ty Lee said, would make it more likely to get Mai to agree, she would endure the wait.

She looked around the room to distract herself and her eyes locked on you. Were you holding that infant brother of Mai? What was his name again, Dum-Dum? Tom-Tom? Something like that. Not that she would care about some insignificant baby.

She kept looking at you though. Tom-Tom seemed to be quite happy around you. She had never realised you were so good with kids. That was probably because she had never seen you around kids. Still, something was calming about watching you and Tom-Tom. It was almost heartwarming, and she felt as if she wished she was there with you and the baby…

But why would she want to? She was confused at her thoughts. She was Azula. She was a fighter and not interested in things like babies; all they did was cry and be not useful. Playing with babies was for those weak people who valued shallow ideas like a “loving family” over strength. Her father Ozai was the only one who knew how to handle a baby! That was of course why she was the only baby that had turned into a strong human. Her mother on the other hand… well, she made Zuko. And more or less all people were like that, raising their children to be weak.

That was what she thought. However, watching you care for Tom-Tom…

Her thoughts were interrupted as Tom-Tom, whom you had put on the floor again because he wanted to walk, stumbled and fell! He started crying and you rushed to him, picking him up and rocking him gently. You wiped his tears and started humming a lullaby you remembered from when your parents sang it to you.

After a while, Tom-Tom went silent, and soon after he was already as happy as sunshine again! Ty Lee and Mai had some time ago left the room to talk about something different, but Azula was still looking at Tom-Tom and you, somehow enchanted by what she was witnessing. Her heart felt lighter when watching you and Tom-Tom play.

She had always thought badly of typical families with (loving) weak parents and (happy) spoiled children, but you made it look like a dream… was this what having a family is like? Was this what having a family with you is like? Azula felt strange at the thought. Her heartbeat got a little bit faster. This scene she watched, you playing with Tom-Tom, was something she had never seen before and she suddenly felt like there was more to life than she had thought up until this point. And she felt that she wanted to experience it herself; the joy of parents and children! A different joy than the perfectionist and pressured one she had with her father; she wanted to feel real joy, even if it was this time as a parent and not as a child. But was that even possible for her?

You cared for Tom-Tom so well…you could surely be a good parent if you had children. But could she be one too? Azula looked away, her heart becoming heavy and slow again. She could not. Obviously she couldn’t. When she walked through the streets, peasant parents shielded their children from her. They were all afraid, even the children themselves. She could never be a good parent. maybe she should just stop thinking about it. All these thoughts were making her weak. She shouldn't have considered it in the first place.

But still, the thought of being with you…

She decided to just get out of the room and wait for you. But when she sent a last, longing glance at you and Tom-Tom, she saw you smiling at her, making her heart skip a beat:

“Are you trying to question my decisions, y/n?” Azula stared at you, her face distorted with anger. You had been in this situation before. Azula did love you, but in moments like this she was not herself. Still, you were determined to keep her from hurting her soldiers.

I can take it and put it inside of me

Even if it meant you would get hurt instead.

“Yes Azula, I am.” Your voice trembled. “It is not justifiable to punish all those people only because they cannot meet your unreachable standards.”

If your hands need to break

More than trinkets in your room

Azula came closer to you. “Do you realise what you just said, y/n?”

You can lean on my arm

Azula caressed your cheek. Her hand was boiling hot. “You know I love you, y/n”, Azula purred. Her touch burned. “And you are lucky that I do.” Her hand heated up even more. Tears began running over your face, evaporating when meeting her hand. “I would not hold back if it was someone else.”

As you break my heart

The pain was too much. You knocked her arm away and wiped your tears with your sleeve. But your skin wasn’t the only thing that burned; your heart felt like there was nothing but ashes left. You looked down at the floor, unable to meet Azula’s gaze.

Just don't leave me alone

“Azula, why are you doing this?” You tried to suppress your sobbing.

Wondering where you are

“I am doing this because I am right, why can’t you accept that! The soldiers failed me so they need to be punished, there is no other righteous way! And you cannot keep me from doing what I want.”

I am stronger than you give me

Credit for

You swallowed. “If you truly loved me, Azula, you wouldn’t hurt those people. You know punishing innocents is wrong. You know how much it hurts me to see you do it! I know you are better than this!”

If your hands need to break

More than trinkets in your room

You could not imagine what Azula was thinking now. You did not want to. You could practically sense her pent up anger and feel the masses of pure fire she was able to unleash now in the air.

You can lean on my arm

As you break my heart

You had done what was right. You had stood up against the unjust princess.

Against the cruel Azula.

Against the person you loved more than everything.

You knew she would make you pay. You swallowed the pieces that were left of your broken heart and closed your eyes, expecting your loved one’s rage.

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Hello. I hope you liked this! I tried my best; this was my first time writing something based on a song. I really liked this!

I couldn’t let it end like this though, so I searched up the english translation of two Bach pieces I really like and put together a somewhat happy ending, even if it’s not fully in character for Azula.

Enjoy.

< • ◇ • >

If the tears on my cheeks

can do nothing,

o then take my heart as well!

You waited but nothing happened. “Don’t hesitate, Azula. If my voice is not loud enough to reach your ears, hurt me. If it stops you from hurting the soldiers, hurt me.” Tears streamed down your face.

Yet let it be, in the flow,

as the wounds gently bleed,

the offering-bowl as well.

Your voice was nothing but a trembling whisper now. “Just please, I beg you, remember that I love you.” You kept your eyes closed, waiting for the inevitable.

But still, nothing happened. Instead, when you looked up again, Azula looked back at you with terror and guilt written all over her face.

O great love, o love beyond measure,

that brought You to this path of martyrdom!

When your eyes met hers, she rushed towards you and embraced you, her guilt becoming unbearable when she felt you flinching away at her touch. Her voice was unsteady and worried “I… I already hurt you, y/n…” You tried to escape her embrace but she clinged to you and buried her head in your neck like a child that awoke from a bad dream. “I am so sorry, y/n.”

I lived with the world in delight and joy,

and You had to suffer.

Her voice trembled with guilt: “My anger was too much. I did not see your suffering. Please forgive me. Please tell me you are alright! Please, y/n!”

You were not alright. Healing would take time, as would completely forgiving her. So you chose to speak truth:

“I love you, Azula.”

“I love you too, y/n.”

< • ◇ • >

[original text]

Können Tränen meiner Wangen // Nichts erlangen, // O so nehmt mein Herz hinein! // Aber laßt es bei den Fluten, // Wenn die Wunden milde bluten, // Auch die Opferschale sein.

[BWV 244, Part II, No. 52]

O große Lieb, o Lieb ohn alle Maße, // Die dich gebracht auf diese Marterstraße! // Ich lebte mit der Welt in Lust und Freuden, // Und du mußt leiden.