Azara sighed as she stared at the kiosk in front of her, particularly the wanted posters with her face plastered on them. The poster stated that she was to be captured alive and unharmed and then brought to the Fire Lord directly. While the reward for her capture was still less than Aang's, she didn't doubt that there were people out trying to catch her.

"I bet we'll find something to eat here, the Fire Day's festival," Aang spoke, pointing at the poster for the festivities.

"While Fire Day is always a great time, I don't think we should go," Azara sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. "It will be extremely dangerous, Aang. There will be guards everywhere."

"Come on, this would be a great place to study firebending," Aang pleaded, swinging Katara to his side with the statement. "Azara, please, you said it yourself that Fire Day is amazing!" Staring down at the Fire Nation colony, Azara debated their choices.

"You want to walk into a Fire Nation town where they're all fired up with their fire?" Sokka asked as Azara raised an eyebrow at his statement.

"Well, a big part of Fire Day is masks. We should be able to blend in if we can find some," Azara conceded, Aang smiling as Azara sided with him. "But you guys have to follow my lead. No offense, but without the masks, you guys won't blend in at all down there."

"We'll wear disguises and if it looks like trouble, we'll leave," Aang told Sokka, who sighed.

"Yeah! Because we always leave before we get into trouble!" Sokka huffed as Azara walked off to change into her old Fire Nation clothes. 

Pulling a cloak over her head, Azara rejoined Sokka and Katara, who were similarly disguised. Turning to Aang, Azara sighed as she spotted the airbender with his shirt pulled over his head. "It's like you're a whole different person," Sokka scoffed, prompting laughs from Azara and Katara. 

"Alright, stay close. Follow me. Don't talk to anyone and do as I do," Azara ordered, leading the way down from the forest into town. "First, let's get some masks." Pulling her three friends over to a mask vender, Azara glanced over the available masks. 

Noticing a white mask with gold detailing on the forehead and around the eyes in the shape of a dragon's head, Azara quickly grabbed and put on the mask. As Katara switched Aang and Sokka's masks, Azara dug through her pocket and produced Fire Nation currency she had left over from her escape. Unsurprisingly, most Earth Kingdom stores refused to accept it. 

With masks safely covering their faces, Sokka ran over to a food vender. "What do you have?" Sokka questioned the vender, who presented bags of flaming fire flakes to him. Sokka shoved some in his mouth before spitting them out. "Hot! Hot!"

"Don't waste good fire flakes!" Azara scolded, grabbing the bag from him. Eating the fire flakes as they walked through the festival, Azara could not help but drift to memories of home as she stood around her fellow Fire Nation citizens for the first time since she had left Zuko and Uncle.

As Aang stopped for a puppet show, Azara looked around the festival, spotting a young girl pointing at a toy she desperately wanted. Her short arm reached out towards the plushie, which was hanging from the roof of one of the game vender's tents. At the sight, Azara's thoughts drifted back to the Fire Nation capital. 

Azara walked quietly next to her mother as they reached the Fire Day Festival. Several guards protectively encased the royal family, the citizens of the Fire Nation moving out of the way and bowing as they passed by. "Alright, what do we want to do today?" Iroh asked, placing his hands on his hips as they surveyed the Fire Day festival.

"I want to see the firebending demonstration!" Zuko spoke up from the other side of their mother.

"That's not for another few hours, though," Ursa pointed out, looking down at her children. "Perhaps we should split up and walk around the festival and meet for the firebending demonstration in the square?" Murmurs of agreement were uttered, groups breaking off.

"Azara, you want to go play some games with me and Azula?" Lu Ten questioned, squatting to be face to face with Azara, who nodded and allowed Lu Ten to pull her along. A set of guards followed close behind them as they arrived at some booths.

"Look at that dragon!" Azara yelled out, pointing up at the plush red dragon toy hanging in a vender's stand. "Can we play? Please," she asked, tugging on Lu Ten's hand.

"Alright," he chuckled as Azara ran up to the stand. Azula stood next to her sister as the vender explained the rules of the game.

"You have to get these balls in the bins. If you get at least five, you win the red dragon plushie," the vender stated, pulling up a bucket full of balls and placing it on the table. Azara picked up a ball, turning to Azula, and holding it out.

"Come on, we'll do it together," Azara smiled, still holding out the ball. Azula sighed before grabbing the ball and staring up at the game.

"But we can't see," Azula pointed out as Azara and Azula were lifted up onto the table by Lu Ten.

"There, how about now?" Lu Ten laughed as the sisters worked together to get the balls into the buckets. Azula landed one into the far bucket, causing Azara to cheer.

"Only four more!" Azara shouted, tossing her own ball. Despite only four balls making it into the buckets, the vender did not want to be the one to make the princesses to cry at the Fire Day festival. Azara toddled along, her arms wrapped around the red dragon toy as they moved to catch up with the rest of the family. 

Squeezing the dragon, Azara looked up to see the rest of her family gathered in the royal seating area. "Come on, Azula, let's show them what we got!"

Azara ran ahead of her sister and cousin, reaching her parents. "And now what do you have there?" Ursa smiled, pulling her daughter up into a seat.

"Azula and I won this at one of the stands!" Azara announced as Lu Ten placed Azula next to her.

"I won it, you missed all the buckets," Azula pointed out, leaning back in her chair.

"I got one!" she protested as Ursa sighed.

"Why don't you give the dragon to Chang? He'll take it back to your room for you," Ozai suggested, sitting next to Ursa. "That way you can watch the firebending demonstration."

"Alright," Azara replied, handing off the toy to a guard, who bowed and left with the toy. Zuko sat happily chatting with Lu Ten as the firebending demonstration started. The performers were skilled and precise, knowing the royal family was watching them. The walk back to the palace was filled with chatter as the three youngest royals discussed the show.

"And then he went like boom!" Zuko laughed, holding up his hands like the performer had earlier.

"And she went ugh!" Azara added, flopping on the ground, pretending to be dead. Azula and Zuko giggled as Azara laid on the ground. She sat up, laughing with her siblings as the Fire Day festival started to wind down behind them.

"Come on, you three. Time for bed," Ursa stated, holding Azula and Zuko's hands and tugging them along.

"But Mom!" the three chorused as Ozai scooped up Azara.

"No buts, you're already out past your normal bedtime," Ozai shook his head as the three siblings pouted. Azara looked over her father's shoulder at the Fire Day festival, a wistful smile on her face.

"Can we come back next year, Dad?" she asked, wrapping her short arms around his neck.

"Of course! It's tradition," Ozai chuckled as they returned to the palace. Azara smiled at the thought, resting her cheek on her father's shoulder as she dreamt of next year's Fire Day festival.

Azara snapped out of the memory as Sokka placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, you alright? You're really quiet," Sokka asked, sounding concerned.

"Yeah, just . . . memories," Azara trailed off, watching as the little girl continued to cry. Walking up to the booth, Azara placed the cost of the game on the table. "What do I have to do to win that?" Azara questioned, pointing at the fire ferret plushie.

"Hit three of those targets. You get five chances, and you can use firebending or the balls," the vender explained, taking the money. Azara stared at the moving targets, studying the movements of the machine. Taking a breath, she expertly knocked three targets down with precision, the vender looking up in surprise.

"You're an impressive firebender," he commented as he pulled the plushie down. Azara nodded in thanks before turning to the crying girl.

"Hi," she spoke softly as she kneeled down, causing the girl to stop crying. "Is this the plushie you wanted?" Azara asked as the girl's mother turned around. The girl nodded before she was tugged back by her mother.

"Shei, what are you doing?" her mother asked her daughter, looking at Azara with a concerned look on her face.

"I won this, but I thought she would want it," Azara explained, showing the fire ferret plushie to the girl's mother. "I remember winning something like this with my sister during my first Fire Day festival."

"That's very kind of you," the woman replied as Shei looked up at her mother. "What do you say to the nice lady, Shei?"

"Thank you," the little girl smiled, bursting forwards to give Azara a hug. Azara froze for a moment before hugging the little girl back.

"You're welcome, Shei. Take good care of it, alright?" Azara smiled, handing the plushie over.

"I promise!" Shei nodded, before being pulled off by her mother. Shei turned around and waved to Azara before disappearing into the crowd. Azara waved back as Sokka came to stand next to her.

"That was nice  of you," he stated, turning to look at Azara, who shrugged.

"Where's Aang and Katara?" Azara asked as they walked back the way they had come.

"They went to see the firebending show," Sokka explained as Azara groaned. "What? What's bad about the firebending shows?" Sokka asked, concern clear in his voice as he imagined the worse case scenario. 

"Nothing. It's just that if Aang wants to see a firebending master up close he shouldn't waste his time with those guys. I had better form when I was nine," Azara stated as they reached the crowd. "Do you see them?" 

"Over there," Sokka pointed out as Azara got on her tip toes to see over the crowd. Seeing her struggling, Sokka grabbed her hand and pulled her through the crowd. Reaching Aang and Katara, Azara glanced up at the firebender on stage, noting his lack of disciple as he moved about the stage doing his tricks.

"For my next trick I need a volunteer!" the magician announced as Aang raised his hand.

"Aang, stop. It's not worth it," Azara stated, pulling the airbender down and away from the stage.

"It's better that we don't attract attention to ourselves," Katara added, leaning over.

"How about you little lady?" the magician asked, holding out a hand to Katara. As Katara took a few steps back, she was pushed onto the stage and led away by the magician. "This next trick is called 'Taming the Dragon.' You will be my captured princess." Azara watched the magician tie Katara to the chair as Aang and Sokka grew anxious next to her.

"Relax, I've seen this trick a hundred times. She'll be fine," Azara promised as the magician bended a dragon out of fire before attaching a fire whip to it.

"It's too strong! I can't hold it!" the magician yelled out in fake fear as he bended the fire at Katara, who closed her eyes in fear.

"Aang, don't!" Azara warned as Aang jumped onto stage, airbending the fire dragon away, his mask falling away. "We have to move, now!" Azara stated, hopping up onto stage and burning through the ropes that tied Katara to the chair. 

"Hey! That kid is the Avatar!" someone pointed out as several soldiers turned towards the stage.

"Follow me, I can get you out of here!" a man in dark clothing spoke from behind the stage wall. Without any other option, Azara pushed her friends in front of her to follow after the man, pulling up the rear to block any firebenders. Aang blew on his bison whistle as they were cut off by another group of soldiers. "Okay, not this way!" the man sighed, backing up as he threw a smoke bomb.

The man led them into another alley that was blocked by fireworks. Azara jumped in front of her friends, her hands in position to attack as the guards rounded the corner. Suddenly, Appa appeared, landing in the alley, and knocking the guards back with a slap of his tail. They hurried to board Appa, who took off quickly back for the woods. 

As they flew away, Azara watched as the man threw a bomb into the pile of fireworks, setting off a major explosion of fireworks. "That's certainly one way to make an exit," Azara commented as the Fire Day festival disappeared behind them, the cheers of the Fire Nation citizens echoing throughout the valley.

"You seem to know your explosives," Sokka added, sounding impressed.

"I'm familiar," the man replied, turning around.

"You're a Fire Nation soldier," Azara exclaimed in surprise.

"Was," he corrected. "My name is Chey."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Chey. Thank you for getting us out of there."

"And it's nice to meet you, Princess Azara," Chey returned, nodding his head.

"Please, call me Azara. The Princess title seems . . . wrong at this point," Azara spoke, a kind smile on her face.

A.N. Here's the first part of the Deserter episode! As always, thank you to my lovely readers/commenters/voters!