Azula walked calmly through the Fire Nation Palace, not a single hair out of place as she turned for the Fire Lord's Hall. Pushing through the red curtains, Azula walked forward confidently, Ozai following her movements. Reaching the end of the columns, Azula kneeled, bowing deeply to her father out respect.

"What matter do you wish to speak with me about, Azula?" Ozai asked as Azula sat up into a kneel, her hands clasped in her lap.

"I wanted to speak with you about the traitor," Azula began before pausing. She had predicted that the mention of Azara would incense their father. And incense him, it did. The flames around the Fire Lord rose dangerously as he narrowed his eyes.

"What about the traitor?" Ozai demanded, his eyes flashing with anger as he glared down at his other daughter. "Has she become a nuisance in her prison cell?"

Azula shook her head calmly, knowing she had to be strategic about every single word she used. "No. As far as I've heard, she hasn't uttered a single word since arriving on our shores."

"Then why are we speaking about that despicable traitor?" Ozai growled out, the flames rising around him once more.

Ozai prided himself on making few and far between mistakes. As the second born, he had to struggle to be perfect to win any of his father's attention. But one of his biggest mistakes was allowing Azara, who was on the cusp of true obedience, to travel around with her buffoon of an uncle and her older brother.

He had no intention of speaking about her or seeing her until her execution.

"I have been doing some thinking, Father, and after a lot of reflection . . . I believe that the traitor is more useful to us alive than dead," Azula announced as Ozai's eyes narrowed.

"You would suggest I show mercy to your traitorous sister!? The one who up and left us, left you, for the Avatar and his friends to betray the very nation she was meant to serve!?" Ozai snapped, his voice growing louder with each phrase as he swung his hand to the side in anger.

While Azula was an exceptional manipulator, it was clear that she had at least learned some of her techniques from her father. Ozai was well aware of how Azara's decision to abandon the Fire Nation had harmed Azula, no matter how hard she tried to deny it or argue otherwise.

He may not have been the most doting father while his children were growing up, but he had always been exceptionally perceptive, particularly with his children's weaknesses. He needed to know their weaknesses if he was to improve them, and his children had quite many weaknesses. First, their mother, but she had been taken care of.

Which left Azara.

Azara, even while the children were small, had been the glue between the siblings. She was a natural born peacemaker—a trait that Ozai had hoped to stamp out before—and held the three of them together. Ozai did not understand his children's attachment to each other. But he could use it to his advantage.

"Not mercy, Father, but merely strategic forgiveness," Azula corrected gently, waiting patiently for his response.

"What do you mean by 'strategic forgiveness'?"

"You and I both know that above all Azara is a traitor, one that should have been stamped out before she could do any substantial damage to the Fire Nation," Azula responded smoothly, Ozai nodding at her words. "But the fact of the matter is that she was not. She's already done damage to you, this family, and to the Fire Nation."

"For which she will be executed," Ozai huffed as Azula paused her speech for a moment before settling back into a soothing tone.

"While execution fits her crime, I cannot help but think that doing so will only serve to harm you and your legacy in the future," Azula warned, her eyes glancing up at her father, who looked rather upset at her insinuation.

"In what way? It will show my strength, my decisiveness," Ozai scoffed, standing up as he clenched his hands into fists. "It will show all those traitors that I will do anything, including to my own family, my own children, to see that the Fire Nation takes its rightful place at the head of the world! With me at the helm, of course."

"Of course," Azula agreed as Ozai turned away from her for a moment. "But it may also embolden the rebels more." Ozai turned to face his daughter, a dangerous look in his eye, but Azula continued before he could snap at her. "You would merely turn her into a martyr. A rallying cry for the rebels at home and abroad. And then you lose any control over her image, her power."

"I see your point," Ozai muttered, taking his seat on the throne once more. "But I cannot simply let her go unpunished for her crimes! She has betrayed all of us!" Ozai growled out with his jaw clenched as he rubbed his beard. "Even you, Azula."

"I never suggested for her to go unpunished," Azula replied with a matter-of-fact tone. "I'm merely suggesting a change to her punishment. In a way that will stamp out the rebels and serve to bolster your power and legacy."

"Go on," Ozai nodded, seeing that his daughter already had an idea in mind. Azula straightened her head, looking like she was about to recite a history lesson to her father.

"Azara is a traitor, but she's also your daughter. As such, she has been gifted with incredible firebending capabilities. Of course, not better than my own, but still, she is an incredible bender," Azula started, seeing that the comment pleased Ozai.

It wasn't a secret that Azara had always been a talented bender, even before she left the Fire Nation. But Azula would keep it a secret that Azara had shown incredible firebending capabilities in the Catacombs, her fire transforming into a bright white color. No, that information Azula would hold onto for later.

"Which makes her an asset in the war."

"Or an incredible liability," Ozai corrected gruffly, his hands folded into his lap.

"All you have to do is bring her back into the fold of the family," Azula suggested without missing a beat. "Why, when you banished Zuko over three years ago, I never could have imagined he would turn out as he did now."

"Indeed," Ozai agreed, grabbing his beard as he thought over the situation at hand.

"Because in Ba Sing Se, Zuko was reminded of the importance of family. Of the Fire Nation. I think it's what motivated him to murder the Avatar," Azula lied smoothly, causing Ozai to spin around to stare at his daughter incredulously.

There it was. The diversion. And Ozai took the bait.

"Zuko was the one who struck down the Avatar?" Ozai demanded, surprised even at how shocked he sounded.

"Indeed," Azula nodded, the ghost of a smirk on her lips. "I was surprised at his decisiveness, his willingness to do whatever it took to stop the Avatar. Perhaps the same could happen for Azara if she was given the chance."

Ozai paused for a moment, glaring at the wall, before turning back to his daughter. "So, you're suggesting I don't execute Azara and merely invite her back into the family?" Ozai snapped gruffly as Azula shook her head again.

"Not at all. Zuko served his punishment, and it changed him for the better. I'll leave the deliberations about the proper punishment for Azara to you, Father. But I would advocate that she is much more useful to you alive. It would be a waste of her talent to strike her down now, when we're so close to securing victory over the Earth Kingdom."

Ozai grumbled to himself, rubbing his beard thoughtfully, before turning back to his daughter. "Very well. I will think about what to do with your sister," Ozai finally decided, before dismissing her.

Azula stood up, bowing again to her father, before spinning on her heel and marching out of the room. Once she was safely through the red curtains and out into the hallway again, she dropped the smirk she usually wore.

"You better thank me later, Azara," she muttered to herself before heading to her room.

*|*|*|*|*

Meanwhile, far away on a Fire Navy ship, Aang sat up on his bed as Katara healed his back, the water glowing as she tried to treat the wound. "Tell me where the pain feels most intense," Katara spoke softly, bending the water over his back.

"Mmm, a little higher. Ugh!" Aang winced as Katara moved her hands. An image of him in the Avatar State flashed in his mind for a moment, causing him to gasp in pain. "Wow, you're definitely in the right area there," Aang sighed, leaning forwards again.

"I can feel a lot of energy twisted up around there," Katara nodded, pulling the water away from Aang's back. "Let me see if I can—"

As she pulled the water back, Aang yelled out, jerking backwards as flashes of Ba Sing Se entered his mind. Of him rising in the air, only to be shot in the back with lightning from Azula. Of the Avatar Cycle, all of it coming crashing down as he fell to the ground. Of Katara's tear-stained face staring down at him as he slipped into a coma on Appa.

Gasping, Aang leaned further forwards. "I went down! I didn't just get hurt, did I? It was worse than that. I was gone! But you brought me back," Aang replied, turning around to face Katara, who clasped her hands together and shrugged.

"I just used the spirit water from the North Pole. I don't know what I did exactly," Katara sighed, looking at the ground as Aang turned around fully.

"You saved me," Aang corrected as Katara smiled lightly before placing her hand on his shoulder.

"You should get some rest," she spoke softly as Aang grabbed her hand.

"Wait, my vision . . . where's Azara?" Aang asked, causing Katara's eyes to widen. Seeing the reaction on Katara's face made Aang's heart drop into his stomach. "We got her out, right? We were able to save her?"

"Aang, you need to rest," Katara insisted quietly, but Aang shook his head. "You're going to hurt yourself with worry."

She had hoped to carefully break the news about Azara to Aang, once he was a little more with it. She knew he was going to take full responsibility for everything that had happened, that he would blame himself for it. And there were already too many people trying to take responsibility for Azara's capture on the ship.

"Where is she, Katara?" Aang demanded, his voice raising in volume.

Sighing, Katara looked away. "We don't know," Katara finally broke it to Aang, who's eyes widened in shock.

"What? What do you mean you don't know?"

"She . . . she gave us some cover so I could escape from the Catacombs with you. We haven't seen or heard about her since. We . . . she's probably headed back to the Fire Nation now," Katara explained carefully, worried about how Aang would react to the news.

"I failed," Aang shook his head, covering his face with his hands. "The whole point of going back to Ba Sing Se was to save her, and I failed!"

"Aang, don't blame yourself!"

"How can I not!?" Aang snapped before groaning as he strained his sore muscles.

"Aang!" Katara gasped, grabbing some water, and healing his tense muscles. "You need to relax, please. We're going to get her back."

A moment of tense silence passed between them before Aang turned around, locking eyes with Katara. "How did Sokka take it?" Aang questioned as Katara lowered her head, focusing on the motions of her healing technique. Sighing, Aang held his head in his hands as Katara continued to heal him.

*|*|*|*|*

Azara sat in her cell, her back laying against the wall when she heard footsteps. Raising an eyebrow due to the time of night, Azara glanced at the hallway and saw a figure walk past with a hood over their head. Getting to her feet, Azara paused and waited, listening intently.

Twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-five . . . Azara's eyes widened as she heard a door open. It had to be Uncle's cell. From the short time in her cell, she had already figured out that it took about twenty-seven steps to get from her cell to her uncle's cell down the hall, give or take depending on the person. But who was coming to see Uncle? At this time of night?

Azara walked back to her spot on the ground, knowing that the figure would have to pass by her own cell to leave the prison. So, she would sit and wait. Hearing screaming and the sound of something breaking, Azara gasped as she recognized the voice down the hall.

"What are you doing here, Zuzu?" she muttered to herself before she heard a door slam.

Getting back to her feet, she could hear her brother walking along the hallway, his footsteps faster than before. He was obviously angry. She wondered what Uncle had told him for him to snap. As he stormed past her cell, Azara got a glimpse at him through the cell bars.

Rolling her eyes as he disappeared from her view, Azara walked away from the bars. She turned to the wall, about to jump up to try and look out the window again when she heard quieter steps. The door to her room flung open suddenly, but she didn't turn around.

She already knew who it was, she didn't need to see his face.

"Azara," he called, his voice tense, but calmer than the yelling she had heard earlier. A moment of silence passed before Zuko grew angry once again. "You're not even going to face me!?" he snapped as she glared at the wall before spinning around on her heel.

"What do you want?" Azara growled out with her fists clenched. "I can't even sit in a prison cell without you coming to ruin my night! Why are you here?"

"Is the Avatar alive?" Zuko demanded, walking up to the bars as Azara scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"I don't know. Maybe you should ask our sister. You know, the one who shot him in the back with a bunch of lightning!" Azara yelled, her glare intensifying at the mention of her friend.

"Could he have survived?" Zuko repeated, his eyes narrowing in frustration. "You said before that Water Tribe girl had healing abilities."

Azara looked away, thinking of the possibilities. Could Katara really heal Aang with just regular water? It was doubtful, the extent of Aang's injuries were quite extensive. But she herself had been brought back from a similar condition in the Spirit Oasis. Azara's eyes widened for a second in realization before they narrowed as she turned to face her brother again.

"Even if I knew, why should I tell you?" Azara asked, her shoulders tensing. "Why should I tell you anything about my friends? All you're going to do is turn around, walk out of here, and ruin their lives further with any information I give you. So, why should I tell you anything?"

Zuko looked away for a moment, before returning his gaze to Azara. "Azula lied to Dad. She said that I shot the lightning. So, I need to know if the Avatar could have possibly survived," Zuko explained in a low voice as he walked up to the edge of the bars.

"Azula doesn't lie without a reason," Azara spoke as Zuko shook his head.

"Azula always lies."

"Azula always wants you to think she's lying," Azara corrected, crossing her arms over her chest. "But, this time, she's actually lying."

"I already knew that!" Zuko huffed, throwing his hands in the air in exasperation.

Azara's expression soured, before she looked away. "You know, for someone who wants my help, you're not exactly helping your case. Why do you care anyways? Shouldn't you be happy? You did better than capturing the Avatar," Azara snapped, her eyes blazing with fury. "Because of you, Aang is gone and the world's falling apart!"

"Azula killed the Avatar!"

"And you had no part in that!?" Azara screamed, gripping the bars as she glared up at her brother. "You, who chased me and my friends around the world for months! You, who when given the chance, the opening, to finally change for the better, you turned and got Aang killed!"

Azara was seething, tears building in her eyes, but she refused to cry in front of her brother. Not now. "And now thanks to you and Azula, the world's going to be burned to the ground at the hands of the homicidal maniac we have the displeasure of calling our father!" Azara was breathing heavy as Zuko looked away. "But isn't that what you always wanted, Zuko?"

Looking away, Azara clenched her eyes shut. She stepped away from the bars, turning so that she was facing the wall instead of Zuko. "I don't even know why I bothered. I should have known my brother was gone after that Agni Kai all those years ago. He's gone, and he's never coming back."

Zuko looked up at Azara in surprise at her statement, but she didn't meet his gaze. His face screwing up into a snarl, Zuko glared at his sister. "Fine! Just sit in your cell and rot! See if I care! I have everything I ever wanted! I have Father's love, his approval. I have my crown back. I have my honor!"

Azara raised an eyebrow at her brother, turning around to study his face for a moment. Scoffing, Azara shook her head. "Even when you have everything you claim you've ever wanted, you still look so lost and confused, Zuko."

Zuko reeled back, as if he was slapped, before shaking his head. "At least I'm free. At least I'm not a traitor! I get to walk out of this prison tonight, not you!"

"I know how prison works, Zuzu," Azara replied tiredly, keeping her gaze on the floor. "And besides you're the one who put me in here."

"No, you did that yourself! Betraying your nation! Betraying Father! Betraying Azula! Betraying me!" Zuko roared, shaking his head. "You have no one to blame but yourself."

"At least I know who I am," Azara spoke, turning around to send one last glare at her brother. "I made my choices, knowing that I would have to live with the consequences. And I accepted them. Can you say the same?"

Zuko didn't say anything in response. Instead, he turned on his heel and slammed the door to her cell room shut. His angry stomping echoed through the hallway for a moment before the prison fell silent again.

Turning back around, Azara clenched her eyes shut and let the tears flow. Crying quietly, Azara glanced up at the bars in her cell. "That could have been my last conversation with my brother," Azara realized quietly before lowering her head, more tears falling down her cheeks.

Her execution date was drawing nearer, and she knew that even if Sokka and her friends had successfully gotten away from Ba Sing Se, there was no way they'd be able to reach her in time. She had never felt so utterly alone since her mother left.

Hissing as her head began to throb again, Azara rubbed her head at the point of pain. "Azara . . ." the eerie voice from before called, causing Azara to stiffen. Wiping her tears, Azara glanced suspiciously around the room.

"Who are you?" Azara hissed, looking around for any sign of movement. "And where are you?"

"Azara . . . you must . . ."

Shaking her head, Azara held her hands over her ears, hoping that the action would stop the voice. "You're just imagining things."

"Azara . . . your power . . ."

"Get out of my head!" Azara snapped, causing the pain in her head to dissipate. Moving her hands around, Azara rubbed her face tiredly. "You're exhausted, Azara. That must be it. You're just tired," she told herself. Staring at the ground for a moment, Azara glanced up at the moon through the bars in her cell. "It's all in your head."

*|*|*|*|*

The next morning on the shore of a volcanic island, Aang smiled up at Katara as she pulled him to herself. "You're okay!" Katara sighed in relief, holding her head against his, before pulling back, tears in her eyes. After a moment, Sokka and Toph walked over, joining the group hug.

"I have so much to do," Aang stated as they pulled away from the hug.

"I know, but you'll have our help," Katara interjected, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

"You didn't think you could get out of training just by coming to the Fire Nation, did you?" Toph joked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"What about the invasion?" Aang asked Sokka, who smiled down at the airbender.

"We'll join up with my dad and the invasion force the day of the eclipse," Sokka explained as Aang nodded firmly.

"We'll get Azara back, then, Sokka. I know we will," Aang spoke, causing Sokka to painfully smile and nod back.

"We will," he agreed as if he was making a promise to the universe.

"Hey! What's . . ." Toph called out before reaching behind her. "Oh, it's your glider." She held out the damaged staff to Aang, who sighed as he stared down at it.

"It's okay. If someone saw it, it would give away my identity. It's better for now that no one knows I'm alive."

Aang gripped his staff in his hands before getting to his feet and jumping up towards the lava. Spinning his staff in his hands, Aang snapped the staff down into the volcanic rock. Jumping away, Aang glanced back to see his staff burst into flames. The last reminder of his life before the war. His last connection to his people.

As everyone got onto Appa, Sokka stared down at his map before flicking Appa's reins. "Yip yip!" Appa groaned before jumping into the air, flying towards the edge of the Fire Nation. Sokka gripped the reins tightly in his hands as he stared ahead. "We're coming, Azara," he thought to himself as Appa rose above the cloud line. "Just hang in there."