Prologue:

The war had dragged on for almost a hundred years; longer than any conflict should last, far longer than what the people of those four nations, separated by hostilities, should have been forced to endure, but on that day, in that nation that started it all, it looked life if peace and prosperity were all that was known.

          It's today, the day has finally come! thought the young woman with dark hair and inquisitive golden eyes as she awoke to the first rays of sunlight illuminating her room.

Princess Azula, a young prodigy; bold, intelligent, lethal. Many would say that this girl represented the best qualities of the fire nation, unfortunately she was about to discover that, in the eyes of the one at its throne, even the wondrous glow of her flame was not enough to illuminate the beacon that would lead her nation.

The princess rose from bed, adjusted an elegant robe over her refined nightgown and approached the balcony of her room to observe the preparations that were taking place in the palace on that great day, the day of the ceremony in which her position as her father's successor to the throne would be recognized.

Throughout the palace servants were doing all kinds of tasks in preparation for the ceremony, there were those who carried decorations, food, building materials, the place was full of life and movement. As Azula leaned on the balcony and the gentle touch of the hot sun warmed her body, her mind went back to that moment, a little over a year ago, when she was still eighteen and at the end of a demonstration of the progress of her training, she asked her father if she should make some kind of demonstration at the ceremony.

"Ah" Shouted the young woman as she shot a great bolt of lightning from her fingers that would knock out her last two opponents.

The girl, who was the last one standing in the training room after having defeated a platoon of the best warriors at the royal family's service, turned her gaze towards the place where her teachers and her father were seated; despite the magnificent demonstration, few signs of approval could be seen on their faces, not in small measure due to the fire lord's indications.

"Your progress is satisfactory, I expected no less from the princess of the fire nation," Ozai said simply and then got up and headed for the exit, a gesture that everyone present imitated.

The young princess had been considered a prodigy since her early years and the amount of praise and reaffirmation of her abilities had created in her a certain need for approval in order to confirm who she was, even to herself, although of course, that was an aspect of herself that she kept deep inside. When Ursa, her mother disappeared, at a critical time of her formation, things changed, the treatment of her father, the fire lord Ozai, and her tutors was distant and strict so she learned to interpret and take everything she could from every little gesture and word to compensate her need.

"Father," exclaimed the princess, quickly approaching the imposing figure dressed in royal attire.

"Yes, Azula?" he replied, gesturing his companions to continue ahead.

"Do you think I should make a firebending demonstration the day of the ceremony?

To Azula's surprise, Ozai merely raised an eyebrow, as if questioning her words, and then smiled coldly, the arched edge of his mouth forming a sharp gesture.

"Ceremony? Azula, your progress is satisfactory, but you are far from ready. There will be no ceremony this year," said Ozai before turning and walking away. "Perhaps next year."

"But... tradition dictates that the ceremony will take place during the summer solstice, when the heir comes of age," said Azula instinctively upon hearing the announcement.

The fire lord stopped abruptly, when he turned again and directed his gaze towards his daughter, his gesture did not hesitate to express the annoyance he felt for the unsolicited words of the young woman.

"You think I'm going to announce a deficient successor just because a certain date has arrived?" Ozai exclaimed, stepping towards the young woman in a shrewd and aggressive move.

The hall fell silent once more; the father took a few seconds to regain his composure.

"You are solely responsible for the outcome of your training, show that you have what it takes and you will get what you want next year."

The monarch of the fire nation left the hall leaving a stunned Azula behind, feeling flooded with emotions that she could barely contain in front of her father. Her chest felt tight, her upper back stiff as steel; she clenched her fists in an attempt to contain her anger, curled her toes trying to mitigate the desire to run to her father for justice. A part of her burned with the desire to reclaim what she had earned with merit, but, even in her anger, another part of her remained doubtful. Her life had been designed by her father and mentors to be the best, she had excelled in every single thing she had set out to do, surpassed every expectation and mark, but... what if it still wasn't enough?, would she then be able to achieve it?, questions like that gnawed at the young woman's peace of mind.

"Now what am I doing wrong?" Azula asked herself, dropping to her knees.

When the princess and her younger brother, Prince Zuko, were growing up their mother Ursa used to scold the young girl telling her how her behavior should be that of an heiress who would one day rule the fire nation. It was not a question of if, but when, but her mother's disappearance was the first blow to that certainty, and it would be far from the last. Ozai told the siblings that their mother left them to go in search of something better, he stressed that not even her children were enough to make her stay, if that was true, was their mother's affection a lie? was what she said about her destiny also a lie? It was not unusual for those unknowns to threaten the girl's sleep at night.

During the year that came after her big day was denied Azula's confidence eroded slowly but persistently, like a river carving a canyon through rock; even as a prodigy in the eyes of mentors and family she never seemed to get validation from her father that went beyond meeting what was expected of her, a "satisfactory performance"; that's the most she seemed worthy of getting, giving value to those limited words was the buoy that appeared to keep her afloat.

A strong feeling of sleepiness brought the princess back to the present, nerves had kept her awake until the early morning thinking about what the day would bring for her.

          I can't attend the ceremony looking tired, the young woman thought after a small yawn and headed back to her bed, determined to rest until the time when it was necessary to begin her preparations.

Familiar knocks at the door woke the princess, it was her maids who would help her prepare. Azula took a bath and then, supported by the maids, began to dress in her ceremonial attire; as she did so memories of a little over a week ago came to her. Azula and Zuko were practicing their firebending when their father unexpectedly entered the room where they were, the young men stopped their practice and bowed.

"Well, you have progressed, I expected nothing less. I am counting on your skills to be up to par for a demonstration on the day of the solstice ceremony," said the fire lord, standing in front of his sons after reciprocating the bow with an approving gesture.

Azula's calm expression quickly changed when she heard those words.

"So... will there be a ceremony this year?" Azula asked, making an effort to hide the hope in her eyes.

A smirk formed on Ozai's face at her eldest daughter's question.

"Yes, there will be, and you must show a behavior worthy of the royal family, I hope you won't disappoint me."

"Of course not," said Azula, straightening her posture.

"We will be ready," added Zuko, imitating his sister.

Ozai smiled, apparently pleased by the behavior of his children, although they were not really able to decipher it, and then left as calmly as he entered. After that the young siblings practiced until the early hours of the morning.

When Azula's maids finished adjusting her attire for the ceremony, a loud knock at the door interrupted the calm of her room.

"Zuzu, what brings you here, shouldn't you be getting ready?" asked Azula returning her gaze to the mirror after having quickly distinguished her younger brother's face through the door of the door as one of the maids opened it.

"Azula, i..." said the prince in a clearly dismayed voice.

"What do you have there?" Azula asked as she looked back at her brother and saw him already dressed in his ceremonial robes, holding a small ornate box in his hands.

"It's something I need to show you, alone."

"All right, I'm ready after all, you can leave us alone girls, I'll see you during the ceremony," said Azula, dismissing the maids for now. "Now then, what is it you want to show me?" asked Azula, sitting down in front of the vanity and looking at herself in the mirror.

Without a word Zuko opened the box, revealing a pair of gleaming metal objects.

When Azula saw the contents of the box she jumped up and stood quickly in front of her brother. There was no doubt about it, they were the ceremonial insignias. That's when it hit her, her father said there would be a ceremony, but never that she would be the proclaimed heir. The year of waiting never had anything to do with her abilities, it was for Zuko to turn eighteen.

"No, no, it can't be," said Azula, putting her hands in her hair and walking backwards to suddenly let herself drop on her bed.

"Azula, I... I'm sorry, I didn't know anything about this until now and— "

"She knew about it, didn't she?" said the princess, interrupting her brother.

"Uh?"

"Mom... you were her favorite... she told me she would be the heir to the throne, but now, I think she knew the truth," said Azula in a cracked voice while holding back tears.

"It wasn't like that, she—"

"You don't understand!" Azula shouted, getting up from the bed and taking off her high heels to confront Zuko. "That's why she gave you the special treatment, I was a waste of time!" After those words some tears escaped from the princess' eyes.

"Zuko... I knew your feelings would get the better of you, you still have a lot to learn."

The siblings felt a paralyzing shiver as they heard the voice of their father, whose imposing figure took control of the room as he passed through the door frame.

"Father, why? haven't I fulfilled every test and task you have set upon me? Haven't I more than proven myself to be a worthy heir to the throne?" Azula asked directly.

The fire lord turned his attention to the young woman who had questioned him, the gesture on his face almost seemed to say that he did not consider the question worthy of an answer.

"Watch your tone princess... a year ago you dared to stubbornly make a claim in the name of tradition, how much did Ursa's lies cloud your vision so that you did not realize the obvious? The throne of the fire lord has been passed down to firstborns for generations, or if not, to the strongest male child fit to lead the nation... what you feel now is your mother's fault, who could not even bear the pressure of belonging to me, and the false ideals she carved into you. Your strength and skill will serve the nation as the fire lord sees fit, you should be proud of that.

"That is not fair, the succession to the throne is rightfully mine!"

During the tumult of feelings that ran through Azula's body, she never realized that she had taken a combat pose at the same time that bolts of electricity were erratically projected on her hands and feet.

The fire lord's countenance began to burn with anger, he could not contain the rage that such outrageous behavior caused him.

"You dare raise a hand against your father and lord?!"

It all happened so fast, Zuko could barely process the scene that unfolded vertiginously before his eyes as his father aggressively lunged towards Azula. A brutal knee to the stomach, a vicious elbow to the face and a violent kick whose impact ended up throwing the young woman, who would stop dead in her tracks as she shattered the coffee table she ended up impacting against.

Perhaps the princess's body was battered by the brutality of the fire lord's attack, but her spirit was strong, and her determination unbreakable, so using all her strength she managed to stand up. Her back was arched, her right arm held the left one trying not to let the pain overpower her, her face was swollen and threads of blood ran down from her forehead to run down the path of her cheeks where a few seconds ago tears were falling, but from the eye that she could still open at will came a defiant look that would not yield as long as there was still breath left in her.

"It would have been wise of you to stay on the ground," said Ozai, whose anger fueled the flames that were coming out of his hands.

"Father, I think she has learned her lesson, you don't have to do this, Azula is one of your most capable warriors, she will be useful in the service of the throne," said Zuko, who had thrown his box on the vanity and was now standing in his father's way, trying to say something he would agree with to prevent him from hurting his sister any further.

The fire lord paused for a moment; instead of thinking about the harm he had just done to his daughter thoughts of how keeping her alive might end up being of some future use came to his mind.

"You may be right, Prince Zuko, but I think Azula will need time to think about what she has done," said Ozai; he pushed the prince out of her way and advanced towards the young woman, stopping a few steps away from her. "Look at you... you are a disgrace to this family, a disgrace to the throne. You are banished from this kingdom, and if you want to return... the only forgiveness you can aspire to will come if you bring the avatar with you," said Ozai with a cold look and iron temper, then he turned around and began to walk towards the door. "You have until the celebration is over to leave, if you are still here after that I will see to it that you are locked up in the dungeon.

"Which ship will I take? or do you intend for me to swim all the way to the earth kingdom?" asked Azula, each word fuller with anger and impotence than the last.

"I'll see that the old battleship they had begun to scrap is waiting for you in the harbor. You will be able to repair and operate it with any crew that is willing to follow you," Ozai said in a mocking tone, without even looking back at the princess.

As he reached the door the fire lord paused briefly to turn his attention to Zuko.

"I hope you are not late for the ceremony; I will not be so benevolent if I must tolerate another disappointment today," Ozai said coldly and then his figure vanished down the hall.

"Azula..." said the prince approaching his sister.

"Get out of here, leave me alone!" Azula said with difficulty, raising her arm towards the door.

"You need medical attention, you will need supplies, I can bring your maidens and—"

"No! I can take care of this, don't involve them in any way in this disaster," said the young woman, walking weakly towards the dressing table; once there she took the wooden box with the badges, opened it to observe them for a second and then closed it, taking it in her hand. "Now go away!" added the girl with defiant golden eyes as she threw the box to her brother.

"I don't want this to be the last time we see each other."

"It won't be, I'll come back for what belongs to me, now get out!" Azula shouted, throwing a warning lightning bolt inches away from the prince, who gave a last thoughtful glance towards his sister and then left the room.

Zuko, dismayed by what happened decided to go to take some time in his room; in the last corner 55before reaching his door he ran into his father's brother, his uncle, General Iroh.

"What's the matter Prince Zuko? Why that pale face? They tell me that today will be a great day for you," said Iroh, puzzled by the prince's countenance.

"Uncle, there is something I must tell you," said Zuko, signaling for his uncle to follow him.

In the prince's room, uncle Iroh learned of the situation and said a temporary farewell to Prince Zuko. Azula was, in his eyes, an unstable young woman, but there was potential for good in her, and above all, she did not deserve to die. He knew that his brother just put that condition as a formality; he really hoped that the mission would end the princess, who would probably be executed when captured alone in any other nation, and if she somehow survived, he would surely see her usefulness only as a means to get advantage of her royal blood. Ozai was a cold man, Iroh had no doubt that he had murdered their father, but he could not sit by and watch him do the same to his eldest daughter.

Before the ceremony began Iroh persuaded Ozai by telling him what he knew he would be pleased to hear; how the birthright was best falling on him, how he felt like a failure for abandoning the siege of Ba Sing Se after the loss of his son and how he wished to join the search for the avatar's in an attempt for redemption. Ozai, who wished to get rid of Iroh, or at least keep him away from interfering in his affairs, saw in this proposal the opportunity to get rid of two nuisances at the same time and accepted without further ado, just as the latter wished.

It didn't take long for General Iroh to find Azula with a small backpack over her shoulder, fainted on the deck of the battered battleship for which her brother never expected the young woman to get a crew; luckily his fame as "the dragon of the west" preceded him and a crew of volunteers looking to serve with him would see him on the ship in a few hours.

"Uncle?" Said Azula reacting to his touch while checking the young woman's pulse.

"Yes, it's me, you're not the only one who has to regain her honor these days; so, I've decided to join this expedition," said a smiling Iroh.

"As you wish," said Azula, not feeling like starting a conflict with her uncle and aware of the advantages that his company could bring her.

Seconds after the meeting of the princess with the general, a colorful roar broke the calm of the newly arrived night, illuminating the sky; the fireworks of the ceremony had begun. A wobbly Azula went to lean against the edge of the ship's stern, Iroh gave her space while he pleasantly greeted those boarding to make up the crew. Once all the volunteers were aboard the old battleship departed as soon as it was possible, they were to leave the nation, so repairs would have to be made at sea.

          Those should have been for me, Azula thought as she watched the fireworks, ignoring the pain in her body, which felt increasingly distant.

And so, on the night of the solstice, Princess Azula's consciousness faded as she watched the fireworks grow farther and farther away; and that old battleship set out on a journey that would last a year before the banished young woman observed a great flash on the horizon that would rekindle her hopes of returning home, to reclaim what belonged to her.