Azula isn’t alone

The section of the empire once known as Fire Nation is located on an archipelago of tropical volcanic islands called the Fire Islands, many of which are still active and provide the nation with an unlimited source of power.

The two bigger and main islands are Capital Island and Shuhon Island.

Because of a warm and humid climate, it is home to a variety of native flora and fauna, though the main islands largely consist of rough, grassy plains bearing little wildlife.

The population of this region is mostly concentrated in urban centers, though smaller settlements, villages, and towns dot the landscape as well.

The capital city is on the largest island, situated inside the crater of a large volcano.

There are also many industrial establishments where weapons, tanks, and warships are built to support the war effort.

This region of the Blaze empire employs highly skilled metalworkers and blacksmiths who make use of iron and other metals to engender their fortresses and warships.

Utilizing coal dug out by prisoners slaving in mines, they are able to power massive industrial furnaces and war machinery.

The initial drive for the nation's attempts for expansion was industrialization and having a greater need for resources, in itself a staple of imperialism. But also a natural need due to its growing population.

Furthermore, the Fire Nation has profited greatly from the volcanic soil that dominates its islands, as it is very fertile.

As a result, this section possesses a flourishing agricultural industry.

Rich deposits of natural gas are found in areas like Fire Fountain City.

In compliance with its war effort, the Blaze empire is heavily engaged in industry.

The country's economy is dominated by shipbuilding, metalworking, and manufacturing weapons such as arrows, spears, shields, swords, and knives.

Despite a crude range of weaponry, the Empire stood as the most technologically advanced belligerent in the ongoing War.

Its comprehensive knowledge of combustion allowed them to develop several Industrial-Age technologies including advanced metallurgy, tanks, rudimentary explosives like jelly, sophisticated catapults, siege drills, and coal-powered ironclad warships.

The empire is the strongest economy in the world, built mostly through industry and gains in war.

However, some areas were adversely affected by their country's decision-making: Jang Hui, for example, fell into poverty when the past Fire Nation built a smelting factory on the town's river.

Almost no nourishment was available for the village's residents, and many people may have starved before emperor Zuko intervened.

The economy is based on agriculture, fishing, industry, and technology.

The Blaze empire has had a formal education system that predates multiple cycles of the avatar.

School was hardly ever canceled.

From the beginning of the Hundred Year War, the education system aimed to instill loyalty in its students through political indoctrination, strict discipline, and nationalist teachings.

Students in certain schools began the educational process as soon as they began firebending, or for non benders, as soon as they began walking.

Subjects including history, music, etiquette, warfare, and firebending were taught to the students by various teachers.

However, the educational system primarily worked as a "mind-molding" process, influencing students to develop a strong sense of nationality and loyalty to the Fire Lord.

Teachers maintained rigid order and withheld teaching students the art of dance or any other form of self-expression.

In addition, censorship and propaganda were used in history books, such as falsely claiming the Air Nomads used military force to fight the Fire Nation.

Zuko had ordered multiple alterations to that system, primarily the insertion and assimilation of different cultures.

Glorifying the current state of their oldest colony, Yu Dao.

The Empire's worldview upholds that only unity, centralism and strict order can ensure stability and prosperity.

This does not include anymore restricting freedom and creativity, as these aspects of personal expression are critical to societal development and harmony.

However, children do not gain this freedom until they have been taught how to improve the Empire with their actions, and the honor it brings them.

The idea of a peaceful, harmonious and cooperative world order now coexisted with an imperialist ideology that propagated global domination and striving to achieve it.

Children were now taught that the Empire was the greatest civilization that had ever existed because of its values of justice, excellence and innovation.

The war was its way of ending the dark age of barbarism and reclusiveness imposed by the avatar and sharing the empire's greatness, along with the ideology that the Emperor and his family were great people who were rightful rulers of the world.

Blaze empire citizens were regarded as equals regardless if they were from the mainland or from the colonies, as well as their bending, were deemed as gifts from the spirits.

Not to mention their value and respect for both genders.

Though the Fire Nation had a long-standing history of tolerance toward same-sex couples, such relationships were declared illegal under Fire Lord Sozin's reign.

Zuko made sure to make it legal again.

The Fire Nation has a long tradition of reverence and respect for authority figures. By the 3rd century BG, however, obedience was not reserved to the Fire Lord, as clan heads and the Avatar were also highly regarded.

Fire Lord Zoryu was the country's first known ruler who hoped that one day all Fire Nation citizens would become loyal only to the Fire Lords.

This dream was fully realized under Sozin, Azulon, and Ozai, when the Fire Nation developed an intensive and excessive cult of personality for the Fire Lords.

It became common to keep pictures of the Fire Lord clearly visible in schools and public buildings, while massive statues were erected in honor of the ruler.

This was accompanied by strong glorification, although the monarchs were still regarded as humans – unlike the Earth King, who was said to be considered as a god at the time.

Emperor Zuko took inspiration from earth kings of the past and framed himself as the god of his people, not by race but by culture.

He took advantage of cultural festivals like the traveling "Fire Days Festival", alternatively called simply the "fire festival", that was an empire-sponsored event that brought Blaze empire culture to its citizens that lived away from their homeland.

This event traveled to empire occupied areas of the Earth Kingdom, staying for a few weeks at a time at each location.

A variety of imperial people attended the festival, from soldiers on leave, to civilians living in occupied territory.

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Meanwhile, in the capital city of the Blaze Empire.

The Blaze Empire Royal Palace is the home of the Royal Family and serves as the seat of government.

Located at the center of the Caldera City crater in the Capital, it is one of the most recognizable structures in the Empire and is heavily guarded day and night in order to protect its high-class residents.

The area between the walls and the palace is barren and devoid of any cover, ensuring that potential assassins and spies attempting to infiltrate the palace will likely be spotted by the numerous guard towers.

The wall encircling this estate separates the palace from the rest of the city.

Outside the defensive perimeter are several lush gardens and villas for use by members of the Royal Family, filled with beautiful plants, trees, and ponds.

The palace itself is a single structure. An elaborate tower with triple eaves is at the center, with three distinct wings joining it. The two smaller wings stand on either side of the main entrance to the palace building. There are towers at the ends of these wings as well. Directly opposite of the main entrance is the third, larger wing, which houses the Emperor's throne room.

Inside, the palace comprises enormous halls and retains an intricate array of wings and chambers.

Large tapestries line the walls and elaborate Phoenix-themed images and moldings are laid out all throughout the numerous sections of the structure.

Another chamber holds an indoor Agni Kai arena complete with seating for large audiences, used to settle disputes of the palace.

The Empire practice of Agni Kai, a "fire duel", has long been used to solve conflicts.

Anyone challenged to an Agni Kai must accept or be branded as a weakling.

On the other hand, anyone who steps into the Agni Kai chamber knows it could be his or her last fight.

These duels have claimed the lives of many firebenders and inflict even more harm on people who have shown mercy on their opponents.

This place is also where the famous Agni Kai between Emperor Zuko and his father, the last Fire Lord Ozai, happened, which later resulted in great destruction to the overall structure.

It had been completely remodeled since that duel.

Bedrooms are large and contain luxurious decoration and furniture, befitting royalty.

These bedrooms are often reserved for those in direct line of succession to the throne, as Ozai and his family lived in a villa outside the palace during the reign of Fire Lord Azulon.

The Royal Family's servants lived within the palace to tend to the structure as well as its inhabitants.

In the courtyard, the nobles gather to get a first sight of the Royal Family members at dawn.

Zuko had taken the habit of waving and smiling at a large group of admirers and fangirls in the courtyard.

The Royal gallery had been slightly altered, no longer it held portraits of past Fire Lords, now it had been filled with paintings and schemes regarding Zuko's vision for the future of his empire.

The throne room, also known as the War Room or War Chamber, is where the Emperor makes most of his decisions and also where he formulates plans with his military and civilian advisers.

The throne room has many black pillars with elaborate gold bases that support the roof and has black tiled floors.

The emperor sits on an ornate covered throne on a higher platform surrounded by a wall of fire.

An enormous bas-relief image of a Phoenix flapping feathers of fire adorns the wall behind the emperor.

The imposing atmosphere is designed to instill awe and fear in all who enter, intimidating and impressing all who face the emperor.

The last fire Lord Ozai had a number of secret chambers hidden throughout the palace that he used for his own purposes.

Zuko had ordered that all these secret chambers were connected, but it had been done under complete secrecy.

One of the best-known features of the Blaze Empire Royal Palace was its large turtle duck pond sited in the courtyard's gardens.

Azula had been sent back to fill Zuko's place until he returned.

He had ordered her to train the prisoners they've made in Kyoshi Island into regular servants of his palace. Around ten young girls with adequate combat experience and protective of one another.

Azula spared no effort to bend the girls to bid her will.

She might not be as skilled as Zuko, but after observing her older brother she had learned a few tricks.

Unfortunately, Azula feared he won't be pleased if she left physical scars. So her only option was to play mind games and attempt to make them fear her.

And fear what Zuko might do to their precious leader if they don't behave.

She had some of the older servants teach them proper etiquette, not to mention test their skills in completing tasks around the palace.

But the Kyoshi Warriors weren't the only thing that Zuko had requested of her.

Even if hadn't directly mentioned, She knew he wanted her to make sure that Toph and Boulder would be successful in their tasks.

As much as she loathed, she had allowed entrance to hundreds of earth benders into their respectable capital.

The fighting arena Zuko had ordered to be built was already usable, the only thing left was to expand and decorate.

Whenever she could, she went in person while escorted by the elite royal guards, to check the progress in training those savages.

To her surprise, there were actually a handful of individuals capable of bending metal.

Ever since she witnessed Zuko bending it as well, she secretly attempted to budge the metal ornaments in her chamber, but to no avail.

She would rather die painfully than to seek out that detestable blind peasant to teach her, so she trained even harder to master her lightning.

Azula had received the authority to rule in Zuko's place, and so she did.

She must have been the youngest interim ruler of a nation or empire ever in the history of the world.

But since trades matters were below her and Zuko had made clear he was building up the strength of his army, there wasn't much to rule anyway.

Like he had suggested, Li and Lo took care of basically anything else she didn't want to waste her time with.

For now, she was on her second favorite place of the entire royal palace, the royal spa.

Here she loved to get her hair washed and nails manicured.

Her current favorite place to be was Zuko's room, the one he had ordered to be reshaped and expanded to reflect his status as supreme leader of an entire empire.

And Azula could feel his scent whenever she slept in his bed.

But also their mother's as well.

"You have such beautiful hair." Someone spoke.

Speaking of the devil...

"Dear daughter…" Ursa approached her as the servants bowed. "...I believe it's due time we have some time together again."

"Have I done something to make you think we were that close?" Azula asked coldly while not paying much attention to her own mother. "Can't you see that I'm busy filling Zuko's place?"

"Please." Ursa pleaded.

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Princess Azula was born to Prince Ozai and Princess Ursa in 85 ASC and was named after her paternal grandfather, Fire Lord Azulon.

She grew up with all the riches, splendor, and privileges of royalty in the Fire Nation.

Her sharp wits and the fact that she was a firebending prodigy gained her great attention and acclaim, which quickly made her Ozai's favorite child.

Her father began raising her as his true heir from an early stage, taking her into his confidence and educating her in politics.

Azula later attended the Royal Fire Academy for Girls, where she met Mai and Ty Lee, two daughters of Fire Nation noblemen.

Despite the heightened tensions in their family due to their father's favoritism of Azula, cohesion and peace were still strong among the young family during Azula and Zuko's childhood.

For example, the two would often reenact the final duel of Love amongst the Dragons after watching the play during their frequent vacations at Ember Island.

Both siblings happily recalled these memories many years later.

However, as they grew older, the siblings eventually grew apart.

Though Azula was clearly favored by Ozai, she felt that her mother loved Zuko much more than her, creating a rift of jealousy between her and Ursa and Zuko.

Confronted daily with this mother/son bonding, Azula often attempted to gain Ursa's attention in some way.

However, these attempts usually resulted in family quarrels.

Around 94 ASC, Azula walked together with her mother and brother in the royal garden. Feeling neglected and bored as Ursa only talked with Zuko, Azula ignited a flower, prompting Zuko to tell on her to Ursa.

Ursa scolded Azula for disrespecting the royal garden, but the princess just said that the flower "deserved it", as it had not grown to her liking.

In retaliation for telling on her, the Fire Nation princess burned Zuko's bottom, calling him a tattletale. However, Ursa promptly sent her to her room.

Scowling over this treatment, Azula stormed off.

Scenes like this became regular occurrences, and as a result, the Fire Princess developed an increasingly hostile attitude toward Zuko and Ursa.

Months later, Azula and her family ate together at the palace dining hall.

The princess, dissatisfied with the conservative training techniques of her firebending teacher, happily told her father that she set his britches on fire after being lectured by him.

Ozai agreed that the teacher sounded like a fool for insisting on specified forms and declared that he would send him to the colonies as punishment.

Full of spiteful joy, Azula said that it "served him right" and called him a "dummy".

When Zuko attempted to defend the tutor, he was promptly silenced by his father, who reprimanded him for his poor firebending skills and compared him with Azula and her natural talent for the bending art.

Ozai revealed that he nearly discarded Zuko at birth, believing the prince to be a nonbender, causing Azula to smile triumphantly at her shocked brother.

Azula often displayed her natural talents, along with her tendency for malice and perfection, but these traits were especially clear when the princess played with her friends in the royal garden in 95 ASC.

When Ty Lee successfully performed a cartwheel after Azula's failed attempt, she shoved her friend to the ground out of jealousy while laughing gleefully.

When she saw ten-year-old Mai attempting to hide her crush on her brother Zuko, Azula used her acting and cunning to convince her mother to make Zuko play with them.

During their game, she placed an apple on Mai's head and set it on fire, forcing Zuko to tackle Mai into a fountain to put out the fire. She found great pleasure in embarrassing the two of them.

A true tactician, Azula desired power from a young age, suggesting that her father would make a better Fire Lord than the heir apparent, her uncle Iroh.

She torched a doll that her uncle had sent her as a gift from the Earth Kingdom, preferring the weapon Zuko had gotten over a simple doll.

Not long after this, her cousin Lu Ten was killed in battle, prompting Iroh to abandon his legendary six-hundred-day siege of Ba Sing Se, which in turn prompted Azula to call him "a quitter and a loser".

She even showed some slight disrespect to her grandfather, as when she was told to call him "Fire Lord Azulon", she responded with, "Can't we just call him grandfather? He's not exactly the powerful firebender he used to be".

Shortly after receiving news of Iroh abandoning the battlefield, Azula and the rest of her family went before Fire Lord Azulon, and she put on a spectacular display of her firebending prowess.

After her routine, she watched smugly as Zuko tried to copy her performance, but failed.

When Azulon ordered everyone except Ozai out of the room, Azula grabbed her brother and hid behind the curtains. From there, she and Zuko watched their father request that he be made Fire Lord instead of Iroh.

When Zuko fled in fear of the Fire Lord's anger, Azula stayed behind to watch with amusement.

She later met her brother back in his room, claiming gleefully that she heard her grandfather sentence him to death.

She taunted him about it until their mother angrily pulled her away for a private talk.

Under pressure from Ursa, Azula confessed what she overheard and was told by her mother to go to her room, which she did with a devious smile.

A short time later, Azula played with the knife that Zuko had received from Iroh and coolly announced to him that no one knew where their mother was and their grandfather had passed away during the night.

Soon after that, she watched her father's coronation with glee.

No amicable feelings developed between her and Zuko throughout the next few years, as Ozai apparently began to favor her more and more over her brother during this period.

Azula, alongside Iroh and Zhao, watched Zuko's Agni Kai with his father.

When Zuko turned out to be a completely different person, her smug smile of triumph over him vanished.

Henceforth, tables have turned for both siblings as Azula's relentless training in firebending, strategy, and combat always proved not enough compared to Zuko.

Strangely, Azula began noticing that her firebending was advancing to faster levels where her fire was blue and much more powerful. She could also create lightning, but not to the level of her brother.

Born a princess and hailed as a prodigy, Azula grew up to be narcissistic and confident.

She relentlessly drilled herself toward perfection and settled for nothing less from herself or those who served her.

She believed that power and domination were the defining traits of strength, and as such would only help others if she thought there was some personal gain at stake.

She had absolute confidence in her "divine right to rule", with which she believed she was born.

She harbored neither pity nor mercy for those she marked as treasonous or inferior.

As one who wanted nothing less than absolute control, she likewise had remarkable control of herself, seemingly able to react to any situation at a moment's notice without losing her composure.

Azula was marked by a distinct lack of empathy.

Even as a child, she reacted with hostility when outdone, a trait clearly displayed when she shoved Ty Lee to the ground after the girl bested her at gymnastics.

This behavior would characterize her relationship with her friends for many years.

Although she could show sympathy toward them, she never cared for their feelings and manipulated them as she saw fit.

She was prone to asserting herself and her authority in a grandiose way. She also showed a need for admiration, mostly from her father, whom she emulated to a great degree, and from everyone else around her, though to a lesser extent.

She reacted with despair and rage whenever her father didn't do her bidding. However, Azula had a certain level of fear of him, as Azula notes that not even she could take him in a fight.

Azula was known to have a cruel personality, showing little to no concern for others besides her father.

From a very young age, Azula demonstrated sadistic aggression and a near-total lack of remorse to friends, servants, family, and animals.

Her own mother, Princess Ursa, once remarked, "What is wrong with that child?" after observing her casual cruelties.

Her cruelty was apparently infamous and extreme already by that time.

Azula's characteristic blue flames symbolized the power she possessed and constantly sought to increase.

She was never happy with what she had, always striving for more.

Always trying to get more to try and fill what she lacked, but it was never enough. In a sense, she was a person without a finish line.

Her lack of compassion also accounted for her ability to create lightning, the "cold-blooded fire". The skill that required complete control of all emotion, which would not prove difficult for Azula with her one-track mentality.

Because of these skills, she was also an excellent tactician, regularly displaying cunning, perception, and resourcefulness that allowed her to take advantage of almost any situation.

Ironically, for all her refinement and self-confidence, Azula did retain some insecurity.

As a result of her sequestered life of royalty, she had developed a considerable amount of social ineptitude, particularly in her uncertainty of how to act around boys, and she frequently intimidated them during conversations.

Though she seemingly looked down on Zuko all throughout their entire relationship before his Agni Kai with their father, thinking of him as a weak and whiny boy who never stood up for himself or to her especially, recently her opinion of him seemed to have risen exponentially.

For her, Ozai always represented absolute power and perfection, qualities which she desired to acquire.

Although outwardly maintaining a cold and dismissive opinion of her mother, Ursa's banishment ultimately had a devastating impact upon Azula's fragile psyche.

Although she was fully capable of acting cruelly without showing any outright regret, deep down a part of her could tell what she did was wrong and felt regret over it but it was just her indomitable will and emotional control that prevented her from showing it for many years by her indomitable will.

Recently, while still somewhat obsessed with ruling by instilling fear, Azula realized that she could rule through Zuko and thereby share the burden of being the supreme ruler of the world.

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In the end, Azula conceded to her mother's plea to spend some time together.

She didn't know what to think of Ursa.

Azula was aware of her tragic story of being kidnapped. Her half-sister made her confirm that the world outside wasn't as welcoming or forgiving.

Zuko had received Ursa and their half sibling with open arms, somewhat giving back all the love and care he received from Ursa.

Initially, Azula thought her worst nightmare had become reality. Living in a family that wouldn't appreciate or care for her.

Noticing that Zuko wasn't the pathetic weakling that she once thought he was, and having him taking Ozai's place in her life, was definitely unexpected.

And Ursa being more open to her and insisting to display affection despite her cruel nature was just as surprising.

Her life had drastically changed ever since that fateful Agni Kai.

She wasn't a crown princess anymore.

Her brother had a clear goal to reshape the world after winning the war.

And even though she didn't want to admit, she had a happy family to rely on.

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(20/12/2020)

*Hope this chapter is of your liking. Anything you wish to ask, feel free to do so.

Thanks as always for your attention and please be safe.

Any problems with my writing, just point them out and I will correct them as soon as possible.

** Please don't hesitate to tell me if the quality is dropping. I really wish to continue trying to update fast, but I don't want to make it reflect badly on my writing.