Chapter Text
Azula had escaped from the fire nation institute after a year and a half of “Never getting better” while being treated like a wild animal only and being feed scraps, enough was enough.
She had tired for a little while willing to give her brothers dumb idea a shot yet nothing she did seemed to make them even consider releasing her, eventually the silence of concrete walls and her own thoughts (and others) made her feel as if she was actually going crazy this time so she made her escape.
Actually Escaping the fire nation while on high alert had been a little too easy, picking the lock with a spoon she stole and melted while memorizing the guards shifts from her straight jacket, it was honestly surprising she hadn’t done it sooner.
‘if she ever saw Zuzu again she’d have to let him know how bad his security was’
After a few days of running and living off of shrubs and bugs she was finally out of the fire nation but with little options left for going unnoticed her best bet was Earth kingdom to hide away.
Earth kingdom was a very diverse nation with plenty of different types of people so it made it easier to blend in.
Still, she decided to cut her hair short to avoid too much suspicion regardless, looking in a nearby river the cut was shoulder length and jagged, reminding her of another firebender.
Smiling to herself while enjoying her newfound freedom she started walking, starting her new life under a new name ‘Lu’ which may or may not have been inspired by her late cousin Lu Ten.
While traveling she’d spent her days walking through large forests and towns studying in libraries when she good gathering information on the surrounding land, what plants to eat and surviving the climate. It was pretty informative as she’d always been a quick learner but to be able to use the information she’d learned was quite rewarding, especially after she figured out some plants nearby had medicinal properties, if she was lucky she could possibly sell to any healers she came across.
On her journey she’d also continued training when she could catching up on lost time, being in a straight jacket in a year do nothing to help her muscles out and she was now quite lean almost starved looking.
If she couldn’t find food she’d steals whatever food was available her agility and stealth had made it far easier but she’d still need to be careful in case her new look started getting recognizable.
All an all it had been a pretty decent experience traveling throughout the earth kingdom though her lack of bed and room were slightly annoying she never got cold so she supposed it wasn’t the worst.
3 more years go bye shes 18 1/2
Azula had been working odd jobs wherever she went still a wonderer going from place to place, luckily due to the war there was always a need for extra hands in rebuilding or guarding a transport so she had to steal less and was able to afford a small inn on some days instead of her little tent she’d bought.
………………………
It was late at night as she was walking home tired from a day of strenuous work and exercise she was ready to fall asleep and rest, until she heard a woman crying in a nearby alleyway growing curious she Got closer to the noise as silent as possible until she was in full view of the group with the moon shining brightly she could see their faces clearly.
A group of bandit looking men had surrounded a smaller woman pushing her forcefully against the wall as they laughed not seeming to care and even joking about the woman begging for her life while crying profusely, the sight twisted her gut in two anger clouded her as she ran head first into the alleyway.
Running fast she suprised the group Taking 2 down immediately with her fists feeling a satisfying crush on one of the men’s nose as they landed with a thump, the other 3 turned in shock for a split second before getting ready to fight.
Glaring as they readied themself their incompetence thinking they could fight her almost made Her laugh instead. The woman on the wall was still crying now more so seeing the 2 men now unconscious on the ground so, she decided to warn them instead spin the narrative just a slit bit in her favor.
“I wouldn’t think about it if I were you, your 2 friends are just the beginning”
The group had beads of sweat now as they shook the moon still full showed the fear in their eyes as they were now apprehensive. ‘Good they should fear me’
Of course realizing she was a woman they decided to steal themselves once more and pushed forward all at once, one of them picked up and broke a bottle in half as the other 2 swung on her drunkenly.
Easily dodges both swings it was boring how horrible of a fight they were putting considering they were bold enough to corner a defenseless woman in an alleyway. One of the men swung again as she dodged again now grossed out by their smell holding her nose as she tried to make some distance between them.
“I live on the street and still have better hygiene than you goblins, so nasty”
That seemed to make them even angrier as the one with the bottle tried to stab her heart immediately she jumped out of the way but was nicked but the bottle earning her a gash to the leg.
‘Tsk’
Hissing from the sharp pain she flipped away from the group and reassessed the damage, getting angry when she saw blood rolling down her leg which made her even angrier than she already was.
Looking back up at the 3 with a death wish she stretched out a bit to loosen up her muscles this time.
“That’s enough playing around”
Running to the group and in quick succession all 3 were on the ground and permanently disfigured this time, at least shed warned them.
‘I should done that the first time but I sorta wanted to show off to the lady’
Looking at the woman she saved, the woman jumped in surprise at the attention now on her, understanding the shaking Azula walked to her with her hands up.
“Don’t worry ma’am they won’t be getting up for a while, are you okay?”
“Y-yes I’m okay, thank you for saving me”
With tears in her eyes the woman still looked scared at what had just happened likely not to forget about it for a while
“My name is T-Tola, thank you again for saving me, I don’t know how to repay you”
Azula looked at the woman and smiled, she never really thought of being the ‘good guy’ in these types of situations but she guessed it was nice to see someone appreciating you rather than fearing every now and then.
“No no you’re all good as long as you’re safe I heard your cry’s and just decided to help”
Smirking to herself as she turned around she was really laying on the nice look today
“W-wait a minute!”
Stopping in her tracked she turned back confused
Tola was still standing there looking her up and down, seemingly coming up with her own alternative.
“Please miss, I have food and shelter for the night if you need it..and we should have that scratch on your leg looked at”
Azula looked shocked, ever since she had been on the run for the past 3 years nobody’s offered to help her in such a way, looking down at the men still groaning nearby.
‘I guess she just wants to thank me for what I did, thanks drunkards!’
Looking back to the woman, her mind had been set she wouldn’t pass up a free meal and lodging right now.
Walking back to the woman she gave a small nod of gratitude.
“My names Lu and I’d happily take you up on that offer if you don’t mind”
Walking with Tola to the house had been a silent endeavor, she was still shaking and Azula didn’t know if it was because of the cold or what she’d been through so she’d radiated and bit more heat to hopefully warm her up and she noticeably relaxed.
Her house wasn’t much. It was a small thing with 2 bedrooms, a bath and a kitchen with a small living room but to Azula it had been the best she’d had in a while so the was no complaints, actually almost tearing up at the prospect of a comfortable bed or couch to sleep on.
As soon as Tola put her stuff down Azula stiffened hearing sets of footsteps running into the room eventually 2 little kids made there way into the kitchen surprising her, the children ran straight towards their mom screaming happily and yelling about their day and Tola tried to calm them down.
Azula was shocked Tola had looked relatively younger so she wasn’t expecting this kind of thing when she accepted her offer.
“I’m happy to see you both too, now it’s late so go get ready for bed and I’ll be there in a second”
Setting them back down she looked at Azula nervously as they raced each other back to their room, Tola was likely unsure of how she would react.
“You have children?”
“Oh- yes, Beto he’s 10 and Ana she’s 6”
Tola looked away unsure what to make of this situation unfolding tonight, she’d been saved and offered her home all in the matter of minutes and was now unsure of what to do next.
“You don’t look a day over 25 if you’d asked me”
Giving a wink trying not to insult her benefactor and she was actually telling the truth Azula had been guessing this woman was close in her 20s but she was at least in her 30s after this revelation.
Tola looked away blushing heavily as she thanked her for the compliment before turning back to Azula.
“If you’d like to stay I have a couch and a bathroom you could use I’ll be making some food in a short while after I put the kids to bed since they already ate earlier”
“That sounds amazing I’d appreciate that very much thank you”
Azula was never one for thanks and appreciation but she felt at this moment it was rightfully deserved, this woman was taking someone off the street just to help her out.
After eating Azula asked to use their restroom feeling a slight pain in her leg still getting undressed. The cut on her leg seemed worse than it felt
‘or maybe she was just used to it’
sighing she began to wash up happy to have a bath that wasn’t in a river or rain.
While trying to cauterize the wound she hovers over it with her fire suddenly feeling very different than how her cauterizing usually felt, scrunching her eyebrows together she closed her eyes. She could feel something like energy running through her but it didn’t have that burning sensation she was expecting, It was strange she’d never been able to feel anything like that before but it seemed to tell her exactly what to do.
Focusing on this feeling she pushed the flow of her body's natural life energy to the gash and it began closing up slowly as her metabolism speed up after a few seconds she let go of the breath she was holding finally opening her eyes and realized she was now sweating profusely and even more tired but the cut on her leg was now closed leaving a scar.
Astounded for a while she smiled extremely hard she had just created a new sub bending technique for firebenders!
She truly was the prodigy she was made to be, laughing to herself she could practically feel her ego and happiness bursting at the brim at the thought of Zuzu finding out she had yet again done the impossible, before finishing up and going to bed, now in a brighter mood than she’d been in a while.
Waking up well rested, she saw the kids playing while Tola was making breakfast. While she's not a fan of kids she stopped to admire their family dynamic, one she was not used to in the slightest. It was strange to see the love between them unlike how she grew up.
‘Is this how a normal family is?’
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
Wanting to feel useful to her new benefactor she offered to help around or do anything Tola needed, Tola looked at her confused at the suggestion but Azula could see the gears turning in her head the thought of having an extra pair of hands around to help seemed to good of an opportunity to pass up and would be a great help to her and the kids
So with slight reluctance Tola nodded her head deciding to take the help where she got it.
……………………….
1 years gone bye she’s 19
What was supposed to be just a day of helping out had turned into a week and then a week a month and eventually it’d been a year, which if Azula could go back she’d do just the same, helping Tola out with her kids fixing odd jobs around the house and even snagging a job to help Tola pay for everything she was now living very comfortably and Tola also seemed to not worry as much being around her kids more and overall just happier than when Azula had first met her in that alley.
She had actually gotten close to the Tola sharing stories of her adventures and parts of her childhood
‘though she left out the incriminating parts’
learning that her husband had passed away recently and she was actually trying to get back on her feet and keep herself and the kids afloat the night Id helped her.
Tola had been such a comforted figure to her now Azula even told her some true parts about her past, how her mother and father were like she just seemed so comforting to Azula that she started sharing hugs with the older woman, they both seemed to get that from each other something that they hadn’t experienced in a while and it was nice.
She was truly enjoying herself here but she knew it wouldn’t last long as she’d found throughout her travels, staying to long gets her found quicker.
So Eventually Zuko had to go and ruin it as usual, since during her early workout she’d seen fire nation guards nearby obviously searching for people with her description, though she found it overkill that they were still looking for her after 4 years, she could only guess Zukos inner guilt was to blame for that.
So with a heavy heart she picked up her things and told Tola and the kids she had to go.
“I’m sorry Tola I have to go, the time here with you and the kids has really been a highlight of my life so I’ll always be grateful.”
Azula looked down at the woman who was now tearing up as her gut churned, digging through her pocket she gave her a good chunk of the extra money she’d earned that year.
‘I wish I wasn’t on the run like I am or else I think I’d stay here longer’
“It’s okay Lu I know you have a tough past and it’s not going to be easy for you out there either, so thank you for helping me back up to my feet I’ll always have a room here for you if you need it.”
Azula smiled lightly at that, this woman was truly a saint.
“Don’t worry Tola I’ll come visit one day, and I’ll write letters whenever I can so don’t wrote to hard okay?”
Azula and Tola hugged one final time for a while before she kneeled down to face her two children who were also tearing up seeing her leave.
“You two are so strong I need you to stay strong for your mother, can you guys do that?”
They both nodded and Azula hugged them both feeling her eyes blur as she did shaking it off before any tears could form.
“I’ll miss you guys”
Standing back up she turned around not wanting to let them see her red eyes and walked away.
‘That was far harder than she expected it to be’
———-
After leaving Tola, Azula starts wondering once more , but far less enthused than before, their family had left a hole in her heart, one that's not easily filled.
‘Is this my life now? Destined to be alone forever, always on the move?’
She Moved onto a bigger town a few days away it was a bustling city which meant they also had a library to pillage going a bit back to her older days of survival.
Looking through the library reading up on anything she could lay her hands on eventually finding a book on blacksmithing, while she had never thought about it before, usually blacksmiths were reserved to a select few individuals it reminded her of her escape from the asylum, melting a spoon to fit her needs.
Her blue fire seemed to make excellent use of metal and it would give her a good source of income if she made things for people in the long run.
Taking the book and whatever remaining money she had left she ‘bought’ (found an abandoned little shack) near a shipping yard and got to work.
Going through her book she eventually made an improv furnace and stole metals from nearby ships and cargo during the night.
Melting the metal to near perfection had been easy of course, being a prodigy she was a fast learner taking a few tries in practice to make something and eventually after a few weeks she began advertising near the shipping yard and began with orders.
So far nothing crazy just people looking for specific parts for tools, knives and other items but one day a timid looking man walked in looking desperate.
“E-Excuse me, are you the blacksmith that everyone at the yards been talking about?”
Azula smiled a tad at the knowledge of whispers of her new business, while she was elated and it boosted her ego ten fold she wouldn't tell him that. crossing her arms she was firm in her reply.
“Depends on what you need?”
The man was sweating from her gaze if he hadn't known better he'd think she was royalty or something, clearing his throat he tried to regain his composure
“I was hoping to find someone to make me a ring for my girlfriend, I'm planning on proposing soon, but I don't have the funds to go somewhere like Ba sing se to get it.. Will you help me? ”
Oh? This was unexpected. She'd never made rings up till now but a challenge is always good for learning and to further push her business so as long as he paid well she agreed.
“Okay - as long as you specify the size, type and material I should be able to work it out”
Nodding and rambling to herself her mind went through all the possibilities and what it would look like, rings weren't that common as most of the general population couldn't exactly afford something handmade with skill but as long as this man paid well enough she supposed she would give it a shot.
——————————-
After a few days working on her newest creation they were finally done there sat 2 gold rings brightly shining in the light with even a small reflection on it, gold was a popular metal in the earth kingdom so it was reasonable to see why he chose that metal but still seeing the result made her beam with pride yet sad at the same time something churned within her. Would she ever get married? She'd been on the run for so long now she didn't even know if she could have a normal life anymore.
Shaking her head, she refocused on the task at hand.
A few days after she completed the rings the lucky couple decided to get married with basically the whole town as witness, and when the rings were shown there were gasps in awe with how beautiful they were and for such a low price.
Soon enough her small workshop was flooded with orders of rings to necklaces and even bracelets she wouldn't have to worry about food for a while it seems.
A few months had passed as she carried on with her usual training and leisure time, even taking up meditation that she had read about to focus on her chi which helped better control her fire healing as she learned.
Being able to pay for things now has certainly made her life much easier and she even decided to send some back to Tola, as discreetly as she could she never put her own address so Tola couldn’t return it even if she wanted to.
paying also helped with her clothes situation since she's grown over the years and desperately needed a new wardrobe, so going on a shopping spree when she could she eventually found a new home still small but it had a bathtub which she’d constantly dream of having again. (she almost cried tears of happiness when she got it)
Practicing her Katas she landed another flip jumping into the air and catching herself with her fire propelling in the air for a short time before eventually landing back onto the ground.
Now that she thought of it she hadn't really flown that much since.. Well since she was a kid during the war, the feeling of being in the air was very freeing but it also reminded her of another person who could fly in the air, the Avatar.
Usually when she used her fire to propel herself it didn’t last that long but if she had something like what the avatar uses would she be able to fly long distances? It certainly would help if the time to flee ever arose, with this thought process her mind went to work thinking of all the ways she could somewhat make this work
She went back to her workshop and for the next few days in her free time she worked on a glider until eventually she made her way out with a metal pole and retractable wings similar to that of the avatars but adjusted to her own tastes, finally she was finished.
Testing is she propelled herself high enough into the air then using the glider she gripped the handle and propelled herself forward successfully gliding through the hair she laughed this had been the best feeling she's had in a while.
Looking down below the trees moved past her with speed, but as it turned out steering is a lot harder than it looks minutes later she crashed into the top of a tree luckily breaking her fall. With excitement she climbed down the tree and started off again.
‘lets try that again’
A few days had passed since she figured out how to fly and ever since she's been traveling much faster than she used too, after her little jewelry business boomed she been packing out orders like no tomorrow and shipping them out to people using her glider as the distance from customers got farther she was actually starting to enjoy herself as thoughts of where to go next filled her mind.
In the Fire Nation
Zuko had been working tirelessly day and night trying to keep the nation together and the dignitaries happy but it seems no matter what he did it didn't last long. People were starting to get rowdy and demand the help we've been giving other nations since the war ended to stop immediately.
Not to mention the fact that his sister was still missing. It's been about 4 years since she escaped and everyone he’s sent has come back empty handed. He was truly worried about her and her health wherever she may be and he wouldn’t admit this to her but he needed her help, the situation with the colonies and dignitaries was getting out of control and he need advice from someone that wasn’t Ozai.
His attendant walked up he seemed to be slightly pale alerting Zuko that this news was either dire or very important
“Fire Lord, we have new sightings of your sister”
The Fire Lord jumped up face full of surprise and a tad bit of happiness with so many questions on his mind, how did she look? Was she okay? Who should I send?
“Where did you say this sighting came from?”
Looking at the attendant seriously he'd already been thinking of what the next steps should be.
“She was spotted near an Earth Kingdom, a shipping yard, intentions there are still unknown but she was seen in the air.. Flying” the attendant looked unsure to say that last part as unbelievable as it sounded that's just what the report had said.
“Flying?”
Zuko put a hand to his chin in thought now unsure of the credibility of the claim
‘Well if any firebender would figure out how to fly it would be his sister’
exhaling with a humpf he looked back to the attendant
“Send a message to the avatar I'd like to meet him to discuss this”
———————
4 days passed until Aang showed up to the fire nation with Katara in tow, Zuko had been waiting at the entrance for them. He'd heard about the breakup a while ago but he’d been too busy with his own situation to really talk to them about it, though it seems they’re still close so smiling he welcomed them and after a small feast and chatting Zuko got straight to the point.
“My sister was sighted in the Earth Kingdom not too long ago..”
Looking at the two of their expressions of surprise he continued
“Apparently she had been flying as well but we still don't know how”
This seemed to perk their interest as they looked to one another
“Is that why you called me here?” Aang seemed to understand immediately this was something no one could handle except master bender if theirs really a flying Azula around there is even less of a chance anyone Zuko sends from fire nation would be able to catch her.
“Yes I know you're busy, but you're truly the only one who'd be able to do something like this, with Appa you have a way better chance of catching her than anyone else” looking down he continued “Please its been 5 years since i’ve seen my sister I need to know that she's okay and is living well” He decided not to mention the part about not visiting her or the fact that the guilt of locking her up was eating at him.
Katara seemed surprised at this revelation not expecting Azula to have been missing for that long with no money and hardly any information on her.
“When exactly was the last time she was spotted, if its taken this long I don't think she’ll ever want to be found”
Zuko huffed knowing all to well that Katara was probably right “She was last seen in another Earth kingdom village living with a family but she moved on before they were able to apprehend her”
“A family? She doesn't seem like the type, what would she want with them?”
Katara now had her arms crossed looking at Zuko as Aang was still in thought
“I.. I don’t know but apparently she was there for a while and left as soon as fire nation got close”
Curiosity swelled in Katara, Azula had been a formidable opponent and an even better strategist when she was sane so what use would she have for a small family in the middle of nowhere Earth Kingdom?
It seemed to confuse all of them but to their surprise Katara stood from her chair and addressed Zuko
“I’d like to join in for this search, if she’s using family’s out there then I’d like to stop her”
Zuko looked bewildered; he had mostly expected Aang to only be interested in the flying part but it seems Katara had also taken an increasingly interested stand on the matter, looking to Aang he didn’t seem all too bothered but was still in deep thought.
“Actually Zuko I was hoping I could help you with some of the fire nation issues, it’s originally what I was coming here for..”
“Oh..” was all Zuko said as he looked down dejected but Aang still smiling went on
“But I’m sure if I lend Appa to Katara she’d be able to look for her for a few weeks right Katara?”
Looking to her, she and Zuko both seemed surprised at the suggestion
Thinking for a moment Katara nodded along with the idea
“Well yeah sure I wouldn’t mind as long as you’re okay with it?”
Now they both looked back to Zuko who seemed cheerful again
“Well then that settles it, thank you Katara for looking for Azula and Aang thank you for sticking around to help me with these fire nation issues I appreciate it”
And with that Katara jumped onto Appa and left for the earth kingdom.
‘I hope I’m still able to face her after all this time’