Chapter Text
The night Azula left was not special in any way. She was 8 years old, and all it took was her mother saying to Zuko, “and even if he’s mean sometimes, he’s still your brother-” after an argument where Zuko hit Azula in retaliation.
It had been years of pent up frustration that she no one saw her as she really was, and with that, she ran away. She threw away her father telling her when he was firelord (despite Uncle Iroh being older), Azula would be firelord over Zuko. While she was pleased, she realized he didn’t mean Firelord Azula.
“You made the right choice kid…” A man, a middle aged water bender in a Polar-Bear Dog Fur, had said to her. He wasn’t real, but it was comforting.
The first thing she did outside of the capital was sell her crown to the first person outside the capital who was willing to pay a lot and asked no questions. She then bought girl clothes, stopped wearing her hair in the traditionally male style, and pull her bangs down to frame her face. She hoped it would make her look more feminine to onlookers.
However, life did not go so smoothly afterwards. First, Azula was robbed for everything she had, then, she caught some illness, and found herself laying on the side of a path, covered in a blanket she stole, just waiting for something. She didn’t want to imagine death, but it was probably what was next.
That was until a kind looking old woman, with two younger women following her, found the girl.
“Oh goodness darling are you alright?” The woman asked, kneeling down to Azula. Azula could only cough and shake her head in response.
“Yangtso we can’t-” One of the younger women was cut off by the other.
“Polen! She may die!”
“But she’s fire nation!”
“She’s a child!”
The old woman, Yangtso it seemed, rolled her eyes at her companions, and picked up the poor sick child.
“Polen! Yerru! We are helping her.” She said.
“We are not putting her on Heru-” Polen started, but it seemed she was out voted, as Yerru and Yangtso began walking, Yangtso cradling Azula close. Funny… was this what Zuko felt when mother did it for him?
Azula was surprised by what she saw next, which was a giant animal of some sort, with an arrow on its forehead, six legs, and looked, very friendly.
Yerru hopped up, a bit faster than Azula would assume possible, and Yongtso handed Azula up to Yerru, and Yerru laid her down on the animal’s sattle, putting a bedroll under her head.
“You must be hungry…” Yerru muttered, before pulling out some fruit Azula didn’t recognize. It made Azula’s mouth water, and the moment Yerru handed it to her, Azula started quickly eating it.
She did not even realize that with a yip yip from Polen, the animal took to the sky, and Yongtso took over caring for Yerru while Yerru bickered with Polen.
“No one at home is going to like having a fire nation girl in the temple..” Polen said as Azula finished the fruit.
“The alternative was letting a child die, Polen. I’m sure they’ll agree that this was for the best…”
Azula couldn’t stay awake longer, and fell asleep to the sound of the bickering.
***
When she woke, Azula found a young man taking care of her.
“Oh good, you’re awake.” He said with a kind smile. She felt a lot better now, and she now noticed that he looked similar to the three women, who all did not look like fire nation natives, their eyes were grey.
“Where am I..?” Azula asked, rubbing her eyes and sitting up.
“The southern air temple child, are you feeling better? You’ve been sleeping for so long..” The man asked.
“Yes…” Azula then processed the first part. “Air temple..?”
“Yes, my sisters and mother brought you here..” The boy said.
Azula remembered everything that had been said about airbenders, why they were destroyed, and she recognized the robes the man wore from her textbooks.
“Are you an airbender..?” She asked.
“Yes-” The boy was cut off.
“Meng! Don’t tell her that!” Polen yelled, as she rushed into the room, followed by a woman who looked to be from the water tribe, and a man who looked to be from the earth kingdom, though they were all wearing the same robes.
Meng raised an eyebrow and looked down at Azula, seemingly seeing if she would correct Polen. When she didn’t, Meng gave a silent nod before looking to his sister.
“Polen she’s a child, even if she were to return to the fire nation, no one would believe her!” Meng said.
“Rahu, Kyoto, you agree right? She shouldn’t be here!” Polen said, looking back at the other two.
“As long as she doesn’t try to hurt anyone.” The earth kingdom man, Rahu, said.
“She’s a child Polen, and she isn’t the first fire nation child we’ve picked up.” The water nation woman, Kyoto said.
“Loso and Ru are air benders however! This girl has no proof of being one!”
“She’s safer here like mother said. What is your name?” Meng turned back to Azula. She had to pause to remember a moment.
The memory of one of the few times she and Zuko weren’t against each other.
“I want to be a princess.”
“Then what would I call you?”
“Azula…” She remembered Zuko as she said the name. “I’d like to stay here…” Meng accepted her quickly enough, he had to have known… She wanted to stay in a place where she would be accepted.
“Well, Azula, welcome to the Southern Air Temple.”
***
The temple did not have many people, and they did not use most of it. Azula counted a total of 45 people, soon to be 46 as Meng’s wife was heavy with child. They seemed to be from all over. However, Azula was the only one who wasn’t an airbender.
She felt like she was an outsider. Not for the first time in her life. When she was with Ty Lee and Mai it never felt right. Ty Lee was likely to grow up to be wedded to Azula, Ty Lee’s family wanted one of their seven identical children to be fire nation royalty, and Mai was only around for Zuko anyway… It felt like they were obligated to play with her. Like they’d rather be anywhere else.
And that only continued in the air temple. While she sat with the other 12 children to be taught by Kyoto about the ways of air nomads, none of them payed her any mind. The robes did not help. Offering to have her head shaved like the other children did not help, and Azula considered falling back to the mask of anger and hatred she had used before she ran away. Because without it, she just stared and never spoke.
She had to sit out during the actual lessons. She hadn’t told them she was a firebender. The rumors of the second prince (the princess, but no one would ever say that) of the fire nation bending blue fire had to have made it to them. It would give her away, especially to Meng, who knew…
She always sat alone, until another child sat beside her with a toothy grin. Her name was Sangyal, and she reminded Azula too much of Ty Lee.
And yet, Sangyal became her first friend. First real friend who had no obligation to be her friend.
***
“And, you stand like this.” Sangyal said, demonstrating one of the airbending stances which Azula had seen the air benders practicing. Meng’s wife was giving birth, and most of the adults were with her, while others were busy with duties around the temple. That left all the children in the courtyard, only watched by the air bison.
“Hmpt, these air bending stances seem weak..” Azula said, but followed along. Sangyal seemed to know she was harsh, and ignored it. Her smile, a tooth now missing from it, did not falter.
“They might be compared to others, but the point is they work.”
“And what, you think this is going to get me to airbend?”
“Well, maybe it will. There’s always the possibility, but if they don’t, maybe you can turn it into something else… Like maybe you’ll be an acrobat!”
“No.”
“Dancer?”
“No.”
“Okay.. Well, here, bring your hand forward, think of freedom… From all your worries and- Ah you've heard what Kyoto says... Do that.” Sangyal began to demonstrate. Azula observed, and noticed the young airbender she had been hallucinating since she first arrived. Bald, airbending master tattoos she had only been told about in stories, he followed Sangyal’s lead, and Sangyal airbended.
“Your turn!” Sangyal said, gesturing to Azula.
Azula humored her, and with a very dramatic expression, did exactly as Sangyal did.
“Come on Azula, you aren’t even thinking of freedom!” Sangyal said.
“Fine fine!” She said.
She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and thought back to when Meng took her silence as a ‘yes, I am a girl.’ When he did not bring it up to the people in the room, nor herself.
She did the stance again, and followed through.
“Azula you did it!” Sangyal said, and Azula opened her eyes.
She saw the leaves of the three above her moving with the wind that came from her fingers.
No.
No that wasn’t possible.
Sangyal didn’t notice her distress, and hugged her.
“I knew you were an airbender!” Sangyal said, hopping a bit.
No one could bend two elements.
Azula pushed Sangyal off her and screamed, pushing a hand forward and sending a ball of blue fire forward. It did not hurt anyone, but it scared all of the airbending children and some of the bison, and there was Polen, who likely had come out to announce the baby…
***
Azula was dragged by the arm to Yongtso, while Sangyal ran after.
“Polen!” Sangyal shouted.
“Let me go!” Azula yelled as she struggled.
“What is the meaning of this?!” Yongtso asked as Azula was tossed to the ground in front of her.
“She’s an ashmaker!” Polen said, throwing Azula to the ground in front of Yongtso. “She threw a fireball at the other children!”
“She airbended!” Sangyal yelled.
“Impossible, she’s a fire bender!” Polen yelled at Sangyal.
Yongsto looked between the three.
“Azula, come with me.” Yongtso said, putting her hand out and taking Azula’s. “Polen, return to your brother and sister in law. Sangyal, you may accompany your friend.”
***
Azula expected punishment, but instead, she was in a room, and a basket of toys were put in front of her. Sangyal sat beside her, putting a hand out to her. She wasn’t weak, she didn’t need emotional support. It was a basket of toys.
“Azula, you are going to pick out four toys. Be sure to search through it. The best toys are always at the bottom.” Yongtso said with a smile.
Azula looked at her weirdly, before looking down into the basket.
She began digging around, and eventually found a turtle whistle. Something in the back of her mind told her she had to have it, so she placed it to her side and continued looking. She never wanted to play instruments, but that flute was hers…
The next thing she came across was a shinged, handmade doll. It looked so old, and ugly, but it went next to the turtle whistle.
She looked at Yongtso, and she had an unreadable expression.. Was she being judged?
Azula hesitated, before reaching for the third toy that caught her eye. A bag of marbles. She never cared for marbles, but these specific marbles seemed… important. They went alongside the other two toys.
Finally… A.. Rock. There was a rock at the bottom of the basket. Who would play with a rock?!
Apparently Azula, as that rock was the last thing she pulled out.
“Good choices Azula.” Yongtso gave her a kind smile.
“My rock!” An elderly male voice in the back of her head said. She glanced to the side to see an elderly air bender with a long beard, smiling down at the rock.
“Was.. that a test?” Azula asked, ignoring the old man, but Yongtso had taken the basket and walked away, leaving Sangyal and Azula alone.
“What was that?” Azula asked.
“The test to see if you’re the avatar. And you passed.” Sangyal said, smiling slightly.
***
The Ceremony was not what she had been expecting at all. Everyone, including Meng, his wife, and his newborn daughter, were all there, sitting in the courtyard as Azula was brought before them by Yongtso, dressed in clothes that apparently were worn by Avatar Roku. They were too big, but they felt familiar.
Polen was sitting up front glaring. It seemed she wasn’t pleased by Azula’s title of avatar.
“Usually this ceremony is held for airbending avatars, who will be sent to the water tribes to learn waterbending, but, for the first time since Avatar Sangyal-” Sangyal had been named after that avatar. “Have we held a ceremony for a fire bender avatar, but Azula, who we took in when she was sick, has passed the test, and will begin her airbending training here at the Southern Air Temple.” Yongtso said. “Sangyal, as you are easily a master of your class, and Yerru, being one of our masters overall, you two will help her train.”
***
Azula would be 14 by the time she had mastered airbending. She had made sure to practice her perfect fire bending so she wouldn’t get rusty, and it was announced she would be beginning her journey.
Sangyal was chosen to travel with her, and while Azula would never admit it, she was happy to have Sangyal come along. When Azula had first arrived, she had found a young air bison who seemed to like her. She lovingly named her Appa II, those she wasn’t sure who the original Appa was, if there was one at all.
In the years leading up to this moment, Polen had only grown colder, and one day, she disappeared from the temple all together. She had not been seen in months, and in the back of Azula’s head, she wondered what happened to the woman.
“Azula!” Sangyal said. “Come on!”
Azula snapped out of it and hopped onto Appa II. It was time to begin.