ᖴᖇOᗰ ᕼEᒪᒪ TO ᕼᗩᐯEᑎ

🔹ＦｉＦｔｅｅｎ🔹

For Azula life had always been about survival. Her actions might seem vicious but then again, for a being focused on surviving in any condition, kindness was not a major option. She had been pleased numerous time others had suffered, but their suffering had meant her survival. Her joy was plainly her happiness at surviving not her pleasure in others sufferings.

This difference highlighted the fact that she was not a psychopath, yet it didn't help others from referring her as one.

She had smiled when Zuko had been scarred, smiled for she wasn't the one getting the scar. She had smiled when her brother had been exiled, for it meant she wasn't.

Over the years she had realized that her father was a merciless man for whom blood was no barrier against viciousness. She had learnt, quickly on that part, that if she was to live without being hurt, she had to give up her freedom and opinions, she had to be like clay. Clay that her father could mould into his perfect warrior, his perfect weapon. She had to stay loyal to him through fear. She had to work had for his praise as that was the closest thing to affection she would ever get.

She had to be a monster, because she knew that was what her father wanted her to be, and she was too afraid to rebel against him.

For a small time in her life, small being the highlighted word, she had admired Zuko for being able to stand up against her father. Although when she reflected on it she wasn't sure whether he was being brave, or just plainly dumb.

She hadn't been there when Zuko had spoken out in the war meeting, she hadn't been there as she wasn't allowed. Her gender, somehow, prohibited her from being there. When she had heard the yells of her father, she had been, though she would never admit it, terrified.

The only time her feelings of pity overruled her survival instincts was the time she got to know that her father was planning to send her brother and uncle without any resources.

She had softly planned the idea that she would manipulate her father in thinking she was manipulating her brother, which she indirectly was, and sending him on a wild sheep's chase for the Avatar, giving him false hope and crushing him silently from the inside. By doing so, he could acquire a moderate crew, a battered ship and some respect.

Her father had given her a questionable stare which she had countered with her statement that she preferred some trouble rather than simply letting Zuko go.

When her father had smiled venomously at that, she had known victory was hers.

Her father was painfully obvious when it came to Zuko, give the latter some pain and her father's praise for you would have no bounds.

She disliked the discrimination, having faced it herself quite often, but she also relied a lot on it. Her father favouring her meant that she was destined to live another day without getting hurt.

But when her father was defeated and was locked away, she realized what a toxic man he was and what toxic things he taught her. She wanted to let these things go, yet for that to happen she had to evolve into a new being and the world had to acknowledge that. But it wouldn't.

So she decided she would be the monster they had termed her with, she would be a monster when she was actually a victim. She would be the monster while actually fighting against the evil in shadows.

She had soon found out that she wasn't the only one like that, villain in public eye and hero in reality. Occasionally she would meet people, gifted great people, who were like her in a smaller scale and she would make them her allies, not friends.

Even though she understood why Mai and Tylee had betrayed her, she was still yet to get over it. And those scars barred her from making any new friends.

Although her associates were like friends, she would never call them that in the subconscious fear of losing them if she termed them as such.

Since the moment Azula had started to work for Lashay, she had observed how incredibly undifferent she was. And she had the right to be so. She was the most protected person in Ba - Sing - Se. She was a political figure and had her own secret squad, consisting of Earthbenders, waterbenders, firebenders and non-benders of utmost skill, who patrolled the city from day to night. Lashay was incredibly famous and liked amongst the masses and was a major influence in the court, yet she was often not given credit. Behind closed doors, she was the mastermind behind the plans that protected the city numerous times, yet the public was informed that a male member of the council had given birth to the idea that saved them all.

Done with being shadowed she broke up from the council and made a force in the Earth army that functioned privately and was segregated from the divine right of the king, thus ensuring that the city does not go politically corrupt. A unit that respects the political powers but won't bend to their unjust needs was exactly what a city like Ba- Sing - Se needed, due to its strong beliefs in the monarchy that, if the king was foul, the city would have been destroyed.

Slowly, Lashay had been given credit and her efforts were acknowledged but the political leaders broke her positions. Hungry for power, they had cut ties with her and claimed her a criminal. Though they were working nicely to benefit the city, they had been too attached to their positions to let them go and were too egoistic to bow to someone who was greater than them.

Now Lashay lived in the shadows, functioning with those who were still loyal to her and keeping tabs on the political persons. Any deliberate move to corrupt the city or the monarchy, her comrades would strike and kill in a single blow.

The middle-aged woman had found out about the criminal fire princess that had sought refuge in her city and had also conveniently found that she had an assassin on her back. She used the opportunity to quiz whether Azula was a threat or not.

Azula had proved that she wasn't thus she was let out, given a ruff warning, and rewarded with some rations, however, Lashay was still in debt to her.

And Azula planned to use it to the utmost limit.

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I changed this chapter last minute, hope it doesn't suck. I wanted to give you'll a brief background history and all. Sorry for updating so indolently, I know the pain you must feel, yet I am feeling more as my Exams just ended and they are starting again.