Nickelodeon Publishing - The Earth Kingdom Chronicles: The Tale of Azula

My name is Azula. I am a princess of the Fire Nation. My father is Fire Lord Ozai, leader of the most powerful nation on Earth. Soon he will rule all the nationsFire, Earth, Water, and Air. They will fall under his iron grip once my work is complete. Then, in time, I will succeed my father to the throne of the Fire Nation and become the next Fire Lord.

But first things first. My task at the moment is to track down my uncle and my brother and return them to the Fire Lord for the punishment they deserve. My uncle Iroh is a traitor and a coward. Oh sure, once he was considered a great warrior, but when he ran from the battle of Ba Sing Se, he let control of the Earth Kingdom slip from his grasp. For that he has been banished from the Fire Nation for life.

And what of my beloved big brother, Zuko? He is a failure, total and complete. My father said so just recently when he assigned me this task. Of course I already knew: Zukos been insufferable since we were childrena weak, whiny boy who never actually grew up. Whenever things didnt go his way, he would go crying to our motheruntil one day she was no longer there to protect him. He would never stand up for himself, and he certainly never stood up to me. Hes been afraid of me since I was nine years old, and thats just the way I like it. Im fourteen now, and I could destroy him with just one look. And to think that hes next in line to become Fire Lord! The very idea makes me laugh.

I know Zukos older than me. But Iroh is older than his brother, and Irohs cowardice and incompetence rendered him unworthy of the throne. And so it was my father, Ozai, who became Fire Lord. Well, history has a strange way of repeating itself. I believe that once again the younger sibling will ascend to the throne of the Fire Nation when the time comes. I will be the next Fire Lord, definitely not my useless brother.

Zuko was banished from the Fire Nation for disrespecting our father. He has since been searching for the Avatar, to bring that little pest back to Father and eliminate any threat to the Fire Nations plan for world domination. But, of course, Zuko has failed. Time and again the Avatar has slipped through his fingers, and Zuko now runs and hides in disgrace with our uncle. But he cannot run forever, and he certainly cannot run from me!

My father has supplied me with a beautiful ship, a Fire Nation royal sloop, to be preciseand I am nothing if not precise. The ship is filled with the luxuries befitting a princess, and is crewed by Fire Nation soldiers at my command. A great warrior and leader deserves nothing less.

As the magnificent ship approached the port where Iroh and Zuko had last been seen, I addressed the troops who gathered on deck.

My brother and uncle have disgraced the Fire Lord and brought shame on all of us.
I understand that you may have mixed feelings about attacking members of the royal family, but I assure you, if you hesitate in your duty to me and to your country, I will not hesitate to bring you down.

I can feel the fear spreading among them like a plague. Good. I like it when people are afraid of me. Frightened soldiers are obedient soldiers. They will obey my every wish, or they will know my wrath. Trust me. They dont want to know my wrath.

Dismissed!

As the troops hurried off to their posts, the ships captain, a spineless little weasel, came scurrying up to me, muttering some gibberish about how the tides wouldnt allow him to bring the ship into port before nightfall.

I know just how to handle this poor excuse for a soldier. Im sorry, Captain, I said with extreme politeness, but I do not know much about the tides. Can you explain something to me?

Of course, Your Highness.

Weakling. Id love to get rid of him. But then who would steer the ship? Do the tides command this ship? I asked him.

Im afraid I dont understand.

Of course you dont. You have no idea how close you are to vanishing in a flash of blue flame. You said the tides would not allow us to bring the ship in. So again I ask you: Do the tides command this ship?

No, Princess.

He seems to be catching on. Good. And if I were to have you thrown overboard, would the tides think twice about smashing you against the rocky shore?

No, Princess.

I see the sweat bead on his forehead and his neck muscles tighten. He is afraid of me. Well then, Captain, maybe you should worry less about the tides, whove already made up their mind about killing you, and worry more about me, whos still mulling it over.

At this point the nervous man wont even make eye contact with me. I-Ill p-pull us in at once, Your Highness, he stammered, swallowing hard.

Smart man. Ill let you live. For today, anyway.

Once we docked I made my way to a resort where our intelligence indicated that Iroh and Zuko were hiding out. Ha! Do they really think they can hide from the Fire Lord, or from me?

As I approached their thatched hut on the beach, my stomach turned. Fugitives hiding out in luxuryhow perfect.

I moved silently to the hut, then peered through its window. There was Iroh, beaming with pride over his worthless collection of seashells. This was the once great warrior of the Fire Nation? The Dragon of the West? What a joke!

And there was my sweet brother, throwing a temper tantrum because he had to carry his own bags. Poor little prince: so spoiled, so pitiful. But kind Azula has a surprise for you both.

Hello, Brother; Uncle, I said, stepping into their hut.

What are YOU doing here? Zuko cried, moving swiftly into an attack pose.

My, my, what a brave warrior, ready to defend his vacation hut. But so rude!
Zu-zu needs to be taught a lesson in manners. Zu-zu. He hates it when I call him that. In MY country we exchange a pleasant hello before asking questions, I said. Have you become so uncivilized so soon, Zu-zu?

Dont call me that!

So predictable, my brother.

To what do we owe this honor? Iroh asked coldly.

Zuko masked his fear with bluster, Iroh with his stoic manner. But I know they both fear me. As well they should. Must be a family trait both of you so quick to get to the point, I said. Ive come with a message from home: Zuko, Fathers changed his mind. Family is suddenly very important to him. Hes heard rumors of plans to overthrow him treacherous plots.

I think Zuko is intrigued by my news, but hes showing me nothing of what he feels. This next bit should get him, though. Family are the only ones you can really trust, I told him in my most sincere tone. So what Ive come to tell you is this: Father regrets your banishment. He wants you to come home.

Im still not getting a reaction from Zuko. Is he trying hard to be brave, or is he just stupid?

Did you hear me? I asked impatiently. You should be happy. Excited. Grateful.