"What do you mean Ozai isn't his father?" Mika asked. The sun was just barely making an appearance in the sky, leaving it a mix of pink, orange, blue, and yellow. "That doesn't make any sense."

"I don't see why you're so confused," I said, rubbing my eyes as I picked up our blankets and began folding them. "You went your entire life thinking your parents were actually your parents, only to find out that Long Feng is your real father." She fell quiet, looking away from me. "Sorry," I said, "I didn't mean it like that."

"No, no, it's fine," she replied. "I get your point. It's just... It boggles my mind, that's all. How did Azula even get that letter?"

I shrugged and looked over at Azula, who was fast asleep against the tree she'd claimed the night before. For once, she looked harmless and at peace. This wouldn't last long, I knew. She'd always been a little ball of spite, for as long as I could remember.

Only months after my arrival in the palace, Zuko and Ursa had taken claim to me. I never left their sides. One particular afternoon, the three of us were strolling through the garden. At this time, Zuko had just turned eleven while I was still weeks away from turning ten. "Such a beautiful day," Ursa marvelled. "Don't you agree?"

I didn't say a word. After my father's death, I had fallen into a long-term silence. At this time, Zuko believed that I was a mute. Ursa seemed to think so as well, but that didn't stop her from trying to persuade a response from me. A sentence, a word, even a noise would suffice; but she could never receive anything more than the occasional gesture.

As we walked along a cleared path, a blue glint caught my eye. I turned my head and watched. It was gone. I quickly dismissed it as my imagination. "Mommy, can we feed the turtle ducks today?" Zuko asked. "And then could we write Uncle Iroh?"

The blue glint appeared again, then I knew it wasn't my imagination.

"Of course, Zuko," Ursa smiled at her son, then turned her focus to a flower blooming in a tree. I was distracted by the blue light, and the smoke arising from it. As we drew closer, I spotted Azula crouched beside a bush. I tugged on Zuko's sleeve to gain his attention. Once I had it, I pointed to his sister.

"Mommy!" Zuko had cried out. "Azula's burning one of the flowers!" Now he was pointing to his sister, and I was hiding behind him. She glared at Zuko as their mother hurried to smother away the flame as it scorched the petals of an orchid.

"What?" Azula said innocently. "It deserved it." She looked at me when she added, "It wasn't​ as pretty as the others."

"You will treat the Royal Garden with respect!" Ursa scolded.

Azula's scowl deepened. She stepped to Zuko and a flame ignited in her palm as she proceeded to set her brother's rear end on fire. "Tattletale," she hissed to him. She was quickly sent to her room as punishment. Once she was gone, Ursa smothered that fire out as well. Despite being the one to be burned even though I was the tattletale, Zuko was never angry at me.

That moment not only sparked a certain bond between the two of us, but it also was the beginning of my fear of the princess.

As I looked at her now, I couldn't help but ask: Why did she always have to be so mean?

"Where is Zuko, anyway?" Mika asked me, snapping me out of my daydream.

"With Aang," I told her. "Having the same talk as us, I'm sure."

"The letter!" I heard Azula shriek. "It's gone!" I looked back in her direction. She stood with her fists ignited, that familiar blue glow dancing about. Katara and Sokka stood in front of her with their guards up. Rage emitted from Azula, and I suddenly wished that Ty Lee was here to chi block her into submission again.

I set the blankets in the saddle and made my way over to the others, Mika following closely behind. "Azula, take a breath," I said. "What's the problem?"

"Shut up," she snapped. "She told you to take the letter from me, didn't she? She wants you all against me!"

"Azula, calm down," I reiterated, my tone much more stern.

She screamed again, "Shut up!" She let out an angry growl and thrusted her fist forward, sending a blue fireball at me. Though I was able to dodge, that didn't stop the flames from licking my arm before completely engulfing a tree.

"Azula!" Katara shouted.

This didn't stop her from sending​ more fire towards the trees and brush.

"Oh, for goodness' sake," I grunted as I watched the fire spread. "Can't we just go a single day without a problem? Just one peaceful day — that's all I'm asking for."

Overhearing me, Katara said, "I told you to say with Iroh at the palace, but you didn't want to listen. I really don't think you're allowed to complain."

As usual, Katara was right. As usual, I wasn't going to admit it out loud. Not now, anyway. The flames danced their way along the foliage. Just as swiftly, Azula ran off in search of Zuko. Though I felt compelled to go after her, I remained with the others. "Leave her," I instructed. "Zuko and Aang can handle her. We need to put out this fire before everything burns to ashes."

Katara and I began bending water from the canteens we carried, as Mika smothered fires with earthbending and Sokka simply tried to stomp out the fires on the ground. It seemed no matter what we did, it wasn't enough to stop the fire from spreading to a new tree or bush. We were merely chasing it as it taunted us in a stupid game of Tag.

"What happened?!" Aang's voice rang from behind us.

"Take a guess," I frowned as I put out a fire high up in the trees, the smoke lifting into the sky. I looked to Aang and asked, "Where's Zuko?"

"He's fine," he told me, not exactly answering my question. Aang then began helping us extinguish the burning foliage, both with airbending and waterbending. With a combination of his, Katara's, and my own waterbending as well as his and Mika's earthbending (and Sokka's efforts to be helpful, bless his soul) we were finally able to save what was left of the land. Just in time, Zuko appeared from the trees with his sister at his heels.

"Aang, are we ready to leave?" Zuko asked.

Aang spat, "Your sister set fire to half the landscape!"

"Even with Aang's help," Katara said, "it took us until now to put everything out!"

Sokka decided to chime in. At Azula, he shouted, "Nature hates you!"

"You and me both, Nature," I mumbled.

"Saki," Mika hissed in a motherly way. I shrugged it off, then turned my attention back to Azula. She stood there with the same nonchalant, innocent look she had when she burned the flowers in the Royal Garden when we were children. What kind of person could be so remorseless?

A sociopath, that's what kind.

"So... You guys aren't fighting anymore?" Aang asked Zuko.

"We've come to an understanding," Zuko answered. His sister began climbing into Appa's saddle. Zuko held out his hand for me and helped me in as well.

"That's what you said when this whole thing started!" Sokka argued. "Since then, she's tried to kill us, like—" He paused to count on his fingers. "—like, twelve times!"

I sighed, knowing this would go nowhere. "Come on, Sokka," I said. "We've got to get to Hira'a. There's nothing she can do that we can't handle, at this point."

"But—"

"Sokka," I said again, "just come on."

Azula peered over the edge of the saddle, looking down at the others. "Are you louts coming or not?" She asked impatiently.

With an almost reluctant grumble, the others joined us and we were soaring off again.