The Officer and the Princess: The Flames Of War

Chapter 13

The Sun had set a short time ago. Azula sat curled up on a bench in the Garden courtyard of the Palace. Overlooking the newly constructed Turtle Duck pond, a stone fountain in its center spraying water up and down into the pond. Azula glanced around, the bushes were livelier, beautiful roses freshly bloomed. The grass neatly trimmed sending that wonderful smell into the air. She had spent the best parts of her childhood in this Garden. Running around with her bother and friends laughing without a care in the world. Those days were long gone now leaving her somber.

She had skipped Lunch, she had skipped dinner as well, the only meal she had were the few jars of preserves she had packed when she fled from her home. At the time she had wondered why she had brought them, but now she was glad she did. She doubted anyone here would have wanted to dine with her anyways. Azula sighed as she looked up at the night sky, stars hung twinkling in the darkness, maybe they judged her too.

Hearing footsteps on the grass she turned to see an older man, his gray hair pulled into a ponytail, a well trimmed beard on his face, partnered with a mustache. He wore a red short sleeved shirt, red pants, and black shoes. Azula recognized him immediately. He was Noren, her moth- Ursa second husband. Just someone else she had wronged. "I..." Azula stood up. "I was just leaving." She said.

"No wait." Noren said raising a hand. "Don't leave on my account, the Garden was made to be enjoyed by all."

Azula hesitated and took a half step back, but then stopped. Slowly sitting back down on the bench. She watched as Noren walked across the garden and sat down next to her with a sigh. "Ursa and Kiyi told me what happened."

She should have known this was coming. "I swear I didn't know your daughter was in there." Azula said rapidly. "I just...I didn't think anyone would care."

Noren looked at her and smiled. "I understand Azula." He said softly. "The situation was a misunderstanding. I don't blame you." Didn't blame her? He should blame her, he had kidnapped his daughter once before, what would make him think he wouldn't do it again. "What do you think of the garden?" He then asked as he looked over the turtle duck pond.

Azula paused. "It's lovely." She said.

Noren nodded in agreement. "It is, your mother put in a lot of work trying to bring life back into this garden. I think she did a wonderful job. But my opinion is a biased one." He said with a laugh. "You Mother always had a way with botany like no one I had ever seen. That woman has a real green thumb."

As a child Azula could recall her mother spent almost all of her free time in the garden, preening the bushes until they were perfect to her standards. Azula had thought she had enjoyed doing it and sure that played some part of it but it wasn't until Azula was a few years older when she realized the true reason why Ursa spent so much time out here. This had been Ursas escape from Ozai, an escape from a life she had never wanted.

"Why?" Azula asked her lower lip quivering. "Why are you being nice to me?"

Noren sighed. "Zuko told me the type of person your father was...not everything you did is your fault. I'm not saying your free from any blame but...in some small way I understand you." He smiled. "I want to see the good in you." He smiled at her.

Azula suddenly felt uncomfortable, here was Noren, the father of the child she had kidnapped. Giving her a chance, an actual chance. "I...want to change, I've been changing for years..." Azula broke eye contact and looked out over the pond again. "When I was a Princess I had everything I ever wanted...except for my mothers love. I think deep down I knew my father never loved me either...there was only one person who seemed to love me...and I screwed that up."

"Who was that?" Noren asked.

Azula stared at Noren, wondering wether it was right to be this vulnerable. "His name was...Is Sung. I knew him since I was a little girl, he was Zukos friend but he spent a lot of time here when we were growing up. The last months of the war we had a...romantic relationship if you could call it that...I mean we were just kids then...but I knew he loved me, I screwed it up. I use to think it was him that abandoned me but maybe it was I who abandoned him...I want to talk to him so badly, but he keeps running off on errand's for Zuko."