It was the morning of Azulas 8 birthday, on the steps to the Fire Nation Palace. Prince Ozai, his wife Princess Ursa and his two children Azula and her slightly older brother Zuko waiting patiently for an important delivery. Azula jumped up and down with excitement, because today she gets what she wanted for a very long time. Something that she has wanted for almost 3 years. Today she gets her own slave.
"Are they there yet?" Asked Azula, full of anticipation.
"It won't be too long Azula," her mother replied ruefully.
"I still think it's a stupid idea to get a slave." Zuko replies regretfully.
"Nobody asked for your opinion!" Shouted his father Ozai, whereupon Zuko flinched away. Zuko looked at the floor and said nothing.
"I definitely want a slave who is smaller than me, maybe the same age. But I still don't know what to do with him first? "Said Azula with a tense expression on her face." Maybe I'll give him a punch in the stomach as greeting so he knows who has the upper hand. Or maybe I let him carry me around and every time he gets too slow I light his butt on. Or better yet, I burn his feet, and every time they heal I burn them again. "While Azula explains her plan, what she will do first, she lets out a crazy laugh.
Zuko couldn't help himself and took a step to the side, away from his sister.
Meanwhile, an armored carriage with half a dozen guards around it drove down the path to the foot of the steps and stopped a few yards in front of the feets from the royal family.
A man in his early thirties got out of the carriage wearing a well-groomed suit.
The man bowed to the future Fire Lord. "Greetings Prince Ozai, my name is Hiroshi Sato, I am the leader of our slave compound. We are here to bring you your slave. "Hiroshi said it in a submissive tone.
Ozai greeted him incidentally and replied "Now that the formalities are behind us, I would like to choose a slave."
Hiroshi bows and gave the order to the nearest guard to line up the slaves from the carriage. The guard bows and does as he was told.
The guard pounded loudly on the armored carriages door, then a guard from the other side of the carriage opened the door and pulled on a long chain. The chain ran around the waist of the tethered slaves. It were six childrens from the Water tribe all tied to the chain.
Every child wore dirty and battered rags as clothing, but what stood out were the heavy handcuffs that every child wears on their hands and feet. The children are between 8 and 10 years old. All children look emaciated and fragile and look like they have not slept in at least 3 days.
Each of these children had a blank expression on their faces, as if they had given up hope.
The sight of the children breaks Ursa's heart, she couldn't stand the sight and apologized with the excuse, "I'm really sorry, but I forgot something in our room." Ursa bowed and went up the stairs to the Palace.
Azula anxiously asked her father "can I choose one now?!"
Ozai smiled maliciously and replied, "Feel free to choose anyone you like." Azula jumped up.
She ran over to the tightly chained children and examined each one.
Zuko looked away in disgust.
The first child Azula examined was a somewhat longer boy with black unkempt hair, probably 10 years old, but not clearly recognizable due to malnutrition. Azula judges "too big." And went to the next one.
The second child was a 9 year old girl with a bandaged leg. She was the same size as Azula, with long brown hair tied in a braid. Azula judges "too crippled."
