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As Azula repeated how to do the form yet once again, you could hear the frustration in her tone. You knew that it was a matter of time before she blew up so you needed to get the form done correctly. Your mother demanded perfection and nothing less than that.
"You need to do exactly as I showed you, (y/n). If you so much as take even just a fraction of a second too long, you could ruin the whole thing."
"Yes, mother. I understand."
She nods and steps back to allow you to perform the move. Azula watched with pride as you start off with perfection but it soon vanishes when she see's you miss a step. Quickly realizing what's about to happen, she steps in a stop you from continuing before you could accidentally hurt yourself.
The tight grip on your wrist makes you wince and you knew it was going to leave marks. You wanted to tell her that she was hurting you but it was going to make things worse for you.
"What did I tell you! I told you that you needed to do exactly as I showed you, (y/n). You could've hurt yourself! Or worse, you could've ended up killing yourself!
The more she goes on about what a failure you had been, the more your tears threaten to spill.
"I...I'm sorry!"
"...." Azula stops talking when she finally realizes what she had been doing. After adopting you, Azula had made a promise to herself that she would never be anything like her father. Ty Lee had helped her heal but there were things that would stay with her for the rest of her life. The last thing that she wanted to do was treat you like she had been treated. "No. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, (y/n)." She quickly lets go of your wrist and takes a step back, afraid that if she was too close, that she would hurt you yet again. "I should've known better. I'm sorry for not being paying. These things take time. Please forgive me..."
Azula doesn't get to finish as you wrap your arms around her body to pull her in for a tight hug.
"I forgive you, mom."
It takes a second for Azula to return the hug. Physical affection was still difficult for her to return.
"Lets head back to the palace. We should take a couple of days off so you can rest."
"No. I want to continue practicing. I want to get this done. You said that you learned this when you were 6. I'm way older than that and I still haven't mastered it. I need to learn it."
"There's no rush, (y/n)."
"Please mom. I just want want to get this done to make you proud of me."
"I have and always will be proud of you, (y/n). I'm sorry for ever making you feel like I wasn't."
Unable to stop yourself, you give her another hug. Azula hardly ever praised anyone so it was rare to ever hear her say that she was proud of you.
"Thank you mom but I still want to continue."
X
Ty Lee smiles when she sees the two of you coming back from the courtyard with smiles.
"I take it that training went well."
You nod and rush to hug her.
"It did! I finally learned mastered the form mom was teaching me! Come on! Let me show you!"
You take her hand and start to drag her back to the courtyard but Azula blocks your path.
"Dinner and then you can show your mother what you learned."
"But mom..."
"But nothing. Now go get ready for dinner."
You groaned loudly but do as you're told. When you disappear around the corner, Ty Lee takes the liberty to pull Azula in for a kiss.
"And you said that you wouldn't be a good mother. I think you're an excellent mother, Azula."
Azula sighs and tells Ty Lee what had happened at the courtyard. The Fire Lord closed her eyes and waited to be yelled at but it never comes.
"You're not angry with me?"
"I'm a little disappointed to hear about what happened but I'm glad to hear that you made an effort to fix things with our daughter."
"Sometimes I fear that I'll eventually turn out like my father."
"Azula, you'll never be like your father. You have me and (y/n). We'll never let you turn out like him."
The two of them waited in the middle of the hallway in silence, content to just be in each others arms. Azula was forever in debt to the spirits for giving her a second chance that allowed her to marry Ty Lee and adopt you as her daughter.
