A Young Princess's Guide to Usurping The Throne | Chapter 6 (Patreon)

"Fuck, Fuck, FUCKK!!" Tanya cursed as she moved through the palace corridors with speed that made her legs ache in pain.

Her mind was working overtime, to the point that just thinking gave her a headache like no other but she forced herself not to look panicked. Looking panicked would only make those around, think unnecessarily.

She slid through the hallways like smoke.

“Did you hear?”

“She saved the Fire Lord.”

“Princess Azula stopped an assassin.”

“Blessed by Agni."

Tanya clenched her jaw and kept walking.

Her pulse still hadn’t lessened any bit. She could feel her heart thumbing at uncontrollable levels as her replayed everything that had happened. She could still see it if she closed her eyes: the fake maid, hands clasped over a silver dagger, the sudden burst of blue flame, the shock on everyone’s faces, and her father’s expression—

Curse that man. He could've at least told her what he was planning. His smile had been all she needed to know that her father had played a dangerous game.

His knowing smile would've given himself away if everyone hadn't been shocked by her display.

The realization made Tanya’s stomach twist so hard she thought she might actually be sick in the middle of the corridor.

Attempting an assassination of such a highly renowned figure was punishable by death. Why in the right mind would he play such a hand? She had only recently dipped her hands into the exploits of a brilliant inventor whose schematics held a gold mine like no other.

A large vehicular drill. Which meant more possible minerals to discover, but her mind settled on the thought of oil. Call her old-fashioned and greedy, but she now knew why the USA of her time had been so obsessed with oil. It was a living, breathing, GOLD mine, and Ozai's recent stunt could've landed him in serious trouble..and with him being her main backer, it wouldn't do well for her.

The way he had let her believe she was reacting on instinct when, in truth, she had been shoved into the center of a performance designed by her father’s hand.

And the worst part?

It had worked

It had bloody worked.

She had saved the Fire Lord.

She, Princess Azula, a child who hadn't even hit puberty yet had rescued the Lord of the Fire Nation. Which made her a hero in the eyes of the court.

It was a double-edges sword, and she would've liked to have waited a bit more before revealing her capabilities.

Because now everyone would look at her differently. They would bow lower. Speak softer. Watch her more carefully. Some would admire her. Some would fear her. And none of them would know the truth—that the entire thing had been staged, that her father had concocted.

Tanya’s fingers curled into fists at her sides.

What would have happened if she had not acted? The answer came to her with brutal clarity.

No.

She threw those thoughts away. What's done is done.

She turned a corner sharply, nearly colliding with a pair of maids carrying folded linens. They gasped and bowed so quickly that one nearly dropped the stack in her arms.

“Princess,” one of them murmured, eyes lowered.

Tanya barely acknowledged them. She was too busy scanning the corridor ahead.

She needed to confirm the safety and mental stability of both her mother and brother. Zuko was still a child, and seeing such things could affect his view on the idea of becoming Fire Lord in the future, which would show weakness, and potential push her into the seat.

She wasn't opposed to being Fire Lord, but she first needed this damn campaign in the Earth Kingdom to end before she dipped her hand into that jar.

Ursa, her mother, had acted well when taking Zuko out of the room, but now she needed to confirm if all stayed true and they were both well in mind.

A guard stood at the end of the corridor, trying to restore order among the servants and attendants who kept drifting toward the scene of the attack. Tanya pointed at him sharply.

“You. Come here.”

The guard straightened immediately and hurried over, bowing low. “Princess..I.”

“Have you seen my mother? Princess Ursa. Or my brother, Prince Zuko?”

“Yes, Princess. They went outside not long ago.”

“Show me.”

The guard hesitated only a moment before nodding. “Of course.”

Tanya followed him at once.

The palace doors opened onto the grounds beyond, where the air felt cooler and the light harsher after the dim corridors. Her eyes adjusted slowly, and then she saw them.

Under a tree not far from the palace, Ursa was crouched beside Zuko, holding him close with both arms as if she could shield him from the entire world by sheer force of will. One hand stroked his cheek over and over in a soothing motion, and her voice drifted softly through the air in a broken lullaby.

“No one will hurt you,” Ursa whispered. “No one will take you from me. My sweet boy, my precious baby…”

Ursa’s hair had come loose from its careful arrangement, strands falling around her face in a way that made her look younger and more fragile. Her eyes were wide and unfocused, darting around as if she expected another attacker to leap from the shadows at any moment.

Tanya dismissed the guard with a quick wave. He bowed and retreated without a word.

Then she stepped forward.

“Mother?”

Ursa looked up.

The moment her eyes landed on Tanya, everything changed.

Her body went rigid. Her hand froze against Zuko’s cheek. Her breathing turned shallow and uneven, and the fear in her face sharpened.

Tanya stopped walking.

Internally, she cursed. This was worse than she had feared.

Her mother had not simply been frightened by the attack. She had been traumatized by it. The palace had nearly become a murder scene, and Ursa had been forced to watch it happen in front of her children.

Tanya could see it now in the way her mother flinched at every movement, in the way her eyes kept flicking to Tanya’s hands as if expecting fire to burst from them again.

Tanya softened her voice immediately.

“Mother, it’s all right. The assassin is dead. The Fire Lord is alive. You’re safe now.”

That only seemed to make Ursa’s expression worse.

Her lips parted, but for a moment, no sound came out. Then she whispered, almost desperately, “Stay away..”

Tanya blinked. “What?”

Ursa’s gaze flicked wildly between Tanya and the palace behind her. “Stay away!!,” she repeated, louder this time, as if she were speaking to herself as much as to Tanya. “Please, stay away...”

Zuko’s eyes widened. He looked up at his mother, then at Tanya, and his face crumpled with fear.

“Mom’s scared,” he said, voice trembling.

Tanya’s heart sank.

“Of course she’s scared,” Tanya said gently, trying to keep her own frustration out of her tone. “There was an attack. But it’s over now. We need to go back inside where it’s safe.”

At that, Zuko stood up so fast that Ursa’s arms slipped from around him.

“No!” he shouted.

The force of it startled Tanya. She had never heard him sound like that before—not with her, not with anyone. His small face was red, tears already gathering in his eyes.

Tanya frowned. “Zuko, calm down.”

He shook his head violently. “No!”

Why was he being so rebellious? The attack must have affected him more than she realized. He was usually sensitive, yes, but this was different. Possibly angry at himself for not being to do anything in that situation.

It would make sense, and because he was a child under intense emotion, he would lash out because he had no other way to make sense of what he was feeling.

Tanya took a careful step forward. “Zuko, listen to me. We’re going back inside. That’s all.”

Ursa made a strangled sound and scrambled backward on the grass, one hand reaching for Zuko as if she feared Tanya might take him away. Her hair had come completely undone now, dark strands sticking to her face and neck. She looked almost wild with fear.

“Stay back,” she pleaded.

Tanya froze.

Her mother was looking at her as if she were the threat. A pain surged in Tanya’s heart, but she dismissed it with a heavy breath.

“Mother,” Tanya said slowly, trying to keep her voice calm, “I’m not going to hurt you.”

Ursa shook her head, breathing too fast. “No, no, no—”

Zuko turned toward Tanya, tears spilling freely now. “Stay away from us!”

Before Tanya could answer, he thrust both hands forward.

A burst of fire shot from the ground between them.

Tanya stumbled back instinctively as the flames flared up, bright and hot, forming a barrier that separated her from her mother and brother. The fire crackled in the air, orange and gold against the sky, and for one suspended moment, Tanya could only stare.

Zuko had firebent.

Not in training. Not under instruction.

Out of fear.

His small shoulders shook as he stood on the other side of the flames, tears streaming down his face. He looked at her with a kind of desperate pleading that made her chest ache.

“Please,” he said, voice breaking. “Stay away.”

Tanya stood perfectly still.

The fire reflected in her eyes.

Gold met gold.

For a moment, she could not move, could not speak, could not even breathe properly. The heat from the flames licked at her skin, but it was nothing compared to the cold shock that had settled in her chest.

Zuko was afraid of her.

Not just frightened by the attack. Not just overwhelmed by the palace chaos.

Afraid of her.

Tanya swallowed hard and forced herself to unclench her fists. Her first instinct was to argue, to explain, to tell him he was overreacting, that she was his sister, and she would never hurt him. But the words died before they reached her tongue.

Because he would not hear them.

Not now.

Not with Ursa trembling behind him and the memory of blood and fire still fresh in his mind.

So Tanya did the only thing she could.

She took a slow step back.

Then another.

“Okay,” she said quietly.

The flames between them flickered.

Zuko stared at her, still crying, still shaking, but he did not lower his hands.

Tanya gave him one last look, then turned away.

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