Back with Ursa and 'Ursa'.

In the confines of her opulent chambers, Ursa sat on the edge of her bed, her body trembling with fear and disbelief. The rumors had reached her ears, whispered through the cracks in the doors and the hushed conversations of the servants. An Agni Kai with Ozai. The very idea sent a shiver of terror down her spine. When had this happened? How had it come to this?

Vaatu, sensing her distress, oozed words of comfort, his voice like sweet poison in her mind. "Do not fret, Ursa. All is proceeding as it should."

But Ursa was beyond comfort. Her breath came in short, sharp gasps, her heart pounding wildly in her chest. She clutched at the bedsheets, her knuckles white with strain. "You took it too far, Vaatu," she cried, her voice shaking with anger and fear. "I never agreed to this! I never wanted to fight Ozai! I can't... I can't beat him. He's going to kill me, and then what will happen to Zuko and Azula? They'll be left without a mother!"

Vaatu's voice darkened, his anger rising like a slow tide. "You question me, Ursa? You dare to accuse me of taking things too far?"

Ursa, too consumed by her panic, didn't notice the dangerous edge in Vaatu's voice. "Yes, I question you! Look at what you've done! You've sentenced me to ****, and for what? For your own amusement? For your own twisted sense of justice?"

Vaatu's anger boiled over, his voice echoing like thunder in Ursa's mind. "Silence, you insolent insect! I have given you power, I have given you a chance to change the world, and you dare to question me? I should kill you where you sit and find a more worthy vessel!"

Just as Vaatu was about to make good on his threat, a sharp gasp cut through the room like a knife. Ursa whirled around, her eyes wide with shock and fear. Standing in the doorway was Azula, her eyes wide with surprise and a hint of fear. She had snuck in to see her 'crazy mom' in person, to maybe have fun convincing her to beg for mercy from Father. The last thing the 10 year old had expected was to find her mother screaming hysterically at thin air.

Ursa opened her mouth to speak, but before she could utter a word, she gasped, her body shuddering as Vaatu reasserted his control. Her arms fell to her sides, eyes rolled to the back of her head, and when she looked back down, her face was calm, her eyes gentle. She beckoned Azula closer, a soft smile playing on her lips.

"Azula, my dear," she said, her voice sweet and comforting. "Come here, let me hold you."

Azula hesitated for a moment, her brow furrowed in confusion and concern. But eventually, she stepped forward, allowing herself to be pulled into Ursa's embrace. She sat on her mother's lap, her body stiff and uncertain.

"Mother?" Azula asked, her voice tinged with a rare note of concern underneath all the wariness "You were... you were screaming at nothing."

Vaatu, wearing Ursa's smile like a mask, stroked Azula's hair gently. "I'm fine, my dear. Just a little overwhelmed. But everything will be alright. You'll see."

Azula snorted, her moment of concern fading as quickly as it had come. "You're going to fight Father in an Agni Kai, Mother. You have no chance. You're going to lose, and then what will happen to us?"

Vaatu's smile never wavered, even as a look of **** flashed briefly in Ursa's eyes. "Now, now, Azula. Don't be so quick to dismiss your mother. I have a few tricks up my sleeve."

Azula rolled her eyes, but she didn't pull away from Ursa's embrace. "The only trick you have is talking to yourself, Mother. You're not a bender. You can't beat Father."

Vaatu steered the conversation smoothly, his voice filled with a gentle curiosity. "Speaking of bending, Azula, I've heard you're quite the prodigy. Tell me about your lessons. I'd love to hear about what you've been learning."

Azula hesitated, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. She didn't like her mother, didn't trust her. But there was something in Ursa's voice, something genuine and interested, that made her want to talk.

"Well," she began, her voice filled with a **** pride. "I've been learning advanced firebending techniques. I can create whips of fire, walls of flame. I can even bend lightning, Mother. Father says I'm the most talented firebender he's ever seen."

Vaatu listened intently, his dark smile hidden from Azula's view. He prompted her gently, encouraging her to share more, to reveal the depths of her training and skill. And Azula, caught up in the excitement of her own prowess and all too eager to show off to her suddenly caring mother, didn't notice the calculating gleam in her mother's eyes.

As she talked, her voice filled with enthusiasm and pride, Vaatu's smile grew wider, darker. He knew just how to crush Ozai.