Hey there! Welcome to my first fan-fic. This little number is actually based on a dream I had while I was staying over my friends house, and I would like to thank her for the encouragement she's given and for helping me with bits of it, you're a real pal! I've re-posted this chapter, because I realised I had to edit it because I wrote this chapter half asleep and naturally there were a few mistakes in it. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.Disclaimer: Avatar or any of its characters do not belong to me but to their respectful owners, with the exception of my own characters.
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The cell was dark and smelled faintly of sulphur. The only light source; a lone candle that she kept close. Everything was covered in a thin layer of soot; everything, except for the cracked mirror that hung on the wall above a rough futon made of straw. She sat crossed legged on the straw mattress placing the candle carefully beside her, its small delicate flame casting flickering orange light over her tired worn features.
Golden eyes surrounded by tired dark circles stared wildly at her reflection under long tangled chocolate brown hair. She brought her hands towards her chapped red lips, long uncared for fingernails pressed against the sensitive flesh. She smiled a strange and unnerving smile; a smile only seen on those unstable. Her chapped lips cracked and spilt under the stress of her smile a small droplet of blood formed over the new cut, and she quickly caught it with her finger and smeared it over her lips like lipstick. She was once a well respected and feared princess of the Fire Nation, and was crowned the Fire Lord for a short period of time before she was beaten, overthrown, ridiculed and thrown into imprisonment. Branded insane, Azula sat here rotting slowly for four years, yearning to taste the blood of those who had betrayed and crossed her. She tilted her head at the old mirror and smiled madly at her own reflection, her only friend was herself, her only comfort, apart from her beloved candle.
"Look, mother. I've grown my hair." She addressed the glass, using a hand to pick up a hand full of the brown matted mass, "You've always liked it long didn't you? But you always liked things I hated." She cackled and her tone suddenly changed. "But you can't hurt me no more, no you can't. You said I was a monster, and guess what; I'm going to be exactly that. I'm going to show you what I'm capable of, you'll see. I'll make father proud of me. I was always daddy's little girl." She chuckled to herself and caressed her own reflection. "I love you Azula." She whispered.
Since her overthrowing four years ago her mother plagued her, always watching, always talking, always scorning. Azula hated her, she hated this room, she hated her brother, Zuko, she hated the Avatar and his companions she hated all of them. She wished them all dead. Dead; dead like little dormice. She would sit and would talk to her own reflection for hours, and occasionally to her mother who was always watching, always talking. She turned her back on the mirror and stared at the dark wall opposite. One day she would have her revenge, she would rule everything, she would become the most powerful bender and nothing, not even the Avatar will be able to stop her. She will become invincible. She dreamed about this every night, she dreamed about having the power to burst from this prison and inflict pain on all she despised. She smirked and smeared the fresh blood that seeped out from her cut across her cheek, it was only a matter of time, and soon she would be sitting in her rightful throne, ordering executions and torture.
Her blissful daydreams were disturbed by the loud creak of the lock being turned in her cell door. The solid metal door swung open violently and crashed loudly against the wall, sending a metallic bang echoing throughout the dungeon. Two men wearing red Fire Nation Imperial uniforms walked in and bowed respectfully at her. She ran a suspicious eye over the strangers, demanding their business. One Imperial stepped forward bravely, knelt at her feet and presented a small wooden box before her.
"My Lord, it is me, Atai. We've managed to steal the Sun Stone. We're ready for the Fire Nation to rise supreme once again." Quickly Atai lifted the box open and revealed a beautiful marbled stone of red and orange that had a long leather cord attached to the top of the stone to be worn as a pendant. Azula grinned and snatched the stone from its box and slipped it over her neck, and spun round to face the mirror once again, and admired her reflection. At last, her dream was about to come true.
"Good work, Atai. Now we can overthrow that cockroach and bring order back into the world." She said before kissing the mirror. She shivered; she could feel the power of the stone flooding through her body, bringing her a feeling of hope and a stronger thirst for revenge. "The Legend was true after all; the stone does bless the wearer with the unlimited power of the Sun." She giggled excitedly, continuing to stare at her reflection. "Watch me mother. I'm going to crush everything." She turned on her heel and walked towards the door, shortly followed by the two Imperials before stopped and glanced at the mirror one last time. "Wish me luck."
Marching through the dungeons she felt the glorious feeling of freedom and power wash over like a welcomed shower. She watched silently with staring amber eyes as the two Imperials freed prisoners that were loyal to her in the past, and her smile grew wider.
"Atai, free my father and take the prisoners back to where you are stationed and arm them, I want everyone to be prepared for our next move." She ordered, watching as Atai ran off, and then turned to the other Imperial, "And you, gather the Resistance and follow me; it's time to pay my dear brother and uncle a visit." The Imperial nodded in response and ran off in the opposite direction leaving Azula in the dungeon hall with her thoughts. She leaned against the cold wall and took a deep breath, her smug smile never leaving her lips. Her suffering was drawing to a close and she could almost taste her revenge, it would feel so good to sit in that red velvet throne once again.
"Azula!" A familiar voice distracted her away from her thoughts and she turned her head to be graced with the vision of her father.
"My Lord!" She cried bowing low, her face softening with the love and affection she felt for her father. "It has been too long, but it matters not. Soon we will have all the time in the world." Her father smiled, his hair was tatted and had started to grey, his beard was uncared for, but he still had that dark look that she remembered. The past had affected him badly to, his eyes were wild and dark, and she didn't blame him, no one would act positively about their bending being taken from them. "The Fire Nation will rise once more, my Lord."
"Indeed, Azula. You will become the Fire Lord, and I will remain by your side, the Avatar may have stolen my bending abilities but I still have my wisdom to share with you."
"I couldn't ask for more." Azula replied sharing a victorious smile with her father, before the Imperial had ran back signalling them that they were ready to attack. "At last! Fire Nation, attack for our freedom, attack for the future of the Fire Nation" She roared before charging down the hall towards the throne room where she assumed Zuko and her uncle Iroh would be located.
Four long years had passed since their victory against the Fire Nation, and it was four long years that Zuko had been the Fire Lord. His honour restored, Zuko felt at peace at long last and enjoyed his ruling with his beloved uncle, Iroh at his side, who was more of a father figure to him. Iroh had been through everything with him, and was very dear to him, without Iroh Zuko wouldn't be where he was right now, and for this he owed a lot to his dear uncle.
Seated in the luxurious seating of the red throne, Zuko rested his head on his fist as he watched the flames that surrounded him flicker wildly. He had long put the past behind him; however he forever had a painful reminder of what had happened. His fingers reached to the scarred tissue of his left eye, somehow he just couldn't let go of what his own father had done to him. He sighed and straightened himself up, now at the age of 22, he still looked youthful and handsome, he had grown reasonably taller, his body toned and muscular, and at the peek of his fitness. His hair had grown long and was pulled up into a pony tail that reached his upper back, tied to the base of his hair was the crown to symbolise his status of Fire Lord.
He had grown restless recently, there wasn't much to ruling as the Fire Lord, other than the tiresome issues of the Kingdom's economy, where he was expected to have an opinion, regardless of the fact it most likely wouldn't be taken into account at all. In most of the General's eyes, he was considered too young to take such a responsibility of ruling the Fire Kingdom.
"Zuko, you look bored. Why don't you play checkers with me and have a nice cup of jasmine tea?" Iroh suggested who had been watching him from his place beside his nephew. Zuko smiled, he found his uncle's insatiable appetite and love for jasmine tea amusing.
"Sure, uncle." He replied, watching his uncles grey eyes light up and drag a checker table before him and ordering a pot of jasmine tea. Sipping the steaming liquid Iroh glanced at a concentrating Zuko, who was planning his first move on the checkers board.
"So, Zuko. Have you heard from Aang lately?" He asked casually from the top of his dainty cup.
"No. The last I have heard is that he is helping rebuild an Earth Kingdom." Zuko said distractedly, as he moved his first checker piece a space forward on the board.
Iroh scratched his grey bearded chin at his nephew's strange move and cautiously moved his first piece praying it wasn't some kind of clever trap that he had drawn, "I see. It is only natural for the Avatar to help others, even though there isn't much to do after the battle four years ago."
Zuko only nodded in response this time and moved his second piece; he really didn't have a clue on what he was doing. He wasn't even sure of the aim of the game. Puzzled, Iroh scratched his head this time and looked at his seemingly clever nephew.
"Zuko, what are you-" A loud crash had interrupted them, and the curtain of fire that surrounded the pair had fallen revealing the image of Azula and Ozai, the former Fire Lord stand at the main doors.
"Knock knock. I've come to pay a visit to my delightful uncle and dear brother." Azula chanted, a twisted and cruel smile plastered across her dirty face, a smile mirrored by her father who stood beside her, and behind them countless armed Fire Benders. Iroh's face dropped as he saw the glittering stone around Azula's neck, and he knew immediately that that it spelt trouble.
"The Sun Stone." He muttered, stopping an angered Zuko from attacking. "No Zuko, we cannot possible defeat them. That trinket round her neck is no ordinary pendant; it's the Sun Stone, a legendary stone that is said to hold the power of the sun. Very dangerous in the wrong hands."
Zuko growled as he watched his sister crackle madly, "Aww, poor Zuzu is overpowered by his baby sister. Taste the power of the sun!" She taunted sending a blindingly strong wall of fire towards them. With surprising agility Iroh grabbed Zuko by his arm and dragged the surprised youth behind the throne and through a secret trap door that lead to the pier.
"Quick Zuko, head to the pier and get on a ship with as many of those loyal to us." He cried, ignoring Zuko's protests. "There is no time! I will explain later, we are way in over our heads, live today, fight tomorrow. Now go!" Reluctantly the young Fire Lord ran off down the tunnel, leaving Iroh behind. Remaining silent, Iroh set himself the task of sealing the trap door in hopes of buying them some time with short hot blast of flame from his expert fists. The tunnel fell silent and the voices that could be heard were those that were above and Iroh stood quietly to listen into their conversations.
"They've escaped down the tunnel. It's sealed off. Quick! Head them off at the pier!" Ozai barked angrily.
"Let them escape. Let them taste the sour poison betrayal and failure. I want them to suffer all the emotions I felt before I capture them and destroy them." Azula giggled manically, "They do not matter. Meer bugs in our path to victory, I am more powerful than both of them put together."
"But one can never have too much power, my dear Azula. It's time we unleash our full potential." Ozai corrected her, sparking Azula's attention.
"What do you have in mind?" Azula asked, gazing up in interest at her father.
"There is a Legend of two mystical beings, Princesses, if I remember correctly. One of spirit and time, and one of power and soul. Summoning just one of these will summon both, they are like Yin and Yang; one cannot live without the other. Having these Princesses in our power will make us unstoppable. Imagine, controlling all the power that they have to offer." Ozai spoke, watching as Azula shuddered in excitement and anticipation.
"How do you summon them?" She questioned.
"The technique was known by my father but he only ever passed it down to my brother, your uncle. Iroh, but I'm sure the technique lies hidden in one of my father's old scrolls in the library." He replied, seating himself in the velvet red throne.
"Find the old man Iroh, and bring him to me!" Azula screamed at the Imperials that tagged behind, before roughly pushing Ozai out of the throne and throwing herself into it, legs kicking in the air, he hands running through her tatty hair, cackling wildly.
Feeling troubled Iroh began to run down the tunnel to meet with his nephew and escape before they were caught. He frowned, their troubles had now just doubled, and there was so much to do and explain. The sky was red and angry as he made it safely to the pier and climbed on board on the large black iron battleship that Zuko and a handful of loyal soldiers had managed to successfully capture. As they sailed safely into the open sea, Iroh sat down on deck with a pot of jasmine tea by his side, mulling over their next moves.
"Uncle, what's going on?" Zuko questioned, emerging from below deck. "I understand what the Sun Stone is, but you seem more troubled."
"Zuko, we have a big problem. Azula and Ozai plan to summon the two Mystical Princesses beings of great power and beauty, and if he succeeds we have no hopes of defeating them if they brainwash them into serving their corrupt cause." Iroh sighed, taking a large gulp of his hot tea.
"Then we have to be the first to summon them." Zuko replied, walking towards the railings that surrounded the edge of the ship. He gripped the cold bar, golden eyes stared out at the open blue water, a deep angry frown forming on his handsome face. "If they are as powerful as you say, we'll have the advantage if we persuade them to fight for us. How to we call them?"
"It's not that simple. The technique used to summon them can only be used only twice, any more will rip a whole between the spirit world and ours, causing both to be destroyed. Plus the fact that these beings have minds of their own, and it might be difficult to persuade them, after all we will be pulling them from their resting place."
"We have no choice we-"
"I know Zuko, that's why I'm going to do it. I'm going to summon them. I'm not sure what will happen, so be prepared for anything." Iroh glanced at his nephew as he moved away from the railings and called for their few soldiers to come on deck. As the soldiers assembled Iroh took a steady deep breath and began to gracefully move his arms in the air in a strange form of dance that almost resembled bending. "Ready Zuko?" Iroh asked, opening his eyes to catch his nephew nodding.