Author's Note: This is the first one shot for a series of one shots I do for Alyssialui 's writing tournament. As you will see the main character is clearly Azula here. I found that interesting.
The prompts I took were: (dialogue) I'm nervous, but excited, (location) Ba Sing Se and (Quote) "This is one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind", my word count without the author's note was: 1191.
I hope you will enjoy this, and be ready for more one shots as the tournament goes on (again, I feel so honored that I was allowed to join) and watch the story unfold. Oh, and Please Review!
Azula was led down the hallway. Years had passed since her brother locked her up in a lunatic asylum, years spent in chains. Monotone, every day like the other. No one ever came to visit her, not even her brother. But somehow now everything seemed different, change was in the air. It scared the voices out of her head for a moment.
She felt the cold night wind grazing her thin features, playing with her simple nightgown. Two guards stayed by her sides the whole time, even when they sat her down in a carriage. She didn't know where they were going, out of the capital for sure. They drove her down to the port and locked her into one of the cabins of a small ship. Clearly Zuko didn't want anyone's attention on whatever was going on. She wondered if he gave now, after years of imprisonment, the order to finally get rid of his dangerous sister.
Zuko, for his part, watched over the guards from a balcony of his palace until Azula was safe in the carriage. He wondered that his sister just followed the guard's orders without trying to break free or something. He didn't know exactly what he'd expected, but this wasn't it. This helpless creature down there had lost almost everything his sister once possessed. She seemed somehow broken to him. Maybe he should've visited her, maybe his mother should've done that too. Of course, her mind was ill before she came into the asylum, but now it doesn't seem to exist anymore at all. The doctors told him, she would slowly lose her mind fully, lose basic things like speech, a few weeks ago she had stopped eating. When she stopped drinking too the other day, Zuko knew he had to act quickly, before his little sister died.
He didn't know if this clinic in Ba Sing Se could help her. But he felt like this was her last chance. When he had seen her thin body and her head hanging down he thought, he might've been too late. And sorrow was plastered over his mind.
He knew his mother felt this sorrow too, but she would never speak about her first daughter. Zuko knew, she felt guilty for what had happened to her mind. But he wouldn't go in, words couldn't help in a situation like this.
After what seemed like almost a whole day a guard entered the cabin and led her out. It was dark again. Azula sighed, she wanted to see the sun again. They packed her in a carriage again, all along the way they didn't tell her about their destination. Finally, the carriage stopped. Azula looked around when she stepped out, and really, she felt like she knew this place. Like lightning the thought shot through her head, "I'm in the upper ring of Ba Sing Se."
In a second the two guards were again next to her. But for the first time in after her imprisonment she began to think logical again, thinking of flight.
A man came towards the small group. He wore a doctor's attire, "The Lotus Clinic welcomes you, gentleman and of course, my lady, you too. Where are my manners?", he bowed deeply towards her, "How are you feeling today, princess?". Azula forced her dry lips into an almost friendly smile, in her most sane, most lovely and naïve tone she said, "I'm nervous, but excited.", "Great! Then follow me!", and towards the guards he said, "You can leave us now. We are totally safe here. " . The guards shared a glare, but then nodded and got into the carriage again.
After she saw them get out of her sight she turned around to the doctor. She smiled at him and he smiled back at her. She punched right into his smile. She was sure she broke his nose. Azula turned around quickly and sprinted towards the nearest alley. Suddenly she heard something and an earthen hand landed right next to her. Dai Li Agents! She ran even faster, deeper and deeper into the upper ring. The Dai Li Agents were at her heel the whole time, but couldn't get her. When she ran next to the palace walls she noticed a tunnel and ran right into it. But the Dai Li was still behind her. She sprinted behind the crystals, she knew where she was, this was the cave where she shot the avatar and imprisoned her uncle. She stopped shortly on the small river, and this was her mistake. The Dai Li Agent chasing her was not interested in capturing her. He caused the ground under her to fall apart. She fell with it, after making sure that a few big stones followed her the agent closed the hole again. He would write her brother that she was killed after trying to escape.
Meanwhile underneath the agent's feet something moved. Red eyes peeked from a smaller hole in the ground. Their glance was cold as it followed the man. The creature then returned into the deeper holes to find the human that fell. With inhuman strength he moved the boulders away.
White hands took up the woman in the now ragged nightgown. Blood was on her face and body, but she was not dead, he could feel that. He took her deeper into caves, or better tunnels. Tunnels made for living, often with painting and writing in a strange language on the walls between elaborated doorways and crosses.
He laid her down on a bed made of fine silk-like linen. An old woman came into the room. "Why so much haste, young one?", "She's hurt, Grandma.". Slowly the old woman came next to the bed. She touched her lip with one finger, "Hmm, and you think we should help her?", he nodded for an answer. "Alright, bring me some fresh linen, and ask your elder sister about one of her nightgowns. I will make a fire."
When Azula awake the first thing she saw were two worried faces, both totally white, even whiter than her skin. Both had red eyes and white hair, even if one was visibly older. Another one of their kind stood in the corner, looking rather angry than concerned. They had pointy ears, and prominent cheek bones. She also felt the warmth of a fire nearby. And really, in a small decorated bowl on a nightstand was a burning fire, she wondered who this silent people were. They must had noticed her being awake, but they didn't speak. Maybe they were afraid?
The woman in the corner took out a bow and mentioned to aim at her. The older woman stood up and with a strong voice she said something in a strange language. Defeated the other one left. Smiling the elderly woman turned back to her. The wrinkles on her features changed when she laid a soothing hand on Azula's shoulder and with a smile said, "Don't worry child. You don't need to be afraid. This is one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind, that you took. But now you are safe."