Disclaimer: Azula belongs to Avatar, which belongs to Mike and Bryan, which is not me… sadly…
A/N: Excuse any grammar or spelling mistakes, summer vacation has taken a toll on me. Italics are what Azula thinks and flashbacks/dreams. This is after the finale.
No, no. She laughed insanely as chains held her to the ground, incapable of trying any escape. No…no… they will pay…they don't KNOW my full POWER. "NO!" She stopped laughing, her face stern, body constantly shifting, trying to break free. "They… they WILL pay!" She screamed as the gaurds laughed at her. Don't they know who I am!? I am their ruler, their master, HOW DARE THEY!? Parts of her hair landed above her eyes with every shift movement. I am Azula… their Fire Lord…
It had been a year since the Avatar defeated the Fire Lord, or recently known as The Phoenix King. Azula being kept in one of the strongest Fire Nation prisons by Zuko's command. He didn't trust her, of course he didn't. Azula was determined to break free, no matter the cost. She would show them, show them all.
Fire Lord… Fire Lord… She found herself screaming at the top of her lungs, furiously trying to escape, wrists dangling in the clutches of the chains. Her arms tightened as her ears heard the sharp laughter from the gaurds. "AHH!!" Fire escaped her raging mouth.
"How many times have you tried that, Princess? Just give up! You're worthless here."
She began to laugh again.
"Worthless? WORTHLESS!? YOU'LL ALL SEE! I WILL RULE THE W-," her throat became numb; she had screamed and yelled for what seemed the whole year she was kept there. Her voice failed to react, failed to speak. You, too? You, too voice? Dare to define me? You'll see as well… they'll all … see… For once in a lifetime she fell into sleep, what she called a beautiful inspiring dream.
Dream
Everything was blurry. Voices were heard everywhere… no, echoes were heard everywhere. Endless echoes speaking… fading… Then her father came into the picture. "You disgrace. You worthless tool. You let your banished brother rule. Disgrace! You were born to be lucky! You should rot in prison forever, you don't deserver anywhere else. No. You don't even deserve rotting in the prison. You deserve WORSE!" The echoes ate and engulfed him, silencing his words. Then her mother came in view.
"Such beautiful hair…," Her face began to burn and the echoes silenced her, too. Then she saw herself looking at somebody familiar… the traitor who betrayed her for her brother… she was crying… pleading… Her forehead bled and her eyes screaming for mercy… mercy… She will show no mercy…
End
Azula awoke, nails digging into the floor. No mercy… She began to whimper as the gaurds threw food at her. "Dinner, Your Royal Highness," they laughed again. Azula ate the food violently, her arms and legs were tied down, and all she had was her mouth. No hands to keep it in place if it rolled off. Once she was done she began to scream again frantically, her voice had come back.
"I want to break out! I need a way out! I want to live forever! I won't give in … the worst is… no… I am the Fire Nation prodigy… -"
"Prodigy? Hah, the prodigy is our Fire Lord. The real Fire Lord, who you'll never be." She shifted endlessly again, taking deep breaths.
"You have no idea…" she whispered as a grin was placed on her lips "You have no idea…"
3 years passed by and it was 4 years after the war. Everybody was happy, living their own lives, except for Azula who spent every day plotting. She was 18… she controlled her anger and insanity, repeating to herself that the more she fostered it, the powerful she'd be that one day… The day she would keep repeating to herself… "One day," she would say. They had taken the chains off since she seemed more calm and kept. They had no idea of all the insanity that rushed in her blood and veins. Azula spent most of her time huddled up in a corner in the darkness, hair covering her rubble-filled face. Some days the gaurds heard her whispering "I'm suffocating," they paid no attention to this, thinking it as simple two words. Oh, how they had no idea what it really meant. Then one day they had gotten fed up with it and reported Zuko, he took heed to this. He commanded that they check her, these words didn't tell Zuko she was dying… it told him otherwise that if she kept repeating these words, there was a tragedy to happen. Not to her, but to someone he loved. Maybe Aang, maybe Sokka, maybe Katara, maybe Toph, maybe Mai, maybe Iroh. He didn't know, but he didn't want to find out. Today which seemed normal as others, Azula would escape, repeating those words.
She sat in her corner as always, trying to sooth herself. A smirk was overtaking her lips, she was lost in delirium. But she would kill herself if she showed any signs of it. Then she took a deep gasp and fell to the ground. "I'M SUFFOCATING!" she roared. The guards rushed to her, following Zuko's commands to make sure nothing happened to her. Her eyes flew shut, mouth no longer smirking. She acted to be suffocating, which she was good at. "In this world I'm… SUFFOCATING!"
"Azula! I think she's truly gone insane! I think she did suicide!" The left corner of her lips twitched a long with her left eye. She couldn't help it. This is it… This is it. My coronation! Oh… they'll see. They carried her out; think she was really dead, or at least dying. "Inform the Fire Lord! Tell him his sister is dying!" They were out of the cell.
"Oh, but I've been dead inside," she says as her eyes break open and fire bursts into her palm.
"INFORM THE FIRE-," Azula dug the flame in the man's chest carrying her. She recognized his face, the one who didn't get enough of mocking her.
"I told you… you'd see," she fell to the ground as the man let go of her, heart literally burning. Azula shot inescapable flames at the other gaurds who as well fell lifeless.She stood and swayed as she walked out, still bursting flames out of her palms to rushing gaurds, killing them as well. "I'm suffocating, I'm suffocating," she repeated mockingly as she laughed in her own madness. "Here we go…," she laughed some more as she stepped out of the prison, realizing it was night. "I am the prodigy! I am the world's greatest fire bender- no! The world's best bender in the world!" She went on her way to the palace…
Mai was getting ready to sleep. She sat on a stool next to her dresser, staring at the mirror. She was in her night gown and was brushing her sleek black hair before she went to sleep; she stared at herself as she brushed. Zuko had rushed to the prison, informed of her supposedly dying, but not escaping. Azula crept in from the window, Mai not paying attention. She silently fell to the floor and crawled behind Mai. Then she stood, her image appearing on the mirror. Mai stopped dead, her eyes wide, silence overtaking the room. The brush slipped from her fingers and fell to the ground, breaking the silence. "Azula-"
"Hello, old friend," she bore through gritted teeth. Mai turned around to face Azula, hand touching the dresser unback of her.
"The gaurds… they said-"
"That I was dying? Suffocating?" She laughed. "The only one suffocating will be you!" She threw lightning at Mai, but she ducked the lightning striking the mirror, making break into little shards. Mai raced to her knives, but Azula stopped her, making Mai fall to the ground. She crouched to her and grabbed a hold of her forehead. Her overgrown nails dug into her forehead, leading to blood trickling down. "Now do you regret it? Huh? DO YOU!?"
"You're crazy! Insane!"
"Old news, Fire Lady," Azula closened in, face inches away from Mai's. Her lips, nose, and eye twitching even though there was an evil smirk on her face. "You had your chance… I was too blinded to see… oh, how much you stole from me!! I should be considered ROYAL! NOT YOU, NOT YOU!" She began tearing, a smirk still on her face. She laughed, echoing in the halls. "You worthless traitor! You want Zuko? Zuko!? That's what you want, yes!? Let me help you look like him, that's better, no!?" She let go of Mai's forehead and grew an untamed burst of electric blue flame. She whispered to her as she noticed Mai was tearing and whimpering. "I'll let you rot and die slowly for my sake!" She shoved the flame to Mai's right eye, making Mai yell in pain. She laughed as the tears poured down. "Zuzu, Zuzu… Oh how you WILL SUFFER!" The flame disappeared revealing Mai's eye. Azula had overdone it, her flesh peeled off. Mai cried frantically.
"Please, Azula! Let it go! I'm sorry!" Azula's face became scornful.
"Let it go? LET IT GO!? HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO LET IT GO!? Zuko had everything! Everything that mattered! He had love! Mother's love! He had friends, he had everything that mattered," tears cascaded down her cheeks "; how am I supposed to let that go? I was only a tool…," she whispered "; all I wanted was mother to love me… but she thought I was a monster and nothing more… I was suffocating inside the whole time… But now you will pay!" Another flame burst into her palms and she shoved it close to Mai's nose and mouth, letting her breathe it in. "You will pay… now suffocate!"
Azula had left the fire there enough for Mai to breathe it in, making her sick. Azula grabbed her neck and pierced her nails on it. "Suffocate," she let go as she heard running footsteps, which she automatically thought as her brothers. "I'd love to stay and chat, but I have other business to do," and she stood and reached down to Mai's forehead as she walked. Once she grabbed a hold of her forehead, she shoved it back; making Mai's head hit the floor. "Oh and tell Zuzu exactly this 'Suffocate, I am' got it!? Oh and tell him I said 'Hi'," Azula crawled out of the palace through the window and was on her merry way as Zuko burst the door open to his room, finding Mai suffocating on the floor. He rushed to her and picked her up.
"Mai! Mai!" Mai tried to speak, but all that came out was:
"Suffocate…," and she died in Zuko's arms. Zuko clenched his fists and teeth, anger boiling in him. Tears streamed down his face and he ran after Azula.
Azula swayed in her steps, laughing maniacally as the gaurds ran after her. "Stop!" They shouted. One guard dared to approach Azula closer than she liked. But to her liking, she had learned things in prison about fire bending. Her fore head fell on to his and she put a fist onto the man's chest where the armor was. It ringed, and inside, fire engulfed the man in his own armor. Azula left the man and laughed again, knowing exactly that right about now Mai was dying, and the only word coming out of her was: Suffocate.
Zuko arrived to the gates, and cursed and yelled in agony. Azula had gotten away. He kicked and screamed, cried and yelled. The servants and maids watched in horror. She was out there… they all knew it, even Zuko that she wasn't going to kill him. No, absolutely not. She was going to torture him with everything he had… everything that mattered.
A/N: I think I got a little too carried away… and a little too into character… yeah… pretty sad, Azula's story… yup… makes me cry. Especially the finale… yup. Reviews are appreciated.