Hey guys! This is my submission for round two of the Pro Bending Circuit Competition. I am the airbender for the Capital City Catagators. The chess piece I chose was the knight. The prompts I chose were:
The Word (Checkmate)
The Location (Fire Nation capital)
The Quote ( In life, as in chess forethought wins)
Word Count: 1,211
Azula P.O.V
It had been a week since I had been in that disgrace of a city people called Omashu. Along the way, I had picked up Ty Lee and Mai, which is all part of my plan to bring down the Avatar, now that we know he's alive. Once we were finished in the disgrace, Mai Ty Lee and I traveled home to the Fire Nation Capital to update my father, make a plan and collect what was needed for that plan to come about.
"Mai, Ty Lee, get in here now!" I order them both.
"Coming, Azula!" Ty Lee says a little too eagerly for my taste. She comes into the room walking on her hands, followed closely by Mai, who looked just as bored as usual.
"We need a plan to capture the Avatar, now that we have come face to face with him and know exactly what he and his peasant friends can do." I say to them.
"That boy was pretty cute though! Not the Avatar but his Water Tribe friend." Ty Lee chimes in, completely off-subject. I sigh exasperatedly.
"Ty Lee, focus!" I bark. She obviously isn't listening to me because she is staring out the window. Probably dreaming about that "cute" Water Tribe peasant, knowing her. Ugh.
"Do we have to plan now? It's so nice outside!" Ty Lee asks. I roll my eyes.
"Have you ever heard the phrase 'In life, as in chess, forethought wins?'" I ask her, Ty Lee shakes her head. "Do you know how to win in chess?" She nods. "How do you win, then?"
"You have to think about every move carefully," she replies, her face perking up as she realizes what I'm getting at.
"Exactly. This is exactly like chess; we need to plan out every move carefully. We don't have time to waste outside!" I yell slightly. Ty Lee nods in understanding, though her "aura" as she would call it – a foolish notion, to be frank – seems to noticeably dim.
"Well, how about we find their weakness? Everyone has a weakness!" Ty Lee says in a bubbly tone.
"Hmm, maybe. It would take too long for us to find all of their specific weaknesses in time." I reply.
"Then what's a weakness that all people have? What are the most important things people need to live?" Ty Lee asks.
"Food and sleep" Mai responds bluntly. Typical.
"Of course! We deprive them of sleep and wait until they are so tired that they can't move anymore. We will use eel hounds to follow them; anything else would be too slow. The only flaw in that plan would be that they could go anywhere and we wouldn't know; they could camouflage themselves in the clouds or go a completely different direction." I say as I ponder every little, seemingly insignificant facet of the plan that has started to sprout in my head like a well taken care of sapling.
Ty Lee is looking out the window, again.
"Ty Lee! What did I say before?!" I ask her.
"I'm sorry, Azula. It's just that Spring is my favorite season. The flowers bloom, the animals shed their winter fur, and the baby animals are born!" She replied.
"You're right. It is Spring, and in Spring all animals shed their fur." I say.
"What does that have to do with capturing the Avatar?" Mai asks, her ever present monotone readily apparent.
"The Avatar's flying bison is nothing more than a flying fur ball. That thing has to shed a lot; leaving us a trail to follow. Checkmate." I say.
"Oh, Azula! You're a genius!" Ty Lee squeals.
"Pack your things, we leave tomorrow." I say.
In a few days' time, the Avatar will be mine. But until then…
Ozai P.O.V
We all sit in silence as we wait for Zuko. I sit in a state of anticipation; after this meeting the world will finally be in my grasp, and no-one will be able to stop me. I would start without him, but I feel that his knowledge will be extremely helpful.
I hear the curtains open and see my son step through.
"Welcome Prince Zuko, we waited for you." I say.
Zuko says nothing. He walks past the generals up to where I am standing. I signal him to take his place by my side, and he bows to me and sits down. It's finally time to start the meeting.
"General Shinoux, your report." I begin.
"Thank you, sir" General Shinoux replies " Ba Sing Se is still under our control; however, Earthbender rebellions have prevented us from achieving total victory in the Earth Kingdom"
This is not what I wanted to hear. I scowl slightly, though it's not immediately noticeable.
"What is your recommendation?" I ask, my tone betraying nary a hint of my soured demeanor.
The general stands up straight with his hands behind his back as he replies to me. He had better choose his words carefully.
"Our army is spread too thin, but once the eclipse is over and the invasion is defeated, we should transfer more domestic forces into the Earth Kingdom." The general says.
I think for a moment; we must plan this carefully. I know that Zuko has spent time with the Earth Kingdom people, maybe he can help.
"Prince Zuko, you've been among the Earth Kingdom commoners. Do you think adding more troops will stop these rebellions?" I ask my son.
He looks away from me and thinks.
"The people of the Earth Kingdom are proud and strong. They can endure anything as long as they have hope." Zuko says in a matter of fact way, while still managing to sound thoughtful.
"Yes you're right. We have to destroy their hope."
"Well- That's not what I…" I hear Zuko start to say, which is brave of him considering what happened last time he spoke out of turn at a meeting.
"I think we should take their precious hope and burn it to the ground." Azula says. What an ingenious idea.
"Yes, yes you're right, Azula. Sozin's Comet is almost upon us and on that day it will endow us with the strength of one hundred suns. No Bender will stand a chance against us!"
"What are you suggesting, sir?" General Fing Hua asks me.
"When the comet last came, my grandfather Fire Lord Sozin used it to wipe out the Air Nomads. Now I will use its power to end the Earth Kingdom! Permanently!"
Now that Sozin's Comet is coming, I can finally end this war in a Fire Nation victory. Sozin's Comet helped to start the war, and now it will end it. Once the Earth Kingdom is totally destroyed, I will create a new world, where the Fire Nation reigns supreme.
"From our airships we will rein fire over their lands; a fire that will destroy everything. Out of the ashes, a new world will be born; a land in which all the lands are Fire Nation, and I will be the supreme ruler of the world!" I shout maniacally, my voice becoming more gravelly ad unhinged with every word. The Generals clap in approval.
My world is within my grasp; no-one will be able to stop me. Ever.