Medea
By xannychan
Author's Notes: Azula's origin.
Some cultural notes: The things that might be unfamiliar to you are based on Chinese superstitions observed by my own family. If you don't understand what's going on there, feel free to message and ask, since Chinese funeral rituals are a little more obscure.
Warnings: Morbid; character death. Some ritualistic mentions—may be offensive to religious readers.
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Ursa hisses through her teeth, her breath coming in short, sharp gasps. The pain is unbearable; as she pushes one last time, she screams. Her hair sticks to her face, her exposed legs and stomach glistening with sweat. She sees stars, but the wailing between her knees slowly clears her eyes.
A quiet rumble of her husband's voice fills the room. It's the first time he has ever called anything beautiful as he gazes at the tiny child.
But when Azula is gently placed into her reaching arms, Ursa is horrified. The newborn quiets from her tears, but it is a terrifying silence.
It is the silence of a monster waiting to kill.
The girl is beautiful—soft black hair, pale skin, tiny hands and feet, round and perfect in every way.
But when she looks into her eyes, she can see her husband, dark and terrible, and knows that the child is dead, that the child was never born.
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On a quiet, fateful night, Ursa lights an incense stick and bows three times on her knees before a shrine, a single bowl of rice with chopsticks sticking straight up adorning the table before the massive portrait. Beyond it, Azula's crib lies, silent and empty. She says a small prayer.
Forgive me, Agni, for I have sinned.
She has no tears as she gazes down into her daughter's frightening eyes.
To protect my son, to my beloved firstborn Zuko…
With shaking hands, she takes the child and the knife and disappears into the dark.
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Ursa is found the next morning in front of the royal crematory, where the ashes of past rulers are burned and scattered across the nation. The knife is still in her hands, cold and sharp.
Nearby, Azula is also found, laughing in a pool of her mother's blood.