It was Toph who had to incarcerate her, being the only metalbender made her the only one able to get close enough. Her hastily made metal shielding left her impervious to her fire blasts. By the time the others met up with Zuko and Katara in the Great Courtyard of the Fire Palace, Azula had worn herself out and could no longer conjure fits of lightning. Although, that didn't stop her attempts to burn them to crisps with Dragon's Breath.
Azula was in a state of hysteria; tears began streaming down her angular cheeks, shouts of rage merged with cries of anguish. Her exact words were almost completely unintelligible through her cries, but what could be made out seemed to have no grasp on reality anymore. Lost in delusions, she was no longer the esteemed Princess Azula of the Fire Nation – Firebending prodigy, but a hallowed shell of what she used to be.
Toph's metal bound body subdued the broken princess long enough for Katara, with the help of Iroh's wise brain, to use her waterbending to sedate her. Soon her eyes lost their fires and her body lost its fight and Azula fell into an empty sleep. Zuko watched his little sister close her eyes and fall backward onto the drain. Her dark hair sprawled out over her black and gold suit; the clothing of royalty, the garments of a Fire Lord. Zuko couldn't help but look pityingly upon her; how in such a short time Azula was stripped off all she was and wanted to be. She had expected to celebrate the victory of her father and her coronation as Fire Lord. Instead she was bested before she could even be crowned and a wanted war criminal.
Azula's chains, which held her fiery hands to the storm drain, were removed by members of the White Lotus who had just joined them in the courtyard. Zuko dared not meet his uncle's eye as the man walked over and carried the sleeping princess away.
It wasn't right, thought Zuko. It wasn't supposed to be this way. While he was the first to acknowledge that his sister was sadistic and twisted, he could help but feel she had been cheated.
It wasn't right that she grew up distanced from their mother and couldn't be guided by her like he had. Azula was used to be worshiped and glorified by her father, grandfather and the court. So when her mother scolded her and knocked her down a peg or two, out of love, Azula saw it as hatred, fear and favouritism of Zuko. When Princess Ursa vanished, Azula's number was up. Left in the care of her maniacal father, Lord Ozai, she became completely warped and set on a path of self-destruction.
For years Zuko believed he had gotten the shaft from the world, but at this very moment he realized he was wrong. It was not he was had been cheated from what he deserved, but Azula. She should have had her mother's guidance and been able to see it for what it was: Love. She shouldn't have been glorified so young. He should have protected her more. All these shoulds and should nots were wasted words now. They both met their destinies today and it could not be changed.
He gave his sister one last look and turned away. "I'm sorry Azula; it shouldn't have ended up this way." Zuko remained silent for another moment and rejoined his friends. Sokka was in the middle of a captivating telling of Toph, Suki and his' adventures on the airships and the elders were already making plans to crown Zuko as Fire Lord.
His sister's dream.
The day before his coronation, he received a messenger from the Earth Kingdom regarding the future of his sister. Zuko thanked him and sent him on his way. Aang and Iroh, who had just left the room to make some tea, returned with tray in hand. Immediately they noticed his saddened expression.
"Zuko? Did something happen? Is everything okay?" Aang asked slowly.
"The was the messenger from the Earth King." He said, avoiding their gaze. "He came with their response."
Aang awkwardly shuffled. "Err, what about?" he asked, even though he knew there was only one thing it could have been to get this reaction.
"My sister."
Iroh and Aang looked at each other understandingly and back at the prince. "I see…" the Avatar answered. "And did they say…"
"Yes." Zuko cut off. "I know it's for the best, but I can't help but feel…"
Iroh sighed and placed his hand on his nephew's shoulder. "Zuko…" he began.
The prince turned to them. "Uncle, I know you're feelings about her, but she is my little sister. There will always be apart of me that wants to protect her."
"Then you need to see her before they send her off tomorrow." He told him. "You need closure for both of your sakes."
"You're right uncle, as usual." Zuko smirked. "Thank you, both of you, but if you wouldn't mind, I'd like some time alone."
They nodded and left Prince Zuko in his chamber.
Lighting his way by torch, Zuko descended down the spiraling stairs of the dungeons; wandering farther into the ground as the cells became more and more extreme. Finally he reached the highest security cell. The guards were uncertain about letting him in. They warned him of her danger and unpredictability. Zuko brushed their warnings offs. He would not fear his sister. He stepped into the dark chamber; the bars were made out of one of the few bend-impervious materials in the world. Azula could not harm him through them.
"Azula!" he called out. "Azula, come forward."
She emerged from the shadows. Pale skinned her eyes sunken in, her hair stringy. Her slenderness only made her look sicklier. She forward like an infant and sat on her knees. "Well if it isn't soon-to-be Fire Lord Zuko: Hero of the World, friend to the Avatar and favourite of mummy." Azula hissed. "For what do I owe the privilege?" She appeared disoriented, her eyes darting over the room, fidgeting slightly.
"Azula…" he began, but was promptly cut off by her sheiks.
"Azula. Azula. You address me so commonly, peasant? Do you not know who I am? I am the Fire Lord of course. Fire Lord Azula!" She let out a twisted cackle, her eyes looked far away.
"Azula! Azula listen to me!" he cried out, trying to get her attention.
She looked back to him as if she had forgotten he was there. Her eyes made contact with his. "Zuko? Oh there you are! Have you seen Ty Lee?" she ran her fingers through her ratted hair. "She my ribbon and I want it back." The delusions had crept into her brain again.
"Enough games Azula. I need-" he started once more, but was once again interrupted by her ramblings.
"Games?" she perked. "I do so love games. We used to play them all the time, me and you."
Zuko couldn't look at her, she'd become to pathetic. He faced the guard at the door. "Is she always like this?"
He shook his head. "She has moments. Moments of Mania. Moments of rage."
The crown prince turned his back to the cell where his sister was now hugging her knees to her chest, looking more like a small child who lost her way in town than a princess. "Leave us, please." He said to the guard.
The door shut behind them and he stood in silence.
At last Azula looked up; her eyes seemed to return to their original state. "Zuko? Why are you here? Have you come to gawk at you baby sister? Come to gloat about your victory and her defeat?" she demanded
"No" he firmly answered. "This is where you and I are different. I learn and move on from my mistakes. You revel and wallow in them."
"The only mistake I made was trying to help my ungrateful brother." She growled angrily.
"Interesting, especially when you consider that I am free and you are not. Maybe you should've tried to be more like me, because clearly I'm doing something right."
"I thought you didn't gloat, Zuzu?" she countered, lifting her head up. Awkward shadows danced on her face, casted by the miserable hack job Azula did to her bangs.
"I don't." he answered, his face gentled a bit.
She visibly gave up and slumped down. "Then why are you here?"
He walked forward to the bars of her cage. "I need to tell you something." Zuko said. "I felt I should tell you in person."
She smirked, fires dancing in her eyes. "Oh, is that so? What could be so interesting? Has the world decided my fate?" She looked at her brother and froze. He didn't correct her or tell her otherwise. Instead he looked away from her. Azula's heart pounded. "Zuko? Zuko, the….the world decided my fate?"
He looked up but avoided direct eye contact. "Yes."
Azula's eyes grew round, her heart stopped. She felt the floor give way beneath her, as if she was plummeting down an endless hole. For the first time, Azula was afraid.
"They're going to kill me." She said.
Zuko looked up and began to speak but for the fourth time that day he was cut off by her shrieks. She kept repeating it over and over:
"They're going to kill me. They're going to kill me. They're going to kill me." She threw herself against the cage bars, screaming in rage; Thrashing around on each wall. "They're going to kill me. They're going to kill me. They're going to kill me." She gripped her forearms and dug her nails in, making angry grooves in her pale flesh. Azula flung onto the ground, wailing. Tears streamed down her face as she rocked and kicked. "They're going to kill me."
"Guards!" Zuko yelled, banging on the cell door. "Guards come quickly; she's going to hurt herself!"
Azula's hysteria reached its max and she let out and electric scream. Lightning bolted from her mouth, but before it could hit Zuko it was caught by the bend proof bars. They sparked as the entire cage was electrocuted and redirected back at her, knocking her on her back.
The guards rushed in taking defensive measures around her. "Prince Zuko, get back." One of them said urgently. Obediently, he ducked down. The room glowed from the lightning. The sound it made when it hit the bars drowned out her cried of anguish.
Just when Zuko felt she would never stop, her energy ran wore out. Azula lay on the ground, breathing heavily, sobbing loudly but not as uncontrollably.
He signalled the guards to leave, but asked them to stay close. He ventured forward, reaching through the bars cautiously and grasped her shoulder. She flinched and tugged away. "You delivered your message Zuko. Now please leave." She said uncharacteristically calm and cold.
"No I haven't Azula. There's more."
"What!" Azula's eyes glared beastly at him "Do I need the date and method as well?" she demanded. "Can I not be surprised?"
"Azula please let me finish. Yes the four nations and I have discussed what to do. Yes, many want you dead. Yes, you are being sent to the Earth Kingdom…"
Azula rolled over and faced her brother through the bars. "They're going to kill me, Zuzu…" she said softly. "I don't want to die in the earth kingdom! Kill me here, so I can die in an honourable execution in the homeland."
"Listen, Azula you're not going to die."
"What?" she sat up confused. "But why else would you send me there but for the Earth King to kill me for treason in Ba-Sing Se?"
"The king isn't executing you." He told her.
Azula looked up, her ragged and wild appearance only worsened the look of confusion. "But if I am not being executed…" she thought aloud. "Am I being banished? Banished so the civilians can do it for you?" she said accusingly.
Zuko bit back a smile in spite of himself. "Again, you mistake me for you. I'm not cruel like that, Azula. You're being sent away to a place near Omashu. I suppose you could think of it as a hospital."
"A hospital? A loony bin is more like it! How dare you lock me in an asylum with the freaks and the crazies? I DESERVE BETTER THAN THIS. You cannot treat me this way!" she was on the verge of hysteria again.
"Azula!" he barked, grabbing her attention. "You know perfectly well that you're different, but in the last month especially you have gone out of your mind!" Zuko took a breath, trying to calm them both. "I know have haven't been the best myself, but I stopped before it was too late for me. You didn't. You drove yourself to this."
Azula glared menacingly. "I am NOT crazy. You cannot treat a princess of the Fire Nation this way! My wishes will be obeyed!" She stomped, releasing a brief get of blue fire around her.
"Look at you! You cannot even control you're bending anymore. You switch from loopy to furious within seconds! You're broken Azula! This matter is not open for discussion." Zuko turned, starting to head out of the room. He couldn't handle his sister's lunacy. It needed to go.
"Oh I see Zuzu…" she purred wickedly. "You cannot control me, it becoming harder to find men to keep me in check because I scare them. So you want me to go so if something bad were to happen it's not 'great fire lord Zuko's' fault. Fire Lord Zuko, the Avatar's best friend who ships his family away so no one associates him with them." Her eyes shimmered with a fresh set of enraged tears. "But guess what Zuzu, you'll always ne Prince Zuko, former traitor and villain son to his 'evil' father and brother of his 'crazy' sister. The son of 'Princess-what's-her-name-again'…." She cackled menacingly, as blue flames danced on her fingertips.
Zuko turned back furiously. "URSA!" he cried out. "Princess Ursa. She's your mother Azula and she loved you unlike so many others so you will treat her with respect!" He angrily gripped the cage bars, staring down at his sister.
Azula's eyes flashed violently, the blue flames spread up her arms. "She hated me!" she yelled back. "She thought I was a monster!"
"She was right!" he cried
Azula put her face to the bars and stared at him violently. "WHAT!" she cried, blue flames reaching her shoulders.
"You are a monster! You are crazy Azula. You're CRAZY!"
"I HATE YOU ZUKO!" She screamed loudly as they both made motions to attack one another. Forgetting, in the heat of the moment, how pointless that was with those bars. Before they would have made contact with one another, Azula's whole body engulfed in her flames. They exploded catastrophically when she collided with her cage; knocking Azula harshly against the back of her cell. The explosion set off an energy wave towards Zuko, who was also knocked back across the room.
An eerie silence filled the cell, the siblings lying in their respective corners, not making a sound. Zuko opened his eyes and sat up. He did a quick check for any injuries. Rubbing his eyes, he called out into the darkness, "Azula?" No response. "Azula?!" he called out louder. I swear Azula if you're playing some sick game… he thought as he walked over to the cage.
He rapped his knuckled against one of the bars. "Azula are you okay?" Peering into the darkness, Zuko made out the outline of his sister – lying lifeless on the ground. "Azula…. Azula answer me, stop messing around."
She made no sound, nor the slightest movement. Zuko realized that she may not be playing. He shook the bars, trying to find some way to open them. Turning he spotted a fire lock on the wall. In a swift movement, he let a jet of fire into it and the gate slowly opened. He cautiously walked over to his sister and as soon as he saw her, he dropped his defenses. It was real. Blood trickled down her neck and cheek. The back of her cell had left a cut on the back of her head as the floor did to her forehead. Zuko called her name as he shook her. "Azula… Azula wake up. Please wake up…."
Throwing caution to the wind, Zuko scooped his younger sister in his arms, cradling her head. In spite of himself, he could feel his eyes tearing up. In hushed whispers, Zuko bent his head and looked at his still sister and asked her not to be dead. The next few seconds felt like ages, only followed by a rushing wave of relief as the princess stirred. She looked childlike and helpless – a prisoner to her own psychosis.
"Zuzu?"
Pushing her hair behind her ear, Zuko nodded. "Yes, I'm right here."
She squeezed her eyes shut, sniffing back tears. Surrendering to a moment of weakness. "Please… please don't make me go… I'm not crazy."
Zuko closed his eyes, hearing the sound of the guards banging on the door and shouting his name. Ignoring them, he allowed Azula to sit up and met her gaze. "You're my sister, Zula." He replied. "You are my sister and I am you're brother. Life hasn't been fair to either of us." Zuko stood up, Azula's eyes followed him; watching as he crossed the room. He paused at the cell door, unwilling to make eye contact. "But you're not right Azula. You're broken, broken by cruel hearts and mindless warmongering. If I could put you back I would, but I cannot fix you. I don't know how. Even though you don't like me, and I'm not too fond of you either. You are my sister. I don't have to like you, but I love you. Unconditionally. It's taken me sixteen years to learn that, so maybe one day you will too."
"I hate you Zuko." She said in a tone of sincerity.
With a sigh, Zuko closed the cell door. "It changes nothing." Saying no more, Zuko left, never looking back at her.
Crowds filled the courtyard of the fire nation palace. Faces from all the nations filed in as the Crown Prince became Fire Lord Zuko. Roaring cheers filled the capital. Looking over at his people, Zuko saw a lone ship sailing in the distance past the gates of Azulon.
From the hull of the Earth Kingdom ship, bound in a straitjacket, a fire nation girl watched as fireworks dotted the sky above the slowly furthering Fire Nation. Even from out here, one could see the celebration. A celebration that was almost hers. A nation she almost had.
In the waters she caught her reflection. For the first time she truly saw what she had become. The image in her brain, the image many had feared was nothing more than somebody she used to know.
The world hated her. She was a child, only fourteen and the world hated her. She hated herself. Not for what she had done, but for what she had become. The face looking back was pitiful, pathetic, and weak. It was disgraceful and unworthy. Something she wished could be swept away by the waves and lost to the sea.
…maybe it could.
It wasn't too late. They'd say it was an accident. In a psychotic break she fell over. It wasn't too late.
The guards' backs were turned. Now she could do it, it was her chance. It wasn't too late.
Azula carefully climbed, without the use of her bound arms, on the edge of the rail. She looked down at the depths. She lifted her head up and stared back at the homeland. The place that shunned her; ruined her. It wasn't too late.
Azula felt oddly calm, as if the brought her nothing but bliss. It was time. Time to leave the world that hated her. The life that ruined her. It wasn't too late. After all, no one cared, they feared her. They all despised her.
I love you Azula. Her eyes opened, the voice of Zuko filled her head. You're my sister and I love you. Unconditionally.
Zuko loved her, but how? How could he? How do you love someone who cut you down? How do you love when it breaks you? Love, an emotion she just didn't get.
Love is a weakness and foolishness. It does more bad than good.
"I love you Azula"
"Stop saying that!" she snapped. "You don't mean that, you want me gone."
"But he does…" Azula turned her head and saw Princess Ursa. "He loves you very much, and so do I."
"You thought me a monster and you were right." She snapped viciously at the apparition.
"No, I though you troubled. I felt a child shouldn't be raised as a weapon." The princess hushed softly.
Anger filled her heart. "You loved Zuko more."
"I gave Zuko more attention because not only did he need it, he accepted it. The only one who isolated yourself was you, Azula."
"Not any more." She replied tartly, her gaze finding the waves once more. "Soon it'll be over."
"It is never truly over, my daughter. Even in death, you cannot escape life." The fire princess looked back up to see her mother lean closer. "It's not too late."
"What did you say?""
"You are young, there is still time."
"No." she shrieked in fury. "Go away."
"I love you, Azula." The words melded with Zuko's. A tribal chanting in her head.
I love you, Azula
I love you, Azula
I love you, Azula
She couldn't take it. How can you love the unloving? It became to overwhelming. Azula toppled off the railing.
Falling, Falling, Falling.
Eyes closed, arms bound, her chestnut hair flying in the breeze. How could he love her? Could she love him back? Was it possible that she did in her own way?
Crash.
Zuko sat in his study. A quiet day, a day of peace and one that was long deserved. He heard a knock on his door. "Yes?" he called out. A steward entered the room. "A Message from the Earth Kingdom fleet captain, my lord." He set down his scrolls. "Come in."
Zuko opened the scroll, his eyes scanning the paper. He felt a tug on his heart as he lowered the note and closed his eyes.
"My lord? What do our comrades say?" the steward asked cautiously.
"It's about my sister." He replied. "She's arrived at the hospital outside of Omashu. They have just begun treatment."
Zuko waved the steward away, looking out at the bay from his window. He crumpled the paper in his palm and let out the smallest smile. "I love you, Azula." Turning away, he closed the window pane and went back to work. A final breeze blowing through his study. It brought a smile to the young king's face.
The deck of the ship collided with her spine. Sharp pain shot through her bound body. She winced through her tears of anger, pain, confusion and desperation. Despite it all, she felt she knew the answer to her question. An answer, no matter how true, that changed nothing; yet felt relieving.
As orderlies rushed over to her, in the tiniest whisper she called out in a hushed whisper picked up by the salty sea wind that warmed into the gentle fire nation breeze. So subtle that it was almost like it was sharing a secret you had to be looking for to find, the words: "I love you too, Zuko" sailed.
Free. Honest and brokenhearted - no matter how complex it was.