"You're weak, just like the rest of your people. They did not deserve to live in this world, in my world!" Ozai bellowed over the sound of his jets of fire that threw the ball of rock around like it was the smallest pebble. "Prepare to join them. Prepare to die!" He yelled like the insane maniac he was, unleashing a gigantic ball of fire that cracked the rock shell, the comet enhanced firebending doing its thing.
"Uggggghhh" Aang groaned, he had been chucked back into the stone pillar behind him by the force of the fire blast. He yelled in terror, Ozai was coming down on top of him, propelled by massive jets of fire. "I'm sorry, Katara" he whispered, closing his eyes he felt the fire against every part of his body. He tried to will his chakra to open but it remained as shut as it had done the past few months since he was hit by Azula's lightning.
"You fought valiantly, for a cowardly airbender, now, will you accept your fate?"
"I will... Not!!"
"Shame" Ozai cackled without a hint of remorse then shoved his hand into Aang's chest and released another powerful fire blast into his already weakened body.
"Do not kill him, father" a voice called, Azula had arrived
"Azula, what are you doing here?"
"Zuko came to fight me, I killed him and that Water Tribe Peasant"
"well done, Azula"
"Father, if you kill him, we'll just face the same problem again in another twelve years"
"But if I keep him alive, barely, then the Avatar won't pose a threat?"
"Precisely, father"
"Our airships have been destroyed by the Avatar's friends, have them found and killed. The Phoenix King has risen!"
"Yes, your majesty"
"D... Don't do this... Please, the world needs... Peace"
"the world will have peace. Without the Avatar, the world will peacefully prosper under my rule!"
"there is one airship left, father"
"take it and take him back to the Fire Nation" Ozai waved his hand at Aang in dismissal
"yes, father"
"and don't let him escape like that Zhao failure did at the North pole!"
"no, father"
*
"What do we do?" Sokka asked, his leg was broken and he was limping heavily, Toph was tired and weak after the extensive metalbending she had been forced to perform, her arm hung limply at her side
"Retreat" Sokka turned to Suki angrily. "what choice do we have?"
"We could fight?"
"And die?" Toph asked unhelpfully
"Or we could kill Aang?"
Sokka turned to look at Suki, "what?"
"we could kill Aang. He's their prisoner"
"Katara wouldn't want that"
"guys, we've gotta move!" Toph exclaimed and pulled them all along with her
"hey!" Sokka yelped, he watched while the Fire Nation soldiers overflowed into where they had been hidden
"if we had stayed there, Sokka, we would've died"
"maybe it's better to die fighting than to run"
"Sokka, she's right" Suki spoke up, "better to prepare for another day than to die fruitlessly today"
"We'll head to the Fire Nation and try to find a way to free Aang, we'll also look for your sister, and Zuko while we're there"
"It doesn't feel right, yanno, giving up"
"We aren't giving up. In fact this is just beginning"
*
"Good morning, scum!" a different voice than the one the figure who was tied up had become used to. The person was tied up completely and unable to move more than a few millimetres. "breakfast" he chucked the bowl into the platinum and wood prison and the individual in the chains remained unable to reach it. "sucks to be you, doesn't it?" he laughed before moving on to another cell
"oh" Aang softly sighed, his eyes still red from crying, but not as red or as raw as the vast majority of his body. His body was one massive scar, his unwanted daily reminder that he had failed the entire world. He had long since given up trying to get the guards to help him. Every time he had asked he had been electrocuted by his restraints, while the blasts were never enough to kill him, they maimed him every time they were turned on. He had many burn wounds on his wrists and ankles from the electricity that coursed through his body at least once a day.
"how's my favourite prisoner?" a voice cooed
"Ugh. Azulaaaaaaaaghh" Aang screamed when more electricity tore through his body
"you will address me as Fire Lord Azula!"
"Ugh.Fire Lord Azula, you do know I'm nearly thirty, don't you?"
"yes. But you're our prisoner"
"What's your dad up to today? Murdering more innocent civilians?"
"If they hide any of the fugitives then you know as well as I do they're not innocent"
"So... You still can't find them?"
"no" Azula hissed
"Azula, is that you?"
"shut up, Mai" Azula hissed. "in fact you've been scheduled for execution"
"About time" Mai's eye roll was apparent in her voice
"You and Ty Lee will be executed tomorrow morning"
"great... I mean I've only been in this cage for a few years"
"five, in fact"
"exactly" Mai turned to look at Ty Lee who smiled at Azula
"Come join us Azula for old times sake!"
"you're cringeworthy, Ty Lee, but I still love you all the same"
"Thanks Mai"
"now, Azula, where's my ex?"
Azula laughed sickeningly, "he's dead" she poked her head around the edge of the cage, "i got my first wish over seventeen years ago"
"bullfrogcrap"
"deny it all you want"
"how much longer will I be in this cage?" Aang asked
"Until you're at least two hundred and thirty" Azula declared, thrilled
*
Hey you, prisoner!" Aang felt a huge electric shock course through his body, "time to wake up and pay your respects to Phoenix King Ozai"
"is he dead?" Aang's body was still as scarred as it has been all those years ago when he had been defeated by Ozai. He was led there in the middle of his cage, still pinned down by all the platinum chains he had been pinned down since day one, his entire body looked better than it had done when he had first been thrown in the cell but that was just the healing hand of time rather than anything else. He felt exhausted though, every single day he woke up more tired than he had done previously, he knew he was only fifty two but he felt much older. His question got another electric shock, then it stopped. Aang lifted his head in confusion, the shooting pain and uncontrollable shaking usually went on for at least two minutes.
"Yes" a familiar voice replied
"Z... Zuko?"
"Yes"
'hi, Aang"
"Katara?"
"yes it's me"
"W... What are you doing here?" he snapped, he hadn't heard a friendly voice since Mai and Ty Lee had faced their executions
"Coming to help you of... Oh Aang, what did they do to you?"
"Katara... I love you"
Zuko facepalmed, "right now?"
"Yes, Zuko, right now" Aang glared at him, "leave us please"
"Aang... We're here to rescue you"
"No, Katara, you don't understand. I feel weaker day by day, I want you to help me with carrying on my culture"
"but we need to get you out of here"
"it's too late"
"I'm sorry, Aang" Katara whispered, Aang and Katara moved closer and kissed, quickly moving on to other things as they knew that were running out of time
"now go!" Aang commanded. He refused to say another word to them until they had left and had been gone for a fair few minutes. "goodbye" he whispered.
*
"Wake up, prisoner" Aang was sixty six and he had died peacefully in his sleep. Fortunately, the guard had been visiting less and less recently, since Ozai's death Azula had taken over and had ruled the world with an iron fist. Over the years, her and her father had defeated the Earth Kingdom rebellions, crushed the Northern Water Tribe and subjugated every citizen in the world, except those who were legally dead, of course. Toph, Zuko, Sokka, Suki and Katara, as well as their children, Bumi, Tenzin, Kya, Suyin, Lin and Izumi were all that was left to oppose the Fire Nation, but through them, hope remained alive. They had retreated into a city of metal that was thought of more as a myth than a fact. Zaofu. The unofficial heart of the free world and the last free city to exist buried deep underground
"what do you disturb my royal duties for, guard?" Azula spat, her three daughters and one son sat beneath her throne, watching the guard with something close to hatred in their eyes
"it's the prisoner, he's dead"
"What?!"
"Aang is dead"
"How long ago did he pass away?"Azula's oldest asked
"no way to tell"
"Can I fill him with explosions, mom?" she asked
"no, P'Li, but this is unfortunate. I think I had just uncovered a way to kill the Avatar for good"
"What should we do, mother?"
"you will travel to the Northern Water Tribe and round up all pregnant women, and you two will do the same in the South"
"Yes, mother" they bowed and ran off
Two weeks later, P'Li and Zin arrived at the South Pole, they quickly rounded up all the pregnant women and escorted them to the Fire Navy ships that awaited them. They had caught sight of one woman disappearing into the distance, Zin gave chase but found nothing. "perhaps it was an ice mirage" Zin muttered out loud. She turned back and returned to P'Li. "nope, nothing out there"
The woman, Senna breathed a sigh of relief when her husband, Tonraq joined her. "how did you know?" he asked
"I don't know" Senna replied, "they came for all the pregnant woman, does that mean the previous Avatar is dead?"
"possibly"
"Tonraq, I think our daughter may bethe one"
