The Fallen Princess
Summary: Your not so ordinary fairytale, where the Princess tries to rescue herself, the lines of good and evil are blurred, and the Hero is lost.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Avatar universe, just the pen and paper by my side with the plots and ideas I create with it.
"Why are you really here?"
"Because you're going to tell me something."
Fire Lord Zuko bent towards the metal cage, better to match the piercing glare given to him by the now defeated Phoenix King, the dethroned Fire Lord, the father that had drastically changed his only son's life with a scar to the face.
"Where is my mother?"
Fury quickly boiled up inside of Ozai, a fierce hatred that had once fueled a level of fire bending capable of conquering the entire world, and he did little to contain it.
"Your mother? Hah! She is the last thing on my mind, and the last thing I'd ever tell you about! I should count myself lucky, he says... It is you that should count himself lucky, you worthless little cretin!" His face contorted in rage, he crawled over to the cage bars and shook them with all his might, desperately trying to make a reach for who he once called 'son.'
"Had my firebending, my soul, not been ripped away from me by your little friend, the Avatar," his voiced dripped of sarcasm, and he spat upon the dirt near Zuko's feet. "I'd happily burn the rest of your face off, and would watch as you choke to death on the stench of your own burning flesh!"
He shook the bars of his cage again, and let out a furious, crazed scream that echoed throughout the entire chamber and left him breathless.
Zuko barely blinked. He stared down into his father's eyes, once filled with a burning essence, now just pools of a black abyss.
"You're a disgrace." With this last whisper, he turned to leave the cell, not planning on making a return visit. The information he was after would never be revealed to him from this man, not willingly.
As he slammed the chamber door shut and started to make his way out, another one of Ozai's screams echoed all around him, so loud he barely heard the guard calling to him from behind.
"Fire Lord Zuko, sir!"
Zuko turned, allowing the guard to catch up. "Yes?"
"I have news for you, regarding your sister."
"My sister?" Zuko asked, clearly surprised.
"Yes, sir, she is ill. A high fever, she's fallen unconscious and cannot be awakened."
"Take me to her, now."
"All hail, Fire Lord Azula..."
"Fire Lord Azula!"
The chanting and roaring of the people, of her people...
It was dull... weak... not what she expected.
"They worship you Azula..."
The blue dragon coiled itself around the throne she sat upon, hissing softly to her, the voice of her father...
"You, Azula, my daughter... my prodigy... my, Fire Lord..."
"Father..." she turned, hoping to meet the eye of the dragon, hoping to confirm this love...
"No, Azula!" The red dragon appeared beside her, the voice of her mother fighting away the blue...
"Don't listen to the blue dragon, don't believe his lies!"
"You are the rightful Fire Lord, Azula, the one they all adore so..."
"They do not love you Azula, I do. I love you."
Inside one of the more secluded cells of the prison building, Zuko watched as his sister thrashed and moaned in her sleep, confined in a straight jacket so she wouldn't hurt herself.
He recognized the signs, remembered the agitated sleep and nightmares from long before.
Taking slow and quiet steps, he walked over to the cot she lied upon, reached out, and grasped her shoulder.
The effect was instant. She jumped and jerked away as if she had been burned – perhaps she was, if her dreams were anything like the ones Zuko had, with all the engulfing flames. As much as she tried to shake him off, still in her agitated sleep, Zuko held firmly onto her shoulder. Her eyes suddenly shot open, and as soon as they focused enough to see who her captor was, she – in a word – freaked.
Kicking and screaming, she fell off of the cot and scrambled into a corner, still a bit disoriented from her dreams. Zuko ordered for some water and rushed over, desperate to calm her down.
As psychotic, sick, and evil she may have been once upon a time, she was still his sister. And in this state, how could anyone, the Fire Lord no less, deny her some help?
When the guard came with the water, Zuko held it up to Azula's mouth, trying to pour it down. She head butted it away, still screaming, and now crying. This was an Azula Zuko had never known before, she had never been one to have a nervous breakdown. Not knowing what else to do, he wrapped her in a hug and held her tight. It wasn't so much as a heartfelt hug, just a way to contain her until she'd tire herself out. Soon, the kicking stopped, the screaming lessened, but the sobbing went on.
"W-what's wrong with me?!"
It was the first thing he heard Azula say ever since their Agni Ki, and he was shocked at how hoarse and broken her voice sounded.
"You're going through a Metamorphoses," he answered her, remembering what his Uncle had told him. "You're self image is conflicted inside of you – your mind and body are at war within themselves. What you need to do is rest."
Whether it was because she had finally starting listening to her older brother, or because she was just so exhausted – Azula obediently cried herself to sleep.
"What to do, what to do..."
He was teasing her, the blue dragon... or was he testing her? She did not know. She didn't know anything anymore.
"It seems you must make a choice, daughter. But we both know what you shall choose... like father, like daughter, after all..."
Again, she tried to turn, tried to make eye contact...
"Azula."
The red dragon.
"He speaks in riddles, my dear, you know this. He distorts and manipulates the truth, to get what he selfishly desires..."
"And..." she found her voice. "And... what exactly does he desire... mother?"
It wasn't a question laced with cruel sarcasm, as it may have once been, but instead with desperate curiosity – a desperation for the truth.
"You already know, Azula."
Tears rolled down her cheeks. Even in her dreams, her nightmares – she cried.
"But – I already am like him... I am a monster..."
"As you should be, Fire Lord Azula." The blue dragon, relentless.
"Born within you is the divine right to rule, to rule all – to be feared by all! As Fire Lord, as a being with true, monstrous power! Accept it!"
"No, Azula! The strongest power within you is the power of Love, that is what you must accept!"
The Red and the Blue, seeking to tear her apart. So confused, so distraught, so torn – she did the only thing she could. She cried.
"I don't understand Uncle. My own metamorphoses didn't last this long, did it?"
"No, Zuko, your fever lasted for only a couple days, at most. Certainly not a full week."
"But why? How could this be, will she be okay?"
"Hmm..."
Azula laid in the bed of a medical room, secluded away from any other, cocooned in a series of blankets thrown over her by Zuko and Iroh, the only two that knew of her whereabouts, and her condition. Her fever had steadily grown worse, and no matter how bad her nightmare thrashing became, she hardly ever woke. Zuko had decided to transfer her from the prison and into the medical ward, being that a small, cold and dirty cell wouldn't be the ideal place to make a recovery.
"Perhaps," Iroh finally began, "Her internal conflict is at such a height and difficulty that it takes more time. Or, maybe she simply cannot decide. Cannot make peace within herself. The way she screamed and cried herself dry all the way to her jail cell, it wouldn't be very surprising..."
They grew silent, Zuko gently rearranging the wet cloth on his sister's forehead every few minutes, with Iroh observing quietly.
"I am surprised, Lord Zuko," Iroh began, "at how understanding, and even caring you seem to be of this whole situation. She has tried to kill you on more than one occasion, after all..."
"She's my sister, uncle." Zuko replied in a simple, yet almost sad tone. "I cannot leave her to die in her sleep, no matter how cruel she may be. Besides, I've been given multiple chances to change, to be a better person... maybe it's time someone allows Azula a chance."
Iroh smiled proudly. "You will make a fine Fire Lord, my nephew."
Zuko gave a small smile. "Thank you, uncle."
"Your uncle Iroh is a traitor, and your brother Zuko a failure... and together, they are the true criminals, scheming to overthrow you and take the throne..."
"Both your uncle and your brother love you, Azula, however complicated our family ties may be..."
"Please, just leave me alone!"
No matter how much she begged, now matter how much she cried, the dragons plaguing her mind would not cease their torment.
"You must make the choice, daughter..."
"Only when you decide upon the path to take, will you be at peace, Azula."
"But... but how do I know... I'm so confused..."
"You know in your heart what you want, Fire Lord Azula."
The blue dragon, malicious desire in his voice...
"You know in your heart what is right, Azula."
The red dragon, undeniable love in her eyes...
They were both thinking the same question, Zuko knew, but part of him wasn't sure if he wanted to hear the answer.
"What do you think... what do you think will happen when she does wake?"
Iroh sighed. "I do not know, my nephew..."
As if on cue, Azula began to stir. Zuko readied himself, ready to hold her steady if she started to thrash again, while Iroh stood to the guard the door – and themselves, if she had more aggressive thoughts in mind once she saw them.
"Ugh..." Coughing all the way, she sat up, throwing off the suffocating blankets. Taking in her surroundings, she tried to stand from her bed, but stumbled to the floor. Zuko reached out to her, but she batted him away.
Slowly, the fallen princess of the Fire Nation rose to her feet. Blanket wrapped around her, dark circles under her eyes, hair a mess and shivering – she still held her head high.
"Take me... take me to him."
It was barely a whisper, Zuko had to lean in to hear it. "To... who?"
"To the dragon..." she whispered, coughed again, and cleared her throat. "To father."
Zuko gaped in response, not really knowing what to say. Telling her no would only make her more upset, and possibly make her even more sick. But taking her to see their father, that would most likely end in the same result. He turned to his uncle, who nodded solemnly at him.
"She needs this."
Twenty minutes later, Azula was escorted out of the dark halls of the palace, under the stars of the night sky, and through the halls of the cold prison building. Zuko and Iroh stood protectively by her, ready to catch her if her fever caused her to feint, but besides a few stumbles, she walked strong and proud, ready with a glare if either of them came too close.
One thing was for sure. At least part of Azula was back.
When they finally reached the lonely cell of the ex Fire Lord, Iroh stood back, allowing Zuko and his sister some space. Azula stood facing the door, looking down at her feet, an unsure look on her face. Had she come all this way, just to chicken out?
Taking charge, Zuko (carefully) brushed past his sister, and pushed the door open.
Seeing who it was, Ozai adopted another look of rage, ready to ridicule Zuko in any way he could – but froze in his tracks when he saw Azula trail in after him.
The loudest silence is that which all has either already been said, or has been waiting to be said – but it was a mystery which of these hung in the air at the moment.
Each of them stood passively, not knowing what to say, not knowing where to begin. It was only the small sound of Azula's tears hitting the floor that broke the realm of quietness.
Ozai jumped at this, this tiny noise, as if it had been the roar of a mighty dragon.
"Azula..."
She scowled, the old scowl that Zuko had come to know so well, tears still rolling down her face. She dropped to her knees, and proceeded to crawl closer to her father.
Meeting him at eye level, golden amber stared into a soul less black.
Crying, voice hoarse, and still on her knees – she continued to hold her head high, and fiercely whispered:
"Where is she?"
A series of emotions played across Ozai's face. A second or two of mixed confusion and shock, followed closely by a fierce rage. However, seeing the determination of his daughter's will, with her own confusion and hurt hidden behind it, he developed a look of nothing other than shame.
His only daughter, his favored child who followed him loyally all the way to the end, was on the brink of losing her mind – and it was his fault.
She had wanted to accompany him on his last and final mission, but he dismissed her without a second thought, granting her the position of Fire Lord just to keep her quiet. Had he been only a fraction loyal to her as she had been to him... perhaps things would have went differently.
But instead, he lay here in this cell, defeated – looking upon his one and only daughter, his prodigy, broken.
And so, where rage and fury once boiled inside him, a cold shame set in. Especially when he realized that Azula was still waiting for an answer, one that Ozai knew would only heighten her current dislike of him.
"She is... gone." He finally looked away from Azula, not wanting to meet her gaze. He backed away from her, and fell against the dirty wall behind him, a clear message that he'd rather not elaborate on the topic.
But Azula was having none of it. "What do you mean, gone?" She tightly grasped the bars of the cage, allowing the blanket to fall from her shoulders. "She must be somewhere! What did you do?! Answer me!"
Her anger came off of her in waves, Zuko could actually feel a wave of heat pulsating from her form. He knew he should probably try to calm her down, to coax her back to sleep due to her illness, but he could not. He knew she'd attack him on sight, an obstacle blocking her away from her question she wanted answered – and truth be told, he wanted to know the answer himself as well. It was after all, what had caused this whole ordeal unfolding in front of him.
"Answer me!!" Azula screamed again, shaking the bars of the cage, not unlike how her father had done just a week prior.
She screamed more and more, until Ozai finally broke.
"She's GONE! DEAD!!"
Silence echoed around them once again, one that Zuko struggled to break, his voice cracking multiple times.
"But... but you said, during the eclipse, that she might be still alive..."
"I lied!" He looked up at Zuko, the rage was back in his voice. "A distraction to stall you, to make you wait until the eclipse ended so I could kill you too!"
"You- you killed her?"
"I might as well have!" Ozai stood, possibly his first time in weeks, and Zuko suddenly realized that he no longer towered above him intimidatingly, no longer walked tall as if he owned the world, especially when in the slouched state he currently was. He was truly, a broken man, his spirit gone.
Leaning up against the wall, short of breath and sweating, he continued his confession.
"She knew I wanted the throne – as it rightfully should have been mine! She struck a deal, so that I wouldn't have to kill you, her beloved son. She would kill my father, and with myself as the only witness, it would be easy to forge his will, making his dying wish to make me his successor as Fire Lord. And in return for her most generous assassination, your mother would allow herself to be banished, never to be seen again by the Fire Nation or her children.
"But I could not allow it. I let her leave, thinking our deal would be honored... such a fool she was! She knew information that was far too dangerous for her own good, I could not trust her to keep it to herself. So I set an assassin after her, ordered him to bring me her head... silent as he was, I knew he wouldn't ask questions and wouldn't speak a word, as long as he was paid well enough.
"Not long afterwards, he was convicted and brought to court, a case of brutal murder. I knew, it was the murder I had sent him to commit. Apparently, he blew her up into so many pieces that there wasn't enough left to bury... don't look at me like that! She did not love me, she despised me and my longing for power. She thought me a madman. I did not mourn her for long, if at all."
Zuko stood, blank. He did not know what to think, what to feel, what to say.
However, this was not the case for his sister.
The wave of heat coming from her suddenly spiked, and she breathed an enormous gust of fire into Ozai's cell, quickly setting it ablaze. She roared and thrashed, crying incoherently, although Zuko could make out a few things.
"Evil! ... Liar! ... Why, father... mother, mother!" Zuko ran forward and captured her, his uncle rushing in to help. They dragged her into the hall, trying to contain her, calm her, prevent her from falling into an even deeper descent of madness.
As Zuko held her tight, letting her thrash and take out her anger on him, Iroh rushed into the cell to try and control the flames. They burned the walls, the floor, the cage and its occupant at the middle of it all. An eerie and enormous fireball of blue, it was out of control and unstoppable, determined to burn everything it could to ash.
Ozai stood in his cage, allowing the flames to eat at him, surrendering himself to the burn. But even in his screams, his torture, his dying breath – he laughed maniacally, and yelled to all that could hear him.
"I did it all for you, Azula! You, my daughter, the only one I could have ever loved! My death shall mean nothing, for I will live on, through you!"
Realizing there was nothing more he could do, Iroh abandoned the flaming cell, shutting and locking the door tight. His eyes met Zuko's, and they both knew that inevitable was only moments away.
The inferno of blue that was the jail cell of the ex Fire Lord Ozai would soon burn itself, and everything in it, to death.
Ozai would be no more – but his last words would always linger in the ashes.