There exist worlds beyond our own, parallel worlds separated by the choices made by the those living therein at a critical moment, choices that affect their own lives, the lives of everyone on the planet, or even the universe!
Call it 'the road not taken', call it 'what might have been', call it...
WHAT IF?
What If Zuko Won?
By Shawn Evans
Based on events in W.I.T.C.H. in the World of Avatar
W.I.T.C.H. and related characters copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc.
Avatar: The Last Airbender and related characters copyright Nickelodeon
ooooooooooooooo
"Sokka!!! Nooooo!"the blood-curdling scream rang out, echoing across the war-ravaged land of the Fire Nation.
The earth parted, and young, trembling hands reached for the broken, lifeless body of the proud warrior of the Water Tribe.
Through her tears, the blind earth bender faced the one responsible for the teen's tragic fate. "You killed him! You killed Sokka!!" she raged.
"No! It's not my fault!!" the mega-upset blonde earth elemental from Heatherfield sputtered, defiant rage and sorrow in equal measure spilling out of her mouth. "It's, this is all your fault!! Yours and Aang's! You should never have come here! You should never have attacked us!"
How did this truly unfortunate event come to be?
How did two people who had grown to respect, and even like, each other come to blows, fighting on opposite sides in a conflict that had spanned a hundred years?
More importantly, how did Sokka die?
For the answers, we will have to turn back the hands of time.
In the universe we know, the Guardians were flung across the dimensional boundaries and found themselves on a world much different from, and yet very similar to, the Earth they had called home.
There, people trained for years to master the elemental forces that were granted to the Guardians of the Veil in an instant.
Separated, and bereft of their most powerful mystic artifact, the Heart of Candracar, the five Keepers of the Elements struggled to survive. Eventually, they came together and sought out allies to regain the missing Heart, which had acquired a new owner - Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation!
Seeking the help of the Avatar, the one being in this new world who had the ability to channel the four elements of air, water, earth and fire and thus the power to defeat this new foe, the five girls from another realm elected to join him and his compatriots on a leisure trip to gain the Avatar's trust.
And all went well...until the fire bending, Heart-powered Zuko made his presence known, and attacked our combined group of heroes.
Eventually, after much battle and heartbreak, the heroes prevailed. The world was saved, the villains were defeated, Prince Zuko lost the power of Candracar and with it, the power to change the world he blamed for taking so much from him.
But what if things happened differently?
What if...Zuko won?
Chapter 1: A Hasty Decision
On vacation, Appa the sky bison set down next to the fabled Tomb of Quo Jin. His passengers Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph and guests Irma, Cornelia and Hay Lin disembarked.
And there they waited to be joined by their winged Guardian teammates, Will and Taranee, who had gone ahead to scout their destination.
But such was not to be.
Guys!! the telepathic Taranee shouted into the three Guardians' minds. Something's happened! Come quick! But come alone! I'll fill you in when you get here!
Seeing Irma, Hay Lin and Cornelia rush off, Aang asked "Hey, what's going on?"
"Ah, it's..." Cornelia began, unsure of what to say.
"We, ah, really have to go!" Irma said, thinking quickly.
"All three of you?" Sokka curiously inquired.
"Yeah! It's uh, a female thing! We all go to the washroom together!" the Water Guardian snapped back.
Sokka and Aang then stared at Toph and Katara.
Feeling the two boys' body movements through the earth beneath her feet, Toph responded. "Don't look at me! Sugarqueen and I have never gone to the bathroom together!"
Hurrying to where the thought-casting Fire Guardian instructed them, the three half-powered Guardians were stunned by the sight that greeted them in an alcove near the sprawling, miles-long Tomb complex: Their friends Will and Taranee, trapped in bubbles of Candracan energy, prisoners of Prince Zuko, possessor of the Heart of Candracar!
Sorry, guys! a dejected Taranee informed them. He got the drop on us and made me call you! Or else he was gonna...
"Let them go! Now!!" the furious Earth Guardian demanded.
"You're in no position to order me around." the cool, yet fiery, Zuko stated. "And no one has to get hurt. Not as long as you do what I say."
"That'll be the day, flamebrain!" Irma dared the powerful Prince. "Let our friends go, or you'll be in for a world of hurt!" she threatened, reminding the fire bender of the pain she had caused him back in Avatar Town.
"You. Especially you." Zuko, seething with a quiet anger said, pointing at Irma. "Shut up. Or..." He then constricted the globes of energy containing Will Vandom and Taranee Cook, causing them to cry out in pain!
Seeking to stop her friends' suffering, Hay Lin tersely asked "What do you want?"
"Ah. Finally. A sensible one." Zuko responded. "It's very simple. I require your services to save the Fire Nation and end this insane war. Pledge yourself to me, and I will let one of your friends go now, with the other to follow at the completion of your service."
"Are you loopy, pal?! We'd never agree to anything like that!" Irma rejected the Fire Prince's offer.
"Irma, don't be so hasty!" Cornelia said, trying to cool down her hot-headed companion. "We have to think about what's best for Will and Taranee!"
"I can't believe you're going along with this, Corny!!" bellowed Irma Lair. "This guy's nothing but trouble! I don't care what pretty words he uses, he's threatening our friends!"
Irma then launched an impromptu attack against the Fire National, sending a whip of water at him at that slashed his face and knocked the Heart from his hand!
For a moment, but only a moment, it looked as if the Guardian of Water would win!
But Cornelia and Hay Lin hesitated, taking no action to press their temporary advantage, and Zuko quickly recovered!
He ordered tendrils of energy to slither towards the battling water elemental, but the energy tentacles ran into an obstacle - Cornelia's plants!
The quick-growing vines shielded the watery one from Zuko's wrath! Then the Guardian of Earth, concerned the ultra-powerful Zuko's hatred of Irma could lead to an early death for the Keeper of Water, used the telepathic link all the Guardians shared to tell Hay Lin Get her out of here!
Stunned by the request, and unsure of what to do, the Air Guardian did not move. Then she got the rest of the plan from Cornelia. Get help! Get Aang!
Quickly, Hay Lin soared to Irma, grabbed her, then turned both of them invisible and flew off to get Aang and the rest.
But Zuko would not stop!
His Heart of Candracar-enhanced senses told him where Hay Lin was, even though he couldn't see her, and energy beams shot out of the Heart towards the fleeing girls!
To be again blocked by Cornelia's fast-sprouting greenery!
Zuko said nothing. His rage was all too apparent in the fire that issued out of his body, fire that incinerated all of Cornelia's plants in an instant!
Then he motioned to the energy globes, determined to carry out of his threat.
"No! Stop!" Cornelia pleaded. "You don't want Irma or Hay Lin, anyway! We're the powerful ones on the team! Take us!"
Cornelia, what? Taranee telepathically wondered.
I had to tell him something to keep him from chasing after Irma and Hay Lin! Or else he was going to hurt them! Hurt all of you! Besides, it is true. We are the most powerful members of the team! Cornelia responded, in likewise fashion.
And Zuko did stay his hand. The energy constructs did not shrink, did not cause their unfortunate occupants any further pain.
"You would serve me?" Zuko directly asked the harried earth girl. "And your friend, the fire girl?"
"Yes. I...I promise to serve you." Cornelia replied, her voice breaking. She then kneeled before the flame-shrouded Prince Zuko, tears welling up in her eyes.
"And you, girl?" he said, looking at Taranee. "Will you serve me?"
"Taranee." she corrected the new Keeper of the Heart, in an attempt to salvage some self-respect. "And yes, I'll serve you." she said, in a voice drained of emotion.
While a frantic Will banged on the spherical walls of her prison, unable to be heard, Zuko freed the now complaint Taranee from her force bubble and, together with new recruit Cornelia, opened a fold in space for them to travel through.
But Cornelia's behavior irked the honor bound Prince.
"Dry those eyes." he declared. "I said I needed you to help the people of my country, and that's the truth! I won't ask you to do anything you find objectionable."
Then the four went into the fold, which promptly vanished.
Speeding to the scene, Aang, Hay Lin, Katara, Irma, Toph and Sokka found naught but some withered, charred plants and stagnant pools of water.
Next:
Happy Outcomes!
Serving the Zukester isn't that bad, the girls find.
(Except for the part about fighting the Fire Nation and challenging Fire Lord Ozai to an Agni Kai!)
Plus, Aang & Co. discover the benefits of having Air & Water Guardian help!
Beyond that?
Anything we couldn't do in the original series!
As for Zuko, expect both kinds - Good and Bad!
And I mean Really Good Zuko, and Really Bad Zuko!
(You'll see what I mean by the end of the story!)
This is gonna rock!
Notes
This story diverges from W.I.T.C.H. in the World of Avatar near the end of Chapter 26. Everything previous to that happened for the purposes of this story, including the flashback chapter (Interlude Sixteen: Romance Ridge).
The Zuko in this tale is the conflicted Prince Zuko from "Bitter Work", the midpoint of the Avatar series. Torn between his old 'quest for honor' and a new life free of his past, Zuko chanced upon the Heart of Candracar, a magical item with the power to grant his every wish. He goes down one path in W.I.T.C.H. in the World of Avatar. This story is about another, darker path. It's also the Zuko I'd like to see.
For those Avatar fans joining us due to the extra stories posted in that section, you may be asking yourself 'Who are W.I.T.C.H.?' W.I.T.C.H. is Will, Irma, Taranee, Cornelia and Hay Lin, 5 teen girls (ages 13-14) from the modern city of Heatherfield chosen by the Oracle of Candracar to protect the balance of worlds and fight evil. They're called the Guardians, and each commands an element: Will - Energy, Irma - Water, Taranee - Fire, Cornelia - Earth and Hay Lin - Air. As youngsters with elemental powers, they're very much like the kids on Avatar. But very different, too, which is a source of problems later on. There were two seasons of an animated W.I.T.C.H. TV show that still plays on Toon Disney late at night. If you like Avatar, you'll probably like W.I.T.C.H., especially Season 2. The second season is better than Season 1 of W.I.T.C.H., although Season 1 is still pretty good. There's also a comic book which started in Italy years ago, and the first 16 issues were translated and sold as 8 graphic novels in the United States (still available on Amazon and at Borders, I believe). (You can find the English language Philippines versions of the comic series on ebay, although they're expensive).
Aang and the rest of the GAang make early appearances in W.I.T.C.H. in the World of Avatar but don't really enter the story until Chapter 23. If you want to see how the Candracar-powered Zuko fares in a fight between the combined forces of the Guardians and Aang, Katara, Toph & Sokka, read Chapter 27. Also of note is Chapters 20 & 21, when the girls fight alone against Zuko, and Chapter 17, the Guardians versus Azula, Mai & Ty Lee! Not to mention the Avatartastic adventure of Aang and the others in the modern world in Chapters 28 & 29, plus Cornelia falls for the rebel Jet in Chapter 14! So much Avatary goodness! Yum!
It isn't surprising Cornelia and Taranee go along with Zuko's deal, since they are the more logical-minded members of W.I.T.C.H. Irma, on the other hand, is the emotional, impulsive and cynical one, so it's no wonder she rejected Zuko. Hay Lin, meanwhile, is the free spirit of the group, so she couldn't bear to make an oppressive vow like that. Will could have led them to the right decision, but she was taken out of the picture. In addition, Zuko got the two Guardians his people would like the most - Taranee the Fire Guardian (it's no surprise the Fire Nation would love her!) and Cornelia the Earth Guardian (though similar to an earth bender, Corny has plant abilities that set her apart from the Fire Nation's number one enemies, making it easy for them to form a bond with her. Plus, her hair is the color of the sun, which would no doubt score points with the fiery ones). Hay Lin and Irma, on the other hand, as 'air bender' and 'water bender', would be seen as akin to their country's ancient rivals/enemies and instantly disliked by the citizens of the Fire Nation. Thus, they're not useful to Zuko's plans.
Zuko also deprived Aang and his group of the most powerful Guardians, making them 'easy pickings' for later.
Both W.I.T.C.H. and Avatar are story-driven fantasy adventures about young people with elemental powers. Therefore, the two series combine very well. However, while similar, there are key differences, which makes for interesting crossover tales.