Author's Note: After watching the Avatar Series Finale, I felt that Azula's story was very much unfinished. There are a lot of unresolved questions for her. Why did she go crazy, for god's sake? Where did she go after her defeat? Will she ever lapse from her insanity? These are important questions that I just don't think should go unanswered. So, as an avatar fan, and possibly Azula's only fan, I had to answer them for myself, and for other fans out there. So enjoy, my Avatar ending, called From Ashes to The Phoenix: The Epic of Azula. Please review.
Chapter One: Breakthroughs and Miracles
Walking steadily through the prison chambers, he searched for a familiar face. The screaming inmates, most prisoners of the recently ended war, evil and vile all, were usually deafening loud. But today, even their shrieking voices weren't loud enough to distract him from his own thoughts. Where is she? Constantly radiating through his mind like a mantra, the sentence's constant appearance in his train of thought blocked all the noises around him, keeping him focused on his goal. The goal itself was simple. Find her, and hopefully help her. He walked fast, but also just slow enough for the girl following behind to keep up.
Finally, he found her. Her cell was larger and more extravagantly guarded, for she was a special prisoner. Two guards blocked his way, both large and built.
"We're going to need to be alone for a while," he said to the guards, authority highlighted in his voice with a hint of politeness.
"Yes, sir, of course," replied one of the guards, and after a courteous bow to him, the guards left to provide him with privacy.
He turned to the girl following behind him.
"Stay here, I'll tell you when you can come in," he said to her. In response, she simply nodded, smiled, and wished him luck. He smiled back, turned to the heavy metal door, turned the tumblers and opened the door to the cell.
He walked inside the large room, and at the far end of the room, there she was, behind thick bars with her long ravenous hair fallen over her face and her hand tied firmly behind her back with chains, her arms around a metal column. Instantly, he couldn't help but feel pity for her.
He could only stare at her for a minute. After a time, he mustered the courage he needed, and walked up closer to her. He sat on his knees, and began to speak.
"Azula, it's me," he said, his voice quivering only slightly.
"I know who it is," she returned, her voice dark and unwavering.
She lifted up her head, her hair sliding off her face, revealing her features, still shrouded by the shadows of her cell.
"Fire Lord Zuko, ha! Fire Lord Zuko. I should be fire lord," she said mockingly, spewing the words fire lord like they were arsenic.
"Still bitter I see," He said, sounding unintentionally sarcastic.
"Bitter?" She questioned, almost yelling. She held herself up higher, lifting her head into the small amount of light available behind the bars. He finally saw her face.
She looked crazed, angry, hurt, and hardened all at the same time. Her hair was tangled and frizzy, and her eyes were deep, yet still glowing, as if somewhere inside her she still had the fire. Suddenly, she began to laugh. Her laugh was maniacal, twisted, rooted in evil. He couldn't help but twinge at the sound.
Still laughing, she began to talk again.
"Bitter? Oh Zuko! You act as if you expect me to get over what you did in one night!" She yelled through her laughter.
"You're sick," he retorted in anger.
"My, my, Fire Lord, already abusing your power I see. You think that just because you rule a nation, you have the right to diagnose me as you see fit? You're still pathetic, Zuzu, pathetic and weak as ever," she said forcefully, as if she were speaking the unrequited truth.
"Azula, what's wrong with you?" He asked, almost as though he were begging.
"Don't act like you don't know! I'm a monster, remember? Remember, mother?" She screamed in a flurry.
He was taken back by her words.
"Azula, I'm not mother!" He assured strongly.
"You might as well be! I can see it in your eyes, Zuko! You think I'm a monster, just like she did, and you fear me, just like she did! You're practically one in the same!" She answered, sounding half in pain, half-victorious.
"Azula, I'm you're brother! I don't understand why you've become this way! Don't you remember all those years ago when we never fought, when we respected and loved each other?" He said out of desperation.
Her smiled faded. Her eyes became narrow and menacing.
"It's funny how time changes people, isn't it? Like how time has changed you. Like how you became a thief!" She said, sounding confident in her words.
"A thief? What is it exactly that I stole, Azula?" he interrogated.
"You stole my friends, my position, my mother, my dreams and aspirations! You stole everything from me Zuko! And those times you were referring to were too long ago to be consider legit. So suffer no delusions. The moment I get out of here, the moment I get the chance, I will find you Zuko. I will find you, and kill you!" She said, malevolently.
He stood up, looked down at her, and turned away, shaking his head in sorrow. He looked back just once more.
"I can already tell that you're beyond my help, Azula. But maybe someone else can help you," he said, and walked toward the door. The girl that had accompanied him looked at him with concern.
"Alright. You can come in," he said to the girl.
The girl stepped in, cautiously. Walking into the light, the girl's identity was revealed to her. The sight of the girl instantly made her crazed with anger.
"YOU?" She screamed as she struggled to free herself from her chains.
He became concerned that she would hurt herself, and leaned down and grabbed the bars of her cell.
"Azula, she's only here to help!" He retorted, trying to calm her down.
Her eyes pierced daggers into him. He knew what she was thinking. How dare he! Her anger became all the more uncontrollable. Breathing in heavily, she exhaled, hissing at him. From her mouth spewed a massive torrent of azure, intense flame, flying right toward his face. But he did not flinch. He simply crossed his wrists together, then moved his arms in a circular motion to cross his wrists once more as the flames made contact with his skin, causing the flames to dissipate, leaving him completely unharmed.
She began moving and jerking spontaneously, trying to free herself from her prison while screaming. He took the girl to a corner in the room to talk as she moved about in a frenzied state.
"Zuko, why are you even bothering with her?" The girl asked, having the sound of experience in her words.
"Because, I just can't leave her like this. I'd rather have Azula be her old, evil self than suffer at my hand like this. I hope you can somewhat understand that," he said to the girl, reaching out for sympathy.
"I guess I can understand that. But what makes you think I can help her?" the girl questioned, sounding confused.
"Because, Katara. You just have a way with people," he said, flashing a slight smile. The girl smiled back brightly, then returned to a serious face.
"I'll give it my best shot. But I can't promise any miracles," the girl assured.
"I'm not asking for a miracle. But honestly, I'm kind of hoping for one," he said with a hint of humor, and smiled just a bit. He and the girl hugged briefly, then bowed to each other. He left the two alone, hoping that without his presence, she can have a breakthrough.
The girl turned to her, walked over, and bent down to sit on her knees. She was still moving about, clearly angry, but she was starting to calm down a little, perhaps realizing there was no point to struggling.
"Please, try and calm down," the girl said, almost as though she was talking to herself as well.
"Sorry, I don't listen to peasants!" She yelled cruelly. The girl closed her eyes and frowned, having taken offense to this. Opening her eyes, she glared at her.
"Oh, I'm a peasant? And what are you exactly, huh? I don't know if you've noticed, Azula, but you're in prison! You're not the crown princess anymore, heck! You're not even upper class. I'm the one walking free, so if anyone's a peasant here, it's you!" The girl said out of anger.
She stopped moving all together and looked angrily at the girl. Looking around for a moment, deep in thought, she realized that the girl was actually right. Tears began to flow from eyes, but she still had enough control over herself to stop them before she broke down into crying all together. She closed her eyes as one, sole tear ran down her cheek, sat back upright, and opened her eyes to look the girl in the eye.
"Just go away. You've already beaten me once before. What other possible victory could you garner from me today?" she said, for once in her life admitting defeat.
"Azula, you're paranoid. You think that when someone shows you kindness, generosity, or genuine concern, they're either handing out pity or trying to hurt you," the girl said with conviction.
She could only look away from the girl as another tear rolled down her cheek.
"My question is why. Why do you think that, Azula?" The girl asked in a concerned tone.
"Don't try to handle me, little girl," she said coldly with a hint of jeer.
"I only asked a question, Azula," the girl said in response, ignoring her cruel words.
She looked back into the eyes of the girl and furrowed her brow in frustration.
"You seriously don't know what you're getting yourself into," she said angrily in an attempt to scare the girl.
"Answer the question, Azula. Why?" the girl said. The room was silent for a brief moment until the girl pressed on in her interrogation.
"Is it because of you're mother?" the girl asked.
Her eyes widened at the girl's remark. She could no longer control her tears. Anger and pain illuminated through her wide-eyed glare.
"Don't you dare mention that woman to me!" she said, her voice cracking slightly.
"Oh, okay, I get it now! You have issues with your mother!" the girl said with a tone of humor, trying to get a rise out of her.
"Just leave me alone!" she growled. But the girl did not heed her words.
"Come on, Azula! What's the story? Why do you hate your own mother so much?" the girl asked insistently.
Finally, she snapped. Her eyes began to flood with cold tears, rolling down her face like a typhoon.
"You want to know the story? Fine! Here's the story! When I was first learning firebending, my talent was unquestionable. I was a born natural, every move, every technique; it all came so easily to me. You would think there was nothing wrong with being good at something, but no! My mother hated it because father loved it! Because my father took pride in my firebending, she didn't!" she screamed, crying heavily. The girl had a look of shock on her face, as if she had just heard a truth she didn't really want to hear.
"And then there's Zuko. Because he wasn't earning father's attention, she swarmed to him to drown him in motherly love, leaving me out to dry! So if I couldn't have her love just being myself, I'd keep my father's love by being what he expected me to be! And because of that, not only did she hate me, she feared me! Me, her own daughter! Well, if she doesn't love me, why should I love her?" she said, screaming as though to convince herself.
The girl moved her hand over her mouth as tears rolled down her cheek, feeling not only sympathy, but also almost empathy for her sad story.
"Azula…I'm so sorry…" the girl tried to say. But she ignored her, and continued to sob.
The girl finally understood her. Wiping away her tears, the girl tried to assimilate what she had just heard into simpler words.
"I…I think I actually understand you Azula. You are who you in part because this is who you really are, but at the core of it, you're trying to get back at your mother. She basically abandoned you, and since you couldn't find love from her, you turned to your father. His love was conditional, while her love was practically non-existent to you, so you met those conditions to feel…well, loved. But true love is unconditionally, and I'm sorry Azula. I'm sorry that you weren't loved the way you should have been. Truly," the girl said with sincerity.
Her crying had quieted somewhat, but she could no longer look at the girl.
"Please, just go now," she pleaded.
The girl got up and walked out the door, leaving her alone. She thought over the girl's words, realizing them to be true and sincere. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get the tears flowing from her eyes to stop. But no one was there to hear her cry anymore, and so she let go of all her self-control, and allowed the tears to fall in the solitude of her prison cell.