On The Edge
Chapter II: Liar
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à la folie. ( to insanity )
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They didn't trap me again, to my relief. They were careful of that. Instead, I was led up the cliff-side by the bald boy and the scarred boy-Zuko-brought up the rear a few feet behind me. I got the feeling I was being watched intensely, and even the boy in front of me glanced behind him every once in awhile. Nobody spoke at all and it was a tense silence. I had the feeling the tense atmosphere was caused by me; or, rather, it was caused by the person they thought I was, Azula.
I tried not to be too concerned about the silence and I instead looked all around me at my surroundings. It was the only constant thing in my currently jumbled-up world. Nothing made sense in my head right now, but I could look around and see how nature hadn't changed at all. I knew that badgerfrogs were hopping around within the trees, as I could hear their throaty croaks. I knew I would also find squirrel-toads, even if I couldn't hear them. I knew what I could find in these forests, but I didn't know anything else about them. They were as unrecognizable to me as the boys bringing me up the cliff-face.
Once we climbed over the top, a long green field spread out before us. There were a few koala-sheep roaming around, but they trotted away as soon as we approached. Over the crest of the hill, two people came running toward us. They looked similar, like they were related. Both had dark brown hair and vibrant blue eyes and they were wearing clothes of blue and brown that were designed like they came from the Poles. No doubt they were from one of the Water Tribes. But why would they be here? I didn't know where we were, but I was positive it wasn't anywhere near either of the Poles.
"Aang, Zuko!" called the male, waving his arm. He looked to be about eighteen or so. I leaned over slightly and that was all it took for him to notice me. His face took on a scowl and he got into a defensive position, pulling out a boomerang of all things. "You!"
"What's Azula doing with you?" demanded the girl. She looked younger than the boy, but also more formidable. Mostly because she drew a load of water out of a container at her waist.
"You guys didn't see it," said the boy in front of me, who the Water Tribe boy had addressed as Aang. "Zuko and I saw her running, and - "
"How about we explain it later?" interrupted Zuko. There was an edge to his voice and I looked down. He didn't want me to overhear whatever Aang was about to say. "Anyway, we're bringing her back to the palace - "
"You're what?!" the Water Tribe girl practically shrieked. "Zuko, she's tried to kill you half a dozen times! She's tried to kill all of us!"
"Really, Katara? I had no idea," retorted Zuko scathingly.
The Water Tribe boy frowned. "Yeah, did you forget about the time she kidnapped Suki and nearly killed us while we were trying to rescue her?"
"And how about the time she aimed lightning at me during your Agni Kai with her?" added Katara. She looked at Aang. "Did you forget Azula actually did kill you, and it was only by spirit water I was able to heal you?"
"No, I didn't forget!" protested Aang. "Just hear us out!"
Behind me, Zuko let out a deep breath. "It seems like Azula has lost her memory."
I felt like I was having a serious out-of-body experience. This girl they thought I was - Azula - seemed to have been a horrible person. Hard as I tried to make myself remember anything about myself, I couldn't. Even as they all brought up events in which Azula had tried to hurt them, I wasn't able to summon any memories whatsoever of them nor of the things that they claimed had happened.
"Of course she's lying!" snarled Katara. "Zuko, are you really going to let her walk into your home? She's obsessed with killing you!"
Killing him? I stared at Katara in shock. Was she accusing me of wanting to kill Zuko, a person I hardly knew? No, I reminded myself. They thought I was a different person. I couldn't have wanted to kill anyone, let alone tried to kill anyone. You'd have to be a downright monster to do that. And I was positive I was not a monster.
"Well, I haven't got much of a choice!" snapped Zuko. "We tried to seal her wrists together with Aang's earthbending."
"She freaked out and made the stone explode," explained Aang. "Being trapped seems to trigger some kind of defensive instinct in her."
"Or she's lying," said Katara stubbornly.
"Everyone's innocent until proven guilty," offered Aang.
"But she has been proven guilty," the Water Tribe boy pointed out. "Several times!"
I moved to the right and almost instantly everyone had some kind of weapon aimed at me. At their reaction, I instinctively fell into a fighting stance, my veins flooding with adrenaline again.
"Azula, extinguish your fire," ordered Aang, his voice holding surprising force for a boy who looked only fourteen.
I looked down and noticed with shock my hand was enveloped in blue flames. I stared at it for a second, awestruck. My fire was blue? I'd never heard of such a thing. In fact, I thought dumbly, I didn't even know I could firebend. But I suppose, now that I thought about it, that would make sense. I'd made that rock Aang had wrapped around my wrists explode.
I closed my hand and the fire went out, and I straightened out of my fighting stance. Everyone was still watching me carefully.
"I'm sorry," I said carefully, thinking that anything I said could trigger some sort of fight to the death. "I didn't mean to react like that. You all just looked threatening and I..." I trailed off, my mouth going dry. I didn't know what to say. I couldn't explain myself at all. "Please believe me when I tell you that I don't know what's going on."
They all stared at me for what seemed like a long time. There was distrust in every single one of their eyes, distrust formed over years of mistreatment, I realized. This Azula person had been truly horrid to these people and it was suddenly terrifying to me that I had either lost touch of who I was, or that I was really this monster these four people seemed to know me as. Neither prospect looked good for me.
"We're taking her back to the palace," said Zuko at last, lowering his fists and straightening. "We don't have much of a choice. Let's just go."
Nobody argued this time. The Water Tribe siblings (at least, I thought they were siblings) shot me one last glare before falling into step with Aang and Zuko.
They had kept saying palace and that they were going to bring me back to it, but I wasn't sure what I had been expecting. Certainly not this.
We emerged from the low hills and there on top of the next hill sat the palace. It was enormous and it was beautiful, with two buildings on either side of the high spire in the middle. It was painted a dull red and I was positive the rest of it was made of pure gold. I noticed armored guards patrolling along the walls of the palace, and on each floor that I could see from the outside.
Once inside, I found it was even more grandiose. Did Zuko seriously live here? It was hard to believe, somehow, that this scarred, angry boy lived in this palace surely built for royalty. Which brought on the question: Who exactly was Zuko to live in a place like this?
My question was almost immediately answered when a servant approached him. "Fire Lord Zuko, dinner is ready. Will Avatar Aang, Lady Katara, and Sokka be joining you?" I shifted slightly and his eyes widened as he noticed me. He seemed to take a step back, looking fearful suddenly. "And, er, Lady Azula?"
While the Water Tribe boy complained in the background ("What, everyone else gets a cool title and I don't? Really?!"), I reeled at the fact that Zuko was the Fire Lord. The Fire Lord, leader of the entire Fire Nation. He didn't look any older than eighteen or nineteen and he led this country? I didn't know what had happened to his predecessors but I was sure it was a long and complicated story to end with a teenager being crowned as Fire Lord.
"Yes, they'll all be joining me," replied Zuko. "Including Azula."
I shivered at the icy look Katara gave me in that moment. It appeared she resented me and I had no idea why. I did know one thing, however: this was going to be an interesting dinner, to say in the least.
Author's Note: First of all, thanks for all the wonderful reviews! I was so happy when I saw them and learned you guys were eager to read more of my little story here. That pushed me more than anything to get up this next chapter earlier than I normally would have.
Second of all, I have a little explaining to do. Azula has no clue who she is or who specific individuals are or what has happened in history, but she does know everything about the world she lives in. So it's like when someone has amnesia, they don't forget what a dog is, right? Or that people drive in cars. Of course she's going to know what a badgermole and a dragon is because that's the world she lives in. Same with bending and identifying what culture someone is from. She would know Sokka and Katara are from a Water Tribe, but she doesn't know which one. She can just tell from their clothes and she'd probably be able to tell from their general appearance too (light brownish skin tone, blue eyes, dark hair). But, then, she also knows that fire is normally orange, yellow, or red when firebenders use it, so she knows it's different when she bends and blue fire appears. So there's that.
If anyone has questions or something to point out, I'd be happy to answer them. I want to make this as not-confusing as possible. Azula here is an unreliable narrator, but I'm a reliable author so feel free to ask for clarification on anything. I'll answer unless it's something I plan to cover in the future of the story.
Until the next chapter!
- mari