Once Burned
Author's Notes: There's enough diary to go around! This is for all the those chapters that didn't have enough diary in them! Enjoy! Oh, and heads up. The ending to this chapter is really depressing. :(
Disclaimer: You know the drill: I don't own anything.
Chapter 9
Lockdown
Entry #15
After securing the uniforms and sending away those girls who weren't even fit to be called "warriors" to be imprisoned, I, Mai, and Ty Lee tried coming up with a plan. Before this whole chase-the-avatar thing started, we had no clue who these Kyoshi warriors, oops sorry, "little girls with fans" were. Apparently, the Earth King had asked to form an alliance with them. So now, we were to travel to Ba Sing Se ourselves dressed as them to not make anyone suspicious. Soon, the Avatar shall be mine, but before I bring him down myself, this little inconvenience shall have to be taken care of.
Entry #16
It's only a few hours before we reach the grand city of Ba Sing Se. As I look at it now, I see the reason why our troops haven't been able to break into the kingdom. When we tried the drill tactic a few days earlier, we were attacking from the outside where their defenses were strong. Our drill barely got in a few meters into the wall. It made a sizeable dent, but unfortunately, it wasn't enough. The Avatar and his followers were there to meet our attack. That coupled along with the earthbenders at the top of the wall throwing down huge boulders on us made it even more difficult. They took the drill down from the inside.
I've been analyzing it over and over again in my head. They took it down from the "inside." I inspected the damage done to our drill, and it seems that the support beams were cut in half. That's all it took. How could something so insignificant cause a considerable amount of damage to a weapon that was ostensibly impenetrable? Now I realize it. Those beams were the keys to the entire structure holding it all up. Without their support, that whole thing could have come crumbling down. For something to be fortified well, everything that keeps it running must have a healthy foundation.
Throughout our entire Fire Nation history, ever since the rise of the Earth Kingdom and its wall, we've tried to conquer it through sheer brute force. My uncle tried, and he failed. With these disguises, it's possible to find a weakness on the inside that will make Ba Sing Se vulnerable. I only hope I will be able to descry it.
Entry #17
What a fool that Earth King was! His pet bear whom he calls "Bosco" made him seem pathetic. He is not a strong leader, and that's exactly what Ba Sing Se needed. However, my suspicions were correct.
He informed us of how the Dai Li and its leader Long Feng had tried dethroning him. Now, he's wary of their moves and doesn't trust any of them. I'm just shocked that he hasn't handed them the throne because of his gullibility. He plans on disbanding the Dai Li within a few days. Before that time runs out, I have a little plan I would like to throw in play. The Dai Li, I found, is the support structure to the Earth King's rule. They are the ones protecting him from any harmful attacks. In a sense, I'll be cutting this beam in half myself. I shall gain control over them and put Long Feng in his place. He wants the throne himself, but I know he won't be getting it any time soon.
The pieces are set, the game is on, and I shall come out the victor.
Entry #18
We captured the Water Tribe peasant who had been traveling alongside the Avatar all this time. It looked like these disguises can fool more than just the Earth King. She came running up to me calling me "Suki" whom I assumed was the leader of this "fan" club. Apparently she saw my brother and uncle in this city! Perfect! An unusual coincidence, but it's a coincidence I'm thankful for. We threw her into the crystal chamber and planned out our next move. Poor ZuZu. Doesn't have a clue that his dear sister is right on his tracks.
Entry #19
It took Long Feng long enough. In the middle of the night, I was dragged away from my slumber by a few Dai Li agents. I was taken to Long Feng himself, and he explained to me how he "discovered" that I was truly Princess Azula in disguise. It looked like Mai and Ty Lee played off their little performance with expertise, because, the next thing I knew, he told me that he could get me the Avatar in exchange for the Earth King's throne.
He thinks he can control me? Not likely, but I'll have to play along in order for my plan to go off without a hitch.
Entry #20
All three of us, me, Mai, and Ty Lee, had a little chat with the Dai Li agents this morning. I explained to them how Long Feng had given me rule over them. I even made one of them almost pee in his pants. Oh, it was terrific!
Now that I have them eating out of the palm of my hands, my pawns are exactly placed where I want them to be. Nothing can stop it from succeeding. Ba Sing Se will fall to none other than me.
It was the middle of the day, and the healer from the night shift had been replaced with another. It was the same man who had helped Azula in her cell the first time, and for at least an hour and half now, he had been watching over her and was told to inform the captain of when she awoke. A guard stood by the door just for the occasion.
He got bored as the minutes passed by. Every now and then, he'd take a glance to see if the guard was still standing there, and every time, he was. This just made the doctor feel like he was being watched. He had nothing better to do, so he decided to have a small conversation with him.
"So...What's your name?"
Silence. He heard nothing else but his own breathing.
"That's great! Mine's Van..."
He still didn't get a response. He looked at the guard, and the guard just stared back at him.
"You, uhhh new or something?"
The guard flitted up his eyebrows but kept silent. "What? Something I said?"
Then a loud "thump" was heard across the room. The healer looked behind him and saw the princess on the floor near the bed. "And the fun just never stops!" He ran over to help her up. He bent down to her level. "Here, let me help you up..." He tried grabbing her arms while she was still on her hands and knees.
Suddenly, she slapped them away. "I...don't...need...your help!" With one hand on her bandaged head and the other on the floor, she tried pushing herself up.
The doctors considered the situation in front of him. "Okay. Call me when you need me!" He smiled at her and sat down on a nearby chair. Azula ignored him and continued attempting to stand up. She got to a standing position slowly. Her vision was shaky, and she tried ignoring her throbbing head. She hadn't notice the bandage before, but she felt her head again and gasped.
She turned to look at him in anger. "What...did you do to me?!"
The doctor folded his arms. "Take it easy. I did nothing to you. The doctor before me did."
"What happened?!" She gasped for air to try to take her mind off of the pain.
"You hurt yourself by banging your head against the wall." He pointed a finger to his own head to represent where. "I'm sorry, but, you might have a temporary scar from the stitches he put in you..."
Her eyes became big. "Stitches?!" She sounded disgusted. She placed her left hand to feel where the pain was coming from.
"Yup, right there!" He smiled at her.
Azula took that as a condescending smile and stomped towards him. However, the room was too shaky for her, and she dropped to her face. The man immediately stood up and ran over to where she landed. "You shouldn't even be standing much less walking right now." He picked her up, ignored the death glare she gave him, and placed her back on her bed. "Wait here. I'll bring you some herbal tea. It'll help speed up your recovery."
"I...don't understand...I..." She thought hard and everything that had happened yesterday rushed back into her mind. She stayed silent. He handed her a cup. "Here you go."
She looked up at him confused. Then her expression became annoyed as she grabbed the cup and set it down forcefully on the table to her right side. "Okay then. Have it your way."
"So, she finally awakens..."
Both Azula and the healer turned their heads to look at the speaker. The captain stood right at the entrance. The whole entire time, the healer didn't even notice that the guard had slipped out and informed the captain that she had awaken.
"I see she's doing much more better today."
The doctor responded. "Yes, captain. As you can see, she's awake now."
He walked closely to them. "Do it," he commanded. Azula looked confused as did the doctor. Then, out of nowhere, a guard came bearing cuffs from his belt. He stood before her. "For your own protection, you will be restrained and sent to a different cell." The guard with the cuffs looked down at her. "Is that clear?"
Azula went wide-eyed. She thought about escaping, but there was nowhere to run. She thought about fighting for her freedom, but she was too weak. She had no other choice but to admit defeat, something that would leave a bitter aftertaste in her mouth. The voices were gone from her head now, but for how long?
She held out her arms and closed her eyes. She felt the weight on her wrists and opened them. These were tighter than normal. It allowed no free movement whatsoever. It kept her hands close together. Then another pair was placed on her ankles. This one seemed a lot looser to allow her to walk. The guard finally pulled out a mask and began to aim it at her mouth. She panicked. The muzzle was the most inhumane item of restraint, she thought. She did not want to be treated like an animal. She turned her head away.
"Now now, don't make us use force," stated the captain. "You almost cost me my job yesterday. I won't let that happen again. Although, if you keep this up, I just might want to quit." He smiled.
She still refused to show them her mouth. The guard looked at the captain, and the captain nodded back. The guard grabbed her head and started to turn it towards him. "You left me no choice."
With a great degree of difficulty, he finally turned her head and quickly placed the mask on her face. Azula felt pain from her head after he let go. She closed her eyes tightly, and a tear came out to reciprocate.
The doctor had wanted to say something the entire time, but kept his mouth shut. He finally gathered enough courage to state his mind. "Captain, look, she's not fully recovered yet. Can't she wait a few days before you put her back in her cell?"
The captain stared at him, face expressionless. "Doctor, unless you'd like to have another 'incident' with this one, it's best that we prevent her now from harming either herself or us."
The doctor tried coming up with an answer quickly. The captain noticed this and spoke again before he had a chance to respond. "She just needs plenty of rest, right? Don't worry! That's all that she'll be doing where we're taking her." Then the captain turned to the guard. "Okay, let's move her out of here." The guard nodded and pulled Azula up from off the bed. Everything seemed a little shaky to her still, and she shut her eyes in response. When she opened them again, the entire room was still moving in her vision. She wobbled a little, but she sucked it up and followed the captain to her new "home" with the guard right behind her.
Entry #21
We've pinpointed both my brother and uncle's location to a small tea shop right in the center of the city. Today, I get revenge on both of them for what they did to me back on that ship. They won't know what hit them.
Entry #22
Poor Zuko, so naive and overly-dramatic. He was sent to the crystal catacombs along with that waterbender. I really couldn't have done it without the help of the Dai Li...Okay, well, maybe I could have, but it was just so entertaining to watch as they bound Zuko to the floor like that. Unfortunately, Uncle Iroh escaped and has ran off to who knows where. Well, at least I captured one of them.
Now that Zuko's out the of the way, I'll only need to be worrying about Uncle. I know he'll be coming back for him. He's not a coward. He'll do anything to get back his only nephew who's like a son to him. It'll only be a matter of time.
Entry #23
Could this day get any better? It's like an early birthday for me!
More of the Avatar's lackeys tried warning the Earth King of the "coup" earlier today. Mai and Ty Lee quickly disposed of them, and they were sent to the holding cells. After seeing them leave, Long Feng had the nerve to "betray" me. Of course, I knew that he was planning this the entire time. It was too bad. He could have made an excellent servant. He ordered the Dai Li to arrest me. When they did not cooperate, he looked flabbergasted. Remembering the look on his face makes me smile from time to time. Well, what did he expect? I am the princess of the Fire Nation. Did he honestly think that he could catch me off guard with my own Dai Li agents? In the end, one of us was going to be bowing to the other, and I assured him that I would not be doing the bowing. Afraid for his life, Long Feng got on his hands and knees and lowered his head.
When he commented on how he had lost at his own game, I laughed at his face. He was never a player to begin with.
Entry #24
Just as I expected, Uncle came to save Zuko...
FLASHBACK
"...You can gain your honor back Zuko. You'll have everything you've ever wanted..." Azula continued to stare at him.
Iroh interrupted his thinking. "Look inside your heart Zuko, and see what you really want!"
Zuko looked torn between the two options that were placed in front of him. He stared contemplatively at the floor.
"You're free to choose." With that, Azula followed Aang and Katara through the wall that they just recently made with Iroh to try to save Zuko.
She spotted the Avatar and the waterbending peasant and immediately shot out a bolt of lightning at the Avatar. He blocked by earthbending a shield. The three continued to exchange attack for attack. Azula threw fireballs at them, but together they had waterbended a wall between them that disintegrated the flames. Azula stared at them nervously with two fingers from each hand pointed at each opponent, ready to shoot lightning at the first sign of movement. It was two against one, but Azula usually went up against those odds. This time however, her opponent was the Avatar, and she did not want to let him escape again.
Out of nowhere, a wall of orange flame came between her and the Avatar. Azula looked up. It was her brother. She was worried that she had to face a third opponent. She stared at him judgmental. Zuko attacked the Avatar with more fire, and Azula smiled. Today was the day that would be recorded in history as the greatest day in Fire Nation history because of her many accomplishments.
She turned and focused all of her attention on Katara. She threw a few more balls of blue flame at her, but she defended herself with her waterbending.
Meanwhile, Zuko did the same thing. He attacked Aang ruthlessly as Aang tried desperately to catch his breath.
The brother and sister duo continue to fight for a couple more minutes. Zuko blasted Aang into a crater and decided to help Azula. She needed help desperately, because Katara, using her waterbending, had entrapped Azula's leg and arm and threw her into the air. Zuko cut her free and attacked Katara. Azula headed for the Avatar to fight him.
The exchanging seemed endless. Azula had wanted to end this once and for all. She noticed he enclosed himself in a tent made up of the crystal from the cave itself. She smiled. He was entering the Avatar state where he would be at his most powerful. Azula took advantage of the opportunity and ran behind ready to strike at any moment. Aang levitated into the air with his forehead arrow glowing brightly. Dai Li agents entered the battle, and they were knocked away with powerful waves of water and thrusts of ground from underneath. Azula looked up. She waved her arms in circles, punched her fists together, and pointed two fingers at the Avatar. A bolt shot out of her two fingers and met with Aang's back which coursed through his body harshly. He fell to the ground unconscious, but was immediately caught by Katara. Slowly, the Dai Li, Zuko, and Azula encroached around Katara. With amazing power, Katara summoned water from all around her and propelled herself upwards towards the ceiling with Aang in her arms and escaped out of the catacombs.
They were all pushed forcefully away with the waves, but Azula smiled anyways. She defeated the Avatar.
END FLASHBACK
I had accomplished so much in only a few days. But yes...
...I had finally done it. I had finally taken over Ba Sing Se, something my uncle attempted to do, but never accomplished. He had an army. I had two of my friends and myself. Well, I suppose the Dai Li had helped, but without my tactics, they would have never come under my control.
The impenetrable fortress... Ba Sing Se was finally mine!
Azula continued to follow the captain as they headed down a few steps. They entered into a long dark hallway only lit up by a single torch. There was an iron door at the end. She looked back and thought that they had made a wrong turn. The captain reached the door and placed a hand on the knob. "Welcome to your new cell 'princess' Azula." He opened it and inside was nothing, just four walls and a door. There was no window, not even a bed. How could she "rest" like he had suggested if there was no bed? "This cell is...a lot bigger than the one you were in before." He smiled at her reassuringly.
Azula only saw a few chains in the middle of the floor. It was dark in there and the only light that illuminated the inside came from the single torch on the wall in the hallway. Her mind finally made the dismal connection. She turned around to make a run for it, but the guard behind her took hold of her shoulders. "I'm sorry, but this is for your own good." He forced her into the cell. They pushed her forcefully onto the ground into a lying position. They removed the cuffs. She was sprawled on the floor with each limb pointing at each direction of the four corners of the room. The guard pinned her legs down while the captain locked the chains onto her hands. Then the guard switched and pinned down her arms while the captain locked two more chains around her ankles. She felt the cold hard ground on her back, and she felt uncomfortable. She tried shaking free, but it didn't work. She stared up at the captain and the guard. "If you behave well, we might consider putting you back in your original cell. It's a lesson that you'll have to learn the hard way."
She would be spending the rest of her time lying on the floor, chained up, unable to move, staring up at a ceiling? How did they expect her to survive in a dark room with no light and no window to look out of? If she didn't plead with anyone now, her voices would definitely consume her sanity.
She cried a little. "Wait. I'm sorry! Please! Just let me go back to my old cell, and I'll behave. I promise! Just...I don't want to be here!"
The captain looked at her with pity in his eyes. "I...can't take that chance. This is the only thing that can fully incapacitate you from harming yourself...and anyone else who comes into contact with you." They walked away and the captain turned to look at her one last time. "Guards will be checking up on you every now and then. That's the best I can guarantee..." He began to lock the door behind him. It became darker and darker and soon enough, the entire room was engulfed in darkness.
As the captain walked down the hallway, a scream echoed from the cell behind him. "Nooooo! Come back! Please!" was all he heard repeatedly. He felt a chill run up and down his spine. "I don't want to be alone!" She was crying, he heard. He ignored it and continued to make his way back to the observation tower.
Azula's biggest downfall: loneliness. :( That stinks! Thanks for reading and reviewing! You know reviews are cool to leave behind, if you catch my drift! Oh, and let me explain some things: The first diary (season 2 of Avatar) was just finished in this chapter. The next diaries are from season 3. I couldn't just leave the first one unfinished. Get it now? Sorry if it was confusing. Next chapter: We check back on Mai, Zuko, and Ty Lee.
