Chapter 12: Insanity
Disclaimer: Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra belong to Bryke and Nickelodeon. I do not claim any sort of authorship, ownership, or "melon lordship" over the original characters, plot, etc. Likewise, "Hellfire" is and remains the property of Disney.
"The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it." - Oscar Wilde
Agni Omnipotens
Spiritus Sapientiae
Benedictus Maiores
The melodic chanting of the fire sages echoes within the halls of the Fire Temple as the smell of incense wafts through the air, an offering to the spirits, to the great sage of fire, Agni. Prince Zuko paces through the temple's sanctuary, a place to which he often retreats in solitude and self-reflection. Torches line the perimeter of the room, casting a golden shimmer throughout the room. Turning his eyes toward the magnificent vaulted ceiling, Zuko speaks.
"Spirits, you know I am a worthy man
Of my honor I am justly proud."
(Et tibi, maiores)
"You know I'm so much greater than
the common, vulgar, weak, licentious crowd."
(Ut reprobi simus)
"Then tell me, spirits,
Why do I see her standing there?
Why do her blue eyes so pierce my soul?"
He waves a hand, summoning forth a flaming image of Katara. The water bender dances before him, her eyes piercing and mysterious. He reaches for her, stops, then withdraws his hand and turns away in disgust.
(In somni)
"I feel her. I see her.
The moonlight shining in her hair
Is negating all of my self-control."
Reaching into his tunic, Zuko withdraws a necklace, its ribbon tattered and worn. He dangles it before him, entranced by the Water Tribe emblem reflected in the firelight.
"Like fire
Hellfire
This fire in my skin
This burning
Desire
Will surely be my end."
His madness begins to manifest itself as red-hooded figures, his ancestors, rise from the floor, accusing stares in their hollowed, glowing eyes. He flees through the chamber, but they are everywhere. Judging him. Condemning him. He falls to his knees, head in his palms.
"It's not my fault."
(Mea culpa)
"I'm not to blame."
(Mea culpa)
"It's the Water Tribe girl,
The witch who sent this flame."
(Mea maxima culpa)
"It's not my fault."
(Mea culpa)
"If in their plan"
(Mea culpa)
"The spirits made this woman so much
Stronger than I am."
(Mea maxima culpa)
Rising, Zuko pleads with the specters who only continue to glare at him coldly.
"Protect me, ancestors.
Don't let this siren cast her spell.
Don't let her icy fire seer my flesh and bone.
Destory Katara!
And let her taste the fires of hell.
Or else let her be mine and mine alone!"
The image shimmers forth once more through a smoky haze. She saunters toward the Fire Prince, her hips swaying with a silent cadence.
A knock at the door and the specters and vision vanish in a breath.
"Prince Zuko," interrupts the guard. "The water bender has escaped."
"What?"
"She's nowhere in the palace, Sir. She's gone."
"But how. I… Never mind. Get out. Now! I'll find her myself. I'll find if I have to burn down all of Ba Sing Se!"
The guard leaves, bowing low while backing toward the door. Zuko turns back toward the fire, its light reflecting in his golden gaze. Katara's image is conjured forth for a final time, bound to a pyre, her beautiful face contorted in fear and rage.
"Hellfire.
Dark fire.
Now peasant, it's your turn.
Choose me or
Your pyre.
Be mine or you will burn."
(Benedicite spiritus, miserere)
"Spirits have mercy on her."
(Benedicite spiritus, miserere)
"Spirits have mercy on me."
(Benedicite spiritus, miserere)
"But she will be mine
Or she will burn!"
He hurls the necklace into the fire and Katara is consumed by the flames as the vision vanishes into the night, leaving behind only the fading whisper of her screams and the steady, somber chanting of the sages.
Mythian's Author's Note: I've wanted to do this piece for at least a year now. "Hellfire" is one of my favorite Disney villain songs, and I thought it would be interesting to rework/adapt the song to fit with this idea that Zuko becomes consumed with the desire to have Katara for himself. Many of the lyrics remain in their original form while others have been altered to fit within the context of the story and the Avatar universe.
A little background info, this piece takes place at the Fire Sage Temple on Avatar Roku's Island (Crescent Island) in an alternate universe/timeline in which Zuko was never banished and is still a beloved prince of the Fire Nation. He still hunts the Avatar on orders from the Firelord. In his hunting and pursuit of the Avatar and his companions, he has also, to his great disgust and bewilderment, become enamored with a certain water bender.
Also, Zuko + Honor = 3
And to beegirl18, thank you so very, very much for the kind words. They mean more to me than you will ever know.
