The Fall


Ty Lee sat in the corner of her cell, knees pulled to her chest, the rough fabric of her new prison uniform itchy against her skin. She never would have thought that this would be how things turned out for her, locked up in the dark. Yet still, Ty Lee felt free now, in a way.

There was a knock at the door. Ty Lee looked up to see the little window in the door open. Two green eyes stared inside.

"Ty Lee…?" Claudia said softly. The acrobat stood and approached apprehensively.

"You shouldn't be talking to me," Ty Lee whispered as she approached the door. "Azula will think you'll betray her too."

"So why did you?" Claudia whispered back. Ty Lee stared back a moment before sighing.

"I wasn't thinking," She replied. "My body just moved on my own. I just, I just didn't want to see them hurt each other. I didn't want Azula to do something horrible to Mai…"

"Would Azula really do that?" Claudia asked without a hint of surprise. Ty Lee frowned and gave Claudia a hard look.

"There are a lot of things Azula will do to get what she wants," Ty Lee replied. "I never wanted to go with her, I just wanted to stay in the circus, but Azula…she made it clear she wouldn't take no for an answer…" Ty Lee turned away, remembering how the safety net was set afire, all the animals running amok. She could not have handled that for more than one night.

Claudia's eyes narrowed and she grit her teeth angrily at the thought of Azula threatening Ty Lee. She had thought there was something off about the princess. "Are Soren and I in danger too?" Ty Lee thought a moment, then nodded slowly.

"Azula's been good to you two since you've been cooperative," Ty Lee explained. "But once you disobey her, you'll be in trouble. You might not see it coming, but she'll find a way to make you obey too." Ty Lee leaned closer, eye to eye with the sorceress. "Claudia, I want you to know, I'm not mad at you…"

"I'm not mad at you either…" Claudia said, a tear rolling down her cheek as she reached up to the window. Ty Lee did the same, touching Claudia's hand through the window as they held each other's gaze.

"I'll be okay," Ty Lee said. "Just be careful."

"I will," Claudia replied, determined to get through the ordeal. She heard the footsteps of incoming guards and had to pull away. "Goodbye, Ty Lee…" They shared one last look, full of sorrow but also hope, before Claudia slid the window shut and dashed away before the guards saw her. Ty Lee sighed as she went to lay down on her prison mat, wondering when, or if, she would ever see Claudia again…

Azula tapped her long nails on the hard surface of the desk, silently stewing in her anger and contempt. She had taken over the Warden's office for now, as it was the only room that even came close to being suitable for someone of her status. Zuko had stolen her airship, and now they were left waiting for more to come pick them up. Azula had a hunch where Zuko and his friends had fled to though, and the princess wanted to leave this island prison as quickly as possible.

The princess huffed as she stood from the chair and turned to look out the window and into the blue sky. How had everything gone downhill so quickly? Azula was supposed to have been heading back to the Fire Nation with Zuko in chains. Mai…how could she still love Zuko? Enough to defy her princess? Perhaps Azula had been too lenient on the knife thrower, letting her get away with too much in the past.

That still did not explain Ty Lee's betrayal. She did not think the circus performer had it in her. Had Azula misjudged Ty Lee all this time? Had Ty Lee been secretly resenting her, all the flatteries just a ruse to misdirect Azula from her true intentions? Waiting for the right time to strike? The princess thought she knew them, but now…

Azula's thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. She looked back to see Soren enter the office, an expression of concern on his face.

"Hey, Azula," Soren began, closing the door behind him. "How're you feeling?"

"I've got my motor functions back, if that's what you mean." Azula stated flatly.

"Oh, yeah," Soren replied bashfully. "Well, what I meant was, you know…"

"Mai and Ty Lee?" Azula asked with a scowl and turned away from Soren. "I'm done with them. If they want to be traitorous fools like my brother, they can share the same consequences as the rest. I have no more use for them. Leave them to spend the rest of their days here."

"I guess you're right…" Soren said solemnly. It was as if Mai and Ty Lee meant nothing to Azula, but Soren had a harder time hiding his pain. The two girls had come to be his friends, just like Zuko had, and just like Zuko they were now his enemies. Soren could not understand why. Why betray your friends, your family, your home? Why did it all have to be so complicated…

"Just forget them," Azula said coldly. "This isn't over yet, I won't let this stand…" Azula crossed her arms, silently fuming. Soren stepped around the desk to approach her from behind.

"Hey, if you need anything, you can tell me." Soren reached out to place a hand on Azula's shoulder. The princess shrugged him off as she turned to face him.

"What I need is a fleet of airships to go after Zuko," Azula sneered. "They can't get here soon enough. If they're where I think they are, they won't see us coming." She gave Soren a steely gaze. "Trying to bring Zuko in alive has cost us. No more taking chances. When we see him, or the Avatar, or any of their allies, we end them."

Soren blinked in surprise as Azula exited the office. Her ruthless efficiency was something he had admired, but now… now it scared him. The Katolian swallowed and nodded before following after his princess. No more games.

By that afternoon, four airships were seen flying towards the Boiling Rock. Azula, Soren, and Claudia rode the gondola to the edge of the caldera and made their way down to the shoreline where the airships docked. A captain walked over to Azula and bowed to her.

"Princess Azula, we'll be ready to depart as soon as we've refueled," The captain said. "We await your orders."

"Captain, tell your men that we are pursuing Zuko to the Western Air Temple," Azula told him, hands held behind her back. "There, we will launch a surprise attack on him and his allies. Be prepared for resistance, it's more than likely the Avatar will be there too. I want us there as soon as possible. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Princess."

"And do not fail me." Azula added before walking off towards the airship, Soren and Claudia in tow. They boarded, and within half an hour the small fleet was flying full steam ahead further north towards the Western Air Temple.

They flew all night, and it was not a relaxing trip. Azula ordered the Katolian siblings to sleep early, as they planned to attack at dawn. None of them slept well though. Claudia's suspicions kept her up, and she wondered what her father would think of their situation. He always had the answers, he knew what was right. She missed him. Soren worried about Azula. Mai and Ty Lee's betrayal must have been affecting her in some way. It had certainly shaken him. And if not, could the princess really be so uncaring?

If only Soren knew the truth. Azula slept worse than the both of them. The princess thought of her brother Zuko and what he had taken from her. Their mother left because of him. Mai betrayed her because of him, and Ty Lee followed. Why did they love this weak, whiny boy? Zuko did not deserve them. She was their leader, he was nothing but a traitor who broke Mai's heart.

Ozai was Azula's only family now, and he was all she needed. Her father was the only person whom she could ever truly trust. She had Soren too, and Claudia, but they were not family, at least not yet… Azula had once thought the same of Mai though.

The princess tossed in her bed, dreaming of the past that filled her mind with doubt, visions of a secret time she longed for and how it was all shattered. Visions of a future she feared…locked away, forgotten, banished to a strange land, never to be seen or heard from again, all her dreams shattered, and alone…


Soren rubbed his eyes and gave a big yawn as he entered the bridge, with Claudia close behind. Azula was already there, having awoken early. She stared out at the distant mountain cliffs surrounded by fog, contemplating their next move.

"Is that it?" Claudia asked. She could see multiple towers hanging upside down from the massive alcove formed within the cliffside. "The Western Air Temple?"

"Very astute, Claudia," Azula answered. "It was abandoned for one hundred years, until now…" The princess stepped towards the ship's telescope and peered through. Through it, she could see the Avatar sleeping on his sky bison, with the rest of his allies nearby. And there was Zuko…a smirk crept over Azula's face.

"We've got them right where we want them," Azula said as she turned to face the siblings, her voice rising with glee. "We're going to unleash a surprise attack they won't see coming and wipe them all out with one fell swoop."

"Good plan!" Soren chimed in, though the look in Azula's eye gave him unease, and Claudia felt the same. "But what are we going to do?"

"I am going to lead from the front as usual," Azula answered. "As for you two," The princess stepped up to Soren to rest a hand on his chest. "I want my airship back, and you're going to get it for me. Take a war balloon and scout the area. It has to be around here somewhere and we need to reduce their methods of escape. You can do that for me, can't you Soren?" Azula's eyes gleamed as she gazed into Soren's own. He could not help but admire how beautiful his princess was when she had her mind set on something. The young knight took her hand in his and nodded.

"You can count on me," Soren replied and kissed Azula's palm gently. "I'll get it back, Princess." Claudia rolled her eyes and stifled a groan. What a hypocrite her brother was for teasing her over reading romance novels.

Azula smiled approvingly. "I know. Captain," Azula turned to the captain, who stood at attention.

"Awaiting your orders, Princess Azula."

"Fly in under the concealment of the fog," Azula commanded. "Get within range, prepare the bombardment, then wait for my signal. Also, prepare a scout balloon for the Katolians."

"At once, Princess." The Captain said before relaying the orders to the rest of the crew and fleet. Azula, Claudia, and Soren exited the bridge to carry out their mission.

"Good luck out there, babe." Soren said as they came to the hangar. Azula did a quick check to make sure no crew was watching, and then stood on her toes to share a kiss with her knight.

"I don't need it, so have some for yourself." The princess smirked before turning down the walkway to her destination. Soren smiled and watched dreamily as she left. Claudia sighed and snapped her fingers in front of his face.

"Focus," The sorceress said. "We've got a balloon to catch."

"Oh, uh, right." Soren said and went with Claudia to where their ride was being prepped. A red war balloon was waiting in the middle of the hangar. The siblings climbed inside, and the bomb bay door beneath them opened. All they could see below them was fog, and it swirled around them as the war balloon was lowered. The lines were unhitched, and the Katolians were set loose on their own to find the stolen airship.

Azula made her way to the upper deck of the airship and exited to the outside hull. Her heart was racing as she climbed the ladder up to the crow's nest atop the airship. Now she would make Zuko pay for his betrayal, for turning Ty Lee and Mai against her. The fog obscured her vision, but she could just make out the cliff ahead. They had to stay low and out of sight. The airships slowed to quiet the engines, blending into the wind blowing past them.

The princess raised her hand and waited. The airships came into range of the temple grounds. Cannons were poised to launch their salvo of bombs. Just a little closer, and then, Azula swung her hand down, a bright blue arc of flame signaling the airships to fire.

The first bomb was launched, soaring upward and directly into the alcove where the Avatar was. Azula watched and listened as it flew out of sight, and a moment later the bang of the explosion was heard. It was on, and more bombs were launched into the area as the airships began to ascend.

Soren and Claudia glanced upward as they heard the explosions. Their balloon stayed close to the cliff as they floated, looking for the stolen airship. Soren adjusted the flame underneath, causing the balloon to descend faster.

"Watch it," Claudia said as the basket jostled. "I never thought a balloon ride could be bumpy."

"Hey, I had like one day to learn how this works, cut me some slack." Soren protested. He steadied their ride as Claudia got out her small telescope. She peered around for the airship, and gave a yelp when a rock fell from above, plummeting past them and into the foggy abyss.

"This is too dangerous…" Claudia muttered. "Did we really have to go looking for the airship while bombs are going off above us?"

"It's what Azula asked us to do," Soren replied. "She wouldn't have us do anything she wouldn't do herself." Claudia frowned at his statement.

"Soren, I'm starting to think that maybe Azula isn't all that she seems." The sorceress said. Soren raised an eyebrow.

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"I'm just saying that maybe she's not as nice as you think she is." Claudia continued. "She didn't exactly help you when you got stuck on the gondola."

"That wasn't her fault," Soren replied. "And I made it off."

"She doesn't seem to care about dropping bombs on people."

"It's a war Claudia, you can't afford to be nice."

"She was going to kill Mai! She's going to kill Zuko too!"

"Well wouldn't you be angry too, if your friends turned traitor?!" Soren shouted. There was a tense moment of silence as the siblings stared at one another. Soren sighed and went back to fiddling with the balloon, feeding it some fuel.

"Soren, I'm just worried, and I don't want you getting hurt," Claudia said softly as she put a hand on her brother's shoulder. "All I'm asking is that you be careful around Azula while she's all worked up like she is. That girl is dangerous…" Soren stiffened, but he considered his sister's words. Azula had been acting a little scary, and not in a good way.

"I'll be fine Claudia," Soren said. "And I'll watch after Azula…"

A blast of fire shot out from the temple courtyard and struck one of the cannons above. Azula's airship ascended, and as she emerged from below, she could see Zuko standing below her. The princess grinned down at him wickedly. This would be good.

"What are you doing here?" Zuko asked defiantly.

"You mean it's not obvious yet?!" Azula asked maniacally with a gesture. "I am about to celebrate becoming an only child!" The princess did not wait for a reply as she gripped the railing and flipped over it to launch a massive blast of blue fire down at Zuko. The prince ran back into the alcove to avoid the attack, but the blast created a huge explosion which knocked him down. So strong was Azula's attack that it caused the already weakened structure to crumble.

Zuko began to run forward, dodging fire and clambering over the ruins. He leapt off a falling pillar over the chasm and wildly shot fire back at Azula. She jumped down from her perch just as one blast hit the crow's nest, landing on the hull of the airship below. Azula looked up just in time to see her brother fall below and into the mists.

The princess frowned as she righted herself up. That was the end of her brother, right? If it was, it did not feel satisfying, not in the least. It could not have ended so anti-climactically, even her wretched traitor of a brother deserved a more fitting end. It made her feel hollow…

Down below, Claudia scanned the cliffs with her telescope. Finally, a large metal hull came into view. Claudia patted her brother's arm and pointed.

"Finally," Soren said with a grin. "Let's go get- hey!" Soren and Claudia watched as the airship began to ascend. "They're getting away. Come one, let's go after it!" Soren turned up the heat of their little balloon and quickly caught up.

They maneuvered around towards the front of the airship as Claudia took out her primal stone. She drew the symbol for lightning in the air. "Fulminis!" Claudia gathered the electricity in her hand and prepared to strike when she glimpsed into the bridge through the window. Inside she could see two children, one wearing goggles and steering the airship, the other a small child in a helmet. Claudia hesitated; the small one could not have been much older than Prince Ezran.

"Whoa, wait," Soren said as he caught Claudia's arm. "We're just supposed to take it back, not destroy it."

"Oh, right…" Claudia nodded and let the magic fade from her hand. "So how do we stop it?"

"By doing it my way," Soren said with a grin. "Take me in close, I'll board the ship and subdue them."

"By yourself?" Claudia asked as she began to guide the balloon. "Soren, you don't know what to expect in there."

"Then give me air support!" Soren shouted as he grabbed the ropes and prepared to jump. They came around to the scaffolding meant for firebenders to attack from. Soren jumped from the balloon and landed with a loud thud. Not a moment later, two men appeared from inside, dressed in prison garb, one Water Tribe fellow with a spear and the other a tall Fire Nation man.

"He doesn't look like Fire Nation." The tall man, Chit Sang, said as he took a stance.

"Well he's wearing their colors, so I'd say he is one of them." Replied Hakoda, the man with the spear. Soren frowned as he drew his sword. Perhaps this would not be so easy.

Azula scanned the fog for any sign of her brother. She had serious doubts that fall was the end of him. Suddenly, there was a loud rumble, and turned to see the Avatar's flying bison coming at her, covered in rocks. Azula fired two blasts at it, but the rocks shielded against her attacks. Azula ducked as the creature went flying past her. The princess found herself smiling, feeling somewhat glad that there was at least some challenge. It was then that she heard the engine of another airship, and she turned in surprise to see Zuko, riding atop the hull of the airship he had stolen.

He stared her down, unusually expressionless. Azula stared back, still smirking. Her brother seemed so different now, no longer a child throwing a tantrum. Zuko actually seemed calm and focused for once. Strange how in betraying his nation, her brother had finally found the conviction he always lacked, and for once, Azula could consider him a worthy adversary. It was a bittersweet irony, but he made his choice.

Soren parried a thrust from Hakoda while Claudia used Aspiro to deflect a fire blast from Chit Sang.

"How's that plan of yours coming along?!" Claudia shouted.

"Just give it a minute!" Soren yelled back. His movement was even more limited than it was on the gondola. The narrow walkway made it so he could not step to the side, only forward and back. This was especially troublesome since the spear Hakoda wielded had a long reach. Soren could fight him, but getting past the pointy end would be quite difficult.

Claudia, meanwhile, was able to ward off Chit Sang's fire, and she very well could have blown him away with a well-placed gust of wind or a lightning bolt, but that could have risked knocking Soren to his doom. If only her brother had put more thought into his plan.

Soren just narrowly ducked under a swipe from Hakoda and tried to charge in. Hakoda blocked Soren's sword as he swung it and took a step back to regain his distance. The knight panted in frustration, then a blue light from above caught his attention.

"Azula...?"

Zuko had run over the hull and jumped once more at Azula. The princess shot a powerful blue blast at him, but Zuko turned and deflected it in midair with a kick before retaliating with his own blast. Azula backflipped out of the way as Zuko landed in front of her. Now the real fight could begin.

Azula dodged and deflected the blasts Zuko fired at her, countering with a kick that sent a horizontal arc of fire. Zuko stood his ground, deflected it, and struck back. He pressed the attack, forcing Azula back as she deflected his fire blasts. The princess would not let her brother gain the advantage. She shot back, her fire imprecise but powerful. Zuko was not fazed as he continued towards her, blocking and deflecting each blow with his arms and legs.

The princess was grinning. Finally, Zuko was a challenge. This was what a real firebending match felt like. It was exhilarating, to be pushed like this, and to think it was Zuko of all people who was doing it. She was actually somewhat proud of him for coming so far since she humiliated him at the island resort all those months ago. But she was still better. The adrenaline rush was intoxicating, and Azula was eager to finish the fight with a bang.

Zuko was close enough now, and blue fire enveloped Azula's fist as she extended it, ready to annihilate him with one last move that he would not see coming. But Zuko was faster than she anticipated as he deflected her previous attack. His own fist burned as he too extended it, and both orange and blue fire collided in one massive explosion.

Everyone paused as the top of the airship went up in a dark cloud. Soren blinked as he tried to see what happened, and only a moment later noticed two bodies falling from either side of the hull; one Zuko, the other, his princess.

"AZULA!" Soren shouted as she plummeted towards the fog below. The Avatar came around on his bison to catch Zuko, but there was no one to save the freefalling princess. Soren's heart raced as he forgot all about Hakoda and Chit Sang. He turned around and jumped from the scaffolding back onto the balloon. "Claudia, you have to save her!"

"Soren, I-I-" Claudia tried to think of what to do, but was overwhelmed by panic.

"Use your magic!" Soren shouted. "Use the octopus!" He grabbed Claudia's satchel and began to frantically rummage through it, tears welling up at the corners of his eyes. He felt so helpless. Soren found one of the octopus tentacles and shoved it into Claudia's hands. "Do it now!"

Claudia tried to calm herself as she looked over the edge of the balloon. Taking back the stolen airship was no longer an objective. As she raised the tentacle however, something unexpected happened. Azula was not so easily dispatched either.

The princess thought up a plan, and she thought of it quick. She pulled the crown from her hair, letting her dark brown tresses fly loosely before kicking out with both feet and shooting out blue flame jets, rocketing her towards the cliff face. She flipped in the air and stabbed her crown into the rocky surface, sliding down until she stopped. Soren felt a great wave of relief wash over him as he collapsed to the floor of the basket. He thought he had lost Azula, and he would never have forgiven himself.

Azula smiled as she watched Zuko and his friends fly away, sharing one last tense look with her brother. Of course she would save herself, with a little ingenuity. She looked up to see a balloon descending towards her, with Soren and Claudia looking down from the basket.

"Just hang on, we've got you." Soren said as he reached out to the princess. Azula took his hand and he pulled her up and into the basket. Soren had to admit, she looked great with her hair down.

"I take it you did not get the airship back." Azula said as she began to tie her hair back into place.

"Yeah, uh, sorry…" Claudia said as she rubbed the back of her head. Azula gave a sigh.

"That's too bad Claudia," Azula replied. "Our enemies all got away. At the very least they have one less place to hide." Azula's smile grew as she thought of her fight with Zuko. "And it was actually rather fun. Zuko's gotten a lot better, I can't wait to fight him again! I can just imagine what our final showdown will be like…" Azula let out a soft chuckle, which made Soren concerned.

"Aren't you mad that they got away?" He asked.

"No, I can't say that I am, actually," Azula answered as she turned to him. The princess wrapped her arms around her knight as she grinned up at him, a wicked glee in her amber eyes. "Because soon, it's not going to matter. None of them can stop what comes next."

As they rose from the fog, Claudia looked away from her brother and his girlfriend. She looked to the Western Air Temple, and where there once was a marvel of architecture, there was now only a pile of smoldering, crumbling rubble. This was the greatness of the Fire Nation.


Author's Note:

A short chapter this time. Not a whole lot of plot development happens, but I did need to do Azula's scene from The Southern Raiders. I did want to demonstrate the beginnings of Azula's descent and Claudia's growing suspicion, with a little more Soren/Azula interaction. This part of the story was actually kind of hard for me to plot out, as I had to come up with what the siblings would be doing. I had thought of Soren fighting alongside Azula and/or jumping after her, along with there being more tension between them, but Ill save that for the next chapters.

We're getting into the finale now, but I do have one more little treat in store before we really dive in. If you're paying attention, you'll know what episode is next.