The Intermission
The pond water rippled as a little chunk of bread fell into it. A turtleduckling swam after the morsel and gobbled it up. The little creature swam across the surface of the pond towards Soren, who sat at the edge holding a loaf. He smiled as he tossed a few more crumbs to it. The little duckling quacked happily, until a shadow loomed over it. The duckling scurried off, and Soren looked up to see Azula standing over him.
"Feeding the turtleducks?" The princess asked dryly. "I didn't know you were an animal person, Soren."
"Well, I like to feed the hunting hounds back home," Soren said as he patted the spot beside him for Azula to sit. She did so, and Soren offered her the bread loaf, but the princess turned her nose up at it. "You don't want to feed them?"
"No, animals and I don't get along." Azula stated. "They never like the way I fed them anyway." Soren furrowed his brow.
"Aw come on Azula, it's relaxing." The knight insisted. Azula sighed and took the bread from him. She tore off a large piece and chucked it at where the mother duck was swimming with her hatchlings. It hit the water with a large splash nearby, causing the creatures to quack with fright and scurry. Soren blinked, mouth agape with surprise.
"What was that?" He asked.
"It's how I feed them," Azula replied with a little smirk. "They get a nice big piece of bread delivered right to them. I like seeing them all scatter and hearing them quack!"
"Um…okaaaay…" Soren stared at his girlfriend with concern. "You know, they might like you if you didn't scare them like that."
"What's the big deal?" Azula asked irritably. "It's just bread. It's not like I'm throwing rocks at them, they're not hurt. I'm feeding them, aren't I? They should be grateful. Besides, they're just dumb animals, who cares what they think of me…." The princess crossed her arms and turned away with a huff. Soren let out a little sigh as he placed a hand on Azula's shoulder.
"Hey, look, just try feeding them a little more slowly," Soren said as he put a handful of pieces into Azula's hand. "Just spread them out over the water and let them come to you."
Azula gave Soren a cold stare, but she could not resist that lopsided, boyish smile he gave her. Relenting, Azula tossed a few crumbs onto the water in front of her, and she waited. The turtleducks were at the other side of the pond. They could see the bread of the water, but they refused to come near the princess.
"Tch, it's no use…" Azula sighed and looked away, pouting dejectedly. Soren frowned as he gazed sadly at his princess, until something caught his eye. He glanced to see one tiny turtleduckling tentatively swim over to the bread crumbs. It began to peck at the bits of food, and slowly came closer to where the two young lovers were seated.
Soren gave Azula a gentle nudge to her side. She turned and Soren held a finger to his lips as he pointed down at the turtleduckling. Azula blinked in surprise as she saw it was right in front of them. Soren took Azula's hand and opened her palm, putting a bit of bread into it. He guided her hand close to the water, until it was barely touching the surface.
Azula bit her lip nervously. Why did this of all things make her anxious? But she let Soren guide her, and made no sound or protest. The princess held her hand still for a moment, palm up, offering the bread to the tiny little duckling. It saw the food, and with a little shake of its tail waddled onto Azula's palm to gobble the bread.
"Ah!" Azula covered her mouth to stifle her laughter. She had never gotten any of the turtleducks to come so close to her. Soren grinned and let out a soft chuckle. He could see how wide Azula's smile was at that moment, even hidden by her hand.
"See? They'll like you." Soren whispered. Azula let the turtleduckling waddle off her palm when it was done and swim back to its mother. "You've just got to be, you know, gentle."
"If only people were like turtleducks…" Azula said as she leaned against Soren. He put his arm around her and nuzzled Azula. "You know, I haven't seen Claudia much lately since we got back to the palace. Why isn't she with you?"
"She's been working on the mirror spell," Soren replied. "It's been months now… she misses home, and she misses our dad a lot…"
"Hm, your father…" Azula mused as she casually stroked Soren's muscular arm. "What's he like?"
"He's one of the smartest people I know," Soren answered with a smile. "He's powerful, he never gives up, and he always finds a way to protect Katolis. He helped save two kingdoms when people were starving. My dad can be a little scary too, but he's… my hero…" Azula turned to look at Soren's face, but he had to look away from her, smiling bashfully. The princess chuckled.
"That's how I feel about my dad," She began to say. "He's the most powerful man in the world, and he lets nothing stand in the way of his vision. Dignified, charismatic, I want to be just like him…" Azula stared off wistfully into the sky. Soren tilted his head as he looked at her. That was not quite the same impression that he had of Ozai, but he would take Azula's word for it.
Azula cupped Soren's cheek and kissed him tenderly. They moaned softly and intertwined their fingers before pulling away slowly. "Soon, my father is going to lead this world into a glorious new future, and you will be a part of that future with me…"
"I hope everyone's ready for the invasion," The actor dressed as Sokka said. "Slop-a-pow!" The real Sokka burst out laughing with the rest of the audience, slapping his knee and wiping a tear from his eye as Suki just gave him a wry smile. They and the rest of the Avatar's friends had decided to watch a stage play about their own exploits, The Boy in the Iceberg, as performed by the Ember Island Players. It had been quite an exaggerated retelling, to say the least.
The scene changed once more to the Fire Nation throne room. The actors playing Aang, Sokka, Katara, and Toph ran onto the stage and looked around.
"We finally made it to the royal palace, but no one's home." The woman playing Aang said.
"Actually, I'm home!" The spotlight shined on… the throne in the background… as the actress playing Azula stepped out from behind it, smirking smugly with her hands on her hips. "And I've come to stop you!" The Aang, Sokka, Katara, and Toph actors entered their stances to prepare for battle.
"Give up Azula!" Actress Katara shouted. "You're outnumbered! Hope is on our side this day!"
"And you've got no bending, making you totally powerless," Actor Toph bellowed. "Just like Sokka!"
"Hey, I resent that remark!" Actor Sokka protested. Up in the balcony, the real Toph let out a snort, earning a glare from Sokka. On stage, actress Azula thrust her palm forward in a firebending move, but all that came out with a little puff of smoke from a device in her sleeve.
"Oh no, the eclipse has taken my firebending!" Actress Azula wailed. "I'm helpless! Oh, whoever will save me?"
"I'll save you, fair maiden!" A voice from above shouted.
"Oh no…" Sokka and Zuko both grumbled.
"What is it?" Katara asked. Just then, a large blue ball with a storm cloud painted on it was lowered from above. Standing atop it were two new characters; one a tall man dressed in metal armor, a billowing cape, and a bright yellow pompadour wig. He wielded a sword as tall as he was and held a blue rose in his teeth as he grinned.
The other was a tall woman dressed in a black, tattered robe with a big, feather collar. She had long dark hair that fell to her knees and wore black lipstick with heavy makeup. Slung around her shoulders was a satchel that seemed to be filled with snakes and spiders and other creepy crawlies.
"Who are you?" Actor Sokka exclaimed as the man in the armor clumsily hopped down from the blue globe.
"I am the mighty Soren," Actor Soren proclaimed. "Mine witchy sister Claudia and I cometh from a distant world knownst as Katolis, and we art here to help the Fire Nation stop the likes of thee, foul villains!"
"I don't remember these guys," Katara said as she squinted at the two new characters. "Were they at the invasion?"
"Yeah, and at the Boiling Rock," Sokka replied. "They're really annoying, be glad you weren't there."
"Have at thee!" Actor Soren shouted as he tossed the blue rose to Azula and slowly swung his sword at the other actors. Azula caught the blue rose and swooned, falling against the throne. Claudia began to throw toy snakes and spiders at the invaders.
"Fly my pretties!" The fake witch cackled. One toy spider hit actress Katara in the face by accident. Actor Toph spun and fell to the ground as a sword swipe missed him.
"They're too strong!" Actor Toph lamented. "We don't stand a chance!"
"That's not what happened!" The real Toph shouted angrily before Suki held her down. Actor Soren, having vanquished his foes, leapt up the stairs to actress Azula, putting his arms around her tenderly as he gazed into her eyes.
"Princess Azula, thou art more radiant than the sun on a summer's day," Actor Soren said. "T'would be mine greatest honor if thou wouldst taketh me as thine one true love, for all eternity."
"Oh yes, Soren!" Actress Azula exclaimed. The two actors leaned in for a big kiss, and the audience below applauded with cheers. Meanwhile, the gang in the balcony could not help but cringe uncomfortably.
Claudia paced back and forth between the bookshelves as she studied the text of the scroll she held. She had been reading more documents on traditional medicines from around the world in order to gain further understandings of the various ingredients. Knowing their properties was key to creating spells, and crucial to recreating the spell to repair the mirror.
"Urchkin spines can treat hives, pentapus tentacles are good for chills, yada yada…" The sorceress mumbled. Somehow, she had missed something. Claudia thought she had found all the right substitute ingredients that could replicate the effects of the ones from her world, but just when it seemed she had made a breakthrough, it failed to get any results.
Claudia had slacked off as she had become distracted by all the new spells she had discovered through experimentation. Claudia had loved learning the wonders of the creatures in this new world, but that time was over. Now, she had to buckle down and get herself and her brother back home, before something awful happened to them.
The young girl sighed as she rolled the scroll back up, placed it on the shelf and grabbed another one. She was hungry, and tired, and she had barely spent any more time with Soren. Claudia wanted to avoid Azula as much as possible after what happened at the Boiling Rock. There was no time for fun anymore.
The play continued toward the finale, with the actor playing Fire Lord Ozai at the top of the throne raising his hands to a slow-moving cutout of a comet hanging above.
"With the energy harnessed from that comet, no one will be able to stop the Fire Nation!" The Ozai actor proclaimed. The actors for Azula, Soren, and Claudia entered the stage and bowed.
"Father, Zuko and the Avatar are at the palace," Azula said. "They are trying to stop you!"
"You take care of Zuko," Ozai responded. "I shall face the Avatar myself!" With a flourish of his arms, a small smoke bomb went off by Ozai's feet, and he disappeared as it dissipated. Azula, Soren, and Claudia stood as Zuko and Aang entered the stage.
"Aang!" Zuko shouted. "You find the Fire Lord! I'll hold them off!" Aang was pulled away by a rope as Zuko and Azula's actors faced each other.
"You are no longer my brother!" Azula said. "You are my enemy!"
"NO!" Zuko retorted as he pointed at Azula. "I am the rightful heir to the throne!"
"We'll see…" Azula sneered. The Soren actor brandished his sword and the Claudia actress pulled a snake from her bag, but Azula held up a hand. "No, this fight is between us!"
Azula threw out a blue ribbon, which Zuko ducked and countered with a red ribbon of his own, each meant to mimic firebending. Soren and Claudia watched from the background as the two actors danced back and forth, ribbons flying.
"You know, as bad as this is, these are some cool fight scenes," Sokka commented. "I'm genuinely impressed by the choreography."
A blue ribbon struck Zuko, and he fell to the ground, letting out a cry of anguish as he gripped his chest.
"You have been defeated for all time!" Azula said as she stood triumphantly. "This battle is over. Quit now while you still have some dignity!" The actress turned around and began to walk away from the fallen Zuko. He got to one knee and growled.
"Never, it's not oveeeeer!" Zuko screamed as he threw out one last red streamer. Azula turned to see it coming at her, eyes wide with shock.
"Azulaaaaa…!" Soren shouted as he dove in front of her. The ribbon bounced off of him, and a second later, a noisy, smokey firecracker went off from below his feet. The audience gasped, and as the smoke cleared, Soren's actor could be seen laying face up on the floor.
"Brother!" Claudia's actress cried out.
"My love!" Azula shouted. She glared at Zuko, then raised her arm upwards. "I will never forgive you!" Paper flames popped out from the floor towards Zuko, until one came out in front of him.
"HOOONOOORRRR…!" Zuko yelled as he was lowered down below by the trap door along with the fake flame. Up in the balcony, the real Zuko watched with shock and horror. Back on stage, Azula went to Soren and lifted his head up.
"My handsome warrior is dead!" Azula lamented and began to sob as the curtains closed. Some in the audience began to tear up and sniffle at the sad scene.
"Wow, I didn't know you hated him that much, Zuko." Aang chided.
"He's an idiot, but I'd never kill him." Zuko responded.
"You guys really need to tell me who they are after the play." Katara whispered. The curtains rose, the actress Aang entered the stage, looking around in the fake fire. A spotlight shined on Ozai sitting on the background.
"So, you have mastered all four elements?" Ozai asked.
"Yeah! And now, you're going down!" Aang replied cheerfully.
"No! It is yooouuu who are going down!" Ozai retorted. "You see you are too late! The comet is already here! And I'm unstoppable!" He pulled out two long ribbons and whipped one at Aang. She was pulled away by the rope to dodge the attack, and a smoke bomb burst where the ribbon struck the ground.
Two flags representing airbending popped out from Aang's staff as she began to twirl it, and the two actors held their mock battle. Aang flew over Ozai's attacks, but could not dodge the massive sheet of pretend fire that Ozai summoned.
"NOOOOOOoooooooo…." Aang cried out as she grabbed the shimmering orange sheet and wrapped it around herself, lowered to the ground where she lay and her voice went quiet. Ozai stared down at the fallen actress triumphantly, and turned when Azula entered the stage.
"It is over, father…" Azula said, her voice forlorn.
"Yes, we have done it," Ozai replied. "So why do you look so upset, daughter? This is a day of victory!"
"But at a terrible price father," Azula said as Soren was pulled onto the stage on a stretcher by a stage-hand, who quickly scurried backstage. "The man I love was killed in battle defending me! I'll NEVER love again!"
"What?! Then how will you have heirs to our glorious nation?" Ozai asked incredulously.
"Wait!" Claudia came jogging onto stage carrying an oversized book, spiders falling out of her bag. "I know how to save him!" She pulled a blue bottle from her bag, making more spiders and snakes fall out. "A magic potion that can bring the dead back to life!" Claudia pretended to pour the contents into Soren's mouth and began to chant. "Locust, stocust, badocust!" The actress raised her hands as the spotlight tightened on Soren, but nothing happened.
"Where is this going?" Suki whispered in confusion.
"It didn't work!" Azula lamented as she slumped beside Soren's body. "Farewell, my brave Soren. The Fire Nation shall tell tales of your heroism for generations, and I shall always remember you! In my heart…" She leaned over and kissed Soren, causing the audience to coo sadly, but as the actress began to pull away, Soren rose up with her, and the audience began to gasp and cheer.
"I'm alive!" Soren's actor shouted triumphantly. Azula smiled with joy as they rose to their feet, clasping each other. "Thy true loveth's kiss hath brought me backeth to the world of the living!"
"It's a miracle!" Azula exclaimed, and the two shared another kiss, Azula popping her foot.
"The future of the Fire Nation will be glorious!" Ozai said as fake flames sprouted around them, and he was lifted upwards on a platform. "The dreams of my father, and my father's father, have now been realized!" A Fire Nation banner unfurled behind him as he raised his arms. "The world…is…mine!"
Despite all the overacting, contrivances, and plot holes, the audience below erupted with applause and gave a standing ovation, while the Avatar and his friends could only watch in silent discomfort. The six of them quickly left the theater and took the trail back home by the shoreline.
"That…wasn't a good play." Zuko said.
"I'll say." Aang agreed.
"No kidding." Katara concurred.
"Horrible."
"You said it."
"But the effects were decent." Sokka chimed. They continued walking a few moments when Katara perked up.
"Alright, now tell me who Soren and Claudia are," The waterbender demanded. "Am I really the only one out of the loop?"
"Hey, I want to know too," Suki stated as she looked to Sokka. "That golden haired guy just flew in out of nowhere while we were escaping, and he seemed to know you Sokka."
"That's because he really was at the invasion," Aang replied. "Zuko, you must know who they are. Are they really from another world?" The prince stopped walking, and let out a sigh.
"It's a little, um, hard to explain," He began to say. "There's this big creepy mirror that we kept at the palace for years. A long time ago, Zhao took it from a hidden library in the Earth Kingdom."
"Hidden library?" Sokka asked curiously, and he shared a glance with Katara.
"The one in the dessert?" Toph asked. Zuko shrugged.
"A little while after I came back home, Soren and Claudia just popped out of the mirror one day. Soren is a kind of warrior called a knight, or Crownguard, or something, and Claudia can do real magic," Zuko continued as they kept walking. "She's not a bender, but she can still control some elements with this magic ball, and can make spells out of dead animals. I wanted to throw them in prison, but my sister decided to recruit them instead."
"How'd she do that?" Suki asked. "She threaten to feed them to the rhinos?"
"No, she… befriended them… somehow…" Zuko replied. Sokka raised an eyebrow.
"That girl? Making friends? You're kidding me." Sokka laughed. "Come on, she tricked them, right?"
"Mmm, yes and no," Zuko looked out over the water. He frowned as he remembered what he saw at the beach, the very same Ember Island beach that they were not too far from now, on a very similar night. "Azula lied like she always does, at first, but I think she and Soren might really be in love…"
"Azula in love?" Katara grimaced and shuddered. "No way a heartless maniac like her could love anyone. She's probably just stringing that poor guy along…"
Zuko said nothing, just quietly nodded in acknowledgement as he kept his eyes on the trail. He never really trusted his sister. It was much easier to believe that Azula had seduced Soren to her side, to make him extra loyal to her. Fear was her go-to strategy, but maybe Azula wanted to have a little fun. It would not surprise Zuko if that were the case, setting Soren up for heartbreak and a betrayal…
"Were they your friends, Zuko?" Toph asked. The prince looked back at the blind girl, and could tell she was being sincere. Behind her tough demeanor, Toph was far more empathetic than one would think. Being able to sense someone's physical state helped in that regard.
"They were…" Still… a small part of Zuko could not help but hope that some part of Azula and Soren's relationship was pure…
"G'night, Princess." Soren said as they came to Azula's bedroom door.
"What do you mean goodnight?" Azula asked. "It's not that late yet. Come on…" Azula smirked as she opened the door and began to pull Soren into her bedroom. The boy blushed as he let her lead him in.
"Uh, is this okay?" Soren asked as he gazed around the bedroom. It was so much larger than his, but also much emptier. There was a little dining table, a large vanity mirror with a table full of cosmetic items, and an ornate, four-post bed by the back wall. "I mean, a boy being in your bedroom..?" Azula laughed.
"I'm the princess Soren," She replied as she walked to the mirror and took a cloth from the table, dipping it into a bowl of water. "I can let whomever I want into my bedroom."
"What about your dad?" Soren asked as he sat at the dining table. Azula let out a soft chuckle as she began to remove her makeup.
"Well, I can keep a few secrets from father." Azula answered with a wink. Soren smiled back, still nervous about the situation. The princess put the cloth down and undid the crown holding up her hair, letting her dark-brown locks fall freely. Soren felt his heart skip a beat and his skin heat up as he watched Azula take a comb and walk toward him, in all her natural beauty.
"You look… gorgeous without makeup…" Soren whispered. "You don't even need it…" Azula could not resist smirking pridefully at his remark.
"Why thank you, Sore-bear," She said as she pulled up a chair next to him. "It still takes a lot of hard work to maintain this level of beauty though. Would you mind?" Azula placed the comb into his hand and turned her back to him. Soren nodded and gently began to comb Azula's long, dark hair. The princess let out a soft sigh as she felt the comb's teeth graze against her scalp.
"So, what are we doing next?" Soren asked, trying to create some small talk to distract himself from how nice Azula's hair smelt, like wildflowers. "I know you don't like to relax for too long."
"You're the observant one," Azula said playfully. "We have a very special trip coming up. Together, my father and I will mark the end of the one-hundred-year war and achieve final victory for the Fire Nation with one grand gesture…" She turned around to look Soren in the eyes, her expression excited and intense "…and I want you to come with me, Soren…"
"Oh," Soren blinked. "Uh, yeah, yeah, of course I'll go with you Azula. What about Claudia though?"
"Your sister can come too," Azula answered as she reached up and began to stroke Soren's hair with her perfectly manicured nails. "But I think she'll prefer to stay and finish that spell. It's up to her…" Azula's smile fell for just a moment, as she remembered what her father had told her, just before the Day of Black Sun.
"Something wrong?" Soren asked as he cupped Azula's cheek, his blue eyes fixated on her amber ones.
"Soren, when the mirror portal is fixed, after the war is over… I'd like to come see Katolis," Azula said softly. "Our two nations should be allies. It's been so long since the Fire Nation had a chance for… diplomacy. It will be the start of a new era, our two worlds joining together, for a glorious future."
"Yes," Soren whispered, entranced by the princess. "I want that. I'll show you all of Katolis and Xadia…"
Azula smiled at her knight, and the two leaned in to kiss each other once more. Soren did not need to know. It was better that way, better he find out slowly, if at all. Yet, the pangs of guilt still tugged at her heart. She ignored them. This was the only thing she could do, and that was enough. It would all work out in the end for her, as it always did…
Claudia held the dropper filled with blue liquid over the bowl of green mixture. She carefully squeezed out a droplet, watching intensely as it fell into the bowl. She smiled hopefully as the mixture began to sizzle, only to quietly whimper. Claudia let out a long groan of frustration and slumped back into her chair.
"Why isn't it working?" Claudia bemoaned as she ran her fingers through her long, dark hair. "Every time I think I've got something, it fails. These ingredients should have the same compositions as the ones back home…" She looked to the large mirror standing against the wall. The mirror-portal she and Soren had passed through. It felt like such a long time ago. Claudia could see how fatigued she had become in the reflection, after obsessively trying to make her spell work.
Claudia hunched forward in her seat, hands on her head, elbows on her knees. She was no longer motivated only by homesickness. They were on the wrong side of this war. The Fire Nation was dangerous, and she knew that eventually they would turn on her and Soren. They needed to get out before that happened, get away and never look back, even if that meant breaking her brother's heart. He had to know the truth eventually, just not yet, not while they were still vulnerable to Azula, and Ozai…
"I wish you were here, dad…"
Author's Note:
Hope you enjoyed the additional scenes to The Ember Island Players. I certainly enjoyed writing them, as well as the Soren/Azula scenes. I know this is filler, but I felt it necessary to have some fluff before things start getting serious and we finally enter Into the Inferno.
Also, this will mark one whole year since I started writing this story. I wasn't sure I'd keep going for this long, but I'm glad I did. Thanks to everyone who's been keeping up all this time. I promise the next few chapters are something you won't want to miss.
