Hello, everyone!
Needless to say with all the fuckery going on with this site I couldn't post the new update. But it's been fixed at long last here's the chapter I think many of you have been waiting for. What is Azula truly up to? Did she betray Zuko in an attempt to take power or was there something else afoot?
Review time!
nyegosh- Always a bad idea to piss off a spirit in general but Azula has never been one for convention. Also I have not been able to get to it yet but I will now that I have more time.
haytsun- Oh, yes. The reckoning is here.
Matheus Bezerra de Lima- Zuko never views anyone expendable and honor, even now, is an extremely important aspect of his life. It would be wrong and inaccurate to portray him running from this situation. There's a lot going on in motion right now! Hope you had a great Christmas!
xavierscott- Haha yes, cliffhangers can be evil.
Guest- I translated your message. Thank you very much for your kind words. I'm glad you enjoy my work.
RealmStriders- I'm glad you caught onto that. The whole 'inner flame' thing. Symbolic of an imperialistic mindset but also firebending in general. Ty Lee is honestly a fantastic character and I wish they could have done more with her in the show but having her as a moralistic foil to Azula is a great dynamic to write. Hope you enjoy the new chapter!
GNTR96- The end will be soon but there are some other plot lines that need tying up. Hope you like the update!
Ardimore- Thank you for your review! You have a lot of questions and they will all be answered in time. I am an author who plans ahead haha. But I do hope this chapter answers some of them.
TheWizardofOsbourne- Love your pen name! And yes it is indeed about to get interesting.
The Rhombus- Every story needs an evil cliffhanger haha. Azula is a great planner but her primary weakness is still her lack of empathy in certain situations, the consideration of how others will feel about said machinations. Ty Lee and Noren will both be quite important moving forward.
UnOriginal2Tall- I promise you'll be much happier with this chapter. But I do hope to give Mai another badass knife moment some point in the future haha.
This is going to be a shorter chapter but no less potent and will bring much needed answers and development. I hope you all enjoy!
Chapter 12. Endgame
The afternoon had faded into the early evening by the time Katara, Sokka, and Ty Lee made it back to Noren's home on the north side of town. It wasn't a difficult trek but the silence was incredibly awkward in anticipation of the important information that had yet to be revealed. A dirt path led down through hilly terrain right at the edge of the forest, which increasingly looked foreboding as the sun brushed against the tops of the trees before settling behind them, a shadow descending down onto the group. Soon, Noren's home came into view where Noriko and Kiyi were tending to the garden outside.
"Hello, dear," she called out cheerfully as she picked some tomatoes. "I see you brought familiar company."
"Ty Lee!" Kiyi cried out excitedly as she ran towards the acrobat, giving her a big hug.
"Oof! Hey there cutie!"
"You wanna see my dollie again? I gave her a new dress!"
Noren, however, placed a gentle hand on his daughter's shoulder.
"Not now, sweetheart. There is something important to discuss with our guests and we all need to be present. Especially you, my love," he said nodding towards his wife.
The six of them headed inside and gathered around the table within the modest home, shoes being taken off as was customary. To say there was a sense of anxiousness would have been an understatement. Noren quickly made a batch of tea.
"Alright, we're all here. You gonna tell us now what's going on?" Sokka inquired bluntly.
For once, Katara did not chide her brother's straightforwardness.
"I'm curious, myself," the waterbender opined. "Considering everything that's happened."
Noren returned with the tea and began pouring it for everyone.
"It was a multitude of factors," he said. "The town being attacked by Onoda was one but when word spread of the Fire Lord's intentions to battle him one on one I knew there was no avoiding the subject any longer."
"Noren," Noriko said slowly, her plain features showing worry. "What's this about?"
The middle aged man closed his eyes before letting out a defeated sigh.
"The truth," he said simply. "Which everyone in this room is owed. Including some who are not present."
Turning towards the teenagers he began his tale.
"I had hoped to catch you before his departure into the forest but I suppose that can't be helped. I also have a hunch the princess is skeptical of me and it only showcases how clever she is."
"So she was right," Ty Lee confirmed. "You didn't tell us everything the last time."
"What have you been keeping from us?" Sokka pressed.
"Please, forgive me," Noren replied sadly. "I was only trying to protect the family I love so dearly. But there is another family at stake as well which is equally important if not more so."
Taking a sip of his tea, he began his tale.
"To start off with, I was in love with Ursa since we were teenagers. And there is no point in denying it any longer….I am Ikem."
Katara, Sokka, and Ty Lee's jaws all dropped simultaneously.
It was the first of many shockers to come.
Zuko barely had time to react to the fire barrage but a flurry of thoughts arose nonetheless in the fraction of time he had to process them.
Azula had stabbed him in the back. After everything they'd been through and the pact made two years prior to put aside their rivalry, she had thrown her lot in with the rebels. A fact made all the more painful that even after promising to find their mother and getting so close to doing so, the lust for power and prestige eventually won over. Hurt, disappointment, sadness, and anger surged through his body like a massive tidal wave which overwhelmed his sense far more than any fire blast could. Closing his eyes, he realized it was far too late to defend himself.
Mother...I'm sorry I never got to find you...I'm sorry your two children couldn't get along
But the searing agony of being burned never came. For a massive ring of blue fire had issued forth in a ring that blocked any attack. So intense were the flames, it changed the entire schematic of the sky itself. Looking in front of him, Zuko saw that Azula was the one conjuring said shield. The legendary prodigy herself. However, his surprise was nothing compared to the look on Onoda's face, who was positively flabbergasted.
"Y-Your….your highness...I thought that-"
"I was going to betray Zuko and hand him over to you on a silver platter?" the princess finished for him. "Think again. Whatever he is, he is my brother…..and you're never going to trouble him again."
"He is FALSE!" Onoda roared above the flames. "An unworthy pretender of a throne never meant to be his! What of the letter?!"
"Far more worthy than yourself or any person alive."
The general's shock turned to snarling ire, his golden eyes alight with murder and malice.
"You'll regret crossing me. Princess," he practically spat.
"Oh no, General. It is you who will regret crossing me and my family."
Without a second's hesitation she sent the blue ring of fire outward, knocking backward almost everyone within the vicinity. In the next moment she was engaged in a full on battle. Crashing back to reality, Zuko felt a tug on his arm as Aang ducked a fire blast from behind.
"Zuko! We can't fight here! We're going to anger the spirit!"
But there was no other choice and even the peace loving Avatar was forced to participate in battling hundreds of soldiers looking to end their lives. Zuko quickly followed suit, dodging one blast while issuing his own in rapid succession. Soon, the soldiers were bull rushing them and attempted one on one combat. But none of them proved a match for the Avatar and the Fire Lord, the former of whom was not even using his full power.
Meanwhile, Azula leapt up in the air and slashed out with her right leg, burning the faces of two men in front of her. When others tried to retaliate she ducked low and issued two more blasts, jumping up to another while taking down another couple of soldiers who tried to hit her from the side. A punch was aimed but it missed as Azula took the man's head and slammed into the ground while grabbing a man by the armor and head butting him furiously. Ducking again she brought her right fist up to bear and knocked another adversary out cold, tripping up a second, and issued a double handed blast to kill a third, roasting him to a crisp. Such was the princess's fury no one on earth could stop her.
That included Onoda who tried in vain to subdue her with the help of his men, a fire whip cracking with reddish-orange lethality. But Azula was too quick, dodging the strikes each time and keeping the middle aged general off balance with well placed blue fireballs. Leaping and spinning through the air, she avoided the whip yet again and landed behind him and in one punch sent him flying backwards towards the lake.
The princess began walking towards Onoda menacingly, both hands clenched, flame jets issuing from them. For his part, the general shot another blast of fire but was blocked easily, while Azula knocked him down with her blue fire yet again. Panting, tired, and overmatched, reality sooned dawned on him that there was no way to win this fight. Even so maniacal gleam remained.
"We could have done so many things you and I," he said to her in a tone that sounded increasingly angry and desperate. "We could have restored our nation to its rightful place among the world."
"Perhaps. Perhaps not. Either way the game is up," Azula taunted with an evil sneer.
But Onoda remained defiant and took a battle stance.
"I don't intend to go back to Capitol City in chains."
The sixteen year old failed to stifle a dark chuckle.
"Who said I wanted you alive? Goodbye, General."
Azula cleared her mind of everything save for one purpose: ending the life of the traitor right then and there. Pulling apart the energy and using the proper motion, she relished the sheer amount of power in her fingertips before firing off the lightning straight towards Onoda's heart.
The strike was so quick and precise, there was nothing the rebel general could do. It went through the front of his chest and out the other, leaving a gaping, smoking hole.
For the tiniest moment in time, Onoda knew exactly what had happened: that he'd been played and outsmarted by the cleverest and deadliest young woman in the Fire Nation before proceeding to fall forward to the ground in heap.
Several things occurred at once. The other men, now disheartened and afraid without their leader began to run aimlessly, as though they were headless chickens. They were no match for the Fire Lord and the Avatar to begin with. Now they were all dead in the water.
Aang used his earthbending to summon encasements from the ground to trap the remaining soldiers, though a few got away and disappeared into the surrounding trees.
"Why aren't you going after them?" Zuko asked.
"I can't risk disturbing this place any more than we have," Aang replied. "Remember the spirit is the only way to find out where your mom is and-"
He stopped and looked over to see the now dead General Onoda, as did the Fire Lord.
"Whoa…"
"Guess he wouldn't come quietly."
The airbender was troubled by any killing and this was no different, but his motivations for ceasing the fighting were twofold now.
"Alright, I think that's enough," he said cautiously raising his hands. "Now let's all settle down a bit so I can meditate and find this-"
But Azula clearly had other ideas. Ignoring the advice and pretty much anything else around her, she summoned a powerful stream of lightning once more. However, this time it was not aimed at a person. The target appeared to be the lake itself. Aang realized this all too soon and tried to dissuade her from doing said deed but to no avail. The blast fired and lightning struck the lake, the sound of thunder echoing throughout the trees.
"After Ursa was taken to the palace by Fire Lord Azulon and Prince Ozai, I was devastated," Noren explained sadly. "I felt that the very purpose of my life was over. The one thing I thought would always be by my side...was gone forever. So I left Hira'a and went into the Forgetful Valley."
"You've been?" Sokka asked in awe.
"Yes. I also had a suspicion that Ozai, given his reputation, would try to kill me. I spent over a year in that forest, eating scraps, sleeping on the ground, doing what I could to survive. But none of that pain compared to the loss of my beloved."
"That's so sad," Katara said sympathetically.
"You poor man," Ty Lee offered, clasping her hands together.
Noren's wife and daughter were looking at him in simultaneous amazement and confusion. No doubt the little girl had no idea what her father was talking about. Noriko's kindly eyes continued to widen.
"So wait, how did you become Noren?" Sokka pressed. "Unless…"
"I can already anticipate your guess. And you would be right. I met her. I met the Mother of Faces."
Sipping his tea, the middle aged man continued as everyone hung on to his every word.
"One night, I came across a pool, a small lake you might say. Crystal blue as a sapphire diamond. So beautiful it was, it practically drew me in. And when I did...she arose from the depths in a stunning visage the likes of which I've never seen. She gave me the new life I have now and so much more."
Azula's lightning though crude had the desired effect, and suddenly the pool began to glow with a luminescent light no other in the world could replicate. Shapes bobbed to the surface and in the glow Zuko could make them out.
"They're...they're masks...faces," he breathed.
At the center of the lake the water began to rumble and quiver until there was a tremendous splash that showered the three teens with little droplets. But such an act was the least of their problems. Standing as an extension of the pool itself was the tallest, most peculiar spirit any of them had seen. It stood well over fifty feet tall, the body seemingly made from vines and plant-like material, not unlike Hue among the swamp people. By far the most distinctive feature was the head: four heads each pointing in one direction but they were chalk white without any eyes. Six appendages stuck out in front to form a makeshift crown of some kind. The masks in the water rose with her as if to symbolize her very essence.
Aang could scarcely believe his eyes at the pure majesty of this being and he'd interacted with many. Being the Avatar he had a tendency to sense whether a spirit carried hostility towards humans and this one appeared extremely irritated to put it mildly. Indignity could be heard in its deep, feminine, echoing voice as it spoke.
"I am the Mother of Faces. Through me, separateness came into the world. Through me, came identity...the one became many."
She leaned down in barely disguised contempt for the Fire Nation princess in front of her, though the latter looked entirely unconcerned and even a bit unhinged.
"Why have you disturbed my peaceful sanctuary with blood and carnage? What is the meaning of this?" the spirit boomed.
"I know you have created every face in existence," Azula answered forcefully. "And I know that you can help us. Tell me, where can we find Ursa, Princess of the Fire Nation?"
"You dare to make demands of me?" the Mother of Faces hurtled back. "I grant to mortals new lives, new faces if they are lost and are of pure heart. And I sense your heart is tainted...very tainted…"
Tainted, tainted, tainted the floating masks chanted softly.
It was then that Aang decided to intervene. If the Mother of Faces grew angry enough there was no telling what would happen but his worrying proved to be a moot point as the princess drew him in anyway.
"I have a voucher. The Avatar is here with me."
The spirit's attention turned towards him and he bowed low and respectfully.
"Good spirit, I apologize for any destruction caused to your forest and home. As the bridge between our worlds I can say with certainty on behalf of my two friends, their intentions are good and it's for a noble cause. They wish to find their mother, the Princess Ursa."
This seemed to calm the Mother of Faces though her otherworldly body language remained defensive.
"The blood spilt has rendered a red sunset in the evening...the blood of one who caused countless horrors among his people."
Spilt, spilt, spilt
"Then help us," Aang responded. "We promise to leave you in peace. By my will and honor as the Avatar, I swear to you."
Azula stepped forward, burning desire engulfing her golden eyes with passion.
"Where is she?" she asked quietly. "Where is my mother?"
After a moment's pause, the spirit appeared to give something akin to a nod, lifted a clawed hand made of vines and began to summon beads of tiny lights all circling as a face began to slowly take shape in her palm.
"I was granted safety, a new life, and a new name from the Mother of Faces, but my heart still ached for my long lost love," Noren continued to explain. "Imagine my delight and shock when so many years later she returned."
"So she did come back here?" Noriko asked incredulously. "But that's so strange, I thought I would have remembered such an event."
"That's because you can't," her husband responded gently, placing a hand on her shoulder. Realization began dawning on the three teenagers (Kiyi remained blissfully confused) as the implication hit like a tidal wave.
"No," Sokka whispered.
"It can't be," Katara echoed.
"You're her," Ty Lee said pointing. "You're Ursa."
Noriko's expression was predictably flabbergasted as her brow furrowed.
"What? How can that be? I've grown and lived here in Hira'a my entire life."
"No, you haven't," Noren calmly explained, though his hands were starting to tremble just a tad from the sheer magnitude of the moment. "You are a princess of the Fire Nation. Ex-wife to the man who ruled this nation for six years. Mother to your son, Zuko and your daughter, Azula."
"But...but that's impossible. Sweetheart, you're not making any sense."
"Yeah, daddy. I don't understand," the little girl said innocently.
Sighing with heavy sadness as though he were unlifting a heavy anvil from off of his back, Noren continued on with his story.
"When you came back the burden of leaving your children behind was so great and the pain so deep, you desired to forget. So I took you the same place where I forged my own new identity in the hope you could do the same. And sure enough the Mother of Faces appeared…"
Ursa's beautiful face shone brightly against the backdrop of the evening sky sitting in the palm of an enormous hand.
"One of my finest creations," the spirit explained. "A true beauty with few equals. I could not understand why someone of such exquisite features should choose not only a new face but a new life."
"What do you mean?" Azula asked a little too quickly.
"I grant wishes to humans once a year and this particular human's request was as plain as the face I gave her: to forget."
The light assembling Ursa began to alter as skin became a little darker, hair browner, wrinkles increased (but not by much), and the face itself rounder and far more plain. Then at last, the truth was revealed.
"N-Noriko," Zuko said, his voice stuttering behind the sheer implication. "It was her all along."
Aang was equally as shocked.
"No way."
"It is true," the spirit responded. "Princess Ursa of the Fire Nation not only willingly gave up her beauty but the life she no longer wished to remember. Such was her pain. I gladly acquiesced."
Such was the news Zuko barely had time to process it before he was able to form proper sentences again.
"Aang, do you know what this means? She was there all along, right underneath our noses. We can talk to her more, help her see who she really is!"
But the Avatar was shaking his head as they both realized their number had been reduced to two.
"You may want to tell that to Azula...she's gone."
Indeed the princess was nowhere to be found, a disconcerting fact not made easier by the fact she had likely seen the actual face of Noriko now revealed to be the mother both of them so desperately sought to find.
And yet, the stakes remained as high as they ever were.
Well...how's that for a reveal? Next chapter coming very soon
~The Wasp