Chapter Twenty: Disappointing Revelation
Azula lived for today.
At first, she focused on learning as much as she could. She raided libraries and read. She learned mathematics and history. As she did, she came to know the librarians. Then the servants.
As the day passed, again and again, she developed a routine. Each day she would seek out some new person in Ba Sing Se and speak to them. She spoke to paupers and learned the problems they faced. She spoke with guardsmen, both corrupt and honest and learned how their minds worked. She worked with merchants, learning the details of their trade.
Sometimes she would take the day off and spend time with Jin and Zuko. She had tea with Iroh and all manner of things. Her ambitions to conquer Ba Sing Se began to fade. No matter how many times she repeated the day there were always new things to learn.
And then, one day, she was lying awake, waiting for the day to reset. She was waiting to fall asleep and looking forward to today. She'd left the window in her room wide open and she was looking out into the night sky. The moon seemed large, very large. Larger than usual anyway.
Then a beam of light shot through the window. Azula raised an arm to shield her eyes as a figure descended. Gradually it began to fade. Azula scrambled out of bed and saw before her a beautiful girl her own age. The idea of forcing her onto the bed occurred to Azula, but she crushed the idea.
She didn't do that anymore.
She had white hair and tan skin. Like the people of the Water Tribes.
This had never happened before.
"What is going on here?" asked Azula. "Who are you?"
She paused. "I... well I haven't done this before. My name is Yue. I am the Moon Spirit."
"Really?" said Azula. "This is... new."
"Yes, well, I'm not supposed to intervene except in serious situations." said Yue. "But at this rate, the world might get stuck in a neverending loop."
Azula shifted. "So you know about the time loop?"
"Yes." said Yue. "As the Moon Spirit, I exist outside of time and space. You see, there was a very specific purpose these loops keep happening."
Azula saw where this was going. "Because I'd be a terrible Firelord?"
Yue shifted. "Well..."
"It is obvious in retrospect." said Azula with a sigh. "Zuko is better suited to the role. He learned more about how to run things, and he understands people. But Father would look for any excuse to make me the heir.
"I've always been his favorite.
"If I had become Firelord before this loop I would have been a vicious tyrant. I'd have run the entire world into the ground."
Yue shifted even more nervously. Azula had the feeling something she had said had embarrassed the Moon Spirit. Why was she so calm about this. "Um... none of that's untrue, but it's not why the loop happened."
Azula looked at Yue flatly. "Then why?"
Yue sighed. "Well, everything went perfectly. Then there was a minor mixup with the spirits of the space-time continuum. They accidentally sent you back a day."
"Minor mishap?" asked Azula.
"Yes..." said Yue. "You see the spirit of time and space were observing the conquest of Ba Sing Se. But the spirit of space missed the final battle because he went to get some snacks. So the spirit of time opted to turn back the day, however, something went wrong, and you remembered it."
"And the loop proceeded from there?" asked Azula.
"Well no, actually." said Yue. "You see, you have a destiny and part of that destiny was conquering Ba Sing Se. So you succeeded in that the first time. But in the next few times, you screwed it up. So, well... the spirit of time had to keep sending you back, or the world could be doomed."
"Wait a minute, I succeeded later." said Azula.
Yue shifted even more. "Well yes but um... Well, destiny demands a very specific level of success."
This sounded like something that was going to infuriate Azula. "What do you mean?"
Yue stepped from foot to foot. "Well you see, the spirits want the hundred-year war to end. Right now the Avatar and his friends are planning an invasion of the Fire Nation. They are going to do it with the help of the Earth Kingdom. If all goes well, a huge fleet will attack your homeland-"
"During an eclipse." said Azula. "I remember this. If they did hit us, they could do some serious damage. Do you consider that a problem?"
"We can't let it succeed." admitted Yue.
"So you're on our side." guessed Azula, liking this less by the moment.
"We're on no ones' side." said Yue. "We're not allowed to play favorites. We want the war to end. It's causing all kinds of problems. Not just for humans, but also for the entire world. But if the Earth Kingdom conquered the Fire Nation with the Avatar's help, what would you and Zuko do?"
Azula considered the question. Azula would have been infuriated and returned at once. And Zuko would have been horrified and have gone to fight as well. Any attempt on Iroh's part to turn Zuko over to the Avatar's side would be futile at that point.
They'd definitely end up working together. "...We'd head back home, rally the military and make their life hell."
"Exactly." said Yue. "Sokka's plan was good. But it was a purely military one. It would crush the Fire Nation, but only set the stage for a greater conflict. Rather than renewing the Avatar cycle, it would discredit it.
"Aang would become a symbol of oppression to the Fire Nation. And Zuko would become a hero when he killed him."
Azula blinked. She was impressed. She'd never thought Zuko would manage that. "Zuko would kill the Avatar?"
Yue sighed. "Aang is a bit too nice for his own good, he never fights to kill. The Earth Kingdom isn't as nice. They would want revenge. They'd have committed all kinds of atrocities and looted the Fire Nation for all it was worth. Aang wouldn't be able to restrain them. That would push Zuko over the edge, and with your help, he would ambush Aang and murder him. Ty Lee would take him by surprise.
"What would then follow would be a gruesome guerilla war. It would probably end with the Earth Kingdom pulling out in defeat. Zuko and you would then spend the rest of your lives taking vengeance on the Earth Kingdom.
"And all future Avatar's would have a much harder time. The propaganda of Sozin would have become the truth."
Azula blinked in surprise. "So you wanted me to capture Ba Sing Se."
Yue crossed her arms. "Well, you're coup was bloodless. It seized the city and brought a halt to the war. While the Fire Nation consolidated its gains, the Avatar could take steps to end the war. But he would have to do it by his own resources without any government backing him.
"If Aang failed to defeat Ozai another Avatar could take his place. But if he succeeded, it would have been the Avatar defeating Ozai. Not the Earth Kingdom enslaving the Fire Nation.
"It's all about symbolism."
"But I did do that!" said Azula. "I did it on... uh... it was the fourth loop." It had been a long time ago.
Yue looked even more embarrassed. "Yes. But you killed Aang. In the Avatar State. If he dies in that he dies forever. That created a worst-case scenario. one where the Fire Nation completely wins with no Avatar to restore balance."
Azula stared at her. Was she serious? And was she deranged? "...Do you know what the words 'worst case scenario mean.'"
"Yes." said Yue.
"I'm not sure about that." said Azula.
"I used to be a Princess of the North Pole." explained Yue.
Azula nodded. This was really typical. "Oh that explains it, you're a water peasant."
"I'm a Princess!" said Yue.
"Whatever." said Azula. "So what exactly was the problem?"
Yue was blushing with shame at this point. "Well... you stopped trying to take over Ba Sing Se after that. Later on you did it as an afterthought, but you always killed Aang. So we couldn't end on any of those loops.
"So um, I was kind of hoping you could do what you did on the first day."
Azula went very still. This couldn't be true. She wasn't serious was she? She was. She was. "...Wait a minute, so you're saying that the months, possibly years I've spent in mental torture could have been easily avoided if I'd just done EXACTLY THE SAME THING I DID IN THE FIRST PLACE?!"
Yue hung her head. "Well there is no easy way to say this, but... yes.
"Anyway, the loop is set up to be fulfilled after you conquer Ba Sing Se without killing Aang or any of his companions. I figured you ought to know. Before you achieved enlightenment and trapped the world in this one day forever."
Azula clenched her fist. "...Yeah, okay. We'll play your game. But I just want you to know that I'm not in this for your idea of balance. I'm going to conquer Ba Sing Se. And then as soon as I've done that, I'll kill the Avatar, for real this time, and I'll conquer the rest of the world.
"I will then bring about a new order of peace and prosperity. Under Fire Nation Rule."
Yue shifted. "Um... really?"
"Yes." said Azula.
"Well, I was kind of hoping you'd see the error of your ways and try to join the Avatar, to be honest." said Yue.
Azula scoffed. "What's to join? He's an incompetent, easily manipulated, naive imbecile. You just outright told me that if I don't stop him, he becomes a puppet for the Earth Kingdoms oppression.
"And don't give me anything about the nations being separate. The Fire Nation is better in every way."
Yue's eyes narrowed. "Really? What does the Fire Nation have that the other cultures don't?"
"Gender equality?" said Azula flatly.
Yue paused. "...Fine, gender equality is one thing the Fire Nation does have."
"Rapid message systems." said Azula.
"Yes but-" began Yue.
"Roads." said Azula.
"You don't need to harp on it." said Yue.
"You don't see Fire Nation soldiers oppressing their own citizens, either." noted Azula.
"Yes, they just oppress everyone else's citizens." noted Yue.
"Which won't be a problem once we conquer the world." said Azula. "Also our tea is much better."
"Yes, you've made your point." hissed Yue.
"And our shipbuilding technology is superior in every way. Not to mention the numerous other inventions we've created." said Azula. "My point is, the Fire Nation is better. In every possible way.
"Our mission to share our greatness with the rest of the world was completely justified. The rest of the world is a collection of disorganized savages in need of enlightenment. We just didn't go about it in the most efficient way. Well, I'm going to go about it in the most efficient way. Whether any of you like it or not."
Yue turned and walked toward the window. "I'm going to go back to the moon now."
"Sure, whatever helps you sleep at night." said Azula.
Yue glanced back. "I don't sleep at night."
And she was gone.
Azula awoke with the sun on her face. She rose up and made her way out. She could probably end the loop at any time now that she knew what to do. But she wasn't going to.
She was going to make this conquest perfect.
So Azula rose to her feet and made her way out into the door. "Finish breakfast quickly, ladies. We've got plans to make."
Author's Note:
This chapter was planned for a long time. I feel somewhat insecure about this explanation; however I wanted to do something new.
Also, I do believe that Azula taking over Ba Sing Se was ultimately a good thing in the long run. It meant that the Gaang got full credit for beating Ozai. If Sokka's original plan actually worked you'd just end up with an occupation. And since taking over the Fire Nation would alienate Zuko, it would lead to a cynical downer ending.
The war would simply continue.
It might even be a worthwhile fic to explore.