Rise from the Ashes: Chapter 5: Sozin's Comet Part 4
"Um...I'm sorry Zuko. I'm really sorry." Her voice was concerned and she was stuttering as if she had simply bumped into Zuko in the hallway instead of denying his covert escape and leaving him sprawled on the ground.
"If you massage the points gently then they will not hurt anymore...Come on, let's just all go back to the palace, Azula does not have to know anything. I can keep your secret."
Ty-Lee stood over the Crown Prince with an unsettled look on her usually happy face. It did not suit her typically cheerful personality.
Damn, how could I be taken so unawares? I should have expected as much, just another failure on my part. Zuko thought as he seethed at being taken down so effortlessly and quickly.
It was abundantly clear that the acrobat had been following the pair ever since they had departed the palace. It was impressive that Ty-Lee had not been seen since she was wearing her usual pink outfit. She could not have contrasted more with her bright colors against Zuko and Mai's dark outfits. With her agaility, she must have been able to reach places while following them that neither of them could see.
"I did not want to block your Chi, but after what you did to that poor man" She indicated towards the guard that Zuko had taken down. "I figured…well you might lash out."
"Ty-Lee!" Both Zuko and Ty-Lee snapped their heads sharply in the direction of Mai who was sprinting over to them. In all their years that the trio had known each other Mai had not raised her voice, not a single time until now.
"Ty-Lee listen to me. Zuko is leaving, he has a calling beyond what his father dictates. Zuko is going to find and train the Avatar and I am going with him."
Perplexed, Ty-Lee blinked in shock. "Um…did you bump your head or something? The Avatar is gone, and Azula would forbid you to go anywhere."
"Zuko believes otherwise about the Avatar, and what Azula wants is no longer my concern."
"Mai! Why are you telling her about the Avatar!" Zuko said in horror.
Mai looked at Zuko with a certainness that confirmed that she was in control and knew what she was doing. That she had calculated the risks and was still certain of her success. "Because I know Ty-Lee very well, and she will not tell anyone and she will let us go." Mai looked Ty-Lee in the eye "I trust her more than anyone."
There was a long, fearful pause. Through the darkness, Zuko thought he could see tears starting to come out on Ty Lee's face. It was hard to reconcile a crying girl with the precise dualist who had neutralized him seconds earlier.
"I…I just…I think Azula would hurt you for this…Both of you." Ty-Lee said, her voice trembling slightly.
Mai was right, I suppose she would know her friend better than anyone.
"She will try, she never did like it when her playthings made their own decisions. Remember when you found your 'true calling' at the circus. I can imagine what Azula did to 'call a little louder'." Mai countered.
That hit a deep nerve for the acrobat as she shook her head dejectedly.
"Azula does care about us. She was happy to see you after all those years in Omashu. I could tell. Her aura lit up when we were all together again."
"Maybe, but that does not matter now." Mai said. "We are leaving tonight, all you have to do is let us go. I wish it could be different, but my lives with Zuko and Azula are not compatible, and it was an easy choice to make."
Ty-Lee sighed as she batted the tears from her eyes. "If you think you have to do this then I will not stop you. Just be safe okay. I'm sorry I followed you tonight, Azula told me to keep a close eye on the both of you. I guess you were hard to find because I did not see anything tonight. Azula will have to deal with stupid little Ty-Lee's incompetence."
Ty-Lee looked at Mai and gave a small smile. "Azula thought Zuko was causing you to be 'emotionally compromised' she was right as usual…but maybe that's not such a bad thing. Your aura is ever so slightly brighter whenever Zuzu is around."
Ty-Lee then gave Mai a sudden ferocious hug that looked like it was a threat to break her spine. Surprisingly, Mai did not look put off by it.
"Just don't get yourselves killed." Ty-Lee whispered half to herself.
"I survived my first exile." Zuko said "And we will both make it through the second. I won't force you Ty-Lee, I cannot force the path I chose on anyone, but if you wish to come with us you would be more than welcome."
Ty-Lee gave him a small smile "I don't think I can…Azula…she never loses anything, ever. With Mai leaving she will be furious…if I left too…I think I can temper her a bit."
"You should get out of here. The circus or anywhere you like." Mai warned.
"Don't take anything for granted, that could be a dangerous job." Zuko added.
Ty-Lee laughed softly. "As dangerous as betraying your father and looking for the Avatar…again? I don't think so. Don't worry about me."
She bowed to them both in a customary show of respect, and as quick as she arrived, before Zuko or Mai could say anything further, she disappeared into the shadows.
Zuko and Mai wordlessly prepped the blimp for takeoff, Zuko had studied beforehand how to operate the vessel. After a few minutes the preparations were set and the two teenagers took off into the night sky. Zuko let out the breath he had inadvertently been holding as they reached their max altitude and the Fire Nation capital and his old life disappeared behind them.
"We should make it to the Boiling Rock by morning. Thank you, I never would have gotten here without you." Zuko said.
Mai gave him a peck on the cheek. "I know Ty-Lee well. I just wish she would have come with us, but she always lands on her feet."
The cooler was bitterly cold enough to be used for psychological torture. For a Firebender to be deprived of the heat that they were so accustomed to generate at will was borderline agony.
Iroh had felt true emotional agony in his lifetime with the passing of his wife and son. As well as when his nephew Zuko, his surrogate son, had regressed and lost his way on the road to revelation and redemption. After those losses a chill was nothing to him, after a while he felt nothing at all.
Frost had seeped into his beard that had grown unruly, his polite requests for a shave had been denied. He had lost weight, for he had not spent his time in confinement idle. His plump figure had fallen away to muscle, a fact that was overlooked by the oblivious guards and the loose fitting prison outfit that hid his figure.
Ozai believed that the Boiling Rock would hold Iroh forever and it was a disastrous oversight. It may have worked if Sozin's Comet was not due to arrive.
Yes, there would be additional security this day. They would be empowered by the comet, but they would not be sufficient. Under normal lockdown Iroh doubted his ability to escape the prison. He would only have one chance at success. But with the comet he had his chance.
An average firebender would be enhanced, but there were three firebenders in the world that were truly exceptional. Fire Lord Ozai, the Princess Azula, and the Dragon of the West. The royal family had been specifically trained their entire lives to be exceptional.
The comet would allow Ozai and Azula to burn whatever they chose. The same power was in Iroh's hands now, although he was not an aggressor.
He felt it despite his isolation. Although it was perpetually dark here Iroh knew it was morning because of the power he could feel, like a furnace that was blazing in his gut. His very soul felt like it was lit aflame.
He had failed in his capture. It was too late to stop what Ozai was doing to the world at this very moment. But the same power that gave Ozai the ability to bring about suffering gave Iroh the chance for redemption and hope.
The comet had blessed Iroh with exponentially more power than any guard in this prison could dream of.
"I will make the most of this. May the acts of my twilight years mend the sins of my youth."
He stood up from his meditative stance and took on the role of the 'Dragon of the West'.
It was impossible under normal circumstances for a firebender to bend in the cooler.
With a simple wave of his hand, Iroh melted the latch off of the door.
What followed would be passed into legend despite the strict attempts of the Fire Nation to suppress the story. The Boiling Rock was impenetrable and inescapable…until it wasn't.
The Dragon of the West walked out of his cell and never slowed his stride for the entire duration of his escape. Dozens of guards attacked him and none of their flames came close to touching him. Throughout the minutes of blazing chaotic fire that was cast at him, Iroh kept his calm and his mind at peace. The flames were bent away from him as casually as a man would swat away a pesky fly.
Ozai was a man of aggression and hate and on the other side of the world he used his power to burn and kill, Iroh was a man of peace and used his powers in defense first and foremost. The worst injuries any guard suffered was to their pride as they were incapacitated gently despite the immense power that was being wielded. The master firebender walked calmly through the most fearsome prison in the world.
When Iroh reached the outside ring of the prison and was seemingly trapped by the molten lake, he simply used his firebending to propel himself into the air faster than any airship attempting to track him down.
The Dragon of the West left any witnesses to the event in complete shock and silent awe.
A/N: A shorter chapter, but it did not quite fit into Aang's future fight in the South Pole so I separated it into its own chapter.
I hope that you managed 2020 well enough and that 2021 will be a lot better.
This year was a miserable one for me personally, but during it I did discover Avatar: The Last Airbender, an incredible show and world and I am thankful that I got to experience it and recommend the show to others that enjoyed it as much as I did. It has easily become my favorite television show and I don't see that changing anytime soon.
Have a Happy New Year!