Ch 11 Deliberating Death
Zuko
After a considerable amount of becoming reacquainted with my knuckles, Aang speaks up.
"we could offer a prisoner exchange." Aang offers sympathetically.
"She won't do it." I say through grinded teeth and looking up agitatedly. How many times do I need to explain?
"Why is that?" Toph interrupts equally aggressive with her response. "She's done it before."
"She's under the impression that Song…" I pause. This is none of their damn business.
"if you're not going to help me, I'm going on my own."
Katara interjects. "No. We should wait until this is carefully planned." She readjusts in her seat with a grimace. "Ty Lee's message implicated that Song was well taken care of. however…" she turns to Aang. "We shouldn't wait for a trade."
I grumble "No promises."
Katara fixes her concerned cobalt eyes on me. I turn away lest she detect the urgency on my face.
I glance out the window at the gloomy sky. Lightening flashes by.
Damn Azula.
"Sir a message" the door pounds frantically. Aang rises and opens it. "Yes Jet." A skinny, but well-built man, wearing a fire nation uniform minus the helmet and mask, but carrying a bag, briskly walks in. He salutes at Katara, Aang, Sokka, and me. He allows a hug from Missy and winks over at the pretty spitfire known as General Toph who looks pissed at the lack of respect from this mere messenger. Jet looks bemused at how she can detect this.
"Ahem, ahem." Aang coughs hardly containing his mirth.
"Sorry sir." He opens his satchel. "This is latest from Ty Lee." He pulls out a loaf of bread, tears it in half, and takes out a container. He slides out a slip of yellow paper.
"Another?" Toph says moodily. "What else could we possibly need to know?"
"I'll read it." Jet says shrugging his shoulders.
Sokka who at this point was quiet, turns to his daughter. "Go to bed Missy. I'll be up to tuck you in soon."
"Kay" the little girl scampers off putting her thumb into her rosy mouth.
Sokka turns his amused expression at Jet "go ahead."
"Yeah get on with it." I throw in. Jet raises his eyebrows and unravels the document.
"Urgent- stop- mad lady desires captive to die burning- stop- informant currently under suspicion-stop- hurry before position compromised- stop-" Jet whistles low. "The fire nation is getting worse and worse." He takes a bite of the bread looking around. Revenge is still never far from his eyes.
"This bread isn't too bad this time." He says to break the tension growing in the room.
I rub my temples harder than necessary.
Song could be dead.
A rumble from the clouds outside reflect the current tussle in my brain.
This can't be happening. Wait. I glance at the window. Rain is now steadily poring. Maybe the rain has prevented Azula from killing off Song. I shudder. Nevertheless, she'll find a way around it even if Song will be killed by different means. Damn her again.
"We've got to leave." I say head still afflicted. I'll find a way. She'll regret this.
"Yes." Aang agrees.
"We must device a strategy quickly." Sokka says logically.
"We should have a preemptive attack." Toph argues folding her arms across her chest tersely.
"By that time she'll be gone." I thunder. The others ogle as I bang my fist on the nearest table in the process breaking Toph's empty clay mug.
"Calm down." Katara soothingly says, the least surprised of the group. "You just have to have patience."
I've been patient long enough. I stare at the shards of broken pottery. The brownish hues are so much like Song's sad eyes. The irony is that I am responsible for that mug's downfall just as I am responsible for Song's.
--
Song
The rain palpitates on the armor as I sit in a narrow room contemplating my life. A note falls from my trembling hands, but tears fail to fall from my stricken face.
I'm getting help. Your father has been hung for insolence. You will go next when the rain ends. I'm sorry. Eat this message when your finished.
I calm myself rubbing heat onto my uncovered arms. I sigh finally allowing the shock to fade away. Just when my father and I are rejoined, he was taken away from me.
I thought he was dead all those years ago. This morning it was all surreal, but now it seems like a dream has finally ended. Like it never happened. I'm the last one left in my family.
I eat the message which is hard to swallow without ample saliva. I try to think of other things to distract me from my thirst.
I begin to stare at the bloodstained cotton dress I was thrown when soldiers stripped me of my gray outfit. At least I had on undergarments but at the time, I was convinced I was going to be raped. She could still do that though. I hope that thought never occurs to Azula. The soldiers left reluctantly though when Ty Lee came to a rescue 'informing' the men their service was required elsewhere and slipping me the note on her way out.
I hope they aren't suspicious of her actions. I shake my head softly examining the simple dress they left on the ground. The dress's previous owner must have been only a few years younger than me. I suppose this is one way to dispose of murder evidence.
It doesn't matter what I wear now.
There was a time though that trivial things like that consumed me.
I wish I don't have to go this way! I close my eyes as images continue to flood before my eyes.
I can see my death as if it already happened. I'll try to remain brave until the flame reaches me, then as it nears me I'll panic, and I'll be shrieking until the last flame consumes me. Just when I was beginning to fight my fear.
What about Zuko? I search my mind for his face and don't find myself disappointed. Goodness it has only been a day since we were apart. I wonder if we could've stood a chance.
I was taken just when I was beginning to fall for him.
But would I even be able to tell him how I feel? I don't think so.
Did he have any feelings for me? I doubt it.
But then again the look on his face held shear desperation when I saw him amid the tanks.
At the time I felt as though he would give anything just to free me. Now as I inspect my heart I suspect I still believe that.
I swear if I escape then I'll take a chance.
With this resolution in mind I allow the rain to soothe me. Not to sleep like my mother's melodious voice used to when I was just a little girl, but a temporary rest until the rain ends. I close my eyes and think how disappointing my mother must have been when she found I didn't inherit her inborn talent.
"With practice" she said once after she heard my cricket like warbles "you could melt anyone's heart". Being only 9 or 10, I had vehemently refused to continue in favor of mixing mud with grass.
But perhaps my voice has matured. I don't care to try it now though. I'm about to die.
Besides who sings before they meet their end?
-
My time is up because the rain has passed. The sudden silence chills me immediately as I wait .
The door unbolts suddenly, and I bravely rise. He or she behind the mask shackles me and leads me from my cell back outside the tank. Azula's there. Not many soldiers this time though. I suppose they are not taking chance this time. I look for Ty Lee among the distinguished leaders, but she shakes her head and looks despairingly at Mai whose eyes keep shifting in her direction. I hang my head and stare at my bare feet. If only I had been born an earthbender. I stiffly bring bring my head up despite my sore neck. AS I am led towards the pedestal, I see the small crowd much better. My gaze lands once again on Azula who has not bypassed a chance to shine. She's wearing an elegant gown of crimson and her hair is ornately draped with a beautiful gold crown shimmering with the setting sun. I look down at myself as my shackles are taken off and my body is attached to the thick wooden post in the center. My cotton dress cannot conceal my scar, my face and body ache from lying on an uncomfortable surface, and my long hair-the bane of my existence at the moment- is causing a tickling sensation all over my face as it whips at me in the breeze.
Men throw straw and wood around me. The sweet smells brings nostalgic memories of past childhood adventures, but I will not cry. Not yet.
Azula, Shang, Phoebus, and a few others surround my post. Azula looks poignantly at my scar.
"No wonder." She smirks and she looks at the men and women around her.
"I will no longer reacquire your assistance." She states excitedly. The men and women bow and step back.
She smiles at me, "I want the pleasure of disposing you all to myself." She smiles lovingly at the wood until the flames collect in her eyes, pulls back her arms in a sweeping motion, hungrily grins, and fire erupts from her.
"Your death will be a treat." She slithers backwards like the snake she is, but I look sadly at her.
So much power. I turn my attention as the hay and wood speedily alight. It'll only be a matter of time before it reaches me. I look towards the heavens trying to bypass my earlier prediction of my demise. I focus on a single star above the setting sun. Sweat slides down my body as I feel the heat rising. I refuse to look down.
Suddenly while staring at the sky, the breeze kicks in, though it's much stronger this time. My eyes water with its intensity.
"No!" I hear a shrill voice coming from near me. That must be Azula.
Then I hear the sound of swords crashing.
I look with watery and burning eyes through the smoke, which had been the fire.
A blue masked man clothed in black pushes through the crowd swiping expertly so the unarmed fire benders must back up to avoid the swift blades. I hear a crackle and the fire catches my attention once more. A little bit of flame remains near my large toe. I try to blow it out. It only grows. I frown, contract my abdomen, and pull my legs off the ground. I quickly glance at the masked man again.
A man wearing a fire nation soldier's uniform joins him. So there are more traitors than Ty Lee and Zuko.
"You go ahead Spirit. I've got them covered."
He reflects a lightening attack from Azula with a blade and flips Shang over with his curved blade. The blue masked 'Spirit' leaps onto my pedestal, but then doesn't move forward. What is he doing?
Suddenly I feel arms grab me. I see Zuko's dagger a hair away from my throat and then as if my captive wanted more dramatics placed where my heart beats frantically.
The flame grows once again near my feet, but I can't pull my body up further. The spirit gestures upwards and another huge gust of wind puts it out. The man behind me (if it is indeed a man) grunts, but keeps his blade steady. This has to be Phoebus. I gulp slightly and look up at the 'star' . The Avatar must be up there somewhere.
Author's Note
Another chapter done (finally). For the first time in a while, I liked this chapter (except for a few minor things that I won't mention). This story is starting to come to a close. Will Song survive? (scary music) Will Zuko get revenge? (Who knows... well I do ;)
Also if anyone hasn't noticed, my work is oddly reminiscent of Star Wars lately. (The part with Azula's lightening attack being reflected with Jet's sword reminds me of the Emperor's similar lightening attack being reflected by a light saber) I guess I better stop watching it so often with my dad.
Many thanks to storm-of-insanity, Mirage10050, FireGurl107, Firework, Ireth Kalt, and Jean Warren. Ur comments truly kept me writing.