Disclaimer: All rights belong to Nickelodeon, Bryan Konietzko, Michael Dante DiMartino, and all the men and women that created the A:TLA show, books, and comics. I take no credit, and I do not mean to break any copyright rules. This is simply a work of fiction made for enjoyment. No money is being made. The lyrics are from the song "Viva La Vida" by Coldplay
Rating: General Audiences. Warning: some scenes contain dark themes and minor violence
Author's Note: The game-changing chapter...Warning for Major Character Death. Just four more chapters after today! Can't believe I started this fic the same week they announced the Netflix live action show and almost two years later I'm nearly finished and they haven't even done casting yet lol (also there's a subtle Bellarke reference hidden in this chapter if you get it it means you're just as much Bellarke trash as I am)
Chapter 12: Dynasty
Revolutionaries wait
For my head on a silver plate
Just a puppet on a lonely string
Oh, who would ever want to be king?
"Hey, do you know where Aang is?" Sokka asks as they gather in the kitchen for breakfast. "I didn't see him last night."
"You mean he didn't come back after the play?" Suki glances over at Katara. "That doesn't sound like him."
Katara sighs. She had hoped this whole play thing would blow over, but apparently not. "He was upset about the play."
"Why? He was like a flawless hero in it," Toph says around a mouthful of rice. "Unless there was something I didn't hear."
Katara waves her hand, dismissing it. "I'll look for him when we're finished. He's probably just on the beach."
The others take her word and continue eating, but Zuko gives her a strange look. Katara isn't sure she likes that he can read her so well. She tries to silently communicate with him that she'll tell him later, and he finally turns back to his food.
Zuko meets her out on the porch while the others clean up.
"What's going on?" he asks.
She glances back through the broken door, then begins walking along the pathway to the beach. When they're far enough away from the house that she feels comfortable, she tells him about what happened last night.
"Aang was really into the play. He actually believed it. I know he's never been your biggest fan, but he really bought into that evil-Zuko stuff. He asked me why I was with you instead of him."
Zuko frowns. "Instead of him? Does he…?"
Katara nods. "He told me he loved me. He said he felt he could finally admit it because I felt the same way - except I don't, it was my character in the play who did. And then he kissed me."
She almost doesn't tell him the last part, afraid that he'll get angry. But all he does is raise an eyebrow.
"Really?"
She gives him a disapproving look. "You sound almost impressed."
"That was pretty brave of him. Even I wasn't brave enough to kiss you first."
Katara rolls her eyes. She'll never understand boys. "I pushed him away and told him that I didn't feel that way, and then he flew off. I was really harsh."
"You had every right to be."
"But he's so young!" Katara tugs on her hair in frustration. "I lashed out harsher than I should have. He was honestly confused. I wonder how long he's been secretly in love with me. I should have let him down more gently."
"Except he disappeared."
Katara nods. "I don't want the others to know, because I don't want to embarrass him further, but I can't search for him on my own. Will you help me?"
"He won't be happy if I'm the one who finds him."
"Then talk to him. You two need to figure it out eventually. If you're going to be Fire Lord, then you need to be allies with the leaders of all the nations, including the Airbenders. And I'm sick of people in my family not getting along." She fixes him with a hard look. "Be the mature one here, Zuko."
He raises his hands in surrender. "Alright. If I find him, I'll talk to him. Happy?"
"Yes." She leans up and kisses him.
Azula sits in front of her mirror. Behind her, two servants are pulling up her hair into a topknot with a scarlet ribbon. Today is her coronation, when she becomes Fire Lord.
Fire Lord Azula. It has a good ring to it, doesn't it?
She looks in the mirror and sees a bunch of hair that has escaped the updo. She scowls and reaches up, knocking away the servants' hands as she tugs her hair loose. She attempts it again herself, and this time parts of her bangs hang down straight in her face.
She shoves back her chair, the servants tripping over themselves to get out of her way. She walks to her full body-length mirror, inspecting it.
It's useless and unnecessary. Azula growls and reaches back to the desk, snatching up a pair of scissors.
"My lady - " one of them begins, reaching out. Azula whirls, brandishing the scissors at her.
"Get out," Azula snarls. "You're fired. You, too," she says, pointing the scissors at the second servant. "You're all useless. Useless!"
The two girls hastily bow and scatter out of the room, accidentally slamming the door behind them. Any other day, Azula would have them punished; now, though, bad servants are the least of her worries.
"Alright, hair," she says, grabbing the misbehaving bangs in one hand. "It's time to face your doom!"
She cuts across them crookedly, the parted black locks floating to the floor. Then she inspects her job.
"What a shame," a voice says from behind her. Azula's eyes widen as she sees the reflection of her mother meeting her eyes in the mirror. "You always had such beautiful hair."
Azula tries to keep her voice steady. "What are you doing here?"
"I didn't want to miss my own daughter's coronation," Ursa says. Her voice is as calm as always. On the outside, Zuko is like their father: same facial structure, same golden eyes, and same angry, raspy voice. Azula, on the other hand, inherited the calm demeanor as her mother. But that's as far as their similarities go; on the inside, Zuko is like their mother and Azula is like her father.
The observation makes Azula scowl harder. She thrusts her chin up as she replies, "Don't pretend to act proud. I know what you really think of me." She looks away. "You think I'm a monster."
"I think you're confused," Ursa corrects. "All your life, you've used fear to control people. Like your friends Mai and Ty Lee."
Azula tightens her lips into a straight line and looks down, trying to hold in the sharp stab of pain that goes through her at the mention of her friends. They betrayed her. They manipulated her. It was their fault, not hers.
"What choice do I have?" Azula shouts, whirling around. "Trust is for fools. Fear is the only reliable way." She raises her eyes. "Even you fear me."
"No." Ursa's golden eyes are soft against the harsh anger of her daughter. "I love you, Azula. I do."
Azula's lip trembles. Lies. All lies. Azula saw the look in her mother's eyes every time she did something horrible. Azula knows that Ursa held Zuko close because she gave up on Azula. Ursa saw the darkness within her and turned her back; now Azula is going to show her that she was right to run away.
With a cry of anguish, Azula snatches up a hairbrush from the desk and throws it into the mirror, shattering the glass.
Then she falls to her knees, unable to stop the sobs.
Weak, the voice in her mind whispers.You thought you could drain the weakness out, but you can't. It fills you.
"I will drain it all out," she sobs harder, the sharp edges of broken glass digging into her palms. "I am not weak."
Then there will be nothing left.
"Nothing is better than weak."
Zuko finds Aang at the highest point of the island. Ember Island was created thousands of years ago by a volcanic eruption, and the crater of that volcano - though centuries dormant and worn down by the elements - still hosts the best view. Right now, though, the popular tourist spot is empty, save for one boy sitting on the edge.
Zuko walks over and sits down beside him. Aang says nothing.
"I feel like we didn't get started off on the right foot," Zuko says after a moment. He's not really sure what to say, or how this conversation should go, but he'd promised Katara he'd try. "I'd like to try and fix that."
Aang looks up at him now. "You're not mad at me?"
"I know you just want what's best for Katara. And you don't feel like that's me."
"I don't understand how she loves you after what you did to her."
A fair point. Zuko doesn't entirely understand it, either. But he's finished asking why good things have happened to him and instead has accepted them and forgiven himself.
"It wasn't all bad on the ship," he says. "We had some good times together. That's why what I did was so horrible - we weren't just strangers, we were friends. And I still did it. But that's also why she was able to forgive me. She knew there was good in me, and that I had just made a horrible mistake."
Aang is quiet for a long time. Zuko doesn't push him. Instead he turns his face to the light breeze and the familiar sights of the island where he spent all his summers as a child.
It's peaceful up here. The calm before the storm. The world will change tomorrow, and who knows what it will look like?
"Do you love her?"
Zuko turns back to see Aang watching him intently. "What?"
"Do you love her?"
The question completely throws him off. He's never thought about it. He just knows that he enjoys being around Katara and never wants to leave her side. He would do anything for her, to protect her. Is that love?
"I'm not sure I know what love is," Zuko admits.
Aang is quiet again. "You saved her life," he finally says. "You turned your back on your family for her." He wraps his arms around his legs and drops his chin to his knees. "I didn't like you because I saw you as competition. That wasn't fair of me. It's not what I was taught. I'm sorry."
"I forgive you." The words that would have once never escaped from his lips flow out so easily.
"I just want Katara to be happy," Aang continues. "If she's happy with you, then that should be enough."
"You've matured a lot since I first met you, Aang. That's not an easy thing to say."
"You're actually not bad at all." Aang meets his eyes and smiles weakly. "Your firebending is pretty good."
Zuko feels a small smile of his own creeping up on his face. "Thanks. Your airbending is pretty good, too."
"Good enough to take you in a fight?"
When Zuko sees the sparkle appear in Aang's eyes again, he knows everything is going to be alright. The kid is tough; he'll get through this heartbreak.
"I'd like to see you try."
"Oh, you're on."
Zuko stands, offering his hand down to Aang. The kid stares at it for a moment before accepting it.
"The others are worried about you. It's our last day before the comet, so we should probably spend it together."
"Do you think it will be weird? Between Katara and me?"
"Not if you talk to her first."
Zuko notes Aang's hesitation. Of course he's dreading talking to Katara about it. But Zuko knows it's a conversation that has to be made, and it will be better for everyone when it's done. He lays a hand on Aang's shoulder.
"It'll be fine," he assures him. "We both know there's no one as forgiving as Katara."
They walk along the path down the mountain together.
The palanquin bears Azula down the path after her father. She doesn't need to peak outside the cloth curtains to know that there are rows of thousands of Fire Nation citizens bowing as they pass. She doesn't need to look at them to see the reverence in their eyes as they glance up at their fearful leader.
Fearful leader. Azula scoffs. Ozai is nothing more than a tool who takes credit for the ideas of others. He wasn't even smart enough to think of killing his father to take his throne himself; that was his wife, and she was banished for it. Maybe Ursa should have been the Fire Lord; she was the clever one, after all.
Maybe Azula does take after her mother. Azula had always thought that she was more like her father, but perhaps she was wrong. Her mother was the smart one, the defiant one; Ozai was the one who was prepared to kill his only son because he couldn't stand up to his father. He was weak, like Zuko. Azula is strong and smart and capable, like her mother.
"I didn't want to miss my own daughter's coronation," Ursa had said. Maybe she wasn't there to mock Azula like she originally thought. Maybe she was being serious. It was no secret in their family that Ursa had never loved Ozai - perhaps she had always planned to wait until Azula was older and then sneak poison into Ozai's wine the same way she had done to Azulon. Then Azula would be Fire Lord.
"Even you fear me."
"No. I love you, Azula."
Azula's eyes widen in realization. Ursa didn't fear her because Azula was her. Ursa didn't turn away from Azula because she loved Zuko more, she turned away so that Azula would learn to fend for herself and be strong while Zuko was coddled. The plan was always for Azula to ascend to the throne. Everything Ursa did, everything she said - it was all to prepare Azula for this moment.
But Ozai had threatened Ursa's life and banished her. She had to leave before her plan was finished, but she had completed the groundwork; she had set Zuko up to fail and Azula for victory.
All her life, Azula has been looking up to Ozai when she should have been looking up to her mother.
This changes everything, Azula realizes. She ceases to see her father as some all-mighty, all-powerful ruler and instead sees him as he truly is: a man who benefits off the hard work of others. He's just a figurehead, a face full of genius that he leached from those around him and took credit for. And what happens to those who know the truth?
They're sent away or killed. He steals their ideas and disposes of them. And now he's using Azula's ideas. So how long until she disappears?
No. She will not disappear. She will not let Ozai take credit for everything that she's done. She will avenge her mother and finish the plan Ursa began. She will take her birthright, her throne.
"This is for you, Mom," she whispers.
The palanquin halts at the base of the stage. Azula parts the curtains and steps out, ascending the stairs to stand at her father's right side. As is proper, she gets down on a knee and bows to him; but in her heart she is not bowing but plotting. How can she turn this around?
Ozai faces the crowd and raises his arms. The citizens stand, gleaming eyes gazing up at him. Azula stands as well, trying to hide the sneer growing on her face. It doesn't matter, though; they aren't looking at her. They don't care about her. She's invisible.
Not for long.
"Tomorrow is the day the comet arrives," Ozai begins, his voice booming across the crowd. "With the power of a thousand suns, I will finish what my grandfather started. We will strike against the Earth Kingdom and the Air Nomads, taking them all down in one obliterating sweep. No one will be able to escape the fires!"
The crowd cheers. Azula smiles, but it's not one of pride or victory; it's one of a genius plan taking shape in her mind.
"This time tomorrow, the world will be ours for the taking! Fire Nation citizens will maintain an elite status among the world. We will have access to the best foods and animals. We will live in the finest houses and be waited on by the best servants. All others will bow to us! We will be gods!"
Another cheer. Even the stoic generals standing on the sides of the stage smile and clap. Some of them have hungry smiles; she can see them scheming as well. Whoever is on the throne will be the highest of gods, and they all want it for themselves.
Trust is for fools, she'd said. She was right. Ozai cannot even trust his own family - but by the time he learns this lesson, it will be too late.
"I will lead our forces to our final victory! The rebels will be crushed and the land will flow with seas of fire! All will burn and from the ashes, we will rise stronger than ever!"
Two servants approach, setting an elaborate flame-tipped cape on Ozai's shoulders. Azula rolls her eyes at the dramatics. More proof that Ozai is simply a figurehead. He feels he has to assert his strength with flashy and showy speeches. Azula has never needed frivolous celebrations to strike fear into others.
That's not entirely true - there's one celebration where she can establish her dominance. But it's not frivolous or filled with regurgitated words.
The final piece of her plan clicks into place and she feels the blood in her veins run ice hot.
"I am the supreme ruler of the world!" Ozai announces as an absurd helmet with gold flames bursting out the sides is placed on his head. "The Phoenix King!"
Banners with flame logos are hoisted up around him. Drums pound, whipping the crowd into an excited frenzy. Azula watches with narrowed eyes and a slight smirk. She'll let him enjoy the moment for just a little longer. It will be his last.
She waits patiently for the crowd to quiet down enough that her voice will be heard. Then she steps forward, her hands on her hips. Ozai gives her a strange look.
"I'd like to raise a toast to my father!" she calls out. The crowd quiets down as she addresses them. She shoots her father a look, noticing his pleased smile. He's buying into her act, giving her enough time to do the necessary damage. "He has done something no other ruler of ours has. Something Sozin couldn't do, something Azulon couldn't do!"
Everyone's attention is on her. Her heart races wildly with excitement. This is it. Her moment.
"He bore a weak son and heir who he had to burn and banish to hide his shame. And that son still managed to catch the Avatar and bring him back here - and she escaped right under his nose! A little girl slipped right out of his grasp, with the help of his traitorous son. My father had me cover up his mistakes and then sent me out to right them. It was I who chased the Avatar across the nations, taking down the mighty fortresses of Omashu and Ba Sing Se single handedly while my father sat idly on his throne! It was I who learned of the eclipse that threatened us and made the plans to evacuate the capital city. And it was I who laid the trap that led the Avatar back into my father's reach. Tomorrow, when my father leads our soldiers to victory, it is my strategy that will give us complete victory!"
The crowd gasps and mutters. Azula turns back to her father, who is watching her through narrowed eyes. A pair of soldiers step forward in her direction, but Ozai stops them with a hand.
"It appears my daughter would try to poison and divide us with her clever lies," he says, standing. "Everything I have achieved has been met with obstacles, the least of which came from my own house and blood." He shakes his head. "And yet, I have still prevailed! I have done what I had to do to ensure that the Fire Nation does not fall into the hands of those who would destroy it."
"You are a weak ruler who has only come so far because of the hard work of others!" Azula plays her last card, one she knows will divide the people and soldiers enough for the last part of her plan to work. "You had your wife kill your father so that you could have the throne! You sent your brother to his death in Ba Sing Se so he wouldn't fight you for it - because you knew he was stronger than you and would win! The Fire Nation deserves a leader who hasn't lied or tricked their way into the throne!" Her hands clench into fists. "The Fire Nation deserves me on the throne!"
Ozai makes a sweeping motion with his arm. "Guards, arrest this traitor!"
But even as his soldiers take a step, they find their legs encased in quicksand and blocks of stone wrapping around their hands to prevent them from bending. From out of the shadows, Azula's Dia Li agents even the odds. The crowd of people look from father to daughter, their loyalties split. Who do they believe?
Ozai glares at her. "Very well, Azula. You have made your point. Are you going to kill me now, when I am powerless and at your mercy?"
"No." She faces the crowd as she gives her verdict. "I challenge my father, Fire Lord Ozai, to an Agni Kai. The winner gets the throne."
Now the crowd cheers. They don't have to be confused anymore; the Agni Kai will determine who is the rightful leader, and they will follow them blindly. It's an age old tradition that has not failed them yet.
Such is the way of the Fire Nation.
They all sit on the porch steps, watching the sun set brilliantly in the horizon. The red and orange hues reflect over the steady waves, a rippling masterpiece.
Sokka has his arm around Suki, Katara is leaning into Zuko's side, and Toph and Aang sit contentedly on the bottom step. Appa is laying on the grass a few feet away, and Momo is perched on the railing.
The last sunset before destiny arrives. How beautiful it is, and yet how terrifying. What if this is the last sunset they'll ever see? What if this is the last time they'll get to smell the salty breeze off the ocean and just breathe it in?
Katara looks around at her family and decides that if this is the last sunset she'll ever see, there's no one she'd rather be with. For once, everything is calm and settled. There are no more unspoken truths between them, no more secrets, no more animosity. Everything has been addressed and resolved. They're all ready to face their destinies tomorrow, no matter where it will lead them.
They're just a family now, basking in the last sunset they may ever see. Despite the impending battles and probable death, there's a calmness within them. Acceptance. Letting go of what they cannot change and gathering the courage to face what they must.
Katara could sit here in peace forever.
Azula stands in the arena opposite her father. His cruel golden eyes are closed. He's calm, sure of his victory; after all, he is the best Firebender in the world. But he's also cocky, cockier, even, than Azula. She knows that she's only second best, and she will use that knowledge to her advantage.
She knows she can win. She knows she has it within her. The voice within her had said that when she drained weakness out, there would be nothing left. It was wrong. What is left is Azula, and she is mighty and powerful and terrifying.
Ozai opens his golden eyes, and they almost look sad.
"What, sorry your golden rule was so short?" she taunts.
"I'm sorry for the price I have to pay to keep it," he replies. Azula rolls her eyes.
"No, you're not. You never loved me. You never loved any of us! We were just tools for you to throw away when you were finished with us. But I know my worth, and I will not be thrown to the side!" Fire rages within her, and her hands burst into flames without her willing them to. "I will not be a babysitter for the Fire Nation while you go out and win glory."
"I gave you everything, and yet you still turn against me." Ozai's eyes flash with anger. "You're just as ungrateful as your mother."
"My mother?" Azula laughs. "Funny you should mention her. She's the reason I'm standing here today. She knew you were a weak ruler and an even weaker man. She always planned for me to be the one on the throne. Now I'm fulfilling her dream."
Ozai is the one who laughs now. "You on the throne? Please. Ursa wanted her weak, useless son to be Fire Lord. You were an abomination she could hardly stand."
Azula refuses to believe him. He's just trying to shake her confidence. But Azula spoke to Ursa herself; she knows the truth. Ozai is grasping at straws because he knows he's backed into a corner.
"Then we're both just monsters she could hardly stand." Azula takes a few steps back, giving herself room to fight. "May the worst one win."
Ozai's fire is not as hot as Azula's. He may wield the fire faster than her, but physically she's faster, able to dodge or deflect his every move. He struggles with defending himself against her; no one has dared throw fire at him in years.
Azula plays with him like a cat plays with a mouse. She lets him wear himself out, summoning all the fire he can only for her to dance out of the way at the last second. He breaks out in a sweat while she's still going strong.
She knows he's starting to feel threatened when he begins to throw lightning. He's frightfully quick, summoning it down three times as fast as Azula ever has. There's a close call that almost makes her doubt herself. But he's predictable. He may be stronger, but she's smarter. She sees where the lightning will land and moves out of the way in plenty of time.
Every time a streak of lightning blows a crater in the arena, the spectators scream and duck for cover. But it doesn't even faze Azula; her concentration is on the battle.
"You cannot beat me, Azula," Ozai says, raising his arms. "You cannot run and dodge forever."
He's right. But Azula doesn't have to run and dodge forever. The next time he throws lightning, she makes sure to be close enough that the force of it blows her off her feet. She hits the ground and stills her body.
She waits for a few precious seconds, not daring to open her eyes. She hears the crunch of his boots against the dirt as he steps forward to confirm his kill. As he's leaning down to check for her pulse, she sits up quickly, sweeping her foot under his legs. He falls to his knees as she stands, her arms already in the motions of summoning lightning.
Their eyes meet and Azula sees the fear in them, her blue lightning reflecting off the shimmering orbs, before she throws her hand down, aiming right at his chest.
Ozai's dead eyes stare up at her, her messy hair hanging off her scalp and framing her face, the blood red sunset haloing her entire figure.
A cry rises up from the raptured audience.
"All hail the Phoenix Queen!"