Aang shouldered his staff and turned away from the elegantly-dressed Earth King. Not but a few minutes had passed before Aang decided he was going after them. He had to save Katara. Just the thought of loosing her made him feel weak. How he had managed to let her go to go into the Avatar State always surprised him. He didn't think he would be able to enter the State in his control again.
"Please, reconsider," pleaded the Earth King. "You can't just jump to conclusions based on dreams!"
"I'm the Avatar," said Aang flatly. "I think I have every right to."
"They'll never forgive me for this," the Earth King said, to no one in particular.
"It will take longer for me to get there. I've only got my glider and they have Appa. It will take me a day or so longer to get there. And my back..." Aang groaned as he tried to twist around to see the mark that Azula had left him from where the electricity exited his body. His foot was throbbing as well and he didn't know if he had enough energy to make it to the Fire Nation. "Why couldn't the Fire Nation have stayed in Ba Sing Se? It isn't nearly as far away!"
"You're still sick!" the Earth King exclaimed. "You'll never make it!"
"I think that will be up to me to decide," said Aang sternly. "I'm going to leave you now. I'm afraid you'll have to fend for yourself."
"Avatar Aang!" the Earth King cried. "Don't do this!"
Aang ignored him as he airbended his glider open and jumped into the air. How sore he was! Aang gritted his teeth and flew up higher and higher until he was amongst the clouds. He still had plenty of daylight left and if he was lucky, he might be able to catch the gang stopping for a rest. The closer Aang got to the Fire Nation, the harder his heart pounded in the dread of knowing what waited before him.
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"What a fascinating lemur you have!" Iroh exclaimed, lifting a cup of tea to his lips as he watched Momo fly around in circles over Appa, occasionally diving head-first into the saddle. "If I didn't know any better, I would have thought he was hitting the cactus juice."
Sokka and Katara exchanged looks. "Maybe not cactus juice," said Katara, "but he did have some of your tea..."
Iroh chuckled. "It is only calming jasmine. You don't see me running into things."
The gang had stopped after several hours of flying west to give Appa a rest. Luckily, the campsite where they had left Aang had been between Ba Sing Se and the edge of the Fire Nation so it wasn't as far as they had thought. However, it would still take several days to get there considering that they hadn't even left the Earth Kingdom yet.
"Come on, it is nearing sunset," said Katara. "Let's try and get a few more hours in before stopping for the night."
"Ugh, can't we rest a little more?" Toph complained. "I just want an hour more to 'see'. Please?"
"No, you don't need to see," Katara snapped. "Stop whining and get up."
Toph grumbled as Sokka helped her up on to Appa. Iroh took one last sip of tea before storing his cup in a saddlebag. In turn, he gave Katara a hand-up up next to him. "Yip, yip Appa!"
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Aang was exhausted by the time night came. He had been flying nonstop since he left and he continually scanned the skies for the familiar image of his Sky Bison, but to no avail. He glided down to clumsily land in a clearing in the wood. Remains of a small campfire were barely visible in the moonlight. It looked as if someone had made some tea, judging by the discarded soggy leaves. Not only that, but there was a large outcropping of rock that stood out of place in the forest. Iroh and Toph, Aang thought. They were here.
He sighed as he laid his head down on his arms. He was aching all over and was feeling feverish once more. His last thought before he fell asleep was: Please Katara, wait until I find you before you get into any trouble...
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Azula listened to her own footsteps echo off of the metallic floor, her smile widening with every second. The crown was finally within her clutches. She would rule over the Fire Nation even better than her father or her grandfather even. To be known for killing the Avatar and controlling over the rest of the world was more than she ever imagined. Yes, she would be a legend.
She brushed aside the scarlet, velvet curtains that marked the entrance to her father's sitting chamber. She met the Fire Lord's golden, hawk-like gaze with a bow and a twitch of the lips. "Father, I have arranged the Agni Kai. I'm sure you'll be pleased. It will be good to finally see Zuko pay for his mistakes." And I'll be the one to make him pay, Azula thought silently.
"Yes, I am excited myself," said the Fire Lord in a monotonous tone that said otherwise. "I want him dead."
"We all do," she answered sympathetically.
"Then you will be next up for the throne," the Fire Lord told her.
Azula tried to make keep her face impassive. "Why yes, Father. I hadn't even thought of that," she lied.
The Fire Lord stroked his beard thoughtfully but said nothing as his daughter bowed to him and exited the way she had come. The Fire Lord knew his daughter had lied, for he was no fool. Her lust for power was quite evident, and Ozai knew he would have to watch his step from now on. How ruthless she's become, the Fire Lord thought, frowning slightly. How ruthless indeed.
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Several days later...
How much longer is this going to take? Zuko thought, gazing down at his infected wrists that continued to chafe with the constant jangling of his chains. He heard footsteps down the hall and a familiar voice muttering something to the guards. Speak of the devil and the devil arrives, Zuko mused. Literally.
Azula peaked through the bars in the cell door. There was a malicious smile plastered on her ivory face. "Zuzu, I regret to inform you that you have been summoned to an Agni Kai with the Fire Lord."
Zuko bowed his head, ignoring the fact that she used his childhood nickname. He then looked up at his sister. "I want to let you know something."
"What? Do you want to beg forgiveness like you did last time?" Azula snorted, her eyes glittering.
"No," said Zuko, managing to keep the anger from his voice. "I wanted you to know that I love you."
Azula shrank away from the door, shocked. "What?" she asked, nonplussed.
"It's true, Azula. You may be a sick, twisted bitch but I will always love you. I want you to remember that. So when I'm gone, you won't always remember me as your good-for-nothing brother that was a disgrace to the Fire Nation. For I know, that is what you think of me."
"I...," said Azula. "I...I don't know what to say."
"You don't have to say anything," said Zuko, looking down into his lap. He didn't look up as his sister silently turned away and walked down the hall from whence she came. He barely heard her tell the guards to let him out of his cell and escort him up to the Fire Lord's chamber. He didn't notice any of this because he was trying very hard not to break down and cry.
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"We've finally made it!" Katara exclaimed as they descended on the outskirts of the main island of the Fire Nation. Black smoke unfurled from the volcanic mountains high above and ash was raining down on them all. The sky was a gloomy gray and there was a smell of rain on the air.
"We have to come up with a plan. For all we know, Zuko is already dead," said Sokka, though he didn't sound too upset about the idea.
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Azula listened to his dry sobs as the guards unlocked his cell. She closed her eyes. Did she pity him? She wasn't sure. But whatever was racing through her mind, was not what she wanted to think right before she was made the Fire Lord. I will follow the plan, she thought solemnly. Even if it means killing my brother.
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Zuko kept his eyes lowered to the ground, utterly lost in despair. This was truly the end. All his thoughts of restoring peace to the world had diminished. He had entered the shocking cold reality. He had lost to the Fire Lord before, and he was going to lose again. There was no one to save him. No one to protect him. He was to suffer like the hundreds, no thousands, of people who had suffered within the war. Families torn apart. Innocent people slaughtered like animals. That was to be him, only he wasn't exactly innocent. He was the Prince of the Fire Nation. Perhaps, he thought, I deserve to die.
"Look up at me, Zuko," a voice whispered in his ear. It was surprisingly gentle and it reminded him of his mother's own kind voice. He suddenly ached for her. Where are you, Mother, when I need you?
Zuko looked up into his sister's deep yellow orbs. Her ebony locks fell softly to the sides of her face. She touched his face, gingerly, where his scar tarnished the skin around his eye. He had never received such affection from his sister. His eyes widened in surprise.
"Goodbye, Zuko," she told him. Was that regret in her eyes? Sorrow even?
"Enough, Azula," came a terrible voice. The Fire Lord. "Unchain him. Now, we fight."
As Zuko stood before his father, he was suddenly overwhelmed with a case of déjà vu. He let his cloak fall to the ground and held up his hands defensively. His life was about to end. He knew that, but he would not let himself give in to the Fire Lord. He would not beg. He would not grovel. He would stand and face his father like a man.
Out of the corner of his eye, Zuko watched his sister step back to the side lines. For once, there was no malicious grin on her face. No evil twinkle in her eyes. Her face was dreadfully pale and grim, as was those of the two girls standing beside her. Ty Lee had her face turned away. She didn't want to watch this. Mai stared on, though tears were silently running down her face. Every single onlooker thought that Zuko would die.
"Father," Zuko said, bowing his head. "I say my final goodbye."
"You are already dead to me," the Fire Lord snarled, disrobing. "I have no son."
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"Someone's coming!" Toph exclaimed, laying a hand on the metal floor. She could now feel vibrations in metal as well as rock, though they weren't as noticeable.
Sokka and Katara clung to each other in the shadows, listening. They could faintly hear the footsteps of someone traveling down the hall adjacent to the small room they were hiding in. Voices soon came with the footsteps: "We're going to have to hurry on down to the throne room if we want to get a glimpse of the Agni Kai," one of the speakers said to his companion. "What's the point? Everyone knows Prince Zuko is a goner," came the companion's low reply.
Sokka and Katara looked at each other and nodded. The throne room. They silently crept out into the hallway, whispering for Toph to follow. They had left Iroh in the courtyard to keep a lookout for any guards. He had helped them enter the palace through a rarely used corridor that winded back into the volcanoes themselves. It had been a hot, tiring walk, but now that they were inside they were quick on their feet and attentive to any noise whatsoever. It was then when they heard loud bursts of fire from the last room down the hallway. They raced down the corridor as a scream echoed off of the walls. Zuko.
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