As their castles crumble slowly
We watch them fall
The crown slips from heads unworthy
As we gain control
-Rise Against, 'Heads Unworthy'
Zuko kept one eye on Katara as she darted away down the streets towards the palace as Azula baited him. She was trying to lead him deeper into the Upper Ring, her frustration evident on her face as he refused to play along.
"What's the matter, Zuzu?" She taunted him, sending a weak bolt of lightning towards him. Her face screwed up as she glanced skywards, seeing the moon's edge in contact with the sun's.
"What's the matter, Azula?" He shot back, raising his swords as he prepared to leap after her. Time to see where this gopher hole led. "Lost without your bending?"
"Are you lost without your whore?" She snapped, her fire a mere orange glow at her fingertips. "Missing her wet touch already?"
Zuko snarled, hoping to make her think his anger was worse than it was. Seven years ago, her words would have goaded him into charging after her blindly, falling headlong into whatever trap she had waiting for him. He chanced a glimpse upwards at the eclipse hanging over their heads. The moon inched closer over the sun, and he felt another drop of fire flee him, eaten by the silver of the moon. "Don't talk about her!"
"Struck a nerve, have I?" She smirked, dancing out of reach of his swords as he leapt after her onto the rooftop beyond the wall. "Did you know Father is obsessed with her too?"
Zuko hated the way she spoke too fast, her words tumbling out of her mouth as if she were just so eager to send them like barbs under his skin. "He's obsessed with his own fantasies."
"Of your water bender." She laughed at him, and he thought she sounded a bit off, a bit less in control than he remembered.
"She's not mine." He growled, swiping at her only to have her jump backwards with a flip. "She's her own."
"So just her cunt is yours?" She laughed again, trailing off hysterically. "You know Father means to kill her. Burn her at the stake like the water witch she is."
Zuko flinched at the thought and seethed inwardly. He fought for control and found it in the memory of her blue eyes looking up at him. They'd be together again; not even Azula could keep them apart. "And who did your cunt belong to, dear sister?" He triumphed slightly at the look on her face. "Zhao?"
"Zhao was a fool." She spit, leaping towards him in fury, slashing down with a foot that barely smoked. He blocked her, hacking down with his sword. She darted past him and turned back. "He refused my offer. We could have taken down Father together and put an end to this world."
"If you end the world, you'll have nothing to rule." Zuko yelled, charging at her. She skipped over him, landing further toward the palace. He changed direction and lunged back at her, sending her back and back until she was running from him. He knew she wasn't retreating: she was leading. But he chose to play his part, and went barreling headlong after her, keeping the image of a sleeping Katara in the back of his mind to keep his wits about him. Behind him he heard the shouts of Denali and Kozan as they followed him, bringing a handful of men along. He didn't hear Mai and Ty Lee follow, their silent footsteps shadowing those of his men.
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Katara slunk silently around a pillar, her mask discarded in a potted plant behind her, replaced by a simple black cloth that went over her nose and mouth, a black hood obscured her blue eyes from a casual observer. She had entered the palace clinging underneath a palanquin bearing a fire noble. The great houses had been fleeing into the stronghold of the palace all morning, hoping for sanctuary, only to be turned away by the Phoenix King's servants. Several had become quite upset and the guard had been called to escort them out. During one such altercation, Katara had slipped from beneath the palanquin to stealthily creep behind a large chest in the receiving area while the noble provided distraction with his hysterics. From there she had made her way, step by agonizing step, the moon's power singing through her veins.
She had made it to the third tier and begun creeping towards Ozai's chambers when she heard a dull roar coming from the corridor ahead, from the side that overlooked the front of the palace. She crept nearer, hearing the dull roar get louder and louder. From behind her pillar she could see through the large room that backed the wide balcony and out over the small, barred ledge. The sparring arena in front of the palace was lined with spectators, all screaming and yelling. The Phoenix King stood at the balcony, his hands gripping the railing, looking down. His golden mantle lay thick and heavy on his hunched shoulders, his helm put aside on a chair.
Katara took a deep gasping breath, turning to press her back to the stone pillar. She closed her eyes, trying to catch her breath. In front of her sprawled Ozai's chambers. Flashes of her time there splintered through her head as she opened her eyes. The burns. The bed. His dark golden eyes so close to Zuko's but so different. The pain he caused her rippled through her again, her back spasming as if he was burning her all over again.
"Little slave." His voice was the same in her haunted dreams. She stilled, not even breathing, as she heard the rustling of his robes come closer from the other side of the pillar. "I knew you would come back to me." She moved to stay on the other side of the wide pillar from him as he began to circle. "But now you return with my son, on the day of the Long Eclipse, with a knife to thrust in my back." Katara knew she didn't carry a knife, though she wished she did. "I'm going to give you a choice, water bender." Katara realized he had changed direction and mimicked him, almost too late as his hand snatched at where she had been. When he spoke again there was an angry edge. "You can return yourself to my chambers, rechain yourself to my bed, and lay with your legs apart for me. Or…" he paused and she paused. "Or I can roast you on a spit as my daughter kills your precious Prince before your eyes."
Or I can kill you, Katara thought. It was the only answer. Ozai would never stay imprisoned, no matter what dark hole they threw him in. She reached inside herself, finding the throb of the moon as it fully overtook the sun in the sky, and stepped out from behind the pillar to face the Phoenix King.
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"Hold!" Toph bellowed. Something was coming. Dust rose in the distance and it was traveling towards the Wall, fast. Toph squinted and dug her feet deeper into the craggy rock of the wall between the Lower and Middle Rings. It was about to be on them. "Hold!" Her men were wavering but they bolstered at her voice, their faces turning stony. Min Ki rocked on his heels beside her, the only indication of his worry. "Hold." She whispered to him, and to herself. Toph was good at enemies in front of her; she didn't do great with the unknown.
"We'll hold." Min Ki murmured to her, looking at her sideways.
She glared up at him. "We better. Or your ass is grass."
He snorted and flicked his eyes back towards the oncoming blur. When it was barely five hundred feet from the Outer Wall, the dust disappeared and the ancient figure of King Bumi emerged, swinging his gnarled fists in tandem, generating a mobile slab of rock. Behind him on the moving stone crouched Iroh, Master Piandao, Master Pakku, and Jeong Jeong the deserter. They wore dark blue robes trimmed in white, as did the other figures arriving behind them on similar moving slabs.
"I know that old man." Toph grinned toothily. "Stand down. They're on our side." Min Ki stiffened at her side. "You too."
"That's King Bumi." Min Ki murmured. "He ran from Omashu's defeat and has lived in prison ever since. He's a coward."
Toph shrugged. "I'm sure he has his reasons. And if Iroh trusts him, we trust him. Got it?"
Min Ki smiled with half his face. "If you trust him, I'll trust him."
"Gee, what is this, feelings time?" Toph punched his arm. "Grow a pair and let's finish this."
Min Ki chuckled and lifted her on to his back. "Onwards to victory?"
"Onwards to victory!" She cried, pointing towards the ground and the old men peering up at them. Min Ki erected a slide to the base of the Outer Wall, shooting down it with Toph whooping on his back. They landed in front of Bumi as he ground to a halt, the members of the White Lotus disembarking and assembling before the two earth benders. Toph's blind eyes took in the sour face of Master Pakku, the serious but dancing eyes of Piandao, the laughing, snorting face of old King Bumi, and the wild hair of Jeong Jeong.
Iroh strode forward, beaming at Toph. "Miss Bei Fong."
"You're late, old man." Toph embraced him. He was surprised to find that she was as tall as he was. The last time he had seen her…it had been years. She had been so small.
"I can tell." He leaned back in her embrace to look Min Ki up and down. "Who is this?"
"I'm with her." Min Ki said, his easy smile spreading across his face.
Toph rolled her eyes. "He's my second. Best earth bender I can find." Min Ki smiled fondly at her.
"Better than yourself?"
Toph scoffed. "No one's better than me."
"I beg to differ!" King Bumi's unbalanced voice came from behind Iroh but he was ignored.
"Where is my nephew?" Iroh asked, peering up at the Wall. "And Katara?"
Toph's face hardened. Down to business. "He's going after Azula. Katara…Katara was sent to capture Ozai."
Iroh's face fell. "Ozai?"
"She can bloodbend." Toph ground out. "Don't ask me, it wasn't my idea. I could feel how terrified she was but she still volunteered herself. She thinks she needs to do this."
Iroh sighed. "My nephew is headstrong but he is not foolish. He will have a plan to take down the Fire Lord. Where do you need us?"
Toph grinned. "You really want to have some fun?" Iroh nodded. "We have an idea."
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Azula danced around Zuko, swiping at him with her pointed nails. She cursed to herself that she hadn't thought to bring a weapon. Stupid. Her brother, always so serious, was winning and she was losing. It was completely unnatural. Just like that filthy moon covering the magnificent sun. She dashed across the rooftops towards the Palace, stopping once in a while to taunt Zuko, but he just kept coming, his face impassive, his swords flying in silver arcs around her. She managed to dodge his blows but couldn't land one of her own. She had noticed Mai and Ty Lee silently knock off each of Zuko's men that had followed, their prone forms falling to the streets below. She knew he was too intrigued to notice and she grinned.
"You're getting slow, Zuzu." She panted, scrambling backwards up the last rooftop, grinning inwardly. "You should have chopped me to bits long ago."
"Where are we going Azula?" Zuko growled, leaping the distance between roofs to land in front of her, glaring up into her grinning, manic face.
"We're going to see Father, Zuko." She sneered. "He's so excited to see you for the last time." She flipped up and back, disappearing over the rooftop. Zuko mounted the pointed roof and looked down at Azula, running along the streets towards what he knew was the sparring arena in front of the palace. So that was his father's end goal: watching Zuko be defeated in an Agni Kai in front of a crowd. It would be the ultimate end to any claim he had to the throne, if not his life.
He dropped from the roof, landing on his feet. He darted after Azula, knowing the Long Eclipse wouldn't last forever. His one chance was disappearing around the corner ahead of him and he followed, tense in preparation for what was ahead. The arched entrance of the arena was open, the wrought iron gate hanging on its hinges. He could hear the roar of a crowd and saw Azula standing at the far end, panting heavily, her hair tumbling out of its normally tightly wound bun. He glanced to the overhanging balcony where the Earth Kings used to watch the matches. The throne was empty; Ozai wasn't there.
He entered the arena with pride, his head high and back straight, drawing gasps and cries as he was recognized. He had decided to discard his mask for this final battle; it wasn't necessary anymore. His scar was instantly recognized and he heard a mixed chorus of jeering insults and questioning shouts. He had learned from stories like Jimoz's that he was rumored dead, killed by the Avatar and the water bender.
He looked across at his sister, staring down the arena at her, his own chest rising and falling rapidly. They stood, frozen in mutual indecision; wait for the eclipse to end or no? Zuko's instincts screamed at him to attack Azula now, while she was powerless. But the Fire Nation must be won or lost by fire, not by steel. The crowd was screaming at them, all sorts of suggestions and threats pouring down on them.
Zuko sensed movement behind him and he whirled sideways, keeping one sword outstretched towards Azula, the other outstretched towards the oncoming threat. It was a sea of black figures, headed by five figures in blue and white cloaks. They flowed in steadily, spreading to fill his side of the arena, lining the perimeters. They all wore masks, each a selection of blue, red, green, or yellow. They were a silent audience, standing motionless. He could see Azula turn as he did, taking in the masked, black clothed figures warily.
"What is this, Zuzu?" She cried, her voice unsteady. The Fire Nation crowd fell silent at her words, listening.
Zuko didn't say anything. He was looking to the five blue-robed figures, not sure what to say. He recognized his old fencing master, Piandao, who nodded at him with glinting grey eyes. He vaguely remembered the traitor Jeong Jeong from wanted posters and school-boy lectures. The man looked him up and down and gave a curt nod. The water tribe man also looked familiar, though he couldn't remember if he was from the North or South pole. The snorting Earth Kingdom man could only be the mad King Bumi, who Zuko had never met but knew from reputation and stories around campfires. And, of course, his Uncle, standing in front of the others, looking at him with pride and worry in his eyes, encouraging him wordlessly as he always had.
"This is the world." Zuko gestured to the masked figures around them. They remained silent as they listened as well. "These are the people who have been attacked, who have been enslaved, who have had family murdered by the Fire Nation. Their homes have been destroyed, their children captured, their land taken by a Nation not their own, under laws and customs not their own. They have been fighting, dying, and bleeding for years in defense of themselves and their homes." His raspy voice carried across the arena, and he could only hope that the Fire Nation citizens heard him. "They are tired of living under the boot of a tyrant who claims to be helping them, who claims that he is sharing the values and technology of the Fire Nation with them when in reality his only desire is for more power, more control, more death in the name of progress." He sheathed his dao swords; the moon was slipping slowly from the sun and he could feel his fire coming. "The world is here to speak. To say that they are taking back what is theirs."
"And you speak for them." Azula sneered, interrupting him. "You're a disgrace to the Fire Nation."
"No." The arena turned as one to the masked figure who stepped forward. The figure wasn't clad in black like the others, standing among a large group in the same raggedy clothes, blue armbands tied fiercely around their upper arms. "Prince Zuko is the most honorable fire bender I have ever not had the pleasure of meeting." The figure stripped off his green mask, revealing the weathered face of Chief Hakoda. His blue eyes sparkled defiantly as he glared at Azula. "You and your father have wiped out my people, my culture, and kept us captive in your city for seven years." The rest of the water tribe removed their multi-colored masks, revealing brown skin and blue eyes, shining in the light of the brightening sun. "The water tribe stands behind Prince Zuko."
"That's very nice." Azula sneered, crossing her arms. "But the water tribe doesn't exist. And if it did, it would have no say in the government of the Fire Nation."
"Your words are a lie." Zuko said. "The water tribe stands before you, a people decimated by the Fire Nation." He swept his arm to encompass the entire black-clad crowd. "The Air Nomads. The Water Tribe. The Earth Kingdom. What right did the Fire Nation have to presume to be the only people worthy of life?"
"The right of power." Azula screamed, sparks flying from her fingertips. "We could so we did."
"The power you speak of is greed." Zuko cried. "Greed, avarice, and lust for lands not our own. The world needs all nations, not just one."
"The power I speak of is power." Azula taunted. "Something you know nothing about, Zuzu." Her fingers sparkled with her returning lightening. "Have you ever even been declared a master?"
"Yes." Zuko replied, removing his swords from his back and handing them to Hakoda. He stood straight as the world held its breath around him. "Fire Lord Azula, I challenge you, as the rightful heir and true Fire Lord, to an Agni Kai. For the throne."
Muttered whispers ran through the crowd but the black masked figures stayed silent. Azula simpered and moved into a firebending form. "When shall we start, Zuko? Before or after your bending returns?"
"I've changed, Azula." He crouched into his own form, bringing forth blue fire to spiral around him in flickering tongues. "You won't win."
"I won't lose." She cried, starting towards him. "I never lose, and I won't start by losing to you!"
As she darted towards him, a great and terrible voice boomed out from the balcony, bringing her to a halt and every face, masked or unmasked, toward the balcony. "Phoenix King Ozai, you will answer for your crimes against the world."
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Katara's chest heaved as she stepped out to face Ozai, her heart threatening to explode from her chest in panic. He hadn't changed; he was still the monster she remembered in her nightmares. Tall, imposing, strong face with a small pointed black beard and long black hair crowned with a golden flame. He radiated heat, even during the eclipse, his dark gold eyes staring down at her with a mix of fury and hunger. She saw his eyes raking up and down her body, lingering on her mask, her hands, and her chest. She refused to flinch away from him, standing tall in front of him.
"The mask is an interesting touch." He said, looking into the dark eye holes. "I can tell it's you." He took a step toward her and she took a step back, unwittingly moving closer to his chamber. "Don't throw your life away on the crazed dreams of my foolish son. He has been deluded by my brother into believing he is correct. The world will always belong to the Fire Nation, and no pitiful group of rebels will ever change that."
"You're wrong." Katara was glad to hear her voice come out strong. "The world belongs to its people."
"Don't be stupid, little girl." Katara flinched and he saw. A smirk crossed his face and he took a step forward, forcing her back again. "This world belongs to me, and I'm offering you a piece of it."
"You're offering me enslavement." She shouted at him, taking a step forward, her hands balling into fists. She tore her mask off, flinging it to the side. She watched his eyes as they crawled along her face, drinking in the scar from her escape so long ago, the blue of her eyes, the high cheek bones. She was not the girl he had tortured years ago. "You're offering me the deaths of my people, my friends, my family. There is nothing left in the world after that. Not for me." She raised her hands, fingers spread like spiders before her. "I won't let you hurt anyone else, ever again." She shoved her fingers forward, the moon's power flowing through her. She could almost feel Yue urging her on, telling her that it was for the good of the world. Ozai stumbled backwards a step, shocked by the hate in her eyes and her sudden attack. She grabbed for his veins, feeling the blood pumping through them. The thought of his trial fled her mind, vengeance the only thing left. Ozai let out a groan of pain as she began to constrict the big veins in his neck, cutting off bloodflow. The surprise showed in his eyes as he gasped for air; surprise that she would actually kill him, that she could, that he might not win after all. That his power and reign would end so swiftly at the hands of his own little slave.
"Mom?" A small voice came from behind her.
Shocked out of her deadly fervor she turned, keeping her hold on Ozai's veins but relaxing her grip enough to allow blood flow. Kaya stood behind her, dressed in her own black clothing, a mask in her small hand.
"Kaya." Katara gasped, horrified. "What are you doing here? Go back!"
Kaya shook her head, her face scared but determined. "I'm not leaving you alone."
"What is this?" Ozai hissed, still held immobile by Katara's bending. "A half breed child." His eyes flicked from Kaya's confused eyes to Katara, and back again. "No."
"Shut up." Katara snarled, flexing her grip on his throat and making him sputter. "Kaya, please."
"You can't kill him." Katara yelled. "You can't!"
Katara stared down at her, panic and anger at battle within her. "Why?"
"Because you don't kill!" Tears ran down Kaya's cheeks as she took a step forward. "You're not him! You're my mom!" She was almost screaming. "You can't be like him!"
"Of course I'm not." Katara murmured.
"If you're like him, I'll be like him!" Kaya cried, a sob tearing from her throat. "Iroh told me that children are like their parents and if you're both killers, I must be no good."
"A child's logic." Ozai sneered. He shifted slightly, feeling Katara's grip lighten just a hair. "If she is of my line as she appears, she has violence in her veins."
"Shut. Up." Katara said, whirling on him, determined to end his threat here and now.
"Katara."
She turned slowly back around, her eyes widening. In front of her eyes her child morphed, gracefully flowing into the form of a young woman: the adult she would be. She was tall, with well-defined muscled arms, light mocha skin, dark hair tied in a loose fire nation bun, water tribe hair loops swaying gently in an invisible breeze. Her eyes glowed blue as she stepped forward to lay hands on her mother's outstretched wrists. The voice of the Avatar came with her words. "He is not yours to kill."
"Why?" Katara whispered, tears threatening to spill from her own eyes. "What he's done…"
"Ending his life will not undo the past." The voice said. "He has committed terrible crimes against the people of the world, but justice is not yours to mete out. If the water tribe strikes that blow, it will merely begin another war."
Katara slowly lowered her hands, bristling at the sound of Ozai's relieved sigh. The Avatar who stood before her, a future shadow of her daughter, laid a hand on her shoulder before turning to the enraged Phoenix King.
"The Avatar is dead." He roared. "What trickery is this?"
"No trickery." The Avatar spoke. She raised her hand, calling together a small tornado of pebbles, water, fire, and wind, spinning it around and around in her hand. Ozai stumbled back, steaks of inky black hair falling across his face.
"A lie!"
The Avatar advanced on him, driving him back towards the balcony. He stumbled over the hem of his robes and snarled, raising fists that smoked. "Take one more step and it will be your last."
The Avatar raised her hands, erecting stone manacles from the balcony floor. They captured Ozai's hands, enveloping his wrists in rock. She forced him down on his knees in full view of the world. She rose into the air, her small collection of elements orbiting around her. "Phoenix King Ozai, you will pay for your crimes against the world. You and your forefathers have devastated the balance of the world, and now you shall pay the ultimate price!"
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A.N.: Coming close to the end now…..
To Guest: Yay! I'm glad you think it was epic :D
To storyoftheunknownfangirl: Thank you!
To Kat-Tastrophe: Ily. Lol
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