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"…she's breathing. She's still…"
…
"...what are we gonna do? If we try to…"
…
"Shut up! I think she's coming!"
The sudden steadiness of the sea and the voice of a stranger was what fished Azula up from the realm of unconsciousness. She blinked her eyes from the harsh sun, smelling the stench of seawater upon her skin. A groan left her lips, feeling the ache of her body. How…how long was she out for? Didn't feel like a long time.
The first thing her eyes saw once they'd adjusted themselves to the sun was the girl looming over her.
Panic shot through her veins, but there wasn't a whole lot her exhausted body could do about it. All she was able to manage was to quicken her breath and at least try to move her limbs in some pitiful attempt to escape. Clearly, she was making her distress known though, for the girl gently placed her arms on the Princess's shoulders. "Hey! Relax! You're not in any danger. You're safe."
Azula sized up the girl trying to console her. She didn't seem much older than the dazed Princess. Short black hair made her think of Mai, but it was a bit frazzled and unkempt. Only a single small braid on the left side of her face was the only evidence it was cared for. The pale skin and soft amber eyes made Azula realize she was Fire Nation in descent. At least she hadn't been picked up by any Water Tribe savages or those snakes from the Earth Kingdom.
Everything else though was less reassuring. Her rather loose simple garments of red and gold didn't exactly seem to resemble anything near the home islands. Given how her shoulders and arms were bare, she'd almost wager the girl was a native of one of the outlying islands dotting the farthest edges of the Fire Nation. The tattoos under her eyes were especially odd. Three under each eye in the shape of lightning bolts; each one colored either red, black, or gold.
Then there was that medallion around her neck. It was simple, looking like a bit of stone. Yet the symbol…a cross with what looked like rays emanating from it…she wasn't sure why, but it seemed to stand out more than it should.
"I…where am I?! Who are you?!"
"Relax. My name's Maina and we're nearing Odo Island," the girl reassured, though how that was supposed to calm Azula's fears was anyone's guess. Maina? What kind of name was that?! It certainly didn't sound like anything from the Capital or the surrounding islands! And where was Odo Island?!
Hang on. Odo Island…why did that name sound familiar?
"Speaking of which, we need to figure out what we're gonna do with her," another voice said. Looking over across the small boat, she saw two young men rowing the boat. "She's the Princess, and the soldiers aren't just gonna let us take her into the village."
Azula felt her skin go cold at the peasant's assessment. They knew who she was. Who wouldn't know the Mad Princess by this point? Of course, they were going to turn her in. Surely, the news of the prison ship sinking would've reached her brother by now, and he would've put out a nice fat bounty for whoever captured the mad princess. If she knew lowlives like him, they'd be frothing for the chance for some easy riches.
"We can't just hand her over to the guards either! She's not much older than I am!" Maina spoke out.
…Azula blinked, her anxiety about the whole thing not going away. Why would somebody stick up for her?
"Not like we have much of a choice!" the second peasant said, a bit shorter and scrawnier than the other. They began to argue with one another, Azula just sitting there trying to figure it out. The two men obviously wanted her gone to be praised by the Fire Lord himself or something. This Maina on the other hand. What did the girl gain by having somebody like her around? It couldn't be a status thing since nobody would want anything to do with a disgraced failure like her. Could it be that she wanted the glory to bring the monster in chains herself? Why?!
She could hear her father laughing right next to her. Oh, this is rich! I entrusted the throne to you, and now you're letting these vultures fight over you! As if you couldn't sink even further…
Her mother on the other hand had other words. Don't listen to him, Azula. You don't even know who this girl is! She could be trying to help!
"Shut…shut up!" she snarled, covering her ears to try and block out the voices in her head. Azula couldn't take it. It was too loud. Too many voices between all the shouting and the yelling and the screaming…
The screaming…
Maina looked over and saw the haunted look on her face. Great. Now she was exposing her broken self to strangers. Felt like all she could do was screw up these days.
"Princess…could I ask you a question?"
Azula looked up, surprised at hearing her title for the first time since…she couldn't recall. Numbly, she nodded her head.
The strange girl took a deep breath. "Did you see what sank those ships?"
What sank those ships. Flashes of lightning and an earth-shattering roar flashed through Azula's mind.
"...yes. I couldn't forget it."
Silence descended upon the boat. Maina and the two other peasants exchanged looks, no one daring to say a word. It was an aura that Azula was all too familiar with. Dread. Dread of something they knew all too well.
They knew what was out there.
"We need to get her to Elder Yamane in the Dragon's Cave. He needs to know what's going on out here."
"Wouldn't that just bring attention to ourselves? I mean, we already have a sign from the debris she came in on," the taller man responded to Maina, pointing to a bucket in the boat. Azula's mind was brought down to earth and away from the nightmare. Old instincts kicked in as she tried to figure out the situation. What was the "Dragon's Cave"? It didn't sound like something they wanted to draw attention to. Smugglers maybe?
Maina held her ground though. "Look, she's the only survivor that's been brought in who's seen what's caused this that isn't delirious or scorched half to death. If what we think is true, she's our best shot of confirming it!" So this was a rescue boat. And apparently, other survivors had been rescued. That didn't ease Azula's mind at all. Were they holding any prisoners captive so they could get paid in royal gold? Surely whoever secured the sacrifices to the Earth Kingdom would be paid handsomely.
"Besides, do either of you really want to ship off a teenager like me to be tried for war crimes?" the strange girl finished, giving both of the men a glare as if daring them to respond.
Both of the other peasants paused and looked at each other. "...no. No, we don't," the shorter one said. The taller one sighed and punched his partner in the arm, muttering something about "Don't come crying to me when the Fire Lord comes knocking".
Maina smirked with satisfaction before returning to the stunned Azula. "You're gonna be okay. Yamane and I aren't gonna let you fall into custody again."
"I…" Azula wasn't sure what to say. She tried listening for the lie, the telltale hint, but she never got it. All she got was the other girl placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Why? Why was this peasant helping her?
Probably wasn't wise to question it now though. It was either this Maina or the guards, and at least the other teen didn't seem interested in turning her in just yet. Her best interest would be to play along until she knew what was going on. The smart thing would be to play dumb and wait for an opening to get away if nothing else.
With that in mind, Azula turned to the sea, planning how she was going to get out of this one.
…the planning didn't last long before she stared into the dark depths of the ocean, wondering just what it had unleashed last night upon the world.
"Hey, Sokka! How close are we to the site?!"
"According to the map that communications officer gave us…we should be coming up on it very shortly!?
Aang strained his eyes, trying to find the exact portion of ocean designated out of the…endless ocean Appa was currently flying over. "Uh…any particular landmarks?"
"It's in the middle of the ocean! What kind of 'landmarks' would be out in the middle of an ocean?!" the brains of Team Avatar exclaimed exasperatedly. "Just keep an eye out for debris or something. Anything that looks like survivors could be clinging onto." Sokka proceeded to fish out a telescope and began to scan the waters.
"Boomerang, you do know that they probably rescued whoever was down there already, right? I mean you did say it didn't happen too far off the island."
"Well, better safe than sorry. No harm in doing a quick scan in case anybody's left out there," Katara told Toph, a bit annoyed that the blind earthbender wasn't taking what was essentially a rescue mission all too seriously.
"Okay. I just don't understand why I have to come along with you guys instead of dropping me off at Odo Island. It's not like I can be much help if Azula's out here since…you know, can't exactly bend a whole lot of earth out here," the little girl pointed out.
"You still got that meteorite fragment?" Sokka asked.
"Yeah. Duh!"
"Then bend that! Besides, if we do find Azula, we're gonna need all the help we can get."
Aang's eyebrows furrowed. When they heard of the transport ship sinking from Zuko, the first thing they thought of was Azula escaping. Quite frankly, none of them wanted to deal with her on the loose. As for why the ships sank in the first place was anybody's guess. Zuko's advisors believed it could've been one of those renegade military groups that went rogue following his coronation 4 months ago that tried to spring the former Princess out of custody.
So far though, nobody's seen any Fire Nation ships in the area outside of those assigned to Odo Island. Nor had there been any sightings of ships coming in or out during the time following the raid, so chances were Azula was still in the area. Best the team could do for the moment was to confirm whether or not Azula was among the survivors, or sunk down with the rest of the ship.
The Avatar wasn't sure what bothered him more. The possibility of Azula hiding among survivors and escaping, or her drowning in the depths of the sea. He knew what it was like to be forced under the waves, and he couldn't wish that fate on anyone. Not even somebody who shot lightning through him.
"I hope she's still alive…" Aang muttered.
Toph on the other hand had a very different reaction. "Me too! I've been wanting to go another round with her ever since the eclipse!"
"I just hope we can take her in before anyone gets hurt," Katara responded with a somewhat distant look, gazing out over the sea. Aang understood. She told him about what happened after she chained Azula up. It…wasn't pretty.
And Aang dreaded what the firebender's state was following 4 months in an asylum. Zuko told them it was for her own good, but if the Avatar knew a thing or two about Fire Nation captivity, it wasn't the most pleasant thing in the world. He just hoped her brother made sure she was safe.
"Hey! Down there! Survivors!" Sokka shouted looking through his telescope, pointing to a spot down below. Aang followed where Sokka was pointing and nodded, steering Appa down to the blue waters of the sea. The metal hull of the debris stood out, the three sailors hollering, cheering, and letting out flames of fire to mark where they were.
Aang let out a sigh of relief, gently lowering the flying bison down to the sailors' impromptu liferaft. Looked like they stumbled across some survivors after all-
-an explosion of water erupted, throwing the metal and survivors into the air. Before anyone could react, a large crocodilian head snapped down on one of the sailors and dragged him screaming back into the sea.
Appa bellowed with surprise at the newcomer, getting sprayed as water was sprayed from its retreat back to the depths. Everyone just sat there gobsmacked before one of the sailors hollered, "HELP US OUT OF HERE BEFORE HE COMES BACK!"
"What's going on down there?! Is it Azula?!" Toph yelled, unable to see what was going on, but was able to hear both the screaming and feel Appa rapidly pulling up.
Sokka shook his head. "No! Some kind of sea monster! Aang! See if you can lure him away! I'll take Appa and get them out of the water! Katara! Hold back till we can get them out so they don't get caught in the crossfire!" Aang and Katara nodded, both prepping themselves as Sokka took command like he usually did.
Already the airbender could see a shadow begin to ascend through the depths, aiming right at one of the sailors. Standing up, he got the wings out of the glider Teo had gifted him and lept off Appa. He used the momentum from the leap and aimed his trajectory right at the sailor, hoping to get the timing right.
At the last moment, he snapped up his glider and swooshed a gust of air that got the sailor out of harm's way, before swinging it around and pushing another gust to propel him away from the water.
Just in time too as the water exploded and a sleek, reptilian body jumped out with its maw wide open. His first thoughts were an Unagi from the streamlined frame and dark body. But the neck was far too short, and its head looked less like an eel and more like some kind of lizard. It wasn't nearly as big either, along with having four paddle-like fins against its body.
Whatever it was, its eyes were trained on him as it snapped its jaw shut and plummeted back to the water below.
Well, the good news was that it had its attention on him. Aang opened his air glider once more and flew off away from Appa and the others, keeping himself low to the surface so the predator wouldn't lose interest. Sure enough, he heard a burst of water from behind, prompting him to turn his glider in the nick of time to avoid getting devoured by the hungry maw crashing back into the sea. Nobody could say he didn't know how to get out of the trouble he found himself in.
He sped up by bending air behind him, hoping to put at least a little bit of distance between whatever this thing was and himself. Aang looked behind to make sure that he was being followed, only to see the calm waters of the sea surrounding him. Far behind, Sokka was throwing down the ropes off of Appa to haul the sailors out of the water. The thing was, he didn't see any shadows or disturbances that betrayed the reptile possibly moving in that direction.
So on the one hand, the predator wasn't interested in his friends. On the other, where was it? Didn't seem too likely for a carnivore of that size to just give up easily.
Aang slowed down to get his bearings when he saw the bubbles and foam right in front of him. He snapped his glider shut and pushed some air to cut off his momentum, just as the hunter burst out of the water once more.
This time though, the beast's body was angled in such a way that it was gonna fall right on top of him. Panicking, Aang dove to the side to avoid getting crushed. Yet before he could snap his staff open to save himself, the water was pushed upwards as the beast hit the surface and crashed over his body. On instinct, Aang bent a sphere of air around him as he was forced under the water.
The old lessons about controlling one's breath took over, bringing a sense of calm over Aang to wash over the panic. That and to maintain the bubble of air that separated the waters of the ocean from him.
A low growl penetrated the shield and brought his attention to the great monster before him. Getting a better look, Aang saw that its torso was a lot bulkier than he imagined. Its whole body seemed to be powered by rippling muscles just underneath the scaly hide. Despite having him at a temporary disadvantage, the predator held back, carefully circling the boy and eyeing him. It wasn't used to prey that could bend air around itself underwater.
Now, Aang knew animals. He knew sea animals. After all, he did enjoy riding Elephant Koi, managed to handle an Unagi the one time, and even defeated a sea serpent. So he could confidently say that he had no idea just what this particular animal was. All he did know was that it was some kind of reptile, and it was really hungry.
Hopefully, his being able to bend air beneath the surface would surprise it enough for it to back off. The rule of thumb was that predators didn't like to be startled by an unknown factor and might have second thoughts if presented with one.
Which seemed to have given this predator some thought as it turned away, probably to head back out to sea. Aang let out a sigh of relief.
Before going right back to panicking as it snapped its long paddle-like tail against his air shield. The hunter sprung into action, with its lithe body coiling and rushing right at the surprised airbender with its toothy maw.
A good thing then that Aang didn't just have air at his disposal.
Reaching out into the sea surrounding him with his fingers, he froze the immediate water around the air shield to form a thick icy encasing. The monster's jaws snapped against the ice, but it was thick enough to hold the rather sharp-looking teeth at bay.
For the moment anyway with the ice cracking and the teeth beginning to sink in. Not wanting to give the beast a chance, Aang brought his limbs together and prepared to let out a burst of air and got ready to shatter the ice to throw his assailant off of him. That was the plan before the predator suddenly lurched down and threw itself out of the water with the encasing still in its jaw.
One did have to admire the reptile in one respect. It certainly was smarter than it looked to recognize it could smash the encasing against the surface of the sea with little effort. Aang probably could appreciate it more if he weren't currently trapped in its jaws.
Not for long though. Aang pushed out, bursting the sphere of ice outward and pushing out with a massive burst of air. The beast grunted in surprise as its jaw was forcibly pried open, allowing Aang to open his glider and fly to safety.
Or tried to as the predator tried to snap its jaws shut again. At least it would've, if a massive wave from nowhere had swept the reptile aside, forcing it down back into the sea.
Luckily for the boy, he had a powerful waterbender for a friend.
"Come on Aang! We got the survivors!" Katara shouted from Appa's back. Aang didn't need to be told twice, gliding over to safety and landing on the bison's back. He suddenly found himself being embraced as Katara gave him a massive hug.
"Don't do anything stupid like that again. Okay?" she ordered with a lot of worry.
"It's okay, Katara. Thanks for saving me out there," Aang said, embracing her back, and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. He was cutting it close back there. At least he knew he had people to watch his back.
Somebody else was considerably less understanding. Momo landed on his shoulder and started chittering angrily like somehow he could put his fury into words. Aang just chuckled nervously, patting his pet lemur on the head reassuredly that he WON'T try to bait a huge sea monster like that again.
Speaking of which.
Aang looked out to see and saw the retreating form of the predator swimming back to the depths. Guess it didn't want to try its luck any further. Good. He wouldn't want to get on Katara's bad side either.
"Hey, lovebirds! Mind telling me just what was out there?!" Toph snapped out. Both Katara and Aang let go of their embrace, a little embarrassed they got caught in the act.
Before either of them could answer, one of the survivors answered. "I'm telling you, it's a mosasaur! Just like the one I read about from that scroll back home!"
"Oh for the love of-we're just happy you rescued us from that thing Avatar," the other soldier interrupted, no doubt wanting to stop his comrade from embarrassing himself. Something that didn't escape Toph's notice, her brow furrowing in a moment of deep thought. Now Toph and "deep thought" normally went together as well as Aang and meat, so it caught the airbender's attention almost immediately.
"Sorry about your friend back there," Sokka apologized, not seeing Toph's change in demeanor due to currently flying Appa. "Are there any other survivors we might need to pick up in case that thing comes back?"
"No. We're the last two. Boats from the nearby island took the rest, and somebody was supposed to come back for us. That… thing and others like it were picking us off all night once the boats sunk."
Katara leaned in and got the duo's attention. "Listen. Was Azula among the survivors that were taken?"
The first sailor rubbed his chin. "I…don't think we saw her. I mean there were a few of us, but I'd think we'd notice if the Princess was among them."
Aang felt his spirits dim a bit. Don't get him wrong, he didn't like the girl who almost killed him and conquered Ba Sing Se. Yet it didn't seem right to wish for her death either. After all, what separated her from the countless soldiers who'd tried to kill them over the last year? These soldiers sitting across from him. They would've been enemies if they had met just a few months sooner.
He guessed the only difference was that Azula succeeded where so many failed. Admittedly, that would paint a target on anybody's back regardless of what else she did.
"I wouldn't count her out yet though," the second sailor warned. "I once heard she managed to survive being thrown off her own sloop by the Dragon of the West. If anybody could survive whatever attacked us, she could."
Everyone remained silent, letting the implications sink in. Azula could still be alive. There were…a lot of conflicted feelings floating about. Aang and Katara shared a look. Neither of them wanted somebody about as old as them to die, but they didn't exactly want the Princess of the Fire Nation running around loose either. Toph didn't say a word, probably still mulling over what the first sailor said about the monster. Sokka…everyone knew his thoughts on the matter. He went with whatever Aang and Katara thought but also made it clear he didn't think the main attack dog of the old Fire Lord should be given too much leniency.
Things were complicated these days. Sure Aang was happy that not everyone in the Fire Nation was actively trying to kill them anymore. Now it was a matter of who was going to be punished. Sure there were a lot of higher-ups and warmongers that needed to be dealt with at the summit. Yet the other nations were practically begging the entire Fire Nation army to be disbanded and put behind bars.
Aang understood that part. But looking at the men before him, it made him wonder who was truly heinous amongst them, and who were just caught up in the war machine…
"Look, could you tell us what happened last night?"
Both sailors looked at each other a bit nervously at Aang's question. "Well…we didn't exactly see who we were fighting. It was too stormy and the ship sunk before we could even get up to the deck."
"Just tell me what you remember then," the Avatar reassured, leaning forward and hoping to catch as much detail as possible. It was gonna take them a while to get to Odo Island and speak to the rest of the survivors, so he figured they'd make do with what they had.
Sokka probably would say they hit a reef or something and the prisoners made a break for it, causing the ships to sink in the confusion due to misfire under the mistaken belief they were under attack. Aang and Katara reserved judgment as they heard the sailor's story. Chances were, the worst they'd have to deal with was Azula again. And they dealt with her in the past.
In short, nothing they hadn't handled before.
Odo Island
They pulled into a small harbor hidden by huge, jagged shards of stone jutting out from the water. The cave itself was nestled beneath a rocky outcropping, with the harbor and wooden docks connected to a small landing. Further back, Azula could see tunnels reaching back into the walls, lit by torches.
The smell was the first thing that hit her when she took her first uneasy steps onto dry land. Air-drying fish had that unmistakable stench. She had to cover her nose to not take the foul aroma in.
Maina and the two other peasants didn't seem too affected by it. Figures. You grow up in filth, you get used to filth. The two men stayed behind to check their boat while Maina picked up the bucket and a wooden staff to lead Azula into the so-called "Dragon's Cave". What exactly made this poor establishment worthy of the name was a mystery. All around her, she saw smelly-looking fishermen unloading their catches, peasants cleaning and hanging up their catches to fill the whole space with their stench…
Ugh, it almost made her want to hurl. So much so that she stumbled a bit on the steady earth.
The bruises and injection points she saw on her arms though told her the real reason. Her once milky white skin was riddled where they drugged her up and where the restraints for the damned straitjacket were fastened. It made her sick to her stomach. The one good thing about the ship was that the drugs and jacket were gone. Probably because her dear brother probably didn't want anyone asking questions about why she looked this way and thus tarnish his new squeaky clean image.
Even still, she could feel the remnants of her drugs and the straitjacket gnaw at her legs, causing her to wobble around. The adrenaline from her escape was gone, now replaced by the sadly familiar sense of vertigo. Gravity did the rest, bringing her to her knees on the cold hard ground.
"Woah! You okay?" Maina asked, leaning down to help, but Azula brushed her away.
"I don't need your help, peasant. I can get up just fine." She did it before, after all. Yet when she tried to muster the strength to pick herself up…
Maina knelt to her level. "Look. I can find you a doctor if you-"
"No doctors," she growled. The last thing she needed was for more so-called care workers to say how they were here to help before lashing her restraints on.
The other girl gave a frustrated sigh. "Listen. I don't know what they taught you in the Capital, but I'm not gonna chop you to pieces and serve you for dinner."
"That's oddly specific."
"A lot of people think that of us. But that's not the point! Like it or not, I'm your best shot right now. And trust me, I'd rather not have to deal with somebody like you any longer than I should."
"Then why not turn me in then?" Azula snapped back. Here it was. The same speech she'd heard for the last few months. She was a horrible person. A monster. Basically, everything she knew to be true was thrown back in her face. What did this girl have that she hadn't heard before?
"Because I DO care about whether or not a girl like me is gonna be okay and not get herself sick from just walking."
Maina sighed, collecting herself. "I know you don't trust me. I get it. But you have to trust me when I say I want to help. Where I'm from, we've never been known to turn a cold shoulder to somebody in need."
Azula's eyes met hers, looking for the lie. All she saw was honesty. Nothing about the girl screamed a warning sign. And deep down, Azula wanted to believe her. When everyone seemed to have a fist full of fire to your face, she needed any sort of ally the world would throw at her.
…yet the memories of daggers and paralysis also told her that she didn't know people as well as she wanted to believe.
"...alright. Just…give me a minute though." Maina stood back, allowing Azula to slowly get back on her shaky legs. It pained her to show even a single moment of weakness to who was effectively a stranger, but she couldn't rely entirely on trust alone right now. It's like Father said: sometimes the only person you can rely on is yourself.
She took one uneasy step. Another step. She felt her feet steady themselves, keeping her legs stable. Satisfied that she was back in control, she nodded to Maina, allowing the girl to lead her further into the cave. Taking a moment to look around her, she noticed that it didn't seem entirely like a natural carving. It kind of reminded her of the emergency tunnels beneath the Royal Palace, only a lot smoother.
It made her wonder what they were built for. Smuggling perhaps. They seemed to be hoarding a lot of supplies down here. Fish in particular, though how exactly that qualified as something valuable to be sold off was anyone's guess.
Eventually, they came across an old man in rather drab-looking clothes giving out orders to a group of peasants carrying crates of supplies. Despite his age and his rather earthly looks, he carried out an aura of authority that practically announced himself as the elder they were looking for. Didn't compare to anyone from the military or even Fire Nation leadership, but it was respectable enough as far as Azula was concerned.
"Elder Yamane," Maina greeted while giving a polite bow, elbowing the Princess to do the same. Naturally, bowing down before a peasant of all people almost made her throw up (or was it the lingering drugs?), but quite frankly her pride has been smashed to pieces as of late. Besides, she hadn't been drilled to be impolite.
The old man turned and gave a bow in return with a smile. "Maina! It's so good to see you! I've heard that the Hōnengyo have been prowling the waters, and I was afraid-"
"Don't worry. We didn't run into any on the way back. Though, I did find a bit more than what we bargained for out there." She stepped aside, showing Azula to the village elder.
"The…the Princess Azula!" Elder Yamane gasped, before looking rather surprised at Maina. "Why did you bring her here? She could put us all-"
"She was barely awake when we found her and she's in no condition to go to the guards," the native girl clarified. "Besides…we're already in enough danger as it is."
With that, she passed the bucket she was holding to the elder, inviting him to look inside. Yamane obliged, and his face almost whitened to ash. Curious, Azula peeked inside to see what there was so much fuss about.
It was…an odd-looking crustacean. The first thing Azula thought of was a horseshoe crab, an ancient sort of sea creature she read about in a scroll once. This thing on the other hand was something else. For one, the thorax was a bit longer and segmented. And the head seemed oddly shaped as well. More like the crescent of the moon than a helmet.
"A…trilobite…a Herald from the Deep," Yamane whispered, looking Maina dead in the eye. "Where did you find it?"
"I found it clinging to the piece of metal Princess Azula was floating on."
"...wait, that thing was with me the whole time?"
"With all due respect, trilobites are one of the most harmless things in the world. You've got better chances of getting pecked to death by a messenger hawk," Maina snarked to the now freaked-out Princess. Indeed, looking inside the bucket, Azula saw that the "trilobite" was just placidly milling about.
Feeling that she had gotten freaked out over what effectively was a harmless animal, her mind caught up to her. She remembered that in a visit to a General's estate, he showed off his collection of trophies he had won from his campaign in the Earth Kingdom. Among them were fossils, the remains of ancient creatures that had long died out which were studied abroad. One thing stuck out to her though…
"Aren't these things supposed to be extinct?" she asked. The more she looked at it, this felt like the equivalent of finding a living dragon.
The elder's gaze seemed to go distant, his words coming to life as if dragged out of a daze. "Well…yes. But there are places in the world where ancient species like these survive. The shores off of Odo are one of them. Yet trilobites are different. They only live in the deepest recesses of the ocean, where the sun cannot reach. There's no way this one could've crawled from the depths. It had to have hitched a ride on…something…"
Yamane looked Azula in the eye, with an intensity that seemed unreal for one of his background. "Princess. What did you see out there?"
…
She sighed and told her story. Of her imprisonment, about her escape.
And the…monster she had seen. Looking back, she thought the beast was another hallucination. One more sign of her fracturing mind brought upon by adrenaline and stress. There was no way a creature like that could possibly exist after all.
When she finished her story, she expected them to look at her and think her mad. They all did.
What she saw were faces of horror. All around them, the bustle of work seemed to stop, the peasants slowing to hear her account. Dread descended upon the cave, her words echoing in the space.
Her skin chilled with understanding.
They believed her.
Shaking out of his stupor, Yamane grabbed one of the peasants and started giving orders, and all at once, the work began again with renewed vigor. He talked to a few more workers before turning to them both. "Princess, Maina. Come with me. I need to show you something."
"Wait…you believe me?" Azula managed to choke out.
"Let's just say there's a reason these tunnels were dug out in the first place," Yamane said, beginning to lead them out of the caves.
Surprised at the revelation, Azula followed both him and the girl beside her. She threw caution into the wind as something else urged her on. That thing, that monster…it was no hallucination. It was real. And now she wanted answers.
Even still, deep down…a part of her was nervous about what she was going to find.
"Hang on…you're telling me those things are supposed to be extinct ?!"
Toph shrugged. "Hey. I'm just telling you what I heard from my parents, Twinkletoes." They were standing outside of the common building that was being repurposed as a temporary field hospital on the island they had just arrived on. Practically all of the survivors weren't in any condition to talk, either being in too much pain or just too out of it to tell them what had happened. The blind girl took the opportunity to tell Aang what was on her mind.
According to her, she heard the name "mosasaur" from a visit her family had made to a friend of theirs. A scholar to be precise. And he had a collection of fossils that he had a habit of showing off to visitors. Among them were the bones of a great marine lizard that was called a mosasaur by the circles of scientific minds who studied such remains. He described it as the apex predator of a long-lost ecosystem.
Not long-lost though considering they just ran into one offshore. "Well, maybe some of them managed to survive being hunted by the Fire Nation," Aang reasoned. It wasn't like extinct species didn't have a habit of not being extinct after all. Appa and Momo were examples of that. Ran and Shaw were examples of that. Technically, Aang himself was an example of that.
The earthbender just shook her head. "We're not talking about being hunted into extinction. The rock layers some of these fossils were found were millions of years old! Probably even far older than we've been around! How could something manage to survive for that long?"
"Well, if they're sea creatures, maybe they just adapted to live in the deep sea," Sokka reasoned. Aang and Toph looked at him a little funny, causing the warrior to shrug. "Hey, Suki knows a little about sea monsters.
"If that's the case, what I want to know is what exactly forced them up to the surface? Animals don't just leave their habitat unless they've got a really good reason," Aang wondered aloud, his mind already trying to put the clues together. They figured pretty early on that the mosasaurs couldn't have been responsible for the sinkings. Vicious as they were, they didn't seem big enough like a sea serpent to destroy Fire Nation ships. At best, they were following in the wake of something to pick off whatever scraps it left behind.
The question now is what exactly were they following?
"You think it might be an angry spirit, Aang?" Sokka asked, noticing the airbender's concentrating face.
"Could be. Wouldn't be the first time a spirit got angry and attacked the Fire Nation." He shuddered, knowing the full extent of how wrathful an enraged being could be when pushed too far. The question is, what exactly is making it upset? Usually environmental damage was enough to set a spirit off, but the area of Odo Island looked pretty serene. Sure there was a naval base on the island, but it wasn't polluting the waters like the factory at the Jang Hui River.
They'd have to do some more digging. And that meant asking questions. The best way to do that was by asking those who saw it firsthand.
Speaking of, Katara stuck her head out of the hospital door. "Hey. Someone's coming but…they're not gonna last much longer."
Everyone looked at each other, with grave expressions painted on all. They knew this was a possibility. Some of the state the sailors were in was…well, it wasn't good. A fact clear as day when they followed Katara into the field hospital.
All around them were wounded men and women. Nurses did what they could to replace bandages, apply medicines, and make them as comfortable as possible. The burns though…they weren't pretty severe. They made Zuko's scar look pleasant by comparison.
Luckily the worst of them were covered up by bandages, but from what little they could see…it would be a miracle if the most hurt could pull through.
"I know Azula's messed up…but this is insane," Sokka murmured. Aang had to agree. Being one of the most powerful firebenders alive, they all figured only she would be capable of something like this.
The only one who didn't seem so sure was Katara, but even she couldn't deny the evidence around them. There weren't just injuries from a shipwreck. Somebody had burned them badly. And there was a single name that floated in everyone's minds.
They came to the man that Katara had mentioned. Heavily bandaged, but alive. For now at least. The waterbender unhooked her sealskin container and began applying the healing waters to the covered areas, letting them seep beneath the fabrics and to the flesh beneath. The sailor sighed, content for now at least. "I'm doing my best to keep him comfortable. I've been trying to get him to talk, but he seems out of it."
Aang sighed. This man's last moments on earth would've been an interrogation. At least they were trying their best to make him relaxed. Besides, they just needed to ask the one. Looking at him though was discouraging. His eyes were unfocused, his mouth repeating the same phrase over and over again.
"...fire…blue…blue fire…it…it got us…monster…"
Monster. Blue fire. To the team, that meant only one thing.
Azula.
Still, they needed confirmation, but Aang wasn't sure how to reach him. It was then that Sokka elbowed him. "Hey. Try to see if you can do something to help him focus," he whispered.
His words sparked something in Aang's mind. This sailor was from the Fire Nation. Fire was their element.
Gently reaching out his hand, he conjured to life a small flicker of flame, not unlike something you'd find on a candle. At once, the sailor's eyes focused, drawn to both it and the boy behind it. "The…the Avatar…" he whispered in awe.
It felt odd that the element Aang most feared now brought him the reverence of one. Gently, he knelt by the man's side, making sure the flame was visible.
"Who did this to you?" he asked. And mentally he knew the answer.
The answer that was visible on the man's face, stricken by an all too familiar fear. His lips parted, and everyone waited to hear that all-too-familiar name.
"...Gojira…"
…Team Avatar looked at themselves, not sure what to make of what they just heard. He spoke clearly, but the name was foreign to their ears.
At least…most of them…
A feeling of dread washed over Aang. As if somehow, he heard the name before.
And it brought something resembling as sheer a terror in his heart as it was in the man's last words.
"Gojira…he's coming…he won't forgive us…Gojira…won't forgive…"
Gojira.
That was the name that was given to Azula. The name they gave to the one lurking offshore. A beast the natives were familiar with ever since they were children. Something straight from their nightmares, a being they used to tell kids to fear if they misbehaved but never imagined would exist.
Until now.
It had come all so fast, that she was still processing what she was hearing. She asked so many questions as she followed Elder Yamane and Maina through the jungle to the beast's shrine. Though the way they referred to it, it seemed more like some mere beast.
"Is it a spirit or-?"
"He's no spirit, Princess. No spirit has dared to infringe on his territory for more than an age. Gojira hunts trespassing spirits."
"Well, what is he then? You make it sound like he's a god or something."
"Gojira practically is a god," Maina elaborated, picking up for the elder. "He's a God of Chaos, Destruction, and War. Guardian and destroyer. King of the Monsters. He's a lot of things, but above all, he's not someone you should cross."
King of the Monsters . There was that familiarity again, just like Odo Island. She was remembering something, the pieces beginning to fall into place. Somehow, she'd heard of this before.
Perhaps the answers were just ahead at the end of the path. Stepping out into a clearing, Azula could see a rather small and conservative-looking building. The age was evident, the paint of the wood having long been faded. Honestly, she had to blink twice to think it was some kind of shrine. It looked nothing at all like the elaborate shrines to Agni back in the Capital.
She did notice the dragons though. Two ran down the railings of the stairway to the shrine's entrance, and small carvings appeared everywhere along the fringes of the temple. Whether they be along the rooftops or engraved on the wall, dragon imagery was everywhere.
Azula couldn't help but be drawn to one of the dragon statues on the railing. Ever since her traitorous Uncle slaughtered the last one, this was the closest she could ever get to seeing a real one. A fact she still bitterly held whenever she thought of his smiling face. Oh, what she would've given to be born in another time when the original firebenders were still alive and thriving. Filling the earth with their vitality. The knowledge she could've learned…
Course she would've had to trade her father and the march of progress in exchange for such a chance. And that was something she couldn't fathom. Sacrifices had to be made in all things after all.
Looking at the dragon before her though, she…couldn't help but sense a feeling of familiarity. It lacked wings, and the scales were charcoal in color. And the spikes were elongated, with the blue paint on them faded.
"It's him," she muttered. "But…he's not-"
"Actually according to legend, dragons belong to the same family as Gojira. Not closely related, but certainly enough for him to consider them kindred," a strange feminine voice said.
Azula was a bit startled to see a young woman with long black hair in rather elaborate red and white clothes standing before her. Chuckling, the stranger gave a respectful bow. "Forgive me, Princess. I am Nami, the priestess of this shrine."
…wait. Priestess? Her mind was screaming that Fire Lord Sozin outlawed any religious practices that weren't overseen by the Fire Sages. Looking around, she realized she was standing in what was effectively a spit in the face of the Fire Lord's authority. And why wouldn't it be here? They were on the fringes of Fire Nation society as a whole. Who knew what kind of fringe religions were still practiced undetected?
Thankfully, she managed to keep her shock down. She'd be willing to overlook this affront if it meant she got answers.
Not noticing her forced attempt at being calm, Nami turned to Yamane. "Do you want me to begin the preparations for the exorcism ceremony tonight?"
And there came the vertigo again. An exorcism ceremony ? How long has this been going on?
"Relax Princess. It's not like we're gonna be sacrificing a virgin or anything," Maina playfully said.
Her words managed to get something through to Azula, who nodded to herself. Great. She was overreacting to some backwater ritual. Didn't realize how paranoid her mind had become these past few months.
Shaking her head, Azula listened attentively as Nami and Yamene approached them both. "I already have the altar prepared if you wish to see it, Princess Azula," the priestess informed her.
Taking a deep breath to collect herself, the firebender gave a nod, following the priestess as she led them inside the shrine. Stepping out from the sunlight into the warm interior, Azula took a moment to look around her. Candles were lit all around the interior, illuminating the walls around them.
And the creatures upon them.
Some of them looked familiar. Fishermen going about their day's work. Huge fish that Azula knew to be Elephant Koi. Undoubtedly this was a depiction of the seas around Odo Island.
Then there were others. Huge animals she couldn't identify. Most of them were reptilian in appearance. Some of them had long necks with small heads filled with teeth with the bodies of seals. Others seemed like a cross between a crocodile and a serpent, slithering through the water. Fishermen seemed to fear these monsters the most, evident as some of them were depicted devouring men and smashing boats.
"What…are they?"
"These are the Hōnengyo. Ancient species that have dwelled in these waters far longer than man has lived on the earth," Nami informed her. "They come from the same world Gojira had come from, one that's been preserved in only a few places on our world."
"I actually come from one of them myself," Maina added. "Creatures like the Hōnengyo are connected with Gojira. They're a sign of his presence. Like the trilobite I found with you."
"Thing is, we've been seeing a lot of Hōnengyo lately. Particularly ever since those Fire Nation ships were sunk this year."
Azula's ears perked as the final pieces of the puzzle were given to her by the Elder. She looked with understanding.
"Admiral Koga…they were sent to investigate patrol boats disappearing. None of his group returned. Was…was-"
"Godzilla responsible? Yes."
"...Godzilla?"
"That's another name for Gojira. I hear those near the mainland call him by that name," Nami clarified as she began to open a pair of doors near the back of the room.
This must've been the altar she was talking about , Azula realized. She watched as the priestess opened the doors with reverence.
"If…he's been around for so long, why's he only now appearing?"
"I cannot say," Nami admitted. "But if I were to guess…I suspect the Avatar's return had something to do with it."
"...the Avatar?"
"Yes. You see, Gojira is the guardian of these waters, but he brings great destruction and death wherever he goes. It's why he only rises from the depths when he is needed most. Ever since the Avatar took the duties of the world on their shoulders, he had only risen a few times since then."
Azula watched the doors open as the priestess spoke, seeing the candle flames flicker on the images behind.
"He must've waited a long time for the Avatar to return the balance. But with all the violence in the world having accumulated over a century, and with the return of Sozin's Comet…I fear his patience has been pushed to its limit."
The Princess felt her skin chill at the mention of that day. It was supposed to be the day the Earth Kingdom fell. Her finest hour when she ascended the throne. Where…everything had gone wrong.
Nami stepped back, allowing Azula a full view of the painting. "I fear that if his rage is not quelled, more destruction than what we have seen will engulf us all."
Maina and Yamane stepped back, allowing Azula to approach the painting in full. Her eyes took in every detail. Things were different. The style of the Earth Kingdom ships seemed to fit more with the time of Fire Lord Zoryu than the war.
But the great tail causing ships to splinter and waves to drown men. The charcoal mountain rising from the depths with water spilling all over its thick hide. Dorsal fins like fire framing the destruction of all around it. The reptilian face snarling and roaring to the heavens.
It was him.
Gojira. Godzilla. It didn't matter the name. It was him again in all his terrible glory.
What leapt from his maw was what caught Azula's attention the most.
She brought up her hand, allowing a small flame to appear in her palm. Looking back and forth from her hand to the maw, her eyes took it all in.
Fire spewed from Godzilla's maw, incinerating all in his path.
…and it was blue. Just like hers.
A/N: …in my defense for the delay, life happened.
Anyways, Happy Early Halloween everyone! To celebrate, here's our first "proper" chapter.
Maina is…well, I wouldn't say she's entirely an OC since the name and some of her attire are based off a character from the Godzilla franchise. I won't say anymore here (cause she's kind of a big hint for what's to come) other than she's gonna be a big character for Azula's arc.
Similar to how in the series there were parallel arcs between Team Avatar and Zuko's plotlines, there's going to be a similar setup here with Azula and Team Avatar. Mainly being opposed but having similar experiences which causes the two "sides" to cross and interact with one another. In this case, the ship sinking and the Gaang hunting Azula (think of it as a bit of a role reversal where she and/or Zuko hunted after them). Course things are going to get more complicated with a kaiju in the mix.
As for Godzilla, he and many staples of the kaiju genre originated from works like The Lost World or King Kong, being prehistoric animals that survived extinction and survived into the present day. I wanted to harken back to those roots by having some surviving species associated with them. The mosasaur was something I came up with since it was a real-life marine apex predator, but the trilobite harkens back to the very first Godzilla film where Professor Yamane discovers one in Goji's footprint (yes, his name was the basis for the character of Elder Yamane).
Speaking of references, I will admit that Aang getting the sailor to focus and tell him what attacked them was a shout-out from the 1998 Godzilla remake. Say what you will about the film, but that was a legitimately good scene, and thought it would be a nice way of introducing Godzilla's name to the characters.
And as some may have guessed, yes, Godzilla's blue fire is going to play a big role for Azula.
Anyways, thank you all for reading and I hoped you enjoyed. Make sure to leave a review with your thoughts and follow and favorite if you want to see more and show your support. Thank you all again, and have a great day!