Azula's requiem
It has been 10 years since Avatar Aang and his friends ended the 100 year war. Azula fled from her brother and has been working to undermine Zuko's rule in
the hopes of once again becoming the fire lord herself.
Despite the aid she has received from those she recruits she always pushes them away and they end up leaving her because of how toxic she is to those around
her.
We find her once again hidden in the wilderness. Looking spitefully at the Fire Lord's palace from atop one of the mountains behind it. Sneaking off back into the
woods. During the time of the day before the winter Solstice. Leaving just as a faint whisper on the breeze whispers her name, "Azula." For which she just
brushes it off as another trick of her mind.
She returns to her camp where she resolves to once again spend her night as she always does. Since she was declared insane and an enemy of the Fire Nation
for being a terrorist. Eating caught meat and stolen food, alone with no family or friends. For which she tells herself she prefers. Because people will always let
you down and scheme to betray you. The only one you can trust and depend on is yourself. She always keeps telling herself this. Believing she doesn't need
them or anyone to achieve her goal. But since this is the Solstice, this was not going to be a normal night.
"A… Zu… La…," as she turns to face where the sound is coming from. "Hmph," she responds with annoyed scuff. "Nothing but the wind." Turning back to the soup
was eating. "Azula...!" This time louder and clearer. "Who's there?!" She shouts before igniting her hands with her blue flames. "Whoever you are. You have
crossed the wrong soul tonight. I am the rightful Fire Lord over my pathetic mama's boy Zuzu. So unless you want to meet your end now. You best leave, and if
you work for my brother. Tell him I will not rest until I am back on the throne where I belong. Either with giving it me or I build a new one with his bones along
with the Avatar and his pitiful friends.
"Azula!" Shouts the voices. "Fine, then perish!" She shouts as she ignites the trees surrounding her camp only for the flames to instantly turn to ice and finding
herself then surrounded by ice. It is now so cold that even her flames are no bigger than a candles light. Making her for the first time in her whole life chilled to
the bone that makes her shiver and tremble.
Then from the ice emerges metallic balls and chains begin to materialize from them covered in blue flames and electric arcs. Watching the chains eventually to
form around two bodies of old men with skin just as blue as the ice forming in midair. Yet with blue flames around their eyes. That then open to be as shiny as
gold coins.
Azula is frightened by this and is even more frightened when they both say her name, "Azula," with a hauntingly dead dreadful tone. They then come down and
stand on the ground in front of her. Making Azula step back shocked and perplexed, "What do you want with me." One of them says, "Your well being." "How's
this for a reply?" She says as she makes lightning only for it to not even leave her fingers before the electric arcs all vanish. She is now genuinely frightened
because its like her bending has been taken from her as her fathers were by the Avatar.
The other man tells her, "We are not here to harm nor apprehend you." "Then what do you want with me?" The first man says, "As was told to you already. Your
well-being. Or rather, hopefully, your salvation." Azula continues to shiver quite violently. This is taken noticed by the 2nd old man. "You shiver." "Of course, I
shiver!" Azula shouts. "I don't how you did it, but now its freezing." The first man in response tells her, "The chill you now feel and loss of power you experience
reflects the coldness of our shared hearts, and the loss of power that we both now experience." Azula fighting back the cold as much as she can in a commanding
tone, "Again I ask. Who are you two?"
The first man answers, "The better question you must ask is who we were?" "Fine," Azula says reluctantly in response. Who were you then?"
The first man answers, "In life I was great grandfather Fire Lord Sozn." With the second man then answering, "And I was your grandfather Fire Lord Azulon."
Azula taking another look at them and noticing that they are indeed wearing the royal robes that is only to be worn by the Fire Lord. With Sozen asking, "You
don't believe we are who say we are. Do you, Azula?" "Of course, I don't."
Azulon asks, "Can you see us?" Azula, "Yes." Azulon, "Can you hear every word we say?" Azula with reluctance answers, "Yes." Azulon then asks, "Then why do
you not trust your senses." Azula, "Because none of this real. You are not my grandfather or great grandfather. You are both nothing but hallucinations! Caused
by indigestion. I knew it must've been something in that blasted soup…" Both Sozen and Azulon scream and wail a terrible cacophony of cries with Azulon
slapping her on her right cheek. "Did that feel like a hallucination that was born from your stomach?" Azula touching her right cheek with the slap mark still
fresh. "No! I that hurt. Wait? That really did hurt." "And how about this?" Sozen grabs her from the underside of her jaw and hoist her up into the air and holds
her eye level so that both their noses are touching. Fleeing the effect of frostbite coming from his hand. Looking him straight in his dead piercing eyes to say, "Oh
my spirits." Before he drops her to the ground and as she recovers herself Sozen shouts, "Listen well Azula, princess of the Fire Nation. This is no dream nor
hallucination. It is really I Fire Lord Sozen. Your great grandfather who started the hundred-year war." Then Azulon floating next to him as he speaks, "And it
really is I. Your grandfather Fire Lord Azulon. Look upon us. Do you believe we are real and who we say we are or not?!"
Azula recomposing herself nervously answers. "I believe, I believe, I think I must. But… why are both in such in appalling state of being given your stations and
positions you occupied in life?"
Azulon begins by explaining, "Every human has a spirit within themselves. Their spark of life that is what makes them alive. For it is required in the eyes of
eternity. That the spirit within the human heart should desire help their fellow spirits in the journey's through life. To desire to do good. To desire to do for their
fellow mortal travelers on the journey of life as they would want those same travelers and neighbors to do for them. To live by the golden rule of 'Treat and do for
others as you want them to treat and do for you.' But if that spirit desire not to do these things in life. Then that same spirit is condemned to be cursed to desire
to do that in death."
Sozen then stepping in to further add to the dialogue. "It is doomed wander endlessly to see all that it cannot do, share or help in. But could've done so when
alive. To do good instead of wickedness. To turn sorrow into joy, and despair into hope. Only instead to realize that it is only by doing these things and showing
such tenderness to their fellow spirits. Is life worth living. With your only companions being your fellow wander dead spirits and being endlessly tormented by the
feelings you denied yourself to feel when you were alive. Feeling only shame, guilt, and remorse. Remorse! For all the chances, opportunities, and choices you
were given that you mis-used."
Azula confused asks, "Mis-used, but I don't understand why you are both suffering. All your lives you worked to make he fire nation great." Azulon in response to
her statement, "That is precisely why we are being endlessly tortured. The pain, suffering, and death caused by our actions is being repaid in full."
Sozen then stepping in again, "It is true granddaughter. All wicked evil deeds and actions come back onto those who do them. Things always come full circle, and
one cannot stop the suffering and torment that comes from those past acts. Until the circle is broken. We did not break ours when we had the chance in life, and
loooook at us now."
Azula again notices the chains they are wearing. "Why are you both covered in chains?" Sozen, "We wear the chains we forged in life. We forged them our acts of
selfishness, greed, indifference, and hate." Pointing to his chain links that creates a memory in the form of a cloud. "This one I made when I decided that the
only way to make the world prosper more was by expanding the fire nation beyond it's physical borders. This one when established the first fire nation colony in
Earth Kingdom lands. This one when I betrayed my Avatar Roku, you and Zuko's other great grandfather from whom your mother came from and why she was
married to your father. And this one when I started the war when I had the air benders wiped out."
Azulon shows his as well. "This I made when I willing order a detachment of new recruits to take an Earth Kingdom garrison that result in it being captured, but
all the recruits were either killed or horribly maimed. This one when I killed a faithful servant for coming to me when I was frustrated with lack of progress in the
war. And this one when I ordered your father to kill your brother Zuko. For which you were a witness to. Now you can witness this all as well. Witnessing how we
must now wear and carry them forever as proof of our foolish wicked ways. For can you feel the weight of the strong chains you yourself wear that you fashioned
yourself?" Sozin, "Indeed for though you are still young your chains are substantial. And they are already as appalling as our own. For it is only doing good by
genuinely caring, helping, and loving others as ourselves. That the chains are broken. We did not and that is why we bear chains still in death forever. And shall
you with the chains you bear yourself."
Azula looking around herself to see no such chains. "I don't see any chains. Nor do feel anything like a chain around."
Azulon then says, "But we can see them as clearly as you see the sun and moon in the sky. We see them as you will now." Suddenly she is enveloped in a cocoon
of steel chains materializing from ice and leaving only her head uncovered.
Then she is lifted into the air and her vision turned to sky to see it now full wailing spirits and seeing as some try to help the living and fellow dead. One a young
girl about Azula's age who also wears royal cloths. Trying to help a poor destitute mother and baby. Only for efforts to be vain and flys off back into the sky
crying and wailing as her eternal torture continues.
Her focus turning back to Sozen as she is placed back down on the ground while still enveloped in chains. Now you see the truth Azula. They each like you in
their attitudes towards their fellow people. Never reaching out a helping hand in life. Now only able to desire so in death. These human spirits try and want to
help end the suffering of both the living and their fellow dead. But have forever lost the power to do so. That is the curse that all who walk through life with
wickedness about them like a chain all bear forever after death. Especially for those like us who were wicked evil rulers in life."
Sozen then dictates, "We Fire Lords who in life commanded vast armies and wiped-out nations and people with but a word or single act. Who could decide the
destiny of the entire world with but a word. Whom people begged for us to show mercy and gentleness in life. Are now instead the lowliest of beggars. Begging
to only help, but no longer possessing any power to do so. For we wasted the time we had alive seeking only greater power and glory for ourselves and dreaming
of how to punish those who stood in our way. Now in death we feel the empathy we did not in life. Realize the importance of being held accountable for our
choices and actions. And the want to do authentic good. Unable to ignore as we did in life. But now are forever powerless to help. Doomed to wander eternally
restless in wind."
Azula then says, "But, you were good fire lords." Azulon shouting as he makes his own head fall off from shouting, "Good Fire Lords…!" Falling on Azula's chain
covered chest to lock wyes with hers that makes writhe in disgust. Azulon picking up his head as he speaks while his head is held in his hand. Humanity
should've been our sole focus as leaders of the fire nation. The common welfare and well-being of even the most impoverished of citizens our focus as leaders of
our nation. Charity, mercy, kindness, and benevolence were all meant to be our life goals. And because we denied those things in life. We must now forever to do
so in death." Reattaching his head to his shoulders as he continues, "Now all we are able to do is relent and wander. Never able to rest or have a moment of
peace. Only endless unrelenting torture and remorse for how we wasted the short fleeting lives we lived. It's too late for us, but for you. Why we are able to
speak to you now, and why you can see and hear us is beyond us. For we have sat beside unseen for many nights as we watched make your chain grow and
grow. Link by link and yard by yard. Insuring that you will story will end as an endless torturous existence just us and the countless others you have witnessed."
Azula in a surprising twist actually does something she has never done before. Shedding tears of sympathy and almost begs as she asks them, "Please
grandfathers. Tell me no more. Tell things that will bring me comfort."
Both looking straight in the eyes as the both say in unison, "That is the one thing that we cannot give you."
Sozen, "However what we can give is a chance for atonement." Azulon, "As part of our penance we are here to warn you. That unless you change from your
heart out you are doomed as we are, but we are to give you a chance of escaping our fate. A chance that will lead to your salvation from this wretched fate."
"Thank you Grandpa," Azula says with an air of relief.
Sozen then informs her, "For we have taken the liberty to pull a few chains as it were. And have arranged for you to be visited by three more immortal spirits to
come to you before the sun rsies."
Azula confused asks, "Are these spirits you speak of the chance and hope that you both offer." In unison they answer, "Yes." Then Azula hesitantly tells them,
"Then no thank you. You two ae more than enough for me to bear. And I have had enough experiences with spirits to last me multiple lifetimes."
In unison again Sozen and Azulon tell her. With-out them and lessons they shall teach. You have no hope to escape the path we must now walk forever ad for all
of eternity."
Azulon, "The first shall come to you when you hear a bell ring once." Azula looking frightened at the prospect of meeting more spirits asks, "Can't I just take
them all together." Sozen, "They come at their allotted time. The second shall appear after you strike of two bell chimes."
Then in unison again they tell her, "And third spirit shall come for you after you have heard another bell ring three times and has gone silent from the
atmosphere."
The chains coiling around Azula begin to vanish as Sozen and Azulon finish. Sozen, "Listen to these spirits." Azulon, "Learn and take to heart all the lessons they
shall teach you."
Then in unison for a third and final time saying as they head up into the sky to rejoin their fellow wandering tortured spirits. "Now look to never see us again. But
for the sake of your immortal spirit you remember what we have revealed to you. Make the resolve to change from the inside out. Become and make new true
friends. Dedicate the rest of your life to make amends. Change for good while you still can. Before it is too late. Or you will be doomed to eternal torture as we
are. Grow, blossom, share, and love. Change… your… ways…!"
When its all over Azula sees everything has returned to normal and that the trees and brush she thought she set on fire are unharmed. "I need to get some
sleep. I must be going out of my mind to think my own grandfathers spoke to me to change to become good or be doomed. Them the greatest of Fire Lords
begging to do good. What a joke…" Stopping to turn her head to see that her left foot is still tied to a steel ball covered in ice attached to an icy flame covered
chain that is still wrapped around left leg. Disappearing as she sees the frozen faces of Sozen and Azulon on the ball saying as it finally fades out, "Change while
you still can."
Looking up again to see the sky still of spirits and the ghost the girl she saw earlier in front of her. Giving Azula a scream which makes the spirit rush towards
and turns into a misty skeleton that goes straight through Azula and she actually feels a little of her life force ebb and momentarily sees the flesh on her fingers
decay away. She then jumps into her tent puts herself under her coves shouting, "Leave me alone you spirits! Do you hear me? Leave me alone!"
