A/N :I wanted to make a crack fanfic about Azula losing her memories and becoming a hippie, but where is the crack?!
*cries*
All well. I guess crack is not my strong suit, but I like what I wrote and hope you enjoy it as well.
Happy Reading : D
Flaming Fire Flakes With Bean Curds
Chapter 1
Azula knelt before her broken mirror, staring tear-stricken at her shattered image. She shuddered. Despite having no glass shards in her skin, pain rattled her very core. Moments before, she saw her mother standing behind her, saying sweet nothings, things that she always wanted her to say instead of those distorted glares and scowls reserved for her and never Zuko. Her body was solid, sweet voice so clear. Azula swore she even smelt her mother's lotus perfume. But that was impossible.
Mother is never coming back and neither is Father.
Azula hugged herself at the thought. The weight of her burdens pushed down with full force, making her legs as useless as an infant's. Just a few hours ago, she was having the full experience at her spa, eating pitted cherries while getting her feet scrubbed. This was supposed to be an auspicious day.
Alas, the potential for her guards and servants going against her was too great to keep them around. Azula saw it on all their faces; the same loathful glare Mai made when she told her how she loved Zuko more than she feared her; her best friends and most loyal servants gone for him.
"Those traitors," she spat, smokey fire flaring from her mouth.
Mai, Ty Lee, Zuko…how could they betray her after everything they had been through?
"I could have burned them!" she cried.
That was what Father would have done: grab their faces and set them ablaze. She could still smell the burning skin of his victims, hearing their cries during random moments of the day. Assassins. Servants. Failures.
Azula held herself tighter.
"I am not a failure. I am not Zuko,"
She looked around her red room, cluttered with golden luxuries fit for her title of Princess. The curtains that were usually open were sealed, dimly lit candles lighting the room. Even her bed, usually neatly made, was covered in crinkled blankets from her tossings and turnings. Honestly, she forgot the last time she slept.
"Three? No, four days ago?" Azula asked herself.
It might have been why she saw her mother. Lo and Li always said people go crazy without sleep, see hallucinations and even die.
Before Azula could consider other reasons her own mind would betray her, a knock at the door stole her attention. She jumped into a defensive stance, her thoughts rushing a mile a minute. Did an assassin finally come in her moment of weakness?
"Princess Azula, it is Li. May I come in?" a familiar voice, a welcomed one, softly rang.
"...Yes," Azula answered weakly, relaxing her posture as she ran a hand through her uneven bangs. Her shoulders, heavy, subconsciously slumped as the door slowly opened to reveal an old woman. She was one of the two who had always been there since Mother left. It was odd seeing her without her twin sister, Lo, but a banishment was a banishment and a princess never regrets.
"Princess Azula, the Fire Sages are awaiting your— Oh Angi, what happened!?" Li exclaimed as she quickly approached, prompting Azula to perk up. Showing vulnerability was unacceptable.
"Nothing...happened..." Azula's voice trailed off as she glanced at the broken mirror. Her breath hitched, and she grabbed her hair.
"Just having a bad hair day!" Azula insisted, "You and Lo certainly have those from time to time! How dare you imply—" She stopped, her jaw clenching at the frantic tone she'd caught in her voice.
Li bowed her head.
"My apologies, your highness," she murmured, her eyes soon rising to meet Azula's. "Might I assist you in preparing for your coronation?"
Azula paused. Li's assistance could be a useful distraction from her pesky thoughts.
"You may," Azula sighed, approaching the outfit that awaited her on the closet door's hook. It was the only thing about her room with any sort of order. Her red undergarments had no wrinkle in sight. Control. Her golden and black fireproof armor had sharp edges. Power. And her makeup was laid in front of her vanity mirror. Beauty.
All components in forging the image of Princess and soon-to-be Fire Lord. However, as she put on her garments, there was no pride; her clothes granted no power nor control, especially not over herself.
She sat in front of her vanity and shifted through her array of powders and creams. Li took down her hair and began to brush it.
"Remember to keep your back straight. A royal must always look dignified," said Mother, who appeared standing right next to her in the vanity mirror, her smile bright but her brown eyes showing her usual worry.
A chill ran up Azula's back as she did as instructed, feeling the light pat on her back Mother did whenever she was caught slouching.
"Yes M—", she replied before biting her lip at her impulse, hard.
Azula tasted copper as she glanced back at Li, who didn't seem to have heard her. But Azula knew better.
Azula picked up one of her jars of makeup and began her usual process of putting on her face.
She used to think makeup was silly before she realized its value, its truth. Makeup was a tool used to transform herself to her true image, to cover the undesirable parts of her and enhance what she represented. She was not this sad delicate girl in the mirror, but the Fire Nation Princess.
She used foundation to cover the deep bags under eyes and other impurities, used contour to sharpen her cheeks and jaw, and eyeliner to bolden her eyes.
Detach your emotions from your face.
She popped her lips and smirked at her reflection, her face feeling heavy and stiff. She turned to Li who finished tying her hair into a lopsided topknot.
"I know that you didn't really come here to play servant ," Azula insisted, tilting her head. "Why are you really here?"
Li was silent for a moment with her eyes closed, taking a deep breath. She placed her wrinkly hands on Azula's shoulders.
"Azula, after your coronation, I will no longer work as your advisor," Li said. "I resign,"
Azula felt like she was banged in the chest by lightning, her whole being shattering.
"What do you mean, you're resigning?" she said, her voice progressively getting louder as she shook Li's hands off her shoulders. "Y-you can't resign! As Princess, I order—"
"I resign," Li repeated, her voice soft but stern as she stepped away from her. "Without Lo, I cannot stay. And I cannot support a leader heading down the path of self-destruction,"
Azula's mouth hung open. She hadn't heard Li use that tone since she was a little girl getting caught doing mischief.
"Self destruction? I am going to be the greatest leader in Fire Nation history!" she shouted, a flash of blue fire flaring from her hands.
Li shook her head.
"You could, but not with how things are going," she said, pacing around her.
"Tell me, what is a lord without their subjects? What is a leader without their supporters, their allies?" she asked, not giving Azula any time to reply. "Nothing. You banished everyone, leaving yourself vulnerable to your enemies. Zuko is still out there,"
"I am not nothing!" Azula shouted, standing from her chair. "Let Zuko come. I can deal with him myself!"
"And what of his allies?" Li asked. "He is at the Avatar's side, a being that not only can master all four elements but defy death,"
Azula was silent, imagining Zuko waltzing through Royal Caldera City with an army and bursting through the palace gates. She not only has to face Zuko off as well as everyone from every nation, her civilians being overwhelmed by the collateral wreckage . She could hear their cries ringing in her ears.
"You're right," she whispered, falling to her knees. "What have I done?"
She covered her eyes and turned herself away from Li in shame, unable to stop the tears flowing, tasting its bitter salt. She did not expect warm arms to wrap around her.
"There is still time to make amends," Li said in a soothing voice.
Azula leaned into Li's embrace, its warmth foreign.
"Lies!" Azula cried " I'm a failure. How can I trust you after you resign?"
Li gave her a little shake.
"Azula, please listen. You are at a crossroads and about to be Fire Lord. You have not failed yet. I will not resign if you accept my help,"
Azula looked down , staring at the glass that scattered the floor.
"I…I need your assistance, Li. I can't do this alone," she said.
Li breathed a sigh of relief.
"Retract your banishments," she said.
Azula looked up at her.
"All of them? I can bring back Lo, but the servants and imperial guards— What about treacherous plots?" she asked with a sniff.
"Yes, all of them. Those disloyal are few and will be snuffed out," said Li. "You need to trust those under you. The whole Fire Nation is behind you. Those who are willing to die for you,"
Li took Azula's hands and helped her up.
"But Father said fear was the only way," she said, her voice wavering. "That trust…was for fools,"
"There is a place for fear. Fear is not meant to be aimed toward those who support you," Li said with a small smile, wiping Azula's eyes with her sleeves.
Li ran her fingers over Azula's sharp nails.
"You have the sharp claws of a dragon. Use them to protect your people," she said. "Make them feel safe under your command; safe enough for them to risk their very souls to defend it,"
Azula nodded, not quite understanding what she meant, a strange sensation.
"And maybe give them a bit of um, compensation for their unexpected banishment?" Li said with a small chuckle, rubbing two fingers together.
Azula blinked before clearing her throat.
"Alright," she voiced hesitantly.
"As Soon-to-be Fire Lord Azula. I decree that those banished be un-banished. The traitors disguised as loyal subjects had been found and dealt with," she said, her voice becoming more firm as Li urged her on. "To celebrate my coronation, they will get a 10% pay increase. Those who return to their post in an hour will get a 20% increase,"
Azula jumped when she heard cheers outside her bedroom door. She quickly released her hands from Li's grasp and ran to it, fingers ready to strike. When she opened the door, a flood of servants and guards fell to the ground.
"What?" she asked, her face turning red.
Some nervously chuckled while others looked guilty, separating their discombobulated bodies and shifting into a kneel.
"Spies?!" she screamed before setting her hand aflame, making them wrench in fear.
"Y-your Highness, we didn't mean to pry," one of the servants mumbled, her forehead touching the floor. "We were worried about you,"
"There is a difference between spies and pesky eavesdroppers," Lo said as she maneuvered into the room to stand next to Li.
"Both might be dangerous in their own right, but it truly depends on their information gained," Li continued before nodding a greeting to Lo.
Azula put out her fire and turned away from the crowd.
"Just return to your post," she said, crossing her arms.
"You heard our princess. Back to your post," Li and Lo said in unison, shooed the servants and guards out with a similar smirk.
With a humph, Azula followed the group out into the hallway, watching them scurry around the corner. She would deal with them later.
"Glad to be reinstated, Azula," Lo said with a grin.
"Now, let's go. You have a coronation to attend," Li added.
Azula looked out the hallway window and noticed it was the golden hour.
"Then we don't have time to waste!" Azula said, speed walking passed them and toward the courtyard.
Azula knelt before Agni, the Fire Sages crowding behind her with the Head Sage holding the Fire Lord Headpiece. She gazed at the sun and took a deep breath.
The usually bustling courtyard was empty, the servants and guards returning from wherever they went when banished to get back to their post. Those that returned went to the most vulnerable parts of the palace. Since the yard was located in the center of the place, it was the last part that the guards were going to return to.
Sadly, the Dai Lee did not arrive and Azula wondered if they ever would. Earthbenders were prideful people, after all, who hated being humiliated. Consequences indeed.
Not that Azula minded, things could have been worse if she went through with her banishments. Lo always said that things usually get worse before they get better, at least when you get sick. She might have slipped but she is getting better, she will find new, better allies. But Azula wished she didn't banish all of her handmaidens first. Her topknot was still a bit lopsided.
She breathed in heavily, feeling Sozin's Comet course through her veins as it flew overhead. Its flames turned the sky the color of blood, darkening it with only its brilliance radiating above.
She bowed her head before Agni, signaling for the Head Sage to begin.
"By decree of Phoenix King Ozai, I now crown you Fire—"
Azula's heart stopped when the Head Sage paused and the others began to mumble amongst themselves. She growled.
"Why did you stop?! Do it!" she demanded.
The Sages did not answer, only staring at the sky in shock.
She heard a groan from a familiar beast which made her look up. It was the Avatar's flying bison coming down, of all beasts. Honestly, she forgot it existed. She would have had Yuyan Archers hired if she did.
She squinted her eyes and saw that Zuko was on it with some company. Luckily, she didn't spy the boy with the arrow tattoos, most likely he was getting plummeted by Father.
"Sorry, but you aren't going to be Fire Lord," Zuko said, jumping off the beast. "I am,"
Azula could help but laugh.
Seeing him in his rags, standing all tall and confident. He looked like he hadn't bathed in weeks.
"Ah, you're hilarious," she said, wiping a tear.
He was not alone. It looked like he brought that Watertribe peasant girl with him too, her blue robes and wild hair flowing in the wind exuding savagery.
"And you are going down!" the girl snarled like the unhinged barbarian she was.
Azula heard the rustling of the Head Sage's robes, assumingly lifting the crown to continue the coronation, but she couldn't let it continue after her brother's disgraceful display in front of Agni.
"Wait," she said, motioning him to stop.
If Zuko wanted to fight her, fine. They had unfulfilled business anyways since he betrayed her. Azula smirked as she stood up, the comet's power mixing with rage in her stomach, begging to be let out.
She will give him a fight, one he will never forget. Another tussle between siblings for the crown, history repeating itself again. But this time, there won't be one dead but disgraced, rotting in a prison cell.
"If you want to have the crown, fine! Let's settle this here and now, brother. Agni Kai!" Azula said.
"You're on," Zuko replied immediately.
Just like Azula knew he would. Azula reveled in Zuko's lackey whispering things in his ear, knowing that their over assessments would be their downfall.
She walked down the stairs to prepare for the match.
The Agni Kai was set; Azula and Zuko knelt on opposite sides of the courtyard, their backs facing each other. The sun mixed with the comet gave the area a red hue.
Everyone cleared the area except for the peasant, common sense seemingly not in her depth. Azula knew that her subjects were near at a safer distance, anticipating the fight that would change the tides of the war.
Azula stood up and faced Zuko, him already in his fighting stance.
She smirked, imagining Zuko blasted onto the ground, fear in his eyes before making the final blow that would mark him a failure. He would feel the same pain she felt when he betrayed the Fire Nation. When this was all over, she would have them both imprisoned and make Zuko watch as she brought out the Fire Nation's greatest potential, conquering the world .
"I am sorry it ended up this way, brother," she laughed, tossing her cape onto the ground.
Zuko narrowed his eyes.
"No you're not." he said, his stance unwavered.
Azula went into her fighting stance and thrusted her fist forward, blue fire bursting from her fists. Zuko blocked it with his own projectile. The two flames' collision bursting upwards, engulfing the sky.
Once dissipated, Azula lunged forward, using her fire to gain momentum as she launched her barrage of fire all around him. But Zuko obstructed every one, maintaining his defensive position.
Their flames razed everywhere but their targets; wooden buildings and surrounding plants crackled once set ablaze.
Zuko launched his first attack. Azula dodged in the nick of time, her hair loosening from her topknot. She looked back at the now decimated building and growled. She jumped into the air and did a flamed swirling kick, only for her move to be deflected.
Azula kneeled on the ground, huffing as she tried to catch her breath. She watched as Zuko went back into his standard pose.
He punched the air, two blasts of fire hurling into one comet.
Her eyes widened as it flung toward her before propelling away, the tips of her hair singed. She then surged forward again with another wave of her own smaller flames only for them to be blocked.
Zuko dropped onto his back and twirled his flames at her. But when she dodged, she leaned too far onto the side and tripped, smacking onto the ground.
Azula laid there for a second before struggling onto her feet, wheezing.
"No lighting? Why? Afraid I'll redirect it?" Zuko jibbed.
"Oh, I'll show you lightning!" Azula yelled before waving her arms in the fluid motion, lighting sparks around them, unruly.
Zuko brought his two fingers forward in position, but she was not aiming at him.
The waterbending peasant stood behind him. Azula's body flared at what the lackey's presence implied. The dishonor of intervening in an Agni Kai.
Azula shot her lightning at her.
"No!" Zuko shouted, reaching out for the lighting bolt.
Time slowed as he brought the strike toward his heart before executing it to the sky. He collapsed onto the ground, leftover lighting pulsing out of him, groaning as he shifted from his side to his back. The stench of her brother's charred skin overwhelmed Azula's senses.
A chuckle escaped her before progressing into a full blown laugh, a primal noise that boomed from deep inside her belly. She couldn't stop herself as she escalated into hysterics.
She watched as the waterbender ran toward Zuko, planning to defile him with her inferior bending. She flung herself toward the girl, her movements jerky.
She jumped onto the roof to get a better aim to hit her with lightning, her arms numb from the erratic shocks.
The peasant dodged it before fleeing, forming the water around her into ice and sliding away from her.
"I rather the royal physician look after him!" Azula laughed, sending another lightning strike.
The peasant hid behind a beam of one of the burning buildings. Azula used her bending to throw herself toward her before blasting again.
Like a game of cat and mouse, Azula chased while the peasant tried to escape. She finally had the girl in her clutches when she tripped or so she thought.
"There you are, rancid peasant," Azula spat as she walked toward her and onto the metal drain.
Once the metal echoed under Azula's feet, the waterbender motioned her hands up, causing the water to swallow them before turning it to ice. Frozen and suffocating, Azula could only watch as the peasant melted the ice around her chained her to the drain.
They both gasped for air once the waterbender pushed the water down. Azula struggled against her confines, them tightening the more she moved,
She could only watch as the watertribe peasant scurried to Zuko, putting her filthy hands over his stomach.
"Thank you, Katara," she heard him say.
Azula's throat tightened, hardly able to suck in a breath. She lost. Everything the Fire Nation stood for now crumbling before her. The hundred years of battles, the thousands of her family's subjects that were sacrificed, all from nothing. The crown, the only thing she had left, gone. And next, her life.
She screamed, vomiting fire.
Despite all the power the comet gave her, it did nothing to free her from her bounds. She wiggled and gargled, weeping at the little time she had left, watching as Zuko and Katara stood over her, reveling in their dishonorable coup. Eventually, she felt the comet pass, draining whatever adrenaline it pumped through her.
She fell limp onto her back, only hearing the sound of trickling water from the drain below her. She wondered why she was still conscious, still alive. Did Zuko love to see her this way so much?
"W-why do you hesitate, brother?" she asked as she stared at the burnt ceiling.
"What do you mean?" Zuko asked.
"Don't play dumb. As royals, we both know it has to happen," Azula hiccupped, closing her eyes and licking her chapped lips. "Make it quick. You still have Iroh's knife, right? Just…don't burn me, please,"
"Azula…"
"Please," she begged. "Don't burn me,"
"Wait!" someone yelled.
"Stop!" continued another.
Azula's eyes widened. Li and Lo, along with a slew of servants and guards, charged forward. With their numbers, they could surely overwhelm Zuko and that Katara peasant.
She almost would have praised them too if it wasn't for them crowding in front of her instead, bowing to Zuko.
"Prince Zuko. Don't kill Azula," Li and Lo said in unison, their foreheads touching the ground. "Enough bloodshed had plagued this family,"
"Please!" a young servant cried.
"Have mercy!" urged a guard.
"We haven't even been paid yet!" cried another.
Then the onslaught of begging and sniveling commenced, making Azula's blood boil. Some banged their heads onto the ground so hard that she knew that it would leave a bump.
"Enough!" Zuko yelled, his sharp voice silencing them.
"We did not come here to kill Azula," Katara said, stepping forward "We came here to end the war,"
"Right now, the Avatar is dealing with my Father. And from him will come a new age of peace," Zuko added, with a wave of his hand. "Now, take her away,"
"Yes, Prince Zuko," the crowd said before a pair of guards came behind Azula and undid her bounds.
"Fools," she rasped, her head limp back as she was cradled in one of the guard's arms, her vision blurred. "All of you."
As she was carried away, her breathing slowed, drifting to what she hoped was the Spirit World.
Azula dreamt of nothing, time seemingly passing in a blink between when she fell unconscious to waking up under the thick comforter on her bed. She wiped the prickly sleep out of her eyes and groaned at the aches in her arms and legs, pain much too precise to be just overexertion.
"Shh, Lo. Azula is waking up," said Li, putting her finger over her thin lips.
When her vision cleared, she was able to see her twin advisors on each side of her. She clenched her covers before lifting herself up. Li and Lo put their hands on her back to assist her, but Azula pushed them away. However, she was more uncoordinated than she thought, causing her to slash Li's hand with her sharp nails.
Li cradled her hand with a hiss and Lo grabbed Azula. Azula flinched at her surprisingly strong grip.
"I know you are mad about how things turned out," Lo said hesitantly.
"Oh, calm down, Lo. It is just a scratch. You know how your limbs are after being chi blocked," Li hushed.
"That would explain the pain in my appendages," Azula said with a pout before glaring at Lo.
Lo took her hand off of her with a sigh. Azula assessed Li's wound, three deep scratches on her delicate skin, blood seeping from it and dripping onto the floor.
Azula was livid by them bowing to Zuko, a deep void in her chest. But she understood why they did it. Seeing her chained to the drain, she was at the complete mercy of that waterbender, Katara.
But she wasn't one to lash out like a rabid tiger monkey.
"There is antiseptic cream and bandages are on the top drawer of my vanity," Azula said, staring at the wound with a pang of guilt.
"Again, it is just—"
"Did I stutter?!" Azula snapped, whatever hold she had on her emotions broken. "You want your "little scratch" to get infected? You could get sepsis and die! I will not have one of the few people loyal to be neglected by my mistake!"
The bedroom door knob suddenly rattled, causing the trio to look toward the door. It opened to reveal a male and female guard, both assessing the room with their staff ready to strike any dangers.
"We heard a commotion," the male guard said, looking Azula up and down.
"We are pleased to see you awake and healthy, your highness. I will alert Fire Lord Zuko at once," said the other, stepping forward.
"Oh you don't need to do that," Lo said, standing up as she clasped her hands together.
Li put her hands into her sleeves and followed suit, matching Lo's conniving smile.
"Azula just awoke and Zuko's coronation is just around the corner," Lo said, placing a few silver coins into their hands. "You do not have to tell him immediately,"
"I don't know, Madam Lo. I have been given strict orders…" the female guard wheezed.
Lo and Li gave each guard a few gold pieces, making her voice trail off.
Azula scoffed before crossing her arms.
"This is a joyous day for my brother. I highly recommend you wait until after the celebrations to give him the news," Azula said, watching as the guards looked between themself before bowing to her.
"Yes, Princess. We will see to it that Zuko doesn't know you have awakened until after the coronation," the male guard said.
"Good," Azula said, pacing and placing her hand on her bed frame. "Now, summon a few servants. I want to at least be presentable when I meet the new Fire Lord,"
The guards deepened their bows before walking out of the room. A pair of servants rushed in a few moments later, one carrying hot towels and another with a bowl of hot water.
"Li, top drawer," Azula ordered, pointing to her vanity before sitting back onto her bed.
She motioned the servants over and they knew what to do. They assisted her in changing into more casual wear and cut her bangs just below her eyebrows. After they were done, Azula shooed them off with a few silver coins and the same orders she gave the guards. She sat herself down at her desk, feeling more refreshed, a much better state to form a plan.
"Li, Lo, give me a rundown of my condition. I can gather from not rotting in a prison cell that I am under house arrest," she said, running her hand through her shortened bangs.
"Correct," Lo replied with a nod.
"A few days have passed since you last opened your eyes," Li continued, rubbing her now bandaged hand.
"The war is lost and Zuko's coronation is in less than an hour," Lo said.
Azula's heart stopped at the sound of that. The Avatar really won.
"Is Father really—"
Her throat was dry; she couldn't finish her sentence.
"Your father is alive,"Li reassured.
"But with a fate worse than death," Lo added, her voice shaky. " He was not only imprisoned, but his bending was also taken away,"
"Ty Lee chi blocked you a few moments ago," Li finished.
Azula stared at her hands, piecing together the life left for herself. Her room was now her gilded cage, chi-blocked whenever her brother believed she was out of line, a fate much like Father's but with more painful steps. She could only watch the Fire Nation fall into the mercies of their enemies, Zuko kissing the Avatar and his goon's feet. But she knew that this was only temporary since most likely Zuko didn't know what to do with her.
She laughed humorlessly.
At best, she could be used as a bargaining chip when she was of marriageable age, married off to some old Earth Kingdom nobleman who already had many wives. A worst, used as a scapegoat and a warning to whatever enemies Zuko created for himself, tortured or worse. In the eyes of the courts, she might not have done anything wrong, but that could easily be twisted. People always found a way to condone their enemies.
"Zuzu, I didn't know you had it in you," she whispered.
Death would be a mercy.
"I have to get out of here," Azula said, opening her desk drawer to take out a blank scroll and dipping her ink brush in ink.
"I am going to need you two to distract anyone who comes close to my room," Azula told them as she wrote.
"Yes," the elderly twins said in unison.
After she finished her work and rolled up the parchment, she tied it neatly in a bow before handing it to Li.
"Make sure this gets to Zuko," Azula said, walking to her closet to take out her bag that she packed with supplies just for this type of situation.
She looked between Lo and Li. Both having similar worried expressions; Li clutched the scroll to her chest. Azula knew that they would be fine.
"You both are dismissed," she directed calmly.
Li went and gave Azula a hug and Lo soon followed after. Azula tensed, still not used to the physical affection. This situation might have brought them closer together, but she could not stay in their arms as much as she wanted to. She will just have to keep the memory of it in her heart, remembering their orchid perfume.
"We will make sure Zuko doesn't lead this nation into ruin," Li said with a sniffle.
"Thank you…for everything," Azula whispered, tightening the hug before letting go.
"Oh, Azula," Lo hiccuped.
"Please survive," Li finished.
Lo walked out the door. Li briefly looked back before following after her sister, yapping at the people outside to not disturb Princess Azula as she recuperated.
Azula walked in contemplative silence to her fireplace, pushing one of its bricks. A secret door opened to reveal the entrance to a labyrinth that spread throughout the whole palace, so full of twists and turns that one could easily get lost and die. The skeletons that littered it confirmed that.
Glancing into it, she smirked. A blessing that Zuko knew nothing of its existence since he harbored her in her room. She should thank Father's negligence for that.
She crawled through the opening and down the stairs. Despite being in complete darkness, she wandered the paths often enough to know the whole place by heart. Fun little excursions turned into essential parts of her life, wandering these tunnels saved her more time than she could count from assassins.
As she walked in darkness, she heard bounds of cheers. Against her better judgments, she went toward the sound until her hand brushed against the stone cold walls; their cries were so loud that it vibrated them. Azula felt around and found an opening.
The courtyard came into view, the place where she was chained below just below her. She was unable to hear the rushing water from all the people that crowded the place, people from all nations in the rows, the enemies and civilians cheering for their new leader.
Zuko and the Avatar were little dots on the top of the stairs where she was to be crowned Fire Lord just yesterday.
"—and to bring a new era of love and peace," Zuko shouted before kneeling down to take the crown.
If she wasn't chi blocked, she would have struck him with lightning right then and there. She had to remind herself that things would not be smooth sailing for him. After all, with his lack of education, he was a turtleduck in an armadillo bear's den.
He will soon see how much of a cold battlefield the royal courts were. He might have the Avatar by his side, but he would soon leave with his allies from the other nations and who would he have then?
"I now announce to you, Fire Lord Zuko," the Head Fire Sage announced as he placed the crown onto Zuko's topknot.
And everyone clapped.
"I hope assassins come for you," Azula gritted through her teeth before continuing on her journey.
She turned away from the celebrations and down the path that led to the shores. She opened and saw the deserted beach, the guards usually posted most likely attending the celebrations.
She breathed salt water as she headed to the arrays of boats docked. Amongts the rows, the smallest boat looked like it could be manned by one person.
"The peasant class boat will have to do," Azula said to herself.
She rushed into its cabin, looking at the controls and a crate of coals next to it. She tried to ignite the ship's engine with fire, but her bending had yet to return, so she lit it the nonbender way.
And Azula was off, into the barren sea. A part of her wondered what would happen if she ran into the enemy, but there was no one on the water. She assumed that this was also due to the coronation and celebrations.
Alone with her thoughts, she wondered about the future ahead of her. She knew that her disappearance would be known eventually and she would constantly be on the run. With how she was defeated, there would be few nobles at her side, they would be swarming her father. Ozai might have had his bending taken away, but his wit and ruthless tongue was what made him Fire Lord.
Thunder broke her out of her thoughts, the waves under her feet becoming progressively more unsteady, making it more difficult to stand. She staggered out of the cabin to see a monstrous cloud coming toward her, it roaring thunder and flashing its teeth with lightning.
Azula rushed back into the cabin to poke at the control, anything to turn this ship around. But a giant wave hit the ship, causing her to fall to the ground. She picked herself to try again, but stopped herself .
"You really can't control the tides," she concluded.
There was no way Azula could get away from it. She closed her eyes, accepting her fate of being swallowed by the storm.
I will preface that this is not a Katara bashfic. The views of the protagonist do not reflect the views of the author.