Morality Chain

Well it's really more of a two parter, so this update comes along a little faster, I guess?

I do hope to improve my update speed for the next few chapters too, of course.

Also, I've broken 1000 reviews as of the last chapter. Thanks to everyone who keeps up with my work!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Earlier that day...

"I do hope you enjoyed your stay in our prisons," Azula remarked conversationally to the person walking – or more accurately, being dragged along – beside her. "The Boiling Rock is the highest security gaol we have in the whole Fire Nation, did you know?"

Suki didn't reply, save perhaps her furious glare sharpening in intensity. Of course, the gag tied securely around her mouth would have prevented her from saying anything even if she had wanted to.

Truth be told, Azula preferred it that way. Being able to make sarcastic jabs at her was one thing, but she wasn't nearly as composed as she was trying to pretend she was, and she wasn't entirely sure she could keep up appearances if she was forced to compete in a verbal sparring match.

Still, that didn't mean Azula could resist the chance to goad her a little. Any misgivings about this she could write off on account that she would be doing the girl a massive favour very soon.

Of course, that was assuming the Avatar survived that day, but given what he had been through already, Azula thought that there was a fair enough assumption.

"There's no need to be so hostile, is there? After all, I'm doing you a favour. Soon you'll have your freedom," she paused, as if considering something. "Assuming, of course, that the Avatar finds himself capable of fighting his way back out after he finds you."

The plan was simple enough. Assuming the Avatar managed to discover their underground base after the empty throne room (there was the possibility that the might simply decide to retreat once they realized the Fire Nation knew they were coming, but Azula considered that vanishingly unlikely,) he'd soon start searching for Ozai's location.

Anyone they found had been briefed to tell them it was the central chamber. Of course Ozai was instead waiting in a totally different room at the northern end of the complex, but every moment of the Avatar's they managed to waste was a minor victory.

Which led to her bringing along the prisoner. Azula had originally planned on being there in person to delay the Avatar, but that plan obviously wasn't going to be possible with her new agenda. Which led to this.

The girl who had been travelling with the Avatar, and was obviously a companion of theirs. The perfect bait.

And to delay them, a trap.

Azula glanced over her shoulder at the Dai Li agents who were walking in tight formation behind her.

"You know the plan, I assume."

"Of course, your highness," the head agent nodded. "We are to lie in wait while the Avatar and his companions find the girl. After they have begun untying her and while their attention is occupied, we shall strike."

"Take the Avatar alive, if possible. If not..." she let her sentence trail off. The implications were clear.

"We will not fail you, your highness."

Azula had to disagree with his assessment, given that they had already been defeated by the Avatar before, but anything was possible. Maybe they would get lucky.

But probably not.

She settled for nodding her acceptance and indicating that they should tie Suki down. She watched as they dragged Suki forward none too gently and forced her down into the seat. She didn't struggle – Azula half-wondered if she'd even have the strength to do so, but her ferocious glare made it clear what she was thinking.

Pausing only to give her prisoner one last mocking look, Azula left the chamber.

(X)

"Report," Azula said as she stepped into the war room.

"Your highness," one of the aides saluted hastily and brought out a sheet of paper. "We've spotted forces of the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes moving into the harbour."

"They've passed the Gates of Azulon?"

"Yes, we're not sure how, but apparently they've managed to construct vessels that can move underwater. They never engaged the Gate's defences."

Some waterbender trickery, no doubt. A pity. Otherwise it might have been nice to capture one of those contraptions to figure out how it worked.

"How long until the eclipse?"

"Five minutes, your highness."

She nodded and stepped out of the room as the rest of the men scurried to and fro, making sure everything was prepared

Entering the subterranean hallways of the emergency shelters, she kept a steady pace as she headed for her goal. Within a few minutes, it came into sight, just as she felt a slight shiver move through her body, telling her that her Firebending had been sealed.

Taking a deep breath, she signalled for the guards outside the chamber to let her through, and she stepped inside.

(X)

There was silence in the chamber for a long moment.

Father and daughter stared at each other, Azula's provocative statement hanging in the air between them. She kept her gaze steady and her face impassive as she stared at her father, silently daring him to respond to that statement.

She wondered if her father would go for a single word response such as a sharp 'Explain,' but she didn't think that likely. To leave it as open-ended as that would be to cede control of the direction of the conversation to Azula, and she didn't think he would be likely to let that happen.

Especially since her statement would have already put him on the defensive.

"You intend to leave." His remark was not framed as a question, but Azula nodded in confirmation anyway.

She'd made a quick debate about how much information to reveal to her father without his asking for it, but had finally decided against it. Better to keep her knowledge close to herself and to dispense more as needed.

And if she knew her Father, he wasn't going to let this turn of events pass by unchallenged.

"Why?" her father's expression was dark. "No, I can guess. It's Zuko. What has he done this time?"

"As you might have guessed, he's leaving too," Azula adopted a disaffected air. "It appears something about our decision to burn the Earth Kingdom to the ground didn't sit right with him."

"He is a spineless whelp. I always knew that. We both always knew that," Ozai's grip on the armrests of his throne tightened. "But you, daughter. You intend to leave alongside him?"

She nodded once. "I do."

Ozai settled back in his throne, a sneer on his lips. "I always knew that association with Zuko would not be good for you. But to consider turning your back on everything just for his sake? It's worse than I thought." And then there came a thin smile. "Yet you knew to come to me and let me disabuse you of the notion. Perhaps it's not as bad as I feared."

"True," Azula returned a sardonic smile of her own. "I have learned much from you, father. Too much to simply turn away like that."

"Yet you are unable to shake this idea on your own. Well then, daughter. What would you have me say to you? What argument could you offer for why you should leave?"

"I want you to tell me. You told me bonds were a weakness. That they only make you vulnerable. Yet now it is my bond to Zuko that compels me to help him, is it not? Doesn't that go against what you taught me?"

"So even after all this you still do not understand?" Ozai stood, glaring down at her. "Your 'bond' with Zuko? Do you not see what he has done? Zuko has chained you to him."

"Chained?"

"You know that Zuko is weak. People like him cannot accomplish what they want in life, no matter how hard they try. And so they simply get other, stronger people to do the work for them. You would run halfway across the world, disobey me, help him hunt down his enemies and now turn your back on the Fire Nation for his sake. And for what? Sibling bonds?" The Fire Lord's fists clenched. "Don't you see? Everything about your relationship is one-way. He wastes your time, your energy, and what does he give in return? Nothing. Not a thing."

Azula remained silent, listening to him speak.

"And through this, you become weak as well. Not because of your failure, but because of his. You expend your time and effort on his troubles, and you are less able to deal with your own. Even if you could do this, why would you? Leave foolishness like bonds and sentiment to the miserable wretches beneath us. We, who are greater than them, can achieve what we desire on our own."

She nodded. "I see, father. I have just one question."

"And what is your question."

"Was my mother weak?"

Ozai did not respond for a moment – Azula rather suspected the question had caught him off guard.

"We both know, father. Our mother, leaving in the middle of the night. Grandfather, found dead by the time morning came. And you, named the next Fire Lord all of a sudden." her gaze sharpened. "I was listening, you know. I heard grandfather order you to kill Zuko. And I know mother would not have accepted that."

A curt nod in reply. "Your mother... did vicious, treasonable things that night."

"Yes, to ensure that Zuko was kept safe."

"And what was her reward? A lifetime in exile. Stripped of her titles and comforts, forced to abandon her old life and to wander the earth to who-knows-where. That is what doing things for the sake of others led her to. And you need to even ask? Yes, she was weak. And she was a fool. And now, you too. If you leave, you will gain nothing but exile. You must see this.

"If you see this, then you must understand the correct choice, the only choice. I tell you this now, Azula. If you leave with Zuko, you will regret it for the rest of your life."

"I see." Azula bowed her head. "I understand now."

And she did, really. For the longest time she had always wondered. Because that night where her mother had left, where she had committed 'vicious, treasonable' acts, had always remained in her memory. When her father had taught her of strength and weakness, there had always been that doubt left in her mind. Memories of her bond with Zuko – and memories of the last night she had seen her mother.

The bonds that had driven her mother to protect Zuko. The bonds that had driven Azula to watch over him.

How she could never reconcile the image of her mother sacrificing herself for Zuko's sake with the idea of weakness.

"What do you understand?"

"I understand that there are sources of strength that your worldview cannot account for," as she said this she could see the corners of Ozai's mouth draw down sharply in displeasure.

"I understand," she continued, "That bonds can be used to gain strength instead of it simply being drained from me." She did not mention Mai or Ty Lee by name, after all she did not want to draw the Fire Lord's ire towards them. Nevertheless they had come with her when she had asked for their help, and they had aided her during her journey.

"I understand that as strong as I aspire to be on my own, I cannot be strong all the time," the admission galled her, but then so had her weakness when she had fallen ill after their march. She could not master her body to such an extent.

"I understand that bonds can invite weakness, yet they can also invite strength. And the same can be said for attempting to stand entirely on my own." The dangers of her bond were well apparent. Even if she did decide to leave him be to his fate, she knew that her own heart would give her no peace about it.

"Foolish child!" Ozai's voice was thunderous. "You would throw away everything that I have taught you?"

"Agni forbid, father," Azula kept her voice calm. "You were the one who taught me that power and strength is what would allow me to make my mark on the world. I believed that with all my heart. That has not changed. I merely do not agree with you as to where people can find strength from.

"I am leaving, Father. Maybe I'll come back. Maybe I won't." internally, she tallied up the time she had spent speaking with him. She would have less than a minute until the eclipse ended, and she couldn't be sure that father would not resort to violence against her.

"You would turn your back on me, after everything I have done for you?"

She couldn't help herself. She laughed, a harsh mocking sound in the expanse of the chamber. "Why are you surprised, father? You, of all people, should know better. We have no use for sentimentality, don't we?"

She turned to leave, but even as she did, she felt a rush of energy flood her limbs, and her eyes widened in surprise. So she had miscalculated on the timing of the eclipse. And that also meant that her father -

She whirled back around, just in time to see a burst of a white-hot lightning streaking through the air at her.

Azula jumped back as far as she could, noting even as she did so that the blast was not headed for her at all. It hit the ground in front of where she had been standing, and the force of the blow knocked her further back still. Dropping into a roll, she right herself in a battle-ready stance, waiting for a follow-up strike that never came.

There was once more silence in the chamber as the dust settled. Gasping for air, Azula stared up at Ozai, who was standing there calmly, his hands at his sides.

"Very well, daughter," his voice was low. "Leave. Go where you will with your brother. Seek out what strength you wish, in bonds or whatever else.

"But know this. You will find nothing for you out there. Even corrupted and poisoned by the weakness of your brother, you are still my daughter. I made you who you are. And I know you, perhaps better than you know yourself.

"I repeat: If you leave with Zuko now, you will regret it for the rest of your life."

Never breaking his gaze from her, he settled back onto his throne, staring.

Swallowing, Azula turned and ran out of the room.

(X)

She found Zuko in the docks, just as she had predicted. His eyes widened as he caught sight of her.

"Azula? What are you doing-"

She glanced around. "I'd have thought you'd have gotten Uncle first."

"He's gone, he broke out on his own during the eclipse and-" Zuko shook his head. "No, what are you doing here? You're not-"

"What's it look like?" Azula asked impatiently. "I'm coming with you."

Zuko swallowed. "I didn't ask-"

"I know. Now hurry up and take off. We don't want to be pursued."

Zuko didn't bother to argue any further, hurriedly setting about the preparations for launching. The airship appeared to be designed to be operated by a single person, so Azula let him go about it as she slumped back in her seat, her thoughts whirling about her.

She had lied. Of course she had.

All she had said about giving him the chance to convince her to stay. She never had any intention of doing that in the first place.

Because even after turning the idea in her mind over and over, she realized that she could not bear to let Zuko just walk off on his own again.

The questions in her head came thick and fast. Why did she feel that way about Zuko leaving? And no one else? (A dark part of her mind whispered at her of another instance, but she shoved it aside. She didn't have time for that later.) She felt some sense of regret at leaving her father and the Fire Nation behind, but nothing like the deep gnawing ache at the thought of leaving her brother.

Her father's words echoed in her mind. So he was right after all. Azula suppressed the urge to give a bitter laugh. She had been chained to Zuko. All those fancy words about bonds and drawing strength from them had been lies too. Even if they were true in general, to Azula they rang hollow.

She slumped back in her seat and sighed.

Slowly the two of them made their way towards the horizon.

(X)

Night had fallen and the two of them had landed their airship in a clearing in the middle of a Fire Nation forest. It wasn't as far away from the capital as Azula would have liked, but she had ascertained they were not being pursued by airships, so that was a small relief, at least.

Starting a campfire was a trivial task for any Firebender, and they were soon sitting around a fire.

"Why did you come?" Zuko asked.

Briefly, Azula considered being honest, but she was still trying to sort it all out herself, and so she settled for deflecting the question.

"Because you would have messed it all up on your own," she said as she raised an eyebrow. "Tell me, what did you tell Mai before leaving?"

"Tell? I, uh, gave her a letter earlier today."

Azula sighed. "Typical. I had them informed of our plans the day before and told them to go into hiding."

"What? Why?"

Azula sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Zuko, think. Do you want them to be anywhere in the vicinity of the capital after we've left? What do you think father is going to want to do to the two who were travelling with us earlier once we abandon the Fire Nation?"

Zuko had no answer to that, and so he settled into silence. Well, that was better than him questioning her, so Azula stood and turned away.

And paused.

"Someone's coming."

Zuko was on his feet in an instant, arms at the ready. The sound was unmistakeable now, the rustling of leaves and the crunch of broken branches. Someone was moving with great speed, and in their direction.

Azula raised her hand, preparing herself to Firebend as a dark shape darted out from the bushes, the warm light of the camfire revealing the bedraggled form of -

"Ty Lee?!"

Chapter End

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