A/N: I never learned you should stop loving fire because you got burned. Love and be loved. Read… and review!
The Dragon Empress Reborn
[Summer 138 AG]
A girl with hair darker than the night sky watches the fire from afar. It blazes with such a glorious fury, the flames nearly kissing the clouds. Black and greasy smoke flows out, creating a musky smell. Normally malodorous, in this case it is mixed with the adrenaline of fighting and the thrill of victory, leading all the invaders to mistake it for the smell and taste of conquering. They have snuffed out another enemy land, on a warpath to resuming their place atop the globe's hierarchy structure. The girl stands alone, taking it all in, watching the village burn, contemplating how unnatural the fire appears. Her top lieutenant approaches.
"Empress Azula," he kneels before her. "Another town pillaged in your name. All of Gaxia Island has now fallen, and we dutifully lay this domain at your feet."
Her eyes remain on the fire as she contemplates it and her place in all of this. The death and the devastation. The ash and the soot. The everlasting will and determination. This is fate unfolded. This is the byproduct of a woman on the journey to ruling. This is what empire expansion looks like - but it doesn't feel like hers. It's as if someone else is growing her garden and then giving her the credit. She hates it.
"They offered little defense, not one messenger hawk left the village for Ba Sing Se, and by morning no one in the Earth Kingdom or otherwise will be the wiser that we have taken it. Yet another brilliant tactical plan, executed to perfection by you, Zarin."
He looks up from his kneeling place with satisfied eyes. She is incisive in her words.
"Almost as if you control the strings of my empire?"
He is not stunned or hurt by this accusation. He is defensive.
"Absolutely not. You are the Dragon Empress Reborn. Myself and the others follow your lead."
There comes no reply. The burning town, both with its light and its crackling, supply all of the background for this heated conversation. She stares with her sharp blue eyes into his amber ones, looking for any signs of disloyalty. He is resolute and believable enough. He breaks the silence.
"Where shall we sail for next, Empress?"
She looks away from him and gestures for him to stand. He does and she starts walking down the hill, towards the raging fires. She replies as the thirty-five year old man falls into pursuit of the Empress.
"I wish to take Lonlhai next. It represents a gateway between what we've already conquered in the Earth Kingdom, and what we seek in Wolf's Cove. There's whispers of some great challenger that holds it. Let us kill them and take their village."
"Right away, Empress. We will embark for Linlhao straight away. I suggest we canvas the island, rather than conquer it, before making for Lonlhai. Very little is known of it, not even of this challenger you speak of, because the village does not commune with the outside world. They are very hostile towards outsiders."
They stride past the charred corpses and smoldering buildings of their latest capture. The Dragon Empress is undeterred.
"We shall show them hostility."
A beleaguered, exhausted man hops off of a cargo boat and nods to the captain, an old friend but one whom he paid to take him aboard. The captain is staying the night here in Lonlhai before finishing his route to the South Pole. The voyager has long black hair, braided, going partly down his back, dark skin, and lovely green eyes. He exchanges some words with the captain regarding their departure time for tomorrow. The captain tells him he's better off remaining on the boat. The man tells him he needs to get a proper meal and sleep after their long trip thus far.
"You won't make it past their border patrol." He tries to tell him.
"Maybe not, but I need to try."
With that he's off, walking away and heading along the dock. It's been a long few days at sea, and he could kill for some warm soup and companionship. He stands in a short line at the end of the dock for a bit, with several agents waiting to receive or reject visitors. He watches as most are turned away, but some are allowed entry.
'Cap isn't allowed in, but he's not quite as persuasive as I am.'
"Name and identification?"
"Suru of Wolf's Cove," he replies, handing over a photo ID card.
The border patrol soldier, much like all of his colleagues, is a lifelong Lonlhai villager. He is cold and hard nosed, with piercing blue eyes and massive shoulders. He speaks with a gruff tone as he reviews the paperwork.
"State your business in Lonlhai?"
"I'm just tired. I need to stay at an inn or something. I can't sleep on the boat another night."
"Occupation?"
"I, uh, I work in Republic City."
"Occupation." The man repeats himself, an annoyance present in his voice.
Suru has been warned that this place is reticent to any visitors. Outsiders simply aren't permitted within their borders. So he figures that saying he's a reporter for the Republic Times' probably won't get him very far. So he pivots and tries to appeal to the man's empathy.
"I'm just on my way to Wolf's Cove to visit my mother, who is sick and dying. I'm very stressed and exhausted and need to get a good night's sleep."
"I'm so sorry. My heart breaks for you," the soldier starts, his giant shoulder dropping a bit. He turns his head to the side a bit as he wonders how Suru must be feeling. This only lasts a moment before he straightens back up and continues, "Occupation?"
"Do you have any sisters, Mr.," Suru looks for a name badge but finds none. What an odd little village. "What was your name again."
The man just blinks at him. Suru keeps going with his thoughts, name be damned.
"Because I have a sister, and bless her heart, she means so well, but she can be the Yue damned worst. She's picky, and hates that I left home. If I'm not in pristine condition when I arrive tomorrow, I'll end up saying something I shouldn't. Then she'll cry, my mother will cry, and that could very well be the last thing my mother ever does."
The man gives no reaction.
"All because you didn't want to allow me in to stay at an Inn? Do you really want that on your conscience?"
"There are no Inns in Lonlhai. State your occupation or I'll reject your request right now."
Suru sighs.
"I'm a waiter for a restaurant." He lies.
"Rejected."
"Rej-! What! You just said if I-"
"Your request has been rejected. You serve no immediate purpose to the larger community. Please remain on the docks or you will be forcibly removed."
"And what if I don't want to stay on the dock! What if I leave?"
"Trespassing is a capital punishment in Lonlhai." The man does not blink, but other dock workers are starting to take notice and are drawing closer to this confrontation.
"By whose authority? Chief Sokka? Does he of all people think trespassing deserves death?"
"No," the man replies curtly. "By decree of the Guardian, the Ghost, and the Warden."
This stops Suru in his tracks as it comes as a surprise. An independent authority making ruling for an island within the purview of the Southern Water Tribe is not a common occurrence, let alone one with such strict policies and airtight borders.
"The Guardian or the Ghost?" He asks, but more to himself than to them.
KA-BOOM!
Without any warning there is a massive explosion of noise that can be heard even from the docks. A thunderous crashing sound of something, or somethings, striking the perimeter walls on the far reaching end of the village. The gateway between Lonlhai and the rest of Linlhao has been attacked by some unseen and unknown force. The dock and all of the village reacts with concern. The village has not been attacked since The Burning of Lonlhai and there has not been such an overt, explicit expression of aggression since the Day of Burning Rock.
There are some screams from people on the dock and people on the other side of the dock who live nearby. No one is hurt but the traumatic moment has shaken many of them into quick hysteria. Chaos ensues on the dock and with a sudden golden opportunity, Suru takes advantage. He slips unseen into the village, disappearing amongst the crowd and disarray.
"All emergency procedures have been enacted!" Former Warden Aklaq shouts as they run up the hill that leads out of Lonlhai.
"Shelter in place orders have been issued." Warden Tarlom explains, a small, mustachioed man, who under normal conditions is quite humorous, but does not have the experience nor skills to lead in a crisis.
On Jin and Rangi march upwards towards the gates, Senna sprinting ahead of them, and just at the crest of the hill, waiting for them, is the young Tapisa. Senna gets to her first while the other four all clamber behind.
"Is it happening? Are we under attack?"
"Shh." Tapisa says to the youngling.
"Did you just shh me?"
"Shut up, Senna. Now's not the time."
"No you shut up!"
"No you shut up!"
"Are you two really bickering at a time like this?" On Jin asks as they reach the plateau.
"No!" Says one.
"Yes!" Says the other.
"Yue," On Jin curses. "Get it together. What's the report, Tapisa?"
"Lightning and fire. No earth benders, so the walls will hold."
"Oh thank Yue." Tarlom breathes a sigh of relief.
"Did you send the hawk to request a parlay?"
"Ukiuk already did."
"Of course he fucking did." On Jin grumbles.
"Fucking coward." Rangi adds.
"Fucking shame that Yakaro doesn't seek out a sentry position. She's much more fitting than that idiot brother of hers."
"Are you two really complaining about something trivial right now?" Tapisa pouts at them.
"Yes!" One says.
"No!" Says the other.
"Truth be told, I'm not upset about him sending it." Tapisa admits.
"No, neither am I." Rangi concurs.
"Expedites things a bit." On Jin says. "Will they honor it?"
"They agreed."
"That doesn't answer my question, Tap'."
"I suspect they will. Intelligence gathering from the other villages told me earlier this morning there was some activity across multiple locals asking questions about Lonlhai. And you two."
"Alright. That'll do for now, you can tell me anything else while we're en route."
The Guardian, the Ghost, Tapisa the Ice Archer, Warden Tarlom, Aklaq, and Senna all move towards the collection of mongoose lizards that they've amassed over the recent years. Rangi notices Senna still with them and stops. She puts a hand out and stops her momentum, while all the others move forward, a handful of Wall Sentries already in position on joint saddles.
"Sorry, baby girl, but you need to stay behind."
"No! No no no no no! I can help! I can fight!"
"No, you can't. Not yet. And you shouldn't want to. That's not the life that any of us want for you."
"I can help. I promise! I can help!"
"Your healing is better served here with the people already under our care. None of your healing abilities will be of any use to us in the fight we have ahead."
"Please Aunt Rangi! Please!"
"Go back to the Recovery Wing. Help the people who are now stuck sheltering in place. That will help us out there far more than you standing around wishing you were bigger."
Senna does not want to accept it, but she knows Aunt Rangi is right. She solemnly nods before turning around and running back down the hill.
The landscape is a blur as Azula rides across the no man's land with her army in tow. Over twenty-five men riding on mongoose lizards beside her as they proceed to a parlay with their enemies hiding within the walls. It's not far, and the lizards are faster than the wind. They quickly approach in no time to the agreed upon location. Standing opposite of them is a short woman with black hair and amber eyes, a tall woman with brown hair and grey eyes, a tan young, maybe 20 something year old girl with white hair, and five men. Their small group mills about, in bored silence as the thunderous slapping of the lizards comes to a stop. Everyone stays on their lizards except for one man, who hops down and approaches. He smiles as he opens his arms wide and greets them with words that have been unsaid for some time.
"You stand in the presence of Empress Azula, first of her name. Rightful heir to the throne of the Fire Lord. Rightful ruler of the Fire Nation. The Seed of Sozin. The Prodigy with Blue Fire. The Mother of the Kemurikage. Leader of the Fire Warriors. Founder of the Red Lotus. The Faceless Demon. The Immortal Soldier. The Puppetmaster. The Dragon Empress Reborn. Ruler of all she surveys."
No one replies, but Tapisa is actively thinking about how that is an annoying amount of titles. It just kept going and going. She concludes that this woman must be extremely full of herself and will meet with a swift end at their hands. Right on cue, the girl with raven hair and blue eyes speaks loudly for all to hear.
"Thank you all for being here. Now, kneel before me, surrender your village, and disavow your Warden. I will welcome your soldiers. I will welcome your civilians. I will bless your village and its walls. All will be welcomed into my empire of fire and lightning."
All look at On Jin and Rangi. They do not reply.
"Come now, Guardian. My caravan will raid your village and plunder it with haste. There is no need for such bloodshed. Kneel before me and it can all be avoided. I am a merciful Empress."
This again is met without immediate reply. On Jin let's the moment breath, ruminate in the crisp, summer, Linlaho air. Finally she answers.
"You're right. There's no need for a fight," she starts, shifting her weight, a hand wresting on Agni's Lament while Moon's Veil is lodged into the ground beside her. She continues, "Dozens of men who don't need to die. Only one of us. So let's settle this the traditional way. You versus me."
A little unnerved but not deterred, Azula chuckles. She shakes her head in admiration of the warrior woman. She points at her non-threateningly as she replies.
"I've heard the legends about you, Guardian. The way the other villages talk about you, you're the most powerful bender to ever walk. Maybe you are. Maybe you're not," she takes a pause to let this sink in. Then she continues, "I don't know if I can defeat you, but I know my Kemurikage and Fire Warriors will crush your resistance. I have two dozen fire benders. What do you have? Three? Four benders? I've heard your only healer is a 10 year old girl."
"I have a Ghost."
"A nonbender capable of walking through men, from what I've heard?" Azula asks. Then she quips, "I wonder if she can walk through fire?"
On Jin now is the one who laughs to herself. She looks at the ground at first and then looks up. Her amber eyes pierce the blue ones opposed to her.
"It's true you have the numbers. But will your people still fight for you, now that they know you won't fight for them?"
The point is made clear as the sun, and Azula hates it. She recognizes what the Guardian has done and how she's been exposed as a figurehead, rather than as a leader, let alone Empress. She scowls with anger. She yells back her answer.
"Fine."
Azula dismounts her mongoose lizard.
"We'll do it your way."
"Empress. You don't have to do this. We need you alive, and we have the men, -" Zarin tries to explain.
On Jin steps over towards Rangi and Tapisa and begins removing her belt, with the scabbard for Agni's Lament attached. She mutters to Rangi, "How much coin do you want to bet he's the one who will betray her?"
"All of it. Literally all of it." Rangi replies instantly, leaving Tapisa all sorts of bewildered.
"Every village we burn, every life we've taken has been under your command. It's time that I do as my mother foresaw. The fire rises, Zarin."
"Ugh." Rangi mimes puking.
"Zarin? They even did that? It's just… sad." On Jin replies.
"Okay, but did you hear what she said?" Rangi whispers.
"Yes!"
"Might be an opportunity here?"
"I was thinking the same." She gets excited as she sees the look in Rangi's eyes.
Tapisa is confused, "See what? Aren't you worried-"
"No." Both wives reply in unison.
After further, hushed tone arguments, Azula finally leaves her second-in-command, and comes to stand before an empty handed Guardian.
"No sword? Your arrogance is almost as legendary as your name."
"The way of the blade is an honorable death. Not one I intend to provide to you."
Azula leans back on one foot and prepares a fighting stance.
"My fire will melt your blade."
On Jin does not assume a fighting stance yet. Instead she points out, "It's not safe to fight here. I'd hate for someone to die from the crossfire. Let's find somewhere we can fight alone."
"My men do not fear death. Do yours?"
An unexpected answer, so On Jin goes with Plan B.
"Okay, well that's interesting, you know why?"
"Why?"
"Because - !"
Just like that she takes off running away, as fast as she possibly can and then launches off the ground and her rocket feet fly her up above the trees, further into the forest.
"What! Hey! What the fuck? Come back here!"
Azula gives chase, running quickly and launching into the air. The Dragon Empress pursues The Guardian.
On Jin lands with a snowy runway, taking several steps before finally coming to a stop. Her motion ceases and she stares up around the trees and the mountains all around them, a rugged terrain that is black and brown and contrasts the white powder that covers the ground. Although it is summer, the snow capped mountains, the island being surrounded by sea, and Linlaho's location relative to the South Pole leaves the entire island in a white haze. On Jin closes her eyes, breathes it in, and holds the breath. She hears the muffle of fire as a version of herself lands in the open field behind her. She lets the air go, exhaling, opening her eyes and once again embracing the beauty of nature.
"Welcome to your final place."
On Jin rolls her eyes.
"It's 'Welcome to where you're going,'" she tells her, as she turns around. "At least get the quote right if you're going to steal it."
The girl who stands opposed to her doesn't even resemble a younger her. Sure, she has the black-as-night hair, the light skin, and lean muscles, but none of the rest of it lines up. This Azula has blue eyes, and her jaw is round rather than pointed. This girl has more breasts now than On Jin ever had. She's probably a teenager, maybe just in her low twenties, and she's taller now than On Jin was at that same age, if only barely.
"You have lived a long, and successful life, Guardian. But here, on this field-"
On Jin wonders if she used to be guilty of such nonsensical monologuing. She crosses her arms and interrupts the girl with a booming voice.
"What's your real name?"
"-so therefore… what?"
"What's your real name? It's not Azula, I'm sure. So what's your real name?"
"My name is Empress Azula, and it will be the name that puts you in the ground!"
The girl rears back into her fighting stance and lights a fireball, which is not blue or red!
"White?" On Jin perks up. This unique characteristic grabs her attention. "You have white flames!"
"That's right. In time my White Flame will turn blue and I will retake my throne over this world."
"Fascinating." On Jin takes a step forward, marveling at it. "I'm truly surprised. You've surprised me, Fake Azula."
The 19 year old grows angry. "Stop calling me that! I am-"
"What? Fake Azula? Why not, it's an apt description. You're not the real-"
"Shut up!"
"Okay, okay. Relax."
"Relax! Relax? You are a petulant child!" And Azula attacks.
She throws twin fire balls at her enemy and then sways and twists her arms in a formation for her next attack. On Jin side steps and they both miss by a wide margin. She knows she could incapacitate this girl with a quick strike of lightning, but she has greater goals in mind. She moves forward to clash with the girl head-on. Azula sees the Guardian running forward and steps into a ground-based wave attack. From the Earth, white flames shoot up, first in a line, growing wider as they get further out.
On Jin has seen and done this sort of thing before, so she sprints faster to face the wrath of fire. Just as she and the wave attack are set to hit one another she leaps up over it and flips, giving herself a little boost from her feet. She lands on the other side of the wave, unscathed, and with a clear path towards the Dragon Empress. She sprints forward.
Azula is surprised to see the quick and fearless reaction, but has no time to marvel. She shoots out more blasts of fire. On Jin dodges one and ducks just underneath the other. She runs forward again, the gap now just feet away by the time Azula can conjure up another bending movement. She shoots the white flame, but On Jin easily predicts it again and avoids it. Finally, she is upon her opponent.
Azula tries to back up, but On Jin is instantly in her airspace. While the younger Azula may have quick twitch reactions and youthful fire, the older one has experience - not just throughout her extra years on the girl, but more experience in recent years in deathly battles. She predicts the girl's moves with ease and deftly dodges as Azula throws punches and smaller fireballs at her. Not once does she raise her own fire or lightning against the girl. Now that she's this close though, she does fly a fist at her.
On Jin punches the girl in the shoulder with her right hand, forcing her to take a step back. She then delivers a left hook right into Azula's kidney, knocking some of the wind out of her. On Jin scolds her.
"I've been in your position before!"
She pushes the girl back, who tries to gather her footing, but On Jin is boxing with her again, holding up a blocking move before throwing a fist at her again.
"And I know what it means to lose."
Azula dodges and steps forward, throwing an inferno forward. It misses over On Jin's shoulder. The older woman grabs the teenager by the shoulders, yanks her forward and headbutts her.
"Oof!"
On Jin shoves her and she falls to the ground.
"You're steadfast and all of your life you've been told - and you believe - that it is your destiny. To have such faith, and to be found in a spiritless world? It's terrifying. Makes you weak at the knees. But answer me this?"
"RAGH!" Azula screams jumping up and taking a swing.
On Jin lifts her arm up and blocks the attack, pushing the arm back and exposing her opponent. She throws a fist up and socks her across the face.
"What difference does it make? Fear it. Scramble away from it. The sun rises all the same. And now it's here. I am here."
Azula stumbles away, barely able to stand. She wipes blood from her mouth. She is not equipped for this fight, and her opponent, a prolific bender if the stories are true, hasn't even used one fire blast. Azula calculates and tries to decide on a path forward, but the only way to win is to fry the bitch alive.
"I'm sorry it has to end this way, little one." On Jin tells her.
Azula's chest heaves, fear and anger mixing into a shortness of breath. She hangs her arms out, and shakes her muscles in frustration. She yells at the woman who is beating her soundly.
"You will not survive the lightning!"
On Jin whispers back, "I am the lightning."
On Jin let's it happen. She watches as Azula twists her arms and sways about every which way. She forms deadly, serpent like formations with her dominant hand. Azula builds it up, swinging for a few seconds until it's fully powered up. An unstoppable wave of electricity ready to surge forward. Finally, she is ready. She steps forward and delivers the kill stroke.
A flash of white and then the lighting blasts at her.
On Jin holds a hand up and lets it hit her. It surges through her body, from one fingertip to the next, until she points to the sky and the massive blast of lightning explodes out of her opposite hand and cracks the sky wide open.
Azula is stunned by this, having never seen lightning redirection before in her life. She looks into the high off distance as her attack travels away. What is equally mesmerizing is the sound that echoes across the empty forest. The booming noise completely drowns out the approaching footsteps, sprinting at her. When Azula finally looks forward, it's too late. The Guardian sweeps her legs out from under her and Azula hits the ground with force.
On Jin rolls the girl onto her back and hits her square in the chakras on her left side. Auzla has no idea what this sensation is, but she suddenly feels limp on her whole left side. On Jin rolls her so she's on her back and that is when Azula realizes she can't move. She is stuck. This is how and where she will die. She looks up at the pale blue sky and awaits the end. The Guardian has won.
On Jin steps back and finds a rock formation nearby to sit down on. She takes a seat and lifts her foot up, massaging it in the places where it hurts. Her head falls back, and she shuts her eyes as she takes in the sounds around her. After another moment she finally speaks.
"Tell me about your white fire."
Azula has anticipated the end. This sort of questioning is not a welcomed reprieve.
"How dare you? Such insolence. And lack of respect for the battlefield!"
"Have you ever even killed anyone?"
"Being the Dragon Empress is my destiny!"
"So you haven't. That's good. Bad for ruling, good for your soul."
"When I get up, I will crush you beneath my heel!"
"Tell me about the white fire. Do you have any unique abilities?" On Jin asks, ignoring Azula's bravado.
No reply comes from the girl on the ground, who is currently unraveling amidst an identity crisis.
"Either you get up and kill me without answering or I kill you and never find out. Either way I'll never know. I'd prefer to know. Please tell me."
Azula, unable to move her entire left side, feels resigned to her fate. The Guardian has stated it in such simple terms. There's really nothing to argue or fight about. She concedes.
"It has healing powers. I'm a healer. I'm a joke. A fire bender who can heal!"
"A joke? Hardly! A tremendous ability. Do you know how valuable that would be? We could really use you in our village," On Jin explains, expressing empathy to her enemy. Her voice grows excited, "So many people, injuries, sick. You were right, our only healer is a little girl. Although she's 9 and a half, not 10 like you said earlier."
"What is this? Why are you doing this?" The Dragon Empress asks the Guardian. "We agreed to a battle to the death for the fate of your village and its people and you're … making smalltalk?"
"Fake Azula," On Jin refers to her as the ridiculous name. "I see you as a potential ally. A fellow protector of the weak and vulnerable. I have no interest in killing you. I left my blade because I had no intention of sending you to the grave."
"But what if I defeated you? What was your plan?"
"That never was going to happen. And if you had? Oh well. I've lived a long life, many lives in fact, and my time will come sooner or later."
"You're crazy." Azula sighs.
"Listen, you have such talent as a possible leader and role model. Why consign yourself to being an Empress? What is driving this mission?"
Azula's memory flickers in her eyes. Soft hands holding her close. A rapturous voice telling her stories. A time before she was 'Azula, the Dragon Empress.' A reminder of her life from 'before.' Simpler, happier times, that she now tells to this Guardian of Lonlhai.
"It was what my mother saw for me."
"Hmm?"
"She was one of the Kemurikage, the original Kemurikage. She fought side by side with the Dragon Empress. She helped to reshape the world. She believed that I could be just as strong, just as exceptional. That I could take her place."
On Jin's pulse pounds just a little faster.
"What happened to your mother?"
Sadder memories now fill her mind and her voice.
"She grew ill and died before any healer could save her," Azula laments. She takes a deep breath before continuing, "Agni laughed at me by giving me healing powers too late to help her."
"What was her name?"
"Chyn."
"And you? What's your name? Your real name."
"My name is Meng Shou." She confesses for the first time in a long time.
"And what does it mean?" On Jin asks. "I'm sure Chyn gave you that name for a reason"
"It means 'fierce beast.'"
"Beautiful. A more fitting name I've never heard."
The Guardian stands and walks over to Meng Shou. She stands above her.
"Meng Shou, I propose you leave your Empress life behind and join me. I can give your life a new purpose. A new destiny that Chyn would've been proud of."
It's a tempting idea. A new life. A path to redemption, perhaps. Not one she sees for herself though. She grips the snow in her hands and makes other plans. There is feeling returning to her arms and shoulders. She asks the question partly to buy time, but also because she is curious.
"Why would I do that?"
On Jin takes a stance above her, both hands at her side, open palms facing the skies above.
"Because you can't be the Dragon Empress Reborn when the original never died."
Azula lights the blue flames. Meng Shou's eyes fly open in shock, and she briefly wonders if she has been concussed.
"What! How? What trick is this, Guardian?"
"No trick," Azula assures her. "I knew Chyn. You haven't said a thing about her but I can tell you she had black hair, blue eyes, and fair skin. During the spring and summer, when the sun hit her enough, she had so many freckles we couldn't even count all of them in our camps. I know all of this because she was my Kemurikage. I am the Prodigy with Blue Fire."
"How? This. She said you. She went to her grave thinking you were dead! She said she searched the world and never found you?"
"Then I suppose this is the first step of your new destiny. Finishing your mother's search. Finding what she couldn't: A dead woman, hiding in plain sight."
Meng Shou holds onto the snow, unsure of what to do. There are cosmic, spiritual forces at play right now. Feelings and things that she can not properly explain. Fate unfolding before her.
"How? How do I…"
"How? Well, the way I see it this can go one of two ways." Azula explains.
"First, you can squeeze that snow, throw it at my eyes in an attempt to blind me, tackle me to the ground, and try to kill me. You would not be the first to try as much."
Meng Shou no longer feels numb on her left side. Instead, she feels shame and embarrassment.
"Or, the second way: you join me. I'll tell you all about your mother. Her favorite meal. Her fighting style. You know, we once defeated a crew of pirates together, and so much more."
Azula reaches a hand down and offers it to the wayward daughter of her once loyal follower and friend.
"Let me tell you the legend of Chyn."
Meng Shou releases the snow. She reaches her right hand up and takes the one offered to her. Azula pulls the deposed Dragon Empress back up on her feet.
"This is an abomination! An utter disgrace! You betray your mother's wishes and your destiny? Because of this, this, this? Gender betrayer?"
On Jin stands between Meng Shou and her small army who'd been waiting on the outcome.
"That's a very base insult. Both ignorant and pathetic. You can do so much better if you're going to insult me."
"Zarin, it was always your empire. You can have it. The Guardian has convinced me."
Tapisa shakes her head in wonder. Another incredible effort by On Jin. When lightning struck a little earlier most at the parlay had assumed one of the girls had died. So when On Jin returned with the Dragon Empress at her side it was a shock, to put it lightly. Now Zarin and his men are coming to grips with their new reality.
"You can't just abandon our cause - your cause! You are a part of this. You don't get to just lea-"
"I will only say this once." The Guardian interrupts them, lifting Moon's Veil from the ground and pointing it at Zarin.
"Redemption is my offer to you. Forsake your paths and we will welcome you as one of our own. Or leave. Go now, and never return."
Zarin puts his fists on his hips and does not react. None of the Fire Warriors or Kemurikage react. They stay stationary. On Jin has seen enough.
"Very well." She nods, turning to Meng Shou and placing a hard on her shoulder. She turns her away from her men and her army. Rangi, Tapisa, Aklaq, Warden Tarlom, and their couple of sentries all stay standing, while Zarin and his men remain stoic and menacing.
The military strategist born 20 years too late for the Hundred Year's War fumes and bubbles with rage. He's just lost his best asset and ticket to a more global effort. Zarin finally breaks. Despite all of the onlookers and defenses he steps forward and uncorks a fireball with all of the fury of a man who's just lost everything.
"HEY! ON JIN!"
Azula looks over her shoulder and only has a moment to react. While they had called her name she knows better. The column of fire streaking through the air is not for her; it's for the girl who represents her old self. She makes the sacrifice play, wrapping her arms around Meng Shou and stepping in front of her. The fire blast smashes right into her back and sends her flying forward. She collapses on top of the teenage girl, who goes face first into the snow.
"On Jin!" Some call out to her.
"Is she alive?"
"Yue! No!"
"That's it!" Rangi screams, unsheathing Kyoshi's Fan while Eclipse hangs on her belt. "No one hurts my wife except for me!"
"You have attacked our leader, and for that you will meet with your end." Tapisa says, summoning the icicle arrows she is well known for.
Azula still hasn't said anything, lying on Meng Shou's back.
"Oh my Agni," the young girl whispers amongst the commotion. She fears the answer but asks anyway, "Are you dead?"
A groan sounds off in her ear.
"Not yet," she struggles to say. "It'll take more than that to kill me."
Ty Lee charges forward, the guards around do their best to assist, and Tapisa lets loose her attacks. While they may be vastly outnumbered and their secret weapon is lying in a heap on the ground, Azula knows that if her life were in any kind of real danger, she could and would roll over and strike her enemies down. However, with Ty Lee on the attack, she is confident that the fight will be quick and decisive. Meng Shou, bless her heart, tries to get up. Azula holds her arms and keeps her down.
"We need to help! Zarin and my men can not be allowed-"
"Just stay here a little longer, Fierce Beast. Trust me, they can handle themselves," she replies quietly in her ear. "Besides, this will be easier for you when they're done."
It only lasts a short while, just as Azula had predicted. She stays with Meng Shou and holds her down as she listens to two dozen men fall down. As she had misquoted Azula earlier, they are welcomed to their final place. The pounding of feet finally stops and then it is quiet, except for the labored breathing of her compatriots. When it's all done, and Meng Shou is free, then Azula stands.
She lifts the girl up and doesn't let her turn her head back to look at the wasteland. She keeps her facing forward and leads her back to Lonlhai. Away from the death. Meng Shous is liberated, like Azula never was, from her destiny as the Dragon Empress.
In the heart of Republic City, two figures walk together through the streets. Obscured by the post-sunset darkness, a mist-like rain floats down from above. They wear hoods not just for the weather, but to hide their real identities. They have been on this path together before, but it is nonetheless dangerous. Should they be spotted, it could spell certain circumstances they'd like to avoid. They are, after all, world renowned figures. It would be scandalous and headline-worthy for the Fire Lord and the Avatar's wife to be spotted roaming the streets of Republic City together, unaccompanied by their respective partners.
"How much further?" He asks.
"Couple more blocks."
"Better be worth it, given-"
"It will be." She assures him.
Katara and Zuko are on their way to a bar. They'll get some liquor, some greasy food, and they'll catch up on their lives. They'll eavesdrop on the common, working people of Republic City, and maybe get some intel on the latest goings on of a certain gangster by the name of 'Zolt.' Inspired by their adventure together to track down Yon Rha, going out into secret and using disguises. Somewhere along the way, it became their 'thing.' Aang and Mai both know that they're doing this, and that they've done this before, and they both consent to it. They understand that there are certain things that they can't give to their spouses that the opposite member can. It hasn't crossed any lines, at least not yet.
Katara isn't paying enough attention as she recollects their various trips through the underbelly of the city. She also is distracted because they are at their destination, the bar right across the street. She steps out onto the street and doesn't see the automobile careening towards her. A hand grips her bicep and pulls her with force backwards.
"Whoa!"
"Oh shit!" She yells.
A horn blares as the car keeps going. Zuko screams as they go, "Watch the road, a-hole!"
The driver screams something back at him, but it's indiscernible through their speed, the mist, and how quickly he zooms past them. Zuko raises a middle finger to them as they drive off. Amused by this, Katara does the same. They watch the car drive down the road and then round a corner. This time, Katara looks both ways before crossing the street.
They enter the bar and a busy waitress walks past them. She tells them as she sees them standing there, "Take any seat wherever you can. I'll come find you after okay? Just the two?"
"Just two." Katara replies while bowing her head.
She leads them to the darkest corner in the place, where she partially removes her hood by situating it on top of her head. Zuko does the same as he sits on the side of the table that allows his scar to be hidden away from the rest of the patrons. The waitress swings by and they order two shots per person. She doesn't notice anything peculiar about them at all. They begin conversing in earnest.
"You saved my life back there."
"You would've been fine. Could've just healed yourself."
"Oh yeah, with a head cracked wide open, I'll just heal my brain hemorrhage."
"Hmm. Fair point. Well, it wasn't the first time and it probably won't be the last."
The waitress drops off their shots before excusing herself to go handle some rowdy drunks.
"We've done our fair share of rescuing each other from the brink. I don't know how I'd be here without you."
He lifts his first shot and offers it up. She lifts hers too.
"Likewise."
They clink and take them down, the juice stinging they're throats as it goes.
"You know," Katara says after a moment. "People say they'd 'take a strike of lightning for you,' but we actually have done it."
"I did for you, you didn't shit for me."
"Okay, fine, but I'm the only reason you 'won' that fight and became the guy."
"Man. That all feels like a lifetime ago." He reminisces.
"Because it was a lifetime ago. We were completely different people with different lives than we have now."
"Can I tell you something?"
"Well shit, Blue, what else are we here for? To brood and stare off into the distance?"
"Shut up."
Katara laughs. "Alright, sure. What?"
"I tend to look at my life as chapters of a book. There was the chapter of growing up with my parents and my sister. It wasn't very long, but damn was it impactful."
"Uh-huh."
"Then my mom leaves, and all that shit. And suddenly I'm with my Uncle. Then, next thing I know, I'm fighting you and the gang, and then I'm part of the gang."
Katara looks back on this chapter with warmth and calm. It was a time of great strife and difficulty. Her life was a waking terror, with struggles and difficulties at every turn. There was seldom ever any rest before the wicked came for them. Yet despite this, despite knowing objectively that it was a maelstrom of hard won lessons and crushing losses, there is a vibrancy to the memories. They fill her up and lay on her like a warm blanket, keeping her snug.
"I think that was the best chapter of my life." She says absentmindedly.
The memory of her victory at the Coronation Plaza shimmers in her mind. She can almost see it all again, feel it all again. The taste of victory tastes a lot like daydreaming about previous achievements while drinking cactus juice in a Republic City shithole bar.
"Uh, really?" Zuko asks. "Not your kids being born?"
"Oh, yeah. I mean, obviously, that's the best part of my life. I love them. I just mean-"
Katara backtracks, Zuko downs his second shot. The old friends begin a night of debauchery and fun that they may or may not remember the next day.
"So the Guardian was once known by other names?"
"That's the truth, Tap'. She won't discuss it in detail, but she wanted me to tell you. She felt you deserved at least some explanation."
The village had heard the story. Once the shelter in place order was lifted it became quite clear that victory had transpired. However, when whispers turned into tales of On Jin not just defeating the enemy, but converting them to be another protector of Lonlhai, and the Ghost and the Archer had slain their enemies, well a celebration was needed for the entire village. Songs were written and sung by campfire, villagers told tales of her heroics. The Day of Burning Rock and the Burning of Lonlhai were revisited in great detail. There was some argument of what name to dub this day, but it was clear that it would be just the latest chapter in the story of The Guardian and the Ghost.
Tapisa and Ty Lee sit alone in a corner, away from all of the revelry and celebration. They share a meal, some fresh seafood and rice patties. Rangi had expected more confusion and to be asked things by their protege, now the first of two, but The Archer is surprisingly calm about all of it.
"Do you have any questions?"
"I do not." She says, staring at her plate. "On Jin did not demand to know of my life on Gako Island before coming here. I assume she came to Lonlhai for a new beginning?"
"Indeed." Rangi nods. "We came together in search of that. And we've had to fight for it. We've lost some people along the way, but we've also gained some. We have it now, and we wouldn't give it up for anything."
"Aunt Rangi!"
At that exact moment, Senna came running up to the pair isolated away from the campfire and the fun. She crashes into Rangi's open arms who holds the girl against her for a moment in a tight embrace. Tapisa registers the last words that Rangi has said to her before being so rudely interrupted.
"Excuse me, pipsqueak, we were having a conversation!"
"'Bout what?" Senna asks the older girl and her aunt.
"None of your busin-"
"Oh nothing," Rangi cuts her off, making some eyes towards Tapisa. "I was just telling Tapisa about how your Aunt On Jin and I came here to Lonlhai, and how we just wanted to have a simple life and raise a family."
Senna looks up at her with those big, giant cyan eyes. She would listen to anything that the Ghost told her. Hearing these words from Ty Lee are imprinted on her memory, seared into her thoughts as they stand here together.
"Is that important, Aunt Rangi?"
Ty Lee can't help but smile widely at the little girl.
"It's the most important thing in the world to us." Ty Lee tells her. She tries to not think about the fact that a simple life will never be possible for them.
Elsewhere amongst the celebration, similarly away from the action, Azula fulfills her promise. She and Meng Shou are on Azula's porch, seated together with empty plates and cups beside them. The Guardian has excused herself to be with her new ward and talk with them, demanding privacy from her most trusted deputies and village elders. She was confident they would be left alone by anyone and everyone who wasn't Ty Lee.
"Chyn was fearless when I knew her. Hearing you speak of her earlier, I bet when she was nearing her death, she met it head on. Unafraid."
"She did," Meng Shou says, a truly warm smile on her face as she recollects her mother's final days. "She was ready when it came."
"Here's a great story about your mother: once my Empire started expanding, I found that some men had taken up post by the first place we ever helped: Baochou Village."
"I'm familiar with Baochou, she made sure I knew the story of how the fisherman came to you all."
"Lin, his name is Lin," she explains. "He's due to return in a few days, you can meet him if you'd like?"
Mesmerized and amazed Meng Shou replies, "Yes. Of course!"
"He probably has his own stories about Chyn. But anyway, I'm getting distracted. So we hear that this outpost has taken up residence over Baochou. They're rapists and warlords and they think because we've expanded that we've forgotten where we started. So I come up with a plan to go get them, infiltration style. So I need volunteers. I need people who will put their lives at risk but also trust me entirely. One of my most vocal leaders steps up, but so does your mother."
"Was she scared?"
"I don't think so. She scolded me afterwards, actually."
"Scolded you! How?"
"She asked tough questions. Which, coming from the people below you, that's the equivalent of scolding. She just was asking if I might've made a mistake. And I can remember thinking, 'This girl has some serious balls on her! She's challenging me!'"
Meng Shou laughs and adds, "Seems like she grew in confidence after that?"
"Certainly. She helped spread my ethos of 'Only Woman.' She soared up my ranks. She was loyal and true and incredible. I asked someone to go to their death, or with rapists, possibly a fate worse than death, and she stood right up. She was ready. She was magnificent."
Azula considers how Chyn had asked her to learn more about the King of Faces. She had ignored that request, and as a byproduct, Koh's Disciples ran rampant for years longer than that, taking advantage of Kyoshi Island, but also Lonlhai. If Azula had just listened to Meng Shou's mother, there's no telling how different, probably better, things would be for Lonlhai today.
She compartmentalizes these thoughts. She focuses on what's in front of her. Regaling Meng Shou with the legends of her mother and the deeds that she did. On a day when On Jin vanquished some of the worst remnants of her previous life, she now can end her night by reliving some of the best parts of it with the people who made it all possible for her.
Lonlhai is alive with the stories of The Ghost, the Guardian, the Archer, even Warden Tarlom and ex-Warden Aklaq. Over time it will surely be revised and updated, but the villagers will talk of how the Ghost and the Archer defeated two dozen benders on their own, while the Guardian recruited this 'Dragon Empress' to their side. After the success from a few years ago that they had with redeeming Tapisa and setting her on the path to being the next Guru, no one dares to question that Meng Shou is now welcomed into the normally shut-out community. Around one campfire, a stranger asks for clarity.
"How long has she been looking over Lonlhai now?"
"Almost 10 years!" Another intoxicated villager replies, fist pumping in the air ten times for each year.
Suru of Republic City nods and raises his glass high into the sky, "Ah yes! That's right. Ten years of The Guardian! Long may she reign!"
Those around him cheer in response. They don't recognize the stranger, but they figure he must be new, or simply from other parts of the village they aren't familiar with. Meanwhile, on some scrap paper he found, and with a quill he has on him, Suru takes notes. He prepares to write the story when this is all over, shocked by his good fortune. A fire bender defending a practically lost village of spiritually aligned Water Tribe people, for a decade. Locked away behind tight security and tall, fortified walls. A silent protector that no one is talking about, least of all the Water Tribe or Fire Nation!
A once in a lifetime figure.
A once in a lifetime scoop.
A/N: This chapter's OST is "Which Witch" by Florence + The Machine.
Love always. Tyzula forever.
Notorious