Iris Calasse: I actually post this on A03 too if it's easier for you to follow updates there! To each their own with their ships. I hope you can put it aside, as this is one of the endgame ships, at least in this story. I think an essay on that topic would be epic to read and grade, and I'm sure there was some really great stuff in there! It's the same kind of double standards that Dany had in GoT that lots of her attitudes probably wouldn't have been taken so bad if she were a man, OOC or not. I DO think that Azula is sexaully attracted to power, and those that can wield it properly. She she had a crush on Katara...sorta. And Aang, who (she didn't know as the Avatar) but recognized as a powerful tool to maybe get her out of a marriage she wouldn't want. And Mai. It's subtle, but I would for sure say that sort of exploration of her sexuality is there!
L : Aww thank you so much! You've also reached a drabble if you want one!
"And I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride!"
The wedding was beautiful; the cherry blossoms were in full bloom, coating the ground beneath the couple's feet in blushing pink tones and satiny white petals, the attendance was good, the food laid out was a feast, and everyone would say that the bride had never looked more stunning than on the day she said 'I do'.
She was dressed in a white kimono, with a stunning embroidered piece that would make anyone in the crowd jealous of the artistry of it. It was swimming with animals; dragons, koi fish, griffins, white slithering snakes, kitsunes all bowing to one gigantic flaming bird spread out in the back. The bride's headdress was drowning in precious gems that caught the light as she raised her gaze to the sun, breathing in its glory. Her lips, painted a deadly red, curled into a smile.
The groom looked so in love, everyone gushed. His black kimono was perfectly pressed and he couldn't stop smiling at his new wife. His fingers would reach for hers and she, after a long moment, would take his hand in hers.
After the ceremony, as they moved towards the reception, the groom moved in for a kiss, but his wife rebuffed him, striding towards the council room.
"Azula, it's our wedding day, and everyone is waiting at the reception."
"They can wait," Azula said snappily. "Enemies never rest, and neither must we."
"Come, just have some tea and cake-"
"Chan, be quiet," Azula pressed her manicured fingers to her temple, "And do not disagree with me again, or I may become a widow before we reach our honeymoon," she hissed. Chan wilted under her glare, nodding low.
"Sorry, of course, My Queen. I just...I was concerned about your food intake. You didn't eat anything before the wedding."
Azula sighed. "If you're so worried, fetch it for me. I will be meeting with the Sages," she said, offering him a generous task. He nodded, tripping over his own feet.
At least he feared her, she considered, as much as he was devoted to her. He'd be useless otherwise.
First, though, she had a stop to make.
The Palace Rebuild was coming along nicely. She couldn't have planned things better if she tried; now that everything was more or less rubble, she was free to rebuild it in her image. There was a long way to go, not to mention that she needed a whole new staff after most of those spineless traitors fled during the terrorist attack, led by those troublesome Airbenders, but she knew it would only be a matter of time before people were flocking, begging to serve someone like her. Once she showed them that she was the right leader, a better leader- (no!) -the best leader to have ever graced the Fire Nation's presence. Yes, in a few months, she'd have applications flooding in every single day to work and learn under her brilliance.
A true leader, unlike her father or brother or anyone that came before. Azula had seen it in her dreams...she was the strong guiding hand this world needed.
There was a room the size of a broom closet in the back of one of the few still-standing areas of the palace, guarded heavily. If there were anyone in the practice of questioning her (there wasn't), one might ask why a collection of mops and buckets were so valuable. If they had any intelligence at all, they'd realize she was protecting something priceless.
She threw the door open.
A prisoner, on the ground with only a thin blanket to protect himself, coughed and hissed at the influx of sunlight. She could tell how gaunt his bones were, how parched his throat was. His fingers were held in captivity, unable to bend away from this fate. What once was a death sentence placed upon his head was now a respite.
He was useful. She would never admit she needed him, but if this was what kept those whimpering, pitiful Sages placated, so be it.
"Cousin, get up," she hissed, nudging his foot.
Lu Ten looked up, startled, blinking against the illumination.
"Azula, why are you wearing a wedding dress?" he questioned, "Am I dreaming?"
"Certainly not. And I'm wearing this because it's what one wears on the day they are wed," she said, folding her arms. "Now, get up, before I force you to your feet." She tapped her toes against the ground and warmed it, just enough to be uncomfortable. Lu Ten stood, shaky and shivering, staring at her.
"Guards, bathe and dress him. I expect him to be in the Council Room in thirty minutes."
"Yes, my liege." The guards bowed low. "Blessed day."
Azula snorted. "Blessed day indeed. I hardly see the fuss girls make about their wedding day. It's dreadfully boring."
"Sorry, my Queen, I didn't mean to-"
"Choose your words more carefully, lest your tongue finds itself disattached to your body," Azula growled. With a wave of her robes, she stalked to the council room. Chan was waiting with a plate of food, his eyes big and full of romance. Yuck. And oh, yes, the Sages were also there, waiting for her glorious gospel.
If she must marry, she considered, at least she got someone with the disposition of a terrier-pigeon, someone who would follow her and fulfill her every desire without a question of it, someone who would likely never have an original thought for himself. Someone almost stupid, but ranked high enough to be considered a good match.
Her first choice had been Hahn because he would have been a good political match with the Northern Water Tribe, but he'd so rudely rejected her. His death had been projected to be painful if she'd gotten the chance to enact it. No one rejected the Phoenix Queen! Even worse, now the North was rebelling. She really, really didn't want to take the exhausting effort to squash that and hoped they'd fall back into place after throwing their childish tantrum.
Azula paced on the council floor. "I am now married," she said flatly. "This demand has been met."
She understood their concerns. Though she had scholars researching immortality, she knew no one had found an answer, and though she'd threatened her researchers with disembowelment, she couldn't have them find answers that did not exist. She also didn't trust anyone to do what you needed to do yourself...she had plans for herself already in motion.
So, in the unfortunate circumstances, she could not become immortal to rule forever, naturally, she needed an heir...lest someone replace her that would undo everything she'd sacrificed for.
Oh, she had no intention of partaking in their stupid games of the Choice when they told her. She was not a subject for entertainment; she was the Phoenix Queen and would do away with the theater of the entire process. She could hardly handle Chan's simpering...she shuddered to imagine an entire host of men vying for her attention and imagining they could win her heart.
Azula was unsure she possessed the organ that made people act like fools and go against their own self-interest, as she'd never been swayed by the desire for 'love' to change anything.
She would produce an heir, that was fine – someone she could shape perfectly in her image. She'd watched her father for years make mistake after mistake raising both her and Zuko, so she did feel like she could create a better child, she mused. One less pathetic than Zuko. Of course, Azula had turned out perfect, but 1 out of 2 was hardly anything to celebrate.
"Darling, you should eat," Chan prompted again. Azula turned, deciding to spare him today despite that disgusting display of emotion, and lifted a plum to her lips.
"Congratulations, Prin-I mean, Phoenix Queen," one of the sages stuttered, "May it be a very good union."
Azula rolled her eyes, licking the plum juice from her hand.
"Thank you, sir," Chan replied. "May we bring the Fire Nation to a most honorable state," he said dutifully, "And I pray to the gods that we are given healthy children. Men that are as strong as their father and girls that are as beautiful as their mother," he said, looking at Azula. Azula resisted the urge to barf up her plum.
Before Azula had to make some fake and cringy comment about the non-existent children they might have, the doors opened and Lu Ten stepped inside.
Chan's jaw dropped. "I thought he was dead? Or escaped?"
"So did most. Dear cousin, what happened instead?" Azula asked, smiling, daring him to try to poison the Sages in front of her, as she knew he wished.
She was positively gleeful when he ground his teeth and growled, "Our illustrious Queen was merciful enough to spare my life," he said, looking like he'd sucked on a lemon.
"You're right. I'm so kind." Azula hoisted herself into her throne. "Lu Ten, you have been appointed as my advisor. Feel free to worship me for such a boon."
"I am...surprised, Azula," Lu Ten said, no doubt trying to figure out if this was a trick. She was so pleased with the mind games she was playing with him, she let the fact he hadn't called her by a proper title slide.
And it was a trick of sorts, but she also needed him, though she was loathed to say it. The Sages were nothing if not traditional, and it was not traditional for a woman to rule. No matter if she single-handedly created the largest coup in history and brought the world to its knees, no, it was positively foolish for a woman to be making such huge decisions.
Already, Azula was finding resistance left and right to her plans. The Sages were questioning her at every turn, making everything so much more difficult than it needed to be.
At first, they'd told her that Nothing could be decided until there was an heir, or the promise of one.
Fine, she pulled Chan from his pathetic little island and brought him up in the world by making him ask for her hand in marriage.
Then, Oh no, it's so strange to have a woman in charge, and Well, you're not married yet, are you Azula?
Whatever, throw a big, 'look at us' sort of wedding. Plans were in place, good to go, right?
Ah, but a woman's place is with her children, how can you run a nation at the same time you are raising its future rulers?
This, admittedly, made Azula want to kill the Sages on sight. That would be the preferable option, she thought...no interference to begin with.
Ah, it would have been so wonderful to be able to just remove this obstacle. It would relieve so much stress, all the stress she'd put on herself to create this wedding and to look respectfully excited for it. It would really have been so cleansing in every sense of the way, however, she knew she couldn't.
She had much of the Nation's support, but getting rid of the Sages would upset many. They held influence in places Azula could only wish to achieve one day. Also, they were the link to spirituality that she needed to find the Avatar and his pesky sidekicks.
So no, the Sages needed to stay.
Plus, she was nothing if not forgiving. They'd realize in time how silly they had been to ever question her and Azula, like the gracious leader she was, would only punish them minorly for this oversight.
"Sages, my advisor." Azula waved a hand, ignoring Lu Ten. This had been her solution. She had been rudely interrupted right before Lu Ten's execution with the news that everyone else had been let free (Lu Ten was to be a warm-up to the main event; her brother and Katara). Ever since then, she'd just been letting him exist pathetically, unsure what to do with him yet. It was a good thing she'd kept him alive.
The sages adored Lu Ten. They were always rooting for Iroh, she knew this. Lu Ten was part of the family, so he would never lead the nation astray. He was loved by the people. And, Azula knew without a doubt, he'd do whatever was best for the Fire Nation, as proven years ago.
He'd agree to this, she was sure of it because it was what he always did.
It was perfect. She was so proud of herself for this one, she really did have to say! Lu Ten would be a puppet, speaking her ideas through a man's lips. And she had no doubt the Sages would fall over themselves to agree, to say that he had such good ideas, and push it right through. Plus, making Lu Ten her advisor meant she could push off the more unsavory parts of being a leader, such as community outreach or care of the citizens.
How boring and tedious. Yes, Lu Ten could just handle all of that, leaving Azula open for the things that would make people write songs about her, erect statues, and make sure the world never forgot who she was.
"Is this acceptable, Sages?" Azula said.
They all nodded, saying what a good choice this was, welcoming a still wide-eyed Lu Ten to the table again. He was still trying to suss out if this was a trick.
She hoped he agonized over it. It would be no fun if he didn't have some distress, if he wasn't always worried what her next step was, or whether she'd behead him at dinner.
"So, my Queen, the cities are in near-revolt-"
"No one likes change." Azula rolled her eyes. "They are children. They don't know what's good for them. They'll soon see."
"But, we've heard the discontent. People like Prince Zuko," a Sage said, his voice shaking.
"Zuko. He is dethroned as a prince. And he's a killer." Azula tapped her chin, looking at Ru, who was staring at Azula and trying not to glare her down. She would have preferred anyone else, but annoyingly, Ru was a masterful writer. He changed opinions with just a wave of his quill. And he knew his place, even if he hated it.
"Write an exposé on how Zuko killed our father. Really emphasize his monstrous nature. We'll change public opinion. It's so easily swayed," Azula said, then looked back at the Sages. "Fixed," she said in a bored tone.
"The cities need a guiding hand. You are a good ruler, but you cannot be in twenty places at once," the Sage explained, the same one who had spoken before. They'd clearly chosen a spokesman. Funny; he was rather quivering and not a very good one.
There was a knock on the door. Azula looked at the sundial and grinned; perfectly on time. She was pleased. So far, no one that she'd commanded was a second early or a second late. Azula enjoyed a good sense of punctuality.
"My Queen," Nadhari said, bowing low as she entered. "You were so beautiful! And inspiring! Terrifying, even," Nadhari said, lavishing praise upon her. Azula felt like beaming. See! Here was a woman who understood that what a girl wanted most in the world was not to be the dream of every man in the nation, but to be intimidating.
"Nadhari, come to the center of the room," Azula said, motioning toward the open circle.
Nadhari grasped the front of her dress robes, her knuckles pale, the only indication she was unsure why she was being called forward. She must be scared to her wits. Who wouldn't be? Being called upon the Sages was no light thing. However, she carried her fear well.
Azula was continually impressed. Not that there were many that were blowing her out of the water of late.
"Nadhari, you were the only contestant to choose my loyalty. The only one to make the right choice. I promised you that you would be rewarded."
"Of course," Nadhai said, eyes narrowed. She was working furiously to figure it out before Azula spoke, wanting to be two steps ahead of everything. Azula saw some of herself in Nadhari. They would work well together.
"Firstly; I am placing you as the Warden of the Earth Kingdom. The King has fled. I have no need for kings or queens when I am in charge; however, as the Sages have so brought up, I need someone in charge to pick out the best mayors and town leaders. Someone the people will listen to. Someone of their own that is loyal to me. Do you accept?"
Nadhari's eyes were wide. "I...I…" She swallowed, composing herself. "Of course, my Queen. What an honor. I am blessed by your kindness," she said, bowing again.
"I will find a suitable Northern Water Tribe Warden in time," Azula said, "But this should satisfy you all, I would imagine. Nadhari you may-"
"Perhaps…" Chan spoke up. Azula spun on him, eyes narrowed in quiet fury as she watched him speak without permission. How dare he!
"Yes, King Chan?"
"King Consort Chan," Azula growled.
"Perhaps we broker a marriage between Lu Ten and Nadhari. Now that she is a warden, her status is quite impressive. Also, the late Fire Lord Ozai had some...agreement with her father to find her a suitor. I think we would be foolish to snub his influence, and this would benefit both of them."
Azula was absolutely fuming. She pressed her hands to the bottom of the table to keep from setting Chan himself on fire. Since when did Chan have thoughts of his own? Since when was he so bold to speak like this?
And, most frustratingly, since when did he have such brilliant ideas that he somehow forgot to speak with Azula about first?
"Yes, as we discussed before," Azula said quickly, narrowing her eyes in warning. "I was just about to get there," she growled.
Chan shrunk back, only now realizing the mistake he'd made.
Lu Ten's face was pinched. Azula remembered as well as anyone his preferences in lovers. What a wonderful idea, she considered, recalling this. What a perfect way to torture him forever.
Poor Nadhari, she had little idea. She was looking overwhelmed. She'd practically been invited to royalty with a single line.
"How wonderful!" a Sage said, "What a splendid idea, Queen! We will start the process for the betrothal."
"Lu Ten, aren't you pleased to have such a lovely fiancee?"
"I'm speechless," Lu Ten said, staring at Nadhari with a strange expression. "How...lucky for me."
"Warden, you may leave now," Azula said before any more surprises befell the meeting. "We will discuss the wedding later."
"Yes, blessed day," Nadhari said. Azula let out a sigh when she left.
"Finally, we must address the most pressing issue at hand...finding the Avatar, my brother the Father Slayer, and his Water Nation floozy."
"She's hardly a floozy," Lu Ten scoffed. Azula recalled he had a strange soft spot for Katara. How revolting. Thinking of how Katara had rebuffed her still left a taste like turpentine in the back of her throat, anger in her bones.
"At the very least she's an active traitor," Azula seethed through her teeth. "And for all three...their punishment is death. So, what motivates people more than anything?" she asked.
There was a silence that met her question.
"Oh, come now. We all know the answer," Azula shook her head in disappointment. "I won't be burning anyone alive for a wrong answer," she laughed, but it seemed most didn't believe her.
When she was met with remaining silence, she rolled her eyes. "Money. Even the most virtuous cannot resist something they truly need," she said. "So...we'll put a price on their heads. Dead or alive. Ru, create the wanted posters."
"For which ones, queen?" Ru asked tersely. Azula gave him an unkind smile. She recognized when someone was trying to buck against her power.
"That's 'My Queen', Ru. And we'll start the highest for Katara, Zuko, and Kuzon."
"You mean Aang," Chan whispered.
"I said what I said!" Azula snapped viciously, causing Chan to nearly fall over on his chair. "I said Kuzon. Most know him by that name." She did not want to admit she herself had forgotten his true identity.
"Sorry, you know best, of course," Chan whispered, looking beaten down.
"Anyone else from Zuko's Choice will be a second-tier reward. Still very much life-changing money. And then any other traitor or Airbender...enough to make anyone second-guess being a 'good person'." She snorted.
"I'll begin right away," Ru said.
Azula stood and gathered her long trains.
"Where are you going, Queen Azula?" a Sage asked, "We still have much to discuss, and…" He withered under her single, pointed look.
"My honeymoon, of course. I've spent far too much time here already."
The tension in the entire room seemed to relax. Azula was sure she could guess what the sages thought her honeymoon would be; somewhere warm, like on Ember Island. Relaxing. Getting time to know her husband. Barf.
Let them believe that if it kept them happy.
"May Inari Ōkami bless you!" another Sage said jovially. Chan smiled and Azula forced a twisted smile herself. Yuck, the goddess of fertility. How...narrow-minded. To think that this is what they'd spend their honeymoon doing.
"Yes, well, we must be going," Chan said, his attitude picking up again.
Outside the door, Chan was far more talkative now. He was an annoying fly in her ear. She barely heard what he was saying.
"-Or we could go and travel to the Snow Isles. They call it that because of the snow-white beach. Which one would you prefer, Azula?"
Azula snapped back to attention. "What?"
"My father found a few perfect locations for our honeymoon. Which one do you think is most to your liking? Ember Island- our private estate of course- the Fruitful Rainforest, or the Snow Isles."
Azula patted his head. "Oh, Chan. We're not going to any of those places."
Chan tried not to look disappointed. "Okay, well, there are many other relaxing locations to choose from."
"Relaxing. Ha!" Azula laughed so hard she almost cried. "Chan, pack your coolest clothes. We're going where it's very hot."
Chan managed to keep quiet for only the length of their royal quarters. "I will follow you anywhere. But if I may ask...what are we doing on our honeymoon?"
Azula considered ignoring him, but the excitement she felt was bursting out of her. She turned, eyes gleaming, "We're going to find an owl in a desert."
Welcome, everyone!
Hopefully, if you're celebrating Thanksgiving, your holidays so far have been quite enjoyable! I thought I'd drop this to help you through if you're not.
This is just a preface, to give you some info and pique your interest a bit more. My plan is to release the first official chapter of this story on March 25th, 2022...so mark your calendars! If you're not following me on my tumblr, youngbloodlex22, you should be doing so, because I drop a lot of stuff related to this story and just general Avatar and other fandom nerdiness.
To try to tide you over, I'm dropping some 'shorts' that are given as drabble/gifts that have to do with in-universe stories; either AUs or elaboration on certain scenes with characters people would like to see. I'd like to drop one or two, and I'm tabbing up drabble gifts soon, so if you want to suggest to me an ADS-verse short, it would be bumped up in the queue!
As another note, they have is that they picked some of the adult actors for the live-action and I mean, I'm not shocked about Iroh but I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SAY HAHAHAHA I PICKED OZAI RIGHT! Which was like, huge for me, because I always thought he would be perfect, but I think he was a pretty obscure choice, but I PICKED IT! It's not the only thing I've predicted within fandom recently, and I'm enjoying my powers of being a seer lol.
Lastly! Someone asked me if there was a discord for this story. Not that I'm aware of so far, but if someone wanted to, I would be incredibly honored and would probably pop on every so often. I've been also toying with having some sort of interactive writing nights or something, something where I can work on this and interact with readers, but I'm not sure what, so I'm open to suggestions.