A/N: And this half-written story is horror at best, the kind where the hero still dies in the end. Love and be loved. Read… and review!
Avatars are Forever
[Late 155 AG]
LIN BEIFONG BECOMES SECOND FEMALE POLICE CHIEF IN REPUBLIC CITY
Lin Beifong, who grew up in Downtown Republic City as the daughter of former Chief Toph Beifong, yesterday became the second female Chief of Police, and third overall, to lead the Republic City Police Department in its 42 year history.
Tenzin of the United Republic Council announced the appointment of Chief Beifong, who has been serving as acting Chief, in a morning news conference in front of the Police Headquarters, where Lin began her career as a police officer in 138 AG.
The move comes just a few months after the previous Chief resigned, after 12 years at the helm, frustrated in his attempts to act with autonomy, according to people with knowledge of their experience in the role.
[Fall 156 AG]
Aunt Zirin and Aunt Ukuyi,
Hello! I hope your retirement in Baochou Village is going well. All of that free time to just rest and relax and be together, I'm sure it's lovely. I can't relate, personally, but it sounds divine.
It's been a few months since we last saw you and I wanted to invite you both to come to Republic City for dinner at your earliest convenience. Next week, next month, 3 months from now, whenever. Asami just turned 4 years old, and I honestly can't believe it. I don't know where the time goes. I'm including a picture of her, me, and Hiroshi. Get a frame for it somewhere. If I ever make it out to Baochou, I want to see it in a prominent place haha!
While I can not relate to your retirement, I have recently come to realize there is something else I can relate to. Watching Asami grow, I feel that I can finally understand you better, Aunt Zirin. The innate desire to protect, to defend against all harms and dangers, is an extremely powerful force. I am 40 now, soon to be 41, but I know I would lay down my life, I would do anything for her. I would quit as an engineer and move back home to Lanxi if it gave her peace. I try to give her the same love that Asuna showed me in my childhood. I protect her like you did throughout my teenage and adult life and I hope that someday she can be half the women who raised me. I feel that I truly, finally, can forgive you, Aunt Zirin.
Please, come see us when you can. We miss you and hope to welcome you in our home and in our hearts.
Cordially,
Yasuko
[Late Winter/Early Spring 157 AG]
"Korra! Please come in here."
"I'M THE AVATAR! You gotta deal with it!"
[Spring 157 AG]
Brother,
They say that silence is often misinterpreted, but never misquoted. I wish it to be known that my silence towards you since your departure from our homeland was never personal, nor was it political. I could not find the words to address my grief of losing you. I am sorry that I could not find the motivation to write to you sooner, but as I have heard it, I now have a niece? And one of such stature? It would benefit both of us politically to once again connect. And it would fill my soul up with great strength personally.
I am sure my letter comes as a surprise, but please, do not take caution in your answering. I wait with baited breath for your reply.
Your Brother, Always,
Unalaq
[Summer 157 AG]
Zaheer,
It appears our path forward is as fraught as I feared.
No matter my methods and persuasive tactics, my brother will not budge. He will not permit me to become the spiritual advisor to Avatar Korra. When he didn't respond to my letters, I simply traveled to the Southern Water Tribe. He wouldn't even let me see my niece.
I thought when I ousted him all those years ago that I'd have to deal with him again someday. I figured later in life he would come to challenge my legitimacy to the Chiefdom. Instead, he crops up as a thorn in my side worse than any nightmare I could've dreamed up.
We will need to pivot to the other plan we discussed previously. It is not ideal, but I see no other path towards progress.
Sincerely,
Unalaq
Unalaq,
It is a strange phenomenon being shared with many at this point. Although a new Avatar has been named, there is a prevailing notion among the common folk that Aang still lives. They still feel his spirit and speak of him as if he were alive, no different than you or I sitting beside them.
We know better though, don't we?
We are ready to pivot. We are prepared for what comes next. We will make whatever sacrifices we must to accomplish our goals. There will no doubt be forces at work to protect The Child. Do you have access to anyone who may be able to provide insight into the network that guards her?
Best,
Zaheer
Zaheer,
I have information about the infrastructure. However, how they operate and what they do in the shadows is another matter entirely and not one that I am privy to knowing.
However, there is one such alive who will know their plans and know how they operate. One who we have intimate connections to, indeed.
You will not be pleased to hear this, but to achieve our ultimate goals, there is but one chip to play. One piece on the table who can tip the scales and turn the tide.
The Dragon must wake from its slumber.
Sincerely,
Unalaq
[Mid-Summer 157 AG]
The elevator across from her dings. Objectively, Ming Fe knows that it surely opened at the same rate as always. The delay before the doors open is a finite, defined amount of time that has not changed ever. Subjectively though, it feels like the doors remain closed longer than normal. It takes a minute, maybe longer, before the long awaited guest of honor appears. The doors slide open from the center, revealing a 70 something year old woman with hair that has grown much longer, now down below her shoulders. She still wears baggy, dirty clothes to fly under the radar and avoid suspicion. Ming Fe, her moment of truth drawing near, sits up straight, squares her shoulders, and feels a tension in her heels she can't remember having before now.
The Dragon Empress doesn't even greet her. She simply walks by without even looking at her, going straight into Lau Gan-Lan's office. Before she can get there though Ming Fe takes her opportunity to speak to the elusive and enigmatic figure.
"My boss wants to meet with you."
This briefly confuses Azula and makes her pause in her tracks. She replies, "I'm aware? That's why I'm here?"
"My other boss." Ming Fe hints.
"Ah. Well, then," Azula all but rolls her eyes. She steps back from the Executive Suite office door and tells the office lady, "Tell him I'll meet him at the Idle Grove on Whaletail Island, one week from tonight. That should be plenty of time for him and I to travel there."
Ming Fe gives a nod and Azula proceeds into the office for her scheduled quarterly review of Cabbage Corp's financial state.
It's been two and a half years since anyone in the Red Lotus has seen The Dragon Empress, but sitting in the Idle Grove, the four leading members of the secret organization are not affected by any kind of concern. There is no brooding sense of decorum hanging over them. They are not laboring over the details of what's to happen. This merry band of teenagers and young adults, despite all of their plotting and planning, are unmoved by the great expectations of this moment.
Instead, they are just themselves. As they sit and eat together, they are unapologetically true to their ethos. Zaheer, the stone cold leader, sits quietly on the perimeter of social interaction while Ghazan and Ming-Hua bicker like an old married couple. P'Li, delighted by their dynamics, engages thoughtfully with them when possible. For three of the members, the chance to meet with the Founder of the Red Lotus again is more like having the chance to talk with their wise grandmother or Aunt.
For Zaheer though, he knows what is at stake. So, when the doors open and the 72 year old woman wanders in, he is already on edge. He is prepared for the verbal and mental jousting match. Azula comes to a stop a few feet away from the table. She can't help but shake her head and laugh. One of the "secret" organizations on Earth, and they're running around looking ridiculously conspicuous with an armless woman and a second woman possessing a third eye.
The first words she says to the group, jokingly, are, "I don't mind that you're zealots, I hate that you're sloppy."
"Thank you again, Empress, for your assistance in rescuing me. I am forever grateful." P'Li bows her head as Azula sits with them.
"Please do not call me by that name. Such formality isn't necessary. You remind me of so many younger folks that I've known. A girl named Sayaka, specifically. I see so much of her in you."
"Your past is exactly what we want to talk about." Zaheer interrupts.
"Hm? Is that so? Shall I regale you with my stories? My murder spree of corrupt bureaucrats? How I buried a man alive in exchange for a map of Avatar Island? How I was the savior of the Fire Nation on the Day of Black Sun?"
"What can you tell us about your brother?"
Azula thinks for a moment before reply.
"Do you want to play a game? Like how Xai Bau and I used to? We would trade information, you see. I'll tell you about Zuko, and in exchange you tell me what you're planning."
"No."
"We plan to open the Spirit portals."
"P'Li. Stop!" Zaheer snarls at her.
Ming-Hua cuts in, "She's right to cut the bullshit, Zaheer. She saved the three of us in Yu Dao. She even saved Xai Bau when the roof caved in. She hasn't mettled with our shit since then. She's had plenty of chances to screw us over and she hasn't."
Ghazan does not offer any aid to Zaheer either. He comments, "I would have been killed if she didn't take down those guards outside of P'Li's cell."
"Be that as it may, she is not one of us. The plan is not for us to share. We have bigger goals."
"What will you do with the spirit portals open? And how will you do it?"
P'Li once again speaks out of turn, "That I can not say. None of us can. Only Zaheer and our other members know."
"I see. So you wish to know about my brother?"
Zaheer nods.
"It's more than just him though, isn't it?" The Dragon Empress deftly points out. "Zuko, Katara, Sokka, Bashan, Tenzin, Unalaq, Hou Ting. All of them. The world leaders. Perhaps even the other members of the White Lotus. That's what you want, isn't it?"
"I will not say."
"Come now. I know the ethos of the Red Lotus. I was there at the beginning. No governments, no countries. That was always Xai Bau's dream. So, are you planning to sow discord for the Fire Lord? Or defeat the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe? Or Northern Water Tribe? Are your aspirations perhaps higher? Conquer Ba Sing Se? Throw the world into anarchy? To kill the Avatar?"
Ming-Hua cuts through the ensuing silence by pointing out, "Those are all things you've accomplished, Empress."
"Don't call me that," she scoffs. "But indeed, they are. And I've found that failure was my greatest teacher."
"Failure!" Ghazan almost shouts. In a much more controlled sense he asks, "How does that work?"
Azula wears a time-worn, hard-earned smirk. Lessons that have taken a lifetime to learn.
"I know what it means to lose. To feel so desperately that you're right, yet to fail all the same. It's frightening, truly. Turns hope to ash, sunrays to shadows. The depth of that fall into darkness is one you wish to never experience again. And so you climb, forever upwards and with relentless motivation, to never experience it again."
They are silent as her speech sinks in. Then she asks them, "So… what will you fall for? What will you lot fail at?"
Zaheer is unimpressed and defiant, "We will build a better path for the world. We will not fall. We will not fail."
"If you confide in me then you will succeed. But keeping me in the dark is your surest path to losing."
"We have come this far with just us."
"I don't understand. You requested this meeting with me!"
"At the behest of others. I'm starting to feel that was a mistake."
"Fine. I told you already that I quit. Your predecessors couldn't see the endgame either. I thought you were different Zaheer. But you're not - you're just more of the same."
Azula storms off, leaving them to witness the last dragon fading away.
Unalaq,
Our meeting with the Princess did not go as planned. The reasons are neither here nor there. It is not a matter of importance. We are better served to move on without her influence or entrapments.
We have the elemental masters to teach The Child all that she needs. We can undo the mistake that Wan made without including such a capricious and dangerous outsider. She does not share our values. She does not share our goals. She does not wish to be part of our dream.
Bringing her into the fold is as dangerous as it is advantageous. I have made the decision to excommunicate her from these efforts going forward.
We should begin planning the next steps of our plan, post-haste.
Sincerely,
Zaheer
[Late-Summer 157 AG]
Zaheer,
Whether she shares our values is beside the point. We only get one chance at this. One chance to reshape the world.
If we fail, none of our ideals will matter. And without the Dragon Empress, our chances are minimalized. She represents a critical redundancy.
Her knowledge of our enemies, of their inner machinations, is crucial. Nevermind she is the only person in history who has faced and defeated all of the Avatar's crew in combat. She is a founder of the Red Lotus. She killed the Avatar. She controls the Cabbage Corporation, the Port of Lanxi, she invaded Kyoshi Island, and clutches the strings of the Southside of Ba Sing Se like a Puppetmaster.
We need her, and if you can not convince her to join us, then you will walk this path alone.
Luckily for us, I have something she wants. A gift from our old Master Xai Bau. I've included it in this posting. Use it as leverage to gain her favor. Write to me when you know more.
Best,
Unalaq
[Early Fall 157 AG]
Ming Fe,
We must meet with the Princess, again.
Expend any and all resources to call this meeting. Time is running out for us to act.
Thank you for your discretion and best efforts.
Sincerely,
Zaheer
Azula,
We have urgent matters to discuss regarding new developments within the hierarchy of the Cabbage Corp. Please meet me next week at Kwong's Cuisine. I will have a table in the back reserved for us. Only the best for you.
Truly,
Lau Gan-Lan
— A message delivered to Azula on Mallard Island via the Raven Eagle she left them over 4 years earlier
Ming Fe is sitting alone in a back room at Kwong's Cuisine, waiting for her special guest. Truth be told, she's quite anxious about it. She's worn her best skirt and heels, and spent more time on her makeup than she can ever remember. In the nearly nine years since The Last Dragon was published much has been made of Azula's legacy. One such surprising turn of events has been the growing theory that the Princess was responsible for Fire Lord Zuko's sudden about face on the topic of same-gender marriage laws. While The Last Dragon did not explicitly state this, there was a very clear line to be drawn amongst fans. Some felt it had been missed by On Jin of Ba Sing Se, but there were whispers that an updated version was set to be released.
In any event, gender betrayers the world over began using the phrase "A Friend of Azula's" to discreetly communicate. It was meant to ask if someone else was a gender betrayer, but also to ask if someone was safe in the space around them, like "is this establishment a friend of Azula's?" Ming Fe has never really confronted that question herself. Sitting alone, waiting for the legendary source of that question, she begins to wonder if that's why she's so nervous.
A sudden sense of cool steel touches the backside of her neck. It makes Ming-Fe gasp, sends a shiver down her spine, and gives her goosebumps all up her arm.
"Don't move." The voice commands her, and she obeys.
In her peripheral vision, Ming-Fe sees the sword is all-black. The wielder slowly steps around her and the table until she stands facing her, not removing the tip of the jian, pressed against her neck. Ming Fe is surprisingly aroused, but pushes that down given the life threatening situation she finds herself in.
"It's just you?" Azula mumbles, taken aback.
"Don't sound so disappointed. Aren't we having fun?"
Azula lowers her blade.
"For someone who served two generations of Gan-Lan's, you're quite terrible at imitating them in writing. Horrible, in fact."
Azula sits down and takes a sip of water. Ming Fe relaxes a bit, although inexplicably disappointed for some reason. Her words sink in and Ming Fe realizes the misunderstanding.
"You thought I was some sort of assassin?"
Azula crudely rips some bread apart and dips it in a side dish of oil.
"You demanded a meeting instantly, used my emergency Raven Eagle for the first time, wrote an alarming, short message using none of the agreed upon language for it. So yes, I assumed it was a trap of some sort."
"I see. Well, I must apologize," says Ming Fe. "But I do have urgent matters to discuss."
"It's Zaheer, isn't it? He's demanding another audience?"
"Yes. Precisely. Did you know that already?"
"No, but it's plainly obvious."
"I see."
"I'm not sticking around, Ming Fe. Tell him to meet me at the Idle Grove in two weeks."
She rises and heads for the exit through the kitchen, the same way she had snuck up on the woman at the table. She stops and turns back.
"This was audacious of you to do. I'm impressed."
Ming Fe sits up a little higher in her seat. "Thank you."
"But if you ever pull something like this again you'll only wish you were dead."
The middle aged woman gulps.
"I understand."
[Mid-Fall 157 AG]
Zaheer is coming into this meeting with inner conflict. Unalaq has demanded that Azula join them, but Zaheer believes this is emblematic of a larger problem. Unalaq's support has been wavering. Not having Azula on their side was something Zaheer could accept. Not having Unalaq was also bearable. But missing both of them was faulty ground and a cause for concern. The Dragon Empress is powerful and mythical. Her assistance could sway the outcome. But he still believes she killed Master Bau, and his anger remains simmering just below the surface.
Such is his mindset when the doors to the Idle Grove open up. A woman in her 70's, with long dark hair, longer than it's been in some time, strides into the room and directly towards their table. She stops in front of it and crosses her arms. She looks at them as if they are utterly beneath her, nothing but dirt and grime on the bottom of her shoe.
"I told your old Master this before and I'll repeat it now: You could not live with your own failures."
Zaheer looks her in the eyes. Her fading embers meshing with his olive greens. Being the only one present for that moment, he finishes her sentence.
"And that has brought us back to you."
"That's right, Zaheer. Back to me."
Ghazan stands and pulls a chair out. "Please, join us."
Ming-Hua tries to break the ice, "I hope your travels here went well. We are most pleased to see you again."
Azula can't help but smile. "Keep talking, Ming-Hua. You know how I love to hear the sound of your voice."
Ming-Hua smiles devilishly. She continues, "Our last meeting did not end as we had hoped. We would like another chance to discuss the details with you."
Her voice is a low whisper to avoid being overheard by wandering ears, "You want me to join the Red Lotus again, and help you with killing my brother, or any of the other number of leaders?"
The four teenagers and young adults pause and look at one another. P'Li is the first to reply, "Something like that, yes."
"You all play things awfully coy."
Ghazan replies, "We need certain, uh, assurances. We need to know that you're with us."
"Until I know what it is you're planning, you will have none from me. I'm too old to be playing such games."
Ming-Hua explains, "But you're joining us could, and very likely would be, the key to our success. You know things about them, you have a history. Things we could never know."
Azula scans the four of them before asking, "Have any of you ever even taken a life? Do you really know what it means to kill?"
To her shock, there is not a moment's hesitation from P'Li.
"We have. All of us have."
Ghazan adds, "Our lives before we joined the Red Lotus had not been pleasant ones."
Ming-Hua concurs, "Each of us comes from different worlds, but all of them exist in this world. With its corrupt governments and village leaders that turn a blind eye to injustice for their own benefit."
Zaheer speaks for the first time, "And in the places and time that we grew up, there was no Dragon Empress or Guardian or any other version of you to save us from those fates. The Avatar never cared for our troubles either."
Azula nods in understanding. She remembers Lonlhai and how it's people needed her. She shakes her head, realizing that other places needed her too, but she was not there for them.
"I see," She says. There's a break in the conversation after this is said. After the momentary silence Azula picks back up, "So why the sudden urgency? What's changed that led you to going to such lengths with Ming Fe to get me back to the table?"
Ming-Hua, P'Li, and Ghazan all turn to Zaheer, looking for his approval. The leader of the Red Lotus had decided before this meeting that he would reveal this much to her.
"We have an associate from the Northern Water Tribe. We believe they may not come to our aid when the hour is nigh."
"And who is this associate?"
"That is not yours to know, not until we have our assurances."
"You ask for my help but won't tell me what it is you're planning? Leading me to certain doom? Not even Xai Bau had this much gall."
Zaheer battles back, "What about Faith? You told me before with enough faith you can make yourself into a legend. Hasn't that been the whole point of your life, Dragon Empress?"
The dragon roars.
"Don't call me that. You all weren't even a spark in your grandmother's eye when the Dragon Empress ruled the skies."
P'Li is the next to speak, trying to reason with her. "You should be mindful, then, of how the world will remember you. To them, you will always be a villain. With us? If you help us, you can be remembered as a hero."
This weighs heavily on Azula. The young girl, so full of promise and potential, who reminds her of all the young girls she's helped before, is spot on. Azula knows it to be true. She harkens back to a conversation she had a few years ago.
"You're not the first ones to tell me to be mindful of my legacy," she can still hear their words in her mind. Reverberating. Echoing. Bouncing off the walls of her skull and pinging around to remind her of their truth. "I already know how I will be remembered. I'm the most feared being to ever live. I killed the Avatar. Twice. You think you know me, but you don't. There's nothing you can give to me that will motivate me enough to join you on this journey."
There's a resolve but also a sadness in her tone.
"And if you won't tell me what it is you're planning, then we have nothing else to discuss."
Azula rises and turns her back on the Red Lotus. She steps away.
"Stop." Zaheer calls to her.
She looks back to him.
"We can offer you something without value."
There's a whimsical expression on her face after hearing him. She cocks an eyebrow.
"What's that?"
"I wonder what's the greatest fear of 'the most feared being to ever live?' What keeps you up at night?"
Azula comes back to the table.
"What are you playing at?"
Zaheer plays his trump card.
"Yakone is alive."
Three little words that infinitely change the calculus of this meeting and Azula's decision making. She stares him down. She doesn't imagine he would lie about this, nor would he say it if he didn't have proof.
"I won't tell you what we're planning yet, but I'll give you his head on a silver platter if you agree to help us."
This was it. Everything Zaheer has is riding on this moment. He bet it all on Azula's rage and lifelong grudge outweighing her reservations about teaming up with them. If Zaheer can procure the Dragon Empress, then their victory will be assured, and having her also increases the odds of Unalaq joining them as well. It was a gambit of the highest order, one that he is sure his former master would be proud of if he was still alive to see it. Azula gives him her answer.
"Alright. I'll play."
"You'll do it?"
"I remember who I am," she tells them defiantly, as she sits back down. "I'm the Founder of the Red Lotus."
For a brief moment there is revelry at the table, at least among three of its members. Zaheer doesn't show the excitement on his face, but instead he releases a deep breath he'd been holding. Azula smirks at the young adults celebrating. After she's given them a moment she asks.
"So what's the play? Where do we go from here?"
Zaheer gathers himself and nods. He lays down the expectations.
"We need information about each of the World Leaders. How they operate, their inner workings. Every intimate detail about them that you can provide, but we're mostly focused on their general strategies when defending close-kept secrets. We have a plan, which will be executed at the beginning of the new year, and we'll need a full detailed report at the first full moon. We'll enact the plan shortly thereafter."
"So, just to be clear," Azula starts. "My knowledge, and my hand in battle. And in exchange I get Yakone?"
Zaheer nods. "That's the deal."
"Then I'll see you all back here at the first Full Moon."
Without any further argument, Azula leaves the table.
[Late Fall/Early Winter 157 AG]
Azula,
I write to you with a heavy heart and I do not do so lightly. Lin has fallen ill. We had decided to start the new year in Republic City, so we are currently at our house here in Downtown. A healer came to see him yesterday and said he only has a few weeks to live and that he is beyond saving. Something about his inner body parts failing, even if his mind is sharp and his outer body being unphased.
I do not write to you to ask you to save him. I am sure, if requested, you could procure some sort of powerful concoction to keep him alive. Borrow even more time for him. But Lin and I spoke, and we agreed. He is 82 now and he has lived a long, fulfilling life. He is no longer in need of a savior.
He is simply looking for a friend to come and bid him farewell. To walk with him peacefully.
Please join all of us at your soonest opportunity.
Love,
Ai Zhou
Zaheer,
Change of plans. My travel arrangements have been shuffled. I am located in Republic City now and will be remaining here until further notice. You can see that I am not lying because the postage is from Republic City itself. Our meeting is scheduled to take place in less than two weeks from my writing. It can not be helped and I will not be able to adjust, nor will I be able to travel to Whaletail Island as previously agreed.
I am writing to you now so that you and your team have proper notice. If you wish to have my intel, you will need to detour to the City. I make no apologies for my circumstances, but I certainly hope you can understand.
I'll see you shortly.
Regards,
The Founder of the Red Lotus
[Early Winter 158 AG]
Azula, Zaheer, Ming-Hua, P'Li, and Ghazan meet together in secret, deep in the heart of Republic City. It seems very familiar to when Azula used to rule this city with an iron-like grip. Although it has been decades, she returned to her throne atop the criminal underworld with ease and without issue. The first question asked upon their gathering is why she forced the change of plans. It had caused much grief and concern amongst her younger colleagues.
"I'll tell you because it won't matter for much longer. Someone that I care deeply for is on their deathbed."
She receives no sympathy from any of them. This is a gang that has lost many loved ones to unconscionable acts by various foreign powers. She is surprised that they do not give any kind of reaction whatsoever, not even feigned empathy. P'Li finally speaks when it becomes apparent she was expecting them to say something.
"Apologies, Founder. It is hard for me to relate. I can't comprehend being able to say goodbye to someone, rather than having them ripped away from me."
"Of course. None of us can relate, because we haven't been told yet." The Founder replies.
"Told what?" P'Li asks innocently.
"Imagine how my fisherman must have felt, to be sat down and told that he's dying. Can you imagine the gravity of that?"
They all steal glances at one another.
"We all know the clock is ticking on us. Tick, tock. Tick, tock. In a split second your awe is cracked open. You look at the world differently. You savor everything, be it a conversation with an old friend or watching the sunrise."
Zaheer had once described Azula as both inspiring and unnerving. This was precisely what he meant.
"But most people have the luxury of not knowing when that clock's going to go off. Tick, tock. The cruel, cruel irony is that that keeps us from really living our lives. We watch the sun rise each day without ever really seeing it."
She finishes her speech, a bit of recent inspiration after all that has happened to her beloved friend. The group lets it sink in before finally speaking.
P'Li says, "If I live long enough to ever appreciate life, I'll keep this in mind."
Ghazan is the next, expressing his admiration for her. "You have my respects, Empress. When we're done, the world will be reshaped by the Red Lotus. I hope that they remember you for the hero you are - I know I will."
Azula nods in acknowledgement. Finally she says, "So. No more tricks. What is our plan?"
The dark room is lit with a long hanging overhead light. The four young adults, late teenagers and early 20's, look at each other. The time has come to show their cards. Ming-Hua says, "There's a storm coming, Empress. Your brother and his friends better batten down the hatches."
Azula knows this much, she nods in response.
Zaheer explains, "One week from tomorrow, we will be making a play to abduct the Avatar."
"Abducting the Avatar? Now that's not something I had considered. But why?"
"We will raise her in the ways of the Red Lotus. We will be her elemental masters. And when possible, we will open the Spirit portals with the power of the Avatar. Bridge both worlds together."
"What about your contact in the Northern Water Tribe?"
"We haven't heard anything from them since our last meeting with you. They could be compromised or…"
"Or, they've betrayed you."
"That is our fear."
"Where is she? The Avatar?"
"That is something we are uncertain of," Ming-Hua explains. "They have built a compound for her future training efforts, but so long as they do not suspect us then she should remain at her home. Both are in Wolf's Cove."
Azula laughs
"What's so funny?" Ming-Hua asks.
"You think someone has betrayed you and that they don't suspect anything? No, this is foolish. They'll take Korra to the compound."
Zaheer interjects, "I disagree."
"No, I am confident of this. Absolute. If I know these people, they'll set a trap for you at the house and the compound is where they'll really hole up with heavy firepower."
"What do you suspect to be the 'heavy firepower?'"
"That's simple. It'll be Katara. She is a far greater threat than Zuko. With her being Aang's lover, and her and Zuko being on the outs with each other, I hear they can't be in the same room anymore, she will be the one to defend Korra, while Zuko is at the trap. Anyone trying to get to the Avatar, will have to go through her first. She's more motivated than anyone alive to keep the Avatar safe. And in the same way that Ming-Hua will be the most dangerous of you all in the elements of the Southern Water Tribe, the same can be said of Katara. Sokka, Zuko, probably some Kyoshi Warriors, at least the experienced ones, they'll all be involved but I can't tell who will be where. Probably Tenzin, Aang's son. There's really no way to simulate or prepare for a fight with an Airbender. You just have to do it a couple of times before you get used to their abilities."
"What can you tell us about each of them?"
Azula gives a comprehensive background about each member involved from Aang's previous gang. She explains how Zuko's weakness is lightning bending: he can't generate his own and relies on others to redirect it.
"But even that, I've heard whispers over the years that he can't do it anymore. If possible, let me finish him off. I want my face to be the last thing he sees before he goes to meet Agni."
She gives a thorough breakdown of Katara's various water attacks she's used. But she explains how Katara is terrible at hand to hand combat, and hasn't been in a fight since she lost to Azula on Linlhao Island.
"Her brother on the other hand is an expert at physical fighting. Leave him to me or Zaheer."
She doesn't know which Kyoshi Warriors they would bring so she can't comment on them specifically.
"If Toph comes, we'll be in serious trouble. She's a wild son of a bitch. As for Tenzin, my best advice is to overwhelm him with your bending. Specifically you, Ming-Hua. Like I said earlier, given our environment, you will be crucial. The snow all around us will provide you with endless ammo and distinct advantages."
Ghazan is practically chipper. He smiles a cocky smile and says "This doesn't seem so bad. We can handle this no problem."
"You're fools if you think the only defense is going to be a couple of benders and nonbenders."
"What do you mean? You just said-"
"Hypothetically, your contact in the Northern Water Tribe has already betrayed us. They may have even tipped off our enemies. If so, which is not a large 'if' mind you, then you should expect the full might of the Water Tribe and Fire Nation."
P'Li butts in, "Do you think we should anticipate Zuko's dragon to be in the fight?"
"That was a concern of mine. I don't like my chances against a fire breathing, bone crushing reptile." Ming-Hua says.
"I could defend you if it came to that, Ming-Hua." P'Li assures her quietly.
"Thanks, but I don't want to rely on someone else saving me. I need to be strong enough on my own."
"No," Azula says flatly. "He wouldn't risk the life of one of the two remaining dragons to a fight with a bunch of extremists. Dragons are nearly extinct. Avatars are forever."
Zaheer mumbles to himself, "Perhaps Avatars shouldn't be forever."
Ghazan starts but stops after opening his mouth.
"What? What is it?"
"Well. Okay. There's a rumor going around - a tall tale, really. It's preposterous."
"Is it relevant to this conversation?" Azula probes.
"Possibly."
"Alright. Well then?"
"People believe that the Avatar is still alive. That Aang still lives. They can feel his spirit still around, 'just beneath the surface' they say."
Once again there is something heavy about this question, and Azula treats it as such. She is an old woman, who has lived many lives. They are still young, and this is a reminder of how they are impressionable. She explains to Ghazan the truth.
"No. I watched him dying with my own two eyes. Those are wishful thinkers trying to keep alive a spirit that is long gone, on to the next life."
He nods, his confidence restored, his faith rewarded.
Azula tacks on for good measure, "I assure you: There will be no hero in the end."
They spend the next hour asking and answering questions. Azula is thorough in her descriptions and incisive in her analysis of every member of Korra's defense team. It is illuminating for each member of the team to hear tales of her battles with them and to learn from her mistakes. When all is said and done, and a quiet settles over the table, Zaheer finally closes the book.
"I believe we have everything we need."
He removes something from his pocket and puts it facedown. The next moment he pushes his hand forward and slides the thin, odd shaped object across the table towards Azula. It rapidly approaches her and she sticks a hand out to snag it before it can go flying away. She picks it up and holds it up to the light.
She holds in her right hand, for the first time nearly 45 years, her Royal headpiece that Yakone took from her. It's aged with time, but not brittle by any means. There is still even a bloodstain on it. The headpiece rests gingerly against the scar in her right palm. She flashes back to that moment. Zirin stuck the blade through her palm and her own blood splurt backwards at her, spraying onto this headpiece. A few moments later Zirin took it from her, chopped her topknot off, and she never saw it again. Until now. Yakone's words still echo in her mind.
"Her head will be the trophy."
Zaheer cuts through her flashback by speaking.
"He lives in the Northern Water Tribe now, under a new name."
A possible secret dawns on Azula.
"Is he your associate in the Northern Water Tribe? The one who's betrayed us?"
Zaheer doesn't answer and neither does anyone else. Azula comments, "That answers that question, I suppose."
P'Li asks her a question that has been on her mind for some time. One that all of them are interested in hearing the answer to, but no one expects to be asked, least of all Zaheer.
"Founder, did you kill Xai Bau that day? When you rescued me?"
Now it is Azula's turn to remain silent. She stops staring at her old, bloodstained headpiece and turns her attention to P'Li. Their amber eyes intertwine but Azula does not answer. P'Li accepts what she does not know. She delivers her own inspirational speech.
"You have seen evil men. I can see it in your eyes. The way that I've seen them. So if you killed him, then I believe you did it for the betterment of the world."
Azula nods at this, but remains quiet. P'Li wears a sharp look in her eyes.
"Now go kill another evil man."
Azula rises from the table.
Ming-Hua asks her, "What are you gonna do?"
Azula grips her headpiece tightly before replying, with determination and fury, "I'm gonna kill him properly this time."
Ming-Hua interrupts her, "After you help us to kidnap the Avatar. Right?"
"No. My revenge has waited long enough."
Ghazan pleads, "But we need you!"
"And I will be there."
Zaheer, despite his anger asks, "And what if you betray us too?"
"You keep chasing the Dragon, Zaheer," she says. Azula makes for the door but stops before exiting. She turns back and tells him, "The Dragon will be there in the end, I assure you."
She leaves and the door shuts behind her. When they are alone, the Red Lotus talk amongst themselves. It feels impossible, the math not adding up for them. It will take too long for her to go to the North Pole to face Yakone and then to the South Pole for the battle, at least via boat. They determine she must be planning to go via airships, which may seem more plausible, but is far more public and not guaranteed. P'Li is confident though and doesn't waver in the face of concern.
"If she says she'll be there, then she'll be there. I believe in The Founder."
Ming-Hua turns to her bald friend and asks him, "What about you, Zaheer? Do you trust her yet?"
"No. We have many friends speaking softly while carrying knives," he says, thinking of Unalaq and Azula. "We should treat them all with hostility until they prove otherwise."
One final thing burns into Zaheer's mind: Her silence speaking volumes when P'Li asked if she killed Xai Bau. She had spent their whole meeting cautioning them against Unalaq's betrayal. However, he now has never been more certain that she is a traitor, and he would give anything to exact his pound of flesh from her.
THE WEEK THAT CHANGED AZULA'S LIFE
[DAY 1]
Azula enters the room filled with family and loved ones of the man running out of time. They were conversating before she entered the room, but once she did they dropped into a dead silence. She approaches the bed where an old man looks up at her smiling. Lin has never quite looked worse for wear, but he wears his classic expression all the same.
"Empress, how was your rendezvous yesterday?"
"Excellent. We've set a course. They seem to be sailors who have never known smooth seas. They will be ready for what is to come."
"What will you do now?"
"Regretfully, I must say that I have to go to the Northern Water Tribe, with haste. I have unfinished business there. Graves that need digging."
"That is disappointing to hear, but I believe in you all the same. I'm sure it will be for good reason," he replies cheerfully. The next moment though he suffers a coughing fit. He clears his throat, his fragile lungs failing him. He asks her, weakly, "Shall I fetch a boat? I did say I'd provide you transport whenever you should need it."
"Those were your words, not mine," she harkens back to The Watchkeeper, another old man who once made an indelible impact on her. "I do not need transport. But I do need your help with something else."
"Oh?" He asks, his spirits rising. "What is it? I shall assist in any way that I can."
She produces a small envelope.
"Please mail this letter for me? It's going to someone incredibly important to me. It's, um, time I finally came clean to them. After all of these years."
"I will see to it, Empress!"
Lin calls over Ai Zhou to his bedside.
"My wife, please mail this letter right away."
Ai Zhou, the ever dutiful partner, and sympathizer of the Empress reviews it briefly. She turns to Azula and asks, "Are you sure you want this to be the posting? They'll know where-"
"I'm sure."
"Then absolutely. I have to send out my own mailings as well. I'll fetch a messenger hawk when you go to depart, Empress."
With that his beloved wife gives them space, stepping back into the background. Azula, 72 years old, turns to the 82 year old Lin on the verge of dying. He can't help but to smile up at her. Azula always felt like he was both a father figure and a best friend to her, effortlessly toggling between both roles depending on what she needed at any given time. To see him so fragile now, so weak, is crushing. The last few weeks had been hard, but they have reveled in their joint nostalgia and warm embraces.
"It was the honor of a lifetime, serving you, My Empress."
She chides him, "You sound like you're ready to meet your maker, Old Friend. I thought you said it wasn't a race?"
He chortles with difficulty. "It's not. But I feel as though I'm at the end of my run all the same. With your blessing, I shall reach the end."
She fights back tears as she replies, "If you are seeking my forgiveness for dying you shall never have it. I could never say goodbye."
"I thought as much."
"You told me this was exactly how you wanted to go. With Ai Zhou and your family at your side. But spiritually?"
"Spiritually, we will be together again soon enough, I fear."
"I feel you are right about that, Lin. We will both return to the ocean soon enough."
There's a tinge of fear in his words as he asks, "Will it be painful, Empress?"
She rubs her face and the loose tears that have gathered on her eyelids. The family gathered around the room do the same, with not a single dry eye amongst them. She reassures him.
"Not at all. You'll shut your eyes and go to sleep, and it will be the most peaceful sleep of your life. Until I can see you again and we meet in the next life."
"When we return to the ocean." Lin says.
"When we return to the ocean." Azula says.
"Until then, Empress."
"Until then, Fisherman."
Azula steps away and Ai Zhou joins her as they exit the room. The rest of the friends and family remain at his side. Once they exit the building, Azula explains, "I'm going now so I can hopefully be back before he passes. I… don't know if I'll make it."
"I understand, Azula. You would not go if it was not important."
"Thank you, Ai Zhou. I will be back at once."
"I'll be by his side until you return."
The two women share a hug. After the sun has set, Azula embarks for the Northern Water Tribe.
Earlier in the day, Yasuko had received a cryptic letter. This was the second such occurrence to happen to her pertaining to this matter with such unique circumstances. The last one had been almost exactly seven years earlier, almost to the day. That letter had no address nor any posting for her to trace it. There was a knock at her door and then, as quick as the wind blowing, the unassuming note appeared at her front door.
Now, in the middle of the day, Yasuko examines both notes carefully. The first one has from seven years ago has handwriting that is sharp and pointed, while the second is more flowy, with curves and less edges on the letters. She benefits greatly from the fact that both authors addressed her with the same name, a certain title that almost no one alive knew.
The first letter, the older letter, reads:
Little Dragon,
She lives.
It had bewildered her. If the purpose had been to assure her to Azula's vitality, it was not some massive surprise. She'd followed the news like anyone else and she had read The Last Dragon. The book did not mention Yasuko by name specifically, focusing the Lanxi chapters instead on her professional achievements rather than personal relationships. Part of her had been grateful for that because it granted her anonymity. But part of her also wishes the world knew she was imbued with the spirit of the Last Dragon.
Shaking that thought away, Yasuko now sits reading the second letter which had arrived today.
Little Dragon,
Find Toph and you will find me.
These are surely different authors, but she doesn't know who on Earth could have known her childhood title, known about the connection, and delivered such notes. What's more, this new letter saying she will find "me" is of note. There are dozens of questions piling up, but one thing is for certain as Yasuko watches the sunset:
She will find Toph, by any means necessary.
A/N: The whole part about "Are you a friend of Azula's?" is a reference to "Are you a friend of Dorothys'?" Which is exactly what I described in this chapter, but was actually used in the US by the 1980's. I really wanted to work it into the story somewhere. Sadly, I feel that this version was hamfisted, but nonetheless I hold onto this headcanon that Azula would've pushed Zuko to make legal LGBT marriage in the Fire Nation and that, years later, people would recognize her contributions by asking if the space was safe by invoking the question, "Are you a friend of Azula's?" Alright, that's enough rambling. This chapter's OST is "God's Gonna Cut You Down" by Johnny Cash.
Love always. Red Lotus forever! Yasuko forever! Lin forever!
Notorious