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Aso Village,
Aso Island
It was a short ride back to the village, but for Azula, it felt like a lifetime. Her whole body ached from what had to have been a whole day of fighting for her life. Realistically, it would've only lasted maybe a few hours. Yet her vision going in and out made her worry that her broken body would collapse before her mind.
Truth be told, it was the steady undulation of Flame Runner's stride that kept her awake. Against all odds, the Mongoose Dragon had managed to weather through the carnage, taking shelter in the jungle. Or at least the parts that weren't trampled or burned down. Once the fighting was over, the Princess had found herself staring into the concerned slitted eyes of her mount.
A sheer force of will dragged her up from the sand and onto the reptile's back, making a slow journey to safety and through the ruined foliage. Trees were either trampled, blown over, or scorched. The sheer scale of the carnage never sunk into Azula. Inwardly, she wondered if her numbness towards the devastation was something to be concerned about.
Right now though, her only focus was the village ahead. In contrast to the devastation of the jungle she emerged from, the farmlands and buildings survived intact. Maybe a few trampled crops and some discarded farm tools from what had to have been the panic to get away from the incoming conflict, but those were the only signs of chaos.
The same story was told in the village. Stores were shuttered and houses were locked. Not a single soul was in sight, with the only sign of life being flocks of birds circling above. No doubt they were driven from their nests by the raging titans.
Lowering her focus, Azula road past the empty houses, taking a moment to look at some of the posters that clung to the buildings. Looking at the pristine image of her standing triumphant over Ba Sing Se, she couldn't help but wonder how messed up she was. A trickle of blood went down her lip, and she swore she felt a few bruises dot her face. And that wasn't counting her aching back.
She was alive at least, which seemed nothing less than a miracle. Numbly, she rode Flame Runner out of the village and towards a few wooden huts, trenches, and barricades. There, the people of Aso Village emerged from their hiding spaces, gazing at the sight of their Princess returning to them at long last. Already, soldiers were lining up and giving respectful bows as she rode past.
Once she reached the peasantry, Azula shakily dismounted Flame Runner and mustered the will to try and look dignified as she limped forward. It wasn't the most convincing show of strength, but she shot a nasty glare at a grunt who offered an arm. Quite frankly, she wasn't in the mood right now.
Especially with the head of the Saowon striding toward her. "What happened? How'd you let that monster get away?! Where's the Admiral?!"
"Dead," Azula snapped, shutting Jozain up. "And so would everyone else if I hadn't gotten the ships to stand down."
"You…I knew trusting you was a fool's errand! Guards! Arrest her!"
A silence rippled throughout the inhabitants of Aso Village. The men and women of the Fiery Raptors looked at each other in confusion, clearly not knowing whether obeying some propped-up noble was a good idea.
So Azula decided to answer for them. She stood up tall, looking each and every one of the soldiers in the eye. "Arrest me, and you'll just be another slave. Jozain and Ryuui would've sacrificed you all for glory. Just as my brother did. Forgive me for stating the obvious, but isn't our 'benefactor' sounding a bit too much like that traitor who sits on the throne?"
Murmurs went through both the soldiers and the villagers. Emboldened, Azula began striding amongst the ranks of the soldiers. "You all would've been handed over to the Earth Kingdom if Zuko had his say. He would've allowed people like Jozain to walk free if it meant keeping the 'peace'. Why else is the Dragon of the West not behind bars or on trial? As far as the nobles or your so-called commanders are concerned, you're just meat to keep the monsters off their doorsteps.
"After all, what's stopping Lord Jozain from turning all of you in to curry favor with the Avatar's puppet?" she crisply asked, staring Jozain down. The Clan head glared back, though his previous bluster had simmered down a little.
Looking from side to side, she saw several soldiers steadily begin to take her side. Nodding to herself, she went on the attack. "Sons and daughters of the true Fire Lord. Once, I used to be in line for the throne. Now though, I was thrown out of my own family in a blatant power grab. As fate would have it, we're all in the same boat. We're strangers to our own land, unable to go home and against countless enemies. Zuko. The White Lotus. The Avatar. Godzilla, and who knows what else is out there. In times like this, we need to be united more than ever. For if no one will stand by us, what chance would we have against the whole world?
"That means we have no place for the like of sycophants and spineless worms." She snapped her fingers, and at once, two firebenders marched forward and grabbed Lord Jozain by his arms.
"You're making a big mistake, Princess," the head of Clan Saowon hissed.
Azula shrugged. "And you're just the head of a dishonored clan. Figures you never learned from your family history. Failures never learn."
She jerked her head, signaling the soldiers to get this trash out of her sight. Lord Jozain protested and made how many threats, but his guards did nothing. They just shoved him along, heading to the village. Nodding that this particular business was dealt with, Azula turned to the rest of the Fiery Raptors. All at once, they began kneeling to her, showing her the respect she so long craved.
Nodding to herself that her plan had come to its climax, she motioned over Kazuma, who was standing nearby. "I want you to send word to any rogue army groups we have contact with," she ordered. "Tell them that the one true Fire Lord has returned. And tell them all that there is to be no engagements against Zuko, enemy forces, the Avatar, Godzilla or any other kaiju without my consent. Also, inform their leaders that I'll be keeping an eye on them. If I hear even one word about any half-brained schemes for glory, remind them of what happened today when somebody tries to be wise."
Kazuma bowed before rushing off to his duties. Satisfied, Azula looked towards both the Fiery Raptors and the villagers of Aso. "People of the Fire Nation. I've faced down impossible odds before. I conquered the unconquerable. I delivered us out of our darkest hour. And I will do so again and restore glory to our besieged people!"
All at once, the peasants and soldiers began to cheer her name, declaring her as the true successor to the throne. Azula felt a smile come on her lips. Finally, something was going her way. Her brother would've called it luck. She called it being what her people needed.
What she needed though…she needed some time to herself.
Azula strode into town at the head of the people. After watching them all opening their shops and unlocking their doors, she tiredly turned towards the village temple.
That was until she got hugged by a pair of arms. Before she could reprimand Ty Lee for not realizing what personal space was, she heard the much less fake voice of Maina in her ears. "Please don't do anything stupid like that again!" the priestess asked.
Her concern caused Azula to blink a few times in confusion, before awkwardly pushing the native girl off. "I was able to take care of myself just fine, but thank you."
"Right. And the fact you're literally about to collapse quantifies as 'being able to take care of yourself?'" Kori snarked, folding her arms as she looked skeptically at the Princess's admittedly battered form.
Azula shrugged. "It's nothing some sleep and a good meditation can't handle. Which I was going to do before I got so rudely interrupted."
She was about to turn and proceed to the temple for said meditation before Maina's soft hand snatched her wrist. "Azula, wait. Are you sure this is a good idea? Throwing our lot in with rogue soldiers? The Fire Lord's not going to take this lying down."
"Zuzu is coming after us anyways," Azula retorted, too tired to really put any bite into it. "Once he finds out where I am, he's going to come after me. And I don't know if you've noticed, but he has the Avatar on his side. Right now, we need as many allies as we can get, and I can't afford to be too picky. Wouldn't be the first time he went on some wild goose chase after all."
"...you've got a point there," Kori admitted, much to Maina's frustration.
"Alright, fair. But we can't exactly make a stand here. I don't want to get the civilians caught in the crossfire."
"We won't, Maina. As for where…that part I haven't thought out yet." The Princess admitted that her game plan didn't extend too far outside of the immediate aftermath of the battle between Rodan and Godzilla. On the other hand, it probably was the best idea when one was on the run, allying with untrustworthy characters, and being on a collision course with two kaiju.
All the more reason to clear her head and think of a good course of action. Something the priestess silently admitted as she let go of Azula's hand. Seeing that two members of their trio had their plans solidified, Kori declared, "Well, I'm going to go see if I can't find anybody that can come to Yu Dao and help with the protests. There's got to be a few people out here who don't think fondly of our Fire Lord."
"Try asking some of the Fiery Raptors. They'd probably be willing to lend a hand. I'll give them leave if they want to go," Azula commented.
"Uh…sure. I'll keep that in mind," Kori commented. She studied the Princess for a moment before turning to go find some people.
"Offering up soldiers to help out with the protests. That's pretty noble of you," Maina remarked.
Azula shrugged. "Nothing noble about it. Yu Dao is where a lot of pressure is being placed on my brother. If we can get those protests to work and humiliate his guard, his image is going to take a few hits."
"Right. And I'm guessing saving a whole village from a kaiju attack was just pure pragmatism. Yes?"
For once, the Princess didn't have an answer. Silently, she turned towards the Temple of the Firebird, unwilling to look Maina in the eye. The other girl followed from a distance, putting her ill at ease. Of course, it was logical to save the village. She needed a good image in order to make her play for the throne after all. And if she could win back the populace, that's what she was going to do.
It's not like she didn't want anybody else to needlessly die on account of her actions. That would be what Zuko would preach. No, she knew what she was doing, and she had to be cold-blooded for that.
Right?
Fire Temple,
Yu Dao
Zuko breathed in and out. His fire was there. He felt it respond to the flames in the Temple. But it was weak. Far weaker than he would've liked. The last time it had been this weak was when he joined Aang.
Which didn't make sense to him. He rediscovered the true meaning of firebending, didn't he? Even in this temple dedicated to his element though, he was finding it hard to find any passion. Any connection to that which gives the world life. It was getting him more frustrated the more he meditated on it. What was it? What was causing this blockage?
"Food for thought: maybe you really shouldn't meditate before the guy who started the war."
Mai's voice brought him out of his musings, confirming that yes, he was kneeling before a small statue of his great-grandfather. The sight forced out a small chuckle from his heart. "Yeah, that probably would be a good idea." He brought himself up and gave a small bow to the symbol of his nation on the tapestry, not the man who led them all to destruction. And if he wanted to get connected with the fire that Ran and Shaw gave him, he probably shouldn't have meditated to the great Dragon Slayer himself to begin with.
Still, it was hard to get away from what Sozin used to have been to him. He was that figure that Zuko and all boys wanted to be outside of his father. The man who slew the Avatar and set the Fire Nation on the path of righteousness. Seeing all the depredations they made in the Earth Kingdom and a world without the hope Aang brought forced the then-Prince to realize just what path he was walking on.
Yet looking around the temple, he wondered if he had escaped that fate. Not the part where he'd wage war on the whole world, but the part where he came close to repeating what his ancestor had done. All along the walls were the skulls of sea monsters, bloody trophies taken in the same vein of the old dragon hunts.
And there, hanging on the wall, was a painting of Sozin leading a massive army against one of them. Yet the dragon depicted was a haunting image. The jagged spines. The gargantuan size. The blue fire spilling out of its maw. That was the beast he had tried to kill himself. All he accomplished though was slaughtering his own people. Just like the Fire Lords of old.
He could still hear the screams. They'd haunt him to the end of his days…
"Is that what Azula looked like on the day of the Comet?"
Zuko blinked, seeing that Mai had glid over to his side. It was scary how easily she could sneak up on people. Her eyes though were riveted on the raging Godzilla depicted in the painting. More specifically, the chains wrapped around its body and maw.
It was an image all too familiar to the monarch. "Yeah. That's what she looked like."
Mai was silent. Now Zuko was under no delusions that his girlfriend had forgiven Azula for nearly killing him. When she heard the details of the Agni Kai in the days following the end of the war, however, she didn't say a word. Which was especially bothering. She was the first to voice her frustrations with how Azula treated her and Ty Lee following their reunion in Omashu. No, it was more concerning when she said nothing about his sister's descent into madness.
It's not like he had much choice. He had to take her down. If Azula were Fire Lord, she would've done the same thing her father and every Fire Lord would've done. And the last thing he wanted was for her to turn into another Ozai. The least he could do was send her to a mental institution and give her some space. That's what Uncle said both of them needed.
So why did he still have this feeling of regret whenever he saw that struggling image? He couldn't get it out of his head. Zuko had done everything for her. Right? Wasn't his fault she chose the wrong side and had to pay for what she did.
Or was that the same Uncle who didn't let him in on what truly happened at the Siege of Ba Sing Se talking? After all, he was the one who insisted on her going on trial. And insisted on having her bending taken. Honestly, Zuko still wasn't sure about that. Ozai was one thing, but his sister? Was that really warranted?
That image of Godzilla struggling against the flaming chains though, that's what Iroh warned that Azula could turn into if she had her bending. If the strongest firebender in the world knew what was going to happen in terms of firebending, he had to be right as always. And it's not like he wanted to put her in chains again. Mai made her position on the matter clear though, but Zuko still wasn't sure of what action to take.
It's why he needed a second opinion.
"Hey guys! You wanted to see me?"
That was Mai's only warning before Ty Lee proceeded to glomp her. She struggled to pry the acrobat off, not wanting to get any Kyoshi Warrior makeup on her robes. Zuko chuckled a little bit at the sight, before shutting up from one of his girlfriend's signature glares.
"Ty Lee? I thought you were supposed to be with the Kyoshi Warriors," Mai asked. Sure enough, the perky girl was all decked out in the emerald robes and armor of the ones they had disguised themselves while still serving with Azula. Zuko still couldn't figure out how they let her in, though he had a sneaking suspicion that it was more out of pragmatism thanks to her chi-blocking skills. Didn't Suki say something about having to be better than benders after all?
"Zuko said he needed me here both as a bodyguard and as a liaison with the Warriors." Ty Lee's bright smile was a tip-off that there was more going on. The Fire Lord had been around her long enough to know when she was pulling an act. And if he were to guess, not a lot of the Warriors wanted her around. At least not right away. Couldn't say he blamed them. None of them exactly gave them a first good impression when they first encountered the dedicated servants of a previous Avatar.
Even barring that, he certainly was a bit off put by her cheeriness a lot of the time. It was hard to tell how genuine a good amount of it was. Especially as she bounced over to him. "So, you wanted to talk?" she asked.
Realizing why he was there, he cleared his throat. "Ty Lee, Iroh has been considering to have Azula's bending…removed."
With that, the mask fell. "Wait, he said what now?! Why would he want that?"
"According to Iroh, something about Azula's bending is hurting her. Like how blue fire is something unnatural, and that he doesn't want her to end up like Godzilla," Mai clarified.
"Which is why I asked both of you to come. Now, I know Azula gained her blue fire while I was away for three years. Do either of you know how she managed to get it?"
Both girls looked a bit unsure at the Fire Lord, turning towards each other for a moment. "Well…this was a bit after we started to drift apart, Zuko. I know I left to join the circus, and Mai was called to her parents' estate. Neither of us really knew how she did it. I heard from some noble at the circus that she got it from almost killing an opponent in her rage."
"No way. I know Azula was having some issues in those days, but she'd never get that angry," Mai speculated. Zuko and Ty Lee couldn't help but agree. Despite whatever their issues with Azula were at the moment, that sounded more like what Zuko would do. And he'd be the first person to admit that he'd hurt one of his crew during his years in exile.
"I do remember some letters she wrote to me though," Ty Lee picked up. "Apparently, she was training harder than ever while you were away. Then she stopped writing to me entirely when news came that you found the Avatar."
"She kept in contact with us both, but stopped sending letters to me at the same time she did with Ty Lee. Guess she really intensified her training during then. If I would to bet, that's when she achieved her blue firebending."
Zuko sighed, hearing both Mai and Ty Lee's testimonies. Honestly, he almost expected as much. The only other idea was tracking down the banished Lo and Li. The thing was, Father assigned them as Azula's tutors personally. If they had any ties or loyalty to the old Fire Lord, he didn't want to risk either one of them finding out about the energybending plan. He wasn't sure who to trust these days.
One thing was clear to him though. "Even when I was gone, she was trying to take me down," he mused. Made sense. With him gone, the throne would've been ripe for Azula to inherit. Of course, she wanted to make herself look like the obvious successor. It seemed everything she did was to ruin his life.
No. Nonono. He couldn't think like that. He had to believe there was still good in her. Yet if she based herself so much around taking him down, it's not like that blue fire was doing her any good. Maybe if he made so that she couldn't compete with him anymore…
"Zuko…do you really want Azula's bending removed?"
"Huh?"
Ty Lee seemed a bit nervous. "I know how you wanted Azula to be better, but losing her bending isn't going to help matters. I think it would make her hate you more."
"Hate me more-Ty Lee, she already hates me! It seems like everything she does is to tear me down!"
"Zuko, you know that's not true."
"Of course, it's true, Mai! And even if it isn't, we can't sit here and do nothing while she runs free! It's not healthy for her!"
His frustration caused him to pace back and forth. "I try to give her the benefit of the doubt. I give her space. I admitted her to the best mental hospital in the nation to get her help, I was even going to speak up for her at her trial! And what does she do? Runs off to who knows where while we're in a delicate situation with Kuei and a bunch of giant monsters are running around. She's going to get herself killed at this rate!"
The fire in his heart was doused a little when he didn't hear either of the girls interrupt him. That was his first clue that something was wrong. His second was the rather stricken looks on their faces. Ty Lee's was obvious, but even Mai's eyes widened. And if Mai was bothered by something, then that was bad news.
"What is it? Did I say anything wrong?" Zuko asked with concern.
"...Zuko…where did you send Azula?" Ty Lee answered nervously.
"To the asylum where all the nobles send their family members. Why?" Zuko could almost feel the chill in the temple descending upon them all, the fires of the altar feeling far away.
Mai was the first to speak. "...there's a good reason why nobody wants to talk about that place. Anybody who gets sent there…changes."
"For the better?"
"Not always," the acrobat clarified. "Every noble girl in the Fire Nation knows about that place. It's where they get sent if they…misbehave…"
"Or aren't some quiet decoration. Where do you think my parents threatened to send me if I wasn't the dutiful daughter? I'd rather put up with Azula than be sent there," Mai finished. Zuko went pale seeing the looks on their faces. They were "friends" with Azula. If either of them feared the asylum more than her of all people…
Cranefish Village
"...by the spirits, what did they put her through?"
Appa grunted, asking if Aang was okay. The airbender massaged his partner's snout, trying to steady himself. "Yeah, I'm fine," he lied, reading the message he received from Bumi.
It didn't start out too good. The White Lotus had been hard at work trying to find every scrap of information regarding the kaiju and anything even resembling them. Thing was, trying to separate fact from fiction regarding beings that could reshape the entirety of the world was a difficult process.
What they did know was that legends of gigantic creatures came from all around the world. It seemed that every culture and nation had a menagerie of monsters attached to them. Whether how many of them were pure fantasy and what others were based in reality, that was the tricky question. Realistically, the Ancient Ice Dragon or the Walking Volcano had as much basis in reality as the Air Nomads having an army.
That being said, there was a pattern. Some of the legends were attached to areas that had been avoided heavily by Fire Nation troops during the war. The shores off Odo Island were one of them. Going off of that, they decided to try and cross reference further sites such as these to find more. The amount of areas they found so far wasn't encouraging.
Neither was Bumi's personal investigation concerning Iroh's involvement with Azula. Considering she was the most high-profile prisoner to be put on trial, Aang wanted to see what the Grand Lotus had in mind. It wasn't easy. As Bumi himself put it, "I'm crazy enough to try spying on the secret organization, but a king from the Earth Kingdom asking about a Fire Nation Princess? That's bound to raise a few eyebrows."
Instead, he asked somebody who could ask around the Fire Nation without cause for alarm. For that, Bumi turned to Piandao. Piandao had been one of the few who protested Azula being put on trial to begin with, so the ancient earthbender figured it would be a good idea to let him in on the drill. The swordmaster, being an esteemed member of Fire Nation society, had a lot of friends in high places there.
That's how they learned about the asylum. And what they knew happened to the "patients".
Aang thought he was going to throw up. He had so many questions. Did Iroh know about this? Was there any way they could shut that place down? How had it escaped Zuko's notice? It made his head hurt just thinking about it.
His distress must've been pretty evident since Momo glided down and tenderly licked Aang's cheek. "Thanks, buddy," the Avatar told his lemur, putting away the message for now. He knew he had to tell his friends eventually, but not before he had a moment to process it all. It seemed surreal, and all the more evident that he needed to keep tabs on the White Lotus as a whole if stuff like this was allowed.
"Hey, Aang! What's up?"
Aang hurriedly stuffed the letter away in his robes, trying to compose himself. "Nothing Suki," he said to the approaching Kyoshi Warrior. "Just got a letter from Bumi is all. Kind of was expecting it."
Suki crossed her arms a bit, making Aang a bit nervous. But she didn't exactly give off the impression that she could read minds. "Oh. It's just you kind of ran off in a hurry when you got that letter and the others wanted to make sure you were okay. I mean, Sokka and Katara figured you'd be fine but-"
"No, I get it. It's just, I had Bumi look into a few things and…" Aang trailed off. How could he even begin to explain what he had just read? This was Suki after all. She and Azula didn't exactly have the best history, so who knew what her opinion would be in this matter?
So after a brief pause with Suki patiently waiting for his answer, Aang decided to try something. "Say, Suki. When you were threatening to feed us to the Unagi when we first met, were you…you know. Actually going to do it?"
The Kyoshi Warrior blinked. "Forgive me, but where did that come from?"
"Let's just say, I'm having some issues with how friends of mine are doing things that I don't exactly see eye to eye with. Not any of you, but somebody else that I'm a little concerned about."
He wasn't sure if Suki got the whole meaning, but she did seem to nod for a minute. "You have to understand, we genuinely thought that you were going to lead the Fire Nation to our door. We'd been able to keep out of the war and our people safe by dealing harshly with anyone who presented a threat. And like it or not, you didn't exactly show up the proper way most visitors did and the Fire Nation was known for using locals to spy on us.
"So…yeah. We were planning on feeding you to the Unagi. That's how paranoid we were back then."
"Oh. Well, uh…at least we got that matter all sorted out." Aang let out an awkward laugh to try and play that little incident off, but Suki didn't exactly look too thrilled. Her eyes fell down to the earth, unable to look him in the eye.
"Hey. You did what you thought was right to protect your people. Can't blame you for that," he tried to reassure her.
Suki though just stepped back. "But that's just a reminder of how much things have changed. First, we became friends. Then the war ended. Now a bunch of giant monsters have shown up. All this in a little over a year when for the last century we were wondering when the war was going to show up at our doorstep."
She turned away, gazing across Cranefish Town and the ruined battlefield of the jungle beyond. "I've trained to become a Kyoshi Warrior for the sake of my people. Yet nothing in my training had ever prepared me for this. Now we're being asked to bring peace and fight giants when all we've been trained for is war and fighting soldiers. How do you handle something that nobody thought was possible?"
For once, Aang couldn't argue with her. He walked beside her, looking out at the village. Things had calmed down there below, but they were still getting everyone out of the tunnels and coping with the fact they were in the middle of an impossible battle. Giants. Kaiju. Even the monks thought those were just stories told to help acolytes respect the overwhelming forces of nature.
Yet here they were. "Aang, if it's anything, I think your friends are in the same boat as we are. What the whole world is in right now," Suki continued. "We're doing what we think is right, and finding out that everything we knew was wrong. It's one of the things Kyoshi passed down to us: that we need to live with the mistakes we made, and that we have a duty to right those wrongs. Otherwise, how else can we learn to be better?"
"It's why the Avatar always comes back. Their duty is never done, even after death."
"...okay. That sounded exactly like Kyoshi," Suki teased.
Aang shrugged. "Well, I sort of have a direct link with her. Guess some of her rubbed off on me."
"Fair point."
They turned again to the village below, Aang silently ruminating over what Suki had said. It was a lesson that was all too familiar to him. Roku after all failed to deal with Sozin, and the whole world had to pay for his mistakes. His only hope was that he could catch his before they became a problem for the next Avatar.
Yet, is trusting Iroh and the White Lotus as a whole one of them? The more he rolled it over in his mind, the more he felt disconcerted. Sure, he could trust Iroh the tea brewer, and Iroh the uncle to Zuko. Iroh the Grand Lotus though? Add onto the fact that they apparently had no problems with doing things behind his back, and suddenly he had one more problem to deal with on top of de-escalating from the war and the kaiju.
The last thing he wanted future Avatars to deal with was an organization that acted in their name yet didn't bat an eye about putting a teenager into a nightmare of an asylum…
First Temple of the Firebird,
Aso Island
Breathe in, breathe out.
Father always taught her that the breath was the source of all fire. Focus on your breathing and you could unleash a blazing inferno that consumed all that stood in your way. That was the nature of things, and that was why fire was the superior element.
The places where they jabbed the needles into her veins, the bruises from the straitjacket, and the marks where she was hogtied and chained were a reminder of what happens when you don't use your fire properly. Scars that for so long have haunted her mind. Even now, she could feel the dull ache where they bound her. The haziness of the drugs still lingered in her system.
Once, the idea of being hampered by such things was preposterous. Now though, only luck seemed to be the reason she was still breathing. For what would be coming, she'd need to be in top form. Or as close as she could get to her top form anyway.
Which was why she came here. The Sages had cleared out the table and plans, leaving behind the fiery altar in silence. Here, candles and torches blazed with reverence to the Phoenix, unaltered in its glory. Having seen Rodan for herself though, even this mural of the bird rising from the volcano with flames upon its leathery wings was just a pale comparison to the real deal.
All around it were symbols and images coming from the flames, each a familiar iconography to anyone born of the Fire Nation. Their nation's symbol. The various battles the Fire Lords have wrought over the years. Dragons, the ones who taught them the secrets of fire. Here, they were all products of Rodan's brilliance. As if somehow, the Phoenix was blessing them all with his life and vitality.
For Azula, it was a place where she could feel and reach out to the flames surrounding her. More importantly, she was able to focus on the fire in her soul. That blue inferno kept her alive. Against all odds, it was still there. Simmering. Waiting for her to reach out and embrace it.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
And reach out she did. She envisioned her hands tenderly caressing the flames, letting them travel up her arms. As she did, she felt the fire flow through her veins, clearing her mind. Without fear, she allowed the azure cinders to graze her bruises, and the marks from the syringes. Anyone else would've been afraid to let such a destructive element come into contact with her wounds.
That was before she saw that same fire heal the torn flesh of Godzilla. It still amazed her. And it amazed her still when she felt the ache and pain from those scars the asylum marked her begin to fade. The fire seemed to breathe new life into her body, reversing and undoing the damage that was done to her. For once, she allowed herself to relax and let her flame do its work.
Breathe in. Breathe out. As she did, she let blue embers leave her mouth and dance upon the air.
How sentimental. The broken girl thinks she can pull herself together, only so she can be broken all over again.
Azula grimaced, her head pounding. It was that voice from the volcano. Not her mother, not her father (she hadn't heard him for a while). This was that trio of voices, speaking as one.
The one Rodan was able to hear as well.
Her eyes opened and wandered to a snarling dragon on the wall. For some reason, that mocking tone that carried Ty Lee's voice seemed clearer when she focused in on there. "I don't know who you think you are, but I was able to beat the odds before. That's what I've been doing ever since I escaped that ship."
Was it your skill or luck alone? You're not even a shadow of your former self, and all luck is bound to run out. As you should've learned a long time ago, the voice mocked. That snarl on the dragon's snout almost looked like a deranged smile.
"I didn't conquer Ba Sing Se purely on luck," Azula snapped back, getting up and turning away from the altar. "And I'm getting tired of people insinuating that I got this far just on luck. 'Born lucky'? That's only an excuse losers use."
Yet you don't exactly have a plan for when you face your brother. And even if you regain your former strength, you don't stand a chance against the Avatar's cronies. So I'm going to ask again, what has saved you outside of luck so far?
Her head pounded, causing her to gasp in pain. The voice seemed to come from an engraved dragon coiling around one of the pillars in the room. Azula glared at the reptilian eyes, feeling the presence coming from there. "I'm making do with what I have. Not the best, but this is the only way I see getting out of this alive."
Ah, yes. And I'm assuming your newfound concern for innocent lives has nothing to do with it.
Azula glowered. "If I allowed those ships to fire, we all would've been slaughtered. I think you're mistaking self-preservation for altruism."
She heard a snarl from the dragon's frozen maw, tinged with Mai's disapproval. Keep telling yourself that, but we both know the truth. You didn't want anybody to needlessly die on your hands. You could've done your duty and died there on the beach like your father would've wanted, but you didn't. You could've attempted an attack on Godzilla, aiding Rodan and maybe, just MAYBE you could've done what your brother failed to do. You had so many options, but you chose the one where almost nobody dies.
And we both know what happens when you go soft. How long before these Fiery Raptors betray you? How long before this whole island deems you a pariah?
The Princess went silent, turning away from the engraving. They…had a point. She couldn't rely on the Fiery Raptors forever after all. That would mean going soft. And every time she went soft, things went worse and worse for her. For what's coming, she couldn't afford that.
Neither could she have this voice in her head either. "Shut up. I know what I'm doing. And if you think you can confuse me-"
A pang of sharp pain reverberated through Azula's mind, causing her to cry out and fall to her knees. Her breath was taken from her, and her eyes unfocused. Out of nowhere, they saw a massive fireball descending from the heavens for all the world to see.
That is what happens when you think you know better than I, the voice said. Azula's focus was drawn to a painting of a dragon along the wall, Zuko's authority keeping her bowed. This mind is just as much mine as it is yours. I suggest you get used to it, and take whatever wisdom I deem is fitting for a failure such as yourself.
"I…understand." Azula's voice shook, much to her surprise. That didn't happen lest she had displeased Father in some way. Yet it felt so natural before this voice. But to show such respect to another was inconceivable.
That very thought brought a sharper pain, forcing her to bow her head on the floor. She stifled a cry, feeling that if she didn't show proper respect, the voice would've had much more intended.
"Azula? Azula! Are you okay?!"
"I'm…fine…" Azula lied. She should've known Maina would've followed her in here. It was so like the native to just flat out disobey orders like that. So much like-
"You are not okay! Look at yourself!" Maina exclaimed, grabbing Azula's shoulders and looking the Princess straight in the eye. The gesture of concern put her on edge, wondering if it was yet another trap. As if there was some kind of knife hidden within those robes of her.
Then she realized that this was the priestess she was thinking poorly of. Azula sighed in defeat. "I…I hear voices. Okay? Is that what you want to know?"
"Voices? …how long?"
Azula blinked. "Since before my coronation. Why?"
"Who have you been hearing?"
"Why do you care?"
"Because I didn't travel across an ocean just to see my friend either die or drive herself insane."
"Friend". The word seemed so foreign, yet it sounded so natural coming from Maina's lips. Being labeled a friend was another thing. Azula felt a pang of guilt, having roped both her and Kori on this wild goose chase. She tried to cut them off before, but now it looks like they're going to follow her to the ends of the earth.
If that's the case then…"I hear and see my mother sometimes. Father too. And sometimes, I just hear the voices of everyone I've ever met and hurt. Is that what you want to know?"
She wanted so badly for Maina to just stand up and run away. To cut their thread early. Azula knew there was no way a girl like her would ever put up with somebody so broken. Preemptively, she hugged herself and broke eye contact. "Well now you know. So just save yourself the trouble and leave."
What she got instead was a tight hug. For a moment, Azula was frozen like a statue, feeling Maina wrap her arms around her armored shoulders. She wasn't sure what to say. Hesitantly, she lightly returned the hug.
The priestess didn't pull back. She just said, "It's okay. I'm not going anywhere."
Azula felt a few tears leak out of her eyes, impulsively tightening her embrace. And there they sat with one another alone in the temple. The weight those voices had pressed down on her dissipated.
Instead, deep down, she felt something ignite in her soul.
They found Kori outside the village practicing her archery. Practice arrows stuck out of the trunk of a tree, with pieces of bark lying at its base. Kori was in the process of removing the arrows when Azula and Maina came over the rise.
The noble girl turned, probably to say something snippy before seeing the worn-out look on Azula's face. "Everything okay up there in the temple?" she asked.
"...no," Azula admitted, rubbing her arm. Eager to change the subject, the Princess asked, "You find the people you were looking for?"
"As a matter of fact, yes." Kori crouched as she restrung her bow, making sure everything was in working order. "Found a couple of ex-soldiers willing to lend a hand, and there were a few Raptors who wanted to take a whack at the Fire Lord." Satisfied, Kori raised her bow and took aim at the tree. "Here's my question: where are we off to next?"
"...that's it?"
"What's what?" Kori asked.
"No more 'how could you leave both of us behind' or 'you weren't just going to throw your life away'?"
Kori let forth her string, firing the arrow and watched it drive deep into the bark. "I mean, yeah. I think both of us are still a bit angry at that, but time and place for everything. You know? What's done is done. Now if you were stupid enough to try this stunt again-"
"Duly noted."
"Then we've got nothing to discuss." Kori lowered her bow before giving the other two girls her full attention. "So, where are we going next?"
"Depends," Azula said, pacing back and forth. "Zuko's coming after us, so we need to deal with him. We also need to find out more about these kaiju. First it was Godzilla. Then…what was that one in the Earth Kingdom?"
"Anguirus."
"Anguirus. Thanks, Maina. Then Rodan, and this Mothra you keep telling me about. That's four, and if I were to bet, there's a lot more out there. Now, I'm planning on writing a letter to Zuko, offering Lord Jozain up for arrest in exchange for some space."
"Isn't that pretty risky?" Kori pointed out.
"Yes, but he's coming after us either way. If we can control where we meet and throw in a bargaining chip, we could avoid a fight altogether. I'd rather not fight Zuzu if I can avoid it."
"Why not Infant Island?" Maina asked.
Both Azula and Kori turned to the priestess. "Maina, I really don't want to bring your people into-"
"No, listen to me Azula. Infant Island has a strict law that forbids all conflict. Within reason, obviously, but if we meet Zuko there, he'd be honor-bound to uphold it. And he is supposed to restore honor to the Fire Nation. Right?" she pointed out.
"We're talking about the same guy who took advantage of me at my lowest just to get an edge."
Maina shrugged. "Either way, my people aren't defenseless either. Trust me. And you'll be able to learn more about Godzilla and the rest of the kaiju. We'd be killing two birds with a single stone."
Azula folded her arms, pondering her options. She knew better that Maina was doing this out of pure pragmatism. But the more she thought about it, the more she found herself won over by the reasoning. They did need a way to make sure that Zuko didn't try to pull a fast one on them.
There was just one thing. "Maina. Just…promise me that you won't take me to my mother. I don't think I'm ready for that yet."
Maina nodded in understanding. Kori didn't say anything, but she placed a hand on Azula's shoulder, showing that she wasn't alone in this. That gesture brought a smile to the Princess's lips. She still felt uneasy to be among people like this, but at least it was better than being alone.
"It's settled then. We're heading to Infant Island. You two get ready. I've got a letter to write," Azula declared, marching off to set about her duties. Her two companions also wandered off to get their things together for the coming journey.
Well, you got your wish, Azula silently told Maina. Still, if it were a choice between seeing her mother again and trying to talk to her brother who hates her, she'd go with something she'd have some more familiarity.
She just hoped that Zuko would see reason. And barring that, if Infant Island was prepared if worse came to worse.
Infant Island
Amidst a moss-covered cavern, where sunlight filtered in from an opening above, a great egg rested.
The blue and yellow stripes zigzagged across its shell gently painted with soft white specks here and there. All around it, soft bedding kept it secure and safe from the elements.
For many years, she had laid dormant in its solitude. The being inside was not ignorant of the conflict that roared on all around it, but it could do little in her weakened state. All she could do was wait for the time to come.
Through her servants, she had seen the world. The carnage the Fire Nation had wrought. Now it seemed that the conflict would be coming onto her shores. For there was no telling what her honored guest would do.
Time was against them though. For the One Born of Fire had awakened, and was sent off to awaken the Lord of the Earth. These were the signs she was waiting for, that more would awaken. And in these dangerous times, a single disaster could spread to consume the world.
The Avatar was ready. Yet he needed help. The Princess who had inherited the primordial flame could aid him if she were given proper guidance. For all needed to be ready for what was to come
These thoughts stirred the being from her slumber. The egg gently rocked for the first time in ages.
Her return was soon at hand.
A/N: I'm not dead!
Yeah, sorry for the delay. I was in Michigan and kind of got burned out a little. At least I think I did. Hopefully, this chapter makes up for it a little.
I have to admit, trying to balance Azula out here in terms of altruism and her old pragmatic self was a bit of a challenge. Nor did I want to make it seem like she was entirely in the right here. While it is understandable that she would want to see justice done against Jozain for stabbing her in the back and being in control again, we're going to see that this is going to have some pretty major repercussions down the line.
She's getting there, but she's not there yet is what I'm trying to say. I'm going to delve into that a bit more in the next chapter.
Conversely, I'll also admit that I'm trying to balance out Zuko's portrayal here as well. This next arc is going to feature him prominently, so I wanted to find that sweet spot again. He doesn't want to be like his forefathers, but when that's all you were raised on, it's going to be difficult to change. It was something I felt wasn't really addressed in the series proper as a matter of fact.
Which brings us to Ty Lee. I'll admit, she's…not my favorite member of Azula's posse. I won't try to bash her or anything though. At worst, I might try to highlight flaws that the fandom has a habit of overlooking. Same with everyone really. Let me know if I go a bit too far in some areas.
As for the asylum, that's going to be a big thing coming up. That bit about Fire Nation girls being institutionalized there for not being on their best behavior was established in Azula in the Spirit Temple. We'll delve more into it (particularly Iroh's role in getting Zuko to admit Azula there), but for now, just know that it's not going to be pretty.
I also want to try and give Suki some development for this coming arc. Particularly since she didn't really have much to work with in the series proper once she joined Team Avatar.
We also get those voices in Azula's head, who most assuredly AREN'T hallucinations. Some people probably have already guessed, but I want to slow-burn the reveal. They're not hateable enough at the moment.
Finally, we're heading to Infant Island to meet Mothra. The last scene is a bit of an appetizer for what I have intended.
Anyway, thank you all for being so patient. Sorry to make everyone wait and hopefully updates come out more steadily in the coming weeks. Thanks again to Selpharia for some pointers. Thank you all for your support, and make sure to leave a comment to share your thoughts. Fave and follow if you want to see more, and I'll see you all next time! Take care for now!