5AU – Behold my surprise. Azula FTW.
Rating – PG-13/Teen for Crude Language
Subjects – Azula, Oneshot, Reflection
Summary – Being stuck in a cell for years can cause a woman to think back on things. Was she right to do what she did? Does she regret it? Were here enemies and allies right to turn on her? Reflection…something Azula never wants to do, but finds herself doing in her spare time.
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I have never been more insulted in my entire life. The soldiers who I led the way for my father to take over the Earth Kingdom just called me a "bastard daughter." I spit on him and sent him on his way with the disaster that they called "food" that I was supposed to dine on.
All of these soldiers, my minions should be grateful they're still alive. If it wasn't for me they would all be burnt and buried in a ditch somewhere, never to be cared about again.
Now they're here calling me a "bastard daughter" and feeding me shit like I'm some common criminal.
Who the hell do they think I am?
The Cyclops that my brother hired to take out the Avatar was a common criminal. The Earth Kingdom fighter…Jet was his name, he was a common criminal. Hell, that blind Earth girl, she was a common criminal. But me? Azula? The Princess of the Fire Kingdom and rightful heir to the throne? I never did anything wrong. I've done more than a common "crime"; I damn near took over the entire world…had it not been for one person…
My mother.
That ungrateful whore caused me to lose focus, forget who I was and forget what I was doing in a time I needed it most. She planned it too, both her and Zu-Zu. She always loved him best, for reasons I'll never know.
Zu-Zu was always the favored child anyway, even by father. He never wanted me to have the throne, it was always meant for Zu-Zu. And the banishment? A test to see if he was worthy. Even in the end, Father never realized the failure that Zu-Zu was. Zhao did, and he died by Zu-Zu's hands. That water kingdom slut did, but her infatuation with him changed that. I did, and now I'm stuck in this prison like I did something wrong.
That's the issue, at the time, it wasn't wrong, in fact, it was perfectly legal, but after Zu-Zu stole the throne from me, it suddenly became immoral and unethical. That's the problem with war. "History is always written by the victor", and guaranteed I'm portrayed as a ruthless, heartless, and megalomaniacal bitch who only wanted daddy's love.
I hate you Zuko.
You and mother cost me everything I had earned, everything I had obtained. And now you sit on the throne like you deserve it? Everything you went through was a punishment, and now you sit there as if it's a reward. You were always a failure, even when we were young. You never realized Mai's love for you, and when you did, you were too forward or too busy for Mai to care.
So then she left the Fire Nation without a queen. Serves you right Zu-Zu. You're a failure as a King, a failure as a husband, and a failure as a man.
Speaking of Mai, I heard she was off somewhere enjoying life in the Earth Kingdom. Alone. With nobody else to drag her down. That's how she always liked it. The only reason she ever stuck with me and Ty-Lee was due to boredom and lack of adventure in her life. She always found us to be "better than her parents" and "a source of entertainment." Typical Mai, so selfish she doesn't even know she has friends. Or had friends, as it were.
She and Ty-Lee thought I used them both for my own gain. They were lucky they had gotten this far. All I had do too was snap my fingers and call traitor and they'd be dead in an instant. Anybody could've replaced them in a second, and many girls would've loved to. But no, Ty-Lee and Mai did their part and followed my lead.
Then they went and betrayed me. Those ungrateful, selfish nymphs. If I was known as the "bastard daughter" they were known as "traitorous bitches."
Ty-Lee, I heard, was off with the Kyoshi Warriors, tagging along with that Water tribe "warrior's" lover. What was her name?
Eh, she isn't worth remembering. Those two, Ty Lee and the lover, are two peas in a pod, always together on a mission, always together in rooms, and in turn, always together in beds. I've heard a rumor floating around this God-forsaken prison that the her and the Water Tribe "warrior" haven't seen each other in months. Maybe it's a sign…
Maybe it's a sign that she doesn't love you anymore you inbred Water savage.
Ah yes, the young boy, I've decided, in the fairness of insults, to call him So-So.
If it wasn't for him, the fleets Father led onto the Earth Kingdom would've burned down every form of nature. But no, he had to go and be the hero of the generation and dismantle everything in sight.
It's insulting. Somebody as idiotic and untrained as him could stop an entire fleet or air-ships.
I'd be impressed if I didn't know it was by luck.
"You love him."
A woman's voice says.
I blink once and notice Mother standing in front of me.
She loves to visit me now and again, usually when I am pissed, or when I am going to get pissed, and if I'm not pissed before, I'm usually pissed after.
"I love him with the same amount of love as you do Father," I say.
"I love your Father, very much."
I close my eyes and imagine the deaths that my Mother had to endure. I imagine her screams and agony that she released from her demon mouth.
"You're dead. That's all that matters now."
"No, Azula, I'm still alive very much."
She's lying. I know she is. She always lying. It's in her nature.
"Father had you executed. You're a traitor…"
"Just like everybody else?"
She finished my sentence. This causes me to raise the right side of my mouth in a smirk.
"You've visited me too much."
"Your father is the liar."
"You take that back! You take that back right now!"
I hear a bang on my door, followed by a gruff voice.
"Quiet down in there!"
This is so insulting, forced to follow the orders of an undeserving peasant like him.
"He never killed me Azula. He just sent me away."
"Just shut-up! You're lying!"
More bangs.
"I said be quiet!"
Just close your eyes. Close your eyes and it will all disappear.
"Your father learned that from me. I'm still alive Azula."
"Shut…up!"
My eyes begin to hurt with the force of me closing them.
Bang bang!
"Don't make me come in there!"
"I love you very much Azula. We'll see each other…very soon."
I suddenly begin to scream. My eyes remain shut, but I hear the guards come in. He sticks that needle in my arm and injects me with that liquid.
It always makes me sleepy.
Always…
Makes me…
Sleep…
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When my eyes open-up, my mind rested via sleep, I see that Mother has left me all alone, just like she always does, just like she always did.
I hate you Mother.
Where was I before she so rudely interrupted me?
Ah yes, now I remember, that blind Earth girl. A Bei Fong. She's the leader of the Earth Kingdom, you know. I suppose it's fitting. So-So gets the Water Kingdom, Zu-Zu gets the Fire Kingdom, and the blind person gets the Earth Kingdom.
Hm, now it literally can be led blindly.
I suppose I can't fret her as a fighter. She's blind for Sozin's sake. As a bender, she isn't half-bad. If she had a shred of dignity in her she would have joined with me. With her, there's no doubt Zu-Zu would have never been the Fire King.
But instead she chose to be with them. I never understood why. Is it her own choice? Is it her guilt? No…it's her infatuation with the Avatar.
The only non-blind person who was able to see that she loved him was me. It's suiting, I suppose. And now that that is known to the world, drama has ensued everywhere.
People are questioning if she's suitable as a leader. People are questioning whether or not the Avatar deserves his rank, what with his wife...
...and mistress. The Avatar himself has been silent through this entire matter. The Water tribe whore herself is the one speaking for her husband. She says they're working through this matter, but people can see it in her eyes: she holds an ire matched only by myself towards the Avatar and the blind girl. She used to be by that boy's feet, and on her knees for him, but after the whole scandal between the three of them, she's stood by his side.
Many people expect a divorce. I expect that, and for her to immediately run to Zu-Zu. Zu-Zu himself has been distraught ever since Mai left, and my brother would probably accept the Water tribe whore with open arms.
The aftermath would be highly amusing. The Water tribe whore will be with Zu-Zu through everything. The Avatar would align with the blind girl in more ways than just their countries. So-So will align with his sister against the Avatar and the Earth Kingdom. Thus, the Air Kingdom would align with the Avatar. The aftermath would be a war. A war worse than the one that got me stuck in this prison in the first place.
My war was brought upon by people like us tired of leaving beside people like them. That war would be brought upon by a scandal not seen since Avatar Kyoshi. It would lead to mass chaos everywhere, and a situation for the regular citizens to decide on. Which team do they reside in? Team Avatar? Or Team Zu-So?
You like that? I just came up with it on my own.
And when the war is unleashed, that will be the perfect time for my escape. Then, nobody will stand in my way as I take back what's rightfully mine.
I'll show you Mother, I'm the real successor. Zu-Zu's just a failure, always has been, always will be.
The window on my door slides open and the guard peeks his eyes in.
"The Water Tribe Leader here to see you," he says.
The window closes and the door opens.
So-So walks in with his chair. He places it on the floor right in front of me before sitting in it. I bet he's comfortable. He's sitting in a metal chair while I'm stuck in these metal chains, sitting on the brick floor.
So-So looks different than usual. When he comes to see me, he's usually his normal self. Eyes blue, hair fixed, an expression on his face of seriousness. It's why I gave him my nickname. I like that side of him.
But today, he walks into my cell looking like he just got back from a funeral. His eyes are bloodshot, and his war paint slides down his face like he's been crying. His hair is all ruffled like he has rubbed his hand through it out of stress. And his face looks more like depression than seriousness.
He speaks. I straighten myself up, just to get a better listen.
"This is the last time I am going to be able to see you," he says.
His voice is full of sadness.
Mine is full of anger.
"What?" I nearly shout.
He leans forward and puts his hands in front of him, folding them together and putting his eyes on me.
"Toph and Aang just attacked one of our fleets on the outside of the Northern Water Tribe," he says.
I fall back against the wall. On the outside, my face remains angry. On the inside, I'm smirking like a cat.
"Is that why you were crying?" I ask.
He nods before wiping some more tears away. He sniffles his nose before continuing.
"Me and your brother have been talking about releasing you from prison," So-So says.
I don't respond. That thought alone is too much to bear. Zu-Zu, releasing me? That's not how it was supposed to go. I'm supposed to escape and earn my throne back.
"You'd serve with us in a…a…," he strains to finish the sentence, so I help him out.
"War," I say.
He nods once again, wiping more tears away and sniffling the depression away.
"And?" I ask.
So-So looks back up at me before shaking his head.
"We decided that it was too risky," he says.
Good. My plan can still go through. After a bit of pausing, he stands up and walks over to me. He kneels down in front of my face, in front of my body. Our noses begin to touch, and I can look straight into his eyes.
I close the gap between our mouths. He holds it there a bit before stopping the kiss.
He always made it clear that the Kyoshi Warrior and himself had gotten farther apart.
He was my connection to the outside world.
Thanks to him, I knew everything that was gong on.
He also made it perfectly clear that he always found me attractive, just evil to the core.
Nice to know he sees that as a positive.
After backing away from the kiss, he remains in front of my face, just as close as before.
"So I'm busting you out," he says.
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AU - *smile* Da-da-da-daaaa! Here it is! I'm thinking about filling in more gaps with future one-shots covering the other perspectives of people involved, and the reactions to said perspectives, but for now, you can have fun with this. :)