AU drabble for archangelbeth -- the fire next time
Title: AU: the fire next time
Requester: archangelbeth
Series: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Requested Topic: And the follow-on -- what if the Fire Nation had managed to kill the Air-Avatar, Water-Avatar, and Earth-Avatar? You know you want to see Avatar Zuko... (Or Mai...)
Due to http://incandescens.livejournal.com/857773.html
(Hope you don't mind the choice of character: once I thought of her, it wouldn't let me go.)
"Mother's boring," Azula said, and threw a stone at the turtle-duck.
"No she isn't," Zuko said on principle.
"But she's the Avatar," Azula complained. "She should be Father's foremost general! But she just sits at home all day and does nothing! She doesn't even teach us Firebending!"
"Father does that," Zuko muttered.
"But if Mother's the Avatar she could teach us all sorts of secrets." Azula's eyes were avid, hungry. "She could show us things that nobody else knows. She could --"
"Does she ever brush your hair any more?" Zuko asked.
"No," Azula said sharply. It took a moment for her to calm down enough to ask, "Why?"
"She touched my cheek a few nights ago," Zuko said. He stared into the pond as if it could tell him something. "Her hand was so hot. It wasn't even like Firebending. It was like if there was something burning under the skin. It never used to be like that."
"How should I know?" Azula said, her voice very brittle.
"Maybe she's ill," Zuko said.
"Maybe maybe who cares?" Azula rose smoothly to her feet. "Come on. We have to practice. We're to see Grandfather tonight. Then maybe things will get interesting."
"I'm worried," Zuko said.
Azula laughed, the sound like splinters of glass. "Why? She's the Avatar!"
"Yes, but --"
"Come on!" Azula grabbed his sleeve, and pulled him behind her into the shade of the palace.
Slowly the turtle-ducks came out of hiding. One of them looked up at the sun, tilting its head as if it could see the stars behind it, and the comet that slowly swung its way through the skies, moving toward its eventual return.
Requester: archangelbeth
Series: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Requested Topic: And the follow-on -- what if the Fire Nation had managed to kill the Air-Avatar, Water-Avatar, and Earth-Avatar? You know you want to see Avatar Zuko... (Or Mai...)
Due to http://incandescens.livejournal.com/857773.html
(Hope you don't mind the choice of character: once I thought of her, it wouldn't let me go.)
"Mother's boring," Azula said, and threw a stone at the turtle-duck.
"No she isn't," Zuko said on principle.
"But she's the Avatar," Azula complained. "She should be Father's foremost general! But she just sits at home all day and does nothing! She doesn't even teach us Firebending!"
"Father does that," Zuko muttered.
"But if Mother's the Avatar she could teach us all sorts of secrets." Azula's eyes were avid, hungry. "She could show us things that nobody else knows. She could --"
"Does she ever brush your hair any more?" Zuko asked.
"No," Azula said sharply. It took a moment for her to calm down enough to ask, "Why?"
"She touched my cheek a few nights ago," Zuko said. He stared into the pond as if it could tell him something. "Her hand was so hot. It wasn't even like Firebending. It was like if there was something burning under the skin. It never used to be like that."
"How should I know?" Azula said, her voice very brittle.
"Maybe she's ill," Zuko said.
"Maybe maybe who cares?" Azula rose smoothly to her feet. "Come on. We have to practice. We're to see Grandfather tonight. Then maybe things will get interesting."
"I'm worried," Zuko said.
Azula laughed, the sound like splinters of glass. "Why? She's the Avatar!"
"Yes, but --"
"Come on!" Azula grabbed his sleeve, and pulled him behind her into the shade of the palace.
Slowly the turtle-ducks came out of hiding. One of them looked up at the sun, tilting its head as if it could see the stars behind it, and the comet that slowly swung its way through the skies, moving toward its eventual return.