[FIC] Sense and Sensibility (14/16)
Title: Sense and Sensibility, Chapter Fourteen
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Pairing: Eventual Zutara, mentions of Sokka/Suki
Wordcount: 1287
Warnings: none
Summary: Four years after the end of the war, Fire Lord Zuko is told he has two weeks to choose a bride from a group of five girls. Luckily, Uncle Iroh stacked the deck.
Author's Notes: I'm archiving things, so this one (which is my longest finished story to date) was written before season three premiered. Thus it is technically an AU. Chapter titles are from the musical Camelot, because I am a giant dork.
---Chapter Fourteen: Guenevere---
The morning of April nineteenth, unlike that of the Fire Lord’s wedding day, dawned bright and clear. The weather was unnaturally warm for the time of year, and some of the more superstitious whispered that it was a bad omen.
Azula, sitting alone in her cell, heard nothing. She knew only that this was the day chosen for her death. She did not plan to die, of course. Being unable to use her right arm had severely reduced her firebending abilities, and her powers had been further suppressed by constant darkness and some sort of drug in her food. But no more. Today, things were going to change.
She resisted the urge to smile as the guards came to take her outside.
--------
Mai listened with mild interest as the guards outside her cell complained about not being able to attend Azula’s execution. Mai almost envied Azula, because though the former princess would be dead, at least she wouldn’t be bored. Mai was bored. She was always bored, because she was stuck in this cell alone. She didn’t mind that the guards were forbidden to talk to her, because she had nothing to say to them. Instead she listened to them talking to each other, and she learned what was going on in the world. She heard about Zuko’s coronation, his building projects, and finally, his marriage. Once upon a time Mai had liked Zuko, but she’d grown out of that years ago. So the fact that he had gotten married didn’t really matter to her.
Sometimes Mai wondered why she had chosen to remain loyal to Azula instead of joining the Avatar and his friends, like Zuko had.
It almost felt as though her boredom was her own fault.
She didn’t like the feeling.
--------
Iroh did not like that he had to be here. He bore no particular love or hatred for his niece, and therefore he did not wish to be present at her execution. Yet as regent for the Fire Lord during his absence, Iroh’s presence was required at the execution of the former princess.
Azula held her head high as she was led to the stake. The crowd that had gathered to see her die was silent, watching her every move. She caught a glimpse of her uncle out of the corner of her eye, but did not allow her gaze to linger. Let the people call her crazy. Let them call her a cruel, conniving witch. But let no one say that Azula, daughter of Ozai, was weak.
Azula felt the sun on her face that day for the first time in four years. It was strange and terrible and wonderful all at the same time. She reveled in it. Azula was not afraid to die, so long as she could do it with the sun shining on her. Her guards tied her to the stake. The head Fire Sage, who only two days before had married her brother to that Water Tribe brat, stepped forward. “Azula, daughter of Ozai, you have been found guilty of numerous murders and crimes, all committed in your father’s name. Your sentence is to die on this day, in this place. Do you have any last words?” Most of those to be executed would be silent. Azula was not most people in any sense of the phrase.
She let out a harsh laugh. “I did not do those things for my father.” She gave the Sage and the crowd a feral smile. “I did it because I enjoyed it.”
The crowd recoiled in horror. Iroh gave the signal to the executioners, who directed multiple blasts of fire at the former princess. She laughed as the fire surrounded her. For Azula, pain had always been pleasure. Usually it had been the pain of someone else that gave her joy. Ever since the loss of the use of her right arm, the only thing Azula felt was pain. To die this way… it was bliss, and, for her, it was the only way to die. Just not yet.
Azula kept laughing as the flames consumed her. And then she and the flames were gone.
--------
Mai stared at the blank stone walls of her cell. This was, and had always been, so incredibly boring. The guards frequently whispered about Azula going insane; Mai wasn’t surprised. Azula took boredom harder than she did; Mai had had years of practice. Mai was surprised when a pair of passing guards mentioned (talking to each other of course; no one ever talked to her) that Azula had escaped from her own execution. It only made her surprise less when her cell door was unlocked that night, and someone who definitely wasn’t a guard opened it. Mai just barely smiled. She might be bored again later, but at least she wouldn’t be bored again in here.
--------
Iroh reread the letter carefully. A World Council- to promote peace, the letter said- was being formed, with representatives from each country as members. The letter claimed that the Avatar was to head the council. They wanted Iroh to represent the Fire Nation. He was slightly surprised that Aang hadn’t asked him personally, but it was also likely that the last of the Air Nomads didn’t know yet. Iroh had planned on accepting the offer, once Zuko and his new bride returned from the South Pole. He had already asked the architects designing the new winter palace to make the appropriate adjustments for both the new Fire Lady and the children that she and the Fire Lord would undoubtedly have someday.
That was before Azula’s daring and impossible escape this morning. No one knew how she had done it, and no one knew where she had gone. Worse, he’d been told a few hours later that Mai was gone as well. The guards in front of her cell were found unconscious, but not burned. That meant Azula wasn’t using her firebending, but the fact was of little comfort.
Iroh had already sent out several elite teams to search for the two, but he didn’t expect any of them to find the former princess and her long-time companion. Azula was too smart for that. It worried the old general. There was no place in this new, peaceful world for someone like Azula. Would she adapt to the world, or would she try to make the world adapt to her? He had a feeling he knew the answer, and he didn’t like it.
--------
Ty Lee was lucky when it came to the punishments of so-called “war criminals.” She hadn’t been imprisoned for more than a month before she was released on the condition that she went back to the circus and stayed there. The guards who had given her the terms of her release hadn’t said why it was so, but she knew who had been her saving grace, and it wasn’t Azula. Ty Lee was secretly happy that Azula was, according to the announcement the circus manager had made last night, executed just an hour after dawn.
But now she didn’t understand what was going on. It couldn’t be Azula out there, watching the various circus acts. Azula was supposed to be dead. Mai, sitting next to the former princess, was supposed to be imprisoned for another few months at the least, if not the rest of her life. And yet Ty Lee could see both of them from where she stood, waiting for her turn to perform. Azula’s smile was not encouraging. The acrobat frowned slightly. Maybe she could sneak out the back… but no, Azula would have thought about that already. Ty Lee sighed in disappointed resignation. So much for spending the rest of her life in peace.
---End Chapter Fourteen---
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Pairing: Eventual Zutara, mentions of Sokka/Suki
Wordcount: 1287
Warnings: none
Summary: Four years after the end of the war, Fire Lord Zuko is told he has two weeks to choose a bride from a group of five girls. Luckily, Uncle Iroh stacked the deck.
Author's Notes: I'm archiving things, so this one (which is my longest finished story to date) was written before season three premiered. Thus it is technically an AU. Chapter titles are from the musical Camelot, because I am a giant dork.
---Chapter Fourteen: Guenevere---
The morning of April nineteenth, unlike that of the Fire Lord’s wedding day, dawned bright and clear. The weather was unnaturally warm for the time of year, and some of the more superstitious whispered that it was a bad omen.
Azula, sitting alone in her cell, heard nothing. She knew only that this was the day chosen for her death. She did not plan to die, of course. Being unable to use her right arm had severely reduced her firebending abilities, and her powers had been further suppressed by constant darkness and some sort of drug in her food. But no more. Today, things were going to change.
She resisted the urge to smile as the guards came to take her outside.
--------
Mai listened with mild interest as the guards outside her cell complained about not being able to attend Azula’s execution. Mai almost envied Azula, because though the former princess would be dead, at least she wouldn’t be bored. Mai was bored. She was always bored, because she was stuck in this cell alone. She didn’t mind that the guards were forbidden to talk to her, because she had nothing to say to them. Instead she listened to them talking to each other, and she learned what was going on in the world. She heard about Zuko’s coronation, his building projects, and finally, his marriage. Once upon a time Mai had liked Zuko, but she’d grown out of that years ago. So the fact that he had gotten married didn’t really matter to her.
Sometimes Mai wondered why she had chosen to remain loyal to Azula instead of joining the Avatar and his friends, like Zuko had.
It almost felt as though her boredom was her own fault.
She didn’t like the feeling.
--------
Iroh did not like that he had to be here. He bore no particular love or hatred for his niece, and therefore he did not wish to be present at her execution. Yet as regent for the Fire Lord during his absence, Iroh’s presence was required at the execution of the former princess.
Azula held her head high as she was led to the stake. The crowd that had gathered to see her die was silent, watching her every move. She caught a glimpse of her uncle out of the corner of her eye, but did not allow her gaze to linger. Let the people call her crazy. Let them call her a cruel, conniving witch. But let no one say that Azula, daughter of Ozai, was weak.
Azula felt the sun on her face that day for the first time in four years. It was strange and terrible and wonderful all at the same time. She reveled in it. Azula was not afraid to die, so long as she could do it with the sun shining on her. Her guards tied her to the stake. The head Fire Sage, who only two days before had married her brother to that Water Tribe brat, stepped forward. “Azula, daughter of Ozai, you have been found guilty of numerous murders and crimes, all committed in your father’s name. Your sentence is to die on this day, in this place. Do you have any last words?” Most of those to be executed would be silent. Azula was not most people in any sense of the phrase.
She let out a harsh laugh. “I did not do those things for my father.” She gave the Sage and the crowd a feral smile. “I did it because I enjoyed it.”
The crowd recoiled in horror. Iroh gave the signal to the executioners, who directed multiple blasts of fire at the former princess. She laughed as the fire surrounded her. For Azula, pain had always been pleasure. Usually it had been the pain of someone else that gave her joy. Ever since the loss of the use of her right arm, the only thing Azula felt was pain. To die this way… it was bliss, and, for her, it was the only way to die. Just not yet.
Azula kept laughing as the flames consumed her. And then she and the flames were gone.
--------
Mai stared at the blank stone walls of her cell. This was, and had always been, so incredibly boring. The guards frequently whispered about Azula going insane; Mai wasn’t surprised. Azula took boredom harder than she did; Mai had had years of practice. Mai was surprised when a pair of passing guards mentioned (talking to each other of course; no one ever talked to her) that Azula had escaped from her own execution. It only made her surprise less when her cell door was unlocked that night, and someone who definitely wasn’t a guard opened it. Mai just barely smiled. She might be bored again later, but at least she wouldn’t be bored again in here.
--------
Iroh reread the letter carefully. A World Council- to promote peace, the letter said- was being formed, with representatives from each country as members. The letter claimed that the Avatar was to head the council. They wanted Iroh to represent the Fire Nation. He was slightly surprised that Aang hadn’t asked him personally, but it was also likely that the last of the Air Nomads didn’t know yet. Iroh had planned on accepting the offer, once Zuko and his new bride returned from the South Pole. He had already asked the architects designing the new winter palace to make the appropriate adjustments for both the new Fire Lady and the children that she and the Fire Lord would undoubtedly have someday.
That was before Azula’s daring and impossible escape this morning. No one knew how she had done it, and no one knew where she had gone. Worse, he’d been told a few hours later that Mai was gone as well. The guards in front of her cell were found unconscious, but not burned. That meant Azula wasn’t using her firebending, but the fact was of little comfort.
Iroh had already sent out several elite teams to search for the two, but he didn’t expect any of them to find the former princess and her long-time companion. Azula was too smart for that. It worried the old general. There was no place in this new, peaceful world for someone like Azula. Would she adapt to the world, or would she try to make the world adapt to her? He had a feeling he knew the answer, and he didn’t like it.
--------
Ty Lee was lucky when it came to the punishments of so-called “war criminals.” She hadn’t been imprisoned for more than a month before she was released on the condition that she went back to the circus and stayed there. The guards who had given her the terms of her release hadn’t said why it was so, but she knew who had been her saving grace, and it wasn’t Azula. Ty Lee was secretly happy that Azula was, according to the announcement the circus manager had made last night, executed just an hour after dawn.
But now she didn’t understand what was going on. It couldn’t be Azula out there, watching the various circus acts. Azula was supposed to be dead. Mai, sitting next to the former princess, was supposed to be imprisoned for another few months at the least, if not the rest of her life. And yet Ty Lee could see both of them from where she stood, waiting for her turn to perform. Azula’s smile was not encouraging. The acrobat frowned slightly. Maybe she could sneak out the back… but no, Azula would have thought about that already. Ty Lee sighed in disappointed resignation. So much for spending the rest of her life in peace.
---End Chapter Fourteen---