The Dragon Princess and the Wolf Warrior

Chapter 93 [~|~] Dive Into Darkness // The Puppet Master

A.N. Warning: Includes references/scenes/implications of mental illness, violence, and brainwashing

But there is an AU fluffy segment at the bottom past the other bolded AN if you wanted to end your reading on a happier note!

Azara slipped through the dark halls of the Fire Nation Palace quietly, staying light on her feet. Expertly avoiding the rounds of guards roaming the hallways, Azara made her way towards the Fire Lord's chambers. Using her firebending to propel herself up to the ceiling, Azara stuck to the shadows as she moved, stilling every time she heard movement.

The doors were the obvious entrance, but also the one that she was most likely to get caught in. Slipping down from the ceiling, Azara climbed up and over the roof before sliding in through one of the wide windows decorating the sides of the Fire Lord's office.

Walking up to the doors to the Fire Lord's chambers, Azara placed her ear against the door, listening in for any sign of movement. When she was satisfied, she carefully grabbed the door handle and twisted her hand slowly, lifting the door up slightly as she swung the door open.

She slipped inside, leaving the door slightly ajar, but not enough to be noticeable to a round of guards, still sticking to the shadows. With gloved hands, she pulled out her blade, before making her way over to the bed, each of her footsteps quiet and precise. As she reached the bedside, able to make out the outline of her father's body under the blankets, she raised her blade.

Taking a deep breath, she prepared to thrust the blade down when the clouds moved, some of the moonlight from the nearly full moon trickling into the room. Glancing up, Azara did a double take and took a moment longer to stare back at her reflection in the blade—the image of her eyes, dull, dark, and bloodshot, startled her.

Lowering her blade slightly, Azara turned back to the moon for a moment before shaking her head. "No, I have to do this," she thought to herself, raising the blade again. But this time, the blade shook in her hands. Azara clenched her fist tighter, trying to steady her arm, and to finally go through with it.

But as she raised the blade higher once more, her hand shook with greater force, until she finally dropped her arm to her side slowly, the blade laying harmlessly in her hand. Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she closed her eyes for a moment, trying to regain control over her emotions, over her mind.

Opening her eyes, she glared at her father's figure before her eyes widened in shock. The moonlight had illuminated more of the room, showing that the man in the bed was not her father, but only a man who had been dressed to look like him. An imposter.

"You were always weak, Azara," a familiar voice drawled from the shadows, startling Azara.

Within a second, she was pinned against the wall, several arrows from perched Yuyan archers piercing her clothes. Her poison knife laid harmlessly on the ground, out of her reach. Grunting from the impact, Azara tried to burn quickly through the arrows, when a large figure in dark attire rushed forward.

Azara had managed to free one of her arms and legs, shooting fire blasts at the advancing figure. But they managed to avoid her desperate attempts. Reaching her, the chi-blocker quickly immobilized Azara. The arrows that had pierced her clothing were the only things that were holding her up as her father exited the shadows.

"Bring her here," he ordered, his arms folded behind his back as the chi-blocker dragged Azara over to her father. Azara glared up at him as the chi-blocker forced her to kneel. Other guards rushed forward, shackling her wrists together. When they were done, Ozai raised his hand. "Leave us," he stated, causing the guards to bow and move to leave.