Azula's Journey

Don't Look Back

Azula glared at the Rough Rhino's backs as they sat around the fire eating their breakfast. How dare they leave the princess of their nation on the ground and paralyzed the entire night. Mongke had awoken early that morning and injected her with more venom. Turns out when injected, the venoms effect lasts much longer. But that had also given Azula an idea.

When Mongke injected her earlier that morning, she had just started to gain feeling back in her limbs. So when he went to insert the needle, she flinched away. It wasn't enough to make him suspicious, but instead of being inserted straight into her arm the needle went through part of her skin then popped out. Azula felt the liquid seep down her arm under her sleeve and suppressed a smirk. Yeah, her arm would be useless for a bit but it was worth it.

It had been three hours since then. Azula glanced at the Rough Rhinos' again before slowly wiggling her fingers. A smirk bloomed on her face.

It was showtime.

Azula kept her eye on the men as she coiled the chain around her fingers. Focusing on her bending, she heated the chain until it snapped. Freedom. She was so close.

Flexing her fingers, she counted down from three.

One.

Two.

Three.

Azula rolled on her back, placing her hands against the ground behind her head and propelling herself upward with her fire. On her feet, she thrust her hands outward creating a ring of fire around then men.

"The princess is escaping!" Mongke called out, extinguishing the flames with his own bending. "Stop her!"

The men raced to ready their weapons as Azula shot blast after blast at Mongke, trying to hold him off. Though she was strong, Mongke easily blocked her blasts and made his advance. Realizing how close he was, Azula attempted to kick a blast of fire his way. Mongke was ready and snatched her ankle midair. He extinguished her flame then twisted Azula's leg, sending her to the ground.

Mongke straddled her, pinning her wrists to the ground above her head. "It's a shame how easy this was. From what I've heard I thought you would be more of a challenge, princess. But now I see why your brother was able to take the throne so easily. You're weak."

"Stop it!" Azula snapped angrily. "You don't know anything!"

"Oh really?" Mongke smirked. "All you've ever succeeded in is causing trouble. For you're father, for the Avatar, for the Earth Kingdom, for the new Firelord. That's why your brother wants you brought home so badly. So he can lock you away where you can never cause him trouble again."

Azula was trying and failing to hide the tears in her eyes. The rage bubbling inside her until she snapped.

"Noooooo!"

Flames erupted from Azula's mouth as her wail echoed through the trees. Mongke fell back with a yell, his face burned. 

She jumped to her feet, running for the safety of the trees. Arrows whizzed past Azula as the thunder of Komodo Rhino hooves trailed behind her. Zig zagging through the trees, the sound of pounding hooves grew farther away. But she kept running.

Spotting some thicker foliage, Azula ducked through it hoping to hide amongst the thick underbrush. Instead, her feet hit nothing but air and she found herself tumbling down into a dark tunnel. Hitting the bottom,

Azula groaned before slowly sitting up. Looking around, she spotted a light towards the end.
Getting her bearings, she stood up carefully. A shadow moved in the corner of her eye and her gaze shot to the end of the tunnel.

Lighting her fists ablaze she glared at the figure. Azula had no plans of being taken by Mongke's men again. The figure approached slowly, emerging from the darkness.

Azula readied her stance but was taken aback when an old man with a long beard wearing yellow robes (because I don't know what else to call it) approached her.

"It seems fate has caused our paths to cross." He smiled kindly.

Azula just stared, unsure as to what she was seeing. "Are you an airbender?"

The man chuckled, shaking his head. "No, but I studied amongst them many, many years ago. You may call me Guru Pathik. What may I call you?"

"Azula." She admitted warily. "What are you doing here underground?"

Guru Pathik smiled knowingly. "Ah, that is an excellent question. Come, let me show you what I have found intriguing."

The old man wandered back the way he had come, leaving Azula to make her choice: go back to the surface hoping Mongke's men are long gone or follow the strange old man? She sighed. Strange old man it is.

Following him down the long tunnel towards the light, Azula studied Guru Pathik carefully. He was old, but he moved effortlessly as if he were a much younger man. He wore clothes similar to the monks of the air temples, something she recalled from a book she had read while hunting the Avatar. He claimed to have learned from them, and that would make him over a hundred years old. This wasn't impossible, King Bumi of Omashu was 112 and Avatar Kyoshi had lived to be over two hundred. But why was a man who lived amongst airbenders walking a tunnel underground?

"Here it is." Guru Pathik announced, snapping Azula from her thoughts.

Lit torches hung from the wall, lighting the room in an ethereal glow. A shrine that appeared to be carved from the rock itself sat at the center, littered with offerings old and new.

"What is this place?" Azula asked.

"A shrine to the spirits." Guru Pathik explained. "When the Fire Nation invaded the Earth Kingdom, they destroyed anything that gave people hope. That included their shrines. To combat this, underground shrines like this one were made. Hidden away, they allowed the Earth Kingdom citizens to send prayers and give thanks in secret."

Azula hummed thoughtfully. "So why are you down here?"

"I go where the spirits guide me. In doing so, I offer my help to those I find along the way." Guru Pathik explained, waving his hand over her. "Your mind is clouded by manipulation and self-deception. You live in fear because you cannot accept that things are truly as they are. I sense the spirits have sent you their blessing, but you must embrace it to find the clarity you seek."

Azula swatted his hand away. "You know nothing about me. And I certainly don't need a lecture from an old man wandering a dark tunnel." She hissed, walking away.

"Very well." Guru Pathik sighed, sitting down in front if the shrine. "But if you want the voices to stop, I could show you how."

Azula stopped in her tracks. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, the only way to bring yourself peace of mind is to confront the truths you're trying to deny." Guru Pathik explained. "By allowing your chi to flow freely, you can achieve this goal. But only if you work to maintain it."

Azula turned around taking a few steps before sitting cross-legged in front of him. "Where do we begin?"

Guru Pathik smiled. "Well, what do you know about chakras?"

Author's Note

We're taking our first steps into the exciting stuff. 🎉 🎉Thank you to all those who have had the patience to stick around. I know I am not the most consistent updater when it comes to my writing. I hope you're as excited as I am for what's next. 😁😁

                        -Meloetta246