Double Bender

Part 25

Ozai was standing with the rest of his guards and I was standing at the head of the room, too petrified to move. The whole room looked completely trashed, like there was a fight or something, there was a banner on the ground instead of on the wall. Ozai himself was a bit of mess too, his hair was a bit out of order, he looked a little irritated, and his robes were pretty messed up. Ozai turned his head, looked at me, and smiled. Here was the man who caused so much misery standing right in front of me and all I could do was just stand and stare. The funny thing was, he didn't look like the monster I knew he was. He looked like a normal man. But that wasn't the story at all. Here was a man who had caused so much trouble in my life and I was too petrified to move. Come on! I thought. Move it! Don't just stand there! My head was speaking loud and clear but my legs wouldn't move. They were paralyzed. It was like I was caught in his gaze, like he had trapped me with his eyes. "Well well well," he said smoothly. "What have we here? It seems to be a Water-Tribe warrior." He glanced at a few of his guards and cocked his head towards me. The two guards came up behind me and grabbed my arms. Ozai took a step closer to me. Every step he took sent a shiver of fear down my spine. "You know," he said, leaning close to my face. "My son, Zuko, told me about a young girl he traveled with. He said that she had an irregular spark about her, how brave, independent, and beautiful she was. But he said the thing that stood out about her appearance were her eyes. He said that her eyes were an odd color, teal to be exact. Could you be her?" I struggled to get away but the guards only tightened their grip. Ozai thought for a moment before saying, "No. You couldn't possibly be her. All I see is small, spineless, weak, helpless, coward. There is no possible way that you could be the girl my son was speaking of," Every word he said built up my anger more and more, so much that I wanted to explode. Suddenly, I found my courage again, just for a split second. I brought up my foot and stomped it down. A small column of earth came up under one of the guard's foot. I kicked the other guard in the shin. Once my arms were free, I clenched my fists and, using my earth-bending, I grounded the guards' feet. The other soldiers started to run at me. I opened the pouch and water-bended the guards at the wall and froze them. Then I turned to face Ozai. I earth-bended a boulder at him. He dodged easily and ran closer to me. I raised a fist and tried to sock him but he blocked my blow. I was about to raise my hand again when he knocked me to the ground. He stood over me and said, "Now I recognize you. You're that little Earth-Kingdom brat I taught a lesson to all those years ago. Yes, now I remember it plainly. In fact, I remember your father's last words. Would you like to hear them?" He asked it in a mocking tone. I didn't say anything. Two other guards grabbed my arms and pulled me up. "He said to me 'Kill me if you must, but spare my wife and daughter. She's only begun to live. She's a small thing, but strong. She will be great one day. Please, spare her, and my wife. I beg of you.' Then I killed him." Tears welled up in my eyes. "Now look what you've become," he continued. "Your father said that you'd be great someday. Just look at how you've shamed him." A smirk slapped across his face. Ozai chuckled evilly. I was so angry at him, angrier than I'd been in my entire life, angrier than I was at Zuko. My anger built up inside me and rose like a flame in a forest (Oh the irony). My anger rose so high that I couldn't take it anymore. I shouted and ran at Ozai. Before the guards could stop me, I was on my feet with one hand raised in a battle position, ready to strike, the other hand grabbing Ozai's collar. "Face me." I said angrily. "What?" said Ozai. "I said face me!" I said, a little louder. "Fight me." It was not the smartest thing in the world to say. I didn't know that I was poking the dragon and I was close to getting burned. "You were cruel enough to kill my parents now fight someone who can fight back!" He shook me off. "I have no time for this nonsense." Ozai said. He turned his back on me and gestured for the guards to take me. "You're too afraid to face me." I said quickly. He spun around. Even though he was clever enough to evade an invasion, he was no match for his pride. "You killed two people who did absolutely nothing to stop you. Now you have the chance to fight. A man like you should jump at the idea... unless he's a coward." I could tell he was getting angrier. "Not to mention, I'm only a teenage girl. Defeating me would be easier than lighting a match... Unless your afraid that I'd defeat you." I knew it was hopeless because if he did try to fight me, I would die. But what I did know was that if he tried to fight me, I wouldn't have to fight back. I'd only distract him for a short time before running out the door and throwing up a wall of earth so they wouldn't catch me. But destiny had other plans.
Ozai was getting angrier. "And what would your people think when they found out that their ruler was a coward who couldn't even defeat a poor little orphan girl? What a shame that would be." Apparently, he couldn't take any more. He lunged at me. The guards dove out of the way leaving me on my own. I ducked and he hit the wall. He ferociously launched a blast of fire at me. I blocked with a wall of earth. As he ran at me, I raised my arms again but he was too quick. He pushed me down with his forearm, raised a ball of fire in his hand and thrust his hand forward. I rolled out of the way just in time but rolled right into a stone pillar. As I rubbed my aching head, he threw another jet of fire at me. My reflexes were delayed this time. I moved out of the way just in the nick of time but I realized that all the hair on my arms had been singed off. I tried to make a break for the door but one of the guards grabbed me by the hair. I shakily brought my hands up and encased him in earth before running for the door again. Ozai ran behind me and I dodged again. I was getting tired and I couldn't hold on for very much longer. I stood up groggily and raised my shaking hands. Ozai, like an angry saber-tooth moose-lion, charged at me with his fists raised. Before I could blink, he was in front of me and his fist was embedded in my stomach. That was the final blow. I hit the ground hard. My head banged against the stone floor and rattled my head, which was cut open and blood was running all down the right side of my face. I knew that I should stand up and keep fighting but I couldn't. I was in pain and I felt like I was be sick or pass out. Ozai was standing over me, satisfied that he'd won but still angry that I had taken advantage of his pride. He turned away from me. "Take her away," He said angrily.


MORE CLIFFHANGERS! Hehe. So what will happen next? I ain't telling >:)