Avatar Zuko

Chapter 46

A minute before the eclipse, Zuko broke into the Palace.

And he meant broke, collapsing the floor beneath the sun bleached mahogany doors with his earthbending, and watching as the entire front entrance crumbled into rubble. Only the gleaming, golden door frame stood unmarred, his metalbending nonexistent and therefore leaving him with no other choice than to let the ten foot structure remain. The firebender sprinted into the front hall, finding it deserted except for the paintings surround him. As he walked forwards he let his hand slip marginally and splash a far too flattering portrait of Sozen, his waterbending probably ruining the painting. However, he knew for a fact from Roku’s vision that his great grandfather wasn't that handsome.

Zuko quickly got to his father's throne room, already certain that the Firelord would be absent. Not a single guard was crawling around, nor had any servants exclaimed at his destruction of the front door; no one was here. And the Firelord was too much of an evil bastard to face him without any guards to congratulate him on his victory afterwards.

Even so, the Prince pushed open the doors and regarded the empty room, sighing heavily at the Agni Kai stage that he'd lost to his father on. The throne stood proudly across the room, its intricate flame engravings looking unclear in the dim light- closer to screaming faces than roaring fires.

Perhaps that's how it was supposed to be.

He ran a hand down his face tiredly, whilst using the other to try and summon his firebending. When no light appeared cradled in his palm, he realised he had to make a choice- either continue following their already risky plan and search for his father, likely not finding him until after the eclipse, or leave with the invasion party to fight another day.

Then Zuko remembered the screaming carvings on the throne, thinking of all those people who would suffer every minute his father was in power. It might have been stupidly reckless, but he couldn't just leave without trying to take down the Firelord.

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Azula knew she hated her life when she saw her uncle outside of his cell. She was happily (okay, maybe not necessarily happily) waiting in the underground bunker to keep Zuko away before her father ever found out he was still alive. She hadn't been expecting Iroh to just show up thirty seconds into the eclipse, unarmed aside from his… Muscles? When had that happened?

He was clearly fitter, she now noticed in the split second before he started speaking. But to gain that sort of muscle he must have been training for weeks, perhaps even months. Azula was supposed to be perceptive, intelligent, perfect- how had she overlooked such a crucial detail?

“This is for your own good, Azula.” He bowed his head with a frown, and shit she hadn't been paying attention, what was he-

Suddenly, she felt a pressure against the back of her spine and her body fell forwards accordingly, totally numb. Usually, even without firebending, she'd be able to hold her own but… She had been feeling odd for weeks; stupid Zuzu, surviving and messing with her focus, he was probably laughing at her, wherever he was (hopefully the burning pit of hell, where his sub par firebending skills would be most unforgivable).

She struggled to twist her head around to see the other attacker, since her body was too limp to move of her own accord. Eventually Azula's eyes glanced up at two girls, one in pink and the other in dark red, holding hands.

“You two…” The princess sneered, which was difficult to do when practically face down on the floor. Ty Lee flinched, but Mai gripped her hand noticeably tighter and chuckled.

“How are you doing Azula? Still guilty over killing Zuko, or are you over that now he's alive?”

A gasp of outrage (that did little to lessen the uncomfortable lump in her throat) left the firebender’s mouth. “As if I'd ever have felt such weak emotions for my pitiful brother, you whore!”