BUTTERFLIES! ━ prince zuko

𝖎. The Crossroads of Destiny

𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖈𝖗𝖔𝖘𝖘𝖗𝖔𝖆𝖉𝖘 𝖔𝖋 𝖉𝖊𝖘𝖙𝖎𝖓𝖞
the crossroads of destiny
volume ii, chapter i

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          STORIES HAVE TO END SOMEWHERE, and Akiara's beginning to realize the end is more bitter than sweet. Happily ever after isn't always so happy. Sometimes, the credits roll before the tears dry. And there comes a time where there's just no more prologues or epigraphs, no more footnotes because there's no more different point of views, and then theres not even always an epilogue to wrap it up in a neat little red bow. It's just... over.

Yue's story is over, isn't it? It was a noble death, of course, but it was sudden and painful and it had filled Akiara with an anger and hatred so powerful that she choked on it.  Because Yue's dead and of course it's a tragedy, but there's no coming back from it.

      Yue's story is over.

     But Akiara's isn't.

     And now she's reached the crossroads of destiny.

     Because even though Yue's gone, Akiara has to move on. She has to let go. Nothing will ever be right ever again, but it'll be good enough. After all, this is her destiny.

(No matter how much she hates it.)

Just like the prophecy. That's the big ugly fork in the middle of the road she has to follow. But it is her destiny. Not that she likes thinking about it, anyway.

I mean, hey, it's real. She knows that now. So maybe she played queen of denial for as long as humanly possible, so maybe that's what led to Yue's death. So what? She's accepting it now, isn't she? And isn't that good enough?

     (She knows it's not.)

     She tries not to think about it too much, anyway. It's not very pleasant.

Like, hello? In the end she'll walk alone? What about Katara? What about Sokka? What about Aang? And to face the might of the throne? She knows that doesn't mean Fire Lord Ozai, that's the Avatar's job. Aang's job. So who does that leave her with? Prince Zuko?

Actually, that does kinda make sense. She's already fought him once. Obviously. So fighting him again should be no big deal. Even though she like, lost. But she can get better, right? Katara's been training her, so it'll work out, in the end.

But then there's the whole foes must bear arms to battle death thing. Which doesn't sound too great because it doesn't exactly describe what happens to said foe. And the next line is all about her walking alone. So. Not great prospects for whoever that poor unfortunate soul is.

Not to mention what foe? Iroh? But that doesn't really even make sense. He already helped her. He's hardly her enemy. Akiara can't really think of anyone else. Zhao is already dead. And it's not like Akiara goes around just pissing people off. That's not her style. Well, actually... technically, the entire Fire Nation is her enemy, right? So wouldn't that mean literally anyone in the whole Fire Nation could be that person?

Ugh! Every time she tries to decipher it, she gets more and more confused. Which, y'know, is why she doesn't really like thinking about it. Duh.

Of course, when you've been sitting on top of a flying bison for what feels like literally a million years, it's hard to think about anything else. Like, no offense, but she thought traveling with the Avatar to end the Hundred Years' War would be more... exciting. Action-packed. Thrilling. Dramatic. Full of heart-racing, blood-pounding, adrenaline-rushing, fight-or-flight responses where she gets to kick ass and show the world that she's a total bad ass now. Sadly, that's not the case. Instead it's full of Aang saying he needs to use the bathroom, Sokka saying they don't have time for rest stops, and Katara  forcing Akiara to read water-bending scrolls.