Chapter 33 – In the Land of No Water
After a while of running, Zuko came to a large clearing at the end of town. It wasn't like Lon Lon at all—lush and green. It was dry and dusty with random piles of hay everywhere. He continued to run forward across the desert, his eyes traveling all around. It wasn't long until he heard a voice from somewhere near him.
“Well, well. You did show up!” a girl's voice cackled.
Zuko stopped and faced where the voice was coming from. His sister Azula was sitting upon a throne made out of hay above the ground. On her far left was their mother trapped in a circle of blue fire. It was too bad she couldn’t bend.
“Let. Her. Go,” Zuko growled his words, feeling absolutely furious.
“And ruin the game?! Never,” Azula snapped. “Not until you make a choice, you see.”
“What choice?! ” Zuko roared.
“Oh, you’ll see. You’ll have to wait a little while longer to find out,” Azula told him. “But while you’re waiting—”
“Waiting for WHAT?!” Zuko interrupted, his voice was booming at the top of his lungs with anger.
“DO NOT INTERRUPT ME WHEN I’M TALKING!” Azula shrieked as she sat up in her hay throne. She had a crazy gleam in her eyes, and her face was twisted in annoyance and fury. Then, she sat back in her throne again and pretended as if her outburst hadn’t occurred. Zuko got goose bumps on his arms from her quick transformation from one extreme mood to the next. It wasn’t natural.
Azula continued as she looked at her nails, “I bet you’re wondering how I kidnapped your mother. It was way too simple, actually. The original plan was to re-hire those Fire Nation soldiers that I had hired before to…meet you and your friends when you first came into this town.”
“You told them to go there?! How do you know where mom lives?” Zuko asked.
“I followed you guys here of course. You were too stupid to take notice,” Azula answered. “Anyway, I was going to hire them again to kidnap mother for me but they were too afraid of that mean Firelord that handled them earlier. So—” She sighed. “I knew that I had to do it on my own.
“Surprisingly, when I went into the house late at night she noticed me and wanted to come with me. So, I led her here to this desert where a lot of hay seemed to be stranded. Then I made a ring of fire around her. Well…because you know how hay easily catches on fire. This is why I chose this place, you see. Or, at least one of the reasons…”
“If you don’t let her go right now I’ll…” But Zuko’s voice trailed off. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do. Azula would want to fight him and even though he would fight back, he didn’t necessarily want to.
“What? Fight me in an agni-ki?” Azula questioned, humor in her tone. “Soon, but not yet.”
All of a sudden Ursa spoke up, “Please don’t fight. We’re a family, we can figure this out together.”
“You are not apart of my family!” Azula yelled, turning to glare at her. “My mother left us a long time ago! She thought I was a monster!”
“I’m sorry I got banished and I’m sorry that I left you,” Ursa apologized. “But you are my daughter, Azula. I do not think you are a monster, you just need to heal.”
“To heal?! I’m not sick!” she snapped.
“Azula! Look at yourself! You don’t have to be this way. The Fire Nation has corrupted your mind. Don’t you want to be happy?” Her mother asked of her.
“I am happy. And you are stupid! I didn’t know that it would be this easy to get you to come with me!” Azula yelled, snickering a little in her words.
“I went with you because you are my daughter, my dear. I love you,” Ursa told her.
Instead of looking compassionate, Azula’s expression turned into a hard, murderous one as she stared down at her mother. She opened her mouth to speak but another voice shouted instead, “ZUKO!”
They all whipped their heads to the direction of the abrupt voice, and saw that not too far from them Katara was sprinting toward them at full speed. Zuko felt a pang of hope. Though, out of the corner of his eye he could swear that he saw Azula smirk. What did she plan?
Once Katara got to them, not even panting from her run, she gazed up at Azula and growled, “You weren’t expecting me to come, were you?”
Azula cackled and sat up. “Oh, on the contrary! I was counting on it!”
She pushed herself off the throne and landed in the space between Zuko and Katara, sending a blast of fire headed for Zuko.
After a while of running, Zuko came to a large clearing at the end of town. It wasn't like Lon Lon at all—lush and green. It was dry and dusty with random piles of hay everywhere. He continued to run forward across the desert, his eyes traveling all around. It wasn't long until he heard a voice from somewhere near him.
“Well, well. You did show up!” a girl's voice cackled.
Zuko stopped and faced where the voice was coming from. His sister Azula was sitting upon a throne made out of hay above the ground. On her far left was their mother trapped in a circle of blue fire. It was too bad she couldn’t bend.
“Let. Her. Go,” Zuko growled his words, feeling absolutely furious.
“And ruin the game?! Never,” Azula snapped. “Not until you make a choice, you see.”
“What choice?! ” Zuko roared.
“Oh, you’ll see. You’ll have to wait a little while longer to find out,” Azula told him. “But while you’re waiting—”
“Waiting for WHAT?!” Zuko interrupted, his voice was booming at the top of his lungs with anger.
“DO NOT INTERRUPT ME WHEN I’M TALKING!” Azula shrieked as she sat up in her hay throne. She had a crazy gleam in her eyes, and her face was twisted in annoyance and fury. Then, she sat back in her throne again and pretended as if her outburst hadn’t occurred. Zuko got goose bumps on his arms from her quick transformation from one extreme mood to the next. It wasn’t natural.
Azula continued as she looked at her nails, “I bet you’re wondering how I kidnapped your mother. It was way too simple, actually. The original plan was to re-hire those Fire Nation soldiers that I had hired before to…meet you and your friends when you first came into this town.”
“You told them to go there?! How do you know where mom lives?” Zuko asked.
“I followed you guys here of course. You were too stupid to take notice,” Azula answered. “Anyway, I was going to hire them again to kidnap mother for me but they were too afraid of that mean Firelord that handled them earlier. So—” She sighed. “I knew that I had to do it on my own.
“Surprisingly, when I went into the house late at night she noticed me and wanted to come with me. So, I led her here to this desert where a lot of hay seemed to be stranded. Then I made a ring of fire around her. Well…because you know how hay easily catches on fire. This is why I chose this place, you see. Or, at least one of the reasons…”
“If you don’t let her go right now I’ll…” But Zuko’s voice trailed off. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do. Azula would want to fight him and even though he would fight back, he didn’t necessarily want to.
“What? Fight me in an agni-ki?” Azula questioned, humor in her tone. “Soon, but not yet.”
All of a sudden Ursa spoke up, “Please don’t fight. We’re a family, we can figure this out together.”
“You are not apart of my family!” Azula yelled, turning to glare at her. “My mother left us a long time ago! She thought I was a monster!”
“I’m sorry I got banished and I’m sorry that I left you,” Ursa apologized. “But you are my daughter, Azula. I do not think you are a monster, you just need to heal.”
“To heal?! I’m not sick!” she snapped.
“Azula! Look at yourself! You don’t have to be this way. The Fire Nation has corrupted your mind. Don’t you want to be happy?” Her mother asked of her.
“I am happy. And you are stupid! I didn’t know that it would be this easy to get you to come with me!” Azula yelled, snickering a little in her words.
“I went with you because you are my daughter, my dear. I love you,” Ursa told her.
Instead of looking compassionate, Azula’s expression turned into a hard, murderous one as she stared down at her mother. She opened her mouth to speak but another voice shouted instead, “ZUKO!”
They all whipped their heads to the direction of the abrupt voice, and saw that not too far from them Katara was sprinting toward them at full speed. Zuko felt a pang of hope. Though, out of the corner of his eye he could swear that he saw Azula smirk. What did she plan?
Once Katara got to them, not even panting from her run, she gazed up at Azula and growled, “You weren’t expecting me to come, were you?”
Azula cackled and sat up. “Oh, on the contrary! I was counting on it!”
She pushed herself off the throne and landed in the space between Zuko and Katara, sending a blast of fire headed for Zuko.