Azula waited quietly as footsteps echoed in the usually silent monotony of her prison. The door of her metal chamber clincked as a key was inserted into it, the lock clicked open and the young Firelord walked in, guards closing the door behind him. “Zuzu,” Azula whispered silkily.
She was surprised that she still had a voice left, having not used it for quite a while. Being locked in the most isolated, most heavily guarded prison would do that to anyone. Nevertheless, she enjoyed the effect it had on her brother, who shivered at the venom in her voice. Zuko's gaze moved from here to there, determined to not look at Azula, but Azula's gaze didn't falter. She surveyed her elder brother like a person reading a book. Filling in all the details in their brains.
“You haven't eaten,” Zuko blurted, finally, pointing unnecessarily at the bowl full of the old food. Azula raised her eyebrow under her unclean hair. Yes, she hadn't eaten, but she had two perfectly good reasons for that. One, she didn't want to. Two, who in their right mind would eat eel soup and rice?
“I have a proposal,” Zuko spoke, finally meeting his sister's gaze. “Azula we are siblings, we are family.” Azula snorted, Zuko continued nonetheless.“ Like it or not, we are and family is meant to be together.”
Azula tipped her head to one side, surveying her brother silently.
“ You are being given a second chance.” Zuko proclaimed.
A slightly awkward silence followed this pronouncement.
“The terms ?” Azula asked, non-pulsed.
“You will be given a certain amount of freedom, but you will always be accompanied with one of the gaang. You will behave and not try to escape. You are being given something that the other prisoners could never have.”
“I'm honoured,” Azula whispered acidly.
“ Do you agree?” Zuko persisted.
Azula considered this. “ Fine.”
“ Good.” Zuko turned and called out. “Guards!”
At his call, about 20 men and woman in heavy furs, carrying waterbender weapons walked in.
They stood in a circle, blocking Azula from all sides. One of them walked forward, producing several keys from his pocket, he clicked the locks on her cuffs open. Azula fell forward, stopping herself from hitting the ground face-first with her hands. Zuko, who had reached forward instinctively when Azula fell, watched his sister breathe raggedly breathes as the guards hurriedly opened the latches on her legs. The chain around her waist tightened, it was designed to do so. The chain was attached at the very top of the ground, it dived inside the ground in long tunnels where it birthed from one part of the wall, wrapped around Azula's waist, and went up through the other walls tunnels. It was designed to tighten itself whenever the cuffs on the hands and leg opened.
Azula was on her hands and knees, trying to breathe as the chain nearly cracked her ribs.
“CUT IT!” A guard standing near the door yelled upwards. The sound bounced upwards and a lady, waiting at the entrance of the stairs repeated the command in a loud voice.
Two metal benders, two of Toph's elder students, cut the chain in one swift motion.
Clanking loudly down the tunnels, the chain fell inside Azula's prison. She gave a staggering breadth and jumped on her feet. “Well?”
Zuko had been surveying his sister. He couldn't take it in. He couldn't digest the fact that this was Azula, conquerer of Ba Sing Se. Her hair was matted with blood, her eyes were blank, cold and dead almost. They had dark circles under them. Her lips were parched and her hands were blistered by the numerous times she had tried to burn her way out. Her clothes were ragged and looked like they belonged to someone else. Someone fatter, healthier than her. They once clung to her body, now hung on her frame like curtains. Azula's exclamation snapped him out of his daze. “ Yes, come.”
As Azula ascended the stairs, she held her breath. She winced as she stepped out in the open, even though it was not day, she crinkled her eyes.
Once her eyes grew accustomed to the light of the Aurora borealis, a monster by the name of deja- vu was born in her chest. It clawed her insides. She was mesmerized. Yet her face didn't show it, why would it? It was not a traitor, it would not betray her motto to have a facade. Zuko stared at the non-pulsed face of his sister. “ Ready the ships.” He called out. They were going home.
