Azula's Redemption (An ATLA story)

The City on Fire

No pov with Zuko on his way back home

'Well, I guess all I can do is wait,' Zuko said to himself. He was sitting on the edge of the bed that his sister was in, 'get better soon, we-'

"Lord Zuko, please come to the deck. There is something you have to see!" the captain called out urgently, leaving Zuko confused and concerned as he quickly left the room towards the deck. By now, the sun was already setting. As he got to the window, he could clearly see Caldera City and the fact that it was surrounded by fire.

"What...?! What's going on?!" Zuko exclaimed, completely shocked. His knees went weak, and his throat went dry. The city that he not only grew up in but the city that he was sworn into lead had been taken over, "What the hell is-" but before he could finish, the airship began shaking violently, the lights began flickering, and the ship started descending towards the ground. Looking out the windows, they could see the airship fleet in the distance closing in on them, and on the water, they could see multiple battleships closing in on the dock and sending off cannon fire at them.

"LORD ZUKO, TAKE THE PRINCESS AND JUMP! THE SHIPS GOING DOWN!" The captain yelled, fighting for control of the airship.

"WHAT ABOUT YOU?!" Zuko frantically asked, concerned for the captain's life.

"DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME! I'LL BUY YOU SOME TIME, NOW GO!"

"THANK YOU, I'M GRATEFUL!" Zuko reluctantly yelled back while booking it back to Azula's room.

As he reached it, yet another torrent of attacks came in. All the lights now went out, and the windows of the hallway he was in shattered due to the force of the attack, sending glass flying everywhere, most of which he blocked with his arms, but a piece did pierce his left side, causing him to double over in pain. But then, yet another attack landed. This time, the force sent him flying into a railing, catching him from flying out of the now-broken window. Now he could see just how close they were to hitting the ground, just how close they were to losing everything. He willed himself upright and pulled out the glass shard in his side, sending pain throughout his body, and using all his strength, he pushed himself to the door of the room and entered. Through the chaos, the bed had shifted, and items were now scattered across the floor, but his sister was unharmed. Gently, he took her in his arms and ran back out the door into the hallway. Now, they were roughly 3,000 feet (914.4 meters) off the ground and only speeding up.

'Okay, so 2 choices. One, wait for us to hit the ground and hope for the best. Or two, jump and us my bending to slow our fall... and hope for the best,' Zuko frantically thought to himself. Now, they were no more than 2,500 feet (762 meters) off the ground, so he had to act now.

"ALRIGHT LET'S GO!" He yelled as he ran and jumped the railing, flying out of the broken window and through the air. From this position, he saw they were just north of the town and port. Focusing on his feet, he used his bending to direct them towards the city. Looking back, he could see the airship hitting the ground, sending flames, dirt, and the parts of the ship everywhere in a massive explosion, "Your sacrifice won't be in vain, captain, thank you," Zuko said to himself as he landed on the ground just outside the port city. Looking up, he could see the airship fleet was just overhead, and several began descending as soldiers slid down ropes that had been deployed, "Ah crap," Zuko muttered to himself as he took off running into the town, looking for a place to hide.

"FIND THEM! LORD OZAI WANTS THEM CAPTURED ALIVE!" A voice yelled over a speaker from one of the ships. Hearing that made his blood run cold. Though he had suspected who caused this, he hoped it wasn't the case, but now it was a reality. His father had been freed and had completely taken back control. But unfortunately, he couldn't worry about that right now. Now, he had to focus on getting him and his sister somewhere safe. As he ran through the city, he could feel himself getting closer to the ocean. Though not the most ideal situation, he didn't really have much of a choice. He knew he had to just keep running, knowing if he stopped for too long, they would be surrounded and captured in a matter of minutes.