Avatar The Last Airbender Fan Fiction ❯ Metamorphosis of the Queen of Insects ❯ Chapter 1

Metamorphosis of the Queen of Insects

 

By Self Possessed

 

Chapter 1

 

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, or any of the characters within the show. The following is a nonprofit piece of fanfiction for the sole purpose of the reading pleasure of any interested in doing so.

 

------------------------------------------------------------

 

I stood amongst the throng of bustling insects, each scurrying about to and forth, chittering amongst one another in excitement. All, however, quickly made way for me as I approached, creating a wide berth of empty space as if an invisible platoon of guards were protectively encircling me. None dared to intrude upon this territory, the audible smell of danger driving their instincts awry. None dared to meet my golden eyes, the undeniable symbol of my bloodline, as I looked down upon them with disdain.

 

It was only natural. I am, after all, the Queen of insects.

 

It was midday with the sun hanging high in the sky, its relentless light maliciously scorching all those who had not yet sought the protective cover of the shadows. The swarm of insects had found themselves prey, their eyes eagerly feasting upon two figures that crouched with backs to one another in the center of the arena, each preparing for the primal duel to come.

 

This was an agni kai, a fire duel meant to resolve disputes over honor in the Fire Nation. But this duel was no ordinary duel, for the participants were well known to all present. This duel was to be between my father, the Fire Lord Ozai, and his firstborn, Prince Zuko.

 

Grand pillars, monuments dedicated to this very occasion, jutted up from the earth and surrounded the center stage, banners of the Fire Nation insignia strung amongst them. The arena itself was rectangular in appearance, made of tiled floorings and ringed by a copper bowl of hungrily flickering flames at each corner.

 

I had been watching agni kais since a very young age, reveling in the display of raw power and aggression. All that mattered then was who was stronger, who was superior. The most memorable one of these, which took place long ago during my younger days, blurred with the display before me. A younger version of my father was crouching in the same position, but where my brother crouched was instead the greatest and most powerful firebender of his time.

 

In an unspoken signal, both sides stood and turned, the cloth representing the flaming colors of the Fire Nation sliding off their respective shoulders. With chests bared and defined muscles tensed, sculpted through countless hours of harsh training, they both stared at one another, a solemn moment passing between them. With a clang, the gong rang and the duel was underway.

 

To say the fight was one sided would be an understatement. The opponent would bat each fireball, rippling with raw energy and flung with great force, aside as if it were but a pesky insect buzzing around unwanted. The majority of the fight consisted of my father desperately and futilely throwing fire blast after fire blast at his enemy.

 

Then, as if tired from playing with its prey, the opponent unleashed a flurry of blasts of his own, the tight compact blue fireballs easily piercing directly through the red and orange ones of my father's. With no time to evade, my father defensively crossed his arms in front of him in an attempt to ward off the impending assault.

 

The image of him spinning in the air from the sheer force of the attack, falling slowly to the tiled floor, would lay forever engraved into my memory. The deafening boom of the impact when his body slammed into the ground reverberated throughout the stadium, breaking the loud silence of the spectators.

 

What had seemed to be an eternity had actually been a split moment, with the aftermath of the fight resulting in my father's still figure at the edge of the stage, sizzling smoke rising around his prone and charred form. He suddenly seemed so very tiny to me in the vast arena. I could only stare from the sidelines, eyes wide and mouth gaping open, awed and amazed at how one as powerful as my father could be bested so easily.

 

My father struggled to sit up, flesh smoldering still, crying out to be finished off honorably and to make his defeat complete. The victor stood over my father, casting his enormous shadow over the defeated. And yet, he turned and walked away without saying a word, uncaring.

 

Although his external appearance remained unchanged, the healers intervening early enough to prevent any permanent scarring, my father would never be the same. Something inside of him changed that day.

 

------------------------------------------------------------

 

I awoke with a start, my arms tightly wound around Ai. My room was blanketed in a thick darkness that spread its cloak throughout every corner. All was silent save for the billowing wind and the constant patter of raindrops angrily crashing against the walls of my home; even the insects knew to keep quiet.

 

A brief bout of lightning flashed, temporarily illuminating much of the large bedroom. Despite how it chased away the shadows, the light provided no solace or comfort; instead it magnified the fear of the unknown that hid leering through the pockets of darkness left untouched by the light. A tremble of thunder followed shortly thereafter, like that of a giant awakening from its slumber. Glancing around worriedly, I nervously pulled the covers up over my head, cowering from whatever lurked in the darkness.

 

Try as I might, I could not ignore the chorus of angry voices that began to force their way into my bedroom. Squeezing my pillow around my ears and rolling onto my side, I futilely attempted to drown out the noise.

 

CRASH!

 

The shattering of porcelain, its cry of indignation and despair, unrelentingly called out to me. Abandoning the warmth and safety of my covers, I clutched Ai tightly and stepped out onto the cold hard surface of the floor. Shivering slightly from the biting cold, as I was clad only in a thin nightgown, I closed my eyes in concentration, allowing the warmth of my breath to envelope my body in its comforting embrace. Opening my eyes once more, I timidly tiptoed out of my room.

 

The sound of my light footsteps tapping against the floor filled the never-ending hallway, the ceiling of which seemed to extend toward the heavens. Shadows cast by the crackling torches danced furiously on the intricately carved furniture befitting a family of royal status. Passing by various paintings of my forefathers, I looked warily about, clutching Ai even tighter in my grasp.

 

A sudden noise to my left startled me as I quickly darted behind a small table, heart pounding and breathing labored. Peeking around the corner, a brief flash of lightning revealed the culprit to be a small insect scurrying about. Sighing, I crawled out of my hiding spot and tiptoed towards the voices once more, being sure to send the culprit a small fireball its way for the trouble.

 

A creaking sound alerted me to yet another presence behind me. With nowhere to hide, I quickly turned, fireball ready in hand, and came face to face with the sleepy visage of my older brother, Zuko, standing outside his open door.

 

“Oh, it's just you, ” I muttered as I extinguished the flame. “Don't sneak up on me like that!”

 

“What's going on Azula?” asked Zuko as he sleepily rubbed his eyes.

 

“I think mom and dad are having a fight. Want to go check it out?”

 

A slow affirmative nod was my answer and we began to tiptoe toward the voices together. A content smile graced my face, the darkness suddenly seeming to recede and the corridor shrinking in length.

 

------------------------------------------------------------

 

“I cannot believe this! How dare he! That…insolent…bastard!”

 

Zuko and I were each hiding on either side of the frame that marked the junction between the corridor and the foyer. Father had apparently just returned from a conference with Fire Lord Azulon and Uncle Iroh. The large shadow he cast paced angrily back and forth. With a knowing look at each other, Zuko and I dared to peek out from behind the frame.

 

Mother was sobbing on the floor, broken pieces of porcelain scattered all around her like shattered glass. Father was angrily stomping on the smoldering remnants of bandages, a reminder of the agni kai, that fell from his flaming arms into ashes beneath his feet.

 

“How dare he take advantage of the situation! Damn that Iroh! That was supposed to be me!”

 

Zuko dashed out of his hiding place, making a beeline towards mother. After a moment's hesitation, I followed, scampering in front of the agitated form of father while making a point to stare at the floor to avoid his eyes.

 

Unfortunately, with my eyes occupied with the intricate patterns on the floor, I bumped into something, causing me to drop Ai in surprise. It was a large muscular leg, one that I had often sat upon while father would read to me stories of the great firebenders. Slowly raising my eyes, I traced the limb up toward his face.

 

It was then that I saw his expression. It was twisted into an impossible scowl, his menacing eyes impossibly wide, and veins bulging out, trying to free themselves from the confines of his skull. His face was completely covered in darkness; the only light that came from it was a perverse glow that was reflected off of his unfocused eyes. No, this couldn't be father; it was some monster that stole his face!

 

The scowl twisted into a maniacal smile, the eyes shrinking into a false welcome.

 

“Come with me Azula.”

 

Grabbing my hand so that I couldn't resist, he began to drag me out of the foyer. I looked pleadingly in the direction of my mother and brother but was met with no response; mother was busy sobbing into Zuko's shoulder. Fearful, trembling, and alone, I managed to grab Ai, clutching her tightly against my chest for support. Salty tears gathered into my eyes and splattered onto the floor like raindrops, marking the trail of my abduction, almost as if in the futile hope that someone would follow them and come to save me.

 

------------------------------------------------------------

 

The windowless room was plain, stripped of all but the bare necessities. An ordinary table with an accompanying stool lay despairingly in the corner of the room. A single candle adorned the surface of the table, casting a sick glow that was just enough for sight, but too weak to ward off the awaiting shadows lurking around the rest of the room.

 

It was a prison that I would come to know all too well.

 

“Show me what you have been working on,” father said as he took a seat on the stool. The dim lighting masked his face, but I still saw the monstrous expression he had in the foyer leering from it.

 

Protectively shielding Ai, I pocketed her into my nightgown. I then nervously spread my legs into the appropriate stance, all whilst reminding myself that I had done this countless times in practice before. Breathing steadily and slowing my pounding heart, I began the exercise.

 

It started off well, the beginning strikes of the kata consisting of basic punches laced with fireballs. Bursts of flame sprang into existence, lighting the dim room in their intense brightness before dissipating against the cold walls. Gaining confidence, I approached the series of aerial kicks.

 

The first kick was successful; a perfect spin, angle, and snap as well as a successful fireball. But in the middle of the second aerial, Ai slipped out of her position from within my nightgown. Twisting in midair to accommodate this, I landed unceremoniously on my rump with a yelp, Ai slipping out of my nightgown with the impact.

 

I had not even managed to regain my bearings when I noticed father standing before me. Looking up at his giant silhouette fearfully, I had only the time to see the glowing yellow embers of his eyes, staring down at me as if I were nothing but a worthless insect.

 

In the next moment I was flying across the room. Slamming into the wall, I crumpled into a heap, blood trickling down my forehead. Pain lanced through my skull and I cried out, nearly passing out. Once again I raised my head toward father, but my vision was blurring.

 

“Why do you displease me Azula? Why do you make your father so unhappy? You must be PERFECT! With perfection comes POWER! And power is all that matters! No one else will ever respect you unless you give them reason to fear you!”

 

Father stopped his agitated tirade long enough to notice Ai lying at his feet. His eyes then took on a new maniacal brightness as he bent over to pick up her helpless and limp form.

 

“Listen to me Azula. You need to be strong! Worthless dolls such as these will make you weak! Why were you not born a boy Azula? Why? Why must you displease me so?”

 

I couldn't raise my hand in protect as flames flickered to life in father's hands. I couldn't raise my voice in protest as Ai's face turned towards mine, pleading for help, pleading for salvation. I could do nothing as he dropped Ai's smoldering remains onto the floor, her clothes and limbs incinerated. I could do nothing as he stepped on Ai's back like she were an insect and grinded his foot back and forth, causing the beaded eyes to pop off. I could do nothing as he mercilessly stomped on her head before a burst of flame incinerated it along with the rest of her body.

 

The last thing I saw before I passed out were Ai's betrayed eyes staring lifelessly at me, her body now nothing more but ashes.

 

------------------------------------------------------------

 

I opened my eyes to find nothing but darkness all about me. Strangely enough, I could still see my own body as if it were a living flame, providing a soft light in this cold, dark abyss.

 

I cried out for mother. I cried out for Zuko. I cried out for Ai. I cried out for someone, anyone. I didn't want to be alone.

 

And in the darkness, I heard a loud, booming laughter. A huge red dragon appeared in the distance, slithering toward its prey. I turned and ran, screaming as I tried desperately to flee. And yet I was not fast enough. I screamed for someone, anyone, to help me, to save me. And yet no one answered, no one came.

 

The red dragon latched onto my ankle, causing me to lose my balance and fall. I struggled, panicking, as it slithered up my legs, around my arms, and across my neck. It wrapped its scaly and cold body around mine, chaining me, choking me, restricting me. I could not get away. It would not let me get away.

 

I lay there, defeated and hopeless, as the red dragon consumed me in a river of scales.

 

------------------------------------------------------------

 

I am Azula.

I need no one but myself.

I am perfection.

 

------------------------------------------------------------

 

Author's Note 1: Ai means love in Japanese.

 

Author's Note 2: Small revision made to the sentence before Ozai struck Azula due to the overuse of the word "time."

 

Author's Note 3: Took out the apostrophe abbreviations in Ozai's speech.

 

Author's Note 4: Changed “get away” to “flee” in the dream sequence.