Aric kept his grip on Azula's wrist, his white-blue flames gently pulsing between them, his gaze unwavering. "No one in this world is worthy of anything; the only person who judges the worth of your life is you," he had said. And then—Azula laughed.
It wasn't a bitter or mocking laugh, nor was it the usual haughty arrogance she often wielded like a sword. No, this laugh was quiet, almost amused.
"You are something else," she murmured, tilting her head slightly. That was when Aric felt it. A sudden shift in the air. A faint click beneath his feet. His instincts screamed Trap! The arena floor beneath him erupted in a controlled explosion of blue fire, not from Azula but from hidden mechanisms embedded into the Fire Nation palace's dueling grounds. The moment of distraction was all Azula needed. With an elegant backflip, she wrenched free of Aric's grasp, landing in a poised stance, her smirk back in place.
"You think I'd let you get in my head that easily?" she taunted. "Please, Aric. I may be young, but I wasn't born yesterday."
The fire surrounding them dispersed just enough for him to see them—rows of Fire Nation soldiers, elite guards lined up with their spears and firebending at the ready. The doors of the chamber slammed shut with an echoing boom.
Aric exhaled through his nose, shaking his head. "Of course this was a trap." Azula stepped forward, her violet fire flickering menacingly in her palm.
"You're good, Aric. Too good. But I can't have you thinking you can just outclass me." She tilted her head. "You lose the duel. You belong to me now."
Aric looked at the soldiers, then back at her, and then—he grinned. "Ohhh, Azula," he said, stretching dramatically, rolling his shoulders. "That was a pretty good trick. But see, there's just one problem..."
He crouched slightly, fire igniting around his legs, and in an instant, he shot forward like a comet, blazing straight through the closest line of guards. They barely had time to react as Aric twisted his body midair, flipping over their heads and landing on the far end of the chamber.
Azula scowled. "After him!"
"Alright, time to go!" Aric shouted to himself, turning on his heel and bolting out of the palace like a madman. 'Pride is for fools, Honor of warrior bitch please!!!. I have the entire multiverse to travel, and I'm going to be stuck doing therapy for some teanager with daddy issues.' Aric thought. As soon as he hit the open courtyard, alarms rang through the Fire Nation palace. Soldiers poured out from every direction, their flaming fists lighting up the night sky. Aric barely had time to dodge a fireball before another one came barreling toward him. He leapt onto a nearby rooftop, using his flames to boost his speed, and Jack Sparrow mode was activated.
Aric sprinted like an absolute lunatic across the rooftops, arms flailing in the air as if he had no idea what he was doing (he did, but style points mattered). A squad of Fire Nation guards were right behind him, some launching fire projectiles, others leaping after him. He jumped off the roof, grabbed a hanging banner, and swung Tarzan-style over a crowded street. Below, common citizens watched in pure bewilderment as a flaming streak of a man ran past them, laughing like a madman.
"STOP HIM!" a guard shouted.
Aric kicked off the side of a pagoda, spinning midair before landing perfectly—only for the rooftop to immediately collapse under him.
"Ow."
No time to dwell on that. He scrambled back to his feet, narrowly dodging a spear, and stumbled through a market, knocking over baskets of fruit. Somewhere behind him, a cabbage merchant screamed in despair.
"Damn it, my cabbages!"
'It the legendary cabbage merchant.' Aric thought as he took a quick detour by using fire to make a backflip toward the cabbage merchant. He threw a punch and said "Sorry for the cabbages, hope this pays for it" before leaving.
By now, the entire Fire Nation military was on high alert. Airships were launching from the harbor, spotlights sweeping the streets. He zigzagged through the crowds, using his firebending to vault over carts and flip through alleyways. Azula was still in pursuit, riding on a pair of Komodo rhinos and a couple of other soldiers.
"You are NOT getting away!" she roared, launching another wave of violet fire at him.
Aric barely dodged it, rolling onto a dock and spotting his escape: A Fire Nation ship. Untouched. Unattended. And most importantly, sailable. "Ohhh, I shouldn't," Aric muttered to himself. Then, he saw an entire platoon of soldiers closing in. "Yeah, I'm stealing that ship."
With a final burst of fire, he launched himself onto the deck. Fire Nation sailors looked up in confusion as Aric skidded to a stop. He turned to them with a wide grin. "Hi. I'm commandeering this ship. Kindly get off."
The sailors were too stunned to respond before a massive wave of fire erupted from Aric's hands, sending them flying off the dock into the water. Aric ripped the anchor free, kicked the sails loose, and with a powerful burst of flame, sent the ship barreling out to sea. From the docks, Azula stood fuming, her violet fire burning the wood beneath her feet. She clenched her fists so tightly that they trembled. He got away.
One of the soldiers who flanked Azula said, "What do we do now? princess"
Azula's eye twitched. "He won't get far," she muttered. "I'll make sure of it." Meanwhile, on the stolen ship, Aric leaned against the mast, exhaling with relief as the Fire Nation island shrank in the distance.
"Welp," he muttered to himself, rubbing his temples. "That could've gone worse."
Then, as if the universe itself wanted to spite him, A single Fire Nation hawk landed on the railing, carrying a sealed letter. Aric cautiously took it, opened it, and read the note.
"You may have escaped, but this isn't over. You owe me, Aric. And I always collect my debts. ~ Azula"
Aric sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. 'She was the one who cheated first!!!' he thought. And with that, Aric set sail to the northren kingdom, free from the Fire Nation.