Ursa's Torment

Ursa stumbled down the hall, her head in her hands, her mind a whirlwind of horror and disbelief. The images of the Agni Kai played over and over in her mind—the flames, the screams, the sickening crunch of bone and the acrid smell of charred flesh. She looked down at her hands, trembling and stained with soot and blood, and she couldn't shake the vision of Ozai's lifeless, blackened corpse.

"Oh, spirits," she whispered, her voice choked with horror. "What have I done? What have I shown my children?" She had tortured their father in front of them, had reveled in his pain, his suffering. She had shown them a side of herself that she hadn't known existed, a dark, brutal, sadistic side that terrified her.

Vaatu, sensing her distress, tried to comfort her, his voice a soothing murmur in her mind. "You did what you had to do, Ursa. You protected yourself, your children. You showed them that you are strong, that you are not to be trifled with."

But Ursa was having none of it. She shook her head violently, her voice rising in anger and despair. "No, no, no! I didn't have to do that! I didn't have to... to enjoy it. I didn't have to... oh, spirits, what's wrong with me?"

Vaatu's voice hardened, his patience wearing thin. "You are a survivor, Ursa. You did what you had to do to protect yourself, to protect your children. You showed them that the world is a cruel, brutal place, and that only the strong survive."

Ursa let out a choked sob, her body shaking with the **** of her emotions. "But I didn't have to enjoy it, Vaatu. I didn't have to... to get off on it. That's not me, that's not who I am. That's... that's you. That's your influence, your darkness. You made me into a monster."

A gasp echoed down the hall, and Ursa looked up to see a female servant standing a few feet away, her basket of linens scattered across the floor. The woman's eyes were wide with shock and fear, her mouth open in a silent scream as she stared at Ursa, who seemed to be shouting at thin air.

Before Ursa could call out to her, Vaatu acted quickly. He poured out of Ursa's body, a dark, writhing mass of shadows and tendrils, and rushed into the servant's open mouth. The woman's body spasmed, her back arching, her limbs thrashing as Vaatu took control. Her eyes rolled back, her mouth contorted in a silent scream, and then, with a final, shuddering gasp, she settled down, her body still and calm.

Ursa watched in wide-eyed horror as the servant patted herself down, her hands lingering on her breasts, her hips, her thighs. She hummed softly, a sultry, seductive sound that sent shivers down Ursa's spine. And then, she looked up, her eyes glowing with an eerie red light, her lips curled into a smirk that was all too familiar.

"Vaatu," Ursa whispered, her voice shaking with fear and revulsion. "What have you done? Get out of her, get out of her now!"

Vaatu, wearing the servant's body like a suit, chuckled, a low, throaty sound that was both seductive and menacing. "Now, now, Ursa, don't be like that. I'm just borrowing her for a moment. Besides, if I hadn't taken control, she would have run straight to Azulon. And you know what that would mean, don't you?"

Ursa's eyes widened in realization, her body trembling with fear. "He's looking for an excuse to get rid of me, isn't he?" she whispered. "He's looking for a reason to have me killed."

Vaatu nodded, his smirk widening, his eyes gleaming with a dark, twisted amusement. "Exactly, my dear. And we can't have that, can we? We can't have you getting yourself killed before you've had a chance to shape the future, to guide your children, to make the world a better place."

Ursa shook her head, her eyes filling with tears, her body wracked with sobs. "But I don't deserve to live, Vaatu. I don't deserve to be here. I'm a monster, a murderer. I tortured my husband, I traumatized my children. I deserve to be punished, to be locked away, to be... to be..."

Vaatu stepped closer, his voice a soft, soothing murmur, his hands reaching out to cup Ursa's face. She tried to pull away, but he held her firm, his thumbs tracing the lines of her cheeks, her jaw, her lips. "Shhh, my dear," he whispered. "You are not a monster. You are a survivor. You did what you had to do to protect yourself, to protect your children. You played by the rules that were shoved down your throat your entire life. The strong decide what happens to the weak, Ursa. That is the way of the world. And you, my dear, are strong."

Ursa looked up at him, her eyes wide and pleading, her lips trembling. "But... but Ozai... I tortured him, Vaatu. I reveled in his pain, his suffering. I enjoyed it."

Vaatu's smirk softened, his eyes filling with a dark, seductive warmth. "And he would have done the same to you, my dear. He would have tortured you, reveled in your pain, your suffering. He would have enjoyed it. You did what you had to do, Ursa. You defended yourself, you protected your children. And in doing so, you looked magnificent."

Ursa's breath hitched, her eyes searching Vaatu's, looking for any sign of deceit, any hint of manipulation. But all she saw was warmth, acceptance, validation. And she clung to it, **** and broken, like a drowning woman grasping at a lifeline.

Vaatu saw the moment she gave in, the moment she accepted his words, his comfort. He smiled, a cruel, triumphant smile that was hidden behind the servant's soft, gentle features. And then, he leaned in, his lips pressing against Ursa's, his hands tangling in her hair, his body pressing against hers.

Ursa tried to pull away, tried to resist, but Vaatu was insistent, his dark energy pouring into her, erasing any fight left in her. She melted into his embrace, her body trembling with a mix of fear, arousal, and desperation. And as he led her to her bedroom door, his hand clasped tightly around hers, she followed, broken and compliant, a puppet to his dark designs.

The door closed behind them with a soft, final click, and as the sun set over the Fire Nation capital, casting the palace in a blood-red glow, the stage was set for a new era, a new reign.