Prologue
Summary: You are Akane, older sister of Zuko and Azula, and Crown Princess of the Fire Nation. And you think, someday, your father is going to kill you.
Note: This is a crosspost of a quest I run on a different site, posted here in story form. One of my readers requested this, and it sounded like a good way to get more exposure and discussion so I liked the idea of course, lol. The results of votes will be included here, since they're often a major part of the narrative, but I won't actually run votes on this forum.
Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy!
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Prologue: At Dawn
Year: 86 AC (4 years old)
Ember Island
Uncle breathes on the sticks and branches, and the campfire crackles to life. You squint against the light - even the flickering fire is hard to adjust to, after making your way down to the beach by moonlight - but you move closer automatically. It's chilly, this early.
"Do you intend to tell us why you've brought us here, Iroh?" Father asks.
"Patience, brother," Uncle murmurs. He crouches down and scoops his hand through the fire, lifting a bit of the flame up and out. Cupping it gently in his hands, he turns to face you. You hear Lu Ten make a tiny 'oh' behind you. "Can you hold this, Princess?" Uncle asks you, smiling.
Hold...? "Yes!" you blurt, holding out your hands.
“Gently, now,” Uncle cautions. Your cheeks redden. “I hear you have a talent for creating explosions.”
Well -
“Raw power is not a flaw,” Father says sharply. “It will not take long for her to learn control.”
“Of course, Ozai,” Uncle answers. His expression softens, and he slowly extends his hands to you. "Just remember your breathing," he reminds you.
Right. Breathing.
You take a slow breath, in and out, and then another. And at Uncle's nod, you reach out to take the fire. It passes from his hands to yours without resistance. You bring it close to your chest. It's warm. More than just warm. You can feel the energy, the power behind the fire, feel the same energy under your skin. And as you concentrate on keeping your breathing steady, you can feel - and see - the power of the fire in your hands wax and wane with each breath in and out.
Firebending is awesome.
"Now, Princess -"
A little breeze makes the fire flicker, and you automatically push a little -
"Careful!" Uncle gasps. Father's hand clamps down on your shoulder as the flame flares up to the size of your head, you hastily take a deep breath in and concentrate, try to keep it steady, steady -
After a few deep breaths in and out, you manage to let it shrink back down to its original size. You’re sweating by the time you finish. It’s more from Uncle and Father and Lu Ten’s stares than the actual heat.
“G-got it,” you say, smiling shakily. After another second staring at you, Uncle nods.
“Well done, Princess,” he says. “My, creating such large flames at your age. You’ll be a real terror when you’ve mastered the art, eh?” he teases. You giggle and nod.
Father squeezes your shoulder before letting go.
“Remember that the fire belongs to you, not the other way around,” he reminds you. “Never fear your own power.”
“Yes, Father,” you promise.
“Good,” he says. “Now, Iroh…?”
“Yes,” Uncle says. He turns back to the fire and scoops up another little flame, tossing it to Lu Ten, and then another for father and another for himself. “Lu Ten and I celebrated his first flame by doing this, back when he was - well, a couple years older than you, Princess. And now that your firstborn is beginning to bend, I thought I might induct you into our little tradition!”
You look up at Lu Ten and then at Father - Lu Ten gives you an encouraging smile, and Father glances down at you. They’re both holding their flames without any trouble. You keep your breathing steady and try to copy them.
“What does this tradition involve?” Father asks Uncle, raising an eyebrow.
Uncle points up towards the hill your beach house is on.
“The sun will be rising over the other side of the island soon,” he says. “We’ll walk up to meet it, and take our flames with us. Keeping the fire alive during the hike is a good exercise in control for the little ones.”
Lu Ten scoffs a little. “Dad…”
Uncle laughs. “You’ll always be little to me, my son.”
“Are you sure this hike will be okay for her, though?” Lu Ten asks. “She’s only four…”
You look up the hill. It’s not that far to walk, but with the fire… you guess Lu Ten did it, but still. Father looks between the hill and you, then nods to Uncle.
“She can do it,” he says simply.
And that decides it.
"Come on, Akane!" Lu Ten urges, grinning at you. "Just a little farther!"
"Remember your breathing!" Uncle calls, again.
"Keep that fire strong!" Father tells you.
The hint of pride in his voice nearly makes your fire spin out of control. You grin and nod at everyone's urging, but you're too focused on gasping and heaving for breath to answer. Your legs and chest are burning, you're drenched in sweat - but your fire is burning as big as your whole upper body, and somehow you're still managing to keep it suspended there between your hands. It feels amazing, you don't even know how to describe it, it's like your body has an extra heart beating alongside the one inside you, the fire feels like it's just flowing through you, you're breathing it and pumping it through your body and it's just - amazing! You feel like you could run forever like this!
The pain in your legs kind of disagrees. Everyone else is so much bigger than you, keeping up with them was a lot harder than you expected.
"We made good time," Uncle says, climbing to the crest of the hill. "You can slow down if you want, Princess."
You shake your head and stubbornly power forward. You're not slowing down till you're done. Just one more step, then another, then another, and -
You grin triumphantly as you reach the top. "Did it," you gasp. Lu Ten laughs.
"I can't believe you did that!" he says, awed. "Was I that tough when I was four?"
"No," Father says bluntly, coming up behind you. "No, you were not. You cried. All the time."
Lu Ten mumbles something you can't hear over Uncle's guffaws.
"We've got a few minutes before sunrise," Father says, hand on your shoulder. "Here." He holds his waterskin to your mouth, and you drink up quickly - the water's getting warm just being near your flame. "Walk a bit to cool down."
"Got it," you gasp.
"And try to shrink that fire down a bit! You won't even be able to see the sunrise over the top of that thing!" Uncle teases.
He has a point, and you do as he says.
...The sunrise is beautiful.
You stand there and watch the sun peek over the horizon, you and Uncle Iroh and Father and Lu Ten. Father's hand stays on your shoulder, and your fire stays in your hands, a comforting second heartbeat. You're still breathing hard, but the burning in your muscles seems to settle down for a moment - a comfortable flame.
"Fire is the element of power," Uncle says. "Nothing can survive without power to sustain it, just as nothing can survive without the Sun to warm it."
"Fire is also the element of will," Father says. He squeezes your shoulder. "Your will is your sun, Akane. It is your light and the source of your fire. Lose it, and you die. Never forget that."
"Well said, little brother," Uncle murmurs.
You nod firmly. Your will is your sun.
You'll remember.
* * * * *
87 AC (5 years old)
Ember Island
You giggle at Zuko as he goes running off down the beach, yelling a tiny battle cry, and you giggle when your little 3-year-old brother heroically rescues a tiny turtlecrab from an eaglehawk. You look at him curiously when he pauses and looks between the two animals, and make a little face at him when he looks your way, giggling some more.
You stop giggling when the wave comes in and knocks him off his feet.
"Zuko!" Mother shouts. Father's already on his feet by the time Zuko hits the ground, and he's crossed the beach by the time the water drags Zuko out to sea. You sit there, paralyzed and staring, mouth still half-open from giggling. You don't think you move until Father comes back a few minutes later, a bawling and coughing Zuko cradled in his arms.
You look at the seawater spraying out of Zuko's mouth for a second. The second stretches out bizarrely long, like some spirit somehow crammed more time than usual into a tiny little moment. And then, finally, you start crying too.
Father comes to check on you a few hours later. You're sitting on the beach again, in the same spot. Zuko's still inside with Mother and little Azula, probably still throwing up salt water.
The ocean looks so calm, even now.
Father sighs as he sits down next to you. "Your brother will be fine," he says to you. Again. "The seawater turned his stomach, but he's alright."
You nod, still looking out at the sea.
"Are you alright, Akane?" Father asks pointedly. You nod again.
"...It was so fast," you say quietly.
"Yes," Father agrees. "It was."
"I couldn't do anything," you say.
"Hm." Father shifts in place. "You are still learning, and growing," he says after a moment. "You will be every bit as fast as I am, someday."
You shake your head. "I-I couldn't move -"
"Akane," Father says firmly. You turn to look at him, force yourself to meet his eyes. His gaze is intense - his eyes look like fire, more than any other firebender you've ever met. "You are a princess of the Fire Nation," he tells you. "You will learn to react to the unexpected, to survive whatever dangers confront you, to protect your family just as we protect this nation. You will not allow yourself to fear something as simple as the ocean. You are far, far stronger than it. Do I make myself clear?"
You nod, swallowing. You're stronger than the ocean. You are stronger than the ocean. You're Princess Akane. Of the Fire Nation.
The image of little Zuko getting swept out to sea in a heartbeat won't leave you alone. He's a prince, too.
"I will not fear the ocean," you tell Father, forcing strength into your voice. He nods firmly.
"Good."
You both look out at the sea, at the calm little waves lapping at the shore.
Just harmless water.
"Waterbenders must be awful to fight," you mumble, resting your head on your knees. Father barks out a laugh.
"Don't underestimate them," he says. "But don't fear them, either. If they've not been wiped out by the time your Grandfather and Uncle's reigns end, it will be Lu Ten and you who finish the task."
You shrug and nod. You guess. It seems far away. Father said once that the war will probably end soon after you become an adult, when Sozin's Comet returns. So you guess you won't have to worry about it for long.
"Come on," Father says. "It's getting late. Come inside and read one of your books. Keep building your head start on your studies before your schooling starts."
"Okay," you mumble, shrugging.
At least Father likes when you read stuff. Mom is always telling you to go play instead. And then she gets mad when you burn things. It's confusing.
You and Father start walking up to the beach house. You're partway there when an idea hits you.
"Father," you begin, "Do we have any scrolls on waterbending?"
"Scrolls on waterbending?" he echoes, raising an eyebrow at you. "There are likely some stored in the Royal Archives. Why? Curious to learn about your enemies?"
You nod. "I wanna know how they do it," you mumble, thinking back to that calm, harmless-looking sea.
"It could be a productive course of study," Father muses, nodding. "Uncle Iroh did much the same for a time, and claims it helped him learn to better face them in combat. I'll see about finding you something to read about them. Earthbending as well, perhaps?"
You nod and shrug. "Sure. I like reading."
"I'll see what I can find," Father says.
* * * * *
Even for a firebender, there's plentiful wisdom to be found in the other elements. Akane's choices can build up her affinity to each of the four elements, improving her ability to use insights from other bending arts to enhance her firebending with creative new techniques. Each element is associated with different traits and ideas.
Fire is the element of power. It is associated with aggression, will, audacity, dynamism, and passion.
Earth is the element of substance. It is associated with standing one's ground, facing things head-on, providing solid support, and methodical, steady action.
Air is the element of freedom. It is associated with evasion, going with the flow, forsaking attachment, and taking advantage of one's momentum.
Water is the element of change. It is associated with redirecting energy and potential, cyclical ebb and flow, and adapting quickly to the situation at hand.
Akane's approach to her initiation when she was 4 reflected a strong affinity for the element of fire. Of the elements aside from fire, which has she spent the most time studying as a hobby?
* * * * *
87 AC
Royal Fire Academy for Girls
You looked forward to starting school for ages - you love reading and learning. It ends up being a massive let-down. The classes are too basic. The other children are too intimidated to talk to you. Even some of the teachers are. Even the firebending class ends up being boring because most of the kids here haven't ever even created fire before. Mother and Father say they're going to get the boring class situation fixed within a week or so - they just have to arrange some different tutors for you. But the situation with the other kids doesn't seem to be changing. It's a pain. It's not that you're lonely, but you'd like to make friends your age eventually. Mother certainly seems to think it's important. You have no idea how to fix it, though.
Fortunately, a solution drops itself in your lap one day while you're reading in the courtyard. Literally.
You blink at the stick that's just landed on your dress, and set your scroll aside to pick it up.
"Hey, can you toss that - o-oh," a girl's voice says. "Oh, wow, I'm - s-sorry!"
You look up - there's a girl there, taller than you, dark-skinned and pretty. A gaggle of other girls holding sticks are standing a few feet away, staring at you. The girl in front of you is already starting to kneel.
"Wait!" you blurt. She freezes, her eyes wide.
How do you... befriend someone?
"What is your name?" you ask her.
"Mitsuko, Princess Akane!" she barks, standing at attention.
You incline your head. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Mitsuko..."
"Daughter of Piandao," she supplies quickly. "Of Shu Jing!" She bends over double in the steepest bow you've ever seen, you have no idea how she even stays upright. "The honor is mine, Princess!"
You aren't familiar with her family, but she seems nice enough. You should likely befriend her. You haven't ever really spoken much with someone else your age, but it can't be that hard.
She looks as though she's afraid she's offended you, so the first step is likely to reassure her that's not the case.
"You are too kind," you say, smiling. You try to make sure your nervousness doesn't show on your face. "Please, you needn't bow." As she straightens, you hold out the stick to her. "Is this yours?"
She bows again, looking at the ground. "Yes, Princess," she says. "Forgive me, I didn't see you there."
"It's really alright," you insist. "Please, you don't need to bow. What were you playing?"
"Um." Mitsuko straightens up, but fidgets. "We were, um... pretending to duel, Princess Akane. With swords."
"Oh!" You brighten. "That sounds fun! My cousin Lu Ten and I used to do that sometimes. May I join you, Mitsuko?"
"J-join -?" Mitsuko looks at you wide-eyed, then back at her friends, then back at you. She bows again. "O-of course, Princess Akane! We would be honored!"
Mitsuko hurries to find an appropriate stick to fashion a 'sword' for you from, and before long you and the other girls are engaged in heated combat. It's a little easy, like everything else - no one else seems to be quite as in shape as you are - at least until you and Mitsuko face off. She's fast. Ridiculously fast. And precise. She apologizes every time she manages to hit you, which is often, but you just laugh it off and tell her to keep fighting, this is fun. She knocks your stick out of your hand a couple times before you think you get the upper hand for once - and then she just ends up somehow spinning you around and knocking you over, falling on top of you. You both giggle as you catch your breath.
"Sorry, Princess," Mitsuko says again. "I forgot to hold back."
You snort. That doesn't exactly help heal your pride.
"Please, you don't need to apologize," you say. You smile up at her. "And you can call me Akane."
She smiles back.
* * * * *
89 AC (7 years old)
Fire Nation Royal Palace
You're idly moving through the motions of the air shield - using spinning fire instead, of course - next to one of the ponds in the courtyard when you hear them.
"...but is it not possible that something may have changed?" You think it's your father's voice - he's talking quietly, you don't turn to look at him, just tune it out. "He hasn't been seen for a century."
"He has not reincarnated," another voice - older, you don't recognize it - answers. "Either he is alive, or the cycle is broken. It does not... mutate."
Their voices fade a bit - despite yourself, your curiosity makes you end up straining your hearing to make out anything more. You switch to the water whip instead, to make less noise.
"...admit there's something unusual..." your father is saying.
"...certainly gifted..." the other replies.
"...four elements..."
"Not bending them... firebender..."
"...bloodline..."
"Not determined by blood..."
The conversation becomes too quiet to hear any more. After a few minutes of silence, you dare to glance over in the direction you last heard their voices from. Father is standing there, watching you practice.
He looks disappointed in you, even angry with you, and you don't know why. It's an unsettling feeling. You forget about it soon enough, though.
It's only a few short years before it comes back with a vengeance.
Note: This is a crosspost of a quest I run on a different site, posted here in story form. One of my readers requested this, and it sounded like a good way to get more exposure and discussion so I liked the idea of course, lol. The results of votes will be included here, since they're often a major part of the narrative, but I won't actually run votes on this forum.
Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy!
----------
Prologue: At Dawn
Year: 86 AC (4 years old)
Ember Island
Uncle breathes on the sticks and branches, and the campfire crackles to life. You squint against the light - even the flickering fire is hard to adjust to, after making your way down to the beach by moonlight - but you move closer automatically. It's chilly, this early.
"Do you intend to tell us why you've brought us here, Iroh?" Father asks.
"Patience, brother," Uncle murmurs. He crouches down and scoops his hand through the fire, lifting a bit of the flame up and out. Cupping it gently in his hands, he turns to face you. You hear Lu Ten make a tiny 'oh' behind you. "Can you hold this, Princess?" Uncle asks you, smiling.
Hold...? "Yes!" you blurt, holding out your hands.
“Gently, now,” Uncle cautions. Your cheeks redden. “I hear you have a talent for creating explosions.”
Well -
“Raw power is not a flaw,” Father says sharply. “It will not take long for her to learn control.”
“Of course, Ozai,” Uncle answers. His expression softens, and he slowly extends his hands to you. "Just remember your breathing," he reminds you.
Right. Breathing.
You take a slow breath, in and out, and then another. And at Uncle's nod, you reach out to take the fire. It passes from his hands to yours without resistance. You bring it close to your chest. It's warm. More than just warm. You can feel the energy, the power behind the fire, feel the same energy under your skin. And as you concentrate on keeping your breathing steady, you can feel - and see - the power of the fire in your hands wax and wane with each breath in and out.
Firebending is awesome.
"Now, Princess -"
A little breeze makes the fire flicker, and you automatically push a little -
"Careful!" Uncle gasps. Father's hand clamps down on your shoulder as the flame flares up to the size of your head, you hastily take a deep breath in and concentrate, try to keep it steady, steady -
After a few deep breaths in and out, you manage to let it shrink back down to its original size. You’re sweating by the time you finish. It’s more from Uncle and Father and Lu Ten’s stares than the actual heat.
“G-got it,” you say, smiling shakily. After another second staring at you, Uncle nods.
“Well done, Princess,” he says. “My, creating such large flames at your age. You’ll be a real terror when you’ve mastered the art, eh?” he teases. You giggle and nod.
Father squeezes your shoulder before letting go.
“Remember that the fire belongs to you, not the other way around,” he reminds you. “Never fear your own power.”
“Yes, Father,” you promise.
“Good,” he says. “Now, Iroh…?”
“Yes,” Uncle says. He turns back to the fire and scoops up another little flame, tossing it to Lu Ten, and then another for father and another for himself. “Lu Ten and I celebrated his first flame by doing this, back when he was - well, a couple years older than you, Princess. And now that your firstborn is beginning to bend, I thought I might induct you into our little tradition!”
You look up at Lu Ten and then at Father - Lu Ten gives you an encouraging smile, and Father glances down at you. They’re both holding their flames without any trouble. You keep your breathing steady and try to copy them.
“What does this tradition involve?” Father asks Uncle, raising an eyebrow.
Uncle points up towards the hill your beach house is on.
“The sun will be rising over the other side of the island soon,” he says. “We’ll walk up to meet it, and take our flames with us. Keeping the fire alive during the hike is a good exercise in control for the little ones.”
Lu Ten scoffs a little. “Dad…”
Uncle laughs. “You’ll always be little to me, my son.”
“Are you sure this hike will be okay for her, though?” Lu Ten asks. “She’s only four…”
You look up the hill. It’s not that far to walk, but with the fire… you guess Lu Ten did it, but still. Father looks between the hill and you, then nods to Uncle.
“She can do it,” he says simply.
And that decides it.
You do your best to power ahead, pushing yourself to keep your flame as strong and your pace as fast as you can while ascending the hill. (8)
You keep a steady, even pace as you climb, focused on nothing but keeping the fire steady as you close on the goal ahead. (6)
You let yourself fall into a sort of zen as you climb, just going with the flow and letting the fire do what it will, just naturally keeping it there in your hand. (5)
You let yourself focus on letting the size of the fire wax and wane as you climb, experimenting with your ability to change it while still controlling it. (0)
You keep a steady, even pace as you climb, focused on nothing but keeping the fire steady as you close on the goal ahead. (6)
You let yourself fall into a sort of zen as you climb, just going with the flow and letting the fire do what it will, just naturally keeping it there in your hand. (5)
You let yourself focus on letting the size of the fire wax and wane as you climb, experimenting with your ability to change it while still controlling it. (0)
"Come on, Akane!" Lu Ten urges, grinning at you. "Just a little farther!"
"Remember your breathing!" Uncle calls, again.
"Keep that fire strong!" Father tells you.
The hint of pride in his voice nearly makes your fire spin out of control. You grin and nod at everyone's urging, but you're too focused on gasping and heaving for breath to answer. Your legs and chest are burning, you're drenched in sweat - but your fire is burning as big as your whole upper body, and somehow you're still managing to keep it suspended there between your hands. It feels amazing, you don't even know how to describe it, it's like your body has an extra heart beating alongside the one inside you, the fire feels like it's just flowing through you, you're breathing it and pumping it through your body and it's just - amazing! You feel like you could run forever like this!
The pain in your legs kind of disagrees. Everyone else is so much bigger than you, keeping up with them was a lot harder than you expected.
"We made good time," Uncle says, climbing to the crest of the hill. "You can slow down if you want, Princess."
You shake your head and stubbornly power forward. You're not slowing down till you're done. Just one more step, then another, then another, and -
You grin triumphantly as you reach the top. "Did it," you gasp. Lu Ten laughs.
"I can't believe you did that!" he says, awed. "Was I that tough when I was four?"
"No," Father says bluntly, coming up behind you. "No, you were not. You cried. All the time."
Lu Ten mumbles something you can't hear over Uncle's guffaws.
"We've got a few minutes before sunrise," Father says, hand on your shoulder. "Here." He holds his waterskin to your mouth, and you drink up quickly - the water's getting warm just being near your flame. "Walk a bit to cool down."
"Got it," you gasp.
"And try to shrink that fire down a bit! You won't even be able to see the sunrise over the top of that thing!" Uncle teases.
He has a point, and you do as he says.
...The sunrise is beautiful.
You stand there and watch the sun peek over the horizon, you and Uncle Iroh and Father and Lu Ten. Father's hand stays on your shoulder, and your fire stays in your hands, a comforting second heartbeat. You're still breathing hard, but the burning in your muscles seems to settle down for a moment - a comfortable flame.
"Fire is the element of power," Uncle says. "Nothing can survive without power to sustain it, just as nothing can survive without the Sun to warm it."
"Fire is also the element of will," Father says. He squeezes your shoulder. "Your will is your sun, Akane. It is your light and the source of your fire. Lose it, and you die. Never forget that."
"Well said, little brother," Uncle murmurs.
You nod firmly. Your will is your sun.
You'll remember.
* * * * *
87 AC (5 years old)
Ember Island
You giggle at Zuko as he goes running off down the beach, yelling a tiny battle cry, and you giggle when your little 3-year-old brother heroically rescues a tiny turtlecrab from an eaglehawk. You look at him curiously when he pauses and looks between the two animals, and make a little face at him when he looks your way, giggling some more.
You stop giggling when the wave comes in and knocks him off his feet.
"Zuko!" Mother shouts. Father's already on his feet by the time Zuko hits the ground, and he's crossed the beach by the time the water drags Zuko out to sea. You sit there, paralyzed and staring, mouth still half-open from giggling. You don't think you move until Father comes back a few minutes later, a bawling and coughing Zuko cradled in his arms.
You look at the seawater spraying out of Zuko's mouth for a second. The second stretches out bizarrely long, like some spirit somehow crammed more time than usual into a tiny little moment. And then, finally, you start crying too.
Father comes to check on you a few hours later. You're sitting on the beach again, in the same spot. Zuko's still inside with Mother and little Azula, probably still throwing up salt water.
The ocean looks so calm, even now.
Father sighs as he sits down next to you. "Your brother will be fine," he says to you. Again. "The seawater turned his stomach, but he's alright."
You nod, still looking out at the sea.
"Are you alright, Akane?" Father asks pointedly. You nod again.
"...It was so fast," you say quietly.
"Yes," Father agrees. "It was."
"I couldn't do anything," you say.
"Hm." Father shifts in place. "You are still learning, and growing," he says after a moment. "You will be every bit as fast as I am, someday."
You shake your head. "I-I couldn't move -"
"Akane," Father says firmly. You turn to look at him, force yourself to meet his eyes. His gaze is intense - his eyes look like fire, more than any other firebender you've ever met. "You are a princess of the Fire Nation," he tells you. "You will learn to react to the unexpected, to survive whatever dangers confront you, to protect your family just as we protect this nation. You will not allow yourself to fear something as simple as the ocean. You are far, far stronger than it. Do I make myself clear?"
You nod, swallowing. You're stronger than the ocean. You are stronger than the ocean. You're Princess Akane. Of the Fire Nation.
The image of little Zuko getting swept out to sea in a heartbeat won't leave you alone. He's a prince, too.
"I will not fear the ocean," you tell Father, forcing strength into your voice. He nods firmly.
"Good."
You both look out at the sea, at the calm little waves lapping at the shore.
Just harmless water.
"Waterbenders must be awful to fight," you mumble, resting your head on your knees. Father barks out a laugh.
"Don't underestimate them," he says. "But don't fear them, either. If they've not been wiped out by the time your Grandfather and Uncle's reigns end, it will be Lu Ten and you who finish the task."
You shrug and nod. You guess. It seems far away. Father said once that the war will probably end soon after you become an adult, when Sozin's Comet returns. So you guess you won't have to worry about it for long.
"Come on," Father says. "It's getting late. Come inside and read one of your books. Keep building your head start on your studies before your schooling starts."
"Okay," you mumble, shrugging.
At least Father likes when you read stuff. Mom is always telling you to go play instead. And then she gets mad when you burn things. It's confusing.
You and Father start walking up to the beach house. You're partway there when an idea hits you.
"Father," you begin, "Do we have any scrolls on waterbending?"
"Scrolls on waterbending?" he echoes, raising an eyebrow at you. "There are likely some stored in the Royal Archives. Why? Curious to learn about your enemies?"
You nod. "I wanna know how they do it," you mumble, thinking back to that calm, harmless-looking sea.
"It could be a productive course of study," Father muses, nodding. "Uncle Iroh did much the same for a time, and claims it helped him learn to better face them in combat. I'll see about finding you something to read about them. Earthbending as well, perhaps?"
You nod and shrug. "Sure. I like reading."
"I'll see what I can find," Father says.
* * * * *
Even for a firebender, there's plentiful wisdom to be found in the other elements. Akane's choices can build up her affinity to each of the four elements, improving her ability to use insights from other bending arts to enhance her firebending with creative new techniques. Each element is associated with different traits and ideas.
Fire is the element of power. It is associated with aggression, will, audacity, dynamism, and passion.
Earth is the element of substance. It is associated with standing one's ground, facing things head-on, providing solid support, and methodical, steady action.
Air is the element of freedom. It is associated with evasion, going with the flow, forsaking attachment, and taking advantage of one's momentum.
Water is the element of change. It is associated with redirecting energy and potential, cyclical ebb and flow, and adapting quickly to the situation at hand.
Akane's approach to her initiation when she was 4 reflected a strong affinity for the element of fire. Of the elements aside from fire, which has she spent the most time studying as a hobby?
Air. (14)
Earth. (12)
Water. (7)
Earth. (12)
Water. (7)
* * * * *
87 AC
Royal Fire Academy for Girls
You looked forward to starting school for ages - you love reading and learning. It ends up being a massive let-down. The classes are too basic. The other children are too intimidated to talk to you. Even some of the teachers are. Even the firebending class ends up being boring because most of the kids here haven't ever even created fire before. Mother and Father say they're going to get the boring class situation fixed within a week or so - they just have to arrange some different tutors for you. But the situation with the other kids doesn't seem to be changing. It's a pain. It's not that you're lonely, but you'd like to make friends your age eventually. Mother certainly seems to think it's important. You have no idea how to fix it, though.
Fortunately, a solution drops itself in your lap one day while you're reading in the courtyard. Literally.
You blink at the stick that's just landed on your dress, and set your scroll aside to pick it up.
"Hey, can you toss that - o-oh," a girl's voice says. "Oh, wow, I'm - s-sorry!"
You look up - there's a girl there, taller than you, dark-skinned and pretty. A gaggle of other girls holding sticks are standing a few feet away, staring at you. The girl in front of you is already starting to kneel.
"Wait!" you blurt. She freezes, her eyes wide.
How do you... befriend someone?
"What is your name?" you ask her.
"Mitsuko, Princess Akane!" she barks, standing at attention.
You incline your head. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Mitsuko..."
"Daughter of Piandao," she supplies quickly. "Of Shu Jing!" She bends over double in the steepest bow you've ever seen, you have no idea how she even stays upright. "The honor is mine, Princess!"
You aren't familiar with her family, but she seems nice enough. You should likely befriend her. You haven't ever really spoken much with someone else your age, but it can't be that hard.
Ask Mitsuko what she was doing, and if you could join her. (17)
+ Make sure she knows there are no hard feelings. (13)
Ask Mitsuko if she would like to be friends. (9)
Simply inform Mitsuko she is now your friend, to eliminate any possible confusion. (9)
Invite Mitsuko to read with you. (4)
+ Make sure she knows there are no hard feelings. (13)
Ask Mitsuko if she would like to be friends. (9)
Simply inform Mitsuko she is now your friend, to eliminate any possible confusion. (9)
Invite Mitsuko to read with you. (4)
She looks as though she's afraid she's offended you, so the first step is likely to reassure her that's not the case.
"You are too kind," you say, smiling. You try to make sure your nervousness doesn't show on your face. "Please, you needn't bow." As she straightens, you hold out the stick to her. "Is this yours?"
She bows again, looking at the ground. "Yes, Princess," she says. "Forgive me, I didn't see you there."
"It's really alright," you insist. "Please, you don't need to bow. What were you playing?"
"Um." Mitsuko straightens up, but fidgets. "We were, um... pretending to duel, Princess Akane. With swords."
"Oh!" You brighten. "That sounds fun! My cousin Lu Ten and I used to do that sometimes. May I join you, Mitsuko?"
"J-join -?" Mitsuko looks at you wide-eyed, then back at her friends, then back at you. She bows again. "O-of course, Princess Akane! We would be honored!"
Mitsuko hurries to find an appropriate stick to fashion a 'sword' for you from, and before long you and the other girls are engaged in heated combat. It's a little easy, like everything else - no one else seems to be quite as in shape as you are - at least until you and Mitsuko face off. She's fast. Ridiculously fast. And precise. She apologizes every time she manages to hit you, which is often, but you just laugh it off and tell her to keep fighting, this is fun. She knocks your stick out of your hand a couple times before you think you get the upper hand for once - and then she just ends up somehow spinning you around and knocking you over, falling on top of you. You both giggle as you catch your breath.
"Sorry, Princess," Mitsuko says again. "I forgot to hold back."
You snort. That doesn't exactly help heal your pride.
"Please, you don't need to apologize," you say. You smile up at her. "And you can call me Akane."
She smiles back.
* * * * *
89 AC (7 years old)
Fire Nation Royal Palace
You're idly moving through the motions of the air shield - using spinning fire instead, of course - next to one of the ponds in the courtyard when you hear them.
"...but is it not possible that something may have changed?" You think it's your father's voice - he's talking quietly, you don't turn to look at him, just tune it out. "He hasn't been seen for a century."
"He has not reincarnated," another voice - older, you don't recognize it - answers. "Either he is alive, or the cycle is broken. It does not... mutate."
Their voices fade a bit - despite yourself, your curiosity makes you end up straining your hearing to make out anything more. You switch to the water whip instead, to make less noise.
"...admit there's something unusual..." your father is saying.
"...certainly gifted..." the other replies.
"...four elements..."
"Not bending them... firebender..."
"...bloodline..."
"Not determined by blood..."
The conversation becomes too quiet to hear any more. After a few minutes of silence, you dare to glance over in the direction you last heard their voices from. Father is standing there, watching you practice.
He looks disappointed in you, even angry with you, and you don't know why. It's an unsettling feeling. You forget about it soon enough, though.
It's only a few short years before it comes back with a vengeance.
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