Avatar: The Fall of the Fire Empire (AU, PG-13)

[mastergandalf]

Avatar: The Fall of the Fire Empire

Prologue: Conquest

I remember a time when there was hope.

For a hundred years the Fire Nation waged war on the other nations of the world. Water Tribe, Air Nomads, my own beloved Earth Kingdom all fought valiantly for our freedom, but to no avail. The Air Nomads fell first, for the Fire Lord believed that the Avatar had been reborn among them, and so he hit them with all of his power. They were a brave people, but peaceful. They knew little of war, and in the end war consumed them.

For a century afterwards the war ground on, and every few years a rumor would resurface that the Avatar lived and would save the world. All prove false, until one- a boy named Aang was said to have airbending powers, and to have mastered the basics of waterbending as well. But that hope was short lived- he was captured by Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation and born back to the prince’s homeland in chains. Imprisoned in the depths of the Fire Lord’s fortress, he was never heard from again.

That summer Sozin’s Comet returned and enhanced the powers of the firebenders a thousandfold. Fire Lord Ozai assaulted Ba Sing Se himself, along with his elite warriors, and the great city was leveled to the ground. My advisors had kept the war secret from me- for my own protection, they protested as the palace burned around us- and so I watched my world destroyed without knowing fully why, and I wept for my people. Ozai came for me himself- I will never forget his smirk- and bound me to take me back to his Nation. A dead king, he said, would be a martyr- an imprisoned and humiliated one a joke.

Then his daughter rushed in, telling the Fire Lord that her brother Zuko had been killed in the fighting. Neither firebender seemed overly concerned, and I have wondered often if one or both of them had not arranged the honorable prince’s death.

Standing on the ashes of my palace, Ozai proclaimed himself the Phoenix King, absolute ruler of all four nations (I was to learn later that at the same time as Ba Sing Se fell, a certain Admiral Zhao led a vast fleet to attack the Northern Water Tribe. With the comet’s power behind them, the battle was intense but brief). Then he had me loaded onto an airship and transported to the Fire Nation, where I was locked in a cell and largely forgotten, save by a single sympathetic guard who brought me news.

Another century is almost past, and the great Fire Empire rules the world unchallenged. Old Ozai is long dead, and his daughter is an old woman now (though not as old as I!). She took the throne of Fire Lord following her father’s passing, and gave herself the personal title Dragon Empress. Even in her age, her wits and firebending powers are as sharp as ever, though I have heard rumors that she is no longer entirely sane. The Dragon Empress has no heir, and I have heard the guards talking fearfully of the future. When that dreaded monarch is no more, they think that the power struggles will tear the Empire apart.

I am older than she is and likely will not see that day. The guards allowed me paper to write this, because they know that no one will ever read it. But I hope that someday, somehow, it will be read. This tyranny cannot last forever- it never does. Sooner or later the captive Avatar will die- if he has not already done so- and then his spirit will be reborn into the world. Even if the Fire Empire somehow manages to silence him again, oppression breeds heroes. Sooner or later, someone in some oppressed village of the former Earth Kingdom or Water Tribe- or even the Fire Nation itself- will decide that they have suffered enough and will lead their people to freedom.

I believe this with all my heart and soul. I must. To all those who resist the Empire, I give you these ancient words of wisdom- “from beginningless time darkness has thrived in the void, but it always leaves to purifying light.” I thought I could be that light once. Now it must be new heroes who will take the challenge. My blessings and those of all the spirits be with you, whoever you are.

You will need them.

(From the writings of Kuei, once Earth King, during the last days of his imprisonment under Dragon Empress Azula, year 89 post-ascension)

[mastergandalf]

Chapter 1: Rite of Passage

Jiazin came awake as the sun’s first rays slipped around the edges of her window shade and bathed her bed in soft golden light. She lay there for several minutes more, luxuriating in the light that was shone from the first and greatest of all fires, before rising. Today was her birthday- in the dark hours of the night had passed the precise anniversary of when she had been born, and today she was now officially sixteen. This had been the customary age of majority in the old Fire Nation, but for a child of the nobility of the Fire Empire adulthood had to be earned. Jiazin smiled confidently as she swung out of her bed and stretched. She had been training for this day for the better part of a year.

The young noblewoman walked to the window and opened the shade so that she could look down on the great city of which her father was Governor. It was called Long Du Shi, City of the Dragon, so named in honor of the great Empress who had ruled now for almost fifty years. She had ordered the city’s construction within the first months of her reign upon the sight of what had once been the great capital of the fallen Earth Kingdom, Ba Sing Se. The Impenetrable City had failed spectacularly to live up to its name, having been burnt to the ground by Phoenix King Ozai on the day of the great Comet, but the great Fire Lord’s daughter felt that by rebuilding it as an Imperial stronghold through and through, ultimate victory could be achieved over a vanquished people and the Empire’s glory multiplied.

The city was still quiet in the early morning as Jiazin watched it. Her father’s palace stood at its hub, upon the very sight (or so the original blueprints said) where the Earth King once had his palace. Radiating outward, the buildings of Long Du Shi greatly resembled those of old Ba Sing Se, as per the Empress’s precise instructions, though they were dominated not by drab greens and browns but the bright red and gold of the Fire Empire. This is our city now, the colors said. You have lost.

Expansive though Long Du Shi was, it still only covered what had been the Inner and Middle Rings of Ba Sing Se. Beyond the wall lay a vast construction area, as earthbender slaves worked under the watchful eye of firebending taskmasters to build the city out to the full extent that the Earth King’s city had once occupied. Only that, Jiazin knew, would satisfy her father and the Empress. The slaves were driven hard, she knew, but she also knew that the people of the Earth Kingdom had been little more than barbarians until Fire Lord Sozin had come to give them proper rule. They should be honored, she thought, to have a chance to work on the Dragon Empress’s city now.

Though she always drew pride from watching her father’s city rise, Jiazin knew that she had delayed long enough. Turning from the window, she pulled a silken cord and was quickly joined by a pair of young servant girls, who bowed deeply and respectfully to her. The governor’s daughter stood perfectly still and allowed them to removed her sleeping robe and dress her in the clothing that her day would require- a warrior’s black tunic and red pants, though both were trimmed with gold to show her station. Moving over to her mirror, Jiazin sat down and her servants combed her dark hair and pulled it back into a topknot held together by a golden pin. Rising again, she motioned for them to bring her sword belt and buckle it around her waist. Resting her hand on the hilt of the weapon that her father and grandfather had borne before her, Jiazin strode from the room and sough her parents.

They were waiting for her in the dining room, Mother sitting elegantly in her chair and nibbling on a fruit, while Father was already working on some official decree. Jiazin sighed- she’d hoped that he’d pay more attention to his family than his work today of all days- but did not try to interrupt. The Governor of Long Du Shi was the type of man who apparently did not know how to delegate. When combined with his natural gift for administration, that was what made him so valuable to the Empire.

“Good morning Father, Mother,” Jiazin said formally with a respectful bow. “Sixteen years ago today I came into this world. I am now prepared to step into adulthood.” She smiled slightly after finishing the ritual phrase- she hadn’t stumbled at all.

Father looked up from his work, his face expressionless. “May you bring honor upon us and all your family,” he intoned, completing the ritual. Then he gave his daughter a rare smiled. “Good luck,” he said softly.

Mother stood and glided over to Jiazin. “You look beautiful,” she said. “I’m certain you do wonderfully.”

Jiazin smiled. “I plan to,” she said. “I think it’s going to be quite a show.”

“I hope so,” Father put in. “You’ll have someone of high importance in your audience. High Minister Qing Xi arrived here last night, and he specifically asked to watch you today.”

Jiazin paled. High Minister Qing Xi, the most important person in the Empire after the Dragon Empress herself, would be watching her. She’d seen the man before on his frequent visits to Long Du Shi, but only from a distance- he didn’t have time to waste on children, even the daughters of governors. She wasn’t sure why he took an interest in her now, but one thing was for certain- where Qing Xi walked, the world shifted around him.

Quieting her fear- or at least shoving it into the background where it could do no visible harm- Jiazin allowed herself a tight smile. “Then I hope the High Minister isn’t disappointed,” she whispered.

#############

Dragon Empress Azula had been known in her youth as a great warrior- a true firebending master even in her teens. As a result, she had little patience with young nobles who had learned to do nothing but laze about in decadent splendor, and when she took the throne she made certain that all the children of the Imperial elite had useful skills to put forth in the service of the Fire Empire from a young age.

Thus she had instituted the Agni Li, which all of the nobility had to perform before being granted the full rights and honors of adulthood. For those of scholarly and political inclination, this took the form of an extended debate with experts on Imperial law and customs; but for those like Jiazin, whose skills lay along a more martial path, the test took an altogether different and more dangerous form.

A huge arena, capable of seating half the population of Long Du Shi, stood adjacent of the Governor’s palace. Most commonly it was used for the Agni Kai, an honor duel between two firebenders, or else for the execution of particularly notorious rebels and traitors. Today it would be the site of Jiazin’s Agni Li, and as she strode onto the sands from beneath one of the entrance arches, the sun shining down overhead, she could hear the gathered crowd cheering for her.

Jiazin strode into the center of the arena and looked up at the high box where her mother and father sat. Both of her parents kept their faces perfectly expressionless, but she knew them well enough to sense both their fear and pride. Beside them sat an elaborate golden litter, and behind its gauzy red curtains she could make out the silhouetted figure of a man who could only be Qing Xi. Putting the High Minister from her mind, Jiazin drew her sword with a flourish and saluted her parents. Her father raised his hand and brought in cutting down, and the Agni Li began.

From the four corners of the arena stepped four warriors in full battled armor and wielding drawn swords. They would not fight to kill- Agni Li were never lethal- but if they defeated her then she would have to wait another year to be accounted a full adult. Silently she vowed not to let that happen.

The challengers advanced and began to circle around her. Jiazin waited for them to make their move, trying to anticipate which one of them would be first- there. The warrior who had emerged from the eastern corner lunged forward, sword raised for a downward stroke, but Jiazin met it with her own steel. For a moment the weapons pressed against each other, the eastern warrior knowing that he had the advantage of strength and size, but the governor’s daughter suddenly pulled away with a flourish, and his own momentum send him plowing into the ground. From the stands came the crowd’s laughter.

Jiazin knew better than to allow herself to become complacent. There was more than one opponent here, and she leaped aside just in time to avoid a stroke from the western warrior. As he righted himself for another strike, she leapt into the air and somersaulted over his head, landing immediately behind him. The warrior spun around, and Jiazin struck him in the forehead with the pommel of her sword, sending him collapsed to the ground in an unconscious heap.

Now all three of her remaining opponents were back on their feet and closing in. Sweeping her sword back and forth, Jiazin held them at bay, made them think that she was desperate. Then she gave a fierce smile and dropped into a crouch. Her free hand came up, and from it shot a blast of red-hot flames, striking two of the warriors in quick succession. Both of them stumbled backwards, dropping their swords and trying desperately to peel off superheated armor. That was two more foes down.

One opponent remained- the man she had downed in the beginning of the duel and the crowd had taunted. He glared at her from beneath his helmet, his sword held at the ready to avenge his humiliation. Jiazin considered using the fire on him too, then decided against it. She would face this opponent sword to sword.

Quick as a dragon she lunged forward and he brought his sword up in defense. Back and forth, strike and parry, they fought, until both opponents were tired and sweaty and faced each other across their crossed swords. Then Jiazin twisted her wrist sharply, and her opponent’s sword was wrenched from his grasp and flung across the field. Her own blade shot quickly upward and pressed against his throat.

“Yield,” Jiazin hissed.

“I yield, my lady,” he gasped and sunk to the ground in defeat. Jiazin looked out at the crumpled forms of her opponents and smiled. Agni Li warriors were chosen for loyalty, not skill- it wouldn’t do to have a skilled traitor take the life of a high nobleman’s child, after all- but still, defeating four of them in front of a crowd was an accomplishment. More importantly, Jiazin had passed her test. She was an adult now, a noble of the Empire in her own right.

She turned back towards the box and brought her sword up in salute once more, this time shooting a stream of flames into the sky with her free hand as well. The crowd burst into applause, and though it was hard to tell from this distance, her mother’s eyes seemed wet with tears she didn’t even try to hide. Even Father looked proud.

And beside him, the High Minister’s silhouette could be seen clapping its hands together with regal dignity, and Jiazin could sense that his eyes were focused on her with the intensity of a hawk.

#############

That evening, long after she had been cleaned after her duel and lead to her birthday feast, Jiazin stood in her training room and brought her sword through a series of swift, clean practice strokes, punctuated now and then by a blast of fire. She finished, and turned to see one of the servant girls standing in the doorway.

“Forgive me, my lady,” she said, “but High Minister Qing Xi sent me. I was told to tell you he wishes the presence of your company.”

Jiazin had been waiting for something like this all day, ever since she’d noticed how intently he’d been watching her. The High Minister had disappeared after the Agni Li, not even putting in a polite appearance at her feast, and she’d wondered if he’d returned to the Capital already. Apparently he was still around.

Jiazin sheathed her sword. “Take me to him,” she said.

The girl lead her to an observation platform atop the palace, where her father often came to watch the activities of the city while he worked. Now, as the sun sank slowly past the horizon and the first of the stars were appearing, the platform was empty save for the High Minister’s litter near the edge. The servant bowed and departed, and Jiazin stepped forward to stand next to Qing Xi’s conveyance.

“It is magnificent, isn’t it?” the High Minister said suddenly in a cultured, aristocratic voice. “Truly amazing what your father was able to accomplish here. This began as a construction project when he took command, and he turned it into a bustling metropolis that the Empress finds to be one of the jewels of her domain.” The silhouette turned to look at Jiazin. “I would expect his daughter to be equally talented.”

“You called me up here,” she said. “What do you want with me?”

Qing Xi chuckled. “Direct and to the point, I see- a noble quality in some situations, but one which you should learn to keep under control. There are those who find bluntness offensive. Fortunately for you, I am not one of them. I was most impressed by your Agni Li this morning, Jiazin. You are truly a talented warrior, and from what I saw of your bending you are skilled in that area as well.”

Jiazin shrugged. “Wasn’t that why the Empress started Agni Li in the first place? To make sure that her nobility would all be skilled at something?”

“Indeed. Tell me, Jiazin, what do you know about the Empress?”

Jiazin searched her mind for old history lessons. “Not much,” she admitted. “Either my tutor didn’t know much or he wasn’t allowed to tell- probably a bit of both. Fire Lord Azula, who prefers to be called the Dragon Empress, was the only child of Phoenix King Ozai, who won the Great War and created the Empire. She made his victory possible by leading the team of warriors that captured the Avatar, a task he would trust only to her. She is the most powerful bender of any element alive, and quite possibly the greatest firebender in history. For the last few decades she has rarely left her palace.” Jiazin looked over at the High Minister. “That’s it.”

From behind his curtain she got the sense that Qing Xi was smiling strangely, though what is was about the expression that struck her as odd she couldn’t say- maybe it she could have gotten a better look at him. “Very good, Jiazin,” he said. “Very good. Now then, you know that the Empress relies on her ministers to carry out those tasks that are beneath her royal dignity, and that I am the leader of those ministers. It is on the Empress’s business that I have come here today- to see you.”

“To see me?” Jiazin’s head spun. “What does the Dragon Empress want with me? I’ve never even met her- unless you count seeing her give a speech once, a long time ago.”

“The Empress and I,” Qing Xi said grandly, “require your services- in a matter that could mean the salvation of the Fire Empire.”

[blueslayzler]

it's really good, the best one i've seen in this forum, great plot, great characters, please, write more!

[mastergandalf]

Chapter 2: The Forgotten People

The cold arctic wind knifed through the air, and Kanoda drew closer to the fire for warmth. Looking around himself, he saw the other people of the village doing the same, pulling closer to the flame and scrunching up in their furs, looking almost like children rather than the last remnants of a great people. Kanoda had never lived to see the glory days of the Southern Water Tribe, and had certainly never seen the lands their mightier cousin in the north had once ruled, but he knew about the past through his grandfather’s stories. It saddened him to hear that and then see what his people had come to, and he suspected that was the old man’s purpose.

Grandfather stood now, looking dignified and almost regal. As the oldest person in the village, he was the closest thing the Water Tribe now had to a chief, since no one had been formally elevated to that position in the century since Chief Hakoda had traveled with his warriors to battle the Fire Nation and never returned. None who lived now could even remember the great leader’s face- even Grandfather had been a toddler when he’d left. But Grandfather did remember Hakoda’s son Sokka and daughter Katara, and the day that the Avatar had come to the Southern Tribe.

Grandfather would tell that story tonight, saving it for last. He began, as always, with the beginning of the Water Tribes, when the Moon and Ocean Spirits descended from the Spirit World and became the two forces that shaped the existence of all seafaring people. But it was the Water Tribe that followed the rhythm of those two great beings the closest, and so learned how to control the water themselves.

At that point of the story Grandfather always paused, and the entire village lowered their heads in quiet mourning. There had been no waterbenders in a hundred years- the last the Southern Tribe had produced was the same Katara who left with the Avatar and was never heard from again, and the Northern Tribe had been destroyed by fire and sword on the day of the Comet and the birth of the Fire Empire. Even if there was a new waterbender born, they would have no master to help them perfect their powers. Waterbending, as an art, was dead.

Water and air- two elements gone, and if the stories were true the earthbenders had become little more than slaves in the lands their people once ruled. Kanoda wanted to rage at the injustice of it all- something was terribly wrong with this world, and everybody knew it, but they were all too afraid to act! If any time needed heroes it was now, but heroes didn’t seem to exist anymore except in Grandfather’s stories.

Kanoda’s attention returned to the present and he found that the old man had turned to the part of the history he knew best- the finding of the Avatar. The young man leaned forward as his grandfather told of how Sokka and Katara had found the Avatar frozen in a block of ice, and brought him back safely to the village. Then came Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation is his monstrous metal warship, but Sokka and the Avatar were able to humiliate the prince and escape his clutches, and together with Katara set off for the Northern Tribe and a waterbending master. Zuko’s ship steamed off in pursuit, leaving the village unharmed.

And there the story ended. None of the three young people had ever been heard from again, at least not in the South Pole. The Fire Nation won the war and became an empire- the only reason the Southern Water Tribe survived at all was because the Imperial government didn’t consider them any kind of threat, on the rare occasion they thought of them at all.

Grandfather said none of this last, of course. He didn’t have to- everyone knew it. They were a last pathetic remnant of a great people, but Grandfather’s stories were meant to remind them that the seeds of greatness were still within them. That belief, coupled with simple, stubborn endurance, was all that kept the tribe alive.

But years of listening to them had done something else as well- they had lit a fire in Kanoda that would not die. This world needed heroes more than it ever had, and one young Water Tribe hunter hoped to provide it with one.

############

Kanoda is five when the Imperial warship comes, blown off course in a terrible storm. The winds howl and a curtain of snow prevents visibility for more than a few feet, and the people of the Southern Tribe hide in their huts and wait for it to end. When the storm clears, the warship sits in the bay, belching steam from a smokestack.

Kanoda doesn’t know why they attack- maybe the firebenders needed food, or supplies to repair their ship. Or maybe they were frustrated by the storm and just wanted the pleasure of dominating something. For whatever reason the warriors swarm ashore, and the villagers are forced to flee in terror and confusion. Kanoda’s father is cut off in the chaos and finds himself facing the enemy alone. An Imperial officer cuts him down with a contemptuous fireblast- the boy will never forget the way the flames reflected in his golden eyes, or the smile on his brutal features. Someday, he vows, he’ll meet the officer again as a grown man, and then he’ll be sorry. Then Grandfather’s hand digs into his shoulder and drags him away.

The village is destroyed, though there are only three casualties- Father, another man, and a woman. The tribe moves down the coast and establishes a new village, and there they mourn their dead. Later scouts return to the old site and find it ransacked, anything of value taken away. The Imperial ship, of course, is long gone.

It is a day that Kanoda and his tribe will never forget.

############

Kanoda came awake with a start, shaking his head to clear sleep from it. He’d never forgotten the day of the raid, but he was fifteen now, not five, and he had the skills to make a difference. Tonight was the night his plan went into action.

He stood slowly, quietly, careful not to disturb his mother’s sleep. Wishing her a quiet goodbye, hoping that she would understand, Kanoda crept from the igloo and out into the night.

The village was still and quiet, and he made his way unnoticed from his home down to the beach. There, behind an ice-covered rock, was his small boat, stocked with food and weapons to last him until he reached the shores of the former Earth Kingdom. Kanoda turned to the village and stood there quietly for several minutes, taking in his last look at the Southern Water Tribe for what he assumed would be years- perhaps forever. Finally he turned back to the boat with a sigh- and stumbled back when he saw that someone was sitting in it.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Grandfather asked pleasantly.

“How did you get here?” Kanoda demanded. “I was sneaking away in secret!”

“Hardly. The whole village knows what you’re up to. Did you really think you could keep a secret in a town of less than sixty people?”

Kanoda deflated. “Fine. You caught me. I’ll go back home and stay there until I’m older than you are.” Try as he might, he couldn’t quite keep the bitterness out of his voice.

Grandfather laughed. “Well, that’s what I’m supposed to tell you- use this as a lesson that you can’t just sneak away from your Tribe like that, make you promise to be a good little boy and all that. I just don’t think I will.”

“What?”

Grandfather’s eyes turned hard. “Kanoda, you’re impetuous, foolhardy, and far too idealistic for your own good. But you’re right about one thing- this world does need people who are willing to fight. An Empire cannot live if its people would rather fight- even to the death- than be ruled by it. You’re probably not going to bring it down by yourself, of course, but maybe if you inspire one other person to fight, and they inspire someone else, and so forth, the end result will be a wave that will crush the Fire Empire beneath it.”

“That’s not the only reason why you’re letting me go, is it?” Kanoda asked. “You don’t really believe that anymore.”

Grandfather sighed and lowered his head. “I try. I really try to believe, but I have to give hope and pride to our people every night, and in the end there isn’t any left over for myself. I’m tired, grandson. The Fire Empire cannot be beaten by one man, Kanoda- it is too strong, the Empress too cunning. The only reason we’re still free is because they barely know we exist. If you try to bring it down all by yourself, it will only lead to your death. I hope that you learn that and return home, with your courage tempered by wisdom, to become a leader here. I’d ask you not to go, but I know it will do no good, and I will not forbid you, because I won’t trap you here.”

“You mean you’ve just… given up?” Kanoda asked. “I can’t believe this, from the man who tells the history of our people every night! You think that story’s just going to end here? You think that the man who killed your son should just go unpunished?”

“No,” Grandfather said. “That is something you can accomplish. Find the man who killed your father, and show him how a true warrior exacts justice.”

“I’ll do that.” Kanoda jumped into his boat, and Grandfather stepped out. Turning, the old man put his hands on his grandson’s shoulders.

“Good luck,” he whispered. “Show no fear.”

“I won’t. Good-bye, Grandfather. I’ll be back- I promise.” Kanoda pushed his boat away from the shore and pulled on his oars, sending himself away from the shoreline. When he turned back to look at it, Grandfather was gone.

Kanoda faced the north, his mind fixed on a mission. Not to find his father’s killer- though he’d gladly face the man given the chance. This was a grander mission. He was going to prove Grandfather wrong- the history of the Water Tribe wasn’t over.

Kanoda was going to find the lost secrets of waterbending and return them to his people.

############

Kanoda’s grandfather stood beside the boy’s mother and looked out over the sea in the dawn’s light. “He’ll be back in a week,” the old man said, “maybe less. He has a strong heart, but it’s too much for him now- something he needs to learn for himself. When he’s older though- then he’ll be a greater leader than I am, I think.”

“You underestimate him,” his daughter-in-law said. “He has his father’s courage and your love of our people’s heritage. He’ll change the world yet- you’ll see.”

Together the two Water Tribe members stood silently and watched the sun rise for some time before returning to their village.

[mastergandalf]

Chapter 3: Honor and Prestige

Jiazin rapped lightly on the door of her father’s office.

“Who’s there?” came the terse reply from the other side. “I’m busy.”

Jiazin sighed. Did her father ever do anything but work? She knew full well that what he did benefited the Empire and brought honor to their family, but on a personal level it could get incredibly annoying. “It’s me,” she said. “I need to talk to you.”

The door opened and Father was standing there, looking like he often did by this point in the evening- disheveled and exhausted. He always started out each morning the very picture of a dignified Imperial nobleman, but by the time the sun set work had caught up with grooming and left it in the dust. “Jiazin,” he said with a tired smile. “Come in. Have you been enjoying your birthday?”

“I have,” she said. “But that’s not what I’m here to talk about. Earlier this evening, High Minister Qing Xi sent a servant to say he wanted to talk to me.”

Father put his hands on Jiazin’s shoulders excitedly and looked her straight in the eyes. “What did the High Minister say?” he asked.

“Well, he talked about how he was impressed by my Agni Li this morning, and talked a little bit about the Empress- nothing big,” she said when Father’s eyes went wide, “just about what I already knew about her. And then- then he said that he needed my help to save the Empire and that he wants me to come to the Capital with him. He wouldn’t say why.”

“Jiazin, this is incredible!” Father began to pace excitedly around the room. “To be given a task of such importance from the High Minister himself!” He looked at his daughter straight on, expression crafty. “Are you absolutely certain he didn’t say what he wanted you to do, or why he thinks the Fire Empire needs ‘saving’?”

Jiazin shook her head. “I asked him, but he just smiled and said I’d find out when we got to the Capital. It was kind of annoying, actually, but I didn’t think it would be smart to tell him that.”

Father chuckled. “Of course it wouldn’t. Qing Xi deals in secrets, Jiazin- knowing things that no one else does helped get him his position in the first place, and I think he rather enjoys being mysterious. But this is so exciting for you- when do you leave?”

“Tomorrow morning. I think that I’m actually the whole reason he came out here, believe it or not. Now that he has me, he can head home.” Jiazin shook her head. “I don’t even know what I did to interest him in the first place.”

“As I said, the High Minister works in mysterious ways. But I do know this, Jiazin- those who serve him well go far. This will bring honor and prestige to you and our entire family! I must tell your mother!” With that, the Governor of Long Du Shi hurried from his office, leaving Jiazin there alone.

“Honor and prestige,” she muttered. “That’s what you really care about, isn’t it?” It was a somewhat unfair criticism, and Jiazin knew it- the favor of the Empress and her ministers was essential to any noble family, and Father did love his wife and daughter, even though it often seemed he had little time for them. But she had to admit that the fact that he’d thought of the political benefits of the High Minister’s request hurt just a little.

############

The next morning, Jiazin walked with her parents, High Minister Qing Xi, and an escort of guards down the streets of Long Du Shi to where the train waited to bear them to the docks. Crowds of citizens had turned out- it wasn’t every day one saw the governor and his whole family out for a walk, much less with the Empress’s right hand in tow. This close to the palace most of the people were quite well off and of Fire Nation descent, and the Governor was popular and respected. In the outer rings, where there were more people of Earth Kingdom stock who remembered that they had once had a proud and independent nation of their own, things were different.

The train was a cylinder of black iron decorated with images of stylized flames. Once, trains like this had been run by the power of a handful of earthbenders, but that had been ended when the Fire Nation leveled the original Ba Sing Se. The trains of Long Du Shi were purely technological, powered by burning coal, and a plume of black smoke rose steadily from a stack as this particular transport waited for its passengers.

The governor’s family climbed into their car, accompanied by their guards, while Qing Xi’s litter was loaded by his own guards into the car behind them. “Why doesn’t he ever get out of that thing?” Jiazin asked when she was certain he couldn’t here. “Can he walk?”

“It’s just theatrics,” Mother said. “It makes him look like royalty to be carried around like that all the time- and it makes him more mysterious when people can’t see his face when he’s talking to them.”

“More mystery,” Jiazin muttered. “Dad told me last night that the High Minister loves that kind of thing.”

“And he isn’t the only one. I grew up in the Capital, Jiazin- the Empress loves intrigues, and that entire city is thick with them.” Mother looked at her carefully. “Watch yourself while your there. It can be a dangerous place.”

“Mother, I’ve been to the Capital before.”

“Never by yourself.” Mother smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry too much, though. You’re smart, a good bender, and you know what to do with that sword. You’ll do fine.”

The rest of the trip passed in silence, Mother looking at her lap, Jiazin at the city, and Father at some report or other from one of his underlings. Finally they passed through the outer wall- not nearly so high as the famed walls of Ba Sing Se had supposedly been, but in Jiazin’s opinion even more impressive, as they were coated with iron and topped with a row of black spikes- and crossed the plain to the docks.

The train came to a stop and belched a satisfied cloud of black smoke, and the passengers stepped out of it. Jiazin saw the High Minister’s ship- larger and more magnificent than any vessel she had ever seen- waiting for them in the harbor. The young noblewoman turned back to her parents.

“I’m going to miss you both,” she said. Her mother rushed forward and wrapped her in a tight embrace.

“Good luck, Jiazin,” she said emotionally, then pulled away.

“Remember to write,” Father said with a smile. “I want to know everything that happens to you.”

“Everything?” came a cultured voice from behind him, and all three turned to see the High Minister’s litter being borne towards them. “Now, now, Governor- I can’t let your daughter get away with sending you state secrets.”

“Of course not,” Father said, bowing. “I didn’t mean to imply that she should.” He turned back to his daughter. “Good-bye, Jiazin. I know you’ll serve splendidly however High Minister Qing Xi requires. I will miss you.” His tone was even, but Jiazin could see in his eyes that he meant it.

“I’ll miss you, too,” she said, surprising even herself by wrapping him in a tight hug. Father patted her on the back awkwardly, and then she released him and went to stand by Qing Xi.

“Well, then,” the High Minister said. “With that taken care of, we must be off. I am on a tight schedule, after all.”

###########

Tong grunted and planted his feet, the four other earthbenders in line beside him doing the same. Behind them, the taskmaster raised his fire whip above his head and cracked it- not to cause pain (at least not this time) but to signal the slaves to begin. As one they brought their hands together and pulled them back, and in front of them a stone wall shot up from the ground.

The taskmaster (he’d never told the slaves his name) stepped forward to inspect their handiwork. “Crude,” he said, “but why should I expect otherwise? It does appear serviceable.” Tong sighed in relief- coming from the cruel firebender, that was almost praise. He seemed to be in a relatively good mood, and probably wouldn’t burn any of them today if they kept the quality up.

Once, the elders said, the earthbenders had their own nation- a great Earth Kingdom that spanned the continent. Tong wasn’t sure he believed that- all he had ever known was crushing poverty and the tyranny of the Fire Empire, and then enslavement when his earthbending manifested itself. Under the old Phoenix King known Earthbenders had been killed, but his daughter was of a cannier sort. The Empress was loathe to waste a valuable resource, provided there was no chance it could rebel.

There was no chance of rebellion from most of the earthbender slaves- their will to fight was crushed out of them at an early age. They learned only the most basic techniques needed for construction in a closely supervised environment, meaning that even if a slave did chose to fight back, it was no challenge for a firebending overseer to put them back in their place. It was perfectly safe for the Empire to use them on expansive construction projects, such as Long Du Shi. Tong and the work gang to which he belonged were working on expanding the docks. The Fire Empire had a vast navy, and apparently High Admiral Yuan had been complaining to the governor. Tong knew this because the taskmaster’s superiors had been complaining to him- a fact he made his slaves very painfully aware of.

Tong paused to wipe the sweat from his brow while the taskmaster inspected the newly-raised seawall. Looking up, the young slave saw some kind of gathering at a dock near them- a large group of people, all well dressed, some preparing to board a ship. He elbowed the man next to him. “What’s going on over there?” he asked quietly.

“Don’t ask me,” the other slave said. “Do I look like the Governor’s personal secretary? I just build stuff, same as you.”

“It is the governor,” one of the other slaves hissed, his eyes burning. “I worked in the inner city for years- that’s him. He’s the reason we’re living like this!”

Tong knew what was coming a moment before it happened. The will to fight had been crushed out of the slaves, but sometimes one just… snapped, and the results were never pretty for anyone involved. The wild-eyed slave stood there for a moment, then he roared at the top of his lungs and grabbed the earth with both hands. With a grunt he pulled out a lumpy block of stone and hurled it at the Governor.

It never hit. A slender figure near the Governor exploded into motion, drawing a sword that was instantly limed with fire. The blade struck the boulder dead on and it exploded into red-hot fragments. Looking through the debris, Tong could make out the figure- a girl about his own age, her features possessed of the cold beauty of the aristocracy, her golden eyes burning with fierce determination.

The slave who’d attacked stood there open mouthed, but not for long. The taskmaster hurried over with his whip of fire at the ready and began striking the man repeatedly and savagely. Tong stared in horror, as he always did at beatings where he wasn’t on the receiving end, and stepped forward to try and help in some way. A hand touched his arm, and he turned to see the fourth member of the work gang, a sad-eyed older man.

“Don’t,” he said. “You can’t do any good there. You’ll just get beat too.”

“So should I do nothing at all for him?” Tong asked. “I wasn’t going to step in- just offer to help him up when it’s over, is all.”

“No. But there’s a right moment for that sort of thing, and this isn’t it.”

“’This sort of thing’? What do you mean, old man?” Tong demanded, but the other slave didn’t respond.

“Who was she?” the second slave asked absently. “That girl who saved the Governor?”

“Jiazin,” the old man said. “His daughter. Must have been- I’ve heard she’s real good with firebending and that sword.”

“Jiazin.” Tong repeated the name, enjoying the sound of it. It struck him as ironic that such a name would come from the ruthless nobility of the Fire Empire. He turned to look back at the Governor’s daughter, but she was gone. Her parents were boarding the train in a hurry, while the last in a line of firebender guards was marching onto the ship.

Finally the screams and sounds of fire from behind them stopped, and the slaves turned to see the taskmaster stepping away from the attacker. “Let this be a lesson to you lot,” he said, kicking the man and eliciting a pained moan. “You’re lucky I’m in a good mood today. Any of you misbehave like that again, and you’ll get it worse.”

Tong and the other young earthbender hurried forward to help the beaten man to his feet, but a line of fire shot between them and the body.

“Oh, no,” the taskmaster said. “You’re friend’s not gonna get any help from you. Oh, he’s not going to die- couldn’t afford to lose the muscle- but there’s sill work to be done here. Get to it!” He cracked his fire whip for emphasis.

“Yes, taskmaster,” Tong said quietly, but there was an air of defiance- not much, but certainly something- in his voice.

[mastergandalf]

Chapter 4: The Empress’s Chosen

Being a hero, Kanoda was discovering, wasn’t nearly as glamorous as the stories made it seem.

He’d been gone from home for a week and a half now, and so far the young Water Tribe hunter had failed to bring the Dragon Empress to justice for her crimes, or avenge himself on the officer who’d killed his father- or, for that matter, even seen an Imperial warship at all. Instead, Kanoda’s journey had consisted of paddling his boat steadily northward, relaxing and allowing favorable currents and winds to do his work for him, and sleeping on rocky islands and relatively stable ice flows. He fully expected to face great dangers and hardships on his road, but none of Grandfather’s stories had mention how truly boring a quest could be.

Recently, Kanoda had come into somewhat warmer waters and had been forced to shed his outer layer of furs. Perhaps someone from farther north would have still found it cold, but to someone born and raised in the South Pole it felt almost balmy. It was pleasant at first, but after a hard day of sailing he came to the conclusion that working in warm temperatures had just as many drawbacks as in colder ones.

The sun was setting and Kanoda was exhausted when he looked to the north and saw what appeared to be a rather large island on the horizon. He steered towards it, and as the first stars came out in a clear night sky and the moon was rising high overhead he pulled into a small natural harbor. Kanoda pulled his boat up onto the beach and then collapsed, exhausted onto the sand. He was asleep within moments.

############

Shiyan stalked down the shores of Empress Island, hand resting lightly on her sword and senses alert. Two younger trainees followed closely behind, careful to match the other girl’s poise and deadly grace. Shiyan was fifteen and would soon be tested to see if she was ready to become a full Chosen, and she currently occupied a leadership role for the younger students, as a shining example of the virtues which their order held highest- skill, elegance, and above all, loyalty. The Chosen served the Empress, the Fire Empire, and their comrades, in that order. All other concerns were secondary.

Their current assignment was a patrol along the coasts of the island, intended to teach initiates to maintain their full concentration and readiness even in a situation most would find unspeakably boring. There was little sea traffic around Empress Island- the best to make sure the Chosen could train new members of their order without distractions- and as a result the nighttime patrols saw little interesting. Shiyan knew, though, that their instructors weren’t above creating obstacles of their own simply to test their young pupils, and you never knew whether a night would be truly uneventful or not. As a result, trainees on patrol were forced to be vigilant or suffer the often humiliating consequences. They learned quickly that it was not in their interest to slack off.

One of the younger girls- Cheng- suddenly came hurrying over. “Shiyan!” she said excitedly, “I saw something by the beach!”

“Control yourself, sister,” Shiyan snapped. “Emotion is well and good, but we are the Empress’s Chosen- we do not show it, or let it rule us. What have you found?”

Cheng straightened. “I was walking closest to the shore, as per your orders, Sister Shiyan, and I was looking for anything out of place. When I looked over at the beach, I saw a boat pulled up on it. I didn’t recognize the design.”

“Very good,” Shiyan said, wondering whether this was some new test the instructors had devised. She motioned to the third trainee, who hurried over. “Let’s take a closer look at our strange visitor.”

############

Kanoda came awake to a curious sensation that he quickly realized was that of a sword pricking lightly against his throat. His eyes went wide and he plastered himself as flat as he could against the beach to avoid being skewered- in the process getting a good look at the person- or was it a person at all?- that had ambushed him.

A fearsome figure stood over him. It was clad from neck down in elaborate black armor trimmed with gold, and the sword pressed against his neck was made from bright steel- far outclassing the bone and stone weapons used in the Water Tribe. But it was the figure’s face that Kanoda knew would haunt his dreams for the rest of his life (assuming that the rest of his life was longer than a few minutes, that is). It was not the face of a human being.

The creature that stood over him had a golden face that seemed, on closer inspection, to be patterned with overlapping scales. Its eyes burned the same golden color, and its dark hair was bound up in a tight topknot held back by a gleaming gold headpiece. Out of the corner of his vision, Kanoda could see two similar beings standing farther back, looking almost identical except that they didn’t have the headpieces or the gold trimming on their armor.

“What are you?” he managed to croak. He supposed that “who are you?” would have been more polite, but he simply said the first thing that popped into his head.

“You are on our island, Water Tribe filth,” the figure snapped in a voice that was at once pitiless and- to Kanoda’s astonishment- undeniably feminine. “You will answer our questions.”

“You’re a girl,” the young hunter blurted out in surprise. His captor scowled.

“A brilliant deduction,” she said acidly. “I am glad that the Water Tribe maintains such a high quality of intelligence in their young men. You will, however, learn to treat the members of the Empress’s Chosen with the respect due to our station. You may begin to do so by answering my questions- namely, who are you and what is your business here?”

“My name is Kanoda,” he said stiffly, “and I don’t have any business here- I’m just passing through, and I was tired, so I thought I’d take a nap. Didn’t realize that was a crime around here- for that matter, I didn’t even realize that there were people on this island. Now, if you’ll kindly take the sword off my neck, I’ll just leave and we’ll all be happy.”

The strange girl looked down at him with an expression that could best be described as amused contempt. “A likely story,” she said. “I think that you’re a spy, sent by the Water Tribe to steal the secrets of my order.”

“Oh yeah, like real Water Tribe warriors need to steal tips from a bunch of girls in fancy armor,” Kanoda said. “How’d you know I was Water Tribe, anyway?”

“For one thing, you’re darker than most residents of the Fire Empire, and for another your ship is clearly of Water Tribe design.” Her eyes narrowed dangerously. “And now, would you care to repeat what you said about the Empress’s Chosen? I haven’t had a good fight in weeks.”

“If that’s what you really want,” Kanoda said, twisting his legs sharply and knocking his captor backwards. With the sword removed he quickly got to his feet and ran towards his boat, intending to grab one of the spears he’d brought with him and show these people what a real warrior could do. Before he’d even made it halfway there, though, the girl was in front of him- how did she move so fast?- and caught his wrist in one hand. She twisted viciously and Kanoda collapsed to his knees, pain shooting up his arm.

“Pathetic,” she said. “I expected better- but then, since when has the Southern Water Tribe been good for anything? Your people are a disgrace.”

“Who are you?” Kanoda asked, wincing from the injuries to both his body and his pride.

“I am Shiyan of the Empress’s Chosen,” she said imperiously, “and you are my captive.” She twisted Kanoda around and pulled both of his hands behind his back, binding them with a thin rope. “Come, sisters,” she called to the other two warriors. “We’re taking this wretch back to the fortress. The Elders will find out what he knows.”

Shiyan drew her sword again and held it against Kanoda’s back, forcing him to march in the direction she indicated. The other two Chosen fell into step beside them, and together they began to walk inland. Now Kanoda could see their faces more clearly- that strange color and scale-patterning wasn’t natural, but seemed to be some kind of make-up or paint not unlike that which Water Tribe warriors had once worn into battle. Twisting his neck around, he was able to get a better look at Shiyan and realized she would be actually quite attractive without the paint- with it on, though, her visage was too inhuman to be anything other than disturbing.

“Look forward, scum,” Shiyan snapped, and Kanoda did so- not only because of her instruction, but because he’d realized that looking behind him while walking would be less than wise, and be barely avoided blundering headfirst into a tree. “We wear makeup in honor of the Dragon Empress,” she said, apparently having guessed the source of his curiosity. “The dragon is the ultimate firebender, the ultimate warrior- it is for that reason that Empress Azula adopted them as her symbol. We wear the dragon-scale paint to honor that choice.”

“So you all are some sort of cult devoted to the Empress?” Kanoda asked.

“You put it crudely, but accurately. This island was once home to an order of female warriors who patterned their appearance and behavior after Avatar Kyoshi. When the Empress was still no more than Princess Azula, she and two of her friends arrived here to test themselves against them. She was triumphant, of course, and the Kyoshi Warriors were all captured, killed, or exiled. The princess recognized in them, however, the power that a symbol can have to unite people into a cohesive, devoted fighting force. Freeing some of the captive Kyoshi Warriors in return for their loyalty, the princess used them as the core of a new order of warriors absolutely devoted to herself alone. She turned Kyoshi Island- renamed Azula Island-into a training ground for these warriors, and when she became Empress we became her elite. We are the Empress’s Chosen- her personal guards, messengers, and enforcers, trained in swords, knives, and hand to hand combat. Every noble family with more than one child is required to give a daughter to our order to bolster our ranks.” Kanoda couldn’t see Shiyan’s face, but he got the sense she was smirking haughtily.

“You don’t seem so elite to me,” he said. “You think I’m a spy, but you’re spilling all your secrets to me? That’s not too smart a move. I think you just like to brag.”

“I’m telling you nothing that isn’t already common knowledge,” Shiyan said with a slight sniff. “Besides, it isn’t like you’re ever going to leave this island again.”

“We’ll see about that,” Kanoda muttered, but he was careful to keep it low enough that Shiyan couldn’t hear.

The sun was rising when they came to an open area near the middle of the island and stopped, Kanoda’s eyes going wide. Standing before them was the largest building the Water Tribe boy had ever seen- a metal fortress with sheer walls and three tall spires rising from its center. The flame symbol of the Fire Empire hung on banners along its sides, done in blue rather than the usual red. A straight road led from the opposite direction from which they’d come to the fortress’s gates, where it was flanked by statues of a coldly beautiful young woman holding fire in each hand. Kanoda didn’t know for sure, but he guessed that they depicted Empress Azula as she’d been decades ago.

“Impressive, isn’t it?” Shiyan asked. Kanoda could only nod.

They led him down to the road, and then followed it to the gates of the fortress. Two older women stood guard there, dressed in the same uniforms as Shiyan and her companions. Kanoda wondered how they told each other apart.

“I caught a spy on the beach, sisters,” his captor said. “We are taking him to the Mistress now.” The guards nodded and allowed the three girls and their prisoner to enter.

They led Kanoda down a long metal hallway decorated with tapestries depicting the glory of the Fire Empire and its Empress. All of the images showed Azula young, beautiful, and in the height of her firebending power. Occasionally they passed a door through which Kanoda caught glimpses of Chosen training, or young girls sitting cross legged as they were lectured on the importance of their duty to the Empire.

Finally they entered a huge chamber at the center of the fortress. It too was lined with tapestries, but at one end the wall was blank. Carved into it there was what appeared to be an oath of undying loyalty, though Kanoda didn’t get a chance to look at it long and Imperial script was different enough from that used by the Water Tribe to give him a bit of trouble anyway.

A tall woman in Chosen armor stood studying the oath, her back to her subordinates. She war a long black cape over her uniform, and as she slowly turned to face them Kanoda could see that her gold headpiece was far more elaborate than any he’d seen on the other Chosen. Her face, though, was decorated with the same fearsome warpaint as he’d seen on everyone else here.

“Shiyan,” she said in a tone that brooked no dissent. “What have you brought here?”

“A spy, Mistress,” Shiyan said with a respectful bow, her tone far more subdued and humble than anything Kanoda had thought her capable of producing. “We captured him on the beach. He is Water Tribe.”

“The Southern Water Tribe is a broken people,” the Mistress said. “But the Empress warns us to use caution- threats could come from any direction, but if we act to eliminate them before they pose a danger they cannot conquer us.” She stepped closer and studied Kanoda’s face intently. “Take him to the holding cells. We can interrogate him later, and discover who sent him and for what purpose. You have done well, Shiyan. Soon your training will be complete, and then you will truly be one of us.”

Beside him Kanoda felt Shiyan swell with pride, and then the girl’s two companions seized his arms, and he was being dragged off towards the holding cells in a fortress controlled by a crew of incredibly skilled fanatics.

But in the heroic legends of the Water Tribe, characters often faced such difficulties and emerged stronger from them. The Empress might be the inspiration for these so-called Chosen, but Kanoda’s were the ancient heroes of his people. There didn’t seem much he could do to keep from being locked up, but he vowed inwardly that they were going to have the Spirits’ own task keeping him there.