ZUTARA WEEK 2018, Day 7: ELEMENT SWAP
Reinvented Folklore
DISCLAIMER: Avatar: the Last Airbender belong to Bryke, but Zutara Week belongs to all Zutarians.
NOTE:
What a fascinating prompt to work on, and I'm glad that it did not take me too much trouble to find my own spin on it. It just came to me so I decided to explore an element swap between Zuko and Katara as the Blue Spirit and the Painted Lady. I wish I had the artistic skills to pull this off in a fanart because I love the concept. But I can only hope that this one-shot can do the idea some justice.
Given the nature of the prompt, this is already an AU but I've also left the timeline and background of the characters pretty vague. It's still set in the Four Nations but I don't really get into the details on the war or the Avatar. This is about two wonderful benders who are dedicated to helping others.
Anyway, that's a wrap on my eleventh Zutara week! I haven't missed a single one and I'm not ever going to stop shipping these two amazing characters. I'm a bit proud of myself for being so efficient about posting on time this year and I've managed to come up with something for all of the prompts.
Thank you for joining me on this journey and for reading all my entries this year. I would love to hear what you think of this one, if you have the time.
Until next Zutara Week!
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"Whenever you are lost in the dark, the Painted Lady will light a torch to guide you back home."
This was the story parents told their children in the Fire Nation, about the mysterious but benevolent figure who protected the weak and the helpless. The children would listen in wonder as they were regaled with tales of how the Painted Lady comforted the distressed and championed the oppressed.
She was described as a beautiful, dark-skinned woman with long, flowing brown hair, always dressed in a scarlet dress with a conical hat and veil. Her face and arms were adorned with elaborate tattoos that effectively masked her true identity. Those who had been lucky enough to be close to her claimed to have seen her smile kindly at them.
She always seemed to appear when she was needed; whether a group of travelers was being attacked by bandits, soldiers were terrorizing a town, or even when a young child was being chased by wolves.
She never spoke but always expressed herself through her firebending, whether by gently illuminating a dark path or by launching fireballs and fire-whips at her enemies. She was an expert at creating large but controlled explosions and she could launch fire balls with uncanny accuracy.
There were those who claimed they had seen her redirect lightning, leading to more fabulous tales of her exploits. On particularly stormy nights, there would be whispers about the Painted Lady engaged in an Agni Kai with another powerful firebender.
No one could be sure if the Painted Lady was an ancient spirit or simply an exceptionally powerful firebender. But everyone who knew of her believed that she was real and not some folk story to keep small children entertained at night. She was a true hero.
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"Those who are gravely injured can call on the Blue Spirit to heal them with glowing water."
This was the what the elders of the Southern Water Tribe told the younger generation when they needed some hope to cling to in the midst of adversity. They drew strength from the moon and ocean spirits but also from the knowledge that they had a more approachable protector.
Many of them had seen that shadowy figure, clad all in black except for the distinctly elaborate mask of the Blue Spirit. Moonlight would shine on this mask, making it glow in the dark, heralding the arrival of a swordsman and healer. He never spoke but all who had encountered him claimed that there was something in his manner that showed both nobility and kindness.
The masked crusader would spend time with the injured, using his waterbending to soothe even the deadliest of wounds. But he only stayed long enough for people to be pulled back from the brink of death. No one had dared try to remove his mask or ask him to reveal himself. Gratitude always overwhelmed the curiosity of those he had helped.
The heroic stranger had once redirected the snow from an avalanche in order to save an entire village. And those who lived by the ocean had seen the Blue Spirit controlling the waves so that small boats could find safe passage to their shores.
No one could be sure if the Blue Spirit was an extremely powerful waterbender or a mythical being. All they knew was that when there were members of their tribe in need of protection, they could rely on the Blue Spirit to provide it.
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When a powerful typhoon threatened to annihilate a coastal village, both the Blue Spirit and the Painted Lady arrived to help evacuate the inhabitants. A calamity of such magnitude had never befallen anyone in the Four Nations and even the skilled waterbenders of that village were unable to manage the tumult of the waves and the heavy rainfall. They were forced to flee and to protect their families as best as they could.
The Blue Spirit used his waterbending to regulate the rainfall and to prevent flooding, clearing a path for the people to take to higher ground. The way forward was illuminated with the help of the Painted Lady's firebending as she lit torches for the fleeing villagers to take with them. There was no time for the victims to marvel at this unique event but many of them would remember the significance of this encounter even years later.
The vicious storm raged on mercilessly, wreaking havoc all around. Fortunately, most of the villagers had reached safety but the typhoon continued to destroy everything in its path. The two legendary figures fought their hardest to minimize the damage, putting themselves at risk just to help others.
Many times lightning struck the ground, setting off fires that were quickly extinguished by the rain. More than once had the Painted Lady been forced to focus all her energy on redirecting the lightning away from innocent lives. And at one crucial moment, she just about managed to divert the lightning away from the Blue Spirit, but in doing so she sustained several injuries.
The Blue Spirit rushed to her side at once and began to heal her wounds. No one had been close enough to hear the words exchanged between the two legends but those who had been close enough to see their interaction said that the Blue Spirit had taken the firebender's hands in his and kissed them tenderly. And the Painted Lady had smiled.
No one could be sure if the two mysterious figures had known each other before this event but all who had witnessed it said they had never seen the elements of water and fire work in such harmony before. Before anyone could approach them to thank them properly, both the Blue Spirit and the Painted Lady had disappeared, almost as mysteriously as they had arrived, further suggesting that they were not mortal beings.
In the villagers' relief at having survived this ordeal and their excitement about the amazing battle that had taken place, no one paid any attention to a couple of weary peasants discreetly making their way towards their mainland, carrying bags stuffed with secrets, and walking hand in hand towards an extraordinary destiny.