A story idea came to me very suddenly a while back, and I'm still trying to expand it into a whole story after my initial brainwave. Any feedback or suggestions are welcome!


Chapter 1

The metal floor of Avani's prison cell was freezing to the touch—in fact, this may have been the first time she could remember feeling cold in the Fire Nation.

It was pitch dark, too—there were no windows in her cell, in order to prevent her from pulling in even the smallest amount of earth from outside to bend.

It sent a chill down her spine to think that the Fire Nation had so many of these cells at the ready, made especially for earthbenders. How many of my people have been imprisoned in these over the years? How many have died here? She suddenly felt very small, crouched and hugging her knees in the corner of this dark, silent metal box.

It's not fair, she thought angrily, knowing it was a childish thing to think, but unable to stop herself. I didn't do anything wrong!

Well…except that I may or may not have been about to spy on the Fire Nation army for the rebellion, Avani added, hitting the back of her head against the wall of her cell in frustration. She now wished fervently that she had made the choice to contact the rebels after all; then, at least, she would actually be guilty of the crimes she was accused of.

To the Fire Nation, being an earthbender was the same as being a fully-fledged traitor, and therefore she had been called both, as well as many far worse names, when she had been caught earthbending.

Avani bristled at the injustice of it all. I should have betrayed them all when I had the chance, she thought mutinously.

But no, Avani had played it safe, had refused time and again to ferry secrets to the rebels in the former Earth Kingdom when she had run into them in the colonies. The only crime she ended up committing was not reporting the presence of the rebels in the area.

She had been a perfectly loyal soldier and citizen of the Fire Nation in every other way, never betraying a single secret, earthbending only in private and even then only in the most extreme circumstances…but even that hadn't been enough to keep her safe.

Suddenly an orange light cut through the darkness, chasing away her thoughts. A silhouette appeared in front of her barred door, holding aloft a small flame. "Who's there?" Avani called out, squinting at the new source of light. The dark shadows thrown onto his face from the fire in his hands made him look oddly sinister.

"It's Captain Osamu," the figure replied, his voice businesslike and distant. There was a creaking of metal hinges at the door and a tray slid across the floor of her cell toward her. "I've brought you your breakfast, prisoner."

Her heart sank. 'Prisoner,' was she? She and Captain Osamu had never been close, but she'd always thought he had held some amount of respect for her. "Why are you giving me that, and not some guard?" Avani asked, gesturing to the rather pathetic-looking breakfast.

"I am to inform you of your sentence," he replied stiffly.

"They've decided my sentence already? But it's barely been a day since—"

Captain Osamu's cold voice cut her off. "The Fire Lord had decided that you are to take part in an Agni Kai tomorrow at dawn, in the Grand Arena."

Avani stared at him. It couldn't be true. "An Agni Kai? You're joking, you can't be serious, why would...—"

He cut her off sharply. "In ordinary circumstances an earthbending spy would be shipped away to the Boiling Rock, or publicly executed. But as a member—a former member—of the Fire Nation army, we must follow different procedures." Despite the low light of Osamu's conjured flame, Avani could feel the scorn in her former captain's frown.

"You have insulted the military might of the Fire Nation, disgraced your commanding officers and your fellow soldiers, and threatened the safety of the citizens of our nation." His voice cut like ice now, but remained businesslike as he recited her charges. "For hiding your true birth and revolting abilities while attempting to compromise the integrity of the army of the Fire Nation, you are to—"

"I haven't threatened anyone's safety or compromised anyone's integrity!" Avani bellowed hotly. "I am an earthbender! That's all! I was born in the colonies, I have some Earth Kingdom blood, but that doesn't mean I'm-"

"It is not my place to decide guilt or innocence," Osamu dismissed her protests firmly. "A guard will escort you to the arena at dawn tomorrow—twenty-four hours from now—and the results of the Agni Kai will determine your fate."

"I thought only firebenders could participate in an Agni Kai," Avani protested, unable to find a proper reply to her former captain's words.

"Exceptions can be made, as long as the participant is—or was formerly—a Fire Nation citizen."

"And who will I be fighting?"

Osamu paused. "I was not given that information. However, it is likely you will face a high-ranking military official."

She made a noise of disbelief. "Fine. Whatever. I'll be ready." She suddenly was all too eager for him to leave, so she could gather her thoughts properly.

Having finished delivering his message, Osamu turned to leave without a backward glance, the heavy metal doors at the end of the hall creaking and then slamming behind him ominously. It seemed even darker now without his firebending.

Avani stretched out on the floor of her cell, laying on her back and staring blindly at the pitch black ceiling.

An Agni Kai. With an unknown opponent. In the Grand Arena.

She had never been in the Grand Arena, but knew it to be a large, extravagant sort of building, with stadium-like seating along the sides of a long sort of stage. Duels held at the Grand Arena were always gossiped about throughout the capital, even among the soldiers and others unable to attend. These duels were usually high-profile, crowded, and—most importantly—attended by the members of the royal family.

Then why, for the love of the spirits, was she meant to duel in front of such a crowd? She didn't think a low-level soldier's crimes would normally warrant such a spectacle…

She sat up in the darkness.

…Unless they wanted to make an example of her.

Let the entire Fire Nation see some officer soundly defeat a traitor.

Crush any other thoughts of uprising by the members of the former Earth Kingdom.

Make a mockery of her.

Avani covered her face with her hands, trying to control her breathing. I should have betrayed them all when I had the chance, she thought again, cursing her cowardice and indecision.

If this really was the purpose of this Agni Kai, that meant that they were counting on her to fail. That much was clear.

She would not let that happen.

Avani stood up so suddenly that she nearly sent her breakfast tray flying across the floor of her cell.

She slid into an earthbending stance, knees wide and shoulders thrown back. She would practice all day and night until the Agni Kai at dawn; whoever her opponent was, Avani would defeat them.

Avani had observed many of the high-ranking officers' firebending techniques during her time in the military; they were powerful, but she suspected that under the right circumstances she could defeat them in a duel.

In her mind's eye she saw blasts of fire flying toward her, first from Admiral Zhao, next from Admiral Chan, then from a host of other opponents, from captains to generals, anyone who might be chosen as her opponent the next day.

Avani practiced dodging, redirecting, and overpowering attack after attack. She kicked and punched in great imaginary onslaughts, preparing her strongest and most impressive-looking moves.

If she was right, and was meant to be an example to the rest of the Fire Nation, then it was vital to look intimidating for the crowd, to appear as civilized and powerful as possible, to not let the Fire Nation make her look weak or foolish in any way.

The Fire Nation assumed that earthbenders were inherently weak, stupid, practically a lesser species; they locked her up just because of her bending!

She would show them what a mistake they had made.