Chapter 1

Crown Princess Ryo opened her startling gold eyes and blinked furiously against the early morning sunlight streaming through the gap in the crimson drapes. Her bedchamber was large and mostly red, but with some Water Tribe accents her Uncle Sokka gave her. Ryo stretched like a cat while yawning widely. She padded softly to her private bathroom and drew cold water. Ryo submerged her hands into the water and heated it with firebending. She shimmied out of her sleep robes and sank into the hot water with a satisfied sigh. After she washed her hair and body, she reached for a towel hanging by the tub and wrapped it securely around her. Ryo was changing into her clean robes when there was a knock at the door. The Crown Princess tied the sash around her waist and called,

"Yes?"

Her mother, Fire Lady Katara opened the door.

"Oh good, you're awake. You should come join the family for breakfast", she smiled warmly.

"Okay, I'll be there in a sec!"

The Fire Lady walked away and closed the door behind her. Ryo tied her hair up into a tight topknot and placed the royal Crown Princess crown into it. She didn't like servants doing things for her and tried to avoid as much as possible. Ryo walked quickly to the Royal Family Dining Hall, not wanting to keep her family waiting. The guards at the entrance bowed to her.

"Good morning Your Highness."

Ryo nodded politely to them as they opened the heavy double doors for her. Her father, Fire Lord Zuko, her younger brother, Prince Kai, and her mother were waiting for her. Kai was fifteen, two years younger than Ryo.

"Hey sis, come spar with me later, I want to try out a new waterbending move I learned from mom. I'll beat you this time!" Kai challenged.

Ryo laughed, "I wouldn't be so confident, I've been practicing too."

The close siblings teased each other good-naturedly and the Royal Couple smiled. Kai and Ryo were both bending prodigies, one in waterbending and the other in firebending. Kai was already close to mastering waterbending while Ryo, being older, already mastered firebending. Unlike Azula, Ryo bent a dazzling white fire, even more advanced than the fallen princess' blue fire. The Royal Couple had decided that they would like to teach their own children bending. Ryo was taking lightening bending lessons from her father. When Zuko had first learned his daughter was a prodigy, he was terrified that she would be a second Azula. But as Ryo grew up, he realized that she was nothing like his insane sister. The Crown Princess was courageous, intelligent, truthful, independent, and couldn't stand unfairness. She inherited her mother's stubbornness, kindness, and hair as well as her father's eyes, will, and short temper. Her skin was a light tan, a combination of her parents'. Ryo was muscular and slender from her bending and she liked to think of herself as pleasant to look at.

Crown Princess Ryo was in fact, beautiful, but she just didn't know it. She had bright golden eyes and long, slightly curly chocolate tresses that when let down fell to just below her shoulders. Her face was small and heart-shaped with full lips and an aristocratic nose. Her firebending required extreme agility and muscles, all of which Ryo possessed. Her eyes drew attention wherever she went. The golden orbs could be warm like honey then turn like shards of ice in a moment. Ryo wasn't conceited and didn't like to use time on her appearance unless absolutely necessary. She had grown up as a warrior, to be strong and gentle at the same time and to stand up for herself. She had been taught how to throw knives and shurikens by Lady Mai, a family friend, starting when she was seven and was a master at handling them. The Crown Princess also was an excellent swordswoman, taught by Master Piandao himself and given a handmade "space sword" (as Uncle Sokka called it) made by Piandao as a gift for her 15th birthday. Ryo was a skilled tracker and had been taught acrobatics by Ty Lee.

The siblings fairly ran outside after the meal, excited to burn energy and intent for some competition.