Book One: Fire
Chapter One: Knowledge
Part One: Sleepless Nights
His first belief, of course, was that he was too young. He may have been unusually talented, for his age at least, but he couldn't understand why they thought he, Roku, was the Avatar. He sighed as he looked at his hands; he didn't feel any different, physically, and the only change he felt emotionally was the fear and worry that came with responsibility that he had no choice but to bear. "I don't understand…" he whispered to himself. "I should have a choice!" the candles that gave light to his room suddenly burst into brighter flames than they had portrayed the entire night. He took a deep breath and steadied himself; the last thing he needed was to burn down their home.
The voice of his mentor came to his mind, "You should meditate more, Roku, no matter how much natural talent you have, it will mean nothing until you harness it."
"I know, I know…" He whispered, though he was only reminiscing, all of the masters thought that he was beyond them now, and he would soon move on to one of the other arts, after traveling to the Earth kingdom. But all of these were thoughts for another moment.
Sighing deeply, he crossed his legs on his low bed and stared intently at the candle nearest to him. He watched it flicker and turn, desperately trying to control every stray thought that came to his head. Unfortunately, however, with each thought, came a kind of anxious energy which began to build in his chest, until he finally lost control and the candle once again became an inferno. He quickly kicked it over and stamped it out with his foot.
"I'm sure they all wish they could see the great Avatar Roku now…" he sighed to the scorch mark on the floor. Cleaning it would only be another thing he would have to do, before he left.
'Leaving…' he thought. 'Perhaps the only upside to this whole affair…' He returned to his bed, gazing unseeingly at his ceiling in wonder. What would all the other kingdoms be like, and all of the other elements? Would all the other masters be as stuffy as his? He was quite anxious to learn all of them, and the idea that he could excited him, making him wonder how he could use them together, or if it were at all possible. Could, he, for instance, mix the polar opposites of fire and water?
Oh, if only he could have all the advantages without the added burden of keeping peace. "There are so many of them," he told his ceiling. "And only one of me. If ever they got tired of peace, there truly would be nothing to stop them."
It was then that his imagination wandered, showing him the horrid picture of the nations at war, Fire and Water, forever against, neither ever yielding, but always at an eternal stalemate, the power of Wind making troops rise and fall to their deaths without notice, Earth crushing all that stood against it. He didn't like the idea much. "Even if my power over them is a hoax," He thought out loud. "I guess I can understand why they think they need someone in balance… someone to blame when things go wrong." He resisted the urge to let his anger rise again, sure that he would burn the house down if he did.
"Roku?" cooed a quiet, childlike voice. "Who are you talking to?"
"I was just talking to myself again," he sighed and turned to the young girl. "Did I wake you?"
She nodded as she rubbed her eyes. "You talk to yourself loud."
"I'm sorry," he smiled at her. Raan was almost like a little sister to him; he was there when she was born, and, being much older than her, was able now to appreciate the innocence and delight that she held in most everything. "Is there anyway I could help you get back to sleep?"
Raan nodded and quickly came and sat on his lap, "Will you do your trick?"
He chuckled. No matter how much everything else had changed around him, she seemed to remain the same. When everyone else was now referring to him as something close (if not higher than) royalty, to Raan, everything he did would always be "tricks" used only in amusement.
"Alright… watch that candle there," he said as he pointed to one. She watched the flickering flame eagerly, as Roku began to hum quietly in her ear. Slowly, the flame began to sway to the music, and once it was in perfect time to the quiet rhythm, it began to take on shapes. He willed it to grow when he needed it too; using all of the disciplines he had learned over his last sixteen years to keep it in shape or from burning anything that was around it. Raan delighted in the birds, sleek animals, and pretty bugs that flickered in and out of the flame, but, since she was quite young, most of her energy was soon spent, and she fell into a quiet sleep in Roku's arms. He continued humming as he gathered her in his arms, cuddling her close to him as he walked to her room and set her down on her bed. He stayed by her until he was sure she would not wake again until morning. Then, quietly, he stalked back to his own room, where he yawned with fatigue.
'There's a problem with leaving too,' he thought as he lay down. 'No one will be willing to sing Raan to sleep…' And, with the thought of the sleepless nights of a child bearing heavy on his mind, he extinguished the candles flames.