This is my Avatar fic. But...it is not any ordinary Avatar fic. This is not one of those ZukoxKatara fics--nor even a ZukoxOC fic. Why? Because love is insignificant in the Brilliant Land, the soon to be ruler of the Middle Kingdom. Love was nothing...and ex nihilo, nihil fit. (From nothing, comes nothing) No, Love did not take the Fire Nation as far as it did. In fact, it was love that brought about Prince Zuko's disgrace and exile. Honor...courage...loyalty...those were the things that moved nations. This is one such tale, where love falls back and the warrior codes of that time take the stage. More than one hundred years after the Fire Nation went to war against the Middle Kingdom and the other nations, and just more than two after the honorable Prince Zuko was exiled, a woman of honor -driven by honor, with honor as the promised reward- and rank searches the world over for the one thing that can restore her land to what it is meant to be.
End with Honor
1. The Temptation of the Blade
Heat…pain…a gush of life-giving blood…a scream…
But the scream died away before it could break from the prison of its body. It was forcibly silenced, so no one would hear her. But so far away from any civilized habitation, it was an unneeded precaution. But still, it was better not to chance someone hearing it. Not when she was so close to being done…
"Argh…damnit…" Ming-Na Hinoken, or as her ceremonial name was, Mingeline-Nanamye Hinokenna de Fyre rie Destavina sa Camansha, forced her bloody arm into the river once more, biting back the pain that came from the herbal medicine that was disinfecting the would as the river water washed it clean. She had damaged it during practice with her Rensha, a scythe-like weapon that was used in ceremonial combat. It was a tricky weapon, due to the fact that the blade was curved, and to use it honorably, you had to hold it with the curve tucked into the crock of the elbow until attacking, so for a beginner it was easy to cut the flesh. Ming-Na, however, was not a beginner, but she still had problems with the formal weapons, due to the unfortunate incident two years ago. But she never thought about that anymore.
Ming-Na finished in the river, dried her arm off, and bandaged it. It was not a serious wound--not this time. But there was still two hours of training left, and she was not going to stop until finished or seriously maimed. She resumed the Gen Szu Ta, the 'entrance position' where the Rensha was hooked around the neck, held by the weaker arm. Then she quickly shifted into Li Dyo Ka, the 'start' position. With her legs crossed, one straight behind the other, she spun the Rensha up off her neck to let it rest in Gu pose, the 'non-attack' position, aforementioned as held in the stronger hand with it resting in the same arm's elbow. This was the tricky part now, shifting from Gu into Ran, the 'attack' position. She flipped her arm upside-down so her thumb was parallel to the ground, and flicked her wrist forward so that the Rensha flew into the air. Last time it had not been executed cleanly, so it had caught the fleshy part of her arm, but this time it flew true, up into the air, and she caught it with her left arm.
Two hours passed this way: Gen Szu Ta, Li Dyo Ka, Gu-then-Ran, repeat. She even chanted it under her breath,
"Gen-Szu-Ta…Li-Dyo-Ka…Gu-then-Ran…repeat!"
Two hours later, a sweating and panting Ming-Na was bathing in the cold river water that ran near her camp, relishing the iciness of the water against her heated skin. After a while, she began to cool down from the heat and anger that battle seemed to bring in her. She looked down at her reflection then, wondering how she looked. The same Ming-Na stared back at her: –really, was she expecting something else?- same golden-brown Asian eyes, same slightly pale –yet healthy- skin, same medium-length perfect black hair. She had looked in many mirrors since she left the Palace, and they all showed the same thing. But this was not who she was, this 'Ming-Na Hinoken' was not her. Mingeline-Nanamye Hinokenna de Fyre would not be up in the woods of the Middle Kingdom, 'training' and sweating and cutting herself on blades that she never would have wielded otherwise. No… Mingeline-Nanamye Hinokenna de Fyre would be sitting on a small onyx throne in the Palace, watching her mother hold court; or being instructed by one of her many tutors in things such as etiquette and cooking –Princess 101, Zuko had called it- or even better…watching a flaming sunset in her own room, after tiring hours of boredom and tedious lectures, finally able to become a human being again.
She was a princess of the Fire Nation, the only daughter of Fire Lady Empress Hyo-Lee, the female half of the double monarchy that ruled the most feared part of the known existence. The monarchy was unique in the way that it was ruled by two separate people, not related in any way. Her own mother was in charge of domestic affairs, economy and the general state of affairs. The Fire Lord led the martial affairs, which was chiefly winning the war again the rest of humanity, as well as being the figure of power. But that did not make her mother any less powerful, for it was an equal rule. But now it seemed that there would be no continuation of this rule, for both the prince and princess -the Hope of the Future- had been exiled, she by choice, he by order.
Ming-Na sighed. She did not care for flashbacks of her life, as she tended to get bitter and angry, when she thought about how she should not have had to exile herself, depressed, when she thought of Zuko's exile, or –worse by far than the other two- weak in the knees and blushy, when she thought of Zuko himself. Now that she was on her own, she couldn't afford to be bothered by weaknesses, and love was a huge weakness. And she was in love…
She turned around quickly when she heard a twig snap on the back behind her. It was a teenage guy, around her age--maybe –probably- a bit younger. And the river was only waist deep, so…
"AAAAAIIIIIEEEE!"
The guy -boy, really- just stood there blushing like mad as he looked at Ming-Na's exposed top half. She screamed again, and frantically tried to cover herself, all the while thinking, I thought no one ever came this way!
"Uh…ah…sorry…!" The boy said, stammering and tripping over himself to leave. She was furious with him; that was for sure. Grabbing a towel from the riverbank, she ran after him. Crashing through the undergrowth, she ran after the boy that had the nerve to look at her body. She stopped as he turned aside--followed him…and she ran right into a clearing. She immediately jerked back, not wanting the two--no, three--of them, two boys and a girl, counting the damn bastard who had seen her in the river, to see her like this: wrapped in a trowel.
She marked their position in relation to her own, then silently made her way back to her camp. She got dressed in her normal outfit. Then, putting her hair up in the hunter's braid of the assassins who worked for her mother, she silently stalked back to where their camp had been.
In the brush just outside the clearing, Ming-Na watched as her now death-marked watcher talked with another, younger girl. It was clearly his sister. Then, her eyes focused on the third, standing slightly apart from the siblings. The markings on his skin identified him as an Airbender; the last one too. And that mean he was only one thing: the Avatar. She had to restrain herself from running over with a battle-cry to take off his head -using the training she should never have learned- that instant. Even so, a feral smirk played across her lips; like the one a jungle cat must use when they have spotted a weak member of the pack.
This Avatar was weak--and untrained beyond a few simple attacks. It was with a shame that made her blood boil that she realized Zuko had been beaten by this child. If not for the fact that she knew better that to do it, she would have become like an avenging angel, and rent his head off with one fell swoop. But Ming-Na, while the exiled princess of the Brilliant Land, was still a huntress. And she knew the best way to defeat an enemy is to know the enemy, and that was exactly what Ming-Na planned to do.
Putting on a look that was equal parts embarrassed and innocent, she stepped into the clearing to face her enemy.
"Ming-Na?" The Avatar asked. Up close, he really was a child. And the two from the Water Tribe –they had been introduced as such, but Ming-Na could already tell from their lack of discipline- were barely older. All in all, she could easily have them dead in two weeks--at the most.
"Yeah." She said, and smiled. Not the cruel, sadistic smirk she had had playing on her lips earlier. No…this was something she would've never done otherwise. This was an unguarded smile. It was one that she never used anymore. "And…Aang…?" Oh, how she hated to use his name. If you named something, you acknowledged it's presence as something noteworthy. And by no means was the Avatar –much better- worthy.
"Yup, that's me!" And then…his mouth opened wider than she thought possible. Was that his jaw detaching? She thought. No…it was a…smile… "And these are my friends Katara and Sokka." Ah, so those were the ones from the Water Tribe…
"Pleasure." Katara said, holding out her hand. How uncouth. Does she really expect me to touch it? As expected of a Fire Nation princess, she gave a bow equal to Katara's rank. Which meant it wasn't very low.
Sokka looked at her, the faintest tinges of a blush on his face and neck. Ming-Na fumed inside. Not one man had ever seen her naked; not even her father--and now this boy had seen her naked and…vulnerable. That was not acceptable. "I--I'm sorry…about…you know…" He shrugged; visibly uncomfortable.
Cringing inside, Ming-Na answered him: "It's okay…I shouldn't have exposed myself the way I did." Damn right! Seeing himself forgiven –at least on the surface- Sokka returned to packing up their camp. Clearly they were about to leave. She had to move fast.
Ming-Na regarded them coolly, all the while forming a plan. If the Avatar was going to try to save the world, then Ming-Na knew he would need someone like her--someone who knew the Fire Nation but wasn't –supposedly- allied with them. Plus, with the Avatar's weakness of not having a proper fear of the Fire Nation and it's people, it should be a synch to convince them. Yes, this was how the Avatar would fall…by trust.
"Hey, uh, Aang…?" She asked.
"Yeah?" He looked back at her, obviously wondering what she wanted. Oh…but he would know in time…
"Well…" she looked at 'Katara' and 'Sokka', who she had dubbed in her mind Water Tribe one and Water Tribe two. "Could you come with me for a second?" She knew it would work…he was far too trusting.
"Okay!" The Avatar said; readily following her as she led him away from the safety of his friends and open ground.
They arrived at a clearing not three meters from where the others were. Then, she waited a little, trying to make it seem like she was nervous--but in reality she was not; in reality this scene had played in her head many times. Then, when the moment was opportune, she spoke. "Aang…there's something I need to tell you…" Her eyes were downcast, to hide the fury in them.
"Yeah?" He asked, trying to catch her eye. "Is something wrong, Ming-Na?" How dare he use my name!
"Well…you're the Avatar…and…Oh! Please don't look so surprised, it's pretty obvious because of where I'm from…which is what I wanted to talk to you about." She refused to meet his eye still. The raw anger she had felt since first seeing him was still there; after all, the reason both her and Zuko's lives had been ripped to shreds was this child -who had probably never had to worry about anything in his life- who was now trying with everything in his power to destroy the last piece of honor her home had left. After losing their Hope of the Future, after trying so hard to win a long war, after perfecting everything into an art, into beauty…and then this boy was to stop it all!
"Then…where are you from?" He looked concerned by her silence.
This was the culminating moment. She had done the act, talked in their way, become friendly -even to the Avatar- with them, and now was the climax of her little play. Would she earn pity? Scorn? Fear? Hate? Would she be allowed to come with them, or be turned back, honorless, to trudge home with her tail between her legs? This…was…it.
"I'm from the Fire Nation, Aang." She looked up to meet his eyes, and the tears in her own –planned beforehand, of course- were real. She did have tears in her eyes…but they were not for the reason Aang, or anyone else, would have thought. Mingeline-Nanamye Hinokenna de Fyre rie Destavina sa Casmansha, princess of the Fire Nation, cried because the world had come so far away from what she was used to. Two years ago, she never would have thought her hair would be cut, her clothes dirty, her name all but forgotten…far away in a distant land, away from home…away from honor.
He looked at her, long, and then smiled. "You want to come with us, right? To make things right between the four nations?"
She nodded, drying her tears. Now was not the time for crying. "Yeah. To make things right, Aang…"
"Okay, I'm sure that'll be cool. After all, since you lived there, you could help us; you know, 'know your enemy' and all that." Oh, you have no idea…She thought. But soon he would. Soon all the pain she had known would become his. Soon…she would save the world.
She looked relieved, and she was--but not for the reason Aang would have thought. It had worked; she was in. All her searching had paid off; the years of toil and ache; and now…she was in!
She followed him back to where the other two waited. They smiled as Aang told them that she would be accompanying them. Smiled! Smiled as their world was nearing the beginning of their end.
So…this is the Middle Kingdom's last hope? Ming-Na asked herself. Three kids –two of them untrained benders, one a bumbling idiot- and not one of them older than fourteen? The world might of well have already fallen! Her eyes narrowed into slits, the feral grin back, but as the other three's backs were turned, not one of them saw the danger in her face; the promise of death. Just a hint above nothing, she whispered to herself. "And once the Avatar is where he should be…all will be right in the world."
Hyo-Lee, Lady Empress of the Fire Nation, sat with her back to the cool stone of her throne. It was in a lull of audiences and meetings that she once again realized it had been two years since her daughter had been exiled, and yet no word had reached the capital of her whereabouts. Rest assured, as soon as Fire Lady Hyo-Lee knew where her ungrateful daughter had gone to, she would herself come to drag Mingeline back. It was nearing the turning point in the war, and Mingeline was not here to witness it.
"Mei, Lien…" she beckoned to her handmaidens. Pretty girls both, as befitted a Lady of her rank. Mei had the most gorgeous silken hair, and Lien the palest skin and reddest lips. But neither of them looked even close to their mistress. With flaxen hair of a sunset color, and eyes a fiery red, she was a sight to see.
But her outer beauty hid a hardened and ruthless core. Three years ago, when an assassination was attempted, she stood there coolly--even with a blade to her throat. It was with a frigid heart and stony will that she ruled. And once Mingeline was found, she would be shown a side of her mother that only the worst traitors and fiercest Earth Kingdom warriors saw. Mingeline would see the side of Hyo-Lee, Fire Lady; Empress of the Brilliant Land, that had made killing into an art.
To be continued…