Author's Note: I own nothing you recognize.
I. The Avatar Returns
Water. Earth. Fire. Air.
I don't remember much from my childhood, but I have vague recollections of my mother rocking me to sleep with the tales of long ago, when the four nations—Water Tribe, Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation, and Air Nomads—were at peace and the Avatar kept balance between the realms. But all that changed when the Fire Nation attacked.
The Avatar, the only being who could master all four elements, was strong enough to stop the advance of the technologically superior Fire Nation. But after Avatar Roku's death, Fire Lord Sozin proceeded with an attack on the Air Nomads in the hopes of killing the next Avatar before they could become a fully realized enemy of the state.
Once the Air Nomads were successfully annihilated, the Fire Lord continued his quest to spread the wealth and prosperity that his homeland had been fortunate enough to experience for centuries. A hundred years have passed, and the Fire Nation's war is nearing its conclusion.
Despite the lack of evidence that the Avatar has survived these last hundred years, people haven't given up hope. During my travels with the Prince over the course of his exile, I've heard whispers exchanged in the marketplaces of Fire Nation colonies in the Earth Kingdom.
I know what everyone says behind our backs: the Fire Nation is ruthless and firebenders have no spirit, no regard for human life. I've heard stories of those who suffered first-hand at the Fire Nation's whim and fancy.
But I also know it's not just the Fire Nation that carries out acts of violence on the innocent. I know because I am an orphan of this war.
Zuko's mission might be to find the Avatar, but mine is to find the men responsible for murdering not only my parents, but my entire village as well.
It was the middle of winter and Lian wanted nothing more than to be anywhere but the South Pole. It wasn't so much the cold that bothered her; she was a firebender, after all, and had a knack for keeping warn. No, it was the endless water and strong, whipping winds that did her in.
Lian sighed, dropping her hand into her lap, extinguishing the warm red-orange flame she had been playing with in her palm as she did. Beside her, Lord Iroh sat at a low table, his attention focused not on his pacing nephew but on the card game before him. Lian reached for her cup of tea, the cool porcelain quickly heating in her grasp to bring the tea to a satisfactory temperature.
"You know, you'll go blind if you keep staring at the water," Lian called out lazily to the prince, who stood motionless in the center of the deck.
"I don't care," Zuko replied, "if it means—"
"Returning home with your honor," Lian quoted with Zuko, rolling her eyes as she did. "Spirits, that's all you ever think about," she muttered.
Zuko turned to glare at the teen, his golden eyes blazing. Lian didn't flinch under his harsh gaze, as she had been on the receiving end of his famous scowl more times than she could count.
"You don't have to be here, you know," he snapped. "You could be home, happy and warm and out of my hair."
Lian felt anger flare up in her stomach and steam curled from her nose. "Like you were ever happy at the palace," she retorted waspishly.
She could tell what she said had struck a nerve with him and Zuko scowled harder. "What are you even doing up here? Don't you have some origami to fold?" he sneered.
"Don't you have an Avatar to find?" she shot back, her lip curling and her ash-gray eyes narrowing as she sprang to her feet, hands clenched into fists at her sides once she had dropped the delicate porcelain cup, which shattered on the metal deck. Lian didn't pay it any mind, as her entire focus was on the glowering prince.
Zuko began striding forward, his posture menacing. "Are you looking for a fight?!"
"Maybe I am!" she yelled as she took steps to meet him in the middle.
It wasn't entirely untrue. It had been several weeks since they had last seen land and Lian was starting to go stir crazy. By this point, no amount of (unsuccessful) meditation would make up for the lack of steady ground and the dwindling number of new scrolls for her to read.
Just as Lian and Zuko had reached each other, a low thunder reached her ears, accompanied by the ship being rolled on waves that had appeared out of nowhere.
She gasped in surprise as a beam of bright blue-white light appeared as a pillar in the distance. Zuko turned to see what she was staring at and his own eyes widened at the sight.
"Finally," he whispered triumphantly. Turning to Iroh, he said, "Uncle, do you know what this means?"
"I won't get to finish my game?" the older man asked plainly, slowly lifting his gaze to his nephew.
"It means my search is about to come to an end," Zuko said, ignoring Iroh's dry tone. With narrowed eyes, he returned his hard gaze to the strange light.
Simultaneously, Iroh and Lian sighed.
This wasn't the first time Zuko was positive his search for the Avatar was "about to come to an end." Since his banishment, Zuko had traveled the world, dragging Iroh, Lian, and the entire crew on wild pig-goose chase after wild pig-goose chase.
Seeming determined to convince the two others on deck of his words, he said, "That light came from an incredibly powerful source. It has to be him!"
"Or it's just celestial lights," Lian said in a bored tone as she walked back to Iroh.
"We've been down this road before, Prince Zuko," Iroh said in a more placating, patient tone. "I just don't want you to get too excited over nothing." After he placed a card, he said in a soothing voice, "Please, sit. Why don't you enjoy a cup of calming jasmine tea?"
"I don't need any calming tea!" Zuko exploded, clearly proving Iroh was correct in his assessment of the angry prince. "I need to capture the Avatar!"
He ignored Lian's snide, "I told you so," as he raised his sights above her and Iroh and shouted, "Helmsman, head a course for the light!" Zuko pointed determinedly in the direction the bean had been moments ago before returning to staring stoically out over the bow of the ship.
Lian rubbed her eyes tiredly but hesitated when a sharp, cold wind suddenly blew over them, lifting the ends of her dark brown hair and ruffling the fur that lined the cuffs and collar of her outer coat. She frowned; that was certainly new. Not the freezing wind part; that was totally normal. No, it was the piercing sting it left on her exposed skin and the feeling of something ancient and powerful that settled over her.
Shivering, Lian stooped down to grab the warm blanket she had placed on the metal deck to keep from freezing off her semi-royal rear. "Let me know if this actually develops into something," she said sarcastically to Iroh, not caring if her words reached Zuko, before turning and heading to her room.
Once she reached her room, she tossed the blanket at the end of her bed and flopped down on the comfortable mattress. She stared up at the ceiling, her eyes slowly sweeping the origami chains that decorated the otherwise-boring gray metal.
Origami had been something Iroh's wife, Jiao, had shown Lian as her contribution to giving the young girl a nondestructive outlet for her temper outbursts, and she had quickly found origami was a great way to clear her head when she was worked up or stressed.
The delicate paper animals had traveled with Lian around the world, and she found comfort in the familiar decorations. As she stared at the animals, she pondered if Zuko could actually be right this time.
Something certainly felt different about the incident with the glowing pillar of light. They had run into strange happenings before, but this felt...ominous.
With a huff, Lian rolled to her side before pushing herself upright. Glancing around her room, her eyes settled on her meditation candles and after a long moment of contemplation, she stood from her bed and walked to the low table. She settled in front of the five slender black candles, her ankles resting on the tops of the opposite thighs in a well-practicied lotus position.
Meditation was something Iroh had shown her as a child and had been part of her firebending training. As a child and gifted firebender, Lian had been subject to strong emotions, especially negative ones. After one particularly frustrating day around Azula, Lian had stormed through the front doors, ignoring the questioning, concerned looks of Iroh, Jiao, and Lu Ten. Despite the bright anger-blush on her cheeks and the slammed door that had echoed through the halls, Iroh had knocked on her door a few minutes later.
He had patiently explained to her that she need not worry about Princess Azula's words and should instead focus on becoming the best firebender she could possibly become. When she had asked if he thought she could be a better firebender than even Azula, who had shown from a young age to be a bending prodigy, Iroh had looked her square in the eyes and said confidently, "Yes."
From that day, Lian had dedicated herself to her studies and bending lessons. Iroh had insisted on being in charge of her firebending lessons. Lian had noticed that her training was different from the royal training given to Zuko and Azula. Iroh's way was less about the body and more about the mind. While she would obviously need to keep her body in peak condition, Iroh emphasized the importance of keeping her mind just as sharp and conditioned.
One major part of her mental training had been meditation. Iroh had told Lian that meditation could be a good way to keep her emotions from taking over or overwhelming her. Unfortunately, even after years of practice, Lian was still struggling with her emotions.
She was bored, though, and despite how high her emotions ran, Lian knew that for at least the time she meditated, she would find some semblance of peace. She lit the tip of her index finger to light the five candles before placing her hands palm-side up on her knees, the tips of her thumbs meeting the tips of her middle fingers. The dark red tapestry with a swirling design in muted gold hung behind the candles and Lian focused on the center of the pattern as she began to breath.
Lian took deep, calming breaths as she closed her eyes. She concentrated on her breathing, clearing her mind of thoughts of Zuko and the Avatar and the never-ending search.
She wasn't sure how long she sat before the candles, breathing deeply and getting out of her head, but when she finally opened her eyes, she felt (at least for the moment) calmer. She stood and stretched before flopping on her bed again.
Several hours later found Lian sitting on her floor with a deck of cards. She was in the middle of shuffling the deck when there was a knock on her door.
"Come in!" she called. She smiled at Iroh when he stuck his head into her room.
"Seok has whipped up quite a feast," he said with a big grin.
Lian smiled at Iroh's pure joy at such a simple pleasure. She set the cards on the small table beside her bed before standing and joining the former general in the hall.
They chatted as they walked to their usual dining room, which was smaller than the mess hall the soldiers and crew used. As soon as they entered, the door leading directly to the kitchen opened and Chef Seok and his two assistants, Hwan and Minh, came out immediately. Seok carried a large tray full of food that made Lian's mouth water, and Hwan had the tea tray. Once Hwan had placed the tea on the table, he and Minh helped Seok place all the plates and steamers on the table.
Iroh took his usual spot at the low square table and Lian sat to his right. She hated having her back to the door, but His Royal Pain had to sit facing the door. Of course, she could always have sat across from Iroh and thus keep an easy eye on the door but considering most of Lian's conversation was with Iroh, it was easier to sit beside him.
"Where is my nephew?" Iroh pondered out loud as Lian poured their tea.
"Hwan took dinner to Prince Zuko in his room a few minutes ago," Seok informed.
Iroh hummed in response before saying, "Thank you, Seok," with his signature warm smile.
Seok, Hwan, and Minh bowed before retreating into the kitchen.
"Then I'm taking his seat," Lian shrugged. She stood and walked to Zuko's usual place, taking her tea cup with her.
As they began serving themselves, Lian glanced at Iroh. "Do you really think he's done it?" she asked. "Found the Avatar?"
Iroh was quiet for a moment, thoughtfully chewing on pancit. He swallowed and finally said, "I have faith Zuko will find the Avatar when the time is right."
Lian couldn't help but roll her eyes at Iroh's very Iroh response. "What does that even mean?" she asked rhetorically, knowing she wouldn't get a straight answer now either.
"Everything happens for a reason," he said, "and Zuko will fulfill his destiny when he is ready."
Figuring that was as close as she would get to an answer, Lian just nodded and picked up a few slivers of picked daikon with her chopsticks.
Dinner, for once, was quiet. Lian could tell Iroh was deep in thought, and since she didn't have anything pressing to discuss, she let him eat in silence.
It was dark by the time the dishes had been swept away. Lian reached her room but hesitated. She knew what was in her room: her bed, meditation candles, some scrolls, a few board game, and a deck of cards. But it was so old now. She wanted something new.
Lian entered her room to grab her thick fur-trimmed coat before closing her door firmly and taking purposeful strides to the observation tower. She was immediately grateful for the warmth provided by the furs, as she found it more difficult to keep warm at the pole without the sun shining down. As Lian took a deep, slow breath she could feel the stinging air warm as it entered her lungs and then warmed her blood. In a matter of moments, the bitter cold had dulled to a manageable chill.
She leaned against the railing once she reached the edge of the deck. At night, the South Pole really was beautiful. The moon's silver light made the icebergs sparkle and this far away from civilization, the stars looked a million times brighter. She loved the way her breath looked pale under the moon, and how peaceful the world seemed for those dark hours.
Lian's quiet revere was broken by the sharp squeak of metal hinges and she whirled around to find Zuko stepping onto the watch deck.
He seemed just as surprised to see her as she was to see him. This platform at night had been her one real escape the years she had traveled with the prince, and by his shock to find someone else up here, Lian could only assume he had also used the watchtower as an escape.
For a moment, they just stared at each other. Lian didn't feel like fighting, and he must have felt it too. She simply took a step to the side, indicating he could join her.
The two teenagers stood side-by-side for a while. Neither wanted to be the one to break the surprisingly amicable silence for fear of accidentally saying something to piss the other off.
It was no surprise to anyone on the ship that the two were on less-than friendly terms. Back at the palace, Azula had made a point to alienate Lian from the other children in the palace, so Lu Ten had been one of the young girl's only real friends. Zuko and Lian, being about the same age, had the same tutors and trainers, exposing themselves to each other more than they otherwise might have. It had been competition from the beginning, each wanting to prove they were the smartest, fastest, strongest, most agile.
Now, having been stuck on a ship together for the past two and a half years, there had been a very subtle shift in their relationship (if one could call it that) that wasn't obvious to the two but fairly obvious to the crew and to Iroh.
Perhaps it had been a silent understanding that they would be spending even more time around each other than they had at the palace, and to make this journey as bearable as possible, it would be to the benefit of everyone on board if they at least tried to get along.
The first few months had been rough. They were constantly at each other's throats and practically going out of their way to start fights with the other. More times than could be counted on two hands, a firefight had started between the two, and even a few weapon clashes—Zuko with his twin broadswords and Lian with her knives. To everyone's relief (especially Iroh's), no one had ever been seriously harmed during their spats and fights; just the occasional bruise or shallow cut.
As the months had dragged on, the number of times something started between the two began to decrease. Of course, there were always those times after several weeks without landfall that tensions would rise again (as had happened earlier that day), but for the most part, they had managed to have limited interactions end in fisticuffs.
Now, the altercations were few and far between. In fact, the incident earlier that day had been the first in nearly a month, a new record that had gone unnoticed by the teens but not by Iroh and the crew; after all, it was always them that got caught up in the emotions the times they had been unfortunate enough to somehow get in Zuko's and Lian's way.
As the months had passed, Zuko began to realize he didn't really have a problem with Lian. It had mostly been a reflex reaction to treat Lian similarly to how Azula had, a reaction Zuko refused to acknowledge was because he wanted Azula to finally see him as the cool, knowledgeable older brother he was supposed to be.
He glanced over at her as they stood at the railing. She had always been a little bit of an enigma. Her temperament was certainly Fire Nation, and she had some physical features that were specific to the large island nation, such as the lean form, almond shaped eyes, and the lively, fiery spark in the irises that every firebender possessed.
But that was kind of where the similarities ended.
Lian's thick hair was cut shorter than traditional Fire Nation style, stopping at her shoulder blades instead of falling down her back like a curtain of silky tresses. Her skin was slightly darker than most in the royal palace, which became especially obvious during the summer, when she would tan quicker and easier than Zuko or Azula or other palace children. Lian also wasn't as tall as other girls her age, something that had persisted through childhood and now into her teens.
"What?"
Zuko was shaken from his thoughts by her soft voice, which was almost lost in the whipping winds. He focused on her face and saw she was staring at him with her head slightly tilted to the side, her eyebrows furrowed a little in confusion, but her lip quirked faintly like she thought something was funny.
He cleared his throat and returned to staring out at the water. "Nothing," he muttered.
She just shrugged and turned away from him again. Silence settled over them once more, but it felt different, not quite as relaxed as previously. Zuko wasn't sure if it was just him feeling that way, but he was grateful when Lian finally straightened a few minutes later to leave. She gave him a tiny smile before she left, leaving Zuko confused.
Since when do we smile at each other?
He wasn't sure how much longer he stayed outside, but eventually, Iroh found him. If the older man was surprised to see Zuko standing barefoot on the metal platform, or in nothing more than a thin robe over his clothes, he didn't mention it.
Instead, he said, "I'm going to bed now."
Silence.
Iroh let out an exaggerated yawn as he tried again. "Yep. A man needs his rest."
Still no response.
The former general slouched. "Prince Zuko, you need some sleep," he said, this time bluntly. "Even if you're right and the Avatar is alive, you won't find him."
Zuko scowled at his uncle's tone; he knew deep down that Iroh wasn't really convinced he would ever find the Avatar, but he had always voiced his support. Now, it sounded like Iroh had completely given up! Given up on him...
"Your father, your grandfather, and great-grandfather all tried and failed," Iroh went on.
"Because their honor didn't hinge on the Avatar's capture," Zuko replied stonily. "Mine does. This coward's hundred years in hiding are over."
Iroh sighed and simply said, "Well, good-night, Prince Zuko. I will see you in the morning." He waited a beat to see if Zuko would respond; he didn't. With another sigh, this one smaller, Iroh finally turned and left the prince standing in the cold.
Eventually, Zuko made his way to his room. After dressing in his sleeping clothes, he lay in bed and stared up at the ceiling.
Despite his best efforts, Zuko couldn't find sleep. His stomach was too knotted in anticipation of finally capturing the Avatar, of finally returning home, of finally proving he was worthy of his title and the throne.
In time, Zuko drifted off to sleep, his dreams filled with scenes of an old man in chains and his father greeting him warmly and Azula looking at him in awe and Mai waiting with open arms.
Author's Note: So here's chapter one of my new story! Let me know what you think.
Until next time.