- Hello, and welcome to my first avatar fanfic! This isn't my firstfic though!
Jasmine: Yeah, he had a terrible teen titans' one on a different account. Oh the awful memories.
Me: o-o You've been gone for a while. Everyone, meet my muse, Jasmine.
Jasmine: Yo.
Me: Anyway, enjoy the fic!
A/N: Pairings are mostly undetermined thus far. The one pairing I am sure of is AangxKatara, but there may be other pairings, including slash. I like slash; it makes me all squishy inside.
Jasmine: Fag.
Me: Shut up! On to the disclaimer!
Disclaimer: I do not own avatar, for if I did, flying chickens would do a dance with Iroh.
Dancer's of The Flickering Flame
Prolouge: Children of Sala
Crimson and orange light flooded the courtyard from the flames lining the bare area. Several scarlet mats lay on soft brown dirt with soldiers sitting on top of them, decorated in red armor decorated with various shining medals and insignias. A bonfire, nearly white with heat, burned brightly in the center of the space, with benders standing nearby to regulate it.
Lord Ozai watched from behind a veil of fire, nothing but the folds of his orange-red robe and his softly glowing yellow eyes were visible to the high-ranking officers below his throne. His hands tightly gripped at the arms of his throne, and his eyes were slitted in rage. The air crackled with anger as hot as the flames of the bonfire.
They were late, and that made Lord Ozai mad, and pissing off the Lord of the most powerful nation in the world was not a good idea, especially when they had Lord Ozai's temperament. After all, just look at what happened to his son.
The officers were on edge themselves, and backed up onto the very edges of their mats, like cats edging away from a bloodthirsty dog. Their fear was almost palpable, and it was so thick that it hummed in the air, fueling Ozai's already potent rage. The torches surrounding the courtyard exploded into white hot flame with the force of his rage.
Then, suddenly, the courtyard doors groaned. Lord Ozai's eyes narrowed, becoming barely more than slits behind the sheen of fire.
Four figures swathed in thin robes of sheer black material made their way into the courtyard. They moved like shadows in the light of the fire, but cast none of their own. Their faces were hidden behind the hoods of their robes, but their eyes, blood red and sparkling like rubies in a sea of darkness, could be seen from even a mile away. Officers edged away from the group, fearing not only the wrath they faced from Ozai, but the creatures themselves…whatever they were.
They walked around the bonfire, or, rather, glided around the flames in unison. There was no scuffling of feet, or the sounds of shoes hitting the ground; just the gentle swoosh of fabric in the wind. There was no breeze.
Lord Ozai's patience was wearing thin. The torches had now burst into pillars of giant red and orange flame, and were steadily growing in size. The creatures were unfazed by this, or maybe they didn't notice. Whatever they thought or how they reacted wasn't visible to Ozai or anyone else.
One of the beings glided in front of the others, their obvious leader. He knelt as Ozai's feet and bowed deeply to the ground before rising and speaking.
"Lord Ozai," it spoke, its voice a low, screeching hiss, "We have brought you what you have wished… Remember that we come of our own will and this is a sign of our allegiance."
Lord Ozai snorted, but didn't speak. The torches slowly decreased in size, until nothing remained but their charred and flaming ashes. The leader waited until the flames had abated before speaking once more.
"These two are special, my lord… they bear the Mark of Sala." The being gestured with a hand hidden beneath his robes, and one of the shadowy figures fluttered through the courtyard doors. When it returned, it came with two children; one a young boy, nearly into manhood, and one, a girl. The boy was crying, and held his gaze to the ground while tears streamed down his narrow, but rounded cheeks. The girl stared head on, her orange eyes smoldering with deadly rage. The boy's hair was as smooth and soft-looking as black silk, where the girl's was the color of coal, and as shiny as a beetles wings. On both, their hair was long and their bangs covered their eyes. They were an exact replica of one another, yet different in every single way. The girl seemed harder, although pretty, and the boy was soft, but mysterious. Lord Ozai looked them both over, but still didn't speak.
One of the creatures grabbed the boy by his hair and he screamed. The girl tried to attack him, but she was held back by another creature. On the boy's forehead was a mark in the center of his forehead. It was in the shape of the sun, complete with rays shooting from it. It shone black in the dim light from the fires, but Ozai knew what color it really was; white as the down from a fire lake crane. He knew the girl would have similar markings as well, but they would line her legs and arms, and would look like black flames enveloping her body.
Ozai smirked, his teeth shining white and visible from behind the veil, and laughed. The sound filled the air, but only increased the tension the soldiers felt. They edged further away on their mats, but daren't move or rise until the Lord had left. To do so would be to dishonor him.
The leader shade began to speak again.
"Enjoy your gift, High Lord Ozai, and know that we, the Brotherhood of the Dusk, are with you."
One by one the shades faded into nothingness, with their leader the last to leave. The soldiers were visibly disturbed, but Ozai was grinning. The two children that were left behind clung to each other, and averted their eyes from the fire lord.
Lord Ozai rose, and silence shattered through the room, deeper and darker than ever before.
"This marks a new age for the Fire Nation," he spoke, his voice an explosion of crackling fire and booming with sound. "Today, we have found the tools to win this war, and crush our enemies.
Today, we have found a way to defeat the elusive Avatar."
Me: Ho'kay, that was a little short for my liking, but who cares? It's just the prologue!
-
Jasmine: You should've written more, now people will flambé you and eat you on a graham cracker.
Me: ;o; Do you always have to be so abrupt saying things like that?
Jasmine: Yes, I don't like you.
Me: o-o BUT I CREATED YOU.
Jasmine: Your point?
Me: -- Anyway…
Review and tell me what you think! This is only my third fanfic (one which I will be continuing) and I'd like to know what you think! And please, do not set me on fire and eat me with chocolate on a graham cracker.
Toodles!
Oh, and if someone would like to beta, it would be appreciated. XD