Chapter one
"Azula you are cheating!" Ty Lee said as she started to run after her, her long brown hair flying in the wind. Azula laughed loudly as she easily avoided Ty Lee's fast hands, the only one who stood a chance against Ty Lee in this stupid game was Azula, the whole point was to make you opponent fall over by only using your hands.
"A princess never cheats" she said proudly as she made a quick move and hit Ty Lee hard in the shoulder and she fell to the ground. Azula made a victory movement as Ty Lee got up from the grass.
"My turn" I said moving over to take over Ty Lee´s spot, Azula smiled at me as I stood in front of her, her amber colored eyes gazing in to my bleu.
"Ok Feonwe, but no free passes here" Azula said as she looked over at Mai who had lost against me two matches ago.
"I would be disappointed" I said with a smile, I know Azula would beat me, but I was getting irritated at her so I was just hoping to get one hit.
"Go!" She said and she ran towards me, I moved out of the way and to my surprise, she missed, her hand missed its target, being my shoulder and I found myself grabbing her hand moving around quickly and pulling her arm behind her back and pushed, she fell, I had won. Ty Lee cheered me on and gave me a hug Mai just smiled and looked over at Azula that was getting up, even though she was eleven, she was used to win and she made sure that we all would feel bad if we would even win over her once. I was thirteen and the only reason I was friends with Ty Lee, Azula and Mai was that I was, engaged with Prince Zuko. My father was a close friend with Firelord Ozai and when Ozai unexpectedly was made Firelord my father used that friendship to make sure that when Zuko turns seventeen we would marry, I had nothing to say about it.
"Nice one Feonwe" Azula said, "but luck won't win you a real battle" she said with a frown as she walked in, I told the others that I had to go home and said good bye. As I walked in to my house my mother was standing there looking down at me.
"You are late"
"Sorry mum, is dad home yet?"
"No he will be home soon though, go and change than come to the bathhouse. I did as she asked, put on my white bath suite and put my black hair up and walked in, my mother was standing in a red bathrobe and bowed as I walked in.
"Now let´s see if you have been training" She said, she made a soft motion and water lifted up from the pool, she made a quick new motion and the water came towards me, I moved my hands and the water followed as I span around and the water turned in to ice as I shot it towards my mother. She made a fast movement and the ice turned to water.
"Very good" she said and let the water fall back in to the pool. "You are a true natural, it is a shame you were born here, if only…"She seemed to disappear in thoughts as I started to do some simple movements with the water on my own. The bell rand and we both knew it was dad, I jumped in to the water and started swimming as the door to the bathhouse opened and my dad walked in.
"Welcome home darling" mum said and gave him a kiss.
"Thank you Zarsha, it has been a long day" he turned to look at me. "Ah my young swimmer, training again are you Feonwe?"
"Yes dad" I said as I stopped and heaved myself out from the pool and walked over and gave him a hug.
"Ah my little swimming master" he said, mum smiled.
"Lee I will go and start the dinner" she said and dad nodded and turned to me again.
"Have you finished training?" he asked, I nodded.
"I was a bit late but I think I have had enough for today" My dad smiled.
"So did you spend the day with Zuko?" he said smiling at me.
"No, I was with Azula and the others" his smiled faded for a moment and then he nodded and left. I walked in to my room, the picture of me and Zuko that had been painted a year ago was standing next to my bed, what if they knew would they still agree on are marriage. I was loyal to the Firenation and to the Firelord, so what does it matter if I am a Waterbender, my mother was Waternation, Ozai knows, some of fathers other friends, so why did mother make me promise never to tell anyone, not even father.
As I when to bed that night, after being told that tomorrow I would have a dinner with Zuko and his family at their house, it was more fun when Ursa was there, but she had been gone sense Ozai became Firelord, I don´t know what happened to her, Zuko doesn't speak of it and neither dose Azula. But around noon next day I was on my way to the palace, I was dressed in my finest red dress that my mother had picked out for me, my hair had been put back in a braid. My dad said I looked beautiful and I did get the same comment from Zuko, but only after his father had given him a rather hard hit over the head. I was sitting next to Zuko and his uncle Iroh as the table, Ozai was sitting next to Zuko at the royal seat by the edge of the table, then on his left side sat Azula and next to her sat Mai and Ty Lee. They never seemed to leave her side, as the diner went by I didn´t say much, Azula was bragging about her fierbending skills and Zuko seemed to look at the empty chair where his mother used to sit, facing Ozai, I took his hand under the table, he looked at me and smiled as I let go of his hand.
"How about you Feonwe?" Ozais voice said, I turned and looked at him.
"Sorry, I was thinking about something ells"
"We were discussing Azula´s Fierbending, is it right that you are not a Fierbender?"
"I am not a Fierbender no, I am a quite good swimmer though" I added as I wanted to look good in front of Zuko´s father. He just nodded and went back to keep on talking Azula´s training. After the dinner Zuko and I went for a walk, we walked around the palace and was talking strangely enough about my swimming.
"So are going to join a team?" Zuko asked me, I shrugged.
"Maybe" I said hoping he would change the subject, "I don´t think I am good enough" I added and smiled at him. He smiled back and we walked in to the garden, we sat down under a tree.
"Do you like this whole thing?" He asked me.
"What?" I asked and it took him some time to answer.
"Are arranged marriage"
"Oh…" I said and looked down in the grass. "I guess, I do like you but well no one wants to marry because of their parents right?"
"I suppose, wait, you like me?" I felt my check blush as I nodded as I slowly looked up at him, his cheeks was a bit red just like mine he looked down at me and I looked in to his eyes, just like Azula he had amber colored eyes, he moved a bit closer and soon are lips were close to touch.
"Oh Zuzu and Feonwe are kissing!" A voice said, it was Azula who was now laughing along with Ty Lee and Mai, I looked over at them and got up, I wished I could just use the water in the pond and use it to freeze them all, but I calmed down and took Zuko's hand and we walked away. Zuko´s hand were warm, as if he also had become angry after Azula´s comment.
"I hate it when she calls me that…" He mumbled I looked over at him; he was looking at the ground as his hand got warmer.
"What?"
"Zuzu" he said short and now I had to let go of his hand because he had become so warm that I burned myself. He panicked when he saw me pulling my hand away quickly and reviling the burn mark, it wasn't big but it would show.
"I am so sorry!" He said I could hear the panic in his voice; I forced on a smile and said calmly.
"It´s fine, really" I said showing him my hand; "See, I am sure I won´t even have a scar" he looked away from the hand as if it made him feel sick. I took his hand again, it was still warm but nothing like it had been, I put my other hand on his face and made him look at me. I looked in to his eyes, I felt for the first time that maybe this arranged marriage wouldn´t be so bad. He put his hand on my face as well and let his lips rest upon mine. We sat down and talked until I knew that I needed to leave, he walked me home as I waved good bye as I walked in to my house. The first thing my mother saw was the mark, she took my hand and didn´t speak. She looked down at it before letting go and walked in to hers and dads room. She came out with a pouch, it was dark brown with blue markings.
"What is it?" I asked as mum fuelled it with water.
"Keep it with you, but always hidden, this is a waterbenders best weapon. It´s called water skin we waterbenders use them when water is unviable" she handed it over to me; I held it in my hands as someone knocked on the door. I handed it over to my mother and opened the door. It was Azula, she was grinning at me as if she had a big secret.
"Oh, hello Azula" I said as she kept on grinning.
"Now Zuzu has done it" she said, I looked at her.
"What?" I said
"He was in a war meeting after being with you, he made a fool of himself and now he is going to act in an Agni Kai" I felt a shiver going trough me, as I looked at her, she always lies, why believe her now?
"When" I just said looking down at her where she was still grinning.
"Tomorrow, at sunset" she said I then closed the door in her face and turned to face my mother. She had heard it all and told me to wait until father comes home. See if there is any truth in Azula´s words. I trained with the water skin until the bell rang and father came in, I jumped in the pool and got out again as soon as he walked in.
"Is it true?" I scream as he walked in, he sighed and nodded. He knew what I meant he sat down and I looked at him.
"Do you know what happened" I asked, he looked at me where I stood.
"No, only rumors, but it is true about the Agni Kai, this is not good, if I know my old friend right, Ozai will not forget this is the Prince survives, and the marriage" he sighed and walked in to his room.
The next day I went to watch him train as always, but I only found his uncle Iroh sitting on the floor of the training room.
"Is Zuko here?" I asked, he looked up at me.
"Ah Feonwe, an honor to have you here, and no, he is not. He wished to be alone until the fight" I sighed and turned to walk away, I was wearing my long read clock and under it the water skin, just like I had promised mum.
The day went slowly by until I was running after Iroh; I knew he was my ticket in.
"Iroh!" He turned when I called for him and stopped, he seemed worried.
"Ah Feonwe…"
"Let me come in with you, please" I said, he seemed to think about it.
"I don´t think you will enjoy it" he said
"I know I won't, but I need to make sure nothing happens to Zuko" I no longer care about my own safety, I would do anything to help Zuko walk out of there alive.
"Hmm, come then" he said and we walked in, I could feel the water skin, filled with water pressed against me as I sat down. I could see Zuko at the end to my right, and when I looked to my left I saw, Ozai.
"Wait, is he going to fight his own father?" I whispered to Iroh.
"I am not sure, but it looks like it" Azula was sitting in front of me in the seat meant for the Firelord, I looked over as Zuko stood up and faced his father. A lightning of shock across his face told me that he did not know that he was to fight his father, as Ozai walked slowly towards him, Zuko fell to his knees.
"Please father, I did not mean to disrespect you" he said, tears forming on his face.
"Get up and fight" Ozais voice said, I could tell that Iroh was forcing himself not to stop his brother as he took a few more steps towards Zuko.
"No I don´t want to fight you father" Ozai stopped right in front of him, I moved my hand so that I could unbutton the robe and let it fall, my red dress that I had before going cutoff around my knees and was wearing black pants under, the water skin hidden under the robe still.
"You will learn respect, and pain will be your teacher" before I could even move, Iroh´s hand moved over my face as I only saw the light of fire as I screamed out:
"NO!" my scream mixed with Zuko's scream of pain as I stood up the robe falling of me now I knew that the water skin was fully visible but no one seemed to care about it. Hate, anger and sadness was shooting trough me as I ran over to Zuko, he was holding his hand over his left side of his face. I got his hand away and saw the deep burn mark, I let go of his hand as he put it back, screaming in pain. I turned to face Ozai, my anger and hate was so strong.
"Why don´t you fight someone who will defend themselves!" I screamed at him, silence, you could hear my heavy breathing as I stood up.
"How can you fight me" Ozai said, not like a question, more like a statement.
"Let me show you" I said and stood up, facing him, it was now or never, this time it had to work. He made a quick movement and as did I as I did what I had never managed before. I bent water from the air in the room, enough so that I could deflect the fire coming at me and then quickly move my hands. I had been studying it, practicing on rats and birds when I got the chance. Screaming of hate and anger I felt myself getting control of Ozais body making him fall to his knees. No one spoke, total and absolute silent, the anger still beating hard in my cheats like a poison as I walked over to him, where he was now on his knees facing me, I let one hand fall down to my water skin and opened it.
"Pain, will be your teacher" I said, letting go of my hold and made a quick moment letting the water hit him across the face, a deep cut, across his face as he fell over covering his face with his hand. I moved over to Zuko and moved the water over my hand and put it over his face, I focus but I never got enough time to heal it before some grads pulled me away. I tried to fight them away, after all I was in the same fighting class as Ty Lee, but someone hit me over the head and everything went black.
When I woke up Iroh was standing over me and holding my right arm in a bucket of water, he didn´t seem to know I was awake, so I made a quick movement and got up as I bended the water and stood in attack position.
"Oh, don´t worry, I am not going to hurt you" Iroh said, I calmed down and let the water fall back as I looked on my burned right hand, I didn´t remember that happening.
"When…" I began but realized soon that I didn´t care; "How is Zuko?"
"He is alright, he is still in some pain but that is not the worst part" he seemed to dream of, I saw down on the bed that I had been lying down on.
"He has been banished, stripped of his birthright and he can´t return until he has found the Avatar" he looked down on the floor; he seemed to be close to tears.
"Is he going alone?" I asked, he shook his head.
"No, I´ll going with him, my brother can´t stop me from doing that" he said, as he looked over at me.
"And, what is my fate?" I asked him, Iroh smiled.
"I am sorry, but I asked that you would come with us, I wanted to wait but it was that or, well you were to be executed" I didn´t say anything as he well silent, so I were to be banished with Iroh and Zuko, never to see my home again. Something in me felt calm, I wouldn´t die, I would live and maybe one day Zuko would find the Avatar and bring us home. Then the harsh truth, the Avatar had been gone for over a hundred years, no one believes he will ever return.
The next morning I was taken out in chains, Zuko was walking with his uncle aboard the ship, but I were to be brought there in chains. Azula stopped the grads leading me, she handed me a necklace, with the royal seal of the Firenation.
"I will be coming for that" she said as she put it on me, smiling as she moved a side and the guards walked me on to the ship. Only when I was looked up in my room did they take of the chains, they handed me my water skin and a box.
"From your mother" he said and left, I could hear that he did not look the door as he left. The box contained five water bending scrolls and I smiled down at them. She would be fine, as would dad…