Pull up a chair, and listen closely. For the story I am about to related to you, whether significant or not, is a true one, and I would prefer that its details not be distorted in any way, due to a negligent reader.

I could say that everything started with seven words. Seven words spoken in a dismissing and uncaring manner. And for the most part, it did. But do not begin to think that this story, my story, goes no deeper. My life is a complicated affair, one that is heavily interwoven in the stories of others, whose own histories are just as intricate as mine. And perhaps some day they will grace you with them. But for now, you must settle with my own, though I will barely scratch the surface of the subject.

While it was not the beginning, a part of my life was ended with seven words, and so there, I must dive in and allow my story to fall upon your ears, willing or not.

"You are banished. Leave this palace immediately."

I followed her orders because I had always followed her orders.

I gave up what had been my life, because I realized that I had already given up that life.

To live in servitude cannot be called an existence. But it /was/ my existence, and it had been for seventeen years.

Until I was banished.

I promise it wasn't my fault. I told her it was an accident. I tried to explain. But spoiled princesses who think of no one but themselves are not easy to convince, and that day, my failure would result in my life changing forever.

I was born in the Fire Nation, but my heritage was not of that nationality. My roots began elsewhere.

My grandmother was a Southern Water Tribe native before it was virtually destroyed by a Fire Nation raid. She was captured along with the rest of the benders, and was never heard of again by her people. But she was not destined to rot behind bars. One of the officers had fallen in love with her, as ridiculous as it sounds. Or at least, that's the story I was told. Either way, she was allowed to go free. If you could call it free. Garbed in the apparel of the Fire Nation, she was kept under constant supervision, never allowed to bend—with strict consequences backed by threats to destroy her family and home. And for this reason, she obeyed.

Unknown to her captors, my grandmother was, at the time, carrying a child, which was to come a few months after her capture. She had been married before the raid. When this child came, it too was disguised as a Fire Nation native, though his mother was able to tell him the truth of his ancestry, against the will of her captors of course, who were furious at the entrance of the boy. Much to their relief though, he, unlike his mother, was not able to bend.

My grandmother did her best to protect him from their wrath, but died at a very young age (ravaged by a disease brought on by distress and weariness), leaving the boy, my father, alone and unguided. But even without my grandmother's protection, my father was very resourceful, and was able to play upon the emotions of the man who, though wicked at heart, had loved my grandmother. Through his influence, my father was able to secure for himself a position in the palace itself, as a minor guard. And, while he was still under constant watch, he led a relatively peaceful life. That is, until he met my mother.

She too was a victim of the Firenation, a Northern Watertribe native who had been captured on the mistake that she was a water bender. She was not, but could obviously not be released. So she was taken to a small prison adjacent to the palace, where my father had been set as guard for the day due to the absence of the normal guard, for he, along with many others, had been called to fight in a minor skirmish in the Earth Kingdom.

My father did his best to "guard" her cell as often as possible, but the precious hours gained did not come without great risk: for the love between them would never be tolerated, and because of this, their meetings were secret, and seldom.

They were, however, able to stay together long enough to produce me: a child born in secret, and raised in lies. My parents hid me as long as they could, hoping to escape to freedom with me, when opportunity presented itself.

It never did.

I was discovered before they could do so, and therefore snuffed out any hope of safe departure. Both my father and mother were executed immediately, for it was much too risky for them to be banished. And though I was a mere infant and could easily have been dealt with in the same manner, I was allowed to live, with the knowledge that I could not possibly know of my origins.

So I was put into servitude and raised to believe that I had been born into it.

Slowly I made my way up the "servant ladder", eventually landing myself in the position of personal attendant to Princess Azula, though I was most certainly not alone. Not long after securing this place, I was sent on an errand to receive a new shipment of exotic fruits for the palace kitchens. This required me to go into the main portion of the city, a trust that I felt proud at the time to receive.

And so I left immediately, with a new sense of dignity. But when I arrived at the port, I discovered that they had not yet arrived, and would have to wait a few hours. Knowing that sitting on a crate would get very dull very fast; I decided to wander the city for a while. I wouldn't go far enough so as to get lost, and I wouldn't be missed, so how could it hurt?

Unfortunately, wandering turned out to be just about as boring as sitting around. With no money to buy or even /consider/ buying anything, almost every shop I passed was ignored with furious determination. That is, until I came upon a little store nearly hidden between two large warehouses. The sign above its door was unmarked, and the tiny window did not allow clear visual access to the building's purpose. Curiosity sparked, I entered.

The tiny room was stuffy and smelled strangely of wet stone. It consisted of little more than a floor, four walls, and a roof—All wooden and dust covered. Innumerable shelves clung to the walls, leaving little visible space, except for one blank portion of wall, about a square foot in size, devoid of both dust and blemish. The shelves themselves were nearly covered beyond the point of recognition, with many oddities both resting on, and hanging from, their sturdy frames. Dust also covered the objects like they had not been moved for years, which was probably not far from the truth.
In the back of the room jutting from the wall sat a large stone basin, with water streaming down it's surface and falling almost silently into a shallow pool at the bottom. To the left of this "fountain" sat a straight backed chair before a round table, both made out of the same wood as everything else: a sort of creamy brown with rusty stains throughout, indicating knots and other imperfections often found in wood.

For now they sat empty and unoccupied, though normally a person just as strange as the room rested there. Some called her Kin, but she never admitted to it being her true name, nor had she ever corrected anyone who had called her so.
It was widely known that Kin, as she will be called for convenience, was a bit odd. Not much was known about her, except that when she arrived in the city about five years ago she had set up shop and resided there quietly ever since. All this information I found out later, but at this moment, I was about to meet her for the first time.

I had had just enough time to absorb most of the details of the room when behind me the door opened for a second time. I turned to see the figure of a woman framed in the doorway, one hand clutching the wood beside her. I took a step back as she quickly entered, allowing the door to close by itself behind her. She did not look at me, but went directly to the chair at the back of the room, and seated herself there. For several minutes I did not speak, completely taken aback by her swift entrance and apparently uncaring attitude.

"Well?"

It surprised me to hear her speak. We had stood so long in silence that she had almost, in my mind, become another inanimate object—one among many in the small room.

"Well…" I echoed, watching her with fascination.

The woman sighed, and leaned back in her chair so that its back was resting against the wall behind her, and two of its legs were held in the air. She closed her eyes lazily and spoke in a bored voice. "You're not very smart, are you?"

I blinked at her.

"Excuse me?"

"Excuse you for what?"

I blinked again, and decided to change the subject. "Are you the owner of this shop?"

"I wouldn't call it a shop."

Deciding that somewhere in her answer was the word "yes", I continued, talking simply to keep the silence from returning.

"What exactly do you sell?" I looked around, and was unable to discern between merchandise and personal belongings.

"That depends," said she opening one eye, "on what you want to buy."

"Actually… I wasn't looking to buy anything," I said sheepishly.

"I see," the woman answered, closing her eye. Than you have no reason to remain here."

I nodded, and stood to leave with no further word.

At my movement both of the woman's eyes snapped open and the chair went down on all fours with a bang. I stopped, and turned to face her again, surprised by her reaction.

"Is that all?" she asked, staring at me with hard eyes. Eyes that I had not noticed before then. They were a strange mixture of green and brown, with odd specks of what appeared to be yellow, though they were barely discernable without examination.

"Well, yes," I replied, not sure what she was expecting me to do.

"Hmph. I expected more from you. You're not only dumb, but boring too. What an unfortunate combination."

Unused to such blunt statements, having been only ignored in the past, I marched back to her, indignant—an action that caused her to grin widely. Having been about to say something to her, my mouth was open, though I snapped it shut, confused by this sudden change of personality.

"Here child, why don't you take a seat." I realized that it was not an offer, but a demand, as she suddenly produced a chair, just as straight and uncomfortable looking as her own, from behind a previously unnoticed "desk", which served as little more than another place for the countless oddities and knick-knacks to rest.

I quickly sat in the chair she provided, and stared at my hands that rested in my lap. What was I supposed to do?

"What do you think of your life, Kerai?"

I blinked, and raised my eyes to stare at her, unsure which to be more surprised at: Her sudden question, or her knowledge of my name. I decided on the latter.

"H- how do you know my name…?"

The woman sighed irritably. "That doesn't really matter, but I see that you won't answer my question until I answer yours. But keep in mind that I tell you only what you need to know." She took a breath before continuing. "I must admit that I took an interest in you early in your life, and decided to follow it, hoping that at least /something/ worthwhile would happen."

Perhaps noticing that I was about to protest, she continued quickly, giving me a look that told me to remain silent.

"Do not think that I was spying on you though. It wasn't nearly worth that amount of effort. I simply kept my eyes open, and my ears receptive. In a city like this, its not hard to find out information if you do nothing but that."

I remained silent, making the woman smile. "I believe I have answered your question. Now you must answer mine."

I nodded slowly, mind swimming with confusion. "But… I'm not exactly sure what you're asking…"

"Child, it's not that complicated. I'm simply asking if you enjoy your life."

"Oh."

"Well?" She asked, sounding impatient.

"I suppose…"

"Suppose?"

"Yes, I don't know how I could not…"

"That answer isn't sufficient, and you know it."

I didn't reply.

"Here, I'll help you out: How can you enjoy a life which does not belong to you? Kerai, you cannot say that living under the command of another is a fitful existence."

"But—"

The woman raised a silencing hand. "Don't argue, you know that I'm correct. You are not truly happy."

"Fine. So what if I'm not happy? It's not like I have any choice. It's better than living on the streets."

"Good, good!" she replied, eyes dancing, obviously pleased with my answer. "You've at least admitted that your life is less than pleasant."

I blinked, and replied sullenly: "But I still don't understand. Why do you care what my life is like? Who are you?"

The woman's eyes narrowed. "I told you, I took an interest in your life. As for your second question… You can call me Kin. Everyone else does, so it doesn't particularly matter if you do. I'll answer to it, and that is sufficient."

I blinked slowly, still not wholly happy with her response. "But…" I hesitated. "…Kin," She nodded, "Why is it so important for me to realize what my life is like? Haven't I been living it for seventeen years? And I'm no worse off than any other servant."

"Ah, but this is where you are mistaken," Kin replied, raising a finger and winking. "You /are/ worse off than any other servant. Why?" She asked before I could do so. "Because you are indeed very different from them."

I stared at her mutely.

"See here, what story of ancestry do you have? When all of the servants get together on what little free time they have, many brag about the positions their parents, grandparents and other relations held. What did you have to share?"

"Nothing," I said softly.

"That's right. Nothing. And did you ever wonder why you had nothing to share?"

"Of course I did, but I was told that my parents died when the palace was seiged by a rogue band of Watertribe members a part of the roof collapsed on them. What more did I need to know?"

"Ah, they fed you that lie, did they?"

"Lie?"

"Child, your parents didn't die. They were killed."

A thick silence grew between us as a little piece of my heart, which somehow knew that what I was told couldn't possibly be true, finally slipped into place, and an unsettling feeling of realization swept over me.

"Snap out of it," Kin said, making me flinch at her tone. "Now's not the time for you to grieve. They're long gone, and won't be any help to you now."

"Help… Why do I need help? What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to be quiet, and listen to everything I'm about to tell you."

She then went to the "desk" and grasped the handle of one of its drawers. After a few moments of tugging it finally slide open, revealing a mess of papers, which she swiftly removed. Closing the drawer with her foot, both hands being full, she went and sat down again, placing the papers upon the table. All of this I watched with growing amazement. It was hard to believe that just hours ago I had been simply waiting for a shipment of fruit.

"Now, lets see if we can shed some light on this… Who knows, you might even learn something."

She then went on to explain all that I have already related to you. I won't give you her speech word for word, but know that as she spoke, I became almost entranced. It seemed that the room had grown completely dark, and a spotlight rested on Kin. I saw and heard nothing else.

I don't know how long she spoke, but by the time she had finished, she had torn my entire life to shreds. Not one aspect of my existence was left undamaged by her voice.

"What should I do?" I whispered, looking at her desperately. "I can't possibly go back now… Not after…"

"You do what you please," Kin replied, shrugging as if nothing had happened. "All I can say is that you should use the information I have given you wisely. If you think that returning to your life is the best use of it, so be it. But if there be another path you wish to follow…" Her eyes glinted in the semi-darkness. "Then follow it with all your heart, and no one can accuse you of not trying. Even if you fail."

Fail? It sounded like Kin was expecting her to go on some large, life-altering journey.

"I should go…"

Kin did not speak as I quickly stood and exited the room, blinking at the painful brightness of the sun. I was only slightly late for shipment of the fruits, but it turned out that it didn't matter either way. I was not missed at the palace and was able to simply slip back into place without so much as a cold word.

About a month passed and I did my best to forget all that Kin had said, but could not bring myself to do so. I no longer could do my work without thinking about my parents and their untimely and unearned demise. But even so, I couldn't leave. There was nowhere for me to go.

But in the end, the decision would not be up to me. When Azula released me from my bonds, I was terrified. But this feeling did not last long. Eventually I realized that even though one chapter of my life was closing, another was beginning to open.

The whole world was before me.

But before I could enter it, I needed help. And with only one person in mind, I once again headed into the city. But upon arriving at her "store", I found that it was empty. The window was boarded up, but through a crack I could see that all the candles were extinguished, for it was completely dark. Troubled by Kin's disappearance, I set off for the docks, having nowhere else to go. It took some effort but I was finally able to sneak upon one of the vessels and found myself heading to a small village on the outskirts of the Fire Nation. Once there, I got another ride, this time headed to the Earth Kingdom. Upon arriving in the dingy town, I found odd jobs to keep myself alive and moving. But these jobs wouldn't last forever, and too many of the villagers were beginning to ask innocent questions of me. Ones that I was particularly keen on answering. So through a number of different ways, I managed to move to yet another town, though this time I stayed more secretive, doing nothing to draw attention to myself. And it was here, that I met her. The woman that changed my life more than Kin, and more than Azula.

Her name was Hama, and she taught me many things. It was she who discovered that not only was I of the Water Tribes, but that I could waterbend. Never before had I experienced my hidden power. But with her coaxing, I was slowly able to master it. And when my training was completed, she revealed to me a whole other level. One that, according to her, was pure power.

When she first invited me to her "home", something that was little more than a shack, I immediately began keeping house, cleaning all in my sight. What else could I do besides the work I had done my entire life? But Hama forced me to stop, saying that no person should have to do such menial work for another. I was taken aback, but obeyed, not wanting to offend.

I think that her personality rubbed off on me while I stayed with her. Almost without even realizing it I became a stronger person, my original servile attitude becoming a thing of the past. I became especially aware of this when Hama introduced a technique she called "blood bending". I don't think I'll ever forget that day.

I had been practicing waterbending out in the woods adjacent to the village and Hama's home when out of the blue a Firenation soldier appeared. I don't know who he was, or what he was doing (especially when it was close to midnight), but the sight of him brought back all of my unpleasant memories. It had been so long since I had seen someone of that nationality, that when I saw him, I kind of froze up. He gave me a strange look but didn't speak, only continued on his way. I was about to go back to practicing when out of the corner of my eye I noticed that the man had stopped walking. When I turned to look at him, I saw that his entire body had gone rigid, as if he were paralyzed.

"A- are you okay?" I asked, taking a hesitant step towards him. He only gave me a fearful and desperate stare, as if pleading for help. Unsure how I could aid him, but not willing to let him suffer, I approached him with the best of intentions. But before I could get near to him, Hama suddenly appeared at my side, arms raised and eyes narrowed.

"Hama, this man, he—"

She glanced at me, lowering her arms as she did so. The man fell to the ground as if invisible strings connected them.

Then it dawned on me.

"Are… Are you… You're…" My eyes were wide as the man before me appeared to struggle against his invisible bonds.

"Kerai, did you enjoy being a slave to the Firenation?"

"No, of course I didn't, but—"

"Then you will understand what this man is feeling right now."

I turned to stare at the man as he continued to jerk. Yes, I understood how he felt. The feeling of being trapped. The desperateness. Everything was decided for you.

"No control," I whispered, still watching the man.

Hama grinned. "Exactly. And, there's only one way to keep yourself from landing in that," she nodded at the man, "position."

"How?" I asked, voice hollow.

"You must make sure to always be in /my/ position. The only way to avoid being controlled is to have control yourself." With that she raised her arms, forcing the man to rise, a look of absolute terror on his face.

"Yes… I must keep control to avoid being controlled."

"Good…" With that word, she released the man, allowing him to flee. He didn't look back once as he raced away.

After that day, Hama often took me out in the middle of the night to "teach" me. Well, learning never felt so unpleasant. Hama's method of teaching turned out to simply be drawn-out sessions where she took complete control of me, insisting that I keep control of myself, and snapping impatiently at me. But even with her harsh lessons, I eventually was able to take control of her, and any other being I chose. Finally it was /I/ who was the dominant one. No longer would I take orders. At least, from no other than Hama. It seemed that there was always something between us. She carried an air that demanded respect, and I would never take control of her unless instructed to. Never.

And while I had nearly mastered the technique, we continued our "training sessions", Hama insisting on perfection. That is, until one day, instead of going out to the woods, Hama had me sit with her. It was almost completely dark in the room, as she began to speak, and I listened intensely.

She told me of an organization whose name was a mystery and whose leader was unknown. She told me that they wanted to eradicate benders from the world.

I began to protest at this, becoming hateful of the people who wished to kill and capture people like me. Just for a talent they could not share? Oh, how this made me mad… Fury rose up in me like a storm, but was quickly subdued by a look from Hama, who then continued to speak. "I do not agree with their goals, but they are a strong group, and still rising in power. I want to tap into this power. Due to your knew skills, you will have no trouble taking over."

My eyes widened. "Are you saying that you want me to… To get /into/ this organization?"

"Exactly."

"But, they hate people who bend. You said that they make them slaves. Isn't that what I've been trying to avoid?"

"Yes, but like I said, your knew abilities will not allow you to be controlled by them. Yes, at first it might seem as if they hold power over you, but I believe that after you reveal to them what level your bending is, they will accept you into their ranks, despite the fact that you are simply a waterbender."

I did not reply.

"Yes," she continued, "they will want to use you. I am sure of this. But you must not let them control you. From the start, you must be wary and hold the strings. Remember Kerai, manipulation is always your friend."

And so it was decided. I was going to be put back into servitude, with the hopes that I could somehow use my powers of manipulation to see the leader, or his/her closest advisors. And then, it would begin. Ever so slowly, and with much patience, Hama, through me, would take control of this organization. And who knew what would come after?

And so my life took another turn. But it was a turn I had decided for myself. I, the Puppet Master's apprentice, had taken control of my life.