general disclaimer: I don't own Avatar, sorry. I just like to mess with the characters and places in the Avatar's world.

queen of gold

being the tale of yulin, queen of the seas of seven

chapter one: azula

The Fire Nation is power.

While this metaphor rings like a chime, over and over in the minds of thousands, no one can debate its simple truth. It is more of fact than fiction, although word of mouth is expanded upon by many. But the tales of the Fire Nation had been heard by the young and old all across the world, and it was either join them or be killed.

Most took the sane route and chose to join the Fire Nation, because they knew that both they and their families could be dead by the time the war was over if they did not. So Earth Kingdom peasants voiced support for the Fire Lord Ozai and the Fire Nation, and even some Water Tribesmen left their barren, icy homes to come to other places on the earth and be safe.

But what had been fabricated by the voices of the storytellers was that, if you joined the Fire Nation, you would be safe. The Fire Nation instilled such a great fear into the hearts of many that it was easier to believe that, if they waited under the wings of the Fire Nation, they would be saved. The lies that the storytellers told were vast and numerous, and sometimes created pits that did not have a bottom.

But it was no matter, because the storytellers were believed anyway. With such brave and noble battles and conquerings, how could the Fire Nation not be the side to join? They were strong, proud, and winning the war. So the simple mind chose the Fire Nation and prayed to the gods that this was the right choice.

Of course, it was not.

These people were flawed, crazy, and as sharp as a possum chicken's egg, which was not very sharp. They believed in nonsense and never thought things through. And in this way, they were like the Fire Nation themselves.

While the Fire Nation was power in the world's eyes, most of the world did not know of the Fire Nation's defeats. For those who won always wrote the history, and those who beat the Fire Nation at their own game were killed later. So the Fire Nation simply crossed out the mistakes in their story, and let the people hear of their success and winnings. It was part of the proud soul of the Fire Nation to not be defeated.

It was part of the soul of the Princess, Azula, to not be defeated, but, unlike the men and commanders of her armies, she admitted to the weakness of the Fire Nation. She knew that they had lost many battles, but that would not stop the psychotic princess from winning the war. But she also knew that where there was weakness, there was loss. And Princess Azula knew that the Fire Nation's weakness was water.

Their navies were impressive and strong, but they lacked the swiftness and slyness of the Water Tribe's navy. Slowly, the Northern Water Tribe was gaining on the Fire Nation in their navies. The Water Tribesmen were born of the sea. While the Fire Nation had the finest navies in all of the world, they were still people of fire. They were not in tune with the seas and oceans, they did not know of reefs and islands and dangerous monsters like the people of the Water Tribe did. The Water Tribe seemed to be born with this knowledge ingrained in their hearts, but with all the mapping and warnings the Fire Nation could give, they could not compete with the knowledge the Water Tribes had over the sea.

And slowly, the Water Tribe was attacking the Fire Nation's vessels, pulling them to the bottom of the ocean with soldiers lost every time. But they had an ample amount of soldiers, Azula knew. They could spare the soldiers. And the vessels, as they were numerous. But it took time to rebuild a vessel and to train the lowest rank, and it was time that the Fire Nation lacked. Azula knew of the plot to overthrow the Fire Lord come the solstice, and it was nearing. They would need every last resource to defeat these small rebel armies, because Azula could not have anyone hindering their triumph.

And thus, she needed the seas. To head off the Avatar and to head off the Water Tribe, because the whole world knew that the sea was the weakness of these people born not of water, but of fire.

She knew that none in the water tribe would trust her, so she dared not go to them for any help. Even her best commanders did not know the sea as the Water Tribe did. She experimented with any help she could get, even if it was those adrift at sea from vessels the Fire Nation had taken over for their own use, or to stock up on supplies. She used anyone she could, commanding her officers on the sea to try to pick those that were at least a small bit honorable and seaworthy. From her throne in the Earth Kingdom, she received letters from the sea and from her own armies. She was pleased with their progress, but was startled to learn, one week after the coup on Ba Sing Se, that the Water Tribe had taken an entire fleet. Her father would not be happy.

The Princess Azula was so pompous and arrogant with her power that she demanded all of the finest seamen in the Earth Kingdom to be brought to her. She had not pictured the peasants of the Water Tribes ever gaining an upper hand on her, and she was determined to stop them.

She sat in the throne room, her eyes burning into those men of the sea; fishermen, shipmasters, sailors and tradesmen that she had demanded.

"What makes you think that you can help me?" This was always the Fire Princess's first question, she watched for a flinch; no loyalty, and a pause; the man was unsure.

"I've been a sailor for thirty years, Your Highness. I know the seas better than anyone."

Azula was not impressed with this man, his white hair growing from his ears and his eyes dull with age. He would be dead soon, she knew. She would not have any sailor that would die during his servitude.

"You are dismissed."

And so it when on, like this, for what must have been hours, before the Fire Princess began asking different questions.

She would ask the seafaring men coldly, "Do you know any man that knows the seas better than anyone else?"

There was a different man, most likely only a few years older than she, no more than twenty, who was not arrogant or audacious, but humble and wise. He looked rather young, she knew, but she was not paying much attention to him. She did not care much for him, he was short in height, and a dreg of the sea ports, with tattered clothing and a soft face.

"No, Your Highness, not a man." He smiled slightly, his attention elsewhere. Princess Azula would not have this.

"What do you mean?" she snapped.

"There's a girl, Your Highness, who knows the seas better than any man. But I don't know if you'd deal with riffraff like her," he added.

Azula cocked her finely-shaped eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" She was sounding incredibly stupid and naïve, even to her own ears.

"She's not a sailor…more of a…a pirate, a pirate girl. Yes, a pirate girl." He seemed sure of himself.

Azula did not like pirates in the slightest. But all of the pirates she had ever seen were men, leering and grinning as they tried to grab hold of any part of her that they could. She had no patience for these pirates. But a girl pirate, that was different. A girl pirate would have to be cunning, mischievous, and intelligent. And she must be incredibly and profoundly adept at sailing.

"And who is this pirate girl?" she inquired.

"I've only heard about her, Your Highness, never actually seen her, but she's called the Queen of Gold."

Azula furrowed her brow. A silly nickname, made by a storyteller, no doubt.

"Are you sure that she's real?"

"Pretty much, Your Highness." He lowered his voice. "I don't think that some of those Fire Nation ships blow up on their own." He grinned.

Azula nearly snapped at him, or shot him with lightening, but she then realized just how powerful she was. To the entire city, and to the Earth Kingdom, she was simply the Earth King's forgotten daughter, the heiress to the throne and the ruler of the Earth Kingdom. Most still did not know that she was the Fire Nation's Princess.

"Is there nothing else you can tell me?"

"I don't know anything else, Your Highness."

"You are dismissed," she said curtly, with a nod of her head. A plan was being calculated in her mind.

The young man bowed to her, and then turned on his heel to march out the door. Before her guards had closed it, with his footsteps still echoing across the cavernous room's walls, he spoke.

"It's going to be hard to catch her."

Azula rose, but the young man was gone.

Her question changed again, for these men who knew the sea.

"Do you know of the Queen of Gold?"

All of the men answered yes, but only some had more information for her. Finally, she met a man who knew of this girl pirate.

"Her name is Rei Yulin," the dark-haired man said. "She's from the port city, Jiang-Zo, but I doubt she's there now. The story goes that she ran away from home at the age of ten, and has sailed the seas since, but no man has ever touched her." He winked. "She's hard to catch, unless she's taking over your ship, and she's hard to see, because she kills nearly all she takes. But, of course, some men have survived, because there're stories of this 'Queen of Gold' as they say." He smiled gruffly.

"You are dismissed."

Azula did not have to contemplate her next move. The Avatar and his little gang were on the prowl, and the Water Tribes were blowing up more and more of her ships. Her father, the Fire Lord, back in the capital, would not be happy. She would have to please him somehow. She would have to rise higher than her idiot brother, in the prison cells lower down.

"Agent Zou," she called out. A Dai Li agent stepped smartly towards her.

"Put out wanted posters for this Rei Yulin, the Queen of Gold. Only alive. There will be a great reward for anyone who finds her, make sure that that is clear. I need her here fast. To win the war, we need the seas, and to win the seas, we need this pirate girl. Find her. Hurt her, torture her, so that she comes, but do not kill her. She is necessary. Only inflict the pain necessary. But I think that she will come easily. She knows which side will win, I expect."

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chapter notes/author notes:

and thus begins my first avatar: the last airbender fanfiction, queen of gold. I hope that you enjoyed it, as I certainly am beginning to. it might be a slow start (my apologies), but I do promise development in the next chapter, as if this long debacle wasn't enough for you. if anything in this chapter confused you, please tell me. I'll try to fix it if I can. this fanfiction will center around the original character of my own makings, Yulin, and if you do not like o.c.'s, please take yourself elsewhere. if you're just going to complain, don't read the fanfiction. I'm trying to make this as close to the plot as possible, but we were promised by mike and bryan that we'd have another season in 2007, so, once that season comes out, it's very possible that this plot will be completely fanon. until then, thanks for reading, and if you're still with my after this gargantuan chapter notes, I commend thee.

thanks,

the management

october song incorporated