Queen of the Wind
by
Jasmine Cherry
From towns all across the Kingdom of Storms, they gathered. Competitors and gamblers of all ranks, stations and nations; pouches of jingling, jangling yuan, wads of vibrant koku and prismatic obols of creamy jade flew fast and thick across the crush of humanity as spectators placed their bets. Criers shouted odds and prices from their stands, and the crowd answered back; ten yuan on the Dust Devil, a hundred on Thunderhead, a year's wages in koku on Skybreaker. Once more, the Tournament of the Nine Winds was ready to begin.
"Yes, hello, my friend, I would like to wager a single obol of white jade on the Blind Breeze." called out an older gentleman in the stylish yet practical grays of a middling merchant, whose bet was met by a gentle chorus of laughter.
"On the little one? Are you sure you want to waste so much coin, friend?" the bookie replied, smug and officious. Oh, sure, the little girl had spunk, no doubt, but there was no chance a little thing like her could take home the championship. But the older gentleman simply smiled wide, nodding as he handed over the precious stone, and the bet-manager shrugged and entered the old man's name and wager. They thanked each other in the fashion of a customer and a clerk - the gentleman sincerely, the bookkeeper mindlessly - and parted.
Away from the betting crowds, the old man let out a little chuckle and settled himself among the watchers, rolling a little playing tile between his fingers. The day promised to be...interesting.
Far from the betting office, across and below the ring in the waiting room, the fighters for this year's tourney waited for the matches to be announced, most of them already proclaiming imminent victory. They were an odd lot of warriors, clad in every possible style and color of garment from the four nations of the world; some had the dusky, dark complexion of the pole-dwellers, others the subtler browns and creamy tones of the Storm Steppes, and some the bronzed cast of the Sapphire Isles. A few even had the sandy-white shades of the purged Stone Nomads, though of course not a one of them would dare claim to be such a scion of the Lost Nation. They were as different from each other as could be, with one thing in common. All of them were grown, master Airbenders (and the occasional, elite Storm-rider), with years or decades of experience under their belts. All of them; save one girl with clouded eyes.
No one took much notice of her, save for the occasional amused glance or concerned frown, and why would they? She was unknown, unheard of by this collection of the elite and mighty, the lords and ladies of the air. A child playing at grown-up games, undoubtedly supported by rich, well-meaning but ultimately foolish parents who allowed a helpless little crippled daughter compete in a tournament of masters. No, there was no reason for them to pay attention to little Toph Beifong, not yet; and as much as the snub infuriated the girl, she took it in stride. She had long since become used to to being ignored for her age, her sex, her noble and therefore cushy and easy life. It all just meant she had to become that much more impressive, that much more astounding when she showed them what she could do.
"Alright, everybody! Attention please!" called out a voice, sharp and strong. At one end of the warrior's hall stood a tall, whip-like old woman, her expression like a thundering storm cloud, and her aides.
"I am Madam Chong, and I am the Master of Tournaments. I will be assigning your pairings for the event. Two lines, single file as I call your names. Form up across from your opponents!" she snapped out, her voice Bent to make her words slice through the air.
"First match – Blind Breeze and The Albatross!"
Toph smirked at that; first match of the day, and it was her? She saw what they were doing; throw the little girl out to open, get the silly little rich kid out-of-the-way as fast as possible so that the real fighters could go at it. Well, they'd certainly get a fast match, though probably not the way they were all thinking.
"Nervous, kid?"
Toph turned her head slightly, craning it to the side to raise her ears up. "Nah, should I be?"
She spared a moment to contemplate her opponent as the elderly matron continued to match up the other airbenders; with a little concentration, she could make out his form, a vast and surprisingly tall individual. She could see why he called himself the Albatross; he was nothing like the lean, streamlined airbenders that the rest of the competition felt like. And that too made her smile; not only did they want here out-of-the-way as fast as possible, but they threw the biggest bender in the room at her, just make sure.
"Heh. First time in the Nine Winds, yeah? Try not to get too banged up out there girlie, I ain't gonna hold back jus' cause you're a little creampuff." he said, sounding absolutely bloated with bravado and arrogance.
She smirked. "Could say the same to you, buddy. Hope all those rice cakes don't keep your fat ass ground-bound out there." she snapped back, smirking as he huffed and spluttered quietly.
This was going to be fun.
Heavy gongs roared throughout the arena, stilling the crowd to the level of a dull roar as all attention turned towards the speaker's dais. On the announcement platform, there stood the venerable Madam Chong, stiff-necked, proud, and swathed in the whites and greys of the Storm Steppes. "Ladies and gentlemen of all the world; the Kingdom of the Storm Steppes welcomes you to the three-hundred-and-fifty-seventh annual Tournament of the Nine Winds!"
Roars followed her words, the wood and stone arena shaking with the sheer, unbridled exuberance of the crowd. All around the ring they cheered, their whoops and hollers amplified with amateur tricks of Bending. Madam Chong smiled at the response; there really was nothing like this anywhere else. Soon enough, though, she raised her hands for silence, her voice a thunderclap across the bellowing horde.
"Silence, please! Our first match of the day is about to begin! Grandmaster Li, will you bring forth the warriors!" she called.
From behind her, off the ground and sailing majestically over her podium came the Master Storm-rider, the elite of the Storm Kingdom's airbenders, striking the combat arena below. Waves of rippling, qi-touched air exploded from him, whistling through the grand brass horns that signaled the start of the match.
And so it began. Heavy wooden doors slid apart, granting the young girl and her opponent access to the arena. To the Albatross, the cries and shouts of the wild crowd were his just dues; to the Blind Breeze, they were nearly deafening, almost overloading her unique sonic sense. It was as if a wall of pure noise thrust itself against her, threatening to drown her in its immensity. She would compensate though; she would have no choice. There was no going back. As they stepped onto the ring and parted, Master Li excused himself from the ring; he stood across from the entrance, observing the competition as referee.
Toph Beifong took a deep breath and centered herself; the wind wound around her, embracing her and lightening her. She pushed back against the sound of the crowd, willing the distracting roar away with the stubborn fury of a tropical storm. All she cared about, all she focused on, was the breeze that flowed through the arena, bringing with it knowledge of the world around her; every motion, every tiny object, every eddy of twisting air hers to perceive. It did not matter that her eyes had not worked since before her birth, for the whispering of the wind showed her everything she needed. She took her place at the far side of the ring, and finally - finally - released her breath, letting the tension escape her. Toph was ready.
"Our first competitors for the day! From Omashu, the three-time heavyweight Airbending regional champion, the ALBATROSS!", called out Madam Chong.
Roars once more, cheers from excited fans.
"And from...ah, Gaoling, first-time competitor the BLIND BREEZE!"
Much less enthusiasm; a few clapped or cheered politely, and a few crude souls booed the blind young Airbender. Most of the crowd, though, remained silent, not entirely sure how to respond to the pint-sized competitor.
The Albatross sneered. "Last chance to back out kid!"
"In your dreams, tubby!" she snorted back, sliding into her Bending stance.
She felt him fall into his as well, and considered his form. Hmm...Eastern Hurricane Style. Strong, almost unblockable, specialized in sweeping area strikes. But slow, and poor on defense. She smirked slightly, and shifted her body just so, into the Blizzard Stance, the basic form for her Northern Thunderstorm Style. It too emphasised strong, forceful offense, but based around speed and accuracy, blitzing the opponent on multiple fronts with pinpoint strikes; a near-perfect opposite to his Hurricane Stance. She couldn't see his expression, but from his sudden, nervous shift she knew he had recognized the stance and the way it mirrored and countered his own.
"Begin!"
And with the clarion call of the presiding elder, battle was joined. The Albatross opened with a classic maneuver, whipping heavy arms in a sweeping arc, one after the other to blast a wave of violent air across the ring; but he was far too slow. Toph was already airborne, whipping limbs around her in a frenzy as a cascade of strikes arced towards her opponent. Grunts of pain and the thump of stumbling limbs echoed through the arena as the blasts of compressed air struck home, and the crowd gasped in sudden surprise.
All around the ring eyes widened and whispers flew fast and furious as suddenly it seemed like the little girl might actually be a contender. They watched, in rapt fascination, as the Blind Breeze closed in, seeming to glide over the stone surface of the ring. Her opponent tried his best to respond, but his strikes were slow, clumsy, and designed to strike targets far larger than herself.
Closer and closer she came, flipping, sliding, dancing over his futile attempts to strike her; the girl dashed around him like a whirlwind, peppering his massive frame with an endless stream of bruising blows, breaking his rooted stance and nearly tossing him around like a rag-doll. Fierce blasts of compressed air struck him from very angle, the air squeezed so tight that each impact felt like the slam of a hefty quarter-staff. Waves of air crushed every inch of him – his face was battered to one side and back, his limbs red and stinging from raw wind-burns, his feet a-dancing from her constant assaults, unable to gain stable footing to make the best use of his slower style.
The crowd leaned in as close as they could manage, unwilling to miss even a second of the thrilling – and one-sided – fight. 'Round and round and round she went, leaving a trail of little dust devils in her wake – and then the finishing touch. Two hands, cupped and pressed together at the wrist, forced upwards towards his belly; a blast of air like the roar of a blizzard, strong and implacable, and the Albatross was airborne, his bulky frame cart-wheeling into the wooden barrier surrounding the ring.
Silence. Dead, oppressive silence.
And then the low, disbelieving bellow of the crowd, morphing into cheers and roars of surprised applause. All around her, the cheers and shouts of the audience seemed to fill the air, bringing a rare, genuine smile to her face.
"I...well, I don't believe it, but...it seems the winner of the first round is the BLIND BREEZE!" Madam Chong called out, her expression as surprised and shocked as the rest of them. Indeed, among the crowd there was only a single person who was not shocked, dismayed, or surprised at the turn of events; his response to the sudden upset was to chuckle, very softly, and twirl a little tile between his fingers – a gaming piece, with a silvery lotus blossom etched upon it.
Down in the ring, young Toph drew in a deep breath, buoyed by this first victory. Oh, to be sure, it wasn't over yet; there were many more matches to be had today, and over the next few days of the tourney, but that didn't matter. Right now, in the eyes of her adoring crowd, she was triumphant, a champion in the making. It was the best feeling in all the world, and she was looking forward to experiencing this thrill all the next three days of the tourney.
This was going to be fun.