Reflection
by Sayuri Vessalius
Lo navigated the twists and turns of the depressingly identical hallways of her cell block. She gazed upon the cold, steel doors and wondered what cold, steel hearts they contained. She had pondered this for years and had even developed a game out of it. Lo had learned the names and faces of her neighbors, but she had immediately forgotten them. Her first day was shrouded in a fog of misery and forced forgetfulness. Instead of relearning the identities of her cell neighbors, Lo invented new ones. This helped combat the boredom of her daily routine at the Boiling Rock.
Each morning, Lo woke up to the excruciating sound of thousands of cell doors being pulled open by squeaky, rusted gears. The clatter somewhat resembled thousands of hyena cats getting their tails pulled. She used to cover her ears at the sound. Eventually, she had accepted the noise, but she had not gotten used to it by any stretch of the imagination. Lo had simply acknowledged that the sound signified the start of another monochromatic, lonely day and had long stopped hiding from it.
Once she woke, she was herded to the cafeteria along with the various assortment of thugs, pirates, and war prisoners that inhabited her cell block. After a bland breakfast composed of the scraps of food left over from the guards' and warden's dinners, the convicts were assigned tasks for the day. Sometimes Lo washed, mended, and distributed the prisons red uniforms. Other times, she mopped the floors. She never complained, for she knew there were worse jobs. Instead of lunch, there was an hour-long break outside so the prisoners could mingle, exercise, rest, or just get fresh air. This was the only scrap of kindness the detainees were ever shown. When night finally fell, the prisoners returned to their cells without dinner. The last sound Lo heard every night before she fell asleep was the resounding thud of her cell door slamming shut.
As Lo continued her long walk to an unknown destination, she heard the whispers. "Why is she getting dragged around by two guards? She doesn't even have firebending. Why is she even in here in the first place?" one man asked his friend.
"Haven't you heard? That's Lo Zhang," the second man replied. "She was part of the elite team that guards the Fire Lord and his family. I don't know what she did to wind up here but it must have been pretty bad." He paused for a moment before adding, "On second thought, it could be Li Zhang. I can't tell the difference."
These conversations were nothing new to Lo. She had heard them for years, and had begun to tune it out long ago. The woman they talked about had existed long ago – when Lo's now silver, wiry hair had once been black and as smooth and soft as the Fire Lord's robe.
Finally, the two guards at her side unceremoniously shoved Lo through an open metal door and slammed it shut behind her. Lo struggled to see in the dimly lit room. As her eyes adjusted, Lo saw a mirror with her old face staring back at her. She observed the wrinkled state of her uniform and began to adjust it when she froze.
The mirror did not mimic her movements.
A realization swept through her like a tidal wave.
"Li!" she cried at the same time that Li shouted "Lo!" The memories and ache Lo had suppressed for forty years clenched at her heart once again with the strength of an ox bear.
Forty years ago, the Warden had greeted Lo, Li, and the rest of the new arrivals with a cliché intimidation speech. Then the prisoners were steered to their respective cell blocks.
"What?" Lo had whispered in confusion. Lo was going to the cell block on the far left of the island while Li was on the far right.
It's a mistake. Why would they separate us? The left is for war prisoners and the right is for criminals. That's what we were always told.
Her identical twin was disappearing from sight.
"Stop!" Lo yelled. No one listened. "Li! No, please listen! There's a mistake! She's a war prisoner like me!"
No one paid her any mind. Li turned and their identical brown eyes met. Tears glistened in them because they both knew this was not a mistake. They had heard stories about the Boiling Rock. Everyone said it was the cruelest place in the Fire Nation, maybe even the cruelest place on Earth. At that moment, they both knew just how heart wrenchingly evil it truly was.
Still, Lo waited for the moment she would see her reflection. She searched the cafeteria at breakfast. She scoured the yard at break time. Lo hunted for her sister at every waking moment even though she knew in her heart that it was pointless. Even when she had given up hope, Lo never stopped searching. Her fantasies about reuniting had finally come true.
"Lo, I-"
"-missed you," they said together. Lo and Li grinned. After all those years, they could still finish each other's sentences.
At that moment, a squad of guards entered the room and circled the twins, leaving an opening at the door that they entered through. Lo took note of a table and three chairs behind Li that she had not noticed before. At a guards' command, Lo and Li took a seat next to each other with their eyes turned to the door. Who would need these many guards? We don't even have firebending.
As an answer to her question, Fire Lord Ozai strode through the door and closed it behind him. All the guards bowed their heads and Lo and Li quickly followed suit.
"Lo and Li Zhang," Fire Lord Ozai said. His voice was smooth, but it held a threatening undertone.
Lo cautiously raised her head. She moved her eyes up his sitting form, but her gaze stopped at his throat. She couldn't bring herself to look him in the eyes. Instead, she settled for the gold trimming of his neck line.
He was apparently studying them too because he murmured, "How did two non-benders women cause such an uproar all those years ago?" The room was silent for a moment before Ozai menacingly demanded, "Answer me, old women." He did not raise his voice, but his tone sent shivers up Lo's spin.
"As young girls, we were taught the ways of firebending even though we could not preform them," Lo began. "We joined the army and quickly climbed the ranks due to our combat abilities. We were already experts in the forms, and we could sense the chi that benders utilize and use it to our advantage. We started as privates-"
"-then we became guards here at the Boiling Rock-" Li cut in.
"-then members of the Fire Lord's guard-"
"-and finally captains of the Fire Lord's guard."
If Fire Lord Ozai was disturbed by them finishing each other's sentences, he did not show it. "Yes, I heard you were renowned fighters and bending teachers. How did such prodigies fall from grace? What events unfolded on the day of your arrest?"
Lo didn't see the point of this interview, but she wouldn't dare say that to the Fire Lord. Instead, she reached deep into her memories and retrieved the day in question. "The highest members of the guard were escorting Fire Prince Iroh through the ruins of the Sun Warrior Temple. When we reached the outskirts of an ornate building, he told us to wait for him by the gates. He said he needed to face the dragon alone to gain its power when he killed it. We were concerned for his well-being, so we followed him into the temple. To our surprise he was greeted by-"
"-people in strange attire," Li said. "They seemed aggressive, but General Iroh said something to them that we could not hear. They became friendlier and took him to a great bonfire. He took a piece of the fire and climb up a steep mountain with us in tow."
Lo continued the story. "There were tribal members already there when we reached the top. They began a ritual with fire dancing and drums while General Iroh climbed a set a stairs. Once he was at the top, a large horn was blown. All was quiet for a moment, but then not one but-"
"-two dragons emerged from their caves!" Lo and Li shouted in unison.
"We were about to rush to his aid –" began Lo.
" – when we realized he was not fighting the dragons," continued Li.
"He was befriending them!" they yelled together in anger.
"He betrayed his country," Lo said.
"We had to take action," Li agreed.
"When he was far enough away from the tribal members, we attacked him," Li muttered. Her voice became softer at the bad memory. "Even though we knew the forms and could sense his chi, we were no match for his new found abilities. When we returned to the other guard, we were arrested for treason. General Iroh claims that we attacked him in order to gain the dragon's power, but we were truly performing an act of justice for our country," Li finished.
After a moment silence, Fire Lord Ozai finally spoke.
"I have known of Iroh's betrayal for some time now, and I am willing to let go of your criminal acts if you agree to my terms," Fire Lord Ozai said in the same commanding tone. "You will train my daughter in firebending. I want only the best for young Azula, and you two are quite famous for your teaching abilities. In addition, you have experience with the dragons. The only reason I have not slaughtered the dragons myself was because I want Azula to complete the task. She will take the throne from my incompetent son."
Lo was shocked. The Fire Lord plotting against his own son was a scandal, but it was the kind of twisted evil that she had come to admire in a leader.
"I want you two to prepare Azula to kill the dragons. Aside from myself, she will become the best firebender in history. If you will teach her, you will live by her side in the palace and escape this wretched prison. You will never tell a soul about what I have told you." He leaned forward. "Or you will wish I had left you to rot in this place."
Lo looked to her left at her sister. She could see her twin every day and live a luxurious life in the palace like she had before her arrest. Her reflection and she would never be apart again. Lo could not see a down side to this deal.
One glance into Li's eyes was enough to tell that she completely agreed. Lo turned her head to the Fire Lord, and her gaze drifted up to his golden eyes. Her fear had evaporated.
Lo and Li took each other's hands and said in unison, "We shall train Princess Azula."
Note: I wrote this story for Sun Daughter's FCP writing contest. She is an awesome writer and she has a fanfiction called Summer's Day. It gives really great writing advice. Check it out! Tell me what you think of the story and if there are is something I can improve upon. Thanks! :)