The Legend of the Phoenix
"Daddy, tell us the story of the Phoenix again," Renata said, a beg in her tone.
"Again? I tell that story to you all the time!"
"We love it."
Leandra nodded, and hugged her stuffed sky bison. She was just three, and didn't talk much. It wasn't that she was shy, she just didn't feel like there was anything that needed to be said. Many parents would have been frightened by her behavior, but the Fire Lord wasn't because he had done the exact same thing when he was her age.
"Okay." So Fire Lord Zuko began telling the Legend of the Phoenix to his two princesses.
Once upon a time, many years ago, two firebenders fell in love. The woman's name was Phoe, and the man's name was Nix. They were among the most beautiful people in the Fire Nation, but they had eyes only for each other. And they were engaged to be married.
Then, barbarians that did not belong to the Four and lived on islands in the middle of the Fire Sea attacked the west shore of the Fire Nation. Nix was the captain of a warship and well-known through the world. The Fire Lord ordered him to assist the army in beating the barbarian back to their gods-forsaken islands.
So Nix went to see Phoe before he left for war. He promised that he would be home soon, and then they could have their wedding. She begged him not to go, and claimed that she sensed great danger ahead. Nix told her that he had his orders and could not disobey. So he departed, both of them feeling very uneasy about what might happen.
A man who lived in the same village as Phoe was secretly in love with her. He arranged for an official military document to reach her. It would tell her that Nix had been captured by the enemy and executed. His plan succeeded, and Phoe believed that the letter was the truth. However, instead of running to him for comfort as he had hoped, she released her anguish through her firebending, destroying herself.
Nix was, of course, alive and well. He returned a year later, looking for Phoe and ready to be married as he had promised. Everyone was shocked to see him alive, as they had all believed him dead. When Nix was told what had happened, he was devastated. He too was consumed in the flames of his emotional pain.
When Nix appeared in the Spirit world, he could hear a woman crying. Worried, he searched for the source of the sound. I thought there was to be no more pain in the Spirit World, he thought, disgusted. Before long, he found her. She was a young woman, crouched in the middle of a shallow pond with her face in her hands. "Miss? Miss, what's wrong? Perhaps I can help."
The woman stopped crying and instantly and turned to face him. Nix was shocked to see Phoe, his love, and the reason he had died. You see, Nix had never heard her cry.
So, the two lovers joined together and became one, the creature known as the Phoenix. The Phoenix is a beautiful and majestic spirit, a reflection of the two lovers in life. And to make sure that no more false messages passed between the Spirit world and the mortal world, the Phoenix became the messenger of the fire god, Fergon.
When it is time for the Phoenix to die, it lets out a cry much like that of a lover whose other half has died. Then, it is reborn out of its own ashes. It is able to do this because love can be very hard and often painful, but true love cannot be completely destroyed.
Both princesses had fallen asleep. The Fire Lord kissed their foreheads and left the room, deciding to leave them both in Renata's room tonight. He didn't want to wake Leandra by moving her.