In the Spirit of Friendship
Prologue
The fires below him rose high, higher perhaps than the speaker himself. It was a rare occurrence for Ozai to make the memorial speech, but once in a while he left the palace to reassure the population that he cared about them, or at least, that he recognized that his soldiers were dying.
It was also one of the few occasions that the Crown Prince and Princess made a public appearance, standing solemnly by their father's side. Their two silhouettes were barely noticeable, insignificant beside Ozai's presence, his words, his own shifting shadow. So the people watched Ozai, and they listened to him the one day he spoke directly to the crowds.
"Citizens of the Fire Nation, we have gathered here today to honor our valiant soldiers and remember their glory both in life and in death," he had started, and the crowd had fallen silent in respect.
They had stayed silent through slow, timeless hours as the pyres flickered, flames dancing off into the sunset. Ozai spoke, and Lo spoke, and Li spoke, and even Iroh said his piece, quietly, reverently. And now the ceremony was about to come to a close.
"They may have died, but they have not died in vain. Each fallen soldier has brought us closer to victory. And we shall have this victory!" Ozai shouted. "We fight to bring our prosperity and our civilization to the lowly Earth Kingdom barbarians. We fight with honor, with the very spirits on our side! We cannot lose!"
The audience dissolved into cheers and applause, thankful to ease the heavy tension. Sure, they heard the words every year, but hearing them from the mouth of the Fire Lord made them seem real, more than another set of false promises.
But in the moment of celebration, disaster struck.
A slight tremor shook the Fire Lord's platform, and then an explosion of earth shattered the hastily erected boards. Out of the spray of debris, a group of earthbenders flowed into a close formation. Their leader gave a signal to attack and panic broke loose in the crowd.
People stampeded left and right, spreading the fire from pyre to clothes to buildings. The orderly gathering became a mob, trampling anything and everything to flee the threat. In the center of it all, a fight broke out between the royal guards and the earthbenders. First Iroh joined them, and then Ozai lent his fire to the melee.
Azula and Zuko, however, had been told to hide and be very, very quiet.
"Come on Azula, we should go help Dad!" Zuko whispered, nudging his sister.
"Shut up, Zuzu, we'd just get in the way" she hissed back, eyes intent on the chaos. Zuko joined her at the edge of the rubble they were hiding behind, peeking out as pebbles streaked by.
"But what if Dad dies? What if Uncle dies?" Zuko shivered at the thought. "What if-"
"Then you'll be Fire Lord," Azula replied curtly. "Now stop it, or they'll notice us."
"Me? But I can't be-"A blast of fire snarled over their heads, and both children ducked.
"See? I told you to watch out." Another fireball impacted nearby, its light illuminating Azula's eyes in a disturbing fashion. "Of course, if you died here, I would be the next in line for the throne…"
"Not funny, Azula," Zuko glared at her in return.
"No one would ever find out. Just one little push-" She flicked Zuko in the shoulder. "And I would be set for life."
"Hey!" he yelped, pushing her back. Taken by surprise, Azula let out a slight squeak as she hit the ground.
"Oh! I'm sorry! Here." Zuko offered his hand. His sister took it, and then both froze, realizing they had left the shelter of the debris. As they paused for a heartbeat, one of the earthbenders happened to look their way. Zuko met his gaze, frightened, and then slid into a fighting stance of his own.
The earthbender launched a cascade of rocks in their direction, and both Azula and Zuko dived away. Now that she was in the open, Azula countered with a small fireball, and Zuko tackled the man's legs. Neither proved to be effective, and the earthbender merely laughed as he kicked Zuko back, punching another chunk of earth toward Azula. She danced away, then jumped onto the remnants of the scaffolding.
Meanwhile, Zuko struggled to his feet and tried to conjure a whip of fire. His attempt went wild, the intended whip swirling into an uncontrolled wave. Through sheer luck he managed to aim the blaze at the earthbender, singing the bottom of the man's robe. However, this only enraged the older man. With a guttural grunt, the earthbender slammed his foot into the ground, producing a minor earthquake that made Zuko stumble and the scaffolding completely collapse, trapping Azula beneath it.
The earthbender noticed and stepped forward with a smile as Azula tugged ineffectively at the piece of wood pinning her to the rubble. Zuko shouted out to warn her, and she looked up defiantly, readying another fire blast.
"You're a feisty one for your age," the eathbender mocked, and he punched a rock into Azula's free hand, trapping it down as well. "It's a pity you had to be Fire Nation. I can't leave you alive, you see."
"No! Azula!" He may not have liked his sister, but Zuko wouldn't just let her die without a fight. "Take this!" he screamed at the earthbender.
The green robed man batted away the wisp of fire without even bending, not even bothering to turn around. "Wait your turn, boy. I'll get to you in a minute."
Suddenly, flames roared from the earthbender's left. He cried out and dropped to the ground, desperately trying to put out the fire on his robe.
Iroh frowned, but before he had a chance to move again, Ozai sent another blast of fire toward the unlucky earthbender. This one seared through the man's neck, and the earthbender writhed, half- screaming, half-gurgling, then fell silent as Iroh stepped in to make the killing blow.
"Are you alright?" he asked Zuko, who ran up and hugged Iroh in relief, trying to blot the earthbender's death from his memory.
"We're fine, Uncle," Azula answered for her brother. She looked around the impromptu battlefield. "What happened to the rest of the earthbenders?"
"They left the way they came," Ozai said disparagingly. "They saw they were outmatched, so they burrowed away."
"They might be back." Iroh gestured to the walls of the caldera. "If they were able to get in here, even the palace might not be safe." He patted Zuko's head. "We need a place where you two won't be harmed."
He looked to Ozai for an answer, but the Fire Lord shrugged carelessly. "If they can't keep quiet, it's their fault if they get killed."
Iroh held Zuko tighter. "If you persist with this attitude, brother, you won't have any heirs left."
"We might have a solution." Two new voices chorused as their owners stepped forward into the circle of light.
Lo said, "We think,"
Li said, "You should send them to the Royal Fire Academies."
.o.O*O.o.