The storm had risen up out of nowhere, completely encompassing the little raft that now bobbed helplessly amid twenty-foot waves. Torrents of water splashed over the side, soaking the two cloaked figures that huddled together at the vessel's center. A mighty breaker lifted the boat high into the air, and then crashed it back into the turbulent waters. Rotted wood creaked, sails tore, lightning flashed. The craft spun about in the storm's fury, tipping dangerously to one side…
Princess Garnet awoke with a start. Beams of afternoon sunlight played across her face, calmed her. She was sitting by a window in a well-furnished bedroom - her bedroom. She rubbed her eyes, forced herself to acknowledge the dark-paneled wood and immaculate tile floors. A hearty fire burned nearby. Everything bore the deep red color and golden trim of the Fire Nation.
She was home.
Relief overcame her confusion at the dream. No matter how many times she experienced it, the warmth of reality was enough to expel it from her thoughts. But something had been different this time. For a moment, in waking, she was sure it wasn't a dream at all, but a memory…had she even been asleep?
She washed her face and smoothed the wrinkles from her royal robes. The crimson fabric was brand new, a birthday gift from a local noble looking to curry favor. Despite the implications Garnet couldn't help but admire the light material, which breathed like air but seemed to burn with the famous fire of her household. After one last look in the mirror, she turned and left.
"Hello cousin."
She had only taken a few quiet steps away from her room! Even growing up together, Garnet had never gotten used to her cousin's ability to simply appear from the shadows.
"Hello Azula. Are you heading out as well?"
"Indeed. Father sends his regrets; he says he's far too busy to attend tonight's performance." If there had been any emotion in the original message, it was lost in Azula's flat delivery. With a look that was more sneer than smile, she continued, "Though I can understand – being the most powerful man in Gaia is a great responsibility, wouldn't you say?"
Garnet withered beneath the Princess' yellow-eyed gaze, nodded slightly. "I- I suppose so."
Azula narrowed her eyes in victory, and the sneer gained even more height. "Come. We can make our way to Ember Island together. It will give us a wonderful opportunity to…talk." She turned sharply, knowing her cousin would follow.
Garnet swallowed – it seemed to take a great amount of effort. She did her best to scour the wince from her face. It was going to be a long palanquin ride.
"Alright, let's start the meeting already!" the grizzled voice shouted, the sound partly muffled by its owners enormous beard rustling in the seaside wind. Several heads turned his way, and a stiff nod confirmed the call to action. Lumber was dropped and props abandoned as the Freedom Fighters gathered in the ship's hold, where sheets of blueprints lay scattered on a worn table lit by several stumpy candles. When everyone had assembled, he began speaking again.
"Today, the Freedom Fighters go down in history! By posing as members of a traveling theater company, 'Tantalus', we are going to kidnap the Fire Nation's Princess Garnet!" Cheers echoed off the wooden bulkheads. "Jet, you can take it from here."
"Thanks Baku," the young man replied. "Tonight, during our performance of 'I Want to Be Your Canary', Zidane and I will sneak into the royal box where the Fire Nation royalty sit. Then we wait for the signal from Blank."
"I'll distract the audience from backstage with these little buggers," Blank continued, holding up a small jellylike creature with five legs. "Purple pentapi. Harmless, but annoying when they cling to your skin and won't let go. You gotta stroke their head to get them off, 'course most people don't figure that out too quickly." He lightly scratched a purple mass on his right forearm – the creature cooed softly and plopped into the pail of water he was holding. "And that'll be your cue, Zidane."
The blonde thief spoke for the first time, a wry smile on his face. "That's when I kidnap Princess Azula, right?"
"You bet!" Baku affirmed. "You're gonna kidnap the crazy, bad-ass Princess Az- wait, what am I saying?" The cabin roared with laughter. "Your target is the most babe-ilicious beauty in the Fire Nation, Princess Garnet! Unless you want to get burnt to a crisp before you can blink!"
"The general's daughter isn't a bender?" someone asked from the back.
"Correct-a-mundo. Only one in the family, which makes her the perfect target. Now get to your stations, we've got a show to put on! Pipsqueak, you're on lookout! Jet, where'd you put that blasting gel? We're gonna need to make a quick getaway…"
The streets of Ember Island were crawling with patrons, as both the wealthy nobility and the commoners had come out in droves to see this new performing group. Vendors had set up shop in every spare corner, peddling cured meats and fire flakes to anyone within earshot. Amid the crowded madness a lone figure shuffled down the road, eyes to the ground and slender fingers clutching a ticket with gold-embossed lettering.
He was short for an Imperial soldier, which meant his red standard-issue robes bunched about his ankles and caused him to stumble quite often. Instead of armor he wore a wine-colored coat that laced about his neck and chest. A crimson scarf and fawn-colored cap conspired to obscure his face behind fabric and shadow; in fact, no skin was visible beneath the figure's layered clothing. If this caused him any distraction under the hot sun he did not show it, though he did appear to be lost.
With a little bit of searching he found his way to the theater and presented his ticket at a small window near the front. The guard inspected the ticket carefully several times, then looked around as if searching for help. Seeing none, he handed the ticket back to the soldier.
"Sorry kid, the ticket's a fake. I've seen a lot of these today."
"Noooo!" the young man cried, dropping his head forward in defeat. He was so looking forward to the show, too…tears gathered at the corners of his eyes and, growing heavy, splashed down to the pavement.
"Now now, don't cry," said the ticket man, at a loss for how to continue. "Uh…what's your name?"
"Vivi," the short soldier replied, wiping his eyes.
"Okay Vivi. Well…there will be other shows, right? You shouldn't get so down."
The young soldier turned away without responding. Shuffling and sniffling, he wandered past the theater and crossed the first road he came to. Just then a hand reached out and grabbed his collar, pulling him backwards moments before a heavily-laden ostrich horse and cart flew by in front of him.
"Careful there, little guy!" the benefactor roared, his voice shaky but deep. Vivi turned to look at his guardian angel, only to find himself staring up at a towering young figure of muscle wrapped in a dull brown tunic. He had shaggy black hair that framed a wide smile, and seemed to be carrying an entire log on his back.
"Thank you sir. I g-guess I should have been more careful."
The tall one laughed at this. "You bet! Keep your eyes on the road next time. Where were you off to?"
"Oh, nowhere," Vivi offered. "I found out my ticket for tonight's show is a fake, so I guess I'll just grab a boat back to the mainland."
The other boy smiled a toothy grin. "You know, you might be able to help me out tonight. How about I get you into that show after all?"
"H-how?" Vivi stammered. Another laugh from his new companion.
"I gotta friend that can find us some seats, as long as you're not afraid of heights! All you gotta do is look out for Fire Nation guards and yell when you see one comin'. Sound good?"
Vivi nodded. "Um…okay, yeah. Okay. Hey, what's your name?"
"Pipsqueak," the young man stated with vigor. "Don't worry; you won't have trouble remembering it pretty soon."
