Chapter One: The General
Katara:
Cold wind rushed through the flower's of the small garden. The moon gave a pale light to the exotic wild flower's, almost enhancing the rich colors and wild shapes of the plants. But flower's were not the only thing that filled the garden. Dozen's of hand picked apple tree's and berry filled bushes lined the square pathway around the garden, and dotted around the small pond that laid idly at the moment, the fish hiding along the smooth rock walls for protection for the night.
Another small gust of wild blew, rustling the plants once more, until it hit the back of the elaborate stone house that stood a few meters away from the garden. The house was quite large, many windows occupying each of it's sides, and decks jetting out from almost every one of the four floors. One particular deck door stood slightly ajar, the white curtain swaying in the wind that crept through the door opening.
This house belonged to a renown General, of the Fire Nation - one renown for the onslaught he would bring with no excuse. They say even the spirits couldn't count how many lives had been destroyed on the behalf of this man, but if there was one thing that was certain, it was that Fire Lord Ozai had been quite pleased with the advances they had made during the war - to conquer the world - with this man.
So pleased - in fact - that he had been given many opportunities to "up" his rank, as they say, and become leader of an even bigger force. But the General was reluctant to take his offer, reluctant…because he felt the power within him growing, the power to bring the Fire Lord to his knees, and rule the nation for himself. And one day, even rule the spirits. And if he were to carry out his plans, then staying in the position of a General would be best to keep his plan secrecy.
But as the full moon raged, and the ocean pounded against the sheer cliff on which the large house stood upon, the wind wasn't the only thing that was stirring and it certainly wasn't the only thing creeping. Climbing up the third story stairs, with much stealth and precision, was the one person that would bring retribution.
She was covered in thin black material, made in the ability to be light and easy to move in. From head to toe the material covered her body, long pants and sleeves, under a tunic, showed no skin from the neck down, and a mask was pulled over her tanned face and full head of mahogany hair. The only thing that showed, were her azure eyes. The material that covered her body was flexible, so no matter what sort of a fix she were to get herself into, she would have the ability to move freely, flow like the element she bended so well.
'Free.' She thought to herself. 'Free flowing, not weighed down, light.' The word echoed in her mind. Light. It was a word often repeated to her, to be light - to be light of the mind, light of the heart, and light of the body. She was not to let anything from the outside world weigh her down.
A soft snore broke through her thoughts, and as she peeked through the bars of the railing at the top step, the large lump of what would be her next target laid in bed peacefully, his large chest rising slightly with every intake of breath.
'For now.' She thought, a small grin playing across her face. But she immediately let her lips fall. 'Focus.'
She moved cat-like, staying fairly low to the ground, without using her knees or hands to keep herself balanced. She kept her legs far apart, and moved in long, gracefully strides over the cool stone floor. As she neared the bed she noticed that not much furniture marked the room, only the enormous bed sitting pushed out against the wall near the open window, and a cistern of water sitting upon a small table.
She had now reached the edge of the bed, and glanced around carefully once more before standing straight. She turned her gaze to the General, and noticed another, smaller, body laying next to him - probably a concubine. Her lips instinctively upturned at the thought. She almost pitied women who stooped to the level of a pig's toy. Almost.
The General let out another soft snore, singling that he was far from aware of what was happening - or what was about to happen. She moved carelessly over to his side of the bed, not afraid to make all the noise that she pleased. The General let out a moan, and shifted, but his eyes remained closed, and his head lolled over on the other side of his pillow. Another hard step on the stone made him shift once more, and slit one eye slightly open. With a forcefully hand, he smacked his concubine upon the head, making her jump back to consciousness. She gave him a glance, but caught eye of the assassin in black before she could say anything in her defense. She sat up quickly, holding the covers over her chest. The General gave her a confused look, then followed the direction of her gaze.
"Great Agni." He muttered, trying to get into a sitting position. Her hand was already upon his neck, forcing him to lie flat on his back. "Please." he whispered. She let another smile come upon her lips, before using her free hand to bend the water out of the cistern on the table and slowly come to float inches above his head.
"Please," he said again, "who are you?"
The floating water slowly maneuvered itself into a tiny ball, then it started to stretch into a thin line. As it became longer and longer, two sides of the line came together, meeting to make a sharp, pointed, and highly dangerous, weapon. The General's eyes widen, and a small whimper escaped from his throat.
"Please," he said, with much more force than the two previous times, "I have done you no wrong!" The water was pulled down to rest upon the base of his throat, her hand no longer needed, for his fear kept him in place.
She bent her face close to his. "The Moon has come for her reckoning."