Chapter 1

Dreams

"Sire," Commander Zi hissed.

"What is it?" Fire Lord Azulan asked irritably. In his aging state he needed time to rest,and having a days worth of complaints didn't help to "sooth his soul" as the royal medicine man had said. But who needed them anyway? All they did was chant and mumble while dancing around, then prescribe more rest. Azulan may have been old, but he was still fire lord.

"We have brought back the survivors of the Illona rebel tribe," Commander Zi continued.

"And?" the elderly Fire Lord demanded.

"Um, sire, there was only one survivor." This seemed to brighten the fire lord's gloomy outlook.

"You killed them all?" the fire lord asked hopefully. Knowing one of the many fire rebel tribes was gone seemed to add a flame of happiness to the elderly fire lord.

"Well, not exactly."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Fire Lord, we ambushed them at night and returned for survivors the next morning, and um, there was only one. The other survivors had fled, and had taken the deceased with them."

The flames that sheathed the fire lord rose in anger. It is a lowly mistake to wait after a battle, the rebels could have attacked back, not that Commander Zi and his troops would have been a huge loss. The fire receded to its normal state as Azulan calmed himself.

"They must have taken off after the attack," Commander Zi continued. The once great leader narrowed his eyes at the commander. Zi hadn't notice the hundreds of people fleeing from a burning town?

Commander Zi shuddered as sweat trickled down his face. The elderly fire lord still terrified him.

"Bring in the survivor," Fire Lord Azulan muttered harshly. Commander Zi nodded at the faceless guards at the door. The metal masks stared back blankly and obediently bowed. They pulled aside the fire sash and two burly guards entered, dragging a small girl in their wake.

Fire Lord Azulan cocked a white eyebrow. The elderly leader had expected a strong man to be towed in. One who was too badly injured to leave with the other members of his tribe. Instead, there was a tiny girl no older then eight, surviving with only some minor burns and scratches. Azulan would have blamed this on the incompetence of the Commander, but seeing as only this one girl was here, he had reason to doubt that.

Fire Lord Azulan stroked his beard as the guards pushed the rebel-girl to her knees. She was the same age as Zuko, he pondered. The girl's eyes were the color of fire, and just as glowing. Pure hatred radiated from her pours and streaks through the ash on her face showed where she had been crying.

"What is your name?" the fire lord asked. The girl sat there, hunched over and tensed. Her shoulders trembled, yet she did not answer. "I just want to know you're name," the old man smiled, seeing as you get more out of children when you are nice. The girl didn't answer. The fire lord was in no mood to ask again. The fire surrounding his golden throne grew with impatience and the guards backed away. They prodded the child's back with the end of a spear. She bowed her head.

"Where are my parents?" she mumbled.

"What was that?" Azulan asked irritably.

"Where are my parents?" the girl stood and shouted at the top of her lungs. The candles on the walls shivered with her anger, and even the fire surrounding Azulan quivered. Instantly, the guards grabbed the girl's wrists, and pulled her down.

"Take her to the maid's quarters!" the fire lord boomed. "We'll see if she can learn her place."

The girl was led away, kicking and screaming. The elderly fire lord's face was contorted into shrieking laughter, fire surrounding him. Then, just like that, there was blackness. Complete and utter blackness. A blue lightning bolt streaked down the center, illuminating the darkness, and for a split second, a boy's face was there. He was sixteen and clad in fire rebel armor. He smiled and then faded away and all that was left was the memory of him.

It seemed that all there were in this world were nothing but memories, and that was what hurt the most.