"Their strength comes from the Spirit of the Moon while life comes from the Spirit of the Ocean. They work together to keep balance."
Legends say the Moon was the first waterbender. That he alone learned how to control the water and their ancestors saw how it pushed and pulled the tides and learned how to do it themselves. They also say that thousands of years ago, Tui and La decided to manifest themselves in the physical world, taking the form of two Koi fish, but this dear reader, is entirely false.
Though Tui and La no longer reside in the Spirit Oasis, their story still lives in children's fairy tales or old legends told among the water tribe people and over the years, during the New Moon Celebration; a special dance between men and women is performed and though it has now become a tradition, there is a story behind it all. A story lost in time. The legend of these two spirits has suffered slight changes throughout history and no one knows for sure how they came to be. But now, all this is about to be revealed.
Before there was Tui and La, there was a King and Queen. Beautiful, immortal beings who walked on the very same land the people stand on today.
Somewhere well hidden in the castle, their image had been immortalized and accompanying that image is the true story of how a powerful kingdom was born. So let's travel back in time to a place where bending has yet to be discovered. A time where the Moon Spirit just floated above and stared down at earth. Sometimes, the stars failed to show up and in that empty heaven, the Spirit felt lonely and very often found itself staring down at the blue blanket that was the ocean. In the night's deadly silence, the Moon Spirit was fascinated by the soft music the waves made. Much more different than the sounds made by nightly creatures that explored the jungles at night. This melody was a soothing tune caused by the small crash of the waves.
One night, the Spirit, out of pure curiosity send a beam of light down to touch the blue waters and the Sea, feeling this new sensation of the light; much different from the sun, responded by sending violent little waves. The Moon was amazed by how the sea reacted and again send a beam of light, stronger than the last one and again, the Ocean answered. Fascinated, the Moon now maneuvered its light all around, teasing the Sea and she happily chased after it, sending strong waves, eager to feel its warmth but never to reach it. She was growing desperate and began sending violent tides to crash against the rocks as if trying to reach the light. It was pleading to the Moon: Send down your light. They played this game many nights and the Moon Spirit was always pleased to see how the Ocean reacted to the warm touch that was his light.
One Night, the Moon Spirit, eager to finally be near the Ocean Spirit, decided to come down for a proper introduction and show its true form. He wore a long white cloak with a hood to hide his face and nothing underneath to cover his chest. His pants had a more pearl like color and his skin was white as the moon itself. A yellow glow covered all of his body. His silver eyes searched but she never came. It was when he started to float back home that the water began to swirl and the Ocean Spirit jumped up to grab him from behind. She smirked at him. A breath taking sight she was, wearing only blue silk dress that reached to her ankles, showing all the curves of her body.
Oh, that tanned skin and those turquoise eyes. Beautiful, he thought. She smiled at him and he lifted his arms, throwing his light all around the ocean. She gladly accepted the invitation. Wherever his ray landed, she ran to it. Small ripples were born from the touch of her feet against the water.
How gracefully was the movement of her body when she danced inside his light, moving her shoulders in an elegant manner or sliding her arms slowly down her body; sometimes bending backwards while her arms performed a dance of their own. He brought the light close to him, moving his hands close his body so she could twirl around him or gently thrust her back and forward or over his head.
Finally, eager to feel her body close to him, he reached out his hand and brought her near. She rested her head on his chest for a while before reaching up to remove his hood and reveal a handsome face. The Ocean Spirit played with the curly hair of his that rested to the side of face, twirling it around her fingers as she smiled up at him. She touched his eyelids. Kissed his lips. And the Moon Spirit in return, slowly ran his fingers down her hair tracing it all the way to her shoulders and waist. He held her close, never wanting to let go. Sadly, the sun was now rising and he would soon have to leave. But before he did, the Ocean Spirit gave him a gentle push and dove deep into her home only to bring back a beautiful brown shell. She blew on it and handed it to him.
Confused, he only stared at it, not knowing what to do. She covered her mouth and gave a soft laugh. Taking the shell, she placed it in his ear and his eyes widened when he heard the sound of the waves. It was a soft melody of tranquility she recorded for him to take back home. So you may have my music near you when we are not together.
She gave him a peck on the cheek before leaving and whispered her name into his ear. It became unbearable to be apart for so long. They wanted to be together night and day, so with the consent of the other spirits, the left their home to find a land where they could be together. Only the sun Spirit Ozai protested.
The union was unacceptable to his eyes but the other spirits paid no attention to his complaints and let them run off on a few conditions: They would have to become flesh. This was very dangerous, for a Spirit was always vulnerable inside the skin. They would be immortal but locked in human bodies forever, bound to one another for eternity for one could not live without the other. If one of them was to die, the soul would roam the earth until both were in the same realm.
Accepting these conditions, both left the Spirit world in search of a new home and found one; the perfect spot on the north side of earth. A white heaven where snow always feel and the Moon Spirit immediately fell in love with it. The white substance reminded him of the moon and the Ocean Spirit smiled in delight when she saw the white texture turn to water in her hands. They settled there and the Moon Spirit builds her a castle made only of ice. Exploring the land, they came upon a beautiful cave and build a shrine for the other Spirits, in gratitude for allowing them be together. It was to be a portal that connected the Spirit World to Earth, in case one of them should want to step down and walk in the lands.
The Earth Spirit was the first to come and explore this new territory. Later, enchanted by what she had seen and felt, returned to the portal bearing gifts: Beautiful flowers and plants to decorate the sanctuary. The Air Spirit then came to spread its warm breeze so that all the plants brought by his beloved Earth Spirit would be able to live in that cold weather. The water in that small pond was blessed by the four spirits. It held the energy of life itself. Only the sun spirit refused to come down and join this small celebration.
Humans later came to this new land and both Spirits received them with open arms. The did not try to hide their identity and the Moon Spirit taught the newcomers how to control and bend the water so they could build houses of their own. Years later, when the town had grown, she became pregnant with their first child and the Moon Spirit, overjoyed, asked for permission to fly back home and search for a gift; a white rock which he would later carve into a perfect circle that represented himself and drew tides that portrayed his wife, forever dancing in his light. A symbol of their ever lasting love.
Whenever there was a New Moon, the people knew that their Queen had given birth to yet another child. Soon the castle was filled with the laughter of many children and all their happy memories. Being born in the human world, they had no immortality like their parents and it hurt to see them pass away. But as the King and Queen now gazed at their kingdom, they saw their bloodline pass down to new generations. This kingdom was their legacy, the people were their children and did everything they could to keep them safe.
The King and Queen loved to take nightly strolls and sometimes they would perform the dance in front of their people, sharing the story of how the Moon had courted the Ocean with his light many years ago. It was in one of these midnight strolls that the Queen heard a desperate cry for help.
She carefully approached two fish and the black Koi, though small, threatened the Queen not to come closer by jumping up and down. The Queen, in a silent language, told the small creature it had nothing to fear and picked up her mate. The King caught up to his wife and feeling that the small creature had very little time, sealed both fish in a giant bubble and quickly took them to the Shrine where he gently placed them inside the pond.
The wound was gone in a few seconds and the blood soon vanished. Still, the King and Queen decided to let them stay a few more days and visited everyday. They both loved how they swam around each other. The White Koi was the one that initiated the dance, swimming around his mate until she started to follow, happily jumping around him every now and then. The asked the small fish if they would like to stay and they accepted. Names were given to the small creatures: the White one was named Tui and the black one was named La.
As the years flew by, the Kingdom became more populated and the people, with permission of their Majesties, set out to find a new place to settle. Word was sent that some had found a place similar to their homeland in the south and that others had found a home in a strange place where there was no snow.
Curious to set eyes on their people's new home, the King and Queen traveled across the globe to lay eyes on the new found home of their Southern sons and daughters. They were pleased to see that their people loved this new place, for it resemble their old home. After helping them settle down, they searched for their remaining people and found their new home to be quite interesting.
They were charmed by this mysterious land that was the Swamps. Water and green everywhere. Animals, whose song filled every corner of the land.
Their Swamp children taught them new tricks like bending the water inside the vines or the sweet music they made, combining their voices to the slow drums and the flow of the water; creating a dance that involved vines and dangerous acrobats in the air.
Eager to have their children together at least once a year, the King and Queen decided to hold a party that would unite the three tribes so they would not forget that even though they were miles apart, they were all part of one big family. The celebration was scheduled to take place on a specific month, and correspond with the appearance of a New Moon. Each year, one of the three tribes would sponsor said event and it was a happy gathering where families reunited and new generations would look into each others eyes as the Moon and stars worked their magic; the moon sending down it's light to cast a spell on those young hearts.
Now my dear Reader, if you have made it this far, let me tell you that while I narrated the story of these two spirits, I failed to tell you that one in particualr spied on them. The Other Spirits, including the Moon and Ocean failed to see that the Sun Spirit Ozai held a grudge against the Moon. And why you ask? You may remember me saying that Ozai opposed to this union and here's why. He wanted the Ocean Spirit all to himself. Many years he tried courting her and she had politely refused his advances so it should come to no surprise that he envied the Moon for having the beautiful Water Spirit as his bride, given brith to his children and always being by his side.
One day, finally reaching his peak. Tired of seeing them together, he send a comet to destroy their kingdom. The King, desperate to protect his wife and people, traveled to the highest mountain and with his power, created a shield to prevent the huge fireball from destroying their home. He succeeded, but a spirit is always vulnerable in human flesh.
How helpless she must've felt as she saw the reddish life pour out of his body. No matter how hard she tried to heal his wound, it was all in vain. She carefully dragged his body to the Shrine, occasionally slipping in his blood. And as all this happened, The Sun Spirit send out its heating light, making publicly known that he had defeated the King and he alone would rule the skies. The water tribe people began to collapse for their power grew weak. They knew and felt that their King had fallen and would soon perish.
The Queen knew what must be done in order to keep balance but he wouldn't let her do it. No, he could not, would not watch his wife take her own life. No matter how hard she tried and pleaded with him, he used all his strength to prevent her from stabbing herself.
Meanwhile, Tui and La, curious to see what happened, swam to their masters and laid eyes upon the wounded King. Tui desperately began to jump around to catch the attention of both. It was decided, the King and Queen had saved the White Koi fish's life and he wanted to return the favor. The Queen saw a white light emerged from her husband's body and settled itself on Tui's small body. The King's body disappeared in her arms. The Sun Spirit fumed when he saw the rise of the moon. He descended, defeated, but vowed that he would not stop until both were separated.
Seeing the tears run down the Queen's face, La offered her body to the Queen, so she could forever swim by his side. She kindly refused. If she was to leave her human form behind, arrangements had to be made so someone else could take on the task of leading their Kingdom. In her people, she sought a strong man and woman who she knew would be fair rulers and after many years, when she saw that her kingdom was in good hands; went down to the Shrine and entered the waters so she could finally be together with her husband. They were reunited once more in their secret place, locked together in an eternal dance.
Many new and interesting things happened as the years passed by. Thousands of years to be exact. Rumor reached the Water Tribe that there were people who now possessed the ability to control the earth, and later, air and fire. The New Moon Festival was now held in the Northern Water Tribe and the Swamp folk stopped attending it. Consequences: They were now forgotten by their Northern and Southern Brothers and Sisters.
The King and Queen where too forgotten and as far as everyone knew, Tui and La had always been there from the very beginning, forever dancing at what was now known as the Spirit Oasis.
There was dark period where benders didn't get along, fighting insignificant wars where a lot of innocent blood was spilled. In order to stop them from destroying one another, A special gift was granted to a man with one purpose: keep balance in what was now the Four Nations. This Person alone had the power to manipulate all four elements.
(But this isn't a story about Avatar. Maybe some other time.)
Now, we continue to modern times. A time where a new King and Queen pleaded to the Spirits to spare their Daughter's life. Not a single cry was to be heard from her. Her small eyes remained closed and that little heart would soon stop beating.
Not even as they place her small body inside the sacred pond would the newborn princess react to the water's gentle touch on her soft skin. Tui swam to the child and with a small peck given on the cheek, what little hair the newborn had now turned white. Her Mother's hand flew to her mouth as the first cry left those small lips.
She was named Yue in honor to the Moon Spirit that had given some of its life energy to her. Sadly, years later, she would have toreturn the favor. Ozai had send one of the most power and cruelest Spirit to finish the job. It entered the flesh of one that felt no remorse and in the skin; manipulating the body, took the White Koi Fish with its bare hands, squeezing tight to then release the lifeless body back in the water. La swim in violent circles as a white light emerged from the small fish and flew out the Shrine, into the skies.
Princess Yue took the small body in her hand, and with a simple kiss, she took his place as the Moon Spirit. Her husband, Prince Sokka, having witnessed the terrible event approached the pond. Entering it, he took the black fish in his hands and offered his soul so that She could go in search of her mate.
La jumped back to the water and Sokka begged:
Please, it's the only way I can be with my Yue and for you to search for him.
So he took his place as the Ocean Spirit, both Sokka and Yue's souls were destined to remain inside the pond until the Original Spirits returned to take their rightful place once again.
And what happened to the soul of the King and Queen? They were born knowing about each other,dreamt of each others faces and spend their entire lives searching, growing old and eventually began a new cycle. But as time passed and after so many failed attempts, their memories began to fade away and with it, any chance of finding one another. Now, they only felt emptiness for they knew something was missing in their lives. But as fate would have it, their search would soon come to an end.
It was in the New Moon Festival that a simple Foggy Swamp Boy would set eyes upon the beautiful Water Tribe Princess. She was a breathtaking sight and and he followed her all over the place. She of course, noticed all of his attentions but was not to be courted so easily. As the night progressed, they began to talk and he won her over, not with sweet words as one might imagine. No, she wasn't an ordinary girl. She had spunk .
How beautiful was her face when her cheeks flushed with anger and that secret flame appeared in her eyes. Her heart and mind raced as she threw challenging looks his way and was taken aback when seeing that he was not intimidated by a "Little Princess" as he now called her. What a unique color his eyes had. It's not every day you run into a waterbender with silver eyes and skin as white as the moon itself.
She would find herself lost in his gaze only to turn away every time he smirked at her. He knew then that he had won her over. The young princess cleverly outsmarted her bodyguards so she could sneak off with him and have a private encounter filled with passion. And it was in that small union, where their bodies moved to a rhythm to finally reach their peak that their eyes began to glow. The blue light came and with it came their lost identities. Their former lives were finally revealed. Their true names were now said in hushed tones.
"Tahno" She repeated his name over and over again, holding him close, afraid that if she let go, he would fly away again.
"Korra" He kissed her eyes, her lips, her shoulders, just like she had done on their first encounter thousand of years ago.
A blessing came 9 months later. The Princess had given birth to a beautiful daughter. As they approached the Shrine to bless their Daughter with the sacred water, a figure came through the Door that connected the two worlds.
Ozai came in human form, launching fireballs their way and Korra shield her baby with her body and Tahno threw himself over Korra. When all seemed lost, three more figures emerged from the door. It was Ozai's sons who now came to their aid.
Engaged in battle, the three sons had all intentions of ending their father once and for all. Ozai, desperate to destroy Korra and Tahno's hapiness, aimed a fireball at the crying child and it was here where the third and youngest of the sons was badly wounded.
The two brothers were outraged as they saw their young brother cry out in pain; his hand covering the left side of his face.
Infuriated at what their own father was capable of doing, they combined their power, putting and end to all this chaos once and for all. Ozai's ashes were carried away by the wind. The dark blanket soon spread on the sky and rain began to fall.
The Youngest son took Tahno and Korra's child in his arms as his brothers carried their bodies into the lake. Now in the water, she signaled him to come and offer to heal his scar but he shook his head and told her that she should use the last of her energy for her daughter. The water began to glow and Sokka and Yue's spirit floated away from the two Koi fish. Their bodies were no more.
Korra and Tahno began to glow and their bodies quickly vanished only to reappear in their Spirit form. He smiled at her and took her hand and both floated to where their daughter was, giving her a final kiss before turning to two small pecks of light. Ozai's sons watched as the lights left the shrine. They began to circle each other as they flew away from the Mountains and into the wide and open sea. He held her face in his hands, kissing her one last time before she sank back into the ocean and she didn't let go of his hands until the water claimed the tip of her fingers.
A new Sun Spirit was chosen. The Oldest of the three had chosen a mortal life next to a non bending girl who had caught his eyes.
The Youngest son crossed the Portal and watched over the Baby Princess who over the years grew into a beautiful woman. Sixteen years later, he returned to earth and as he flew down, she reached out to touch his face. Running her hand all over his scar, he closed his eyes at her touch, sinking into the warmth of her hand.
He opened his eyes when seeing the blue glow in her hand and politely shoved it away. Shaking his head and smiling down at her, he presented her with a gift.
"Your Mother wanted you to have this, Katara"
She smiled when feeling his hand slowly remove the soft hair that fell on her neck and placed her mother's necklace; the one her father had carved from a speacial rock in the sky thousands of years ago.
The Middle brother kept a close eyes on his siblings, watching from the sky, creating the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets for them to see.
And what of the Moon and Ocean Spirit?
Well, let me tell you that when dusk comes and the first tiny peck appears in that dark cloak accompanied by a rounder and brighter light that makes tides grow strong… when YOU hear those waves crashing into the rocks or into each other, it's her, either calling out for him or simply dancing to his light.
I knew that we'd become one right away
Oh, right away
At first sight I left the energy of sun rays
I saw the life inside your eyes
Moon Spirit: Tahno. (Because there's just something about those silver eyes that makes me think of the Moon's light.)
Ocean Spirit: Korra
Sun Spirit: Ozai
First Son: Iroh
Second Son: Mako
Third Son: Zuko
Earth Spirit: Toph
Air Spirit: Aang
Tahnorra Daughter: Katara
Note: well since my 90 days were over, I deleted the fic, fix typos and published again. Sorry for any inconveniences
:3
