Chapter 1
Sometimes there's a time when you begin to wonder what shall I do with my life? Unfortunately for Araida Knightshade it would not even be so simple as to just be sitting there and thinking about it. She glanced over her shoulder and sighed to her it seemed like Sir Gathorn could talk endlessly Araida felt board and ill at ease as she listened, it seemed as though she was about to explode.
When the first two elements met you would have thought that they where pretty well suited for each other water and fire. Well unfortunately they brought the worst out of each other but it was the best course of action. Araida sat listening to him when her curiosity got the best of her and she flicked her finger and lit the desk on fire. A fire which was quickly extinguished by the Mage Knight.
"Araida don't even do that again!" The command came out harsh but Araida just looked at Gathorn with a look of I didn't do anything. Because of this Gathorn forced Araida to write in light elfish ' I will not light my desk on fire ' one hundred times. This looked sort of like this.
Anarah sarahorn kanorah sora mibornda tora oran fora. One hundred times even and added some notes on the side which Gathorn ignored though he was technily adding them up for another punishment later on.
Araida took her papers up to Gathorn who read them and sent her out to warm up some. She went out and he thought for a while hard. He then rested only to woken up a little while later to a flash of light. He ran outside and heard Araida's injured cry for help.
"Gathorn I'm sorry but he challenged me and then insulted me. I got mad." Araida said this when she was in her room and Gathorn was setting there watching her rest.
"You need to learn to control your temper a lot better Araida. Next time you might not be so lucky especially when you are in a fight. You know that right. I know it won't be easy because your noble blood makes you stubborn but please try." Gathorn said this with a angry look on his face a he walked out of Araida's room.
Unknown to Gathorn they would be starting a quest to find the rest of the elements. The king gave permission to Gathorn to go to the mage tower and create both a set of armor for Araida for the quest and another for around the palace. A month later Gathorn came back with the magic armor for Araida, her relic armor. Which to his surprise fit her perfectly the black armor with black red flames was amazing.
The list of people that were going an the quest were Araida Knightshade, Sir Gathorn, and the prince and squire Tire and his cat. Gathorn and Araida frowned and watched as the prince ran around with his cat. The eighteen year old light elf was watching the prince from her balcony then went and finished packing.
All of the sudden her door opened and she was about hit by a large pile of rocks. But Araida turned and shielded herself from the falling debris. She saw Tire disappear down the hall and dropped the shield turned her back only to feel a sharp pain then saw nothing.
On of the guards saw her collapse and not get up. Gathorn had lifted her and sent a nurse in to help her. The nurse undid the back of her armor and saw a black bruise extending down her back.
The nurse walked out and let Gathorn in. Upon seeing her room and the rock that hit her he knew that they were dealing with another element. When he walked in and saw the injury and Araida still heated up he gently splashed water on her but the light elf did not stir. The pain that she was in showed on her face then vanished. Gathorn knew that something was wrong it was like she was in a type of sleep.
"Will she be all right dad told me to come and see." The young princes voice seemed to quiver. "I didn't even know I could do that I'm sorry Gathorn. Will she die? Will she walk again?"
"Tire young prince even Araida can forgive an accident and yes she will walk again. So when will the people from the fire nation come." Asked Gathorn.
"Tonight father hoped that she would wake up and be ready to leave before but I guess not."
Frustrated Gathorn moved gently toward the young prince and gave him a hug. He was tying to reassure the young man that everything would be alright. That night while Gathorn was working on healing Araida the fire nation came with eight year old Zuko and five year old Azula and were undoubted ushered to their rooms.
The next day Gathorn sat with the rest for breakfast which left one seat empty. To Gathorn and the kings amazement Araida came carefully in, in a dress which did not show the bruise. Unknown to the people around them the outfit had a significance Tire wore green, Gathorn wore blue, Araida wore an elegant black dress with red flames. Araida a beautiful young light elf that even Zuko's father thought was very young for a knight.
"How old is she sixteen or seventeen." Asked Zuko's father.
"She is eighteen which means that she is eight in human years." The king noticed the young girl to his side and saw something in her eye. The girl left the table then left the room and lit the fire place. She back replacing her glove.
"Shall we watch practice? For the next hour." Gathorn frowned but obeyed. He allowed his student and former student to leave and get ready. He then felt himself hoping that his mad king would not force Araida to use her fire. Then suddenly the lights went out. Was the king wanting Tire and Araida to show off then sell Araida off. He heard the king say "Sit down and enjoy the show."
They saw flames shut up around Araida that is also when they saw her weakened power.
"You said she was powerful."
"She is except there was an accident it must have weakened her." With that he grabbed the flaming whip knowing that she would not be hurt by it unless she was weak the whip hit the relic armor and angered Araida then the king ran and hid everyone else also. Araida exploded and collapsed after ward.
The king came forward and was angry he moved forward and gave the young light elf a sharp kick in the side.
"Gathorn I am taking Araida off of the quest and I am putting her in the dungeons were she has always belonged. This means that you are no longer her guardian I might even sell her to the fire lord. "Guards! Take Araida to the dungeons were she belongs!" The king turned away from Gathorn and watched with a sort of glee as the guards took his most prized knight to the dungeons were she woke up.
"Well do you want her I will give her to you? Though it would put my kingdom at risk but she broke my trust. She was my most prized knight but what she did is unacceptable."
The king glanced into the cell that held Araida. She was now awake and was frightened and looked as if she had been abandoned again. He smile it had been several years since the forest elves had banished her lighting half of the forest on fire. When the fire lord left the king turned toward Araida.
"You know Araida; you know that I am not abandoning you. You know that I tried to stand for you trying to control your power. But what you did yesterday that was not what I wanted you to do. You have to control your temper. Look at me this hurts me more than you."
The king opened the cell and walked into it.
"You weren't called the phoenix of the light elves for any reason."
No one realized that the fire lord was still standing there until Araida ask what was going to happen.
"What is going to happen to me?"
"You will leave with the fire lord."
"Of course you will come with me when we leave if anything my son Zuko needs a nurse."
Three hours later when they had gotten all of Araida's stuff packed and every one else was ready. The king went to get his prize knight out of the dungeon. Two guards lead the hand cuffed light elf to were the fire lord was waiting. Suddenly, unknown to the guards Araida had melted the hand cuffs off, Araida spun away from guards but unfortunately the king was ready for this. The king suddenly caught her though Araida's elven swiftness would have aloud her to get away when the king caught her one of the healers sedated her just enough to calm her down. When she was calmed down the king aloud her to be placed into the carriage yet through all of that the fire lord let her sit next to his son and daughter.
"She does know some of the human tongue but is fluent in light elvish."Said the king when she gave him a look of defiance the king said to her. "Don't look at me that way Araida you know this was coming. You knew that this was going to happen. You knew even though you are my most prized knight I was going to do this. Though it would have been harder for me if you didn't do what you did yesterday."
The king looked triumphant as the carriage drove away yet he couldn't seem to get the hurt that was in Araida's almond shaped eyes. Her beautiful elven face pure in everything showed it to. Yet he also didn't realize that he made the quest harder. He turned and thought he saw Araida looking out the window.
Araida turned from the window were she was once again watching her home disappear from view. Once again her world was shattered by the one person she thought cared. The fire lord watched with interest as knight's emotional barrier shattered and tears came down her face.
The fire lord moved gently and placed his arms around the light elf in a sort of hug. When the knight's demeanor changed he began to think oh this is going to be so much fun. Yet he was very surprised when Araida spoke in a language that he understood.
"Never has it been known that a light elf or any breed of elf, no matter how much you hate them, be sold away form where they belong." The nobility of the light elf shone in her eyes.
"But this isn't where you belong is it Araida. Someday you may yet return." Said the fire lord.
"I will never be able to return there."
"Alright on lighter note lets see if I can help you control your element better and in return you can help me by taking pressure off of my wife by taking care of the children. I can understand if you have trouble with Azula she can be a handful but Zuko is her complete opposite and you don't have to be a servant. I really don't like what your king said about you."
"I didn't like the memories he brought back."
As they drove Araida watched out the window as the forest moved around them. Something caught her gaze to the left as the fire lord looked the forest on the left had been burnt. He glanced up to see Araida shiver.
"So you are the light elves phoenix of war. Why did you burn this?"
"I got angry with some one when they threatened me. Then I got cold I kind of blew things up. Then the worst thing happened because I ran to my mother's house and mother turned my over to the authorities for it. I was weak at the time after I did it so they were able to use my own element against me like you saw the king do. If mother had not given me up then maybe I would still be living here in guilt."
Both Azula and Zuko sinceing Araida's sadness decided to take things into their own hands. When they left the forest both children began to ask if they could stop. They were now sitting next to their father so Araida could get some sleep. They turned and looked at their young sleeping tutor.
"Father could she go to the fire accaomy with me, May, and Ty Lee please."
"Then she can help me do some stuff."
"Both of you could teach her a lot and she could teach you a lot. Driver lets stop her by the river. Araida wake up its time to eat something. Are you hungry?"
"Hmmm"
"Come on Araida lets play."
"Oh ok"
"I think this will be more about you having a childhood then being a tutor."
Araida blinked she wasn't sure of where she was.
"Come on Araida."
As she move gently toward them her grace showed and both kids were amazed. Fire Lord Ozi froze as the light elf and his kids ran around chasing the birds or playing in the river. She seemed to dance with every step. Finally the fire lord motioned her over.
"Use your element as you move around don't worry no one here will banish you for lighting something on fire. Go on both kids can play a game with it."
He watched as Araida seemed to glow as they played with the ball her element was her life.
Two months later she was calming down enough that she moved out of her warrior shell. The girls seemed to love her. Zuko seemed to be overly attached to the now nineteen year old light elf. But it bugged him she was but a child herself.
