Disclaimer: I don't own the ATLA characters, only the OCs and the plot.
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There were rainbows that day.
Countless rows of brilliant colours littered a clear, turquoise sky, as the festivity below was being held for another week.
Upon Avatar Aang's arrival, the Spirit World was shrouded with its jovial atmosphere after years of expecting. Every single entity that breathed the fresh air that smelled of exotic flowers and drank the sweetest nectar their dwelling could offer had all gathered to celebrate.
There were birds that chirped tunes of merriment and blossoms that seemed to dance to the fiddle's music and there were little humans who had left their own world a little too early, they too were exclaiming with their gleeful voices and circled around the person of interest asking him questions with big, excited and curious eyes.
There were Avatars of the past too, Aang almost crying in delight at seeing his old friend again, Roku. The joyful firebender and his grinning wife greeted him and Tea along with the previous occupants of the Cycle.
Yet, nothing compared to seeing his mentor again, Gyatso. The elder man smiled so widely the wrinkles on his pale face augmented and hid his eyes under layers of skin. Instantly, the sixty-six-year-old Avatar felt like a young child again, tears streaming down his eyelids and spread his arms, running towards the elder airbender.
The Plague. A virus that rose from the murkiest and most squalid of swamps of the Earth Kingdom, the tribes being unaware of the contaminated waters. Some could bend the element, yes, but what they couldn't distinguish were the augmenting bacteria that littered shamelessly the blue. Initially, no one had sensed anything, other than a little difference; it tasted bitter, well, bitter than it used to be. Then, the tribal presence gradually diminished, populations that suffered from famine immigrating to the bigger cities.
And people began blaming each other. The epidemic commenced when the filthy clans stepped on the wealthy land; at the time, it felt natural to denounce the foreigners with the tanned skins and lithe clothing. The communities didn't welcome them warmly as their tradition imposed and instead they ostracised them in the lowest pits of the capital. They called them names and threw rocks. In extreme cases where spawns of affluent families were involved, men with special skills, men who could control another as if they were puppets and they were holding their strings, men like these were hired in order to brutally assault the tribeswomen -fearing that the female sex continued incessantly the virus by bearing a child.
Then, the exiled people decided to fight against their beliefs."There, at the swamps... there were men who controlled the flames, yes!" one or two or perhaps more had declared. At first, their words went unnoticed; then someone agreed.
Rumours echoed within the two nations, plain faces of Royalty, mere veneers that smiled widely, grins that provoked misfortune as the one the Blue Spirit wore, hid whispers of insidious thinking.
Yet the Peace had to be preserved.
'But can it really be forced?' the late Avatar had once pondered.
It wasn't just a mere thought nor was it created during an arbitrary moment; Tea, his lovely wife had perished due to the Plague that haunted the world.
The first symptom: fever. Then, came a choleric chough, spit as crimson as blood following soon after. One day, the green-eyed woman of only fifty-five stated she couldn't walk. She slowly lost all her senses, including her earthbending. The poor woman had spent her last days aching from severe pain in her lower areas -as if her internal organs were being drained and splitting in half- while she remained chained to her bed; it was an old piece of furniture, a marital gift offered by her dearly beloved brother. Liao was his name and he was famous for his magnificent prowess in sculpting the timber. With excellent fingers, he had carved the woodwork all by himself, joking about how he never wished to marry.
Aang remained immovable to his belief that all four nations should preserve the Peace treaty, a promise each Lord had made years ago.
And then, a year later it was his time to bid adieu to his children, his wonderful children.
"Is this the Avatar Aang I presume?" a voice that resembled a baritone's awoke him from his musings.
The man who called him was tall and at first sight, the bender could guarantee that he was certainly of Fire Nation origins: a man of impeccable height, with a complexion paler that the cloudless moon, but with striking, dark eyes and hair. He was dressed elaborately, his robes sewed with the finest silks of crimson and gold, but it was not solely due to the garments that the stranger seemed so elegant. The manner in which the corners of his lips had moulded into a smile, the way his almond-shaped eyes spread warmth. The image of younger Melia came into his mind and Aang imagined how flustered she would be.
"He-He's s-so... handsome..." would be something the teenager would say.
"Yes, this is indeed me. May I ask who is inquiring?" wondered the elder with a youthful perk in his words.
"Pardon me, I must have forgotten my manners" the jaunty stranger bowed in respect, "Agni is my name young Avatar."
The Avatar emitted a hearty laugh, the joyful sound causing smiles at the crowd that celebrated nearby.
"Pardon my words, but I believe your eyes must have failed you, my boy. I am nothing near the word 'young'!"
"Oh, it is not the face I speak of but the heart and soul you bear, Avatar Aang!" he tutted playfully, his index waving disapprovingly in the air. "I sense the fire, the energy of youth burning within you!" and his words were accompanied by a fancy show of vermillion flames that danced in a merry-go-round fashion.
The monk giggled, wiping a teardrop from his eyelid, "I suppose I ought to be glad then, that I've managed to preserve that, at least!"
The duo joined in laughter and glee, the handsome man's ruby irises exclaiming as well as cries of unabashed merriment.
"Agni is your name, young man?" the bender of all elements questioned, "Should my memory not fool me, I believe Agni is the firebenders' God?"
Yet, the man in question only shook his head and tutted his lips."No, not God. I'm the Fire's Guardian."
His laconic reply bewildered the bald man and he rubbed awkwardly his flimsy stubble in utter confoundment.
"I am deeply sorry for confusing your role as a Spirit, yet I have to admit I wasn't aware of the existence of Element Guardians..." revealed he.
"Oh, I take no offence. Actually, you are not the first person to have been mistaken. Even previous Avatars hadn't acknowledged me.", his head tilted to the side as if remembering something, then his face generated an expression of agreement with his inner thoughts, "Well, with the exception of Avatar Kyoshi. She was of the few Avatars who had embraced their capabilities."
"Oh, yes." hummed Aang, "She was truly inspirational. She really did aid me in my younger days."
His smiles used to be the kindest, even the wrinkly dimples on his cheeks prooved his emotions. Now, his mouth was bathed in solemnity and darkness, the corners of his lips not quite meeting his eyes.
The Fire Guardian's eyelids sealed close in an abrupt moment. His lips parted slightly and heaved a light breath, his whole body relaxing.
"You know, as the Fire Guardian I can sense how your chakras exploit my element." the man's voice was tranquil, as calm as the sea before a tempest.
"Do you know what I see in your inner fire?" it was a rhetorical question, obviously, but the listener nodded for him to continue, eager to learn more. "Your inner flame is blue, as faint as the sky. It evokes your internal tranquillity. Yet, I feel a touch of red, as a sign of the disturbance of your peace."
With big eyes, the Avatar gazed in wonder as the Spirit analysed the colours of his soul. "Your power is truly fascinating!"
The sable-haired man shook his head, "It is merely my occupation, Avatar, to protect my element."
"The other Element Guardians? Will they come as well?"
"Naturally! Actually, the Earth Guardian is expected to arrive soon! The Water Guardians follow and lastly the Air Guardian."
'They come in order of the Cycle.' ascertained the elder. His white brows knitted close. 'Wait...Why the plural?'
"You referred to Water as 'Guardians'... Are they more than one?"
The duo had long abandoned their fellow celebrators and had transported in a less-crowded location of the Spirit World. The land was verdant, full of wilderness and life, bizarre creatures no human ever saw flying and wandering around. There were endless fields of pretty blossoms and woods of spiral branches and cascades that streamed down a river, orchestrating an elfin serenade. Warmth dominated their pathway, as little flowers with striped stems and pink petals caressed the vermillion gravel of the road. The sky all of a sudden seemed infinite, as its previous turquoise had been replaced by soft-looking, velvet-like masses of air that resembled fruits one could find on a tropical island.
In contrast to this beauty, Agni's features had turned dark and sombre, the harsh edges that characterised his high cheekbones becoming more prevalent in a menacing manner that frightened Aang, who chose not to question it. His curvy brows with the pointy peaks that seemed so relaxed before, were knitted and narrowed, shadowing his ruby eyes that had an ominous glow. When once he felt rather amiable with the handsome man's towering height, the elder was now threatened by his position as a lithe dwarf.
"Yes. The Water Guardians are two. Tui and La." even his voice sounded more serious, yet the words were said with a mellow tone.
"Their Gods, the fish? They are the Guardians?" wondered Aang in sheer surprise.
"Tui, God of the Moon and La, Goddess of the Ocean. We, Element Guardians are profoundly connected to the Galaxy and the stars that dominate it. I am, for example, connected to the Sun." he declared, bitterness lacing his voice.
"And their fish-form?"
"They decided a long time ago before you were born-"
Their conversation was interrupted by Tea who was running towards them, waving her arms in the air.
Her carefree silhouette had turned into a long-forgotten memory buried in the deepest pits of his mind. Aang couldn't describe their last moments as husband and wife before the tragedy had taken her away from him.
"Tea, what is it?"
"The Spirits! They're coming!"
A/N: Hello! Please, do accept my most humble apologies. I didn't mean to take so long to update. It is really bothersome to carry so many ideas, to literally know the whole story from the beginning till the end, but the hard part is to write it! As I was stuck with a major writer's block on this book, my health slowed me down as well. Actually, I'm sick at this very moment.
Regardless, I hope you enjoyed this chapter even if it doesn't describe much, but there were small introductions into things that I'll use in the future! Please review!
'But can it really be forced?': Reference to Einstein's quote: 'Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.'