Chapter Two:

Ignite

"Meeting you was fate, becoming your friend was a choice, but falling in love with you I had no control over." –Unknown

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar.

Zuisho took me to the Center, which is the home of the Society. It is located on an insignificant island of the Fire Nation, hidden away from the world. The locals of the island know to leave the Center alone. When I first arrived there are the age of five, it was with a child's excitement for I knew that someday I would have the privilege of protecting the future Fire Lord! I was going to have excitement and believed this passionately with a child's naiveté. For the first year there, I trained with a small group of children around the same age. These children were destined to be bodyguards for whoever the Society hired them out to, usually nobility and such. Or whoever had the fattest purse.

From the very beginning, friendship amongst us was discouraged. We were to be competitive with each other, thus enhancing our drive in our training. We were taught to disdain love and friendship, for it only becomes a distraction in the protection of a charge. I had never known love from my father, only the love from my nanny. The friendships I had had with the servant's children became a wisp of a memory as time passed. My nanny, whom I missed at first, eventually became a vague memory. The peculiar thing is that it happened within that first year, perhaps because of my young age and impressionability. It was easy for me to let go of my previous life, for there had not been much for me to be attached to within it.

We were trained by the various teachers at the Society, those who had retired from being active bodyguards. Zuisho was one of these teachers as well. It is at the age of nine that each child trains with only one instructor, until the day they reach full status as a bodyguard. This is usually accomplished between the ages of fourteen and sixteen, where the latter is the most common age it is achieved at. The training of a bodyguard for a Royal differs in some ways though, for this bodyguard will be at the Royal Court. The training extends to forming a network for information, and these sorts of things. Additionally, at the age of six a formal vow is sworn to their Royal charge. This oath is again repeated when they reach their status as a full bodyguard. I can clearly remember the first day I met my charge and his best friend, for even than at that young age they were close as if they were brothers….

Zuisho had taken me on a ferry ship from the Center, a journey that took several hours or more to reach the Capital. We discreetly found our way to the Royal Palace. I was dressed in the darker, neutral clothes that were preferred at the Society. The idea is to be able to blend in with any crowd, if need be. Zuisho led me through the servant's halls, which were hidden well from the common view. He led me into a room that was a general living space, located in the Royal Wing of the Palace. They were quarters of the Crown Prince Sozin, my future charge.

The room was square in shape with dark, red pillars encompassing the room in a square shape. Several steps led down in a square shape, echoing the pillars. In the middle of the room was sitting furniture, cushions, and tables. The room was a light from torches, banners decorated the walls, and the floor was made of a darker wood. The walls were painted a traditional dark red, the same color as the pillars.

My attention was immediately fixed on the three people within the room. The first was a later middle-aged lady, wearing a lighter red robe with two shoulder spikes. Her dark brown hair fell free, except for a traditional top-knot. She wore a three-pronged golden symbol of our nation, identifying her as a member of the Royal Family. She had to be the wife of the Fire Lord then! My knees trembled in excitement combined with nerves. She had a softer face, more round in build darker golden eyes. She was graceful and willowy in her build. She sat on a furniture piece, and across from her sat two older boys, barely teenagers.

They were so much older than me! I knew my charge was seven years older than me, but I had not expected him to look so much like an adult! What if he thought me as a little baby? I puffed out my chest to prove him wrong. The first boy was taller than the other, built more like a lankly pole with a longer face. There was still child roundness on both of their faces, but this one had dark golden eyes, almost like a brown, amber that caught my attention. There was a true kindness in those eyes. Both of them had ebony hair, but the taller one only had half of his hair bound in a top-knot with a two-pronged fire symbol in his hair. The other boy had a squarer face and build then his companion, but his golden lined clothing revealed his as the Crown Prince. He also wore the traditional symbol of the Crown Prince in his top-knot, which is two rolling flames that reach up the sky on both sides of his top-knot.

His golden eyes were a light color that was centered on me with curiosity. The other boy stared at me as well. I could only try not to stare back, at which I was failing to do miserably. My heart sped up when I met their eyes, but strangely it seemed too sped up ever more when my eyes met the other boys. I hoped that they could not my heart beating against my ribcage, for it seemed to me to be beating like a battle-drum.

"Your Majesty," Zuisho greeted the Fire Lady with our traditional greeting. It is placing one fist below an open palm, with the open hand's fingers pointed upwards. I repeated the same movement as Zuisho. For a whole year I had been training for this upcoming moment. The Fire Lady smiled at Zuisho and me kindly. "My name is Zuisho," He went on formally. "And this is Azul," He finished, gesturing towards me. The Fire Lady looked at me, and my knees trembled ever more.

"Greetings Zuisho and Azul," She returned politely. "May I present my son, the Crown Prince Sozin and his good friend, Roku of the Oshiro family." The Fire Lady nodded towards her son and his friend. Zuisho and I both bowed once more. My heart stomach fluttered when I looked at Roku. His name sounded nice, like the kindness in his eyes. I liked it immediately. Zuisho settled a hand on my shoulder and gave a slight shove to step forward.

"She is here to swear the oath, Your Majesty," He intoned towards the Fire Lady.

"I am aware," She replied. "Stand up, Sozin." The Crown Prince immediately stood up from where he sat, and took several steps towards me. I sank down to my knee with my head bowed. At that moment, I was thankful I did not have to meet his eyes. I was too nerve-wracked to begin with!

I began to say my oath. The words that I had repeated and learned by heart over the whole year, since I had entered into the Society. This was my destiny. "My body and my mind are your shield and weapon. I swear my oath to serve you loyally," I recited like a chant. I did not completely understand the words at the time, but I meant every syllable of that oath. Even then. "I am your protection. I am the life that would die for you. I exist to serve you. I will always follow you."

I kept my head bowed as I heard my charge speak for the first time. "Thank you, Azul," He stated, as if he too had rehearsed for this moment. "I'm sure you'll serve me well." I then proceeded to stand up and bow once more towards him. Finally I plucked up my courage to look at his face.

His light, golden eyes were bright with intelligence, but as if he was trying to keep from laughing. We both stared at each other. Did he think of me as baby? I thought annoyed that he probably did! I backed away from him to stand by Zuisho once more. The Crown Prince stepped back himself and plopped down besides his friend carelessly. Roku gave him a wink that I noticed.

"Best of health to the Royal Family," Zuisho said next. He bowed towards all three of them, as I followed suit.

"Thank you," The Fire Lady affirmed. Zuisho and I took several steps back before we turned around, departing from the room. As we left the Royal Palace and Capital, my heart was aquiver. My thoughts should have been centered on my charge. They were, but a part of them could not help but to think of those kind eyes instead.

From that day on, though I clearly did not understand at that age and for years to come, my thoughts always had a special corner to think about Roku. For some reason, I was drawn to him, like a moth to the flame. After that, another three years passed until I was nine years old. I trained in the general class, when at the age of nine I was then given to one instructor. I did not make friends with any of the children I had trained with for four years. They were only competition.

My new teacher was a woman named Mizuki. She was middle-aged with darker hazel eyes. She had been pretty once, but good looks had started to flee with age. Mizuki was of short height and build, and at first sight I could not believe she was supposed to have been a bodyguard. How could she beat up anyone at all? I learned my lesson quickly. Mizuki was a tough woman, and an even tougher teacher. She was harsh, but I knew for it to by for my own good.

After I made my formal oath at the age of six, I would visit the palace once a year for several days. This is an additional part of the training for myself that differed from the usual training of one of the Society. No one could leave the Center until they were sent out to guard their first charge. The idea of one training to guard a Royal to visit the Royal Palace was with the intention for them to familiarize themselves with the Royal Palace and their charge. This was a lifelong protection of a charge, until death meets one or the other. I would savor each visit to the Royal Palace, holding onto the memories of it until I would return the next year. Especially my first three visits to the Royal Palace. For after that….he would be gone for years.

My first visit the Royal Palace I can still recall perfectly, every little detail. I quickly found my charge to be extremely intelligent and gifted with firebending. I myself was a firebender of course, but nowhere near the skills of my charge. He is of the Royal Family, so naturally he would be a master firebender someday. I was also seven years younger than him, making me behind in training and maturity. My charge was kind, but made to be a leader. He was passionate and strong. I admired him greatly and partially worshipped. My natural shyness kept me from saying much to him…

I sat on the grass in the Royal Gardens, watching my charge spar with his best friend Roku. They were both always together, and I had learned that they even shared a birthday. For the most part, I followed them as a silent shadow and they usually ignored me. Roku would pay more attention to me then my charge, but neither of them wanted a little kid following them around for a couple of days. They exchanged kicks and punches with fiery flames in strong, but graceful movements. I watched them with envy for I could not do any of those moves yet. My attention was secretly rooted on Roku, cheering for him to win this match. My charge had gotten him to fall into the pond the last time they had sparred.

Agni seemed to bless Roku this time, who had corned my charge up against a tree. He held a foot against my charge's chest, whom had not been able to block it in time. "Give up?" Roku challenged him with a laugh.

"Of course not!" My charge jeered back teasingly. Roku dropped his foot down to the ground. "At least I didn't fall into a pond," He added with a wicked smile.

Roku scowled and glanced over at me. "At least Azul was the only witness to that," He muttered with a slight sulk. "I should make you swear to silence about that, Azul!" He yelled over at me. I jumped at the sudden attention coming from him. My heart started to do a little dance.

My charge laughed loudly at Roku's words. "She probably won't say anything to anyone," He told him amused. "She almost never talks." That's because I'm shy, I thought defiantly, and the fact that speaking to either of them terrified me usually.

That was how my first and second visits were to the Royal Palace. I found that Roku was the less dominant one then his best friend, and he on his part was used to his best friend being the center of attention. He was the shyer one between the two of them, but they both shared a deep friendship. Even as children. I was only the annoying shadow they had to put up with during my visits. They both grew into young men over those three years, starting to lose their childish features. I, on the other hand, only started to shoot upwards slowly. The first two visits were fairly similar, but the third one was different. I would be there for their sixteenth birthday celebration, and a truth that would change shock all three of us.

A/N: Here is the newest chapter! I hope everyone enjoys it and thanks for reading! I do love reviews, so please do so. If you like this story so far, check out my first OC story which deals with the bodygaurd to Prince Zuko, Some Distant Day, or my other short miniseries for the bodygaurd to Fire Lord Ozai, called The Tale of Tadao. Thanks again!