Ren:

Above me stretched an endless vast and partly cloudy sky. A dead tree dominated the right side of the road I was traveling on as I rode my ostrich horse. I was wearing a round, coolie type hat that kept the ruthless, blazing sun from burning my face.

I was sullen, hot, exhausted, dehydrated, and absolutely starving. There was a constant gnawing pain in my belly that never went away and my tongue was as dry as sand. My head throbbed and my body ached and as the sun continued to shine down o me, I prayed it would set soon so I could get some relief from the heat.

Not even really thinking, I rode the ostrich horse over a rickety rope suspension bridge. The horse put a foot through one of the planks and almost lost its balance. I acted quickly to right the animal and continued crossing the bridge, feeling my energy drain even further.

Time passed endlessly. Minutes and hours ceased to mean little to me and I lost track of where I was, of who I was, of what day it was.

Later on, sometime around midday I supposed, I came across the scent of something cooking and the smell seemed to revive some of my old vigor and fighting spirit. My stomach roaring to life in an angry cacophony of sounds and pains, I stopped my mount mid stride as I smelled the delicious something.

I looked around almost desperately. I was starving and if there was a chance to get food I was going to take it.

Far down below me, two people in Earth Kingdom clothing were around a campfire. I saw food cooking and clutched my stomach as the dull pains began to gnaw away at the emptiness inside. Determination filling me, I moved my hand to the hilt of my two broadswords and prepared to pull them out. Whoever they were, they would be easy to deal with. Just as I was about to draw the swords, a man approached his pregnant wife who reclined against a tree. He rubbed her belly and smiled at her.

Don't, a voice whispered through my mind, oddly resembling the voice of my Uncle's.

Traces of an ancient feeling swirled through me. Sympathy. The word was foreign to me. I had not been sympathetic towards anyone or anything in a very long time. But looking at them, I felt something soften just a little inside me.

I couldn't do it.

Knowing I was probably losing my only chance to get food, I grudgingly release my grip on the swords. I lowered my eyes in resignation and moved forward on my mount.

Night came and I fell into an uneasy sleep on the side of the path I was traveling on. The ground was cold and an endless starry sky stretched above me, making me feel very small and alone. I was beginning to regret leaving my Uncle, but there was no going back now. I was on my own; I would either live or I would die based entirely on my own actions. Before, I may have been able to blame my mistakes on somebody else, but now there was only me. And it sucked.

In the morning, I set out again before the dawn had even begun to color the sky. I rode all day. When the sun finally reached it's peak in the sky, I was riding across a field. By that point, I was almost asleep in the saddle. The thirst had been driving me crazy all day and I suddenly remembered I had a few dropped left in my water skin. I pulled it out and lifted it to my cracked and dried lips. Praying that there was at least a drop of moisture in the skin, I tried to take a drink.

It was empty.

My heart sank, my tongue somehow feeling even more parched than before.

As I rode to the horizon, I looked around me, trying to stay awake. The landscape was a grassy field strewn with huge, circular shaped stones with squares cut from the middle. Many were embedded in the earth. Other than that, there wasn't much to see.

As the minutes dragged passed my eyes grew heavy and I fought back asleep. My eyesight was blurry. Struggling to stay awake and alert, I had to jerk myself awake a few times. As my mind sank deeper and deeper into the abyss of sleep, I suddenly had a momentary vision - a memory - of a beautiful woman with dark hair wearing barely visible Fire Nation clothing…but I woke with a start. Seeing her was far too painful.

Still weary, I looked up, hoping that the scenery had changed. It had, and I almost fell off the ostrich horse in relief. sat on my mount, I looked hopefully at a village in the distance.

Food. Water. Food. Water. That was all I could think as I spurred my animal forward and rushed to the village which was thankfully only a little ways away and I reached it in no time. As I rode through the streets, I was able to shake off my sleepiness and focus on every detail of my surroundings.

I made a beeline for a food stand. Several Earth Kingdom soldiers, backs to the stand on the other side of the street, were playing some type of game. One of the soldier's was shaking a pair of dice to throw in front of them.

"Come on, spider snake eyes…" he was saying and I rolled my eyes.

Gambling. How predictable.

There were three that squatted on the ground and another who stood behind them, wearing a slightly different uniform than the others. The soldier in the middle was shaking the dice. He threw them and rolled two fives. The man with the different uniform scowled, as the roller put his hands over his head in triumph.

"Yeah!" he cried out.

His two compatriots squatting next to him began to hit him.

Ignoring them, I rode up to the stall near the men. The soldier who rolled the dice stood up; his eyes following the sound of my arriving ostrich horse and he turned slightly towards me to look.

I jumped down off the ostrich horse and walked over to the middle aged merchant behind the stand. After fishing in my pocket for a second, I offered him a few coins.

"Could I get some water, a bag of feed, and something hot to eat?" I asked, my voice slightly hoarse from going without water for so long.

The merchant looked at me sympathetically for a moment. "Not enough here for a hot meal. I can get you two bags of feed."

I looked down in despair, feeling the gambling soldiers eyes boring into my back. After a few moments, I heard them return to their game and I looked to the side at the sound of some laughter. A few kids peeked from around the corner of the stall I was at.

One of the kids handed his friend an egg, who threw it at the gambling soldiers. It hit a soldier on the head and the kids ran off. The soldiers got up and looked over. I knew what they would see. No one around except for me, my back to them. The street was otherwise empty, so of course I would be the most likely target.

Here we go, I thought with a mental sigh.

"Hey!" one of the men snapped as he and his friends approached me from behind. "You throwing eggs at us, stranger?"

I didn't look at them, trying to keep a lid on my temper. "No."

"You see who did throw it?'

I turned around and put my hand on my sword hilt. If these morons wanted a fight then I'd give them one. "No."

"That's your favorite word, no?"

"No."

"Egg had to come from somewhere," the man continued, his tone laced with annoyance.

I turned back to the merchant. "Maybe a chicken flew over."

One of the soldiers started laughing, but a look from the man silenced him. Obviously he was the leader of the group.

The merchant appeared then and dropped two bags of feed on the counter. The man swooped in and grabbed them and threw them to one of his men before I could reach it and I tensed.

"Thanks for your contribution. The army appreciates your support. You better leave town. Penalty for staying is a lot steeper than you can afford, stranger," he growled, and I glared after him icily. As the man spoke, he taped the war hammer hanging from his belt. "Trust me."

Usually, no one threatened me like that and got away with it unscathed. But recently, I was trying to stay low and avoid trouble and starting a fight with a bunch of soldiers was probably not in my best interests at this point. Still, it took all my strength to hold myself back.

He and his men walked away, the merchant and I staring after them.

"Those soldiers are supposed to protect us from the fire nation, but they're just a bunch of thugs," he tried to say comfortingly but I ignored him.

I walked back over to my mount, knowing there was no point in wasting my time here any longer. A bright eyed boy appeared on the other side of the ostrich horse as I was about to hop up.

"Thanks for not ratting me out," he said with a small smile. He had darkly tanned skin, crazy bushy brown hair, dark brown chocolate colored eyes, and bucked teeth. He was surprisingly cute…as far as kids went, which was strange to me considering I hated most of them.

Not interested, I got on and started riding away. The boy looked nonplussed, then a smile spread on his face and he followed. The boy dashed forward in front of me and latched onto the ostrich horse's bridle.

Kid just wouldn't take no for an answer would he?

"I'll take you to my house and feed your ostrich horse for you. Come on, I owe you," he said and began leading my banished self away. As we left, I grabbed my grumbling tummy as another wave of pain and hunger washed through me.

A short while later - approximately twenty minutes - we reached the other side of the town. We were walking up a road that lead up to a farm. A variety of pigs oinked and made noise all around us. The noise picked up as we passed the animals.

"No one can ever sneak up on us," the boy said sheepishly.

"No kidding," I said with a small snort of amusement.

The boy - who had said his name was Peter - led the ostrich horse to the barn and I looked to my right. A rooster sheep stopped atop a fence pole to my left. It crowed at me and I quirked an eyebrow.

A man suddenly walked forward and I straightened up respectfully. I wasn't too sure how these country folk would take to strangers. The man was fairly tall and big muscle wise. He had a scruffy brown beard and hair and his eyes were the same color as Lee's.

"You a friend of Peter's?"

At this question Peter ran out of the barn near us and addressed who must have been his father in an excited tone. "This guy just stood up to the soldiers! By the end, he practically had them running away."

A woman them came out of the small farm house and came over to stand beside her husband. She was dressed in a simple green work gown and apron, her husband and son wearing similar colors and she carried the same features that they did. As she approached, she dried her hands in a dirty white wash cloth. Her long brown hair was in a slightly messy bun and a few strands hung down, sticking to her face slightly. They were the perfect example of a poor family living their lives out on the outskirts of a small country town.

She smiled at me in a friendly manner. "Does this guy have a name?"

No. "I'm, uh…"

The man spoke up and put his arm around his wife and son. "He doesn't have to say who he is if he doesn't want to, Erin. Anyone who can hold his own against those bully 'soldiers' is welcome here. "Those men should be ashamed to wear Kingdom uniforms."

Erin nodded. "The real soldiers are off fighting the war, like Peter's big brother, Aaron. Supper's going to be ready soon. Would you like to stay?

"I can't. I should be moving on," I said. Odette was still out there and I needed to find her as fast as possible, especially with my psycho sister out and about.

Erin exchanged a look with her husband and he sighed as she turned back to me with a smile, her pretty face sweet and sincere. "John could use some help on the barn. Why don't you two work for a while, and then we'll eat."

Knowing these people would not take no for an answer, I nodded my assent at Erin's suggestion. She smiled, kissed her husband on the cheek, and then turned and walked back into the house, the tattered skirts of her dress ruffling around her. John then led me to the barn, handed me a hammer and a bucket of nails. He grabbed a ladder and leaned it against the side of the barn and we climbed up.

On the roof of the barn, there was already tons of shingle pieces laying about in one big pile. John showed me once how he wanted things placed and how to hammer them in. I got the hang of it easily and we set to work.

Sometime later on in the day, John and I were still atop the barn, working away under the blazing sun. Peter had gone and fetched us two cool drinks of water and I practically fell off the roof in relief as the sweet cool liquid cooled my burning throat. I had him bring me about five more and soon I felt like I was going to explode from all the water.

We continued nailing roof shingles for the next few hours. Near us, Peter stood at the top of the ladder used to access the barn's roof. He watched his father and I and as we worked in silence. I was on my knees using both hands to hammer in a nail, my arms starting to get a little sore from the constant repeated motion. Peter's upper body was poking up over the edge of the roof, watching me intently.

"You don't seem like you're from around here," he stated and I wished he would stop being so fascinated by me. The kid asked dangerous questions…the one's I couldn't answer.

"Uh-uh."

"Where are you from then?"

"Far away."

"Oh. Where're you going?"

John looked up from his work and gave his son a warning look. "Peter, give it a rest. Stop asking the man personal questions, got it?"

Peter sighed dejectedly. "Yes. So, how did you get that scar?"

I started and slammed the hammer into my thumb at this and stifled a cry of pain through gritted teeth. My thumb throbbed painfully and I wanted to smack something to distract myself from the pain.

"It's not nice to bother people about things they might not want to talk about. A man's past is his business," John said.

The kid's questions, though I'd tried to ignore them, brought up a lot of unwanted thoughts. I looked up, lost in a memory. I began to hammer once again, a look of fierce determination on my face as I tried to block the memories out. As I dropped the hammer for the third time, I gave up ant let them plague my every thought and fill my vision…

…The vision began with a pool of water. A hand with long fingernails reached down and gently touched the surface of the pool. A Fire Nation red robe adorned the arm to which it was attached. The person pulled her hand out of the water and opened her palm to reveal some small bits of food. A baby turtle duck swam over and squawked. It was fuzzy except where it was covered by its shell. It ate the offered food happily.

There was a garden in which the pool was located. It was a sheltered compound and a beautiful place to be. There was an eight-year-old boy and a very beautiful woman.

It was me, still a young Prince, and my mother, Elena. In front of us in the pond hovered four baby turtle ducks, hoping for more food. I held a stone in my hand.

"Hey mom, want to see how Athera feeds turtle ducks?" I asked.

I threw the rock at one of the baby turtle ducks, which disappeared beneath the surface of the pool.

Mother was shocked. "Ren! Why would you do that?"

I looked guiltily back at the surface of the pond, wishing I could take back my actions. The baby turtle duck bobbed back up to the surface unhurt; his shell had thankfully protected him from the rock. The baby blinked and shook his head as its mother swam over to make sure the baby was okay. Once sure of that, she swerved and attacked me loudly. She jumped out of the pond and bit my foot, sending pain through my toes and I yelled, mostly out of fear. Mother removed the angry turtle duck and dropped her back into the pond. She swam away with one final squawk of protest, her babies in tow.

I glared after it, embarrassed. "Stupid turtle duck, why'd she do that?"

I hugged my knees and looked away, sullen. My mother sat next to me, her beautiful face soft.

"Ren, that's what moms are like," she said and put her arms around me, instantly made me feel better. "If you mess with their babies, they're bite you back." She made a biting sound for effect.

She hugged me tightly and I laughed, feeling warm and safe in my mother's arms…

…The happy memory was replaced by another. It was another courtyard in the palace. There was a young Athera and her friend Kenna. Athera set up for a cartwheel. She made several successful flips but fell at the end. Kenna executed the move flawlessly and with incredible grace as always. She landed on her feet, but Athera knocked her over and laughed, pointing at the fallen girl.

Psycho.

"Athera!" Kenna snapped, glaring at my seven-year-old sister with malice.

The third of my sister's close group of friends, a young Naveen, was sitting with her back to a tree. As my mother and I walked down the path across the courtyard, she looked up and spotted me. She looked away, her cheeks blushing red and a small smile stealing across her face. I resisted the urge to cringe. Naveen was nice and all…but I just couldn't get over the face that she was a big blah of nothingness. No expression or feelings what so ever came from the girl. I really hoped she would get over her ridiculous crush someday soon or I would kill myself.

Athera noticed her friend's expression and whispered something to Kenna.

She ran over to catch her mother and I as Kenna laughed quietly, which was a sign that whatever my sister was up to was not going to be good.

"Mom, can you make Ren play with us? We need equal teams to play a game," Athera said sweetly and I wanted to barf.

I snapped at her emphatically. "I am not cartwheeling."

"You won't have to. Cart wheeling's not a game," she growled under her breath. "Dumb dumb."

"I don't care. I don't want to play with you." It still amazed me how I was the only one who could see through her phony innocent girl façade.

"We are brother and sister," she said, her voice becoming sickly sweet. "It's important for us to spend time together. Don't you think so, mom?"

Mother nodded and I balked.

"Yes darling, I think it's a good idea to play with your sister. Go on now," she said and fluffed my head a few times. "Just for a little while."

Mother walked off, leaving me alone with the crazy people. Athera smirked and grabbed my arm, dragging me over to the others as they stood underneath the apple tree. Athera reached up and picked it as she began to tell us the rules of whatever twisted game she planned on us playing.

"Here's the way it went," she said as Athera and Naveen's stood in front of us near the water fountain, Kenna and I facing them. Athera placed the apple on Naveen's head.

"Now what you do is try to knock the apple off the other person's head. Like this." The gloomy girl looked unhappy as Athera fired a blast at the apple.

The stem caught on fire and Naveen looked up, surprised. Athera usually never missed her targets. I instantly sprang to action to save the girl I thought was in danger while Athera looked on smugly. I stampeded over to Naveen and jumped her, knocking the burning apple off her head, but also knocking us both into the pool.

"See, I told you it would work," Athera laughed to Kenna as they looked down at us, me laying across Naveen's lap in the pool.

"Aw, they're so cute together," Kenna agreed, giggling.

Naveen got up as I walked off furiously.

"You two are such... Ugh!" she snapped in embarrassment.

As I stomped towards the palace, Mother came out of one of the buildings. Still stomping and dripping with water, she began to speak.

"I was just coming to get you. Uncle Ira sent us a letter from the war front." She paused and looked at me in surprised confusion. "You're soaking wet."

"Girls are crazy!" I shouted with a gesture of frustration…

…my thoughts shifted again to later on that day. Mother, Athera and I were all sat together in the library. Mother was sitting in her chair, holding a scroll out in front of her as she read the letter from my beloved uncle, my sister and I looking over her shoulder on either side.

"If the city is as magnificent as its wall, Eralith must be something to behold. I hope you all may see it someday, if we don't burn it to the ground first," she read.

We laughed at Uncle's comment.

"'Until then, enjoy these gifts. For Ren,'" she said as I ran over and picked up a dagger offered by a servant on a tray. "'A pearl dagger from the general who surrendered when we broke through the outer wall. Note the inscription and the superior craftsmanship.'"

I unsheathed it and read, "'Never give up without a fight.'"

Athera was also stood in front of another servant. He offered her something on a tray.

"'And for Athera, a new friend. She wears the latest fashion for Earth Kingdom girls.'"

As Mother spoke, Athera picked up a doll wearing Earth Kingdom green. The Princess made a face of disgust.

"If Uncle doesn't make it back from war, then dad would be next in line to be Fire Lord, wouldn't he?" she asked.

As they spoke, I ran around excitedly, practicing with my new dagger.

Mother was disappointed. "Athera, we don't speak that way. It would be awful if Uncle Ira didn't return. And besides, Fire Lord Athra is a picture of health."

"How would you like it if cousin Lucius wanted dad to die?" I growled at my sister.

"I still think our dad would make a much better Fire Lord than his royal tea loving kookiness," she said, looking at the doll with disdain.

She held out the doll and made its head burst into flame.

Managing to pull myself out of my depressing past, I continued to work alongside John with Peter pestering me constantly. We worked into the afternoon and eventually Erin came and got us for dinner. I was still starving and I practically jumped off the roof to get food. We ate at a broken and patched up kitchen table and Erin served us homemade bread and a bowl of hearty stew. It felt so good to put something back in my stomach but I knew I needed to take it easy, considering I hadn't eaten in days and I wasn't too fond of the idea of any of it coming back up.

The family offered to let me stay for the night and since there was no room in the house I offered to take the haystack in the barn. Besides, it would a heck of a lot more comfortable than sleeping in a saddle or on the dirt. And frankly, I was just plain uncomfortable around these people.

When I was finished with the meal, I thanked Erin and said my good nights before heading to the barn. The night was cool and clear, just as any other summer night. I let my mind wander again as I closed the barn door behind me and laid down in the hay. With food and water and a nice place to sleep, I finally had a crystal clear state of mind, and I was able to think.

I sorted out my priorities.

Odette. She was at the very tip top of my list. That girl was going to be the death of me, I swore she would. I was so tired of chasing her around, and I was starting to find that…I didn't want to. I didn't want to hurt her. I didn't want to give the girl up to my father so she could be tortured until she grew old and died. If I managed to somehow capture her, deep down there was a part of me that just wanted to keep her, hidden away from the world. And the worst thing of all…I didn't want her to hate me anymore, because I sure didn't hate her.

But that was wrong, on so many levels. I needed to drag her into to the palace and hand her over so I could get my life back. No matter what I told myself though, I constantly felt that pull. I denied it like crazy every day of my life, but I had been drawn to her from the very beginning. When Drake had captured her and I'd stolen her back, we had connected, worked together. We'd become an unstoppable team, and then she'd saved me…on more than one occasion. She drove me absolutely insane!

As I laid there in the hay, I tried to figure out what I exactly felt towards her, what it was that made me hesitate. It took me a few hours, but I eventually did figure it out.

She was my obsession, my drug. It was the same old story I'd heard countless others tell…when I had her I was fine and when she was gone I was unhappy. She was on my mind even when I didn't think she was. I couldn't deny my secret feelings - so secret I'd even hidden them from myself for the most part. The thought of her, wrapped up in my arms, soft and warm and safe and mine…made me…

No. I shouldn't want her. Not in that way. She was young and naive. She belonged to someone else - like that waterbending fool.

Sweet, innocent Odette...whom I'd fought with the first time I'd met her. I'd been amazed by her. The young girl with the daring attitude and the reckless loyalty to her friends had captivated me from the very beginning. She was also the Avatar. That had amazed me too.

I loved her. That disgusting sweet love that I despised. I felt it for her.

I loved Odette. And she hated me. I was a fool for ever even letting the idea of us enter my mind.

My life was a living hell.

By the time I had sorted through just the first of my issues, it was almost midnight. I had a long day ahead of me tomorrow, and I needed to get some sleep. I would figure things out as I went; everything would turn out okay in the end.

Sighing in frustration, I rubbed my hands over my face and closed my eyes, trying to drive Odette out of my mind because I had clearly been out in the sun too much.

I had shut my eyes for no more than five minutes before the barn door opened and Peter entered. I kept my eyes close, wondering what it as he was doing here. He snuck in, trying to be quiet and failing miserably, and took my broadswords. Normally I would have been furious, but Peter had done no harm. He was just a sweet kid who had apparently found his big brother in me somehow.

I heard the door close and I opened my eyes. Since I didn't know what he was up to and I couldn't sleep anyways, I decided to follow him.

When I finally found him again, he was practicing with the swords in an open field behind the farm. I watched him for a few minutes a little ways away, remaining unnoticed. The boy fell backwards in surprise when I finally spoke.

"You're held them all wrong," I said, my face expressionless.

Peter got up, a sunflower decorating his head. He looked ashamed and offered the swords back to me. Instead of taking them, I put my hands over the boy's.

"Keep in mind, these are dual swords," I said and took the swords and began to demonstrate moves for the boy. "Two halves of a single weapon. Don't think of them as separate, because they're not. They're just two different parts of the same whole."

I gave the swords back to Peter. The boy practiced a bit, already improved, then looked back at me. My arms were folded as I watched and I has an uncharacteristic smile on my face. The boy laughed and we walked back down the path that led to the house.

"I think you'd really like my brother Aaron. He used to show me stuff like this all the time," Peter said, hugging me slightly.

I patted his arm. With any luck, Aaron was nothing like me at all.

In the morning, I woke bright an early and impossibly the family had gotten up even earlier than I had. Erin had come to get me, asking me to come to breakfast and like last night wouldn't take no for an answer, so I did. When I was done, I thanked them once more and told them I would be on my way. They followed me outside and stood beside me as I got on my mount. I just hoped they wouldn't escort me out of the town.

As I prepared to take off, Erin offered me a package.

"Here. This ought to get you through a few meals," she said, smiling warmly and I felt my heart soften. These people were far too kind, and I didn't deserve any of it.

I smiled at her slightly, taking the food, when the sound of thundering feet could be heard in the distance. We all looked up to see dust rising down the road. It was the man who had threatened me yesterday and his men riding hard towards us.

John glared, his face threatening. "What do you think they want?"

I narrowed my eyes. "Trouble."

The sheep pigs began to make noise as the men approached. They stopped just in front of me and the family.

"What do you want, Gareth?" John growled, working to keep a civil tone which was not something I would have been able to pull off.

"Just thought someone ought to tell you, your son's battalion got captured," Gareth said nastily, obviously enjoying his self. His smirk grew as John's expression turned to horror. "You boys hear what the Fire Nation did with their last group of Earth Kingdom prisoners?"

"Dressed them up in Fire Nation uniforms and put them on the frontline unarmed, way I heard it," one of the soldiers said, grinning like a moron. He spat at John's feet. "Then they just watched."

"You watch your mouth!"

Gareth moved his ostrich horse forward, but I rode forward as well and blocked him. His dark gaze returned it to me and I returned the look warningly. He glared at me for a moment, working his jaw as he planned his next move.

"Why bother rooting around in the mud with these pigs?" he growled and Gareth and his men turned and went.

Good choice.

The entire scenario reminded me of when we got the news about my cousin, Lucius…

…Another vision, this time started in the garden of the Fire Nation palace once again. Athera and I ran around laughing - still the same age we were in the previous vision - as a servant approached Mother who sat by the pond. He gave her a scroll. She opened it and stood up. A tear rolled down her face and I slid to a stop and approached her, concerned.

"Ira has lost his son. Your cousin Lucius did not survive the battle," she said, her warm voice thick with grief…

I looked to where Gareth and his men had retreated.

Aaron would mostly likely come to the same fate that Lucius did. The Fire Nation was ruthless and out battles were always brutal and merciless. If the battalion had been captured, that would mean the men there would be taken into custody, beaten, tortured, weakened, and then yes…they would take them to the front lines of some battle somewhere. And they would stand by and let them die before joining in on the fight.

John and Erin hugged behind me and I felt my heart wrench for them. These people didn't deserve this…but I could do nothing to help them. I was banished, and I could not afford to be discovered. Peter stood next to them, his face distressed.

"What's going to happen to my brother?" he cried worriedly.

John turned to Erin. "I'm going to the front. I'm going to find Aaron and bring him back."

John and Erin walk back to their home, the poor woman crying heartbroken tears.

Peter began to cry as well and ran to me.

"When my dad goes, will you stay?" he pleaded, looking up at me with big brown eyes.

I couldn't look at him, afraid my expression would give too much away. "No. I need to move on. Here," I said and offered him my dagger - the same Uncle had given to me. "I want you to have this. Read the inscription."

Peter took the dagger and unsheathed it.

'"Made in the Earth Kingdom.'"

I smiled slightly. "The other one."

'"Never give up without a fight.'"

I took off, leaving the boy and the family behind for good. Peter would never have his big brother back, and I could not serve as a replacement. If they knew I was the son of the man who had created this entire mess, they would lop my head off with an ax.

As I galloped away on my ostrich horse, another one of my memories came to me. Since it seemed to be a reoccurring thing in my life right now, I just let my mind wander until I became completely enveloped in them, lost to the world…

I was in a room in the palace, wielding the knife I had just given away. I faked death and fell over. Athera was sitting behind me on a chair.

Athera rolled her eyes, her seven-year-old face irritated as usual. "You waste all your time playing with knives. You're not even good."

I got up, my cheeks flaming. "Put an apple on your head and we'll find out how good I am!"

Athera got up and walked over to me. I flinched away a little. Even though I was a year older than she was, she continuously was able to intimidate me.

"By the way, Uncle's coming home," she said.

I was confused. "Does that mean we won the war?"

Athera snorted. "No. It mean's Uncle's a quitter and a loser."

"What are you talking about? Uncle's not a quitter," I snapped defensively.

"Oh yes, he is. He found out his son died and he just fell apart," she replied in disgust, leaning against a nearby pillar. "A real general would stay and burn Eralith to the ground, not lose the battle and come home crying."

I was angry that she would speak so horrible about our Uncle, who had always been kind and loving to us.

"How do you know what he should do?" I looked down, sad. "He's probably just sad his only kid is gone... Forever."

A shadow approached the entrance to the chamber we were playing in. It was our mother.

"Your father has requested an audience with Fire Lord Athra. Best clothes, hurry up," she said.

"Fire Lord Athra. Can't you just call him "Grandfather"? He's not exactly the powerful Fire Lord he used to be. Someone will probably end up talking his place soon," my sister said mockingly and I gaped at her, shocked.

"Young lady! Not, another, word," Mother said crossly, glaring her daughter as she ran past. "What is wrong with that child?"

I left too and changed quickly. Athera me up with my mother and I back in the chamber and then Mother escorted us to the throne room. We walked swiftly over to where my father was and took our seats. Between Mother and I sat my father, on my other side Athera.

I had only seen the chamber a few times before and it never ceased to amaze me. It was filled with dark, ornate pillars held up the roof. The center aisle leading up to the dais was clear. The Fire Lord sat on his thrown up on the dais, which was separated from the rest of the hall by a trench of fire.

My father and Athra had already begun the discussion and we had walked in and I listened respectfully to the tail end of it.

"How was it Great Grandfather Ezra managed to win the battle of Urlia?" Father suddenly asked, directing the question to Athera and I, obviously trying to impress his father by demonstrating his heir's skills.

I decided to take a whack at it.

"Great Grandfather won, because…" my mind blanked and I began struggling.

Athera completely took over, speaking in a quick, precise manner. "Because even though his army was outnumbered, he cleverly calculated her advantages. The enemy was downwind and there was a drought. Their defenses burned to a crisp in minutes."

Father nodded, pleased. "Correct my dear. Now, won't you show Grandfather the new moved you demonstrated to me?"

Athera stood and performed a series of firebending moved, each executed perfectly. I looked up at my father and saw his stony countenance turn to a slight smile at his daughter's performance. I looked on, an uncertain expression on my face.

"She's a true prodigy. Just like her Grandfather for whom she's named," Father said when Athera finished the set, not a hair out of place.

Athera sat back down next to me.

She leaned over slightly and whispered smugly. "You'll never catch up."

Stung, I got up and addressed the Fire Lord. "I'd like to demonstrate what I've been learning."

my Father's expression turned rapidly to a frown. I tried to run through some of the same moved as Athera but I evidently was less skilled. After a few moments, I choked on the routine and fell on my backside. I recovered and finished the routine as my mother looked on in concern. Athera looked on her me failure with glee. Elena rushed over to me as I fell.

"I failed," I said dejectedly, ashamed.

"No, I loved watching you. That's who you are, Ren," my mother said and I looked up at her with wide eyes. "Someone who keeps fighting even though it's hard."

Athra was frustrated and angry.

"Prince Mordred, why are you wasting my time with this pomp? Just tell me what you want," he said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Everyone else go."

As we were about to exit the chamber, Athera grabbed me by the hand and took me behind some curtains.

"What are you...?"

"Shhh!" she silenced me.

We ran behind the curtains and then peaked out near where my father now addressed his father.

"Father, you must have realized, as I have, that with Lucius gone Ira's bloodline has ended. After his son's death, my brother abandoned the siege at Eralith, and who knows when he will return home? But I am here, father, and my children are alive," Father said, his voice cool and collected.

"Say what it is you want."

"Father, revoke Ira's birthright. I am your humble servant, here to serve you and our nation. Use me," he said.

Athra leaned forward and pointed a finger at Father, who now kneeled before him. "You dare suggest I betray Ira? My first born?" The fire in the trenches rose up from below, mirroring the Fire Lord's anger. "Directly after the demise of his only beloved son? I think Ira has suffered enough. But you, your punishment has scarcely begun!"

Scared, I broke away from the curtain and ran away. Athera turned back to the spectacle, a cruel smile on her face.

Later that night, as I was almost asleep in my bed, the door opened and I sat up. Athera leaned against the doorway.

She spoke in a sing-song voice before going back to a normal tone. "Dad's going to kill you. Really," she said, turning to look at me with a leer. "He is."

"Ha-ha, Athera. Nice try," I said sarcastically, although her words did send a sharp stab of fear through me.

"Fine, don't believe me, but I heard everything. Grandfather said dad's punishment should fit his crime," she said and began to intimidate Athra. "'You must know the pain of losing a first born son, by sacrificing your own!'"

"Liar!"

Athera came and sat on her bed. "I'm only telling you for your own good. I know, maybe you could find a nice Earth Kingdom family to adopt you."

Oh you would just love that wouldn't you, you nasty little demon.

"Stop it, you're lying!" I snapped, held my blanket for security. "Dad would never do that to me."

Even though I put on a brave face, there was a small voice in the back of my head telling me otherwise.

"Your father would never do what to you?" Mother's voice suddenly asked as she entered the room. "What is going on here?"

"I don't know," Athera said innocently as I stared straight ahead.

Mother thankfully saw through her act and grabbed Athera. "It's time for a talk."

Mother led her out of the room, leaving me alone with terrifying thoughts. To calm myself down, I started rehearsing the mantra I had learned ever since she had been born.

Almost chanting, I whispered into the darkness, "Athera always lies... Athera always lies…"

The memory ended once again. In the present, I was laying on the ground, and I chanted along with the little kid part of me.

"Athera always lies…"

It was midday and I was lounging on a grassy hillside, not sure of where to go next, for once completely at ease as a soft summer breeze wrapped around me. I sat up sharply though at the sound of a wagon approaching. It was Erin and she was even more distraught than she had been when I'd left this morning.

"You have to help. It's Peter," she said frantically, getting off the wagon and approaching me. "The thugs from town came back as soon as John left. When they ordered us to give them food, Peter pulled a knife on them. I don't even know where he got a knife! Then they took him away. They told me if he's old enough to fight, he's old enough to join the army. I know we barely know you, but…"

She began to cry hysterically and rage filled me. I jumped to my feet angrily. I may not have had any personal issues with them, but I had witnessed their bullying enough. Peter would come to no harm so long as I was here.

"I'll get your son back."

Odette would be proud of this, I thought with a small smile and then shook my head, mentally slapping the stupid thought away.

Erin was too shocked to say a word as I got on my ostrich horse and took off. By the time I got back into town, the sun was setting, casting a golden hue over the land. I rode under a tall paifang gate that resembled something that could only be found in the west. Peter was tied to a post and his head snapped up at the sound of my approach. He smiled excitedly.

"Hey! There he is! I told you he'd come," the boy said smugly and I groaned. He'd probably glorified me in every way he could and that meant it was going to be a heck of a lot tougher to end this peacefully. Oh well, I could use a little workout anyway.

Gareth and his men emerged from the shadows. Still silhouetted by the light from the sunset, I dismounted and took off my hat for the first time in weeks, revealing my face in broad daylight. Gareth and I faced off, he backed by his men.

"Let the kid go," I said in a threatening tone.

Gareth laughed then spoke in an equally threatening tone, which was a big mistake on his part. "Who do you think you are? Telling us what to do?"

My ostrich horse and I cast a long shadow across the dusty, slightly red colored road due to the angle of the sun.

"It doesn't matter who I am, but I know who you are. You're not soldiers. You're bullies. Freeloaders, abusing your power. Mostly over women and kids. You don't want Peter in your army. You're sick cowards messing with a family who's already lost one son to the war," I said coolly, my voice laced with danger as I glared at them.

Gareth turned to his men after a pause. "Are you going to let this stranger stand there and insult you like this?"

Of course a coward like him would send his companions out first. He knew I could beat him, and that scared him. No matter, I would get to him soon enough.

The soldier to Gareth's left brandished his spear and walked forward. I pulled back as the soldier lunged, then drew the handle of my swords right into the stomach of the charging thug. The soldier was knocked backwards, got up and ran off.

Another soldier ran at me with his spear, but I blocked and then brought him to the ground with a palm blow to the forehead. This thug got up and ran away as well.

The last pawn charged I with his spear, but I broke it in half with a blow. The thug dropped the remains and ran. Peter laughed with delight. A crowd had gathered during all of this, Erin among them. She was amazed at what she had seen.

Gareth, made of sterner stuff than his men, drew his two war hammers and adopted a bending stance. I in turn drew my broadswords. Gareth slammed the ground with one hammer, raised a rock and hit it with the other hammer. It flew at me and I shattered it with my blades. Gareth repeated the move twice in rapid succession. I destroyed one rock, but was hit in the gut by the other, knocking the wind out of me. I recovered quickly and ran at Gareth with my blades.

"Give him a left! A left!" an old man shouted.

Old Woman frowned at him. "It's not a fist fight."

"He's got a left sword, don't he?"

I continued rushing my opponent and chopped several more rocks, but was again thrown backwards by one that got through. I staggered this time, my vision blurring slightly.

"Look out!" the old man cried.

Peter was scared also. "Behind you!"

I was being steadily driven back by Gareth. The thug leader alternated hammers as he smacked the ground, each time raising rocks and hurling them at me. Finally, with a mighty blow to the ground, Gareth raised up a shock wave of earth and rock that traveled along the ground between him and me. A huge rock erupted from the ground as the shock wave neared me, striking me in the chest and throwing me to the ground. The crowd gasped and pain exploded through my entire body as I fell in the dust, an expression of pain on my face.

My head smacked the ground, and I was out like a light.

I had another dream of my past. I was young again, just as before, and I was again asleep in my bed.

"Mom?" I asked sleepily, hearing noise at the end of my bed.

I sat up, my mother silhouetted in the dark near me.

"Ren, please, my love, listen to me. Everything I've done," she said, hugging me tightly against her warm body. "I've done to protect you. Remember this, I. No matter how things may seem to change, never forget who you are."

She let me go and walked down the dark hall out of my room. Little did I knew that this would be the last time I would ever see her again…

When I came to again, I was laid out flat on the ground. The dust from my fall was still settling, so apparently I hadn't been out that long. Gareth was approaching and Peter was still tied up.

I could hear the boy speak desperately. "Get up."

After giving myself another second to recuperate, I opened my eyes and screamed in fury. I spun as I got up, firebending a circle of fire around me. Forget it. I didn't care if these people knew who I was, I would be gone after today anyways. If Peter and his family hated me, then fine, they were just peasants in my opinion. But if Odette could forgive me after everything I'd done to her…then whatever, I didn't care. I still had that to hang onto, one person who didn't hate my guts entirely.

Gareth drew back, dropping his hammers in terror. I fired a blast at Gareth that hit him full in the stomach. The thug was shot back and fell to the ground.

I finished getting up, wrathful and wreathed in fire. Peter looked at me in complete surprise.

Gareth recovered and got back up. He assumed a bending stance and I charged him, sending many bolts of fire from my blade in Gareth's direction. One hit and the thug was thrown back into the wall of a nearby building. Part of it collapsed on him after he impacted.

"Who, who are you?" he said weakly, trembling in fear as I approached.

"My name is Ren," I said confidently and sheathed my swords. "Son of Elena and Fire Lord Mordred. Prince of the Fire Nation and heir to the throne."

The crowd began to chatter, Peter's shocked expression remained.

The old man who'd cheered me on pointed at me furiously. "Liar! I heard of you. You're not a prince, you're an outcast! His own father burned and disowned him."

I turned away from the old man, ignoring the comment. Instead, I walked over to Gareth, who cowered at my approach. I bent down and took the dagger back that the thug had apparently taken from Peter. I walked over to where Erin was untying her son. After this was done, she moved in front of Peter as I approached, shielding him.

"Not a step closer," she growled and I held back a sigh.

I had been expecting this after all.

I kneeled down and offered the dagger to Peter, who looked out from behind his mother.

"It's yours. You should have it."

Peter glared at him with hated, and even I had to admit that it kind of hurt. "No, I hate you!"

He turned and walked away with his mother. I kneeled behind them, still silhouetted by the sun. The crowd stood still behind me.

Yet another memory came to me. Practically taking off from where my last vision had ended, I got up out of bed and ran down the hall as I called for my mother.

"Mom? Mom, mom!"

I spotted Athera leaning against a pillar somewhere in the palace, playing with my knife. She stepped out from behind the pillar as I passed.

I looked at her, slightly panicked. "Where's mom?"

Athera shrugged, a happy grin on her face. "No one knows. Oh, and last night, Grandpa passed away."

"Not funny, Athera. You're sick. And I want my knife back, now," I snapped.

I grabbed for the knife, but she dodged and held the knife out in front of her, taunting me.

"Who's going to make me? Mom?" she sneered.

I grabbed the knife and ran out of the room. I ran into the garden where my father looked out over the pond.

"Where is she?"

My father did not reply and I looked down in despair.

Life became very hard after that.

Another vision came to me, starting with me looking out over a larger pool. I was in a ceremonial plaza in the palace and it was packed with people for Grandpa's funeral. On the dais stood the gold sarcophagus and the Fire Sage presided over the ceremony. Around the sarcophagus stood members of the royal family, including my father, Athera and myself, all dressed in white, as was tradition.

"Athra, Fire Lord to our nation for 23 years. You were our fearless leader in the battle of Arrat. Our matchless conqueror of the Elvor provinces. You were father of Ira. Father of Mordred. Husband of Lira, now passed. Grandfather of Lucius, now passed. Grandfather of Ren and Athera.

The Fire Sage turned and approached the sarcophagus. He reached in and took the Fire Lord's diadem. Father walked forward.

"We lay you to rest," the sage said and held the diadem above his head as two firebenders on the left and right lit fire to the sarcophagus. With the fire of the funeral pyre burning behind him, the Fire Sage crowned the new Fire Lord.

"As was your dying wish, you are now succeeded by your second son." He put the diadem on Father's head and backed away. "Hail Fire Lord Mordred!"

As Father stood up from being crowned, the audience bowed low as he looked out over the enormous field far below filled with his subjects. Athera and I also bowed to our father. Athera has her customary cruel grin on her face. I looked over at my sister in fear, then looked ahead.

Returning to the present, I got on my ostrich horse and rode away from the village, my round hat back on my head. Either side of the street was lined with villagers, all watching me darkly. An Earth Kingdom flag flew in the breeze on the left of the street. Every pair of eyes, including Peter's, looked upon me with dull hatred.

I rode into the sunset, unafraid and filled with determination. Their hate did not affect me one bit, because I had a plan, a goal to return home, that I was going to follow. There was only one thing I could think as I set out again.

Odette.