Book 1: Civil War
Chapter 1: The Crown Prince
Sweat rolls down Zhongfeng's back as he sits in quiet meditation. He takes deep breaths, and listens intently to the world around him. He does his best to sit still, not letting the anticipation get to him. He feels the tension in the air, and turns his head slightly to the right, as he thought her heard a footstep. Just then, he feels the air to his left change. He picks up his sword and swings it up to block the attack.
"Good work in feeling the air currents," said Bushi, his swordmaster.
"I learned from the best, master," he said in reply.
Bushi draws back for another attack, but Zhongfeng strikes first, forcing Bushi to make a quick decision to block. Bushi stumbles and walks back to steady himself.
"Perhaps, but your bending gives you the advantage in that regard." He takes a step forward, and draws his blade up. Zhongfeng steadies himself in a stance, holding his sword out in front of him. This time, Zhongfeng moves first, swinging upwards on his master's right side. His master moves just in time to parry, but Zhongfeng grabs his master's hand, uses the momentum to spin, and catches his mentor off guard. He stops his sword just in time to stop it from killing his master.
Bushi grins at his student. They both step back and bow to each other.
"You have officially surpassed me in skill, Master Zhongfeng."
Zhongfeng stands back up, "Thank you for teaching me Master Bushi. It was an honor to learn from you."
Bushi sheaths his sword, as does Zhongfeng. "You should get some rest, as you have a big day tomorrow," Bushi tells him.
"It's not that big," he replies.
"You're being promoted to admiral, and your brother is being named the official heir to the throne," Bushi says.
"See it's not that big for me," he says as he turns to leave.
As he gets to the door, Bushi says "It may be bigger than you think."
Zhongfeng turns and scoffs at him, then he turns and walks out the door. As he walks down the long hallway leading to his room, he ponders what his master's words might mean. He opens the door to his room and walks to his dresser. He feels the ground vibrate behind him, and he swings his sword behind him. He turned back just in time to stop himself from killing his older brother, Shiwang.
Shiwang holds his hands up in surrender and says, "Calm down. I just came in to talk, you don't need to kill me."
"You should know better than to sneak up on me," Zhongfeng says sternly. "I could've killed you."
Shiwang laughs and pushes Zhongfeng's blade down. "I just wanted to let you know that when I become Firelord, I want you to become my adviser."
Zhongfeng gives him a quizzical look, "I'm not a very political person. I'm a fighter, a soldier."
"Exactly, you're not a politician. You actually care about the people. That's why I want you as my adviser. You'll always have the people's best interests at heart." He gives a sly smile and says, "And, as the Firelord, I can order it."
Zhongfeng lets out a small laugh. "While that may be true, you're not the Firelord yet, and I don't want to think about another career until this war is over."
Shiwang stands up and starts to head for the door. "This war is almost over. There is only a small fraction of the rebellion left. It's only a matter of time until you defeat them."
Zhongfeng turns and looks out the window. "It'll be the toughest fraction yet. Jianchi is their leader, and he's managed to hold out this long. He's going to be the toughest one to beat."
Shiwang replies, "I've no doubt you can beat him Zhongfeng. And at least give my offer some thought." With that, he walks out the door, leaving Zhongfeng alone with his thoughts.
After a few hours, Zhongfeng hears a knock on his door. The door opens, and a girl with long black hair enters. She puts a hand on her hip,"I've been looking for you all day," she says.
"I've had a lot on my mind Yinying," Zhongfeng tells her.
She lays down on the bed next to him and hugs him. "Do you want to talk about it?"
He hugs her back, "Shiwang asked me to be his adviser when he becomes Firelord."
She looks at him and says, "That's great. You'll get to work with your brother, and do what's best for the nation."
"Yes, but I'm not a politician, and the war isn't over yet."
"Well, what do you want to do when the war is over?"
"I don't know, I've never given it any thought."
"Well, I think it would be great for you to be the adviser," she smiles as she looks up at him, "but I'll support you no matter what you decide."
"I know you will."
On a ship on the Eastern seaboard of the Fire Nation, Jianchi watches the waves crash against the hull of the vessel. His second in command, Yiban, walks up to him. "Sir, the Firelord's son is being promoted to Admiral tomorrow. Shall we strike against them in this time of celebration?"
"No, we will let them have this celebration, as it will be their last," he says without turning around.
"Yes sir, I will let the rest of the fleet know immediately."
Yiban begins to walk away, but stops when he hears Jianchi speaking, "Yiban, do you ever feel a connection to the waves?"
Confused, Yiban gives him a quizzical look. "No, why would I?"
Jianchi grins, "The waves are like us. The ship is like the Firelord. We constantly strike against him, but, like the ship, seems unbothered, unbeatable."
"Where are you going with this master?" Yiban asks.
Jianchi finally turns and faces his friend. "Eventually, the waves always win."
The next morning, Zhongfeng wakes up just after sunrise. He feels Yinying's warm breath on his chest. He sits up slowly, making sure not to wake her. He gets out of bed, puts on his robe, and walks out onto the balcony. The breeze runs through his hair as he stares over the royal garden. He takes a deep breath, and walks back into his room to get ready for the day.
Shiwang wakes up early, and can barely contain his excitement. He rushes to get dressed, and runs out over to his window, where he looks out at the capital city. Soon, it will be his city, his nation. With his father's health declining in recent years, his father has decided to name who will be his heir, and Shiwang knows it is his birthright. He walks out into the hallway, eager for the day to get started.
The ceremony is about to begin. The most important people in the fire nation pack inside the courtyard to see the avatar and the crown prince. There is a lot of talk about his feats and how he will bring an end to the war.
Shiwang is eagerly waiting for it to start, as he keeps peering through the door and seeing all of the most important people, who will soon work for him. Zhongfeng grabs his shoulder, turns him around, and hugs him. "I can't believe it's happening, you're finally going to get your birthright."
They step back after the embrace, smiling at each other. "I know it's hard to believe, but I'm actually going to be named the crown prince today, and I'll finally be able to boss you around," Shiwang says.
Zhongfeng laughs, "Not likely, but you can try."
The conversation is stopped short by their father, Moshu, waving them over, telling them the ceremony is starting.
The royal family stands in line, shoulder-to-shoulder as they make their way out. Moshu is in the middle, as he is the Firelord, to his left is his wife, Kongbai, and to her left, their daughter, Mienai, the youngest of the children. Shiwang goes to stand at his father's right hand, but Moshu tells Zhongfeng to stand next to him. Shiwang gives Zhongfeng a confused look, but Zhongfeng returns the look and shrugs his shoulders.
They are met with cheers as they walk through the curtain. As they reach the end of the platform, Moshu gives a greeting to the people, as the rest of the family takes a seat.
"Thank you all for coming to this grand celebration. It is a big day for me, my family, and the nation. Today we promote my son to the position of admiral, and I am naming my official heir to the throne. Without further adieu, let's get things started." He waves for Zhongfeng, who stands up and kneels before his father.
Moshu puts a hand over his son's head, "I, Moshu, the Firelord, hereby promote you to the rank of admiral. You will defend this nation against any force, both external and internal, to the best of your ability. You will defend this nation with honor. Please rise." Zhongfeng stands up, and faces the crowd. "I now pronounce you Admiral Zhongfeng, the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation."