Here is the first chapter in Book 5, released on time as promised. There really isn't much to say about here as this is the first chapter and thus follows the typical first chapter style that Books 2, 3, and 4 had, albeit with one clear difference that is obvious from the start. There isn't anything to respond to at this point so I will leave this note here. that means that it time to sit back, relax, and enjoy the 1st full installment of Avatar: The Tale of Harry. Book 5: Duty.

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing related to these two great works of fiction.

Chapter 1

Luna stifled a yawn and inwardly groaned as the assembly droned on with the delegates arguing over policy and getting heated over the littlest things that in the long run were frankly irrelevant. It was the end of summer which meant one thing, it was time for the annual Air Nation National Convention.

It was the one thing that Luna truly hated about her current position and the one thing she always dreaded on her calendar. It was a necessity but that didn't mean that she had to enjoy attending, and even participating in, it.

Between the 5 Temples all over the world and the nomadic nature of their nation, it was next to impossible for the Air Nation to have a single national assembly or council the way the other nations had. Instead, there was an elaborate and layered system in place that addressed this and put the two-tiered system in the ISEK to shame in terms of its complexity.

Apparently Archabbot Milo had either been drunk, high, tired, or a combination of all 3 when he came up with the system during his reformation period after the Second Purity War as it was overly complicated and confusing. It was antithetical to the nature of their element, freedom, but it was only for a few weeks a year that they had to deal with it, so it was an acceptable trade-off in a sense.

The way the Air Nation was structured was similar to the imperial model that the ISEK used, just even less centralized and with much more autonomy given to the Air Temples over their own internal policies. The nation had one overarching authority figure, the Archabbot, who was elected by the most senior members of the Air Nation when the previous one died and who oversaw all of the Air Nation until his death.

The Archabbot had full executive authority over the Air Nation and when the ANNC was not in session his word on national policy was law for all airbenders. However, he could not be everywhere at once and thus the Temples all had their own structures and the freedom to make their own rules so long as they didn't contradict those laid out by the Archabbot or his predecessors if they were still good law.

Each Air Temple had a Council of 5 Elders, as they had in the old days before the genocide, known as Abbots. The Head Abbot of each Temple was always appointed by the Archabbot and served at his discretion or until they died or retired of their own volition.

The only rules were that the person be at least 60 years old, except for Air Temple Island were they could be as young as 50 and still be Head Abbot, and a member in good standing of the Air Nation. It didn't matter if that person was from the Temple originally or not, but they were almost always from that Temple unless it was Air Temple Island, which again was different from the other Temples due to its size and location so often didn't have a native Head Abbot.

The Head Abbots had a lot of authority over their own Temples though not full executive authority the way the Archabbot had. They could chose the other 4 Abbots on their council, though they had to be 60 years old and members of that particular Temple, and they ran the Temple by majority rule. The Council of Elders oversaw everything that happened at their Temples and for the most part were left to their own devices in running their Temple.

In addition to their duties to their own Temples, the Head Abbots were also on the National Council of Elders. That was the advisory body to the Archabbot and who personally met with him at least 4 times a year to discuss policy for the while nation and make suggestions to the Archabbot for policy changes they wished to see that affected all airbenders.

They would also meet with the Archabbot a lot during the ANNC when the policy for the whole year was discussed by the delegates sent from the various Air Temples, nomadic airbenders unaffiliated with a single Temple, or members of the other two branches of the nation. It was these other two branches that ensured that the Head Abbot weren't the only members of the National Council, however.

Two other senior airbenders sat on the National Council as they held the same level of authority the Head Abbots held over their Temples but over two important and separate areas of the Air Nation that were not officially covered by the Temples. Those areas were education and national defense.

The education wing was represented by the highest ranking airbender at the Elemental Academy as that was the premier educational institute for youth in the world. Currently it was the Head of the Air House though when he became High Chair he would maintain his role on the National Council and not his replacement as Head of the Air House. The defense wing was represented by the Marshal of the Air Nation Defense Force, the commander in charge of it.

Both the Head of the Air House and the Marshal of the ANDF had full authority over their areas and were run similarly to the Temples, only designed for their wings and without a formal Council of Elders due to the narrower natures of education and defense. While both positions were appointed by the Archabbot, a lot of deference was given to seniority and recommendations in those areas in compared to the Head Abbots who were usually airbenders that the Archabbot worked well with.

It was the 7 members of the National Council of Elders who would gather after the Archabbot died, run the funeral ritual for him, and then, after he had been laid to rest, elect the new Archabbot. While any airbender could technically be elected, the two Archabbots that had been elected this way had been members of the National Council at the time. However, there had only been one traditional election in history, the one after the death of Archabbot Milo.

The circumstances surrounding Archabbot Filius's death and the elevation of Head Abbot Remus of the Southern Air Temple to the position were a little different due to the Principate War and potentially invalid once the war ended. After the war, Remus called for a new election and was confirmed again as Archabbot as he'd only seen himself as acting Archabbot during the war. That had been 19 years ago, and he was still Archabbot.

The ANNC was a creation as a counter to the executive authority of the Archabbot and allowed a more inclusive discussion of national policy so that the Archabbot had a sense of what the nation as a whole wanted. While the Archabbot still held executive authority, the Convention allowed him to see what was and what was not popular in the nation at that given time.

The delegates from the various Temples and branches met in one of the 4 cardinal Temples on a rotating basis at the end of the summer months every year to debate and vote on significant policy decisions to show the Archabbot what they thought of the decisions. Currently they were at the Northern Air Temple for this year's Convention.

While the vote was not binding upon the Archabbot in any way, unlike how it was in the Imperial Congress or Fire Parliament, pending no veto from the Earth King or Firelord respectively, it was still a large advisory body. As such, it had been used to end certain unpopular policies in the past as a sign of national views on a particular matter. In that regard it was similar to the old Fire Assembly before Druzok's reformations after Hermione's Tyranny but with more persuasive power and Luna was right in the center of it so she couldn't avoid it.

Luna was the Head Abbot, well technically Abbess, of the Western Air Temple, her birthplace and home Temple. Initially named Head Abbot of Air Temple Island 22 years ago by Archabbot Filius because of her service to the world as a member of Team Avatar, she had been one of 3 Head Abbots who had survived the Global Coup of the Princeps. She had voted for Remus to be the new Archabbot back then and had never regretted that decision.

In the wake of the war, she was named the new Head Abbot of the Western Air Temple as they rebuilt after the most devastating war in human history, at least based on time and body count and that was saying something as it was 99 years shorter than the 100-year War. She maintained her seniority from her prior position and as such was the most senior Head Abbot on the Nation Council.

The other members of the National Council, who sat in the crescent with her facing the delegation of airbenders as they argued, were, in order of seniority; Davies, Bexley, Cho, Edgecombe, Brocklehurst, and Wroxton. All had been appointed to their current positions by Remus either during or after the war making Luna the only member of the Council who had been elevated to it by Archabbot Filius.

Davies was the Head Abbot of the Southern Air Temple though had temporarily served as the Head Abbot of the Northern Temple during the Principate War when the incumbent at the time had been deemed mental incompetent for the role. The only other member of the Council who'd been elevated during the war was Bexley who was the Marshal of the ANDF having taking the position during the war after his predecessor had died during the Assault on the Northern Air Temple.

As for Cho, Edgecombe and Brocklehurst, they were Head Abbots of Air Temple Island, Eastern and Northern Temples, respectively. All 3 had been appointed to the positions in the wake of the Principate War with the latter two being surviving members of their Temples and Cho a lifelong resident of Republic City. They had been tasked with rebuilding in the wake of the War and had done an admiral job.

The newest member of the Council, having been elevated a decade prior, was Wroxton and he was Head of the Air House at the Elemental Academy. He was a career teacher and scholar who had been at the Academy long before the Principate, but the Princeps had allowed the Academy to stay open under certain conditions and Wroxton's dedication to education kept him there during the war.

That was not to say that Wroxton was a collaborator or not brave. He was loyal to the Avatar and the Air Nation and had proved that during the war. While at the Academy, he had led a secret resistance movement during the Principate and would have been executed had he been found out. It was one of the reasons why he'd been named Head of the Air House when the position became vacant, along with his lifetime devoted to academia.

Together the 7 of them made up the National Council of elders that advised Remus. Remus listened to them, and heeded their advice, for the most part at least. They had already had their meetings the week prior to the Convention to set out the agenda of things that Remus wanted to discuss and put to a vote regarding for a sense of what the wider airbender community felt about the issues.

Now they had presented the significant changes to the delegates of the nation, most chosen by the members of the Temples themselves or here on their own time if they weren't a member of a Temple, for debate and discussion. Luna had zoned out as they were currently debating an issue regarding bison breeding efforts that didn't affect her as the breeding occurred at the Southern and Eastern Temples, so she didn't care what the result of the debate was.

As she zoned out, Luna wished that her husband could be there, but Ron was only a member of the Air Nation by marriage just as she was only a member of the Southern Water Tribe through the same institution. He was not an airbender or Acolyte and as such could not participate in the Convention. Therefore, he was back at the Western Air Temple waiting her return and enjoying his full retirement with only occasional requests for advice from world and military leaders as was to be expected from him given his history and previous position in the world.

Her two airbending sons, Lorcan and Lysander, were present, however, which made it more bearably. They were both here representing the ANDF and the education wings respectively and were rising in their own areas fast with Lorcan one of the senior commanders in the ANDF and Lysander a front runner for Head of the Air House when Wroxton became High Chair in 7 years' time. However, they weren't the only family present.

Also, present was Louis, her nephew by marriage and son of the late Chief William of the Southern Water Tribe, Ron's eldest brother, and the Deputy Marshal of the ANDF. His oldest sister Victoire was also an airbender and at one point had been a favorite for the position of Head Abbot of Air Temple Island when she was eligible as she had renounce her claim to the Southern Throne and fully joined the Air Nation.

That had been after Filius revised the rules to allow two airbenders in other Royal Families to be eligible so long as they renounced their claims, something they had to do regardless if they were direct heirs following Korra's Proclamation during the Southern Constitutional Crisis. This change hadn't been known until after the Principate War as it was set to be made public the year the war began.

However, it was during the war that Victoire had suffered a serious head injury in the Assault on the Northern Temple and while she had recovered she still suffered from sporadic headaches and a sensitivity to light so couldn't do the job fully. It also didn't help that she was the First Lady of the United Republic and as such ineligible regardless due to her current position, one that Luna herself had held for 15 years and had forced Filius to wait before appointing her Head of Air Temple Island.

Thinking of her extended family shifted Luna's attention away from the politics of the Air Nation and to those of the other nations that her family was naturally involved with. While Victoire and Louis had inherited their mother's airbending, their sister and the middle child of Chief William and his wife Fleur, Dominique had been born a waterbender.

That had been what had caused the Southern Constitutional Crisis as Victoire was the direct heir but not a water or nonbender, so some saw her younger sister's claim as more valid due to her bending. The solution had been Korra's Proclamation, through Harry, that a national leader had to be a nonbender or a bender of that nation's element forcing Victoire to choose between her bending or her birthright. Victoire chose the former and renounced her claim making Dominique their father's heir.

That had all been about 40 years ago though. More recently, 20 years ago, Dominique had become the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe when her father had been assassinated at the start of the Principate War during the Summer Solstice Coups that kicked off the war. Though she was not crowned until after the war, her reign officially begun on her father's death.

One of the major war heroes of the Principate War, Dominique had proven herself a true warrior of the South and earned the honorific She-Wolf of the Southern Waters that the Tribal Council bestowed upon her at her coronation. She became just the fourth Southerner to earn the nation's highest honor. She had reigned over the South since the end of the war and had seen peace and prosperity in the South throughout her reign.

Dominique wasn't the only family member who was a World Leader, however. Teddy, Victoire's husband, had been the General of the United Forces prior to the Principate War had become the President of the United Republic as a result of the deaths of President Romilda and Chief Beifong making Victoire the First Lady of the United Republic.

Teddy had decided to run for a full term after the war to maintain continuity during the rebuild of the world and had easily won the election. He had been so popular that he was reelected 3 times since and was planning on running for a 4th term.

He was now the second longest serving President having exceed Ron's 15 years though Luna was sure that he would retire long before he reached the record set by President Shacklebolt. As with Dominique, Teddy had overseen a boom in peace and prosperity and had reestablished the United Republic as the central power of the world in the wake of the war.

The last new leader, at least in a major sense as Chief Titus of the Foggy Swamp Tribe barely interacted with the wider world, that emerged from the War was King Xiang, the 56th Earth Monarch of the ISEK. Xiang had been fortunately away from Ba Sing Se when the Coups happened and his father, King Zhan, was killed. Xiang had thus managed to get to safety and survived the war to continue his family's line.

Coronated by the Avatar after the surrender of Ba Sing Se, a story that Luna couldn't think of as it would fully distract her and that was just the duel to the death that preceded the surrender, Xiang had spent his early reign repairing the ISEK in the wake of the Principate. After that he had then gone about restoring the nation's image as the Princeps had been an Imperial Officer and a lot of blame was placed on the nation.

This had been because it was determine that it had been the failures in the ISEK that had allowed James to create the Principate in secret and nearly conquer the world. Right or wrong, the fact that James had used the Imperial Military to amass his conspiracy and then launch a global attack that claimed the lives of 5 of the 7 World Leaders and captured over 75% of the globe in one day, would always tarnish the ISEK's image.

The two leaders who had survived the coups and ultimately the war had both since passed away during the peace that followed James's defeat. Coincidentally, both Chief Sirius and Firelord Druzok had died 4 years ago peacefully in their sleep within weeks of each other leading to global mourning at the loss of two great, noble, men who had led their nations for decades.

Sirius had been Chief of the Northern Water Tribe for 61 years, their longest serving Chief in the Tribe's history, and had died as Chief as the Chief of the Northern Water Tribe could not abdicate for heal reasons. His son Altinak was now Chief and doing a good job continuing his father's legacy while also making the North a beacon of freedom in the wake of the war, a title it had earned due to being the only nation that didn't lose any territory to the Principate.

Druzok, however, had not died as Firelord. Like his ancestor Zuko, Druzok had abdicated and retired from public life 7 years ago. Many believed it was to let his daughter Ursa take the throne and to live out his last years in peace at his villa on Ember Island, but Luna knew that was only part of the truth.

The full truth was that it had to do with Hermione's death and the removal of the last memory of the horrors of the Fire Utopia period, horrors Luna had seen firsthand 60 years ago, a few years before Druzok's abdication that aided in his decision. With Hermione dead, the last major link to that era was gone and Druzok felt he could leave his post in peace knowing that he had seen the end of that nightmare at last laid to rest.

Druzok died in peace knowing he'd seen his nation through two horrors and come out stronger both times. As expected, he received a burial with full honors as one of the greatest Firelords in history just as he deserved.

All of this brought Luna's thoughts back to one of her closest and dearest friends, and her brother-in-law via Ron, Avatar Harry. Of all the people who had suffered because of the Principate War, the Avatar and his family had suffered the most and that was not an understatement.

In addition to the many deaths of friends, including their close friend and teammate Neville who was executed on live VV, the Avatar had lost almost all his immediate family. No one should have had to go through what Harry went through, but he did and all because of a betrayal on the deepest level.

His parents' deaths during the Second Siege of the North but that was just the icing on the shit cake that Harry had to deal with. That cake was made up by the fact that the madman they had been forced to deal with, who had brought the whole world to its knees while bathing it in the blood of countless innocents and almost conquered the whole world under the banner of the Principate, had been Harry's eldest child, James.

Despite a long investigation it was still unknown how James had ended up on the dark path that he had walked and becoming the Princeps, a tyrannical dictator responsible for a global war that wrought untold death and destruction upon the globe. It had happened though, and the consequences had been heartbreaking.

First Harry had been forced to duel James and took his left hand to defeat him and lock him up for life following a massacre James had committed. That had been a tragedy, but they had thought that it was over after that but alas it was just the beginning. 7 years after James's incarceration began he launched his coup, from fucking prison, and showed his true colors to the world.

That had been done when James had personally executed Neville on live VV, taking Neville's head clean off with Neville's own sword for the world to see as James declared himself the Princeps and the leader of the new world he was created. Then, during the way, he had engaged both of his siblings, Albus and Lily, in duels while they were behind enemy lines and sabotaging James's spirit weapon of mass destruction.

Lily had survived her fight but with serious injuries that kept her out for months and from which she still bore the scars, Albus had not. He had sacrificed himself to destroy the weapon and alert the world to its existence so that James couldn't use it in the final battle but in the process had been defeated by James in a duel and died when the weapon went off.

Killing his own brother was the evilest thing James had done but the war itself kept getting worse after Albus's death. James had continued to push north and took the Northern Air Temple in a devastating battle, the one that had nearly killed Victoire.

The only thing that made the Assault on the Northern Air Temple not as bad as it could have been was the fact that Dominique had called out James to have a solo duel with her away from the Temple thus saving many lives by removing James from the fight. Those who were present when Dominique called out James to have their duel saw this as her first moment as the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe.

It was especially significant because Dominique and James had been best friend growing up, so it marked the end of the James they all knew when he faced off against Dominique on Lahima's Peak. Luna knew that there was more to Dominique's side then she normally let on but didn't go there as she knew that Dominique felt shame for her past feelings for her own cousin.

The duel itself had left Dominique injured, the second of 3 sets of injuries she suffered in the war and would have killed her but didn't because Dominique bloodbent James at the very end to save her life. That last part was classified as it was not a good thing to advertise that the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe might be able to bloodbend without the need of a full moon.

Regardless, the Northern Air Temple still fell and the holdouts against the Principate were forced back to the Northern Water Tribe. It was there that the final battle of the Principate War, the Second Siege of the North took place.

It was a year after the war began. James had decided to bring the bulk of his military might to bear on the Northern Water Tribe to break the walls and take the last free nation holding out against the Principate. Many had died in that battle, but all had been superficial to the real battle that took place that day. Harry had been forced to fight his own son in a duel whose outcome would end the war.

Luna had been the last person to see Harry before he fought James as she had been the one to fly him to the Princeps's airship on her bison and knew that Harry was conflicted over what he had to do to win the war. Still, Harry overcame that conflict and triumphed, even though it had meant killing his own son in the process.

That duel had cost Harry dearly however, both emotionally and physically. He had been seriously injured in the fight and had barely survived when he and James crashed into the ice at the end of the duel. Had he not been the Avatar, Harry almost certainly would have died. His body had been badly broken, and it had taken years to recover as fully as possible. They had won but at a cost they didn't like paying.

In the wake of the war, during his speech at Dominique's coronation in the Southern Water Tribe, Harry had stunned the world when he announced his retirement from public life. His injuries and what he been through had been too much for him. He needed time to fully heal away from the world.

Even today, 19 years later, Harry had not fully regained mobility in his right hand and wrist. He had to wear a special metal laced glove on it to allow him to move. Everything else was fine though he would need a metal exoskeleton to fight properly, and he still had knee issues, but Harry was done with the world, and no one had blamed him.

Initially Harry spent his retirement in the Southern Water Tribe, 6 years to be precise. Ginny had been named Head Healer by Dominique and as such had to be there, and it was one of the best places for Harry's recovery due to the healers there.

Once it was clear that Harry was at the best he could ever be and that Dominique didn't need her aunt's council anymore, Ginny too retired and they returned to his place outside of Omashu for some much-needed peace. It was the second time Harry had left public life, the first being after taking James's hand and that lasted 7 years, this time though, he was still retired.

Since then, Harry spent most of his time split between Omashu, the Southern Water Tribe and with Ron and Luna at the Western Air Temple while only attending important world functions like funerals, coronations, and inaugurations. He was doing well, enjoying retirement and recovered from everything as much as possible. His lone surviving child, Lily, was Chief of Police in Republic City and doing great there. That and the wake of the war had helped a lot.

Between their children, their friends, and the peace that the world had been enjoying, the Avatar had barely been needed in the last 19 years. A few times Harry had been called upon to do his duty and aid in a tricky situation, but they had always ended quickly when Harry entered the Avatar State.

He had not used it much before but now it was a deterrent and prevented violence, as well as giving him a boost to aid his fighting in his old age. Other than that, and ceremonial duties, the world had barely needed the Avatar since the end of the Principate War.

Hence why Luna was bored to tears and thinking about the past, her friends and family, and all that they had been through. All of this while a bison breeder from the Eastern Air Temple and a breeder from the Southern Temple debated the finer points of what constituted the best method for bison breeding in graphic detail.

Everything was going well and while it was boring it was peaceful, something the world sorely needed after the war. Of course, it was as Luna thought that that the doors to the assembly hall were blown open by a powerful gust of air.

Ekrizdis calmly walked through the deserted corridors of the Northern Air Temple, his boots echoing slightly on the marble floor, as he made his way to large assembly room where the ANNC was being held. He knew the layout of the Temple from his network of contacts that he had formed while a Searcher and from the archives at his own Temple.

All this despite the Northern Air Temple being utterly destroyed once and badly damaged a second time in its existence. Both times, the Temple had been rebuilt the way it had always been, it was the airbender way.

Ekrizdis had come to the area with a small contingent of close advisors and confidants to attend the Convention. However, while they were in the Temple right now, they weren't with him for his reveal as he had to do that alone.

It was law that any airbender or Acolyte could enter and stay in any Temple for as long as they desired. All Ekrizdis had had to do was claim to be one of the nomadic members and he was let in, given a room, and left to his own devices. He had initially spent his time learning about the Temple, meditating in ancient places of Spiritual power, and studying the current Air Nation. The more he learned, the more he knew that he was on the right path today.

Ekrizdis had been planning this for years and at least he was about to do what none before had done, reveal themselves and restore the Air Nomads to what the once were, with a little justice thrown in for good measure once he had established his right as the ruler of all Air Nomads. Past Ekrizdis had thought about it, but it had not been until Ekrizdis IX that they had begun to actually plan it. He had passed the plan onto his successor who had continued to further it.

Alas, Ekrizdis XI had been a setback as that airbender hadn't agreed with revealing their existence but that had been temporary. Had it not been for the Principate War they would already have revealed themselves, but it had scared his mentor Ekrizdis XII and they had remained in hiding as they waited out the war and its aftermath.

That meant that it was going to be him, Ekrizdis XIII, the youngest Ekrizdis in their history who would change the world for the better. He had schemed, planned, prepared, and done things that would get him excommunicated if the Council back home learned of his actions, but it had all been worth it. It had all taken him to the highest rank, the Ekrizdis, and that made him the true leader of all airbenders, the heir to their legacy, and it was time to let the world know that.

Only he could lead them, only he could restore the Air Nomads to what they once were and at last get the justice they so richly deserved after all his people had suffered in the past. It all started with revealing themselves to the wider Air Nation and taking his rightful place as their leader.

Ekrizdis almost shuddered in anticipation as he approached the large doors to the assembly hall where the Convention was being held. He had made sure to look his best for today, he had to make a good impression and show them what a true airbender of the old days looked like.

That was why his robes were over 400 years old, expertly maintained in accordance with the old ways, and freshly cleaned for the occasion. His leather boots were shined and polished by himself as was expected.

He had also shaved his head that morning, as he did every morning, a tradition that was no longer observed by many of the new airbenders. He had also taken the time to make sure that his goatee had been groomed and trimmed to look its best.

Lastly, around his neck hung his pendant of office, something only he and the Archabbot wore to denote their claims to leadership. He was ready to make his entrance and change the world as it was known.

There were no guards at the doors, there didn't need to be. Airbender philosophy was one of pacifism and avoiding violence, something Ekrizdis was a strict adherent to and as such never got his hands dirty. That was why he had Pansy and Insomnus after all, they were already tainted by death and as such could do violence, Ekrizdis could not as he was still pure in his spirituality and airbending.

It was also why the whole ANDF was an abomination and antithetical to the very nature of their elements. It needed to be disbanded at once. The fact that it also was likely loyal to Remus and thus posed a threat to Ekrizdis's power was immaterial to the fact that it was an abomination.

It, well the whole polluted system Milo had created, had to be removed. At least for the ANNC they had avoided using guards and allowing all to come and go as they pleased, that was an aspect of their philosophy that had mercifully survived.

The doors were as Ekrizdis expected, they hadn't changed it when they'd rebuilt or repaired them which was a good sign for those of the Northern Temple. The doors could only be opened by airbending done by a master. Ekrizdis raised his hands and prepared himself to blow open the doors and make a statement entrance.

He was considered a prodigy at airbending, it had been one of the things that had helped him ascend so fast in the ranks of the Exiled Nomads and how he had earned his tattoos by the age of 10, a whole 2 years earlier than Aang had thus making him the youngest master in history. The doors in front of him were going to be a breeze, pun intended.

With a little effort, Ekrizdis summoned the winds and blew them into the locks on the door. He deliberately put a little more power into his bending then was strictly necessary and the doors blew open in a gust of wind. The sound was loud, as expected, and the room went silent instantly as Ekrizdis calmly strolled into the room as if he owned the place, which in his mind he did as he was the true leader of all airbenders.

As he walked in, Ekrizdis observed the large assembly room. It had once been used for such events, as well as other things like plays and training, back in the days of old and they had kept it when the rebuilt the Temple. Rows of stone bleachers rose on either side of the entrance to the room and formed a semi-circle looking down on the center of the room.

In the center was a large circle for debates and other activities that occurred here. Behind it was a raised dais in front of wide archways showing high views of the area around the Temple and allowing for easy access to the and from the Temple in keeping with classic Air Nomad architecture.

On the dais itself sat the Archabbot and all of his National Council of Elders at a curved bench facing the room and the gathered airbenders and acolytes who had come her for the Convention. They were all staring in stunned silence as Ekrizdis made his way to the center of the room and looked around.

"Who in the name of the Spirits are you?" An old but still authoritative voice asked and Ekrizdis turned to see that it was Archabbot Remus himself who had spoken to him. "And why did you have to enter in such a dramatic fashion?"

Ekrizdis knew of Remus and respected his skill and dedication to his fellow airbenders, but he was just like the rest, a pollutant to true airbending and the true ways of the Air Nomads. That was why he needed to step aside and accept Ekrizdis for what he was, their rightful leader.

At over 100 years old, Remus was one of the oldest members of the nation. A little shrunken, his face lined with age and a short white beard, Remus did at least look like an elder should to Ekrizdis. He even wore the traditional robes, not those awful glider suits that were all the rage these days and had his pendant of office made correctly. Still, he was not the true leader.

"I am like you, an airbender and by right I can be here, though I made this entrance because of who I am." Ekrizdis said, his voice loud and steady as he addressed the gathered crowd. "I am Ekrizdis XIII, the head of the Exile Temple where the survivors of the Air Nomad Genocide fled and lived on in exile keeping our culture and way of life alive for the last 303 years. I am their heir, descended of the Air Nomads of old and as such a true airbender because my airbending comes from before Harmonic Convergence."

Ekrizdis paused here as he let his words sink in and he looked around the room. He could see many stunned faces at his claim, along with confused and incredulous ones. Some were even muttering at what he had said. Ekrizdis just smiled, it was time to add the reason why he came here and silence the room.

"I am the rightful leader of the Air Nomads, and I am here to claim that right."

Ah a nice cliffhanger to end the first chapter of Duty on. I can never resist a good cliffhanger and here it is for y'all to enjoy as Ekrizdis makes a grand entrance and declares his intent. Naturally, next week's chapter will deal with this claim so you will have to wait until then to find out what is going on and see Ekrizdis interact with Remus following his startling revelation. The only other thing I really have to say here is that this is a traditional opening chapter with the recap of what has happened since Family, as well as a little tease for what is to come as the stage for Book 5 is set nice and early. The only difference is that it is Luna and not Harry thinking on it. Harry won't appear for a few more chapters, the longest drought for him to start a Book in this series, because there are even more fun surprises in store for y'all. However, that is all I have so I will end this chapter now. As always any questions in PMs or reviews will be answered before the start of the next chapter (as well as replied to if possible). Please follow, favorite and review, all are greatly appreciated. Until next week.

Stringdog