(King's Landing: Grove of the Burning Tree: 12/30/297 AC) Xai Bau I
'This place is growing,' Xai Bau thought, as he surveyed his meager surroundings. 'Where once there had been a single glowing flame atop a withering bush, surrounded by darkness,' he observed in satisfaction, 'had become an inferno, forever burning, atop an ever-growing tree.' A white dragon bush had grown and, surprisingly, three spirits had come to populate this small island of light. Where the spirits had come from, he held no clue. However, he thought, 'they were welcome companions compared to what hid in the darkness. Two old snakes and a buttermoth.' The twin snakes rested alongside the burning tree, hissing at each other, in a discussion only they could discern. Sometimes the snakes would turn, while deep in gossip, and ask him to "go away." They would then casually return to hissing at each other. The first time they had spoken to him had surprised the man. So much so, that the former captain of 'the Ozai' thought himself going mad. As the snakes argued, a small pink buttermoth fluttered around the white dragon bush. 'I'm sure Iroh would have appreciated that bush,' came his thought as he glanced at the red and white flowers of the small piece of shrubbery. The light, from the burning tree, illuminated a small area around it, large enough to fit a group of twenty people, but no more. 'How fitting,' he snorted. From the entire crew of the Ozai, only Lee had been willing to learn the act of meditation, from him. Commander Lee sought peace from the life he left behind and a meaning to the new life that had been forced upon him. 'A noble cause,' thought Xai Bau. 'The memories of the family that he had been torn away from, would always haunt him.'
Xai Bau did hold faith in the newer generation of Firenation citizens and mixed bloods. Westrosi lacked the ability to enter the spirit world, and he held that it was either because whatever spirituality they held was long dead, or that they were simply not from his world. The mixed bloods were a different story, however, and they did not have the sterile upbringing of the original crew. Mixed bloods, and the trueborn children of Firenation parentage were allowed a small modicum of freedom in expression and exploration of their spirit. Even so, the dedication and focus necessary was beyond many of them, save eleven possibly twelve of them. Of the twelve, three had been of keen interest to him; Steffon, Ty Lee, and his own daughter Jun.
When the crew of the Ozai had first arrived, Xai Bau had been caught up in Azula's ascension to Firelord. He was sure the Firelord remembered, what he had done, but it hardly mattered to her now. It had been a simple 'mistake' to 'accidentally' reveal what the true status of the Exiled Prince and the Dragon of the West was to be aboard the barge, fifteen years ago. The man had known Iroh for being a leading member of the White Lotus. Whether or not Iroh had identified him, as a fellow White Lotus member, was open to debate. Needless to say, it had taken Xai Bau no small amount of courage to speak the word 'prisoners' when welcoming Prince Zuko and Iroh aboard. The spirits had been watching out for him that day, as the Prince had pushed him overboard. The Princess had been so incensed at her defeat against the Old General, that when the man from the order of the White Lotus finally came back aboard, she had simply demoted him to a janitor. A dark chuckle escaped his lips.
Firelord Azula had planned and schemed to get into the good graces of the sovereign of this foreign land, King Robert Baratheon, and to gain position. The original purpose of the crew had been to not only keep Firelord Ozai's daughter safe but to keep an eye on her and deal with her if necessary. Ozai had been no fool, and he knew how dangerous his own daughter was. That was why only the most skilled of Firebenders and soldiers had been present onboard, along with the standard crewmen needed for ship maintenance. If Ozai had given the command, 'to subdue and detain, or eliminate,' the crew had been prepared to follow it. Truthfully, Xai Bau had been aboard, not only for his skill but to observe the Princess and make sure no harm came to the Avatar if he should be discovered in their travels. 'But now?' he thought to himself, 'Ozai was gone, the Avatar was gone, and only Azula remained.' A single fool from the original crew, Takumi, had seen this as an opportunity to become Firelord. He had issued a challenge for leadership, and demanded Agni Kai, to settle the dispute. Takumi had been a skilled bender, top of his class, and he served as an object lesson to the rest of the crew. A lesson which Firelord Azula explained over his charred corpse, "So long as I am your Firelord, treason shall never go unpunished!" No one, from her crew, had ever challenged her again. Nor did they ever entertain such madness again.
However, even in death, Takumi had done more damage to the Firelord's mind than he likely hadn't anticipated. Her mind had nearly torn at the seams, in paranoia, and her spirit had faltered. Eventually, she found some solace and support from the two girls that had accompanied her, and she dove further into the affairs of this world to distract herself. 'The chaos of her mind prevents her from being here,' he thought. Now, the only path before Firelord Azula, led forward, always forward. Xai Bau knew as he was sure she knew, that the Firelord could not afford to misstep. Not here. Not on this world, because it was unforgiving. Just then, he heard something in the blackness surrounding the grove, the monster that always seemed drawn to this place, its multiple eyes reflecting the light from the flames, and its cold breath bringing a chill to his heart. As he sat staring into the darkness, he remembered the phrase the Red Priestess, and her followers, would chant. "For the night is dark, and full of terrors."
"Still contemplating the nature of the world, Xai?" came a familiar voice, as the mysterious creature retreated back into the void.
"No, Prince Steffon, just watching the shadows," was his response, as he continued staring off into the dark.
"I am no Prince," the young man said, clad in an academy uniform of red, black, and gold. He sat down and crossed his legs.
"Not yet," he retorted, turning his head towards the speaker, and Prince Steffon twitched. "You are working towards deposing the false Prince, and his siblings. Are you not?" he spoke. Just as he had confided in the Prince about his allegiance to the White Lotus, so too had the Prince confided in him about the plans his mother had worked towards. Both statements were treasonous, and both could lead to death. Xai Bau, however, cared little for this world. He would not risk his life, and that of his daughter's, to tell the Queen, and Steffon cared too much to betray his trust and lose his spiritual teacher. 'He was an excellent student,' he thought, 'I had hoped to have the Firelord, herself, as my protégé. Her mind, however, proved too chaotic and her attentions were diverted elsewhere. Ursa was powerful but too focused on the physical world to ever truly achieve the peace of mind necessary to transcend. As for little Ty Lee, well, there was hope for her yet.'
"Yes, but it does not taste well spilling forth from my mouth. Joffrey is a fool, and the Queen even more so, but the rest? Myrcella and Tommen? I know my mother, and she will not let them live. Even if my father was to show them mercy and have them keep their lives. She will not tolerate them living and remaining a threat to her rule. One carriage ride to the Wall or Casterly Rock? One tragic raid by 'bandits,' leaving no survivors." His shoulders slumped, but his eyes remained hard, glancing towards the ground.
"And still you follow her?" he questioned, looking towards his young student.
"She is my mother, she is my Firelord, and I have no other choice," he spoke in resignation, before looking up at him. "What am I to do? Betray my family? Risk their lives? Just because Cersei chose to bear her brother's children? Her children are innocent, yes, but so are my sisters. So is Margaery, my father, Theon, Kai, and all the men and women sworn to my father and mother. I will not betray them, to protect my honor. If I follow, then my mother has promised a minimal loss of innocent life. If I resist? She holds Margaery, and even though I have struggled to remain indifferent to her, my mother is nothing if not observant. It won't take much for her to discover the fondness I hold for Margaery, if she hasn't already, and squeeze me into submission." As the Prince spoke, the tiny, pink, buttermoth rested on his shoulder. The Prince reached over his shoulder and petted the spirits tiny, hairy, back with his index finger. After he lowered his hand back to his lap he resumed speaking his thoughts. "We have had these discussions before, Xai. Why do we always return to them?"
"Because they weigh down your spirit," he stated.
The Prince inhaled, and deflated as if preparing to respond before abandoning the subject entirely. "I am here to tell you, that my mother is planning to make her way to King's Landing. She wants to know what progress has been made in regards to the wildfire?"
Unsurprised by the sudden shift in topic, the wise man responded, "Much of the wildfire underneath the Red Keep, the Sept, and the Dragonpit has been removed and disposed of. It was difficult to move so little at a time, especially considering the amount of discomfort the strange liquid causes in benders. Not to mention having to evade the Queen's, Littlefinger's, and the Eunuch's army of informants."
"This is true, but you've had six years to see it done, not including the seven years prior to you being installed as overseer of this operation," said the Prince.
"The spirits watch over your mother, Prince Steffon. Had Firelord Azula and her royal guard not been present in the throne room, fifteen years ago, with King Robert and the rest, looking over the corpses of the royal family, she may not have been alerted to the strange liquid in enough time to have it removed."
"Yes, I was told the sickness was less than pleasant," Steffon replied, looking him in the eye.
(King's Landing: 11/22/283 AC) Xai Bau I
After the fall of King Aerys, and the sack of the capital, by Tywin Lannister and his son, Lord Stark had come to re-establish order to the broken city. Lord Stark had been incensed by the levels of chaos and death Tywin Lannister's betrayal had caused. This had been further fueled once he had been made aware of the brutal deaths of Rhaegar's wife and children. King Robert had arrived, along with an anxious Lord of the Vale, to survey the carnage. The Firelord, who had recently sunk the majority of the Royal Fleet at Dragonstone and prevented escape by sea, with the Ozai, arrived a short time later, her prisoner in tow, after the bodies of the former Princess Elia of Dorne and her children had been laid before the new King. History repeated itself, it seemed, as she commanded him, the former captain, to safely maneuver the Ozai into the harbor and dock. The Firelord entered the city of King's Landing, with her own guard, himself included. Her childhood friends had remained aboard the Ozai and during the entire march, up to the keep, he had felt himself grow queasy. At first, he thought it came from seeing the aftermath of the sack, and simply brushed it aside. The Firelord held a disgusted sneer on her face during the march, and truth be told, she looked somewhat less than intimidating with her fairly large belly. As they entered the Throne Room of the Red Keep, he felt nausea wash over him, saw others begin to sway, but they kept on, to present their prisoner.
The Firelord had not even glanced at the bodies covered in the crimson Lannister cloaks, before speaking and bending the knee as much as she could in her state, "Your Grace! I have sunk the royal fleet at Dragonstone on your command and laid waste to its defenders. Dragonstone is yours, as is the former prince, Viserys Targaryen." At that, the younger commander Lee kicked the scared child forward and lifted the black shroud covering his face. Then, without fanfare, they all keeled over in pain, and the Firelord emptied her stomach all over the stone floor, before collapsing. Two years after the incident, the Firelord had a handful of her R'hllor agents infiltrate King's Landing, and find out why King's Landing had made her and her benders ill. When they had finally deduced the ill feeling to be coming from Wildfire, the Firelord set out to find out where it was. Her red spies searched high and low, before discovering the first cache underneath the Dragonpit, and ultimately the large caches underneath the Red Keep and the Sept of Baelor.
(King's Landing: Grove of the Burning Tree: 12/30/297 AC) Xai Bau I
'The Firelord had been surprised, and had wondered who had ordered the creation of so much Wildfire, and for what purpose,' Xai Bau remembered.
After the discovery, the Firelord's spies had spoken to the pyromancers at the Alchemist's Guild in King's Landing, asking how to move Wildfire.
"That it was. Which it made it no easy task," he said, before the Prince spoke.
"Be thankful my mother had not considered you expendable enough to send you here until the work had already been half done."
"Thank the spirits for small favors," he said grimly before the clop of hooves and the fluttering of robes emerged from the darkness. Both snapped their heads towards the rustling sounds, unable to pierce the blackness surrounding their little island. They only saw the reflection of eight pairs of eyes staring back at them, seven were of pure shimmering light, while the eighth held a red, menacing glow.
"Hooves? It is the black goat," he said.
"Yes, and the shimmering eyes? It is the seven," said the Prince in a dark tone.
"The flame draws them to this place, though they cannot enter, not while the fire burns," he muttered, letting the last part of his sentence to go unspoken.
"Not while the Firenation endures," the Prince said as if reading his thoughts.
The coldness returned and his hairs stood on end. He heard the hooves clatter, and the robes flutter, back into the abyss. A cold, heavy, breath reemerged from the darkness. "And that one. That one despises us…"
"It does," said the Prince.
"Perhaps this is not the time," he said, as he remembered the date, "but happy birthday." The Prince reacted with a surprised look.
