A long time ago, Avatar Kalkin disappeared without a trace, and with the absence of any successor, the world was gradually thrown into chaos. Governments became unbalanced, spiritual and natural disasters spread, and war sprang everywhere.
In the face of this unprecedented crisis, Fire Lord Kuni declared that he would assemble a party to search for this Avatar, but the Earth Kingdom feared this as a prelude to more aggressive actions, and moved to subdue this threat. Amidst the chaos, two young women managed to escape, and with their allies, embarked on a long journey that would hopefully lead them to the new Avatar, the only one who could restore order to the world…
AVATAR
The Celestial Sailors
BOOK ONE: CHAOS
15: The Apple of Eris's Eye
Kunzite wasn't there when Zoicite woke up, but that wasn't very alarming considering their careers. A General could be called upon at any hour of the day for any matter; Zoicite recalled many times where he had been pulled away from Kunzite on "urgent business". It bothered him less knowing that he would be working with Kunzite for the foreseeable future. He washed, dressed, and went looking for breakfast; one had already been prepared and laid out for him. It was a small meal, so he finished it shortly and was soon out to greet the day. He stopped momentarily as he noticed Kunzite standing not far off, waiting for him. The sad smile he wore told Zoicite everything.
"I'm glad I could catch you before you left, Kunzite. I hope you're not too delayed. Urgent business again?"
"Yes, but it won't take long—less than a week perhaps. There've been reports of strange sightings on our western border, and Beryl wishes for me to investigate."
"That doesn't sound serious enough to warrant your involvement."
"Beryl seems to think otherwise. She didn't get to her position by letting small sparks turn to fires. Anyway, I would like you to take charge of things while I'm gone. I'm sure I can count on you to watch over our...latest additions."
"Oh, yes, you can definitely count on me," Zoicite said, grinning maliciously. He had received news of the capture of Mamoru and the girls late yesterday evening, when they arrived at Kunzite's fortress, and had been elated ever since. Having them locked here, directly under his control, was more satisfying than words could say.
"I knew you'd enjoy this arrangement," Kunzite said, taking Zoicite into his arms. Their exchange became intimate, and farewells were made. Zoicite watched him leave, took in a deep breath, and went down to the main floor, where an officer saluted him and offered his services. Zoicite saluted back and asked for a tour of the place; it had been far too long since his last visit. He needed to make sure that everything was just the way he remembered.
…...
Blie Zhu stared blankly at her tea as Usagi finished her long story. They were inside the local mission for relief and shelter, a sanctuary where volunteers and some professionals aided those afflicted by malady, homelessness, war, or disaster—a necessity in times gone by, and even today. Although anybody could sign up, air-benders were its most frequent staff members, and Blie and two others (who she introduced as Tai and Yam) had been assigned here several days earlier. For the longest time, Blie had held the opinion that Fire Lord Kuni was indeed instigating violence and war, and while Beryl's actions may have been extreme, they had ultimately saved lives by preventing a far greater catastrophe. Usagi's account had changed that view dramatically, especially after hearing that Minako had been arrested. Why would Kunzite, a respected air-bender General, wish to imprison the daughter of the revered Sifu Kinsei? If Beryl had the least shred of innocence, they should have welcomed each other as kinsmen. But now...
"I know it's a lot to take in," Usagi said softly. Her eyes met Blie's and she offered a timid smile. "Believe me, it's even harder on me. I'm just a useless tag-along who got mixed up in all this by accident. I just wanted to find my family, and now...I'm in so much over my head that I'm amazed I haven't drowned ten times over. And now everyone's locked up, and we have half the entire world against us, and...I've never felt more useless than I do now. What am I supposed to do? How can I help them? Is there any hope at all?" She trembled and sniffled a little as she finished her drink. Blie's heart went out to her; she scooted in and put a supportive arm over Usagi's shoulder.
"You know, part of my job here is counseling with people and working with them to make their future a little better...although I must admit, this does seem daunting, even for two people."
"Oh, Blie," Usagi warbled, wiping a tear from her eye as she attempted to smile, "I don't wanna mix you up in this, too. You don't have to—"
"Hey now, what kind of counselor would I be if I turned my back on you now? Besides, Minako's in danger as well. Do you know where she's being kept? Maybe we can arrange something with the warden."
"I wouldn't have the first idea," she admitted morosely. Blie frowned, but then Yam mentioned that General Kunzite had a fortress in the city, and that was as good a place to look as any. Blie volunteered to go there with Yam for a closer look, and asked that Tai watch over Usagi. They returned three hours later, deterred but not defeated.
"They didn't let us go very far," Blie reported (as Usagi engulfed a late dinner), "but I did notice they had air-bison pens there. I got to visit those, at least, and I recognized Artemis almost as soon as I arrived. I didn't want to blow my cover, so I didn't approach him, but if they're not locked up in that fortress, then I'm a lemur."
"And was there any possibility that they'd let Mina go?" Blie shook her head.
"No prisoner escapes from there without General Kunzite's consent. Believe me, the warden stressed that point very clearly. That means we'll need to do things the hard way."
"What's 'the hard way'?" Usagi said cautiously. "I'm not exactly good at sneaking around, if that's what you mean."
"No, it's too heavily-guarded for that. We'll have to create an enormous disturbance and draw most of the guards away. After that, we split up: some of us will go free the air-bisons while the rest handle the prisoners."
"Wait, wait, wait," Usagi blurted, backing away hastily. "There's just the four of us here! You're talking like we'll have an army with us!" Blie stared back at her intently, the look in her eye speaking volumes. It slowly dawned on Usagi that this was exactly what she had in mind. "Wait, seriously? Where would you get an army?"
"Not an army, just a force large enough to pull this off. Say...fifty monks of the Western Air Temple. And just imagine how fired-up Sifu Kinsei would be when he learns General Kunzite imprisoned his daughter!" Usagi lit up as the understood Blie's reasoning. They certainly didn't need to fight hundreds of soldiers and benders, merely distract them—and a force of fifty or so air-benders, led by Kinsei, would definitely accomplish that. Tai and Yam volunteered to take their air-bison across the eastern ocean back to the temple and deliver the message, which would leave Blie and Usagi at least three days to wait. Usagi was impatient to rescue her friends, but there was nothing she could do about it. The following morning, Tai and Yam set off with Blie's best wishes, leaving the two girls by themselves.
"They'll be back before you know it," Blie assured her cheerfully. "In the meantime, we should rest and fine-tune our plan. Or we could just get to know each other. You said you had a little brother, right? Is he cute?"
"He's a pestilence," Usagi grumbled, causing Blie to laugh.
"All right, new subject. Say, did you hear about the latest performance put on by the Ember Island players? It's a serialized adventure called The Avenging Shadow. It's become very popular lately, especially with kids."
"Oh?" Usagi had seen the Ember Island players put on several great shows, so she was always interested whenever they tried something new. "Tell me more."
…...
Mamoru was woken up before dawn and given a meal that only barely qualified as edible before he was removed from his cell and tossed into a cart. He didn't see Nephrite anywhere, which was a little disquieting—in fact, the last thing he did see was ten armed soldiers surrounding his cart as the door closed. He was then taken to Beryl's palace. Thankfully, the road was smooth, and he had just enough time to calm his nerves before he was led out again, surrounded by spears, and escorted from the main courtyard to a large steel door. He briefly spotted Nephrite out of the corner of his eye before he was shoved through, so that was something. Maybe.
Apparently all prisoners were kept at the highest floor of the palace, and Mamoru was forced to climb every single staircase up there. He was informed that prisoners were kept up on top to discourage escape—unless they wanted to plummet to their doom, or fight their way through four floors of the best-trained soldiers and benders in the nation. Some had made it out all the same, but these were daring and intricate plans that had taken years of coordination between multiple parties, inside and out—and the last such escapee had the benefit of both the Earth King and the Avatar on their side. So while it wasn't entirely impossible, it may as well have been.
Finally, they arrived at one of the cell blocks; Mamoru's was the sixth on the left. It was a dinghy, cheerless hovel, custom-made to hold an earth-bender. There was a barred window that only offered a little air and sun; further examination revealed a sheer drop below, should he decide to leave in this fashion. Mamoru had been searched two times already, once at the prison and once again when he first arrived, but he got a third examination before being shoved inside and locked up. His escort informed him that since he had already eaten that day, then surely he would not be hungry again until tomorrow morning, and left him with a nasty chuckle. Mamoru's stomach growled, but food was the least of his worries now.
"I hope I know what I'm doing," he repeated, slowly sinking to the hard metal floor. If Nephrite didn't come through...if this had all been a ruse to separate him from the girls, or to put him in a much worse fate... And even if Nephrite had been true, Mamoru had no idea where these royal documents of his supposed birthright would be, or even if they existed, and he had no idea when, how, or even if he'd get the chance to look for them. No. He must be patient. So far, all had gone according to plan. The girls were safe, and he had made it to the palace. He would bide his time and concentrate on confronting Beryl first. Perhaps he could request an audience with her, and give proof of his identity as representative of King Motoki to help him through the door. At the very least, he would try contacting Nephrite. The General's response would clue him in on where he stood, and whether he had a friend or another enemy to worry about.
"Okay, Nephrite," he whispered to the ceiling, "the ball's in your...court...now?" As he mused, he picked up the sound of somebody walking down the hallway. Had Nephrite come for him already? It was probably just someone on patrol, so he composed himself and watched. The passing figure was the last thing he expected to see: it was a tall, elegant woman, with long flowing hair and a mysterious aura about her. She paused in front of his cell, and smiled as their eyes met. Without saying a word, she reached over and laid something on the bar of Mamoru's cell, then pointed to his left. She left just as cryptically as she entered, and when Mamoru rose to look, she had completely vanished. Briefly wondering if he had imagined the whole thing—or was already losing his mind—he looked down and noticed an object on the bar of his cell. It was a white ring with a red rose insignia.
He decided to put it on, and waited for whatever might come next.
…...
Days passed. The time of Fire Lord Kuni's execution had arrived.
Kuni was facing his small window, away from the cell door, when the prison guards came to collect him. The people he had been sharing his cell with rose to defend him, but without turning around, he raised his hand and calmed them.
"Everything will be all right, my friends. Have faith in your king even when he breathes his last." Slowly, Kuni turned from the window and nodded at the guards. He was led out, winding his way through the prison, passing by many other cells. The prisoners inside rushed to greet him, calling out "long live the Fire Lord!" He did not see his wife, his children, Suo, or Jaedite.
Kuni had not seen the sun's full glory in weeks, so he squinted as he was brought out into daylight. The sky was clear, the morning breeze cool and refreshing—the perfect day to be outside. He was led down a long stone path to what appeared to be an altar, or a table. As his eyes adjusted, he could see that it was a block with a curved indentation in the middle, and there were people standing on both sides of it, with a very large, shirtless, hooded man in the center, hefting an axe almost as big as him. There were many others gathered there, mostly soldiers from various Water Tribe and Earth Kingdom regiments. Fire Lord Kuni approached the block and locked eyes with his executioner. Neither of them moved or said anything, but there were volumes exchanged.
"Fire Lord Kuni," spoke one of the people gathered near the block; Kuni assumed he was in charge. He wore the uniform of a decorated Earth Kingdom officer, straight from Ba Sing Se. "You stand charged with gathering an army in times of peace for the purpose of global conquest, under the guise of searching for the Avatar. As there is no proof that Avatar Kalkin has perished, you have been found guilty of war crimes and will receive summary punishment. On behalf of her majesty Beryl, Queen of Ba Sing Se, you will be beheaded, here and now, for your deeds. Do you have any final words?"
"Certainly," he replied: "I believe that Avatar Kalkin's successor is alive and well, somewhere out in the world—and wherever they may be, they will surely avenge this grave injustice, and return all the discourtesy given to my country, my people, my family, and my person, a hundred fold."
"Is that all?"
"That is all."
"Then step forward, and receive your punishment."
…...
Makoto's training was interrupted by a loud bang. The guard announced that it was time for her meal, and she was given the usual warning to stay back. Two armed guards stood next to the jailer as he slipped a small tray into Makoto's cell, but before he permitted her to come forward, he noticed a slip of paper tucked underneath a plate. He took it, skimmed it, and narrowed his eyes.
"Dispose of this," he said, handing it to one of the spearmen. Thus Mamoru's whereabouts were kept secret from Makoto and the other girls. She ate her meal quietly, wondering what the paper had said.
Several cells away, Rei meditated. She concentrated, produced a small flame in her palm, and extinguished it. When the guards weren't looking, she produced another.
Ami drank her meager water ration slowly. Later she coalesced a few more microscopic drops into the mass of fog hidden in the ceiling.
Minako kept repeating the location of the air-bison corral to herself.
Usagi sat pensively by a fire as Blie Zhu tended to some patients. Four days had passed and there was still no sign of help.
Mamoru frowned as another day passed in Beryl's dungeon, with no sign of Nephrite. The ring he had been given weighed silently around his finger.
Over the ocean separating the Earth Kingdom and the western Air Temple, Tai and Yam saw their destination on the horizon.
Princess Kotono carved a notch into the wall of her new cell. In a few short minutes, her father would be killed. She had no idea what happened to her brother and mother.
After finishing up the day's paperwork, Zoicite smiled as an unexpected letter was delivered to him. It stated that Kunzite and his company would be returning to the fortress earlier than expected.
General Jaedite watched impassively as the sun cast shorter shadows. It was almost time.
Fire Lord Kuni closed his eyes and waited for the blow to come. The executioner raised his axe...
The end of "The Apple of Eris's Eye"
Next time: "Ignition"
Author's note:
Eris is the Greek goddess of strife; the apple refers to the golden apple labeled "to the fairest" that she offered during the wedding of Peleus and Thetis, and was contested by three goddesses. The result of this contest led to the Trojan War, so I figured it was an appropriate title given everything that's about to go down.
