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I Do Not Own the image~ Bea-Gonzalez from DeviantArt owns this beautiful image!
I don't own ATLA, but I do own my OCs.
(Revised 2.24.21)
Clara couldn't help but wince after every couple of steps as she was forced to follow Princess Azula down farther into the metal ship. Her legs were weak and it hurt more ways than one. She had never been like this before in her life, physically debilitated to this point.
They came to a set of doors and when Clara went in she saw a big open area down as she was practically carried by her shoulders down the stair railings that led to this space. Her eyes scanned everywhere around. About a dozen soldiers stood lining the railings along the walls and there more moving things around and were clearly just working and doing their jobs too. When their little group came to the end of the stairs she spotted two familiar-looking elderly women.
Lo and Li…
"Training…" Clara muttered before asking louder, "Why do you want me to know how to firebend?" She had ideas but wanted to hear Azula's specific reason.
The princess waved a hand for the guards to let Clara go. Her face was back to a smug but calm expression.
With her arms folded behind her back, she explained, "While we were organizing a temporary government for Ba Sing Se, I wrote to my father about your…abilities," she took a couple of steps towards Clara, it was at that moment that Clara realized they were almost the same height.
"He replied and has ordered to have you be trained as soon as you were no longer immobile from the chi block."
So that's what happened to my body…
Azula turned away, walking back to the soldiers they came in with. She looked over her shoulder, "Do not forget the warning from before."
Clara openly glared at the princess, a spark of rage filling her chest. It made her body feel prickly with heat. Azula seemed to ignore the reaction and continued to go back out the way they had come. Two soldiers were ordered to stay and would later take Clara back to her cell. To her relief, Masaru was one of the two to stay.
"Stretch your muscles out," Lo or Li said, a commanding tone rung in her voice.
Seeing no reason to not comply, Clara began stretching. As she stretched she couldn't keep her eyebrows from furrowing together as she thought of Azula threatening to hurt Iroh because of her. She hated how Azula was holding that over her head to keep her there.
"We see the rage inside you child," Lo or Li, one of them commented, getting Clara's attention.
"It is good. It's what helps fuel firebenders."
Li or Lo nodded once in agreement, "Rage and the desire to dominate over others is what creates powerful firebenders. Show us what you know."
Feeling suddenly self-conscious and a bit of stage fright, it took her a moment before she breathed in deeply, centering herself, feeling the heat within her. Breathing out, she attempted to punch fire from her fist. To her amazement, she was able to generate a blue fireball. It was a small one but she did it!
There was a beat of silence before Lo or Li spoke.
"Pathetic form," the two old women shook their heads in unison, "But your fire shows great promise. Do you know what it means for those who wield blue fire?" Clara shook her head, very interested in learning this since it was never explained why Azula was the only bender to achieve this on the show.
"It is said that they hold great physical force with their bending, as well as a power of the inner workings of the mind, intuition, and vast cosmic consciousness. Usually, only one every so dozen generation are born with the potential to achieve this."
Clara didn't know how much she could trust these women when it came to this.
Especially since Azula nearly loses her mind in the not-so-distant future… but… I should cooperate so that later on I can help out the GAang.
"We'll begin with the basics of good form, starting with the Ostrich Horse stance."
Clara followed their instructions, the stance starting with having her feet together and hands on her hips.
"Come over here boy," Lo/Li said looking to the soldiers to their left. The two looked at each other, not sure who the elderly woman was referring to. Masaru was the one to walk over.
"You'll be her opponent for right now, all you have to do is stand in front of her and block attacks if her fire can reach you of course."
Clara watched as he took his spot a few feet away from where she stood.
"Step out to the right with your right foot to one and a half times your shoulder width. Keep your toes pointed toward your opponent."
Her body moved to do that.
"Keep your back and shoulders straight!"
Breathing steady Clara knew that this whole training thing would not be easy. She tried to remind herself of what Iroh told Zuko on the show about firebending. Rage wasn't the true key to firebending, it was life and energy. The Soul's energy and the Person's drive.
'Fire is the element of power. The people of the Fire Nation have desire and will, and the energy and drive to achieve what they want.'
Clara wanted to be useful to the GAang when she was able to see them again. That thought alone had her push the physical weakness she felt away and keep her focus sharp as Lo and Li continued with her lesson.
Two weeks had gone by since Clara had begun training with Lo and Li. Every day she would get up and eat before being escorted to the "training room". The first week had been rough. After every session, each lasting what felt like forever, about eight hours a day she was extremely sore everywhere! She was sore in places she never knew she could be sore before. Lucky for her, a physical healer/therapist was assigned to her and helped her when she returned to her cell. The fire nation healer meant well but Clara had a mind to punch the middle-aged woman when she was 'helping' with her muscle pain. She never did hit the woman but the pain made her a little irrational!
She was happy with all the progress she was making though. She had learned that the reason why her fireballs were so small was that she lacked stamina. This did not surprise her though. Clara knew she had lived a very comfortable life before coming here. It would take more time before she built that up to be equal to any of the GAang members. They were constantly having to run and fight their way out of all kinds of situations.
Lo and Li were very pleased with her other skills as well. Half of the day was dedicated to improving her bending while the other was to see the limits of her 'unusual skill'. Everyone around her when she levitated into the air for the first time had gasped but quickly grew accustomed to seeing her do it. Her telekinesis made her firebending training more fun. She was able to use it to jump higher and move faster than the other firebenders, helping her to get behind them and get them on their backs. Clara could now produce a fire whip from each hand. She was still working on her aim though, unlike her telekinetic power where her aim was close to perfect. She could stop moving objects mid-air, throw objects to targets when she was able to shut out all other distractions, and could block all physical attacks made at her by projecting her energy away from her body like a force field. Lo and Li said she was blessed by the spirits with these gifts.
Azula had stopped by four times to watch Clara, never saying anything, and would only stay for an hour. If Clara wasn't as observant of her surroundings she might not have realized Azula was even there.
During her training, Clara couldn't help but overhear the soldiers whispering about her. Rumors were going around about her abilities, some saying that it was freaky spirit magic while others agreed with Lo and Li, it was a blessing from the spirits/gods. One rumor that unsettled her the most was her being made to be the ultimate weapon for the homeland. A Fire Nation physical embodiment that the spirits were on the side of the Fire Nation. She tried to stop listening to the soldiers' conversations after that.
Over this time, Clara had been able to finally talk to Masaru. He had asked her a lot of questions about herself. He was pleased to find that she was only a year younger than himself. She tried to stick to the truth as much as she could but when he had asked her where she was from... she lied, claiming to be from a small Earth Kingdom village near the northern ocean.
When he asked her why she had blue eyes but had a pale complexion and could firebend, she lied again, claiming her mother was from the Northern Water Tribe and that she had moved to the Earth Kingdom before Clara was born. She said she didn't know why her mother had moved but that she had gotten pregnant with her after meeting a Fire Nation soldier in disguise. The man had been injured and her mother had helped to heal him.
Her mom was a doctor and the water tribe was known for being healers so that would make it easier for Clara to remember her lie.
Clara explained how she never knew her father, which was true, and that her mother had been distant with her, also true. She explained how she had gone to Ba Sing Se after her mother died to try and find work for herself. When he asked what she had planned to do for work, Clara quickly told him she was a good singer and planned on being a performer. Not entirely a lie if Clara was being honest with herself. She had once dreamed of doing something like that.
Masaru seemed to believe her story, it made sense she guessed. It was far more logical than explaining about being from a different world.
Masaru didn't seem surprised when Clara informed him that she didn't know how to read or write since she was a 'poor peasant girl' from the Earth Kingdom. He didn't say that but he might as well have. He explained how one of the reasons the Fire Nation wants to take control of the other nations was to help put in place an education system for people who have never had access to such educations. It was their way of spreading the Fire Nation's greatness that they wanted to share with the rest of the world. Clara tried to not angrily roll her eye and yell about how pompous he sounded. She realized that it was the propaganda speaking to her through him. She also understood how he had just been raised his entire life to believe this about his country.
It was arrogant and could be seen as the Fire Nation looking down their noses at the rest of the world. Masaru's idea of there not being any deeper meaning was showing Clara just how young he was. Even though he was a soldier, he still had some naivety.
She could relate a little, being raised in a first world country back in her world where people believed that by going to other countries they were helping them instead of being intrusive and trying to shove their ideals down the other country's throat. True that when the people in power were doing bad things to innocent people it made sense for them to go and help but Clara had tried to not think about that stuff since she was just a teenager and had no real say in the matter.
One thing that had changed over the last couple of weeks was the Dai Li agents were no longer watching over her every move. Clara assumed it was because Azula knew she wouldn't be trying to escape now. Not with the price being Iroh's life if she tried.
On most days Masaru was the one to keep guard over her, always standing in front of the prison room's door with another soldier positioned outside. On other days, a soldier who told her his name was Mal Ten would keep watch. This man would speak to Clara but it was mostly about when she was fully assimilated into the Fire Nation and believed in their cause how he promised to take her out for a cup of tea. The first time he had spoken of this, Clara had politely declined, claiming how she had no interest in such things. It was a lie but she didn't want to be rude to the guy. However, he seemed to ignore her rejection and would speak of all the high-class places he planned to go when they all arrived back. He would explain how lavish and sophisticated the places were.
When Clara told Masaru about this, the soldier made an uncomfortable expression before explaining how it was possible because Clara was a peasant that Mal Ten was trying to impress her by promising to take her to these expensive places and telling her about them. In the Fire Nation culture, it was a subtle form of courtship. She was unable to understand why he would want to court someone like her since she was a 'peasant'.
"It may be because of the unique power you have," Masaru said, answering the question Clara had not realized she had voiced.
She pursed her lips, thinking on that, "Is it really that appealing?"
Masaru looked down at the ground before meeting her eyes again, "The potential it holds is to some I would think," he shrugged a shoulder before adding, "You're also very beautiful so that might be a factor." He gave her a small smile.
Clara felt her cheeks warm as she averted her eyes to look at the wall across from her.
A couple of minutes went by before Masaru spoke again.
"I've been trying to ask you... it's a request really," Clara looked back to him, her eyebrow raised.
"Do you think you could sing a song? When you told me you were going to try and become a performer it got me curious to hear how good you are."
Blinking in surprise, Clara thought about it.
I haven't sung anything at all in almost a month now...
Her usual routine of singing in the shower hadn't been an option since she had been here.
Clara smiled a little, the idea of singing was a nice one since it was something she could still do, unlike reading.
"What do you want to hear about?" the words left her lips before she could rethink asking.
Masaru tilted his head slightly before shrugging, "Whatever you want to sing about is fine."
Drinking some water she thought of her choices. She couldn't very well sing about anything from her modern world so she decided to stick to something basic and relatable. One of her mom's favorite songs came to her then.
"It won't be as good without music but that can't be helped..." Clara breathed in deeply, closing her eyes before she began to sing the song Happier by Ed Sheeran, changing some of the words so they'll make sense to him.
"Walking down the city street at night
I saw you in another's arms
Only a month we've been apart
You look happier
Saw you walk inside a bar
She said something to make you laugh
I saw that both your smiles were twice as wide as ours
You look happier, you do
Ain't nobody hurt you like I hurt you
But ain't nobody love you like I do
I promise that I will not take it personal, baby
If you're moving on with someone new
'Cause baby you look happier, you do
My friends told me one day I'll feel it too
And until then I'll smile to hide the truth
But I know I was happier with you."
Clara seemed to forget herself as she got into the song and it was only when she was done that she remembered Masaru was there. It was something she always loved about singing. When she sang she felt like everything was right in those moments.
When she opened her eyes and looked back to Masaru, his lips were parted and his eyes were slightly wide. He looked... awestruck. Snapping back to himself, he blinked fast a bit before softly smiling and began clapping.
"I need to find you an instrument to play while you sing. That was amazing," His smile was infectious and Clara couldn't help but smile back. It was the first time in a long while that she felt like her old self.
Fun fact: Firebending is based on the martial art known as Northern Shaolin Kung Fu and the Ostrich Horse Stance is my version of the same the actual move Horse Stance.