Avatar: Civil Strife – Prologue
FIRE...
AIR...
WATER...
EARTH...
When I was a little girl my mother used to tell me bedtime stories of the time before she became Earth Queen. My grandfather had the vilest plan in the history of the Duryajian Kingdom, before my mother was born he reformed many things in the kingdom that my forefathers were proud of. He even founded the dreaded Yanzhao, but while Avatar Keirou was still alive, he couldn't stop my grandfather.
Avatar Keirou grew ill of a lung infection which worsened over time, as he became bedridden he abandoned his duties as the Avatar. Leaving my grandfather unchecked, during this time the Oma Kingdom continued to assault and conquer several of our provinces which led to a nearly-predicted war to end soon with the Oma Kingdom as victors. The problem was they were plagued by savage barbarians.
Over the years, after the passing of Avatar Keirou, a new Avatar was discovered right here in Ba Sing Se. She was from the Upper Ring's very own Xinao family, but from the beginning of Avatar Avani's life, she was made to believe that she served only my grandfather, not as a servant but as his personal Avatar. And anyone who got in his way and attempted to free Avani was never seen again. But over time, Avani and my mother broke free from the bonds of Earth King Shuicheng, and at that moment the Haijun Kingdom rose to an era of prominence.
Aupaluk, Northern Water Tribe
It was a dark cold and tempestuous evening in the Northern Water Tribe, the sky was a gloomy navy blue color with hints of dark gray and black. The clouds were plentiful the snow never stopped falling all week. The moon was covered by the immense amount of clouds that blocked the sky. The ground covered in over a foot of snow.
Even in a darkened evening, the Northern Water Tribe was still a marvel to the North Pole. What little moonlight hit the palace made it the radiant heart of the capital city. The palace itself was guarded by a ton of royal guards. The northeastern portion of the capital is where all the higher class of citizens resided. Here several estates were built with ice, and wood to keep out the cold similar to the igloos of the villages in the North Pole outside the city.
One particular estate, however, belonged to the elderly and gravely ill Avatar Keirou. The Northern Water Tribe Avatar who was born in 2044 BG, but while Keirou was an all-powerful being his age eventually crept up on him. Recently, as of a few years ago, Keirou contracted a lung infection that never quite went away. The healers diagnosed him with lung cancer, from one point he was sad that he contracted this but all decisions made that led up to this prognosis were not regrettable. Keirou has done enough to serve the world and he should spend the rest of his days with his family in his estate.
Inside the estate are several of his hired guards that patrol the outside of the perimeter of the land and inside in every dark corner and several in the courtyard and gardens that are neatly maintained. Within the home is an elderly bedridden centenarian. Two caretakers kept a watchful eye on the elderly Avatar a Tribeswoman who was normally his main caretaker and her assistant a middle-aged Nomadic man who occasionally gave Keirou oxygen therapy to keep him around a bit longer.
The Nomad looked up to his co-worker and said, "There I just finished some oxygen therapy for him it should help keep him with us for a while but I feel like he's waning on us. I'm not sure he has much time."
Keirou coughed loudly and hoarsely a secretion mixed of saliva and mucus spilled out of his mouth. The nomad grabbed a cloth and wiped the Avatar's mouth of the secretion, the healer bent whatever was built up in his throat to clear it. This allowed for better breathing as the muscles in the Avatar's throat decreased in actions like swallowing. In this last week, Keirou has spent most of his time sleeping, his appetite reduced greatly as well, he was less social and only communicated with his caretakers when he needed to.
Since they were hired by his son there was nothing more or less of love or kindness that the once-great Avatar received. There was always a warm vibe from the two caretakers and the Avatar appreciated that. He slightly tapped the nomad's hand to get his attention, the nomad turned his attention to the tapping and spoke, "Yes?"
"Where's my son...? I have to tell my son..." he asked, he coughed out more mucus mixed with a bit of blood. He was interrupted by that but he resumed with his request, "...I-I fear I don't have much time...they're waiting for me to join them."
"Your son and your family are on their way, Keirou," responded the nomad.
"Who's waiting for you?" he returned an echo question as he faced the Tribeswoman healer.
"They're here...Arnav...Masaru...Giralal...Katiyana...waiting for me," he answered at different volume levels. He went from an inside voice to whispering as he named each person could they have been his past relatives or something else?
Several minutes later, Keirou's son Odayakana entered the main home from the other side of the estate. Odayakana was an olive-skinned sexagenarian, his cyan-colored eyes went red and he held tears in his eyelids for his father who was dying. His sinuses began to clog up as he sniffled and a tear fell out of his eyes. Odayakana's wife, their daughter, and her family entered the home after Odayakana.
He gently grabbed his father's hand and smiled at him, "We're here, father. Here for you."
Keirou's eyes moved to eye his three great-grandchildren, a six-winter-old great-granddaughter, his great-grandson who's perhaps about three-winters-old, and a newborn baby in his granddaughter's arms.
Odayakana's grandchildren were unaware of the situation or why their great-grandfather was bedridden. Their grandfather intimated to them, "Careful you don't want to hurt your, Atat."
A tear fell from Keirou's left eye as he eyed his great-granddaughter, "My beautiful great-grandbabies you will grow to be powerful and important adults someday. I just know it," he commented it.
He faced his son to get his attention, "We...must speak before I depart..." he whispered.
"What is it, Atatak?" he questioned Keirou.
"Have you received any news from Laoyan?" Keirou returned an echo question.
Odayakana shook his head at his father and declined, "No, nothing...last I told you anything about him was when he was talking about the reforms that were happening in the Haijun Kingdom ever since Shuicheng took power. Laoyan once mentioned it was all cloudy, I suppose maybe Shuicheng knows your dying and is preparing for the new Avatar."
"Yes..." he coughed, he spilled more of the secretion mixed with blood out of his mouth. His caretaker bent the liquid away from the Avatar while his son wiped his lips clean of the stuff. Keirou cleared his throat his voice was raspy, "...perhaps but the Avatar can also be born in the Oma Kingdom. They've recently been plagued by barbarians last I heard."
Keirou continued to cough it scared his grandchildren quite a bit because it repeated more secretion fell out. He was minutes away from death by the looks of it, his son gave him fluids through waterbending a small amount of water from a bowl of freshwater. Keirou's throat was refreshed he requested a favor from Odayakana, "I must ask you a favor, my innik. When I pass...make sure to notify Grand Lotus Tseten...the chief can arrange the meeting. Tseten will make arrangements and begin the search for the new Avatar, they will be born in one of the two war-torn kingdoms."
Odayakana gently squeezed Keirou's hand and he shed another tear, "I'll make sure it's done, Atatak."
"I..." he paused before he coughed a few more times much worse than the last "...fear I must go soon, know that I...l-love you, Odaya...your mother loves you..." he whispered.
A flash of light filled the room Odaya saw his father's eyes glowed one final time, the children were frightened as they hid behind their parents. They've never seen their great-grandfather enter the Avatar State so the event was rather terrifying for them. Everyone stared at Keirou for this brief moment they've never seen an Avatar die.
The glow in his eyes resumed only for several seconds even some of the guards saw through the rice paper of the apertures, the kind of glow that emanated from the hospice home. As each breath was more labored than the one before Avatar Keirou's final words whispered were, "...Raava..."
Odayakana saw as the white glow escaped his father's eyes at the same time his body released its final breath and the weakened grip he kept around his son's hand loosened. Avatar Keirou was gone, forever. Odaya wept for the death of his father but he knew that like the cycle of the seasons, the Avatar is being born somewhere in the Haijun or Oma Kingdoms.
Four Years Later
It was a stormy morning the clouds covered the skies above the gargantuan city-state capital of the Haijun Kingdom. A wooden carriage was being escorted by a platoon of chainmail wearing guards in yellow tabards embroidered with the head of a lion bear. The crest of the Xinao family of the Upper Ring, the carriage headed toward the humongous palace of the Royal Family.
When the carriage came to halt they saluted the royal guards of the palace, one of the men opened the door for the family. The first to step out was Lord Jifu Xinao, he was a tall, thin tricenarian, his skin was a sunkissed color. His eyes were dark green, his hair was auburn and kept neatly under his golden yangwan. He wore a cross color robe, the interior color was light golden color while the exterior lining and the collar were darker golden colors The embroidery design in the center of the robes he wore was that of a lion bear.
Second, to exit the carriage was Lady Munaiyi Xinao, Lord Jifu's wife she was short, plump, her head was round and wide as was her neck. She was tan-skinned with lime-colored eyes, her hair was styled in the shape of a bumble fly hive. For some reason, the hairstyle has been popular since before the Hao Dynasty. She wore a colorful hanfu, the upper-robe was dark green, the inner tunic was lime color, while the skirt she wore was a jade color. The tunic and skirt were fastened together with a lime-colored sash.
Her feet were small as was the custom in the Haijun Kingdom, there was a practice that started in the early Haijun Kingdom known as 'footbinding'. Which entailed rituals of binding a young noble girl's feet, it gave them the beauty and erotic appeal toward the men, and these girls who eventually grew to be women were likely chosen for marriage. Munaiyi's feet were small, she wore small shoes perhaps the size of a young girl.
She pivoted to face the door of the carriage and she lifted a small girl off the carriage, the child was about four-years-old. She had brown skin, dark green eyes, and her light brown hair was styled into double buns. She was dressed in a light green dress, was dressed formally and presentable for the Earth King.
The family was escorted through the halls of the palace and into the throne room. When they arrived they saw men and women dressed in white robes with black mantles and black sashes, their boots were black. Their robes carried motifs of a white lotus but the Xinao family were unfamiliar with the group. Only one or two of them looked Kingsmen while the others came from faraway lands. Lord Jifu and Lady Munaiyi eyed the Earth King were middle-aged likely in his early forties. They got down on their knees and kowtowed the Tianzi.
The only one who refused to kowtow even though she was taught to do so was the little girl. She was unaware of everything she was more concerned about playing with her dolls. Another girl was present she sat next to the Earth King. She recently turned twelve-years-old she wanted to speak and the King noticed this. Instead, he waved his hand at her which prevented her from uttering a single word. The girl wore the finest fabrics the Haijun Kingdom offered the colors she wore were white and gold, unlike her father who wore light green and jade.
His crown was similar to a boke du, it was black and had one long strip on each end. In the center of the front brand of the crown was the Haijun Kingdom insignia, it was known as "Tiandi's Eye", the insignia was colored gold. The belt that fastened his robes was also golden and carried the other insignia it the Golden Sun.
It was famously known that the Haijun Kingdom had the best sunsets. His skin was light brown, his eyes were green, his hair was held in a topknot but was hidden under his crown, and his mustache grew from his nostrils around his upper lip and ended just past the corners of his mouth. His goatee was a tad bit long but it never passed his neck triangle, he showed very few wrinkles that will only increase while he aged further in life.
The princess to his right was also a light brown skin color like her father, her hair was black and styled into double-headed hair. It was wrapped up and held together by a band. Instead of a knot, the hair was shaped into a small tight bow. A small golden crown hairpiece was fitted in front of the bow-shaped hair. Her eyes were a forest green color, the young girl stayed quiet until her father allowed her to speak.
Munaiyi silently gasped when she saw that her daughter walked off when she needed to kowtow before the Earth King and the crowned Earth Princess. She refused to move and stayed in the position she knelt in with her forehead touching the surface of the palace floors. The child walked off toward the white-robed strangers. A woman with a light blue hairpiece in her hair picked the little girl in her arms and smiled. She must've been from the Southern Water Tribe because the Southern Tribesmen wore shades of blue while their northern counterparts wore different shades of purple.
"Lord Jifu and Lady Munaiyi Xinao, you may rise I'm glad you're bringing your daughter here to see if she may be...the One," began the Earth King.
Both parents rose to their feet the patriarch of the Xinao family bowed his head and thanked the King, "Thank you, King Shuicheng."
He slightly nodded at him after he accepted the formal thank you, a Nationalist member of the strange group questioned them about their daughter, "How old is your daughter?"
"She's four-years-old," answered her mother.
"She's at the right age, Tianzi," mentioned the Nationalist member to the Earth King as he faced him for a brief moment.
"Begin the process, Taika," said Earth King Shuicheng.
The Nationalist bowed his head in respect to the Earth King and replied, "Yes, Wanggoudexin."
An older member stepped forward he had Kingsmen features but a distinct look of a barbarian. He was possibly from the Oma Kingdom. Jifu was surprised the man wasn't killed on the spot but he didn't bother asking questions. The old man's face was covered in wrinkles he smiled at the little girl who remained in the Southern tribeswoman's arms. He stepped forward and formed a rectangular-shaped table of earth from the palace floors.
The woman laid the little girl on the table and Munaiyi was motioned to go over and comfort her child. Munaiyi was concerned for her daughter and asked, "Will this hurt her?"
"No not at all this test is entirely painless," the old man replied.
The old man stood over the little girl and gently hovered his wrinkled, bony hands over her chakras locations as he sensed her chi. He gasped a bit when he felt that her stomach chakra was filled with large amounts of chi often found in master benders. It was like a vast ocean, his hands hovered over her chest, the girl's heartbeat went up because she had no idea what was going on.
"What do you sense so far?" Shuicheng asked him, he saw when Gomo's face expressed a face of surprise.
"Her stomach chakra reveals that her chi is almost and vast as that of a master bender. I can sense that she has a strong heart," responded Gomo.
From hovering his hands over her chest he moved up to the crown chakra atop her head, he closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. Gomo concentrated and in the void of black he saw a vision of Avatar Keirou's face. He took a step back startled and gasped Shuicheng rose from his throne then Gomo shouted, "Avatar Keirou! She's the One! She's the Avatar!"
Shuicheng sat back down while everyone even the guards in the throne room cheered for the announcement of the next Avatar. The immediate successor of Avatar Keirou of the Northern Water Tribe. Shuicheng rose from his throne again and announced, "Long live Avatar Avani, may she be blessed with wan years!"
Everyone else joined in and blessed the new Avatar with a long life of ten-thousand years, the girl was confused as to why everyone was so excited for her. Her mother picked her up in her arms and hugging her daughter as she smiled.