We all love Iroh, don't we? Well, Read and Review, please.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but this idea/plotline of the story.
Soldier in Training
Year of the Dragonfly-Year of the Butterfly
Within weeks, my hands healed and I was able to move them comfortably again. I was relieved since now I didn't need to be fed like a baby from Iroh.
He was very kind to me despite the incident; asking me what kinds of food I liked and doing what he could to ensure that there was some for me, helping me with my wounds, and also teaching me to read, write and speak in the Fire Nation Language.
Well, actually the Fire Nation spoke a common language just like the rest of the world, but they have their own in case they want a private conversation amongst people of their 'kind' and don't have to worry about foreigners understanding it.
When I was better, he gave me a standard training outfit--pants, a shirt, and various things to keep my hair out of my face.
The day he took me out on deck, many of the soldiers remembered me and didn't welcome me too warmly. A lot of the time, they jeered at me for being female and weak. Iroh ignored all of them; scolding them for being superficial and then going back to teaching me the stances I should make when I begin to fight.
At first, I couldn't even produce a ball of fire powerful enough to make its way to the target and my aim wasn't terrific either, I think my face was semi-permanently red for nearly a week after I'd begun training because I'd made many mistakes in front of soldiers and felt humiliated by my inability to bend, that, and also since many of the soldiers teased Iroh and I for being together, and not to mention alone, for long periods of time in his chambers. I think some of them even pressed their ears outside the walls to see if they could hear us and the ones we'd catch usually said they were making sure we weren't doing anything 'inappropriate'.
In time, I began to get better and moved quickly from basics; Iroh said that I was a natural.
I got to know the women on the ship and thanked the spirits that it didn't have to be so awkward when asking for some extra linen for when I had my cycle.
I'd begun bleeding when I was twelve, but it was often very scarce, sometimes I did not have my cycle at all, and I more or less suspected that it was because I was so underweight and didn't want to eat the foods that were supposed to be the 'delicacies' of my tribe.
I saw my sixteenth birthday pass without any hint of recognition since I'd not told anyone about it, instead I buried myself into training and learning.
I learned how to master my powers, how to train in the art of weaponry, archery, and martial arts. In time, I could take on half of the soldiers on the ship and beat them all.
Within four months, I was able to read and write at least 2,000 characters in the Fire Nation language and also clearly understand and speak what I knew.
I'd learn bits of etiquette and fashion along with grace, music, conversation, and other things expected of a noblewoman. In the first time I tried to walk in the heels and sandals fashioned in the Fire Nation, I fell flat on my face; receiving more laughs and teases from the crew, but in time I learned how to walk again first on the solid ground of land, then how to balance on the waving and lurching surfaces of the ship.
Discreetly, I wondered why Iroh was teaching me all of these, but kept silent; maybe the truth would come out later on.
We stopped by ports and the crew would give me a small bag of gold to spend on what I wished.
Of course, having never before seen so much gold in my life, I bought only basic articles. I saved what I could; vowing to try and pay back Iroh one day for all he'd done for me.
He, himself seemed to have an eye for style and I occasionally wondered if he was actually a woman born in the wrong body, so for the first few visits to the Earth Kingdom or a few islands inhabited by the Fire Nation, I let him choose clothes for me.
It'd been nearly half of a year, after the new year (year of the Butterfly) had arrived, when Iroh suddenly told me the news over dinner.
I was eating a bit of noodles and vegetables when Iroh came over to me.
"We're going to arrive in the Fire Nation in two days' time." He'd said to me.
"Why?" I asked, then realized the stupidity in asking that question: Iroh and the entire ship was from the Fire Nation. Of course they'd have to go home in time.
"My crew misses their families and homes. As do I. And I need to fulfill my promise to you. D'you remember, Kana?" he asked me.
Of course I'd remembered; that single promise had led me to mastering my powers and becoming almost one of the Fire Nation ladies.
"Yes." I said.
"Also…" he began, but trailed off.
"Hmm?" I asked him.
"I'm wondering; has your birthday already passed?" he asked me.
I hesitated in telling him.
"Yes. It was a week after my hands had healed that I'd turned sixteen." I said to him.
His face held no change nor did I see any emotion.
"Oh. Well, since you told me this, I am turning twenty within the next four months." Iroh replied with a light shrug.
He was nineteen when I first met him. At least he wasn't too much older than I was, I thought mentally with relief.
"Is that all you wanted to ask me?" I asked; returning to my noodles.
"And also, there's the prospect of your name." he continued.
I stared at him; my name?
"I'm sorry?" I asked him.
"The Fire Nation people change names often and I think we should do the same to yours. Kana isn't directly translated into anything that we know of in the Fire Nation, am I correct?" he asked.
I thought back to my lessons in the language and found no match of my name within the characters.
"No." I replied.
"Do you have a name in mind?" Iroh asked me.
I only shook my head in reply. True, I'd known of the name changing but never thought I would have to change mine but I was beginning a new life and I should need a new name.
"How does Yukiko sound?" Iroh asked me.
'Winter Child' as I remembered from the language.
"Can I ask for another name?" I asked.
"Of course. What is it?" he asked me.
I thought of the language, searching for a specific character with a special meaning.
"Yukihiya." I said to him.
Iroh raised an eyebrow, something he'd often done as I'd learned, and then tilted his head thoughtfully.
"Yukihiya it is." He declared as he lightly touched a strand of my inked hair.
Before, I would've loved it when my hair grew out and I could be rid of the blue tips, but now I found them unique and very outgoing so I continued to color it. Usually, I would color the hair from the base of my neck downwards and, because I had no waterbending powers, I colored my hair then used my Firebending powers to dry my hair while brushing through the strands; making sure that they did not clump together or tangle.
"Let us go out on deck; it's a calm night." He suggested later that night.
It was a bit chilly that night and I wondered how it would be so cold when we were so close to a country known for fire. I felt Iroh's wrapped around me; settling on my shoulder as we saw just the tip of a tall tower in the Fire Nation.
"Iroh." I said; a thought suddenly striking me.
"Yes?" he asked; turning to me.
"In the Fire Nation—will I, well, ever fit in?" I asked him.
He smiled at me.
"Oh, sweetheart; save for your coloring you'd be a perfectly trained, skilled, and practiced Fire Nation Woman. Have you ever wondered why I taught you all of those things other than training?" he asked me.
Did he call every other woman 'sweetheart', I found myself wondering.
"Why?" I asked him; leaning on the rail and watching as the tip grew into a slanted rooftop.
"I knew you'd be able to learn much in a little time. In this way, even if you do not succeed in the military, you can still be a part of nobility. After all, I taught you what you needed to know, did I not?" he asked. That was true.
I nodded silently; wanting to go back in and rest.
"We'll go in now." He said to me gently, as if reading my mind, and led me back.
I lay down on the little cot, hearing the familiar light screeching of the springs, and held the pillow close to my body. Iroh leaned down to give me a goodnight kiss, I turned towards him with a fresh question, and wound up giving me a small baby kiss on the lips. After that, he left without a word.
I shook my head; remembering that I should wake up early the next morning to present myself to the Fire Nation. That night, I forgot if I'd even slept at all or not but the next morning I felt refreshed and with a zest for what was to come.
The outfit Iroh had given me to wear was simple enough; a simple dark tunic with black pants and knee length, heeled black boots similar to the first pair he'd given me.
It was the outerwear that truly surprised me; what seemed to be a military 'coat' made of a lightweight black fabric that had a button for the collar where my neck was supposed to go and buttons along the front side, but the buttons were sewn more towards the left side than the center, ending at my hips. There was also something that looked like light armor with shoulder-pieces and an incomplete 'skirt' that went on top of it.
I said nothing, getting dressed in what he'd prepared for me and looking at myself in the mirror. I looked strange; even to myself.
A few female servants on the ship arranged my hair into a small bun and then let the rest of my hair hang down from the bun.
As I walked out, I saw Iroh and the entire crew on the deck as they prepared to descend from the gangplank.
Iroh himself looked formal, as I might've said it, he had on armor, black with designs of flames colored on various parts, like on his armbands, the chest plate, and the shin guards over his boots, and on the shoulder blades and upper armbands. Underneath the armor I saw that he wore dark red material and boots.
A flash drew my eyes and I saw that he placed new earrings into the holes in his ears, diamonds by the look of the gems. He beckoned me forth and took my hand.
"You look perfect." He whispered to me before we began walking down.
I saw the new faces of people who would make up my new home. They were all fairly thin with pale skin, a feat I thought of as impossible because of the constant sun beating down on them and also the light of the fire, and brightly colored eyes with occasional dark, sallow looking eyes, much like Lieutenant Nekura, whose name I learned once I apologized to him about assaulting and striking him on impulse.
Many of them stared at me, I guessed the reason was that they hadn't seen a woman from the Water Tribes in at least over thirty years, much less one in clothing of their colors and styles, I presumed. I held my head high like he told me and continued to walk with him until we came to a small crowd of people.
three men, or two men and what seemed to be a teenager, were under a large white canopy held by four noblemen and surrounded by guards and a few women.
One man looked ancient, in his seventies was my first impression, another one was at least thirty years younger than the old man and the youngest one looked like a boy, most likely younger than I, myself. By the looks of their clothes, jewels, and weight of gold on their bodies and clothes I knew they were of a wealthy and high class.
"So you have finally returned, Iroh." The middle-aged man said to him. Iroh swept into a kneel before him.
"Yes, father." He replied without a single falter in his tone.
Everyone's eyes shifted from him to me and their eyes shone the same curiosity the people who were at the docks had when they first saw me.
"And is this the woman you've told us about?" the same man asked Iroh.
He rose up and his hand found my shoulder and I couldn't help but wonder why that man addressed me like that; did Iroh already tell him some about me, and if he did how did he tell that man and what did he say about me?
"Yes, and she is a very remarkable woman. Let us go back first and I will show you what I have taught Yukihiya." Iroh said.
I was still unfamiliar with that name but was called by that long and often enough to know that it was my cue to look at them.
"Very well." The old man said; gesturing to three carriages and a small rickshaw behind him.
Iroh steered me over to the rickshaw and motioned for the driver to move.
"Who were they, besides the one who was your father?" I asked Iroh over the stumble of wheels over a slightly rocky path.
Iroh turned to me in what seemed to be amazement.
"You don't know?" he asked me incredulously. I was taken aback at his sudden surprise, but shook my head.
"Remember your studies on the Fire Nation Royal Family?" he asked me suddenly.
I nodded; wondering what the relation was to who the men, Iroh addressed one as Father, were.
"Do you know the name of the person who started this war?" he asked me.
I thought for a moment, then remembered the name; I'd known since I was a child.
"Sozun." I replied.
Iroh nodded.
"My grandfather." He told me.
It took a moment for me to take this in and another to remember the rest of the line in the blood of royalty.
"Then your father is—!" I began, but lost my voice.
"Crown Prince Azulon." Iroh replied.
"And you are…" I said with a trace of bitterness; before me was another liar.
"Prince Iroh." He replied. I looked away for a moment.
"You never told me that you were a prince; only a captain." I brazenly and bluntly said to him.
His gaze locked onto mine.
"No, I never did." He replied.
"Why?" I asked him.
He sighed.
"I wanted someone who didn't know for once. Everyone else on my ship, they treat me kindly but their facade--well, anyways. You didn't know, and if you were kept in the dark, you'd be honest with me." If he wanted honesty, I thought, why wasn't he honest in return?
"Welcome home." He stated and helped me off.
I took a look through the front gate at the palace. It was enormous, as if it were about three-quarters of the size of the North Pole! The foundation was firm, paved with stones and a kind of paste held them together as tall pillars made from tall trees and each decorated with an elaborate gold base stood on top of a long stone staircase outside.
The palace outer walls mainly had the colors of red, dark green, black, gold, and white for the stones and the ceilings were slanted; paved with what seemed to be layers of sheets of metal coated with a substance that dulled down their shine, but dark wood covered the metal as far as I could see. Iroh led me through the steel gates and to the stone walkway; I noted the polished rock that marked the path inside and felt a stab of anxiety.
Once in what seemed to be a main room, I saw that Azulon, Sozun, and everyone else had beaten us to the palace and were seated on chairs high above the other people.
At the end of the many rows of tables but in front of the high table there was a space cleared and lined with red paint. The stone set upon there looked like polished black Granite, as Iroh had pointed out to me when I was studying Architecture of the Fire Nation.
Iroh was clearly surprised as well, but managed to hide it.
"So you would like to see now?" he asked to no one in particular.
A murmur of agreement arose from the people seated at the long tables but at a wave of his hand, Sozun silenced them.
"I would like to eat first, but I want to see if she is truly as you have told us to be." Sozun replied swiftly.
Iroh nodded and began walking towards the empty space, I followed. It seemed to be the longest walk of my life, with hundreds of pairs of eyes following my every step.
The fighting that commenced was for pure entertainment, but I had to take it seriously; if I could not prove myself there, I might have never had another chance. I escaped with minor burns and cuts; I'd rather not go into detail what actually occured.
"Exceptional." A deep voice remarked behind me and I saw Iroh's father, Azulon, stroking his narrow beard thoughtfully.
I bowed deeply, as I was told so by the women on the ship, and kept my eyes downcast.
Iroh threw to me a parcel; upon opening it, I found a set of 'flying daggers'.
The daggers were complicated in the art of throwing them and the key was to only flick your wrist and to make the side with the inner curve face the direction you want to throw your dagger in, there was also the fact to keep in mind to point the dagger in the opposite agility direction you want it to go like if I wanted to throw it upwards, I needed to aim the inner curve of the knife downwards. That was why many people in the Earth Kingdom, as told me by a soldier on Iroh's ship, killed themselves when trying to handle the daggers; because they didn't know how it truly worked and only presumed that it worked the same way as theirs.
I threw one out, then another and another; it was to show not only my 'flair' but also my ability to think quickly and thoroughly of the situation before deciding on an action.
"She is very skilled. But tell me, my son; why have you brought her here?" Azulon asked Iroh.
"I promised her a new life I promised her a better home here, but only if she could prove herself." Iroh told his father.
"She certainly has proved herself." Sozun remarked.
Despite the other eyes on me, I felt a particular set of eyes following my every gesture. Turning to look, I saw a boy who looked younger than me, maybe in his young teens or so, with his eyes bearing into mine. He had the same eyes as Iroh, but his were darker and didn't hold the warm shine that Iroh's had. I lowered my eyes and shifted my gaze back to Iroh, who was finished speaking with his father.
"But I must ask you Iroh. She is fairly attractive. Can you honestly say that you haven't also been with her in a more…personal manner?" Sozun asked.
A wave of snickers passed through the men and some women at that comment.
I grabbed the final dagger in my pouch and, with a quick glance up, hurled it with exact precision.
It landed barely an inch from the end of the high table.
People gasped and were shocked at my 'impulsive' act, none more than Iroh himself, so I looked up at the Fire Lord, smiling a coy smile I'd learned from my sister before she turned against me.
"I am truly sorry, your Excellency, but there seemed to be a fly near your neck and if I were allowed, I caught it with my dagger." I replied calmly.
The Fire Lord said nothing; only raise an eyebrow at me (maybe it was genetic for all Fire Nation Royalty to be able to do that) and remove the knife with what seemed to be extraordinary strength for a man so thin.
"Impressive." He said after seeing 2 black specks on the wood; what remained of the once whole fly.
"As I said; she is a Hibon, a true prodigy of our time being." Iroh replied and I faltered at being praised.
When I was younger, Naiya was always the center of attention and my parents always asked why I couldn't be more like her; looking down on me. It got even worse when I'd discovered my powers but now, here Iroh, the elder son of the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation; meaning that he might one day be Fire Lord, telling the entire Fire Court, maybe his entire nation, that I was a prodigy.
I breathed a sigh of relief when my demonstration was over; Iroh took me out of the room and down a maze of hallways. Stopping at a particular one, he opened the door and gestured me in. This had to be his room, for it was the near image of what his room on the ship looked like save for the size, the ship was smaller, hardwood floors and carpets covering small amounts and also for a fireplace. He breathed a sigh of relief and sat down on a chair.
"You did better than I thought you would." He said with a small smile. I nodded; smiling back.
"You'll most likely be in our Navy and the only thing left to discuss is what starting rank. Let's order some food and go to sleep for tomorrow." He suggested; sitting up again.
A servant came to the room, asking Iroh what he wanted to eat and after Iroh told him, the servant went away to fetch the food.
I began to unbutton my coat; it was a warm day and I had perspired quite a bit. My breast bindings would've been agonizing if not had a woman on the ship introduced me to something called a brassiere, which is worn by women to hold their breasts in place.
I stripped free of the coat, socks, and boots and let myself lay back on the hardwood floor; feeling the coolness of the wood. There was a knock at the door and I couldn't bring myself to believe that the food had come already. Iroh went to the door and answered it.
"Ah, good afternoon, dearest brother." He said warmly.
I sat up; brother? He never told me he had one. It was the young boy who had been staring at me.
"Yukihiya, meet my younger brother, Ozai." Iroh introduced.
Ozai did nothing; he continued to stare at me.
"How do you do?" I asked quietly and respectfully.
Ozai nodded to me, then turned to go.
"The meeting's tonight after sunset." He said to Iroh then left.
Iroh closed the door and turned back to me.
"Sorry, he's very suspicious at times." He apologized for his brother. I only nodded in response.
There was a second knock on the door and it was the servant telling us that the food had arrived. It was all cooked wonderfully, but I had little appetite for such favorites of mine when I as in a new place with almost no knowing of the customs here and with every eye of the court on me, I knew not what to do.
For the afternoon, I explored the palace; the gardens, the hallways, the chambers, and tried as hard as I could to memorize the large palace, but to near no avail as I couldn't even find Iroh's chamber. At dinnertime, sunset, I ate privately in a suite provided for me courtesy of the Fire Lord which seemed to be planned and already fitted weeks before.
A few of the women who were on the ship with me were servants here and managed to give me a simple meal; baked chicken, lightly spiced broth, boiled squash and cucumber, and rice boiled in miso water.
As I sipped at the broth, I couldn't help but wonder what was happening in my old home.
How did everyone react when I was gone? What did my parents tell the tribe? How was Yugoda? Did Pakku take her as a wife? Or some other girl? What of Meinan or Naiya?
That life was all behind me now, and I had to wait to see which Military rank I would start out in. The days melted into weeks and it had been nearly 3 weeks when Iroh finally came to me with the news.
I'd been eating a late night snack of rice balls and these strange, small nuts dipped in honey and lightly salted while I mentally reviewed my learnings of the Fire Nation Language.
I was caught up in thought when Iroh entered the room and didn't notice him.
"Are you not interested in the news I bring for you?" he asked.
"I am always interested." I said.
"Your military life begins tomorrow. You are enrolled in the ship of Admiral Kouguu as a Lieutenant Junior Grade."
Next Chapter: Lieutenant to Commander
PS: according to the US military ranks, a Captain ranks higher than a Commander!
