The Highest Bidder
Chapter Three: Flash from the Past
I mentioned several times in before about Azula, and made references to her; there a few reasons why I alluded to the Princess of the Fire Nation. It goes without saying that I admired—and still admire—her power and her skills in combat, and—when she was sane of mind and body—she was quite a strategist and tracker. Azula is a masterful Firebender, but in no way was she ever a very nice woman. Although she was what many would call 'pleasant' to me, I usually assumed that the reason why she associated with me was because I was a telekinetic. With Azula, it was always about power and control; even when it came to family, Azula showed true signs of empathy, love, and compassion with only her father, formerly known as Fire Lord Ozai.
I know Azula not from basic interactions with her from our several meetings. I know her, and present Fire Lord Zuko and even the rough-around-the-edges late Commander Zhao because, when I was seventeen, I was considered 'royalty'.
To explain this further, it would be easier to compare my family to those that belonged to Azula's former friends but then allies, Ty Lee and Mai. Ty Lee is from a circus family of side shows and carnies; she belonged to a family of seven sisters: part of a matched set. Ty Lee was considered a noblewoman—when she was associated with Azula—because she and the Fire Nation princess were childhood friends. Mai is the daughter of Fire Nation nobleman; she and Azula also were childhood friends. My family was born into the Fire Nation; my father is a bender, my father is not. Although my father worked as a ship merchant, selling weapons and such on his own convoy, the Fire Lord considered his sales to be beneficial to the Nation.
One year, Fire Lord Ozai had invited my father and mother to the palace for a special dinner—a full on feast. And when he learned that my father's daughter was gifted with a special ability that was forged from mind rather than elemental practice, Fire Lord Ozai suddenly showed favoritism toward my father and mother.
Because of the Fire Lord's immediate liking, I was brought to the palace, in his hopes to see a spectacular feat of mine, which I would perform in front of him for entertainment. Azula and I were supposed to duel; if I knocked her off her feet and sent her tumbling down a flight of stairs, my father and my mother were welcome to live in the palace, and I would be like family. If Azula won then my father was supposed to be jailed for lying to the Fire Lord about his daughter's so-called gift.
Because Azula and I had developed a friendship through our fathers' mutual respect, I had refused to hurt her. As I had mentioned previously in the last chapter, I cannot use my powers for something that I feel is wrong. Because I refused, Azula did as her father asked, and she used her powers against me. With a few burns that wouldn't scar, I was more or less unscathed. However, my father was sent to prison, and my mother—unable to keep the business going—fell into poverty.
Because I held my father was a prisoner and my mother was no longer wealthy, we were no longer welcome in the palace. Knowing that my family had nothing else waiting for us at home—money, food, or anything that would sustain us through a day—I took what I could from the treasury during a tour that Zuko willingly showed me, and I ran for it.
Of course, I was twelve then, and no child really understands what the law tolerates when a mother and child are starving because the provider is absent. I handed over the stolen treasure to my mom; however, I was caught. My mother was put on charges for aiding and abetting a felon, and I ran for it to escape punishment.
I left the Fire Nation behind in the dead of the night. I had been on the run ever since.
Obviously, I am not now; however, the last is true.
There is a history between the Fire Nation and me, which is key in my defense for what has happened in the past. I still don't regret doing what I did to help keep my family alive. However, rest assured that if I was supposed to duel Azula, I'd do it again just to say that I did.
When I was thirteen, I found peace, prosperity, and solitude on the skirts of the Eastern Air Temple, where grass, trees, and forest animals lived on the shore of a beach. Quite a distance away was the Southern Water Tribe, according to the World Map; on the other side of the land I lived off, there was the edge of the Earth Kingdom. I'd hazard a guess that the closest city there was Omashu, but I can't possibly tell you that without looking it up myself.
Four years left me on the beach with mere forest animals to keep me company. The friends that I made were preserved dinner rights; in the end, the companionship never lasted. It goes without saying that spending so much time in solitude could make a person paranoid after a while. The feeling that you're being watched starts just like that; and before you know it, every time a twig snaps, it's the same stalker just waiting for the opportune moment to strike when you're a wink away from falling into a long, well-deserved repose.
It can be very nerve-wracking after four years of that. You tell me how anybody can be calm when after four years of simple solitary confinement; a person like me sees a Fire Navy ship floating on the surface of the ocean, heading for Land Hoe.
And, if you're still reading or hearing this with apt attention, this is where my journey starts; however, you will simply have to continue this in Chapter Four.