Story [Avatar: Last Airbender] The Fall of the Fire Empire (AU, Updated 12/11)

Title: Avatar: The Fall of the Fire Empire
Author: MasterGandalf
Timeframe: A century on from the timeline of the show, and AU
Characters: OCs, Azula, Yue
Genre: Action/Adventure/Drama
Summary: An AU idea I got from reading an Avatar one-shot wherein Zuko actually succeeded in capturing Aang and bringing him back to the Fire Nation. That story focused on the immediate ramifications to Zuko's life; this one is set a hundred years on, when the Fire Empire succeeded in conquering the world and an ancient but still canny Azula rules unchallenged as Empress. But now a new generation of heroes is rising to challenge tyranny. The story follows three main characters, one from each surviving nation.
Notes: Departs from canon around the time of "The Waterbending Scroll". Though it was inspired by "When All Your Dreams Come True" (the one-shot mentioned above), it doesn't neccessarily follow the same continuity, and some characters' fates are different.

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar, Azula, any of the other canon characters who appear, or the setting. I do, however, own my OCs.

Avatar: The Fall of the Fire Empire

Prologue: Conquest

I remember a time when there was hope.

For a hundred years the Fire Nation waged war on the other nations of the world. Water Tribe, Air Nomads, my own beloved Earth Kingdom all fought valiantly for our freedom, but to no avail. The Air Nomads fell first, for the Fire Lord believed that the Avatar had been reborn among them, and so he hit them with all of his power. They were a brave people, but peaceful. They knew little of war, and in the end war consumed them.

For a century afterwards the war ground on, and every few years a rumor would resurface that the Avatar lived and would save the world. All prove false, until one- a boy named Aang was said to have airbending powers, and to have mastered the basics of waterbending as well. But that hope was short lived- he was captured by Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation and born back to the prince?s homeland in chains. Imprisoned in the depths of the Fire Lord?s fortress, he was never heard from again.

That summer Sozin?s Comet returned and enhanced the powers of the firebenders a thousandfold. Fire Lord Ozai assaulted Ba Sing Se himself, along with his elite warriors, and the great city was leveled to the ground. My advisors had kept the war secret from me- for my own protection, they protested as the palace burned around us- and so I watched my world destroyed without knowing fully why, and I wept for my people. Ozai came for me himself- I will never forget his smirk- and bound me to take me back to his Nation. A dead king, he said, would be a martyr- an imprisoned and humiliated one a joke.

Then his daughter rushed in, telling the Fire Lord that her brother Zuko had been killed in the fighting. Neither firebender seemed overly concerned, and I have wondered often if one or both of them had not arranged the honorable prince?s death.

Standing on the ashes of my palace, Ozai proclaimed himself the Phoenix King, absolute ruler of all four nations (I was to learn later that at the same time as Ba Sing Se fell, a certain Admiral Zhao led a vast fleet to attack the Northern Water Tribe. With the comet?s power behind them, the battle was intense but brief). Then he had me loaded onto an airship and transported to the Fire Nation, where I was locked in a cell and largely forgotten, save by a single sympathetic guard who brought me news.

Another century is almost past, and the great Fire Empire rules the world unchallenged. Old Ozai is long dead, and his daughter is an old woman now (though not as old as I!). She took the throne of Fire Lord following her father?s passing, and gave herself the personal title Dragon Empress. Even in her age, her wits and firebending powers are as sharp as ever, though I have heard rumors that she is no longer entirely sane. The Dragon Empress has no heir, and I have heard the guards talking fearfully of the future. When that dreaded monarch is no more, they think that the power

 

Chapter 1: Rite of Passage

Jiazin came awake as the sun?s first rays slipped around the edges of her window shade and bathed her bed in soft golden light. She lay there for several minutes more, luxuriating in the light that was shone from the first and greatest of all fires, before rising. Today was her birthday- in the dark hours of the night had passed the precise anniversary of when she had been born, and today she was now officially sixteen. This had been the customary age of majority in the old Fire Nation, but for a child of the nobility of the Fire Empire adulthood had to be earned. Jiazin smiled confidently as she swung out of her bed and stretched. She had been training for this day for the better part of a year.

The young noblewoman walked to the window and opened the shade so that she could look down on the great city of which her father was Governor. It was called Long Du Shi, City of the Dragon, so named in honor of the great Empress who had ruled now for almost fifty years. She had ordered the city?s construction within the first months of her reign upon the sight of what had once been the great capital of the fallen Earth Kingdom, Ba Sing Se. The Impenetrable City had failed spectacularly to live up to its name, having been burnt to the ground by Phoenix King Ozai on the day of the great Comet, but the great Fire Lord?s daughter felt that by rebuilding it as an Imperial stronghold through and through, ultimate victory could be achieved over a vanquished people and the Empire?s glory multiplied.

The city was still quiet in the early morning as Jiazin watched it. Her father?s palace stood at its hub, upon the very sight (or so the original blueprints said) where the Earth King once had his palace. Radiating outward, the buildings of Long Du Shi greatly resembled those of old Ba Sing Se, as per the Empress?s precise instructions, though they were dominated not by drab greens and browns but the bright red and gold of the Fire Empire. This is our city now, the colors said. You have lost.

Expansive though Long Du Shi was, it still only covered what had been the Inner and Middle Rings of Ba Sing Se. Beyond the wall lay a vast construction area, as earthbender slaves worked under the watchful eye of firebending taskmasters to build the city out to the full extent that the Earth King?s city had once occupied. Only that, Jiazin knew, would satisfy her father and the Empress. The slaves were driven hard, she knew, but she also knew that the people of the Earth Kingdom had been little more than barbarians until Fire Lord Sozin had come to give them proper rule. They should be honored, she thought, to have a chance to work on the Dragon Empress?s city now.

Though she always drew pride from watching her father?s city rise, Jiazin knew that she had delayed long enough. Turning from the window, she pulled a silken cord and was quickly joined by a pair of young servant girls, who bowed deeply and respectfully to her. The governor?s daughter stood perfectly still and allowed them to removed her sleeping robe and dress her in the clothing that her day would require- a warrior?s black tunic and red pants, though both were trimmed with gold to show her station. Moving over to her mirror, Jiazin sat down and her servants combed her dark hair and pulled it back into a topknot held together by a golden pin. Rising again, she motioned for them to bring her sword belt and buckle it around her waist. Resting her hand on the hilt of the weapon that her father and grandfather had borne before her, Jiazin strode from the room and sough her parents.

They were waiting for her in the dining room, Mother sitting elegantly in her chair and nibbling on a fruit, while Father was already working on some official decree. Jiazin sighed- she?d hoped that he?d pay more attention to his family than his work today of all days- but did not try to interrupt. The Governor of Long Du Shi was the type of man who apparently did not know how to delegate. When combined with his natural gift for administration, that was what made hi

 

I like the start! Can't wait to see where you take this!

 

This is awesome! I love your writing style (the prologue was AMAZING) and your OCs are interesting and entertaining. I'
m really excited to see more of this - awesome job!!

 

Chapter 2: The Forgotten People

The cold arctic wind knifed through the air, and Kanoda drew closer to the fire for warmth. Looking around himself, he saw the other people of the village doing the same, pulling closer to the flame and scrunching up in their furs, looking almost like children rather than the last remnants of a great people. Kanoda had never lived to see the glory days of the Southern Water Tribe, and had certainly never seen the lands their mightier cousin in the north had once ruled, but he knew about the past through his grandfather?s stories. It saddened him to hear that and then see what his people had come to, and he suspected that was the old man?s purpose.

Grandfather stood now, looking dignified and almost regal. As the oldest person in the village, he was the closest thing the Water Tribe now had to a chief, since no one had been formally elevated to that position in the century since Chief Hakoda had traveled with his warriors to battle the Fire Nation and never returned. None who lived now could even remember the great leader?s face- even Grandfather had been a toddler when he?d left. But Grandfather did remember Hakoda?s son Sokka and daughter Katara, and the day that the Avatar had come to the Southern Tribe.

Grandfather would tell that story tonight, saving it for last. He began, as always, with the beginning of the Water Tribes, when the Moon and Ocean Spirits descended from the Spirit World and became the two forces that shaped the existence of all seafaring people. But it was the Water Tribe that followed the rhythm of those two great beings the closest, and so learned how to control the water themselves.

At that point of the story Grandfather always paused, and the entire village lowered their heads in quiet mourning. There had been no waterbenders in a hundred years- the last the Southern Tribe had produced was the same Katara who left with the Avatar and was never heard from again, and the Northern Tribe had been destroyed by fire and sword on the day of the Comet and the birth of the Fire Empire. Even if there was a new waterbender born, they would have no master to help them perfect their powers. Waterbending, as an art, was dead.

Water and air- two elements gone, and if the stories were true the earthbenders had become little more than slaves in the lands their people once ruled. Kanoda wanted to rage at the injustice of it all- something was terribly wrong with this world, and everybody knew it, but they were all too afraid to act! If any time needed heroes it was now, but heroes didn?t seem to exist anymore except in Grandfather?s stories.

Kanoda?s attention returned to the present and he found that the old man had turned to the part of the history he knew best- the finding of the Avatar. The young man leaned forward as his grandfather told of how Sokka and Katara had found the Avatar frozen in a block of ice, and brought him back safely to the village. Then came Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation is his monstrous metal warship, but Sokka and the Avatar were able to humiliate the prince and escape his clutches, and together with Katara set off for the Northern Tribe and a waterbending master. Zuko?s ship steamed off in pursuit, leaving the village unharmed.

And there the story ended. None of the three young people had ever been heard from again, at least not in the South Pole. The Fire Nation won the war and became an empire- the only reason the Southern Water Tribe survived at all was because the Imperial government didn?t consider them any kind of threat, on the rare occasion they thought of them at all.

Grandfather said none of this last, of course. He didn?t have to- everyone knew it. They were a last pathetic remnant of a great people, but Grandfather?s stories were meant to remind them that the seeds of greatness were still within them. That belief, coupled with simple, stubborn endurance, was all that kept the tribe alive.

But years of listening to them had done something else as well- they had lit a fire in Kanoda that would not die. This worl

 

Nicely done! I'm liking the start to the adventure; I'm wondering who he'll meet along the way.

 

I really like Kanoda! And I love that he couldn't sneak away without everyone knowing Great job!!

 

Chapter 3: Honor and Prestige

Jiazin rapped lightly on the door of her father?s office.

?Who?s there?? came the terse reply from the other side. ?I?m busy.?

Jiazin sighed. Did her father ever do anything but work? She knew full well that what he did benefited the Empire and brought honor to their family, but on a personal level it could get incredibly annoying. ?It?s me,? she said. ?I need to talk to you.?

The door opened and Father was standing there, looking like he often did by this point in the evening- disheveled and exhausted. He always started out each morning the very picture of a dignified Imperial nobleman, but by the time the sun set work had caught up with grooming and left it in the dust. ?Jiazin,? he said with a tired smile. ?Come in. Have you been enjoying your birthday??

?I have,? she said. ?But that?s not what I?m here to talk about. Earlier this evening, High Minister Qing Xi sent a servant to say he wanted to talk to me.?

Father put his hands on Jiazin?s shoulders excitedly and looked her straight in the eyes. ?What did the High Minister say?? he asked.

?Well, he talked about how he was impressed by my Agni Li this morning, and talked a little bit about the Empress- nothing big,? she said when Father?s eyes went wide, ?just about what I already knew about her. And then- then he said that he needed my help to save the Empire and that he wants me to come to the Capital with him. He wouldn?t say why.?

?Jiazin, this is incredible!? Father began to pace excitedly around the room. ?To be given a task of such importance from the High Minister himself!? He looked at his daughter straight on, expression crafty. ?Are you absolutely certain he didn?t say what he wanted you to do, or why he thinks the Fire Empire needs ?saving???

Jiazin shook her head. ?I asked him, but he just smiled and said I?d find out when we got to the Capital. It was kind of annoying, actually, but I didn?t think it would be smart to tell him that.?

Father chuckled. ?Of course it wouldn?t. Qing Xi deals in secrets, Jiazin- knowing things that no one else does helped get him his position in the first place, and I think he rather enjoys being mysterious. But this is so exciting for you- when do you leave??

?Tomorrow morning. I think that I?m actually the whole reason he came out here, believe it or not. Now that he has me, he can head home.? Jiazin shook her head. ?I don?t even know what I did to interest him in the first place.?

?As I said, the High Minister works in mysterious ways. But I do know this, Jiazin- those who serve him well go far. This will bring honor and prestige to you and our entire family! I must tell your mother!? With that, the Governor of Long Du Shi hurried from his office, leaving Jiazin there alone.

?Honor and prestige,? she muttered. ?That?s what you really care about, isn?t it?? It was a somewhat unfair criticism, and Jiazin knew it- the favor of the Empress and her ministers was essential to any noble family, and Father did love his wife and daughter, even though it often seemed he had little time for them. But she had to admit that the fact that he?d thought of the political benefits of the High Minister?s request hurt just a little.

############

The next morning, Jiazin walked with her parents, High Minister Qing Xi, and an escort of guards down the streets of Long Du Shi to where the train waited to bear them to the docks. Crowds of citizens had turned out- it wasn?t every day one saw the governor and his whole family out for a walk, much less with the Empress?s right hand in tow. This close to the palace most of the people were quite well off and of Fire Nation descent, and the Governor was popular and respected. In the outer rings, where there were more people of Earth Kingdom stock who remembered that they had once had a proud and independent nation of their own, things were different.

The train was a cylinder of black iron decorated with images of stylized flames. Once, trains like this had been run by the power of a handful of earthbenders, but that ha

 

Nice update! I wonder what's in store for Jiazin when she gets to the capitol. Great job!

 

Great post!! I see a future for Tong and Jiazin - I hope they get to actually meet soon

 

Chapter 4: The Empress?s Chosen

Being a hero, Kanoda was discovering, wasn?t nearly as glamorous as the stories made it seem.

He?d been gone from home for a week and a half now, and so far the young Water Tribe hunter had failed to bring the Dragon Empress to justice for her crimes, or avenge himself on the officer who?d killed his father- or, for that matter, even seen an Imperial warship at all. Instead, Kanoda?s journey had consisted of paddling his boat steadily northward, relaxing and allowing favorable currents and winds to do his work for him, and sleeping on rocky islands and relatively stable ice flows. He fully expected to face great dangers and hardships on his road, but none of Grandfather?s stories had mention how truly boring a quest could be.

Recently, Kanoda had come into somewhat warmer waters and had been forced to shed his outer layer of furs. Perhaps someone from farther north would have still found it cold, but to someone born and raised in the South Pole it felt almost balmy. It was pleasant at first, but after a hard day of sailing he came to the conclusion that working in warm temperatures had just as many drawbacks as in colder ones.

The sun was setting and Kanoda was exhausted when he looked to the north and saw what appeared to be a rather large island on the horizon. He steered towards it, and as the first stars came out in a clear night sky and the moon was rising high overhead he pulled into a small natural harbor. Kanoda pulled his boat up onto the beach and then collapsed, exhausted onto the sand. He was asleep within moments.

############

Shiyan stalked down the shores of Empress Island, hand resting lightly on her sword and senses alert. Two younger trainees followed closely behind, careful to match the other girl?s poise and deadly grace. Shiyan was fifteen and would soon be tested to see if she was ready to become a full Chosen, and she currently occupied a leadership role for the younger students, as a shining example of the virtues which their order held highest- skill, elegance, and above all, loyalty. The Chosen served the Empress, the Fire Empire, and their comrades, in that order. All other concerns were secondary.

Their current assignment was a patrol along the coasts of the island, intended to teach initiates to maintain their full concentration and readiness even in a situation most would find unspeakably boring. There was little sea traffic around Empress Island- the best to make sure the Chosen could train new members of their order without distractions- and as a result the nighttime patrols saw little interesting. Shiyan knew, though, that their instructors weren?t above creating obstacles of their own simply to test their young pupils, and you never knew whether a night would be truly uneventful or not. As a result, trainees on patrol were forced to be vigilant or suffer the often humiliating consequences. They learned quickly that it was not in their interest to slack off.

One of the younger girls- Cheng- suddenly came hurrying over. ?Shiyan!? she said excitedly, ?I saw something by the beach!?

?Control yourself, sister,? Shiyan snapped. ?Emotion is well and good, but we are the Empress?s Chosen- we do not show it, or let it rule us. What have you found??

Cheng straightened. ?I was walking closest to the shore, as per your orders, Sister Shiyan, and I was looking for anything out of place. When I looked over at the beach, I saw a boat pulled up on it. I didn?t recognize the design.?

?Very good,? Shiyan said, wondering whether this was some new test the instructors had devised. She motioned to the third trainee, who hurried over. ?Let?s take a closer look at our strange visitor.?

############

Kanoda came awake to a curious sensation that he quickly realized was that of a sword pricking lightly against his throat. His eyes went wide and he plastered himself as flat as he could against the beach to avoid being skewered- in the process getting a good look at the person- or was it a person at all?- that had ambushed him.

A fears

 

Nooo, not Kyoshi Island!

Great job! I'm excited to see how Kanoda gets out of this mess.

 

Very interesting!! I'm liking this girl

 

Chapter 5: Breaking Point

Life in the Fire Empire rose and set with the sun, and in this regard it was no different for the earthbending slaves than for the members of the governor?s own household. As the sun slipped past the horizon the slaves were ordered to finish whatever project they were currently working on, and were then herded by their overseers back to their barracks to be locked in for the night.

Tong marched along with his head bowed along with the other members of his work crew. The slave barracks rose up ahead- a solid metal structure built atop steel stilts, so that the slaves would have no access to any earth to bend while inside. Not that any of them were skilled enough to fight their firebending guards anyway, Tong thought bitterly. Even so, the Fire Empire was unwilling to take that risk.

The guards didn?t speak as they herded their captives into the barracks and slammed the door shut behind them. Words weren?t necessary ?all the parties involved knew the routine. Stay inside, keep quiet, and rest for the next day?s work and you?ll be fine. Any attempt at escape or rabble rousing would be met with swift, fiery retribution.

Tong grabbed a bowl of the food the overseer had left for his workers off the table in the center of the barracks and sat down in a corner to eat. To say that the stuff was tasteless muck would have been to pay it an unearned compliment, but it was better than nothing and relatively nourishing. It wouldn?t do for any of the earthbenders to faint from hunger on the job, after all. Still, Tong knew it was whispered that the overseers made sure that the slaves? nutrition was as unpleasant as possible. Personally, he wouldn?t put it past them.

As he ate, Tong watched his barracks-mates out of the corner of his eye. He didn?t know any of them well on a personal level- the slaves were rotated around by their taskmasters to prevent them from forming any sort of personal attachments that might distract them from their work or inspire them to rebellion. But he knew their expressions and attitudes well- he saw them every day in his fellow workers, and knew them within himself as well. They were unhappy with their lot in life, and hated the Empire for taking their homes, lives, and freedom from them. But they were broken and defeated. They couldn?t win and they knew it, so they didn?t even bother trying to rebel.

?Makes you sad, doesn?t it?? a rough voice asked from near Tong?s ear. Startled, the young man looked up from his meal and found himself face to face with an older slave he?d seen before, but never spoken to. The old man?s face was weathered, his hair and beard long and scraggly, but it was his eyes that caught Tong?s attention most fully. There was something in their depths he?d not seen in another slave before- something bright and keen. This man wasn?t conquered- not fully.

?What are you talking about?? Tong asked.

?You know full well what I?m talking about, boy,? the old man said. He gestured at the other slaves. ?Them. They?re broken, lost. This life is all they?ve known, and it?s taken its toll on them. They don?t have the will to fight any more.? He lowered his voice. ?We weren?t meant to live like this. It wasn?t always this way.?

?You know about the Earth Kingdom?? Tong asked, looking up intently. He?d heard legends about the great nation that the earthbenders had once called their own, but he?d never been able to learn anything definite about it. Everything was distorted- ask ten slaves what the Kingdom had been like, and you?d likely get ten wildly different answers. Part of Tong doubted that this man would be any different. But he was still curious to hear what he had to say.

?I know about it,? the man said. ?My father lived it, and he told me stories. We were a proud people then, boy- when the Fire Nation came for us we fought, fought them for a hundred years. In the end, they only won because they cheated- a comet gave the Fire Lord power, and he used it to destroy our nation.?

?Why are you telling me this?? Tong asked. ?How do you

 

I was just thinking about this today - I'm glad to see va new post

Go Tong!! I'm glad he finally found it within himself to rise up and revolt I wonder where he'll go next - and more inportantly, who he'll run into.

 

YAY!

I know it could be Bumi due to the time, but I kept picturing the old man as Bumi. Though not Crazy!Bumi...

 

Chapter 6: The Center of the World

Jiazin sat on the floor of her cabin aboard the High Minister?s ship, legs crossed. Her sword lay unsheathed in front of her, the steel blade reflecting light from the row of candles that stood just behind it. She studied the weapon intently, using it as a visual guide to focusing her will into a tool every bit as sharp and intense. Slowly she breathed in and out, and as she did so the candles flared brightly for an instant before returning to their original state.

This was a simple drill, one that Jiazin had learned as a child, and it brought her a measure of relaxation and allowed her to order her thoughts. She?d been on this ship for more than two weeks now, and later today they would be making port at the Capital- and as of yet nothing about her mission had become clear. She had dinner with Qing Xi most evenings, and the High Minister seemed intent on quizzing her about her own history and her general knowledge of the Empire, but whenever she tried to ask questions about why he had traveled all the way to Long Du Shi to find her, he would abruptly change the topic of conversation. It had been maddening at first, but Jiazin had come to recognize that she wasn?t going to get anything out of the man he didn?t intend to give away.

The crew was of little help. Jiazin was accustomed to a degree of deference, particularly from servants whom she?d just given a task, but Qing Xi?s attendants seemed determined to stay at arms? length from the nobility to what seemed to her an unusual extent. They were always extremely polite and offered to assist her in whatever manner they could imagine, but when she tried to talk with them about their master in an effort to learn more about the man, they always found an excuse to hurry away.

The candlelight seemed to be going unusually dim, and Jiazin realized that she?d been letting her attention wander. Forming her will again into the sharp, bright sword she focused back on the flames and breathed in and out deeply. The light brightened as the small flames grew stronger again, and Jiazin gave a small sigh and relaxed. It was then that she realized the ship had stopped moving.

She stood and lifted her sword from the floor, studying the blade for a moment longer before sheathing it at her side. After a few moments a knock sounded on her door. ?My lady,? the voice of one of the sailors said from the other side, ?the High Minister requests your presence on the deck. We?ve arrived.?

############

The ship was moving again as Jiazin climbed to the top deck. She wondered at that- why would they still be sailing if they?d docked?- but then the reason became apparent. She?d forgotten that the Capital?s harbor was blocked off by an iron wall and great, barred gate, and the High Minister?s ship had to prove its identity before it would be allowed to pass. Statues of the great Fire Lords whose lives had gone into the creation of the Fire Empire- Sozin, Azulon, Ozai- stood atop the wall, which itself was painted with images of flame-breathing dragons to honor the Empress. The craftsmanship of the statues was exquisite- Jiazin could almost feel their stone eyes boring into her, and she shivered.

The High Minister?s litter sat near the prow, and Jiazin tore her eyes away from the statues as she walked over to stand next to it. The shadowed figure within- she still hadn?t seen his face- nodded as she approached. ?Jiazin, excellent,? he said. ?I wanted you to see this. Behold the greatest city in the world- the bright sun around which all else revolves.?

The sea gates were completely open now, and soon the ship had passed through. The Capital of the Fire Empire was before them, and though Jiazin had seen it once before when she was a child, it was still a sight that took her breath away.

The core of the city was built in the crater of a dormant volcano that rose into the air about a mile from the shore. That, Jiazin knew, was where the most important buildings were located, including the Empress?s palace. The Capital had long ago outgro

 

Oh wow!! I'm intensely curious - who could have sent the scroll, and is it a trap? Awesome ending to the section Post more soon!!

 

Ooooh, interesting! Nicely done! Can't wait to see what happens next!

 

Chapter 7: Water Tribe Heroics

Kanoda sighed as he looked around his small cell for what felt like the thousandth time that day. At least, it felt like it had been a day since he?d been captured, and a Chosen novice had brought him food twice, but his cell had no windows and without the sun, moon, and stars he couldn?t mark time with any precision. His prison did have the effect of making time seem to slow, though- with its featureless metal walls and barred door looking out into a corridor of other (empty) cells, it was easily the most boring place he?d ever been.

In spite of his predicament, Kanoda wasn?t idle. While he sat dejectedly against one of the walls, his mind was whirling as he raked through his memory, trying to remember what the great heroes of the Water Tribe would do in similar situations. None of the heroic legends involved a warrior trapped in the fortress of a bunch of crazy women in face-paint, but there were plenty of stories about warriors faced with overwhelming odds.

Each of the four Nations, Kanoda?s grandfather had told him, had its own strengths. Fire was passionate and driven, and the people of the Fire Nation used this to achieve greatness. Earth was stubborn and unmoving, not shifting an inch once a stance was taken. Air was free and unbound, and the Air Nomads had been a creative and carefree people. Water, though? water was adaptable, and could go from a raging torrent to a still sea to a giant iceberg and back again with ease. The heroes Kanoda knew were all great warriors, but when strength failed they all knew that cunning might succeed.

And so, as he sat alone in his cell, the young hunter pulled a plan together.

A shadow fell across him suddenly, and Kanoda looked up to see one of the younger girls who?d been with Shiyan- he thought her name was Cheng, but he wasn?t completely sure on that- standing there, with a metal bowl in one hand. He allowed himself a slight smile. Now things could get moving.

?Dinner,? the young Chosen said stiffly. Removing the key from her armor, she opened the cell door and scooted the bowl inside. Kanoda picked it up and quickly began to eat- sure, the stuff was hardly sea prunes, but it was better than nothing and he needed to keep up his strength. Cheng watched him with barely concealed disgust. ?Your eating habits are atrocious,? she muttered. ?The Water Tribes really are uncultured savages.?

?You know, it?s not like I?ve got a whole lot of choice in the matter,? Kanoda replied. ?You can?t really do a whole lot with prison food besides slop it on in.?

?You do have a point,? Cheng admitted. ?But that doesn?t mean I have to watch.? With a scowl she turned away and waited until Kanoda said that he was finished. Turning back around, she opened the cell door again and made to retrieve the bowl.

The prisoner was on her before she could react, grabbing both of her arms and pinning them against her sides as he knocked her to the floor. Unfortunately for Kanoda, this wasn?t enough to disable even a novice Chosen, a fact which she proved by pulling her legs back and then snapping them forward, her knees impacting quite forcefully on a region he held in rather high personal regard. Kanoda released her and fell back, quietly moaning as he collapsed to the floor. Cheng smirked and picked up the bowl.

?Pathetic,? she said. ?You really thought you could defeat me so easily? I?ve trained all my life to be the best warrior possible, and you?re just a savage.?

Kanoda winced and looked up at her. ?But you?re not as good as Shiyan, are you?? he asked.

?No,? Cheng admitted softly. Realizing what she said, she snapped her painted face into a scowl and spun around, heading back towards the door.

?I mean, really- she gets all the glory from capturing the ?dangerous spy? and you just get stuck with guard duty? You were with her too! How does that make you feel??

?My feelings are not to be discussed with the likes of you,? Cheng snapped. ?This conversation is over.?

?That?s too bad,? Kanoda said. ?Because if you stick around,

 

Go Kanoda!! Though I feel kinda bad for Cheng (a little, anyway).

Great post!! Update soon

 

Chapter 8: The Slave Hunter

Tong ran from the scene of his rebellion and didn?t look back. His body seemed to be moving of its own accord now- certainly his thoughts were too much of a whirl for him to consciously be in control. It was still impossible to move away from the fact that he had killed a man- though he hated the taskmaster and like many slaves had fantasized about killing firebenders before; the act itself was something different.

From behind he could hear the shouts of the soldiers and the other slaves, and sounds of a struggle. Tong wondered what was going to happen to the old man- the taskmasters didn?t kill earthbending slaves often, but that was out of practicality rather than compassion. Anyone they caught in the act of deliberate rebellion would be punished terribly. For a moment Tong considered looking back, but the part of him that had taken over his body seemed to think that would be unwise. He kept running without a backward glance.

He left the immediate environs of Long Du Shi behind and passed into an area of forested hills. The earthbender had lived his whole life in the city and he wanted to stop and marvel at his surroundings, but a voice in the back of his head told him that would be very unwise- he was still too close to the scene of his crime, and no doubt soldiers were in pursuit. If he stopped now they would catch him.

The trees made running more difficult. Tong was in excellent shape as a result of hard labor and hadn?t yet begun to tire, but the unfamiliar terrain meant that he had to make a conscious effort to dodge around obstacles and avoid tripping on rocks and vines. He could hear distant voices behind him now, and coming closer- the soldiers. After a few more minutes the voices were replaced by the hissing of flames and the smell of smoke. Apparently the firebenders were burning a path for themselves through the trees, rather than get hung up as Tong was.

That wouldn?t do at all. At this rate, even if the soldiers themselves didn?t catch up to Tong, the fire would either burn him or smoke him out. No doubt that had been their intent, but the slave had no intention of dying here or going back to face torment- especially after the old man?s sacrifice.

Dropping to one knee, Tong placed a hand on the ground and focused, trying to recapture the same feeling he?d experienced just before the taskmaster had died, when he?d felt the earth almost as an extension of his own body. At first there was nothing- and then, for just an instant, he could feel the vibrations in the ground and from them form a picture of his pursuers. Acting quickly before the sensation could fade, he performed the one earthbending move he knew he could work alone with any degree of accuracy.

Immediately in front of the Imperial soldiers a wall of stone sprang into being. Tong could feel them falling back in surprise as the rock blocked their fireblasts and sent them stumbling. He felt the earth-sense fading, but before it was completely gone he pulled on the earth again and sent the wall tumbling back, burying the soldiers in rubble and leaving a large crack in the ground where it had stood. That wouldn?t hold them for long, but it would buy him some time.

Quickly the slave scrambled back to his feet and started running again. He passed through more of the forested hills, but as exhaustion was finally starting to reach him the plant life came to an abrupt end. Tong kept running a short distance more and then stopped short. The land here was dry and barren, and immediately before him was a deep, dark lake.

Tong collapsed to his knees, panting heavily. Now that he?d stopped it was finally registering to him just how tired his body was, and he didn?t even want to know how far he?d run- only whether or not it was far enough. He devoutly hoped so, because even if the lake hadn?t been here he didn?t think he had the strength to go much farther.

?It?s over, boy,? a deep voice growled. Tong rose to his feet and spun around in surprise, only to find himself face to face with a group of a h

 

Great chapter!! This Gian guy makes me twitch, but the scene with the Undersecretary was really well written. I quite liked it