The Sake of Hope

I looked over at Lee, confused by his abrupt halt, and his face was screwed up in an emotion I had difficulty reading. It might have been fear, or anger, or both. It was impossible to tell, really.
“Lee, what is it?” I asked, a little shaken up myself. He didn’t even seem to realize I was talking to him, and he started walking towards the ship. “Lee!” I yelled after him. He still refused to stop.
Finally, once he’d stopped at the drawbridge and looked up to the black emptiness inside the hull of the ship, I caught up with him.
“What’s going on, Lee?” I asked.
“I’ve seen this ship before,” he said quietly, though it seemed like he was speaking more to himself than to me. I thought remotely of his scar, and wondered if it had something to do with it. I couldn’t be sure, but I mostly dismissed the thought, without knowing how close to the answer I’d become.
“What do you mean?” I asked, patiently, again. This time he looked at me. A conflict I’d never seen was in his eyes then, and he didn’t look like Lee. He looked completely different.
“They’ll be at your aunt’s house,” he said simply, not with compassion, but maybe a vague sense of determination. Whatever it was, I didn’t stand around to decipher it. I was off, running as fast as I thought possible. In the back of my mind, I half expected Lee to call to me, tell me to turn around, that it was too dangerous, but I knew by the sound on the ground behind me that he was running, not too far from catching up with me.
Once we’d reached the small neighborhood, it was very apparent the Fire Navy’s ship arrival did not go unnoticed. All of the families- including my own- stood outside their homes, gathered, watching. Watching what, I did not know. There were more Fire Nation soldiers surrounding the tiny village than I ever thought possible. But then I heard from the front of the crowd a loud voice, that of a girl.
“I’ll ask again, uncle, where is he?!”
I ran all the way to the front of the crowd, only to see the last thing I expected. A young Fire Nation girl was speaking directly to Mushi, and was obviously very adamant about getting her answer. She had short, angry blue flames shooting from the first two of her fingers, which she had pointed at his throat. Mushi, however, looked away from her, head held proud, and remained silent. He looked almost peaceful, and, knowing him, he was. It was a thought that would almost make me laugh, if only the circumstances were different.
In a matter of seconds, I tried to put together the story in my head. Why was she threatening Mushi? And why had she called him Uncle? … Maybe he had posed as Aunt Jun’s husband- our uncle- to help. So she’d taken the head of the house and mocked his title… He would be brave enough to do that, I knew. And if this were true, I admired him more fervently than I ever had before. But still… who was this “he” that she was so desperate to find? But I was driven from my answer as a voice spoke up from the crowd.
“Azula!”
It was Lee.
The girl turned her head towards the crowd at Lee’s outburst. She casually dropped her fingers from Mushi’s throat- whose expression turned from blank to pained- and, well, smiled. She crossed her arms, still holding her strikingly evil grin, and strode forward to where Lee stood, the rest of the crowd subconsciously taking a step back from her.
“Well there you are Zuzu! I’ve just been looking all over for you,” she said, sweetly. Then she almost pouted, looking incredibly sincere for someone who’d just held a death threat over someone. “We’ve all been really worried,” and then her face morphed back into the evil grin she’d unmasked before.
As she uncrossed her arms and put her hands on her hips, I noticed how she’d glare, or just plain ignore, all of the people before her, as if they were below her. She seemed like royalty- which I’d begun to believe she was- the way she walked and talked with a sense of power and pride. Her armor was of the highest quality I’d ever seen. It was all of shades of dark red, no doubt to symbolize where she came from. Her boots were polished so much that it seemed wrong for her to be walking on the dirt in front of our village. Not to mention, she wore traces of gold, like that which lined her upper armor. It was only when I saw her face that I realized that she was, in fact, royalty. In her hair, which had been pulled back into a top knot, had been placed a gold flame, crafted, no doubt, to take the place of a crown.
Her face also looked oddly familiar. It could just be because most Fire Nation civilians had black, coal colored hair, and that most of them had solid gold eyes. Still, I could have sworn I had seen those eyes before…
“What do you want, Azula? What are you doing here?” Lee spoke, more viciously than I’d ever heard him speak before.
“Haven’t we discussed your manners before, Zuko? How it’s rude to just start asking questions? Especially when it’s your own sister, who traveled so far just to see her precious brother and uncle?” she said, menacingly.
My mouth parted in a question I was too afraid to ask. Did she just say sister? And brother? Uncle? Could that possibly explain why she had Mushi for questioning? And those eyes… They were just like…
“Lee… what’s she talking about?” I questioned, absentmindedly grabbing for his hand. He avoided my grasp and looked over at me, not out of affection, or anything else I’d ever seen. He seemed hateful, resentful, and bitter. He didn’t say a word before we both heard her laugh and turned our attention back to her.
“Lee? How precious, Zuko. You’ve not only adopted a lovely peasant family, but an even more precious peasant name. Congratulations,” she said, clapping by herself, breaking the silence of everyone else. I immediately hated her.
She then looked at me, with nothing else but disgust written all over her face.
“Go ahead and tell her, Zuko. Tell her how you’re the son of the most powerful Fire Lord the world has ever seen. Tell her also how that same Fire Lord can’t even bear to look at you without showing his disgust all over his face… or should I say your face,” she said, and then she laughed again, one of her piercing, maniacal laughs.
But at that moment I remembered vaguely hearing someone talk about the Banished Prince. People said the Fire Lord was so evil he disowned his own son, sending him to find the Avatar… and not to return until he found him. No one ever knew why, or when he sent him on his journey, or even whether or not he was still alive. But if this Azula was telling the truth, the answer to all of those questions was standing right beside me. I looked at Lee, or whatever his name was, my mouth hanging open, and begged him silently to say this was all a lie. It didn’t make sense. Things couldn’t just change this quickly. Things couldn’t be this terrible…
“L-Lee… is this true?” I asked him, as quietly as I could while he could still hear me. He didn’t break eye contact with Azula, They were glaring at each other more severely than I’d ever seen anyone glare. It was as if they thought their own eyes would finish off the other right then and there.
Without breaking away from her stare, and through gritted teeth, he said, “Yes.”
It was as if someone had plowed a good one right into my stomach. I couldn’t breathe for a minute, and everything slowed. I’m sure Azula looked at me, a smirk replacing her evil grin, as if she enjoyed my pain and shock, as I’m sure she did. I withdrew myself from Lee’s side, as if he was some disease I didn’t want to catch. He still didn’t look at me, but I’m sure he noticed me move. I think my aunt and all of my cousins and brothers were watching me as well. Even Zuko’s uncle, whoever he was. For a moment I thought I was going to be sick, but then I was easily overcome by such anger. Especially when I heard her voice again.
“Well do something Zuko!. You’re outnumbered by more than you were when you got here- though I doubt your little girlfriend would have been much help to begin with,” she said, and it only helped fuel my rage.
Little. How dare she. She looked to be younger than I, or at least the same age. And much help? I would have been his only help. I’m the bender, unless he’d forgotten so quickly. I would have helped him, but not now. Not now that I knew what he was- Fire Nation.
But as I thought about benders, my mind made a delicate calculation that I hadn’t quite put together yet. His sister was obviously a fire bender. His father was the Fire Lord.
Zuko was a fire bender. As was his uncle.
I now hated them even more.
Zuko, to my left, stepped forward and took a stance, ready to fight. Azula rolled her eyes.
“Of course, you have to make this difficult. You could never accept your failure. You can’t win you know,” she said, while she as well took a stance. “Always ready to die with, what was it? Honor? Well, guess what Zuko, you’ve got less honor than this entire pathetic little village put together. You’re even more worthless,” she spat, like venom.
Rage blurred my vision, and I could barely breathe. I felt my limbs tremble and could feel my hands start to shake- hands that were now balled into fists. I would make her regret mocking my village. And I would make Zuko regret ever coming here.
I hated him for what he’d done to me; how he’d made me feel. I hated his uncle for being so kind; for hiding his true colors. I hated the Fire Nation for being here. I hated them for taking my brother to the war. I hated the war too. I hated my parents for leaving me behind, but mostly I hated them for leaving my brothers. I hated my brother for blaming me, and for that, I hated my parents that much more. And I hated myself for what I was- illegal. I was an earthbender, and I hated knowing that I had a power to protect when others couldn’t. And because of that, I hated myself for staying in the darkness and letting others run my own life and the lives of the people I loved. But not now. And not ever again.
I looked at Zuko and his sister, ready for a fight and I resented Zuko that moment more than I hated his sister. He was in my way, pure and simple. This was my fight.
I closed my eyes and felt the earth under my feet and how it gently shifted when I pushed my foot ever so slightly. Though my best conscious told me to stop my urges and fight it, my head wasn’t listening. With a twitch of the foot I bent at the knees and through my fingers, I pulled a great expanse of earth from in front of me, and slid it over, powerfully, at Zuko. I knocked him through the air and onto his back. Everyone was frozen and silent, if not more so than they were a moment ago.
Azula, for a brief fraction of a second was stunned where she stood, in a perfect stance ready to strike. Then that sick smirk appeared once more.
“So, you’re a better ally than Zuzu led on. Still, we can’t have earthbenders running around ruining our perfect order,” she said, flipping her hair as if she were too bored to continue speaking. “But you’re easily taken care of- guards,” she said, smiling maliciously. She wasn’t even going to attack me herself. She was going to let her servants do it for her.
The fact that she didn’t even consider me a threat angered me even further. However, one shift towards her and three guards leapt in front of her, and hot flames poured from their fists. In a moment’s notice, I pulled a wall up as my defense, and punched in three times, with all the might I could draw. When I looked at my result, it was my turn to smirk. Three hits- aimed perfectly. But no sooner were they knocked out on the ground, five more took their place. It seemed Azula had brought an entire army with her, for her own enjoyment. Which she had.
The sun, which didn’t have much time left when we’d arrived on the scene, was slowly sinking further, and my fight raged on. People had backed away, some had fled to their homes in fear. I kept fighting, blinded by my own anger and determination to show such evil my face, and fight it back. I cut razors out of rocks and launched them three at a time, I collapsed vast expanses of ground, crippling numerous fighters, if only for a moment. I kicked, punched, slid, and lifted huge rocks, all of various shapes towards oncoming enemies, trying every move I’d ever practiced in secret or just heard of. I even made up moves on the spot. I was unstoppable.
But I was outnumbered. Insurmountably.
As soon as the thought entered my mind, I’d strayed a moment too long. Groups of men advanced from the left and the right. With both hands, I’d summoned earth, ready to throw or strike at a moment’s notice. But I couldn’t defend both sides at once.
My eyes absently lingered to my family. Some of them wanted to help, no doubt, but were too powerless. I’m sure they were surprised, as no one but Zuko and Aunt Jun knew of my secret. But even if they could, they wouldn’t help now. I’d dug myself too far into a hole. I was too dangerous now, not because of my power, but because I would either be killed or jailed. No one would dare interfere now.
And then I let my gaze drift over to Zuko. He too had stopped- as he’d been trying in vain to attack his sister. While I’d never seen either of them do any serious fire bending, I somehow knew who would win that fight. Azula was too powerful as a person to not be all powerful at bending. She was just so perfect, I could already tell. His face held what I could only conclude was disgust as he watched me, and I know mine read the same. I was disgusted with him, and not only that, but I was hurt. And betrayed.
I knew my chances were slim as I stood between maybe 40 soldiers, all ready to unleash their fury. As an earthbender, I understood I couldn’t make it. Not when they would soon all unleash their unstoppable, hot, searing fire… fire…
I knew what I had to do. I took one last look at Zuko and turned my head away, eyes closing. I dropped my arms, letting the earth fall to the ground, lifelessly. I put my hands in front of me, as if to pray, and I breathed. I breathed a deep, calming breath to warm my body. I felt the sun, the sun that was now so bright and huge, feeding me its power. I felt the swell of power and readied myself to unleash my secret that was far deeper than my modest earthbending. A secret that was deeper than life itself.
Fire.
Without thinking twice, I swung my arms wide, going in opposite directions and created my own unstoppable, hot, searing fire. It accumulated into two huge fireballs, which I viciously launched at both parties of soldiers, who were too stunned to even blink before it hit them. But without stopping, I turned to Azula who, to my own enjoyment, looked just as stunned. I blazed fire towards her, and she strategically maneuvered out of the way at the last minute. She was too agile for me. Try as I might I couldn’t corner her, but I couldn’t get her to fight back. She ended up delicately balanced on a branch of a tree above me. I waited, because she wore that knowing smirk again.
“So, a dual bender I presume? Interesting, very interesting. You’re thought to be more extinct than our precious Avatar. And now that you’re half fire bender, I couldn’t bear to destroy you now, could I? Father will be very pleased to see his new weapon,” she grinned down at me, her eyes pouring out her wickedness.
Weapon? She was going to take me as a weapon?! She wasn’t even going to fight me?! I would make her. I would be the one to destroy her, that evil, that maniacal, that-
But before I could think, I felt something knock the wind out of me and I was on my stomach. I felt harsh hands grab my own and, so I couldn’t fight back, tight, metal bindings somehow went over them and shoved them together. It didn’t take much for me to realize they were, in fact, fireproof. Such technology was what the Fire Nation was known for.
As I was heaved up Azula jumped from her perch. She looked at me with just as much venom as she had before, but this time it was a twisted, excited kind of venom. She envied my gift, but, more so, she wanted to see such power again. She wanted the destruction. Her evil gaze dropped and she turned to Zuko as she waved her troops to take me back to the ship.
“Sorry Zuzu, but I’ve just decided to let you live. Father would appreciate this gift far more,” she said, playing at his weak points.
At this I looked at him and our eyes met one last time. He looked livid as he saw me there, being drug away as the final prize. I could be wrong, but he looked almost resentful, as if he’d be ready to scoff at me being worth something, especially in his place. He wanted to be wanted. He would rather be the ultimate prize taken for prisoner.
Which was what I was now.
I, Sake Lyamsu, was a dual bender. And for that, I was a prisoner.