aetherealdraconis

[aetherealdraconis]

Crimson Spider Lily - Prologue

Summary 

Princess Azula of the Fire Nation was 7 years old when she was kidnapped by Cipher Pol Agents and rescued by the Revolutionary Army. 

A very different girl returns home to the Fire Nation to take the Elemental Nations by storm. 

When she looked at Ozai’s arrogant smile and cold eyes, she saw flashes of slicked up hair behind bubbled helmets and soft, manicured hands hidden by the purest white robes clutching leashes and collars. 

ATLA with Azula the Revolutionary. 

It has been said that the greatest firebenders throughout history are born on the most scorching summer days. When the sun is at its peak and Agni’s blessings are at their strongest the greatest flames are produced.

Prince Lu Ten was born on a blisteringly hot summer day with one of the brightest life flames of his generation. Crown Prince Iroh had proudly presented his son to a crowd of roaring cheers as the fire sages sang praises for the future prosperity of the Fire Nation.

Decades later all that would be left is a small memorial tucked in the corner of a tea shop in the Upper Ring of Ba Sing Se. It is a small wooden altar; offerings of rice cakes and fruits have been set out in front of a portrait of a young man with strong side burns. His face is set in a traditionally neutral expression and the fading ink fails to capture the spark of mischief that once lit up Lu Ten’s laughing eyes. The sight of his son's young face never fails to incite an ache in Iroh's chest as he lights incense every morning.

Far too often it is the brightest of flames that burn out the quickest.

Prince Zuko was born at dawn on a peaceful summer day. The morning air was balmy as Princess Ursa cradled her newborn son in her arms. She had a soft smile on her face watching him snuggle into her chest as the fire sages muttered that his birth was a sign of great peace for the future of the fire nation and vowed that she would never forget this moment.

One day Noriko would travel to the Fire Nation Capital with her family in order to watch the coronation of Fire Lord Zuko. The murmuring crowd is apprehensive as they gather in the Coronation Plaza at dawn. She has to strain her eyes to make out his figure, barely the size of an ant from where she stands behind a crowd of nobles and foreign delegates. A proud smile makes its way onto her face as the new Fire Lord vows to restore the honour of the Fire Nation and her heart swells with joy as he is crowned.

Somewhere deep in her soul she knows that Fire Lord Zuko will bring about a new era of love and peace.

Princess Azula was born in the middle of the most tempestuous summer lightning storm in Fire Nation history. Her first cries mimicked the screams of thunder raining down from the sky and the Fire Sages proclaimed that her birth was a sign of great change for the Fire Nation. Prince Ozai would eye the throne of his father hungrily as he held his newborn daughter in his arms, sparks flying from her tiny fingers.

Years later the self-proclaimed Phoenix King would be locked up in a steel cage in the Capital City Prison. It is a tiny cell, when he stands up to his full height his head barely brushes the bars that make up the roof of the cage and it takes only five steps for him to cross the room. The stone floor is cold, damp and musty and in the corner, there is a leak in the roof leading to a persistent dripping noise that seems to spurn him further into madness as he wastes away forgotten.

Every day he sits meditating trying to reach for the warm pool of chi that he knows should be deep in the core of his stomach. Closing his eyes he focuses on his breathing, on the exercises that his teachers had prattled on about so many decades ago. There are no candles to guide him in this exercise. The only flames are the torches in the hallway outside that he can only glimpse when the guards deliver his daily meals. The only source of sunlight is a tiny, open window above his cage positioned so that he gets no traces of direct sunlight. But no matter how many breathes he takes. No matter how many punches and kicks he throws he cannot ignite the air around him. Agni’s blessings will not return to him.

Ozai doesn’t know how long it has been since he has been cast into this cell to rot at the so-called mercy of Fire Lord Zuko. It could be weeks or months and the main source of entertainment is when his traitorous weakling of a son dares to beg for his advice. He is refused any visitors and the guards that are forced to bring his food and drink do not are to talk to him either.  

It is a surprise when one day the door to his cell opens and the one standing in the doorway is not Zuko or the usual guard. At first he assumes it to be a new guard. Those are always the most amusing ones. The younger ones are still willing to give him the fearful respect that he is owed as a Fire Nation Royal, flinching whenever he makes a sudden movement.

But no. The one standing there is not a guard, it does not matter how long he has been languishing in this cell he still recognises her.

A young teenage girl stands before him and it is obvious that Zuko’s reign has not been kind to her either. Her dark hair is loose around her shoulders, bangs chopped haphazardly around her face. She wears prison garb much like his own, a red scratchy tunic and loose pants. Purple bruises that tell tales of chains and handcuffs that are traditional for war prisoners wrap around her wrists. Most telling about her however is her eyes.

Golden eyes, the signature trait of the Fire Nation Royal family look at him with derision as she saunters towards his case with the grace of a tiger armadillo. She does not flinch as Ozai lets out a sudden roar of frustration and anger at the girl that had a hand in the destruction of all of his ambitions. His legs are shaky with disuse as he clutches at the bars of his cage and his belly is empty of the fire that he wishes to burn her with.

“Traitor” he rasps at her with a painfully dry throat.

At that Azula simply steps closer to his cage stopping just out of arms reach. Her mouth is stretched into a white smile that would look right at home in the fanged mouths of the dragons of old. Wide, and toothy. It is the same smile that she would always show to the cornered courtiers right before she ripped their lives to shreds on his orders.

"Change can mean many things Father."

[aetherealdraconis]

So eventually Yumi ends up on the Moby Dick as a doctor working with the 1st Division. 

Her favourite nurse is a tall fiery redhead named Shelly who is very tranquiliser/needle happy which works well on this ship of idiots. And yes a lot of these grown men who have bounties that go into the hundreds of millions are afraid of her. 

The other is Aisha who is the only one other than Yumi and Marco willing to yell at Pops for his drinking habits. Aisha has threatened multiple times to just throw all of the sake barrels overboard

[aetherealdraconis]

Water Witch Yumi

“You’re getting better” Yugoda complimented the young waterbender who was frowning in concentration as she manipulated the chi in the mannequin. 

“Thank you,” Katara smiled. 

“I trust that your lessons with Pakku are also going well.”

“Yeah they are. You know ever since the Fire Nation raids,” a hand reached up to toy with the pendant around Katara’s neck, “I never thought that I would truly be able to learn waterbending. Being here. It’s amazing.” 

“I’m sorry about what happened with our sister tribe. I wish that we could have done something to help,” the elder water waterbender placed a hand on her student’s shoulder. 

“We managed as well as we could. But that’s why I was so angry when Master Pakku refused to teach me. It felt like another person stopping me from truly learning about my heritage,” Katara looked down at her lap. 

“You know, when you slapped Pakku upside the head I nearly burst out laughing,” the older waterbender admitted with a sparkle in her eyes to Katara’s surprise, “did you think you were the only one sick of the men’s talk of only they were to be acknowledged as ‘real’ waterbenders?” 

Yugoda sighed and looked up at the ceiling of the healing hut. 

“I willingly choose not to fight. I’m perfectly happy with working here in the healing huts passing on my knowledge to the next generation. But you aren’t the first young waterbender to challenge the tribe’s rules on how we treat women here.” 

Yugoda looked back at Katara. 

“And of course Kanna wasn’t the only one to ever try running away,” Yugoda took a deep breath. 

“Nor the only one to run away from Pakku.” 

“But Master Pakku said that he’s only ever loved Gran Gran” Katara spoke in suprise.  

“Is he still saying that?” the elderly woman chuckled “he always was a hopeless romantic. No she wasn’t Pakku’s lover. She was his niece and one of my most talented pupils. You have the same spirit as her. Watching you fight Pakku was almost like seeing a ghost. She did the exact same thing when she was your age after her parents died and Pakku tried to do right by her by finding her a husband to look after her.”

“She took it about as well as Kanna,” Yugoda continued wryly “Yumi was a free spirit. Because she was the only child in her family her father, Mero taught her how to hunt and do some of the men’s work. She always felt that she could look after herself and Pakku didn’t approve. She tried to fight him to prove herself like you did and lost. Badly. Eventually she left the city and we never saw her again.”

“Did you ever find out what happened to her?” Katara asked curiously. 

“No. We did find the remains of a boat not long after she disappeared. But you know, a similar thing happened when Kanna left and you know better than I do how she is faring now.” 

“Gran gran is doing great. She’s been so strong looking after the village after Dad and the other men left.” 

“Is she happy?” 

“Yes.”

“I’m glad. I hope that wherever Yumi is that she’s happy too.” 

Thousands of miles away in an ocean known as the New World. 

“Water Witch Yumi, bounty $300,000,000 berri” boomed a giant of a man holding out a poster that in his hand was the size of his little finger, “congratulations daughter.”

“Cheers to our eldest sister’s newest bounty” cheered a man with his hair in a pompadour causing the rest of the large rowdy crowd to shout in agreement. 

“They’re going to be like this all night aren’t they” spoke a woman with dark brown hair in low pigtails going down her back sighed from where she leaned against the railings of the ship. She gratefully accepted the bottle offered to her as a blonde man joined her. 

“Let them have this its been a while since we’ve had a good party and it is in your honour yoi” slanted eyes watched her exasperation with amusement.  

“Fine,” she sighed as she took a sip, before pointing at him “but you’re going to be the one dealing with their complaints about hangovers in the morning Birdy.”

“Don’t I always. Besides that just means that its your turn to lecture Pops in the morning,” the man chuckled “now come on its not a proper party without the guest of honour joining in.”

At that he grabbed her hand causing her lips to contort in a surprised smile and pulled her back into the crowd of festivities, laughing and dancing all night long.