A lovers burn

chapter Three: The awakening

I rushed onto the ship, saying my goodbyes to Azula early that day. I didn't acknowledge any guards who saluted me and headed straight for my uncle, who had a cup of tea and was looking out at the sunrise. "Uncle, I need to speak with you...Alone." I whispered, grabbing tightly on his arm. He must've seen how terrified or worried I looked, placed his hand on my shoulders, and guided me to his room on the ship, locking the door behind him.

"What's going on, Princess Desme." I paced around the room, not even a limp present anymore. "You seem better today." He commented. I stopped and nodded before turning my back towards him and lifting my shirt, showing the former wounds as now scars. "H-how is that possible? He walked a few steps closer, touching my back. I shudder at the feeling before pulling my shirt back down.

"I healed myself!" I whispered-yelled, unsure who could be on the other side of the door. "I was bathing myself last night, and the water started to glow, and I- The wounds were healed. Uncle, when I moved my hand, the water did, to! How- how is that possible? It shouldn't be!" My pacing resumed, and I kept sputtering. I was losing my mind. My uncle stayed silent, which somehow made me feel more crazy. "Uncle! Say something!" My voice raised a little, and he looked back at me. "I'm sorry. I'm just- I don't know what's happening to me."

"Desme, you should sit down." He pointed to the table in the corner of my room. I wanted to keep standing, walking so much that I would wear the metal below my feet down, but I didn't. I moved over to the chair and sat, my leg bouncing faster than a hummingbird frog. Uncle walked over to one of his bags and pulled out an old, thin book. "This book belonged to duel bender Aiyana. Master of water and earth. She is your past life." My jaw dropped as an air of confusion filled the room.

There was no way it was true. the Duel bender had been a legend, no stories passed down form generation to generation, not even a painting of someone that could've been. Plus, why would I  get chosen? "I'm not an idiot, Uncle; there's no such thing as a duel bender, Uncle." I shook my head in disbelief;  my uncle must have thought I was mad. That's the only reason he's entertaining this situation.

"Yes, there is. Every 1,000 years in their cycle, they are blessed with the gift of bending two elements. For Aiyana, it was water and earth. For the one before her, it was air and earth. And for you, it's water and fire. Unlike the avatar cycle, which carries from one nation to the next. It chose you, niece." He handed me the book, and I wiped away the dust, revealing the intact leather. I opened it as carefully as possible, knowing its age.

"This is...It feels so familiar." It was like I had written it myself in a way. "You really aren't joking?" I needed the reassurance. Uncle just gave a warm, proud smile. "Woah, you're really not joking..."

"I knew since you were a young girl. I saw the powers you gained during a full moon and how you blossomed in your bending. I went on across the Fire Nation to retrieve that book. It had been lost for the last 200 years. I may be unable to teach you water bending, but I can teach you where you came from." I flipped through the pages, a lot of the words were ancient to the Southern Water tribe. I could pull out a few phrases due to my endless nights of reading in the library, but most of it was a mystery.

"I-I can't read it, Uncle." I glanced up at him, and the realization hit him like a boulder.

"Oh, that's right." He paused, returned to his bag, and pulled out a much thicker book. "This is a dictionary; it should help you decode what she was saying.

"Thank yo-" We were suddenly interrupted by someone trying to open the door only to be blocked by the lock.

"Uncle? Are you in there? I can't find Desme, and we need to get going." My eyes widened at my brother's voice as my uncle made my way over to the door I stopped him, grabbing his sleeve tightly. Something in me told me this was wrong but I didn't care. I had to protect him.