She was an avatar born in the fire nation. She was the fire avatar before Szeto. She was royal and the only avatar known becoming also a ruler of her nation. Would you like to know her legend?
This tale takes you back to a time before all the avatar...
Book one: The fate of Hikari - Air - Chapter one: The plan
It has already been a couple of hours since the sun has settled. Since my mother caught me and my brother having that impossible scene between us. We were sitting at the dinner table, and also my father arrived home already. After what his wife said to him, he became so shocked that even forgot to change clothing. All of us remained in silence as we tried to process the events. I was still mad at Kyou because despite asking him not to tell the truth, he immediately shared it with our mom. My little brother was right about excusing himself by saying that people would find out very soon anyway my "secret" and we are not adults to decide over this. I guess he was as staggered as I was and he could not listen to me. Even though I just wanted a bit of time to think through the happenings, I just could not move on from his treason against me. I was fuming inside. Of course our mother first believed that we were making some caper with her. However after Kyou told her everything, also considering the way we appeared, she had to take my brother's word for it to be valid. If she treats this issue as a lie, that can have very bad consequences in case it turns out I was really the avatar. She knew the best was to wait for our father and talk everything through together. The more she realised from what she heard, the more concerned her face showed, but then she just hid it with a smile and sent us for a shower and asked us to dress in clean clothing. Chesa, our mother was always more gentle to us, but we both knew, we will not get away from the discipline of our father when he comes home. While I was getting ready to join my family in the dining room, my brain just turned blank. I could see all the happenings playing at front of my eyes again and again. I just wished it was all just a bad dream. In reality however I saved my brother's life and I still felt the tingling feelings under my fingers when the air bending burst out of me. I was scared. I shouldn't have used fire banding outside of home. I promised my dad. On the top of that I might be the avatar. A tiny little hope there was still in me like what if I am wrong? What if I could use the air element because my grandfather is an air nomad? Of course it is impossible to be able to rule two elements. Only the avatar can do that and more. Even though, what if I am wrong and I am an exceptional bender of two elements? I tried to hold onto any kind of theory that excludes me being the avatar. I did not ask for it, I did not want to give up my ordinary, happy childhood, and I felt terrified from the sole thought of joining the royal family and becoming their object. Then one more thing increased my worries and fears. What if those youngsters who attacked Kyou were already trying to get some benefit by telling what they saw. It's enough just one person who trusts their words and they can be out looking for me. They most probably have no idea where we live, but it does not take much to find a ten years old girl in the wealthy district of the town. A little bit of asking around will do the job. I was already heavily weighed with these thoughts by the time I washed up and dressed in my favourite home clothing for dinner. Not as if I had any appetite after all. I was even biting my lower lip from the anxiety and as I assumed my father had arrived home already when I stepped in the dining room. He was talking to Kyou who got prepared faster. Jiro, the head of our family, was treating Kyouya's wounds while he listened to what he had to say. When they noticed that I was there, both of them stopped and looked at me. "Sit down Hikari, please!" - turned my father to me and waited until I sat down at the usual seat I used to eat. He looked calm, but I knew very well his face and tone when he was about to scold us badly. From the kitchen all of us could feel the nice scent of the food that our mother was cooking. Normally my stomach automatically reacted from hunger, but this time I just became more anxious. - " So tell me please, what exactly happened?" my father placed his gaze on me very seriously. I immediately felt guilty and knew that whatever I say would be only excuses and just make him more cross at me. For a minute maybe - which must have seemed an eternity of time - I couldn't even bring myself to open my mouth, but Jiro waited for me patiently to gather my thoughts. Maybe I was smarter than my peers, but I still couldn't process everything like the adults. After all I was just a ten years old girl who's ordinary life drifted towards a huge change. I couldn't longer handle the pressure of fear and guilt. I felt my face burning up and my treats started to run down, making a cooler sensation on it. I had to swallow a few times to be able to speak. I could physically feel my dad's eyes on me. He could be very caring in the right moment in need, but it was not that moment. I could not expect any consolation from him. I had to say something. "I used fire bending outside our home... " said it with a shaking voice from the crying. "Kyou was in danger and these boys who attacked him insulted me too." confessed everything as it happened without trying to defend myself. It was hard to form the words as I became more upset. Then something unexpected happened. The leader of the military squad of Ginko, placed his left hand on mine, which made me look at his chestnut brown iris very fast. His eyes seemed still strict, but I could read worry and pain from the facial expression he made. "Hikari...listen. In a normal situation I would forbid you from fire bending after what happened and I would stop with your training for a good while if not forever. It was extremely irresponsible of you even though you wanted to protect your brother. You learnt self defence from me and some parts of the martial arts same as Kyou. However a lady like you should get help instead of involving herself in a fight... " "I know father... I...-" "Papa, Hikari saved my life!" "Both of you, do not say anything I haven't finished yet! However in fact your life would not have been in danger if you didn't get into any fight! On the top of everything, Daughter, if they find out that you are fire bender, I can not defend you from the army! Most importantly, I need to hear from you Hikari; Is it true what Kyou said that you saved him using air bending?" questioned my father and I just pulled my hands out of his, burying my face in my palm. My shoulder shook from the crying, while I nodded a few times very fast as an answer. There was no point to lie after all. What could I do on my own to protect myself? Then without waiting for his reaction I just grabbed my father's arm and started to beg my dad. "Please father, please, just don't take me to the Royal family! Please don't tell anyone about this! I haven't asked for this! I don't want to be the avatar! I don't want to be used by the king or his relatives!" At this point my tears and the discharge from my nose was mixed up on my face and I automatically just wiped it in the cape of my father. I was sobbing like a little child. I felt completely hopeless. If the people are not going to find me because I am the next avatar, they are going to look for me because I used fire. How could my perfect life just turn to a nightmare from one moment to the other?! Unexpectedly I winced when I felt my father touching my back and carefully hugging me. I just grabbed the fabric of his clothing at his chest and disappeared in his arms. Few moments later my brother and mother were embracing us too. I heard Kyou sniffing with his nose next to me while he held my hand. I did not dare to look, but I thought he was crying too. It took a while for me to calm down, but until that nobody said anything to me. Then when I got quieter, our dad gently stroked my wet face and made me look at him. I guess all this time he was pondering what would be the best to do. "Hikari, now listen very well! I am going to send a falcon to your grandfather to the Western Air temple and ask someone to come in two nights from now at the shore with a flying bison. We are going to make it there and you and your brother will go with them! Both of you are going to move to that place and you can start your avatar training there." Told my father to me in a very convincing way. "But Jiro..." I heard my mum trying to reason against my father in the immediate shock this plan caused her. "Why do I have to go as well?!" Jumped my brother standing up and questioned him too. I just almost fainted while I tried to process what I heard. I thought nothing can be worse than to join the royal family, but now I started to have doubts about it. I pushed myself away from Jiro and shook my head many times. "No papa! No way that I am going to stay with that old man who broke our grandmother's heart! We never ever even met with him!" Tried to defy the Ginko's army general. However when I looked into his eyes I got scared. Our dad's facial expression became really firm and angry. He tried to be gentle and understanding with me, but lost patience due to being worried about the situation. "Listen little lady! This is not optional! You are going to be in the best hands with monk Yonten. He is the best air bender master at the western temple if not all amongst the air nomads! At the moment that is the safest place for you! What happened between him and your grandmother doesn't matter, that's all the past. And by the way you never even knew your grandmother Nafisa. So now, if you don't want me to report you to the royal family, you don't have another choice. You are not only my daughter from now on, but the avatar. And as of it, I want to make sure you make your own fate and do not let yourself be manipulated under any of the nations. Maybe one day you end this meaningless war between the power hungry leaders. Hopefully! " Jiro tried his best to reason with me. "But what about the fire sages? Wouldn't I be safe with them?" "You are not safe anywhere in the fire nation...maybe there are some of them we can trust, but it's too risky. " "And why do I have to go with Hikari?" Heard my brother asking it again. "You two must stay together! You have to protect each other. " replied our dad.From then on I couldn't say a word to the rest of the night. Basically we all stayed in silence and none of us had much appetite. We were just staring at the turtle duck stew on the table. All of us are lost in our own thoughts. Chesa our mother, seemed very sad, but as always she made an effort to make us feel safe and not show her despair. Except after bed time, I could hear her crying from my room and my tears started to flow again too. I settled at the balcony, looking at the stars. I couldn't sleep all night and stopped to think about what kind of life is ahead of me. At the moment I was just scared and wanted to disappear. I couldn't see how I one day bring balance into this chaos of the world. I knew nothing about politics, power or in general the serious issues of life. I needed years of training, but can the world wait that long? What happened to the previous avatar? I mean, we all know the tale that avatar Lihua died in a riot when she came and tried to make peace between the fire and earth king at the time. I always wondered if that was true? No matter how it happened, she died way too early and now I had to deal with all... actually I died too early, as I am her reincarnation. One day I am going to find out the truth. I didn't want to move so far from home and from my parents and no matter what my father said there was no way I could respect monk Yonten. He was just a coward who was not willing to give up his air-nomad life for grandmother Nafisa who was the mother of my mom. Because of that my granny had a very lonely and sad life. Her only joy was her daughter and grandma Nafisa disappeared after my parents' marriage, which means I never was able to meet her. How can I learn from someone who turned his back on his family? I promised myself I was never ever going to call him my grandfather...
Hello! The author is here! How did you like the first chapter? I would really appreciate your opinion/feedback. Any kind of thoughts about the concept. Thank you <3 PS: This is how I imagine Avatar Inuksuk - credit for failingradish for the fan art. :)
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