Ripples In The World

Chapter 5 - A Flame Named Zuko

Edited - Stage 1

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"Winter, spring ... summer and fall ... winter, spring ... summer and fall ... four seasons ... four loves ... four seasons ... four loves." Uncle sang one of his favourite songs as Lieutenant Jee played the lute. It was music night aboard the ship. Happens every week or so, unfortunately. I never liked to participate much. How could Uncle expect me to sing and dance around when I have an avatar to find? I need to spend my time training and planning and fighting to restore my honour, not playing wooden sticks with strings!

I sat cross legged on the floor breathing, candles sat alight before me and I felt the flames rise and fall with my chest. I felt the warmth of the flames extinguish the coolness of the metal floors of my ship. Before long my meditating was disrupted by a loud unexpected high note from the lute followed by a 'crash' and 'clang' from up on deck. My anger spiked and the candles flared in response; drunken fools. But I clenched my fists and quickly composed myself taking in a deep breath through my nose. I had promised Uncle I wouldn't yell at the crew tonight; something about me being too harsh on them lately? I released the breath through my mouth and then regulated my breathing once more.

Uncle says breath is life and fire is life: controlling ones breathing is the key to controlling ones fire bending. I have to become the best of the best if I wish to be the one to capture the avatar. Only then will I be able to return home with honour. I'd have to find him first though... He could be anywhere! I've been on this same damn ship surrounded by the same damn outcasts for three years! Searching for someone who may or may not even be alive! The flames flared out again with a burst before going out all together as I huffed, the smoke swirling through the air like a whisper.

I saw myself in the element fire, my anger, my fury, my power: all reflected the properties and stereotypes of a flame. The way people saw it more as a harmful destructive tool more than anything... I stood up and sought out a place to think without bothering to relight any candles, meditating just wasn't working for me right now. I lay on my bed and faced the roof focusing on nothing in particular within the dark room.

I suppose however if the Avatar was dead then the water bending avatar would have or will be born soon. That's why I had travelled to the South Pole and now had to search the North. The only water bender the South Pole had was a silly teenage girl who could barely move a bubble without hitting her own people. Useless, the Fire Nation had already wiped out their bending population.

But the North Pole was a different story: around 85 years ago they had put up a great ice wall which made the already treacherous tundra even more of a task to reach let alone conquer. After that the North Pole kept to themselves and the Fire Nation disregarded them as a treat any longer. He could have been hiding there his whole life but he must be over a century old! Of what use as an Avatar would he still have? Why does my father want him so badly? If anything the Fire Nation should be worried about the next Avatar who would be of Water Tribe origin because she could have been alive at the North Pole all this time, training and becoming powerful... I stood up and paced around my room; the same ring of thoughts floating through my mind.

One by one I relit the candles gracing light on the gloomy metal cabin room that I had called home for so long now. Once the last one was lit I leant against the cool wall next to it staring into nothing again. Slowly footsteps grew from the silence coming closer to my door. There was no doubt it was my Uncle and a few others: the crew maybe? My door behind me opened with the slight creak of metal that one becomes accustomed to when living on a boat such as this.

"For the last time, I'm not playing the tsungi horn!" I retorted to a frequently asked question before it was even uttered. Just because I had learnt it as a child does not mean I like to play it, let alone remember how to...