The Only Hope

Book 1: Prologue

*Like fine wine, this story gets better as it goes on- I swear.*

Prologue

Once upon a time…

No- no, that doesn’t sound right. Hmm…

Many years ago…

I’m not liking that one much either…

It was a warm, sunny day…

Well, this is going to be harder than I first thought….

Give me a moment, please.

There was once a girl…

Oh yes, I like this one.

 The was once a girl, I was never given the chance to meet her, but her legend has lived on pass her time and it can be expected to live out beyond time itself. She was a simple child growing up. She lived with her mother, and they shared a small home in an Earth Nation colony. They did not have much, but they were happy, and that was all that mattered to them. There was something special about the girl though, she was born with the ability to wield all four elements yet she was not the avatar. She had been blessed by the spirits, and as the Great Child, she was to live her life as peace- to help and guild the avatar.

She did not know it at the time though, nor did her mother. Nor did anyone, including the Fire Nation- who was at war with the world at the time. With only blood and power on their minds, the girl was taken in the night from her mother- who was left in their burning house with no hope for escape. She was taken as their prisoner, abused for years until the Fire Lord finally decided she was a worthless cause. Thus he banished her from the Fire Nation, sending her to live on her days on an army ship.  She was not alone in her banishment.

The Fire Lord had cast out his son as well, and with the Fire Lord’s brother, he was left with only finding the avatar and regain his honor. There was just one small issue, the Avatar had been missing for a hundred years and no one saw his return coming anytime soon. Then the most amazing thing happened… the Avatar returned. The teenage girl was left with a choice. To stay with the man she had fallen in love with over the past three years, or join the Avatar and end the war once and for all.

Abandoning her Fire Nation roots, and love, she escaped the ship and joined the young Avatar.

They traveled for many weeks, and together the girl and avatar learned to master water. Their journey nearly ended while they were in the North Pole. The Fire Nation attacked, and in a moment of selflessness, the girl gave her life in order to save the Ocean Spirit. Instead of dying, as she should have, the Ocean Spirit was grateful to the girl and thus blessed her.

When her once dead eyes opened to her friends, she was not only living but was beautiful. Any flaw she could have ever had seen within herself was gone. Replacing it was perfection, a beauty that was beyond our physical world. They left the North Pole shortly after, and traveled through the Earth Nation. Shortly after a blind earth bender joined them, and taught the two the ways of the earth.

The group continued to travel, never staying in one place too long and all the while worked to help each other with the elements. When the Avatar wished for her to fulfil her promise to him- that she could teach him fire bending- she was not able to do it at first. Her secrets came out then. She feared fire, and bared the distorted back of mangled scars to prove it. She was lucky, yet not lucky. Her old lover, the Fire Nation Prince, had given up chasing them and serving under his father. He had turned against his title, his life, his roots and agreed to help end the war once and for all.

That was when she discovered her true self, her reason for life- she was the Great Child. It was a title she planned to live up to.

And she did.

She gave her life up, again. During her final battle her old love’s life was at stake. It would be him or her, and she chose herself. But the spirits saw this, the Great Child living up to her worth. The world was not ready to be without her yet, and so they gave her one finally chance.

She did not waste it.

The war ended, and though they were all left to pick up the pieces of the 100 year war, the world was at peace. Unbalanced, but at peace for the first time in a hundred years. The girl, now a young woman, moved on from her ex-lover, and fell in love with someone else. She dedicated herself to him, and was willing to marry him… until… her prince came back. Begging for one last chance to be with her, to have the chance for them to live together forever, she was left with a choice. She abandoned a man who truly loved her at the altar, only to have her prince break her heart once more. She was left alone, having lost the man who loved her unconditionally and the man she loved unconditionally.

So she ran.

She was ready to live her life in solitude. She had come to accept she would not get a happily ever after, and focused her energy elsewhere. It took five years until her prince found her once more. She was ready to run once more, but when the truth was spilled from his lips, she couldn’t bring herself to do it. She couldn’t break his heart. So she stay with him, and went back with him.

They were married, in a grand celebration, surrounded by their loving friends. After a few blissful years of marriage, she gave birth to their first child, their only son, Kenji. He fell ill as a young child and lost his sight, but never gave up his dreams for life thanks to his earth bending ability. She had two more children shortly after Kenji’s birth, twin girls- the eldest being named Izumi and the youngest Laluna. Neither girl looked like her sister, nor did their bending ability match up. Ursa was a skilled Fire bender and Laluna was a blessed air bender. The family entered a time of peace, both parents enjoying the first few years of raising their children.

She would not get the chance to see them grow up.

Before her eldest could reach ten years old, she was summoned once more to the spirits. Something, or someone, had poisoned the Ocean Spirit in the North Pole. And for the first time ever, he was dying. She was given a choice once more- stay with her family and allow the Ocean Spirit to die and throw the world off balance; or go to the North Pole and willingly give back the life she was blessed with so many years earlier.

She was the Gifted Child, and as peace, she could not allow the world to be thrown off balance any more than it was. So she went North, gave her children one final hug, and her husband, her lover, her prince, one final kiss.

And in one final breath, she was gone.

Life went on.

Her husband raised their three children as best as he could, making sure they reflected his lover’s image. And they did. The children grew with the spirit of their mother in their hearts and all went to do amazing things. Kenji went on to help lead the Metal Bending School that soon blossomed into its own town. Izumi became Fire Lord, at the blessing of her father, and to this day rules as a beloved ruler. Laluna, the last and youngest child… well… she fell in love. She had two beautiful little girls that she loved more than the moon. Like her mother, unfortunately, she was not blessed with the chance to see them grow. Sickness claimed her when both girls were young, the oldest barely 9.

Her children were taken from their home, and abandoned by their father- left to be raised by the avatar’s youngest son. Time passed, and the two girls grew up. The oldest was quickly showing the promising signs of becoming the perfect air bender, never forgetting about her past, and never forgiving…

And that girl?

Well, that girl… is me.

And this is my story.