ATLA Little Bender

King Loony Bumi

A/N  on 1K!  Posted 1:06 AM 

Word Count: 3596

Okay so I wanted to update this earlier for the support from all of you and I want to thank @Alice-in-madness for her kind comment and @Spectro64 for following, the double update to be posted Friday is for you! Thanks for the follow! 

Appreciations to everyone that added my story to their reading lists, trust me it's only beginning- I have about 24 drafts to edit before they're published and that's not even the end! I'm in progress on another to be completed chapter as well as others for my separate stories,

Fun Fact the music I link are the ones I listen to set the mood and subtle tones on how Elaria feels throughout the chapter! Sometimes it takes a while to find the songs I plan on but soundtracks are amazing to listen to either way.

I'm honestly in awe on how many readers stayed with me and how many have joined the group in support of Elaria's story, as a fresh writer thank you so much for giving me the chance to share something I love to do with you all!  I do read the comments and I do look at my notifications, I wanted to thank you all individually but now it's something I need to catch up on so here is my thanks- ON WITH THE STORY! 

The more she challenged his authority- the more glowers hit Elaria's back. The more she ignored the mess in her hair and the dirt on her cloak. The red and gold that gleamed and signified her high status covered by the heavy material of her cloak. Her face was still flushed, no longer from the heat of being in dark colors on a sunny day but from the joyride that the gang took in the mail cart. 

She would recognize the face of King Bumi everywhere, Elaria is dedicated to her studies. King Bumi has ruled Omashu for generations. Although she wasn't particularly impressed with his look. She had told her father he looked loony- but then her father had told her not to take first appearances to heart. She had doubted Iroh's words; Elaria would not let loony Bumi look down at her or the Fire Nation.  

To her surprise, his eyes held nothing but respect before he broke into senile laughter. Next to her Aang, Katara, and Sokka rose from their kneeling positions; Aang had shifted to be closer to Elaria in case he needed to cover her. He had put himself in line with the senile king who stopped laughing and stared at the two of them with a new gleam in his eyes. The king looked for an explanation from a guard, who stepped forward after another glower at Elaria. 

"Your majesty, these juveniles were arrested for vandalism, traveling under false pretenses, and malicious destruction of cabbages." The merchant, who's cart they had destroyed grew impatient, he angrily yelled, "Off with their heads! One for each head of cabbage!" His words expressed with him jumping agitatedly up and down while waving his fist in the air. Elaria wanted to throw him into the gorge where his first cart of cabbages was lost.

The guard gestured to the merchant, "Silence! Only the king can pass down judgment. What is your judgment, sire?" 

The gang all watched in anticipation, while Elaria felt her stomach churn. If her father was right about King Bumi being more than his appearance than he would be smart enough to use her as a hostage to guarantee safety against the Fire Nation. Unlike her temporary companions who were too new to the war to realize the dark tactics that could be used and had been used in the last hundred years. Bumi was old in age, ruling Omashu for nearly a hundred years, as old as Aang claimed to be. She wouldn't be as lucky to find kindness in her enemies...

If she would go down, she would rather complete her bitter duty to sacrifice her body and spirit than be used as a weapon. They tensed as he opened his mouth, he paused to fill the air with suspense, "Throw them..." The group uneasily eyed each other. "A feast!"