Kingdom of the Sun

4

 Two Years Ago...

"Have you ever heard the story of 'The Man that Fell in Love with the Sun?' It's a story about a man made out of wax, that- as the title says- falls in love with the Sun and everybody warned him not to get too close, but he didn't listen, and he did. Because of it he got too close and melted which resulted in his death."

Tsai eyed her brother oddly with a disturbed expression in her features. This was very... uncharacteristic of her brother. Mecha didn't read anything unless he had to. Much less novels and less for pleasure.

"That's pretty morbid..."

He lowered the book and tossed his head back in frustration on the chair in which he was reading. "Do you think Mai will like it?" He asked raising his head looking at her with a dreamy expression on his face.

She couldn't help but roll her eyes and turn her eyes back to the reflection on her vanity. Starring down a blemish on her face. "I'm sure she'll love it," she retorted mindlessly while brushing her wavy auburn hair back. "It's right up her alley... Although, It's not like you. To actually read to impress a girl."

"Ha!" He let out a chuckle and stood up. "But she's not just any girl." Her brother said before approaching her and messing up her combed hair. She glowered at him. "Also – I do read. I just don't care for entretaintment literature."

"Get out of my room Mecha!" She barked pointing at the door.

"Very, very unlike you to take time off work to go visit your boyfriend in the Mainland." He teased leaning on the doorway with his arms crossed over his wide chest.

"I'm not taking off time. I'm going to go negotiate," she let out an exhausted huff while glaring at a single hair that remained standing up in defiance of her hairbrush. "And you know he can't just take the day off, I mean he is the Fire Lord."

She was excited to visit Zuko in the Fire Nation's capital. It had been a year since the end of the One Hundred Year War, and both had last seen each other since sometime after the war. Long distance was hard, the fact that he was an absolute monarch at the age of eighteen and she was back home in the colonies attempting to hold a revolutionary uprising or a civil war from happening made things even harder. Regardless, the two were trying their best sending each other letters and gifts on the daily to stay in contact.

Life without him was hard; specially after a year of being around each other both day and night.

Visiting wasn't only hard because of the distance and both of their terrible schedules. There was also another problem...

"Whatever, I've warned you plenty of times and mom has warned you. It is not safe. You're going to get yourself killed or assassinated in some brutal way."

One of their main enemies was her own father.

Azah had been the Vice-Royal Governor of Yu Dao, after the end of the war his post was overtaken by his son Mecha, and he fled that same day. The man hadn't been seen since then. He was considered a fugitive and enemy of the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom and was currently leading the Colonial Liberation Movement. A movement dedicated to the liberation of the colonies as one independent governmental identity which was neither affiliated with the Earth Kingdom or the Fire Nation.
His ideology wasn't wrong, it was shared with his children and some of the other citizens of the colony. However, his means to achieve his goal, terroristic attacks, bombings and kidnappings...

That's were morality drew the line and things went awry.

Xxx

Mecha had been right.

Tsai had taken a warship to the Mainland. On her way there was a pirate attack. Nothing her and her troops couldn't handle, but it was something that she definitely wasn't going to tell Zuko. What would be the use in worrying him? He already had enough on his plate as things were.