“Deep breaths, Kashna,” her instructor tells her, frowning at her in her

horse stance until he hears and sees her taking those deep breaths. Even
though he is a waterbending instructor, he is trying to teach the lone and
young firebender in the Northern Tribe to control her ability. He sees it as
something they could harness for an advantage; she sees it as a curse, and
nothing more.
While Pakku teaches only men waterbending, he has bent his rules for
Kashna, but for her alone. She started her training with him when she was
just six, and just discovered to be a firebender, and now, almost eight years
later, she has some decent control over the fire. It was especially hard for
her as she had the unwillingness to accept that she wasn’t a part of her
beloved tribe at all.
Her adopted father had found her in one of the Tribe’s few patrols
along the ice. She was wrapped in a thin red blanket, left for dead, only
hours old. The man took pity on the girl, and took her back onto the ship with
him, keeping her warm next to his body and under his furs until they could
return to the village. The other soldiers that had accompanied him disliked
his behaviour, but could not object to it. Even they could not leave such a
helpless child to die, even if she was born from the fire nation.
Kano had taken the baby home first, and retrieved his wife, who was
unable to bear any children, and together they took her to the chief. His
voice had been stern, his eyebrows in a V on his forehead, and his word an
absolute ‘no.’ But his son disagreed with his father, saying that if it had been
an earth nation child, would he be so unwilling then? Grudgingly agreeing
with his son, he allows the couple to keep the child, as long as they kept her
in line.
Six years passed without an incident. The Chief went to the spirits,
and his son took over, and soon he and his wife had a girl of their own. Even
Kashna watched on like her adopted parents as the princess’s life was in
danger. Never allowed to see the princess, though, made Kashna feel
disconnected from Yue, until that one day.
She had been just sitting, making piles in the snow after her lessons,
when suddenly a boy stepped through her small snow fort, knocking it over
and destroying it. This boy had done things like this before, and she was
about tired of it. She had stood up, heat blazing from her hands as she
reached to touch him, to pull him back around to face her.
She burned him unintentionally, but burn him she did, and her parents
were forced to take her before the chief once more. She pleaded with him,
small as she was, saying that she didn’t mean to. She remembered the look
on the young’s chief face even years later: that of disgust. “A firebender, an
enemy among us!” He had said loudly, his voice booming with anger.
“No, not an enemy!” She said quickly. “I will always be loyal to this,
the Water Tribe. I might be able to bend fire, but that does not change who I
love.” She looks up at him, but he does not make the decision then. He
conferred, spoke with Pakku, the elders, the people in general. She had it in
her favor that she did not make much trouble as a child, that she did her
work in her lessons, that she always tried to be the kindest to everyone. Two
weeks later she was called before him again, and he agrees that she would
be able to stay, but had to take lessons from Pakku and try to control her
bending.
And eight years later, just past her fourteenth birthday, she was going
to leave to try and find a master. A real master for her, a firebending master.
Someone who could teach her, could show her the techniques instead of
trying to adapt the waterbending moves to her. She had come to grips by
now; she knows the story of how her adopted father had saved her, the stress
they went through in their every day lives because of her—and she is
eternally grateful. But now its her turn to take her own path. She needs to
find her biological parents, she needs to control her bending, she needs to
join the rebels. She knows her path; she needs to join the resistance, after
her training of course. Without training she could easily harm more of her
own than fire nation.
Despite her hardships, she now has a few friends, all waterbenders,
learning from Pakku as well. All males, of course, though she did have a few
girl friends, learning healing. It really couldn’t be avoided, considering she is
a firebender, and she was bound to get burned at least once.
“Hey, Kashna,” Okkam says, cornering her after their training. “Do you
have to go home right away?” When she shakes her head, he grins his
toothy smile. “Good. You’re leaving tomorrow, right?” He starts walking his
burly figure along a path leading to an icy bridge, and she follows, falling into
step beside him.
“That’s right,” she says, stopping at the peak of the bridge and peering
over the side and down into the water below her. “I’ll miss it here.” He steps
up beside her, looking down into the water as well. He swirls water around a
fish, bringing it up into a bubble of water. It looks angrily at him, and Kashna
laughs before he lets it drop again. “I will miss the waterbenders, my friends,
and you of course.”
“I know,” he says simply, swirling a stream of water up into the air in
front of them now. “I’ll miss you too. We all will. But we know you will stay
true to us, will come back to us having made a change in the world.” She just
nods in agreement, and he sighs, brushing a strand of black hair out of his
eyes. It fell to just past his ears. “Well, in any case, I made something for
you,” he says, pulling something out of the pocket in his furs. He takes her
hand in his, dropping something cold in it and then closing her hand over it.
“So you don’t forget.”
She takes her hand close to her and opens it. Inside is a bracelet
made of bone beads, with a tooth as an ornament, sharp and jagged. She
grins and then embraces him in a hug, glad such things are possible now. He
hugs her back for a minute, and then they part, and she puts the bracelet on,
admiring it fondly. “Thank you,” she says, smiling at him.
“I just wish I could come with you,” he says, eyebrows furrowing. “But
I have to complete my training a bit more.” He is just a year older than
herself, and she nods in comprehension.
“I understand. I’ll come back in a few years, and perhaps you can
leave with me once more.”
“Years…” he says, sighing.
“Well, yeah. I can’t hope to master firebending in less than that, and
you couldn’t master water in less than that time either.”
“I know,” he says again, sighing like before.
“Okkam,” she says softly, shifting her feet uneasily. “Don’t bother
waiting, alright? I’ll change, you’ll change, and there’s really no help for it.”
Her cheeks are full of flush when she looks back up at him.
“We will always be friends, and that won’t change. Whatever happens,
will.” He hesitates then kisses her cheek softly. She steps back quickly as
she feels her breath getting out of control, looking back over the wall of the
bridge, being careful not to touch the ice. Her hands are hot, but she closes
her eyes for a second and quickly cools them.
“That, at least, will be easy to solve once I find a master,” she
comments lightly with a small laugh. He chooses not to return it, instead
leaning on the bridge side again, looking over it moodily.
“Life will be a whole lot duller without you here.”

She leaves the next morning on one of the ships that the Tribe use for
patrols. They are going to drop her off on the closest point of the Earth
Nation mainland, a good few days by sea. She finds herself useful in the
kitchens, helping the cook keep the correct temperature in his ovens and
quickly boiling him some water. He deftly wishes that all firebenders were so
useful.
They leave her on the tip of the Earth Kindom. They tell her that to the
southeast is Ba Sing Se, and to the southwest is the fire nation. She waves
and gives a heavy goodbye to them all, hoisting her pack further on her back
as they sail back the way they had come. She carries a small sleeping roll
along with a bag full of cooking and fishing and hunting gear, and a few
personal items. She has a water tribe waterskin over her shoulder, and is
quickly removing her furs as she starts to sweat from the heat. Her furs
tightly rolled and sealed in its skin-container, thus making it compact to
carry, she puts the pack back on, and takes the small path she comes across
due east. She is in hilly terrain, and soon her legs are tired. She still goes on,
only stopping for answering nature’s calls, meals, and for sleeping at night.
She grows bored after the third day of such walking, and is glad when
she reaches a small village. She is greeted friendly enough, and enjoys a
home-cooked meal for a change in the tiny inn, sleeping on a bed and resting
her weary feet for an entire day. The morning after her arrival she goes to
the market, looking for lighter clothing to buy, knowing that the weather was
only going to get warmer the further she went. She finds a stand for clothes,
tapping her nose as she looks the wares over.
“What are you looking for, missy?” The seamstress asks her, and
Kashna looks up, startled.
“More practical clothing,” she answers simply, looking over a light
green skirt. The seamstress just grins and pulls her inside her little shop,
standing her on a stool and looking her proportions over. Nodding to herself,
the older woman pulls a dark green skirt and a lighter top from the rack,
putting a screen up so the girl can change. Blushing, Kashna pulls on the
clothes, then watches herself in the reflection of the dark screen. The skirt
reaches to just above her knees, pleated to allow her to run and such, much
to the girl’s surprise. How did the old woman know? The top was of a lighter
green, one solid piece, short enough to leave just a few inches of her navel
uncovered. She twirls around in delight, and the old woman comes back into
sight, pulling her arm so she stills.
“There now,” the woman says with a toothy smile. “All you need is
some shoes. Anything else you’ll be needing?” When Kashna shakes her
head, the seamstress brings her a pair of leather boots, and she slips them
on her feet, noting the comfort. “You can leave your furs and such here, if
you like,” she continues.
“Are you sure?” Kashna wonders, unsure, her eyebrows furrowed. “I
don’t know when I will be able to return.”
“You will return to the Tribe within the next few years, yes?” Kashna
nods. “I will still have them for you then. I will set them in my closet.
Anything to lighten your pack.” Kashna grins and thanks her kindly, then
hands her a few coins, paying for her things. She then retrieves the fur-skin
bag from her pack, handing it over with care.
“It means much to me, but you are right. Without these things, my
load will be much lighter.” She looks at the old woman. "Is there anything I
can do for you?"
The lady laughed lightly and shook her head. "No, my dear, no. I am a
simple old woman. Just make a difference."
They bowed to each other, and Kashna, her pack much lighter, left the
small village, heading down the road to the southeast, to Ba Sing Se. She
hoped that there she could find someone who knew firebending, or knew of
someone who could teach her. She would just head to the fire nation, but
she wanted to get to know the world beyond the ice before she delved into
those warm waters. Maybe there she could find her parents, her biological
parents.
She met a group of refugees along her path, on the third day of
walking past the first village. They were sitting around a small campfire that
night, but they only cooked one fish for their five people. She approached
slowly, and one of the men waved her over, noting her Earth Nation clothing.
She set her pack down gently and sat herself in the circle. "Hi," she says
hesitantly, and the men just nod in response. She frowns, and then gets up.
"I'll be right back. Build up the fire." She takes her fishing pole for looks,
though she wouldn't need it. She finds the river by its sound, and her pole
and boots were soon abandoned on the shore, and she was wading in the
water. She focuses on the heat in her belly, like Pakku taught her, and the
fish are drawn to the heat. From there, it was easy for her to grab two fish at
a time, tossing them onto the shore. When she has six, she takes her
hunting knife and kill them all quickly, whispering a soft thank you and
apology like her father had taught her. Then she slips back on her boots,
grabs her pole and her catches, and bring them back to the fire. The group
of men had worked up the fire as she had asked, and smiles and laughs at
her offerings, thanking her. She nods, cleaning a few of the fish herself. The
men were much more open to her then.
"Where did you learn to fish like that?" One of the younger men asked,
watching her clean the fish expertly. She looks up and smiles at him.
"I hail from the Northern Water Tribe. Fishing is a staple that all must
learn, especially if one wants to eat."
"Oh," he says, frowning and looking puzzled. "Aren't you a little south
and young to be out on your own?"
"I am over fourteen years," she says with another frown. "By my
figuring, you're not that much older than I am."
"True," he says, taking the fish she has cleaned over to the fire to be
cooked with the others. He then returns, sitting beside her. "What is your
name, then?"
"Kashna," she says simply. "And yours?"
"Jabu," he says, his eyes on the fire. She took the time to inspect him.
He was of medium build, his black hair kept short to his scalp, and the green
eyes seemed to contemplate what made fire burn. His clothes were the
simplest of peasant clothes; he wore a brown pair of breeches, dirty old worn
boots, possibly passed down from his father, and a loose green shirt that was
cinched at his waist with a dark brown belt adorned with little pouches and a
few knives. His eyes caught hers looking at him, and he smiled a half-smile
before she looked away. She got up and gathered up her fish for her meal,
sitting down again and eating it in near-silence. Jabu stared at her before
going to get his own bowl of fish, sitting down again beside her.
Some of the other men were already done, and turned to questioning
the newcomer. She blushed at the sudden onslaught, answering their basic
questions to the best of her ability. As per direction from Pakku, she didn't
let on that she is a firebender, knowing the chaos and trouble it would cause.
Not to mention, the amount of explanation!
They invited her to stay the night with them, and to continue on with
them as far as she wanted. They were heading to Ba Sing Se. She nodded
and thanked them, telling them she was unsure if she would go into the city.
A city devoid of fire nation, she thought to herself, wasn't what she was after.
She laid out her sleeping roll next to their tents and sighed and smiled,
taking in the warm air and the clear night of many stars. Jabu poked his head
out of his tent, then. "There are Playtpus-Bears. You don't sleep in a tent?"
"I'm alright," she replied with a smile, not worried about rain or
anything on such a perfect night.
The next afternoon it began to rain, and she frowned at it, the warm
droplets feeling odd on her face as she looked up into the clouds. The group
continued on for a bit more, before finding a small clearing and setting up
camp in it. That night she set up her sleeping roll in Jabu's tent, silently glad
that she had run into the group. She went fishing again, and miraculously [to
the refugees] found some dry firewood. She was just glad that no one wished
to accompany her on her fishing trips.
Rain beat down on the tarp as she snuggled down in her sleeping roll's
fur. Jabu just had a blanket, and watched her with interest.
"What?" Kashna asked, feeling selfconcious.
"You're like no one I've ever met," he said simply. "You don't look like
you're from the Water Tribe. Your skin is too light."
Her cheeks burned, and she turned her back to him, tears threatening.
That wasn't fair.
"No! Kashna, no, that's not what I meant..." His voice sounded
worried, a little high pitched, too. He came closer, putting a hand on her
shoulder.
She pulled her shoulder from his touch. "Don't touch me," she warned
softly, not wanting to hurt him. He replaced his hand on her shoulder,
turning her towards him. She pushed him off roughly, standing up quickly
and hitting her head on the tent ceiling. "I said, don't touch me!" She could
feel the fire threatening, and tried to subdue it, to push it back into her belly.
Her breath came fast.
"Kashna! I'm sorry, I just--"
"Just what?" She asked, cutting him off. "Just make general
assumptions about people you just met? Think that women don't have
feelings or that they don't really mean that? Huh?!" Her golden eyes blazed.
He could almost feel the heat radiating from her. "I just... think that
that's beautiful." He flushes and lays back down, his back to her.
Her fire in her belly cools, and she blushes again, laying down again.
"Sorry," she says quietly, then turning from him.
Her mind turns to her home, to Okkam, and she bites her lip, trying to keep her fire inside
her belly.

She left the group in the next Earth Kingdom town. It was an occupied town, and though
the refugee group thought she was crazy, she assured them she wasn't. She hoped to meet up
with them soon. Jabu said he would miss her, but she just smiles slightly at him and says she
hopes to see him again.
Kashna set up her little camp near the soldier's camp. She watched the soldiers practice
their firebending in the morning and in the evening. She tried to follow their movements, to try the
moves herself. She found it hard and challenging, as she was just mimicing and she had no idea
on the actual technique.
Two weeks later and one of the soldiers caught her as he went to relieve himself in the
bushes she was observing them in. He pulled her by her hair, and she hissed in pain. He threw
her on the ground away from the clearing where the soldiers trained. "Rock swine," he said
bitterly, placing a boot on her chest. "Why were you spying?"
"Forgive me, soldier, I did not mean any harm," she said quickly, brushing her hair from
her face. Her cheeks were flushing. "I was just interested in your bending techniques."
"In our bending?!" He breathed fast and hard out of his nostrils, flame coming to his hand.
"Are you not afraid of our fire as all the rest of your worthless people are?"
"I believe, soldier, that you mistake me for that of the Earth Kingdom. I am not."
"You wear their threads, their clothing. What are you then?" She forms a ball of fire in
her hand to rival his, and he jumps back, clearly surprised. "Fire Nation!"
She gets to her feet, the flame ball put out. "I am not from the homeland," she says
carefully, measuring the weight of her words. She was very clearly outmatched. "I share none of
the values of the homeland. I just share the firebending. I need to learn to control it."
"So that is what you were doing. Trying to learn our techniques through observation
alone. Pathetic."
"I could think of no other way, save going to the Fire Nation and finding an instructor
there."
He took a few steps closer, and she kept her eyes on him, very wary of his movements.
"I have seen your eyes before. It's the colour of royalty." She blinked at such a
statement. She knew her eyes were a golden colour, but she had never thought much of it before
he spoke those words. "Some of the generals are in that line and share this eye colour."
So, she thought frantically, at least I know one of my parents were some kind of royalty.
"Where do you hail from?"
"The Northern Water Tribe, soldier," she replied quickly. He took another step closer.
"Yet you are so very pale." He ran a finger down her cheek, and she closed her eyes
briefly, making the fire stay in her belly. "I can tell that you speak the truth. You were born of the
Fire Nation." He studies her for a minute. "I can teach you a little, but you must promise not to
go away."
She nodded, her heart lifting. She was sure the man would try to kill her, or force her to
do something that she was unwilling to. He tapped his cheek, and she kissed it warmly, thanking
him. He promised to return after his midday shift.
She draws in the dirt for a while before he returns, just as he said he would. They
exchanged their names then. She found his name was Li, which she thought to be rather
common and drab, but did not say so.
He jumped right in to show her some very basic moves. He told her that the fire came
from her breath, and not from the movements of her muscles. She just nods her comprehension
and tries the move again, breathing readily and fiercely. Li smiled at the line of fire she produced.
She smiled as well, amazed at the difference his amateur instruction gave her. Over the next
week he taught her some basic forms, and she learned them easily, noting how strange and yet
similar they were to the ones she had learned from Master Pakku.
Each night he had asked for a kiss on the cheek from her, and no more, which she had
done without hesitation. The least she could do, she figured, for his generosity. The seventh
night he asked for a kiss on the lips, and though she hesitated, she complied, kissing him very
briefly. He caught her up in his arms, barring her from moving away. She blushed and asked
him to release her, but he just shook his head, using a free hand to move the hair from her face.
"You are truly a beauty. The kind a man wants as his very own."
"I am not yet old enough to marry," she says quickly. Her heart raced as she thought of
home, of her people.
"How old are you?" he asked, pulling away slightly to look her over.
"Not yet fifteen years," she said, blushing. He cursed loudly.
"No matter. We are to remain here for at least another year."
"I cannot stay here that long. I must journey to the homeland and find a master."
Li sighs and releases her. "I understand. You are yet very young." He takes a stick and
starts to draw in the dirt that was trampled by their constant practicing. She soon saw that he
drew the islands of the Fire Nation, and then the coast and islands of the Earth Kingdom. "All the
way west will get you the closest you can be to the Fire Nation. But there's no need to go into the
homeland to find a quality teacher." He pressed the stick into the coast of the Earth Kingdom.
"The western coast is littered with colonies. There are a number of firebending schools set up
there. You might want to get some fire nation clothes before you ask to be accepted, however."
"Of course," she says softly, biting her lip.
"If you have no way to pay for the school, they will allow you to work at cleaning at the
facility in order to make up for it. Once you get well enough to teach, they'll allow you to be a
pupilteacher for the younger students."
"And of my family? What will I tell them?"
He was quiet for a minute. "Say you are an orphan. They're not uncommon with many
soldiers going to war." He is quiet for another few seconds. "Say you were living in an Earth
Kingdom town, and heard of the school and thought it was for you."
She nods, looking to the west. "I will learn all there is to learn. I need to. Then I will go
and find my true parents." She stands, bowing to him as he had taught her. "I thank you very
much for your kindness. I hope I have not caused you any trouble."
"None," he assures her, standing up as well and bowing in turn, then catching her up in a
hug. "You have great power. Meet it with great skill." He pulls away and put something into her
hand. "I got this for you-- just something small."
She blinks and looks at the red ribbon in her hand. "Ah, thank you." He turns her around
and ties her hair up with the ribbon, doing so so swiftly that she barely realised what was
happening. He then turns her back around and gives her a grin.
"You look beautiful." He pulls a strand of her shorter hair straight on either side of her
face. "They can't deny you."
"Thank you Li," she says again, blushing more.
Kashna left the next morning, her bag on her back, looking towards the soldier's camp
one more time. She didn't want to stay, knowing that his feelings for her would only lead to bad
things and bad ideas. And with a Fire Nation soldier-- she shakes her head at the thought. No,
she would try and steer clear of all romantic attachments. She doesn't need that.
It took her two weeks to reach the coast, and her first glimpse of the colonies. The first
few steps within that first town were surreal. Everything was red, except for the clothes of the
peasants. She flushed, realising that her parents were a part of this. Her real parents. She felt
disgusted, but vowed silently to help to change all of this.
She asked around, and found that a few days south was the most prominent firebending
school on this side of the sea. She rested in the town, working in the Inn for the night as a
waitress, earning her keep and a lot more with her tips. She used a small part of those tips to buy
herself some Fire Nation clothes the next morning-- similar to the Earth Kingdom clothes she had
acquired weeks ago. A pleated skirt, just above her knees, and a red tank top with gold
embroidery on the v-neck collar and on the top of the skirt. She kept her brown boots, and when
she looked in the mirror, her golden eyes glinted and she was a little choked up about how
different she looked against the picture she had of herself in her furs. She couldn't believe how
much she just blended in now.
The seamstress stopped as she saw Kashna, bowing lightly. "Forgive me. You startled
me how much you resemble the princess."
"I'm sorry?" She asked, stepping off the small pedestal she had been perched upon.
"Our princess Azula. You resemble her. But, forgive me. It was not my place to say."
"No, I'm glad you did," she said softly, touching her own cheek with her hand. It was odd,
but somehow revealing that the seamstress would say such a thing.
Kashna left from the seamstress's shop down to the school and reached it in four days.
Her heart skipped a beat when she laid her eyes on those big wooden doors. She knocked on
them and a butler answered, then immediatly bowed to her.
"Your highness! I did not think you would ever come to our humble school--"
"Stand up, please, sir," Kashna said quickly, her eyes darting up and down the street to
make sure no one witnessed that. "I am not the Princess. My name is Kashna." He
straightened, squinting his eyes at her, inspecting her.
 "Yes, I suppose you are not the Princess. My apologies, Lady Kashna." He stood away
from the door to allow her to enter. "What brings you here from the homeland?"
She deftly decides not to correct him.
"I heard that this school is one of the best for learning firebending. I wish to enroll."
"En-enroll?" He swallows. "Certainly. Let me take you to our headmaster." He bows to
her again and then leads her into the main building, up a series of staircases to the top floor,
where he knocks swiftly on a pair of doors that rivaled that of the front gates. A voice deems that
he should enter, and so they do. "Headmaster, sir, this is Lady Kashna. She wishes to enroll as
a student here."
The headmaster was sitting with his large wooden chair turned to look out the window,
which Kashna noted looked out over the training fields. She could see students firebending on it.
He made a noise of contemplation. "Have you way to pay for such tutelage, Lady Kashna? Your
family perhaps?"
"Please, sir, I do not have any parents, nor family I know of. I have been told I can work
for my tutelage. Does this practice still stand?"
"It does. You can work in the kitchens. That will begin tonight. Tomorrow morning you
are to report to the center training yard to take a placement test. Lee here will show you to your
room." That was a dismissal. She thanked the Headmaster, and Lee, the butler, showed her to a
small room on the third floor of a separate building. She set down her things inside. He hovered.
"The kitchens are in the basement of the main building. Settle and then report there and
explain to them why you are there." She nodded her thanks and he left her.
She unpacked the small carvings that she had carried with her from home and placed
them on her dresser, along with her comb. She could think of nothing else to do, so she made
sure her hair was tied tight and headed to the main building.
The students stopped to stare as she passed the training yards on her way. Some
bowed, but she ignored them. Soon they would all know that she is not this Princess Azula.
The head of the kitchens, a large woman by the name of Hila, set her to work peeling
potatoes. Apparently her dimunitive size meant that she was not capable of doing anything else.
Apparently, peeling potatoes would help to give her some muscle tone. Kashna just rolled her
eyes and did as she was told, not wanting to cause trouble, as always. She was happy to be
where she was, at least.
She found it hard to sleep that night. The bed was not much more comfortable than the
ground on which she normally slept, but at least it was free of bugs.
The next morning she was awakened and called to breakfast. Each building, apparently,
had its own small cafeteria. She ate a few pastries before heading to the center training field as
instructed.
The instructor was waiting there for her. He was a stern looking older man with tight lips
that clearly showed what he thought of her talents. Just like the others, he probably thought, she
thought bitterly. But it didn't matter. Woman or not, she would prove him wrong.
"Kashna," he assumed, and she nodded to confirm, bowing to him just as Li taught her.
"Show me the forms that you know."
She nodded again, and went through the six forms that she had mastered in her few
week long instruction from Li. She knew that she performed them flawlessly, because Li hadn't
let her get away with anything less. When she was finished, she bowed to him again and
straightened, waiting.
He was silent for longer than she was comfortable with. "Where were you instructed
before this?"
"Amateurly by a friend, sir."
"A Fire Nation soldier," he assumed, and she nodded to confirm. "You are to be placed in
the advanced class. You will teach the students these forms that you have learned and
mastered. No more kitchens."
"Thank you sir," she said, bowing again to him. He nodded and turned, returning to the
main building.
In the mornings she would have her lessons, and after lunch break, she would give the
lessons.
She noticed by lunchtime that most of the students were male. One of her classmates,
Hyung, chose to explain it to her.
"If females are firebenders, they usually opt for home instruction, or for a school closer to
their home than in the colonies. But this school is a boarding school, and also has a regular
school on campus. It's summer break, so academic school isn't in session. That's why
instruction is all day every day." She nodded her understanding, then thanked him. She twirled
her food around in her bowl, contemplating the ending of her own school years. She had had
almost thirteen years of schooling, and yet these kids were probably smarter than she was. Go
figure.
After lunch, she realised that she was to literally teach ALL the students the forms she
had learned. Not the very young kids, but from about nine up, she was expected to teach. She
gulped at the challenge, but tried to embrace it.
She went through the first and easiest of the six step by step that first day. She soon had
the class broken down into groups of who caught on quicker, and she found this more productive
to have them grouped as such.
She found it much easier to sleep that second night.
And so her life continued for a full month. The advanced class was practicing fighting,
which she had almost no experience in. She had to learn quickly, as all these students had their
whole lives to master the art form. Her and Li had dabbled, but he focused more on teaching her
the basic techniques and building on what she had already learned and discovered from Master
Pakku.
It was after she won her first battle that she suddenly understood. She had an epiphany
of sorts.
Master Shong pulled her aside after that day's lessons. "You have not been here very
long, and yet you succeed like no other student. Why?"
"I'm sorry, but I don't understand. What do you mean, why?"
"Why are you here, if firebending comes so easily to you?"
"I have no proper training, master. I came for proper training after years of self-teaching
and a few weeks of amateur teaching."
"Perhaps we should make all our students learn as such."
"That could end badly, master."
"Yes, it could." He searched Kashna's face. "You say you are from the colonies? Were
your parents of a royal heritage...?"
"I'm afraid I do not know," she replies quietly. "I was raised by a very nice couple who I
knew as my only parents, until--"
He nodded, understanding. "These things happen. If you would let me, I could write to
General Shu, a good friend of mine, and see if he will take you to the homeland, show you how
things are done... maybe help you find your true parents--"
"You would do all that for me, master?" She looked at him with adoring eyes.
He nodded with a smile. "I don't want to see such talent and power wasted on a patrol in
a small town. I shall keep you updated." She bowed to the Master, and proceeded to lunch, her
heart aflutter with joy. This was becoming a much easier task than she had anticipated!
Two weeks passed before any word reached her. Master Shong approached her after
lessons and told her that he had agreed, and would come on his ship to get her and begin the
apprenticeship. She doused the urge to hug him, and just bowed, thanking him again.
Somehow, word got to the students, and suddenly she was being plummeted with
questions. She answered them as shortly and as politely as possible, smiling usually, but dying a
little on the inside. All these kids were a good distraction from missing her home. It would be
harder living aboard a fire nation ship. Her throat caught at the very thought, and she fingered
her bone bracelet absently.
Two more weeks passed, and then a letter arrived via hawk at her window. She blinked
and took the scroll out of its case and unrolling it. It was from General Shu. He told her that he
was about two days out from the coast, and that he would send a small group of soldiers to bring
her back to the ship when they arrived. He asked if she needed any special accomadations for
her room and her stay. She turned the scroll over and wrote that she would like to purchase
some more clothing before they departed, but that was all she needed. She petted the hawk
gingerly, a little afraid it would snap at her, but it didn't. It just nudged her hand with its head.
She smiled, and thanked it as she put the scroll back into the canister. And then it was gone,
flying back to General Shu.
The next day she was called to the headmaster's office once more. She gulped and went
to him. He still did not look at her when she first came in, choosing again to watch the students in
the yard. "You are a wonder," he stated, turning his chair lightly to look at her out of the corner of
his eye. "I am glad that my school has springboarded you into the way of greatness."
She bowed to him and smiled. "I thank you for your kindness and compliment you on
how wonderful your school is."
"It isn't that wonderful."
"Sir?"
"I humbly request that you stay on my staff as a teacher." He turned his chair fully
around to look at her. He was an elderly man, in his sixties at least, with gray hair to his
shoulders. He was otherwise unremarkable, save his eyes. They seemed to pierce through her.
"I'm afraid I cannot at the moment, headmaster," she said, slightly frightened, bowing to
him again. "And I am certain that I am no where near the level required to teach at such a level. I
am still learning much myself."
"Perhaps in the future? Never have I seen all the students improve with such rapidity
after your humble teachings."
"Perhaps," she agreed without any solid contract. "When I have improved much."
He gave her a small bag of coin for her journey, which she accepted gratefully. Then she
left, returning to her room to make sure her things were packed in anticipation of the next day.
Sleep came hard that night. She woke in the morning, early, as usual, and dressed in her
clothes, desperate for new ones. She took her bag down to breakfast with her, knowing that the
party to take her to General Shu and his ship would be arriving soon.
Kashna stepped out of her dorm building to see the Fire Nation soldiers just entering the
gates. She grinned and turned back around, saying goodbye to her friends and peers, as well as
students. They all bid her good luck.
She crossed the yard to meet the soldiers. "Lady Kashna?" One inquired, who turned
his attention quickly from speaking with a student to her. She nodded. "We're here to escort
you."
"Wonderful!" She said genuinely. "Are we leaving immediately?"
"If you are ready." The soldier who spoke had removed his helmet to reveal a tan face
that was rather handsome but for a scar from his chin up to beside his right eye. He seemed to
be the leader of the group, and she gathered from his helmet that he was the only firebender in
the group of three.
"What are your names?" She asked first, putting her bag crossways over her torso so that
she could walk with it easier.
"I am Hyo. This is Shu and Bok." Shu and Bok, who had also removed their helmets,
nodded to her with a smile. One of them had a goatee and the other was cleanshaven, though
she wasn't sure which was which. Hyo replaced his helmet on his head, the the two other
soldiers did the same. Hyo led the way out of the gates, with Shu and Bok on either side of
Kashna. She took one last look at her school before the large wooden doors closed shut behind
them. "The walk to the docks is a few hours from here."
"I am used to walking. That distance seems like nothing." Hyo looked back at her and
smiled.
"There's not much walking to do on a ship, unless you're on watch," he said, smirking
lightly. "Don't worry, though, the general will keep you in shape with tons of firebending drills, of
his own invention for the most part."
"Do you learn these as well, Hyo?" She inquires, and it takes a minute for him to answer.
She wonders if he is more shocked she remembered his name or that she knew he was a
firebender.
"Of course. All benders aboard the ship are required to."
"And all non-benders are required to take weapons training," one of the other soldiers
reminds Hyo, and he nodded in reply.
"That's right Shu." So, Shu was the one with the goatee.
They stopped in the town two hours from the school for her clothing. Hyo advised that
she get some sets of pants instead of skirts, because every other member aboard the ship was
male. She had dropped the piece of clothing she held before kneeling down and picking it back
up quickly. "Aren't there women in the Army?"
"Of course there are. But they're few and far between, especially those who are in the
Navy. You'll see more as guards in the homeland."
Kashna just nodded and went back to examining the skirt she was holding. It was longer
than her current one, but she decided to get it. She followed Hyo's advice, however, and got two
pairs of pants, matched with tunics of a lighter red, and the belts to go with it. She tried to pay for
the things herself, but Hyo refused, saying he had direct orders to use the funds General Shu had
given him. She was a little taken aback, but decided to go with it.
She changed in the shop to the pants and tunic outfit, one of them, and actually found it
to be comfortable. She had never really worn any pants or breeches or anything in the Tribe,
though of course she had worn the warm long underthings. Her bag was now stuffed with
clothing and her other small possessions, but it was nothing she couldn't handle. She was more
in shape now than she ever had been. She felt more in control of her emotions, of her bending,
than she ever had before. She felt almost... free.
Her first sight of the Navy ship almost knocked her on her behind. She had never seen
anything so massive in her life. She blinked at it, making sure to keep her mouth closed, and
followed the soldiers closely up the gangplank and onto the deck of the ship. Her boots rang
against the wood and metal hollowly. A group of soldiers with spears approached, with a tall man
in the lead. He bowed to her, and she bowed in return. "Lady Kashna, we meet at last."
"Its a pleasure to meet you and be under your tutelage, General."
"Your master wrote many encouraging things about you in his hawk to me. I intend on
only improving that." She nods, flushing slightly. The general turns to a soldier on his left side.
"Show her to her quarters." He then turned back to her. "Take the rest of the day to get
acquainted with the ship. We begin your apprenticeship and training in the morning, as soon as
the sun has risen." She bowed to him. He walked away, leading the other soldiers away, talking
in a quick and quiet voice. The soldier he left to lead her was young. A new recruit, she
imagined. He looked at her and flushed, but just gestured with his head that she should follow
him.
Kashna complied, though the silence between them was maddening to her. He led her to
a very small room. "The General had the-- this room prepared so you wouldn't have to sleep with
the men. It's not much, but trust me, its safer." He stood at the door while she set her bag down.
"When we set out of port, you'll want to tie that bag to your bunk." She nodded.
"When will we be departing?"
"Soon," he said simply, shrugging. "We gathered the supplies we needed while they
were off collecting you. Here," he moved toward her and her bunk, and she immediatly took a
step back. He ignored that and used the rope hanging on the corner of the bunk to tie her bag to
tightly. "I'm not one of the ones you need to worry about, Lady Kashna."
"I'm not worried about anyone," she snapped, heart racing, but he just shook his head at
her, chuckling lightly.
"No," he said, standing then, "I suppose you wouldn't be. Just make sure you always
stay on guard." He waved a hand for her to follow him and they left her very small room, which
she suspected was very recently a closet, and he showed her the major points of the ship. She
nodded at each place, asking minimal questions. The mess hall, the deck, the stairs that led from
the boiler to the deck, the baths, everything. They were on the stairs up to the deck when three
whistle sounds blew. She covered her ears, expecting more. "Means we're about to make way."
They went the rest of the way up to the deck, and she watched at the starboard side of
the ship as the town gradually disappeared into the distance. Her heart sank as she knew what
being aboard this Fire Nation ship, for the second time in her life... what significance that held.
The last time she was on a Fire Nation ship, she had been with her true parents. It was a little
surreal. Almost fifteen years exactly. Her birthday was in a few days, but she didn't plan on
celebrating it. She never did. What would she do here, anyway?
As she stood there on the side of that ship, looking out at the never-ending ocean, she
thought of home. She thought of her parents. She wondered how they were faring. The others
must not have given them an easy time, not with where she had gone off to and what she had
planned to do. What she was doing. She thought of her friends, of Okkam... Her heart hurt from
lonliness. But she knew it was only from lack of something to do.
Hyo all of a sudden was beside her. She jumped, then smiled, apologising. "Homesick?"
He asked her quietly. She was silent, looking back out on the waves.
"This is the farthest I've been from home, and the longest. I miss it. I miss everyone."
He nodded his understanding. "Before the Academy, years ago now, I thought nothing
could slow me down. I thought everyone in my life was disposable. Not worth my time. I know
better now."
"Its not like that for me. I love my family, my friends... everyone there is like my family.
Being away... though not the hardest thing I've ever done, it certainly is difficult to just not return
home."
"You don't really have a choice, now," Hyo said with a small smile, stealing a look at her.
"It will probably be years until you get to see your home again." Though she agreed, she stayed
quiet. She didn't want to think what would happen in that time. At least she would know if the Fire
Nation wanted to start an initiative against her home. She would know who to talk to, or kill, to
protect and save her home.
That much, at least, gave her some reassurance on her abrupt decision to undergo an
apprenticeship. She figured that once she was well trained, had some good connections, she
could lead a rebellion in secret. Disguise her identity.