Avatar The Last Airbender Fan Fiction ❯ Prophesied ❯ Reveal to Me My True Name ( Chapter 16 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

“...Walk the dark path
Sleep with angels
Call the past for help
Touch me with your love
And reveal to me my true name...”

--Nemo by Nightwish

Chapter 16: Reveal To Me My True Name

The sun rose, but its fire did not spread. Clouds covered the skies, dark clouds, sending lightning and loud crashes of impending disaster over the people of the world. It was a dark day.

The day dawned early in the Fire Nation but Fire Lord Ozai had been awake for hours. The palace was a much more welcoming place to him it seemed. Both his children gone on pointless missions but it was the absence of the once horrid dreams of red-eyed men and golden dragons that he appreciated the most.

Only one thing worried him now, and that was the Prophecy that the Fire Sages had brought to his attention now barely a week ago. Apparently the small stanza that he'd first read was not all there was and he smirked, remembering. The Fire Nation would not be so easy to beat.

Even so, Ozai was preparing for the final strike in the war. If he could end the war before the Prophesied Four arose, then the Prophecy itself would be pointless. He felt confident that mere words written could not defeat him. He held the Son of Agni's spear. That had to count for something.

When he'd shown the spear to the Fire Sages, they'd quickly given it a name other than the one Keilantra had. They called it the Qiäng, or the Spear of One Thousand Flames, forged to be wielded by the Son of Agni and him alone. The fact that he had it would be a great advantage, but he had to keep it well protected. If it fell into the hands of him who could use it, only disaster would come of it.

Now he walked quickly through the halls, heading for the war chamber. He'd spent the last few days coming up with a fool-proof plan to at last wipe out the Earth Kingdom capital and the rest of their opposition. The problem was that to complete it he would need his little brother to come home.

Fire Lord Ozai entered the war chamber with his usual flourish and took his place among the flames, the Qiäng bumping against his skin in its place beneath his robes. The generals all stood half bowed until he sat, and then they all took their places.

Ozai gave a scroll to one of his more loyal generals and then he stood, preparing to speak. He waited a moment, giving them plenty of time to realize that he had stood, and then all attention was upon him. The general he had handed the scroll to began.

“My lord, you say you have a plan to seize Ba Sing Se?”

Ozai nodded, and began to elaborate.

Azula and Jet sauntered into the village for no particular reason except the fact that they had time to kill and there might be a bit of information on the Avatar's whereabouts. Jet found himself preoccupied with other things while Azula tried her hand at discreetly interrogating merchants. She wasn't good at it. He drew out the amulet and gazed at it for a moment before tucking it beneath his shirt again.

Azula came up to him with fire in her eyes.

“That one didn't have any information either.”

Jet smirked inwardly. She'd never get anything from these merchants if she kept going as she did, but really, why did he care? The Avatar was going to be at Omashu within a month, she didn't need to worry so.

“I'm sure that this isn't necessary.”

She turned from him, marching towards the next free merchant, knowing that the rebel would follow. Azula knew it wasn't necessary, that what he had said was true, but she wouldn't admit that he was right a second time. It was bad enough that he plagued her about how he had saved them in the woods despite how she claimed that she was not the one who had needed saving.

Her eyes fell on two men entering the marketplace. From their clothes they appeared rich. They had to be to not be either in the war or refugees. One was clearly Earth Kingdom but the other puzzled Azula, for his hair was pure silver.

Ziri left the blacksmith's shop and took a shortcut towards the beaches through the training grounds. There warriors of every age and gender learned the deadly arts to prepare themselves against the Fire Nation.

Several of those training were firing arrows at straw targets, and the best of them was a girl. Ziri recognized her. She'd come in to the shop earlier and placed an order for several hundred steel arrowheads. The girl spotted him watching her and waved him over, so he went to her.

“Why are you watching me?”

Then she frowned, for he was looking directly at her bow and not at her.

“Will you teach me to use one of those?”

Her eyebrows rose in surprise. “A bow?”

He nodded.

“Don't you know?”

Ziri shook his head. “I wasn't allowed to learn weaponry with my father and when we lived with our aunt I had no one to teach me.”

She smiled kindly and placed the bow in his hands.

“Here, hold it like this.”

Placing her hands over his, she showed him how to hold the bow and how to nock the arrow. Their bodies were pressed together and she was blatantly aware of the fact that he had several inches and probably fifty pounds on her, but for some reason she didn't feel threatened.

Ziri's gaze didn't shift from the arrow and she chuckled.

“Look down the arrow and see your target at the end of the arrow.”

She pressed her cheek to his to see down his line of sight.

Ziri aimed for the wooden plate over the straw man's chest, the bow string drawn tight.

“Now loose.”

He released the bow string and the arrow went flying forward. It hit the edge of the board and bounced off. Ziri felt disappointed but the girl laughed.

“Good! You did better your first time than I did! I didn't even hit the board.”

“But it didn't lodge.”

She took up her place again. “Just put more power behind it.”

“How?”

“Pull the bowstring further back.”

Ziri drew another arrow and placed it as she had shown him and drew the bowstring back so the feathers of the arrow tickled his cheek. The arrow flew as he released, and this time it lodged itself just a little left of the center of the board.

“I think the boy's a natural.”

The girl nodded to whoever had spoken then turned back to Ziri.

“Well, keep practicing!”

Ziri took another arrow from the quiver and continued. She smiled.

“By the way, my name is San.”

Ziri's arrow flew and landed half an inch away from his other arrow, this time closer to the center. This time he didn't hesitate to take another arrow and prepare his next shot.

“I'm Ziri.”

“I know.” She said, laughing. “The entire town is talking about you and your sister.”

“Really? What do they say?”

The next arrow landed directly next to his second arrow.

“Huh, you're accurate and precise. They don't say anything but good. Mainly about how both of you are such hard workers.”

San bit her lip. “But they do talk about how you got your scar. Apparently, the Prince of the Fire Nation has a scar just like yours.”

Ziri smiled. “Do they think I'm him?”

“Some of them do.”

“Do you think if I were a prince I'd be here? I'd be off with my father planning how to take over Ba Sing Se. Besides, my parents are dead.”

San smiled. “You're right. Those people are foolish. Besides, you don't talk like royalty. Don't look like it either.”

“Hey!” Ziri started indignantly, but he was smiling. He knew she was joking.

“So how did you get your scar?”

Ziri's expression darkened and San wondered if she'd said something wrong.

“My father hit me with burning log when I displeased him.”

“I'm sorry.”

Suddenly, the arrow Ziri was holding burst into flame just as he shot it. It landed on the head plate of the straw man and the whole thing was alight in seconds.

A man ran over and doused the fire with a bucket of water, but soon everyone was looking at Ziri. Ziri himself was staring at the target his eyes wide and his mouth open in shock, the bow still in his hands.

San had stepped away from him, a hand over her mouth.

“You're…you're…”

Ziri turned and ran, dropping the bow at her feet.

Mamoru and Samir were walking through the market when Samir just sat down in the dirt like it was a silk bed.

“Damn, Moru, I'm tired. These mortal bodies wear out fast don't they?”

Mamoru sat down next to the Air God and sighed. He was tired too.

“We've been walking all day and yet we haven't found a single sign of Zuko or your son.”

“I'm sorry I'm such a lecher.”

“Glad you finally admit it.”

“I was being sarcastic you dirt clump.”

Samir was promptly hit with a dirt clump.

“And plenty more where that came from.”

Samir fell back, lying full out against the ground. “Earth.”

“Air.”

Both of them started laughing, neither paying attention to the afternoon sun as it ran red.

Azula's attention was turned from the men as a red glow appeared over the land. Jet gave an angry growl as thick reddish-black smoke covered the sky, coming from the south.

A man ran into the village on an armored bird.

“Guards, the Fire Nation is attacking the southern rice fields! There are villagers down there!”

Azula was torn for a moment, prepared to ignore the announcement and go back to her ship when Jet tore past her in the direction the guards were running.

“Jet!”

He spun around and she glared at him.

“We had a deal Jet!”

“I don't care!” he shouted back. “I may be helping you but I am still Earth Kingdom. I will not let your people destroy mine!”

And then he turned and ran off. She last saw him leaping into the trees. Spinning, she turned back to the two men, but they too were gone. With an angry growl, Azula ran off after Jet.

Kaia was tired.

Gods did not often get tired, feel hunger, or any of the other exasperations that plagued mortals, but Kaia was simply exhausted.

Why she didn't really know but she was. A possible reason was that Kaia was naturally social, and the Spirit World was currently empty of her companions, save for Agni, whom she was a little afraid to speak to at the moment.

Looking back, if only she'd summoned the courage to go to the Fire God.

Instead Kaia wandered aimlessly through the airy world that Alem had built before disappearing nearly two hundreds years ago from both Spirit and Aye. She formed herself a couch and collapsed onto it, the wild thoughts running through her mind that had made her tired in the first place not seeing this as a decent excuse to stop pestering her.

Unconsciously she massaged her temples, trying to ease a pain that was not there. Seeking a relief to the mad half-formed thoughts she turned her mind to her daughter, Kioko.

Instantly the turmoil ceased as she remembered watching the young girl run after a butterfly, her father steps behind her, watching her protectively as she watched them both from the shadows of the afternoon sun.

Her eyes fell on the man she'd once thought she'd loved. He still smiled, especially when looking upon their daughter, but did he hate her for what she had done? Oh, know it and know it well that she loved her daughter, but it hadn't taken her long to discern that she did not love Yato. Every instant she'd spent with him she'd found herself comparing him to her husband, and all he had truly done was show her how much she did love Mamoru.

Kioko bound her forever to Aye, and she did not regret it for an instant. She only wished Mamoru would look at her straight once more. She had not seen him for nearly a week now, nor had she seen Samir. Makani had not been any help, Shasa was still in Aye, and Nen…was never any help anyway.

“I'm not? How sad.”

Kaia opened her eyes to meet the azure gaze of the youngest Water Goddess, strangely startled to see the self-righteous smirk on Nen's face.

“Hello Nen.”

“So polite after that little insult? I feel so unloved.”

Kaia leaned back again as Nen summoned a chair and draped herself across it and she sighed.

“You should Nen, you should. Who could love you after all you've done?”

Surprisingly, Nen laughed, a cold hard sound that made Kaia sit up straight, swinging her legs off the couch. A feeling of foreboding filled her.

“Relax Kaia; you act like a rabbit ready to spring away at the first sign of danger.”

A rabbit? Ready to spring? Danger? That was exactly how she felt.

The aura around her was very very dangerous right now. She didn't quite understand why, but something was very wrong. Kaia stood.

“I'm going to go talk to Agni. He must be feeling lonely.”

Another hollow laugh. “Oh yes, I'm sure he wants to talk to one of the people who decided it was best if he just kind of sat back for a while.”

Kaia gritted her teeth as she turned her back on Nen and walked towards the cut she made in reality, ready to transport herself to the swamp that Agni was currently residing in.

“You forget that you were the one who…” she trailed off, unable to do anything else as the portal closed in front of her.

“I don't think you should go speak to him.”

Without warning Kaia's heart broke. Suppressed sobs wracked up into her body and screamed from her throat.

“Why, Nen? Why? Why did you decide it was best for us? Why did you do this to him?”

She could almost feel Nen's sick grin. “Because he would end the war.”

Kaia froze, her heart pounding rapidly in her chest as the air became almost intolerably thick.

“And the war replenishes my flocks.”

Kaia stood there immobile, unable to fully comprehend what was being said to her.

This isn't happening I am not alone here this is a dream I am not going to die I can breathe my heart is still within my chest I am still here I am still alive this isn't happening I am not alone with HIM!

“Eimin…” she breathed.

The laugh came to her again, bursting from Nen's throat but soon all traces of feminine attributes were gone, and she was too afraid to turn around. His hand was cold on her throat, just barely brushing her skin but his presence made the air toxic.

Struggling to draw breath she heard him chuckle again at her situation.

“Why?”

He laughed again. “I shouldn't explain myself to you. Besides, you'll know soon enough.”

“Where is Nen?”

He spun her around, his hand now wrapping itself around her slender throat. She stared fearfully into his terrible black eyes, and he was less than an inch away from her, his lips actually brushing hers as he spoke.

“In a place where you will soon join her.”

Rou snapped awake from his dream with a growing sense of fear and dread in his heart.

The sun was setting behind dark clouds and Ziri was on the outskirts of town, his eyes closed; he was focusing only on the sun he could not see. He could pinpoint its exact position, but how he knew it was there he wasn't sure. Perhaps it had something to do with the fire in his blood.

The paths of tears had long since left his face, and he wanted to bury himself in the ocean so he knew he would never be able to create fire. He was frightened of this power within him, wondering if his father and mother had always known, and then Aunt as well.

Twice now he had fire-bended, both times at a moment when anger had filled him. He knew that fire was an angry element, but how could he learn to control it so that he didn't harm anyone?

“I wish I knew more about what I am, not who.” he said simply to the wind.

He still felt faint though not quite as much as he had the day before, and this was another cause for concern. One moment he had been fine and the next he had been so weak he could barely stand, what was wrong with him?

The young fire-bender stood and started to head back to the house he shared with Midori. Time had slowed to a crawl, but he felt sure that something was going to happen, and soon. It was in the breath of the air, in the fire of his heart, and in the tightening of his chest.

Suddenly he turned and gazed north, a presence strong in his heart. His eyes perceived nothing, but he did not need eyes to see.

Zuko gave a cry as he sat up, his head snapping around to face south-east. He felt as if someone was standing just there beside him, someone he'd known always and never met. His head pounded furiously against his sudden movement and the room spun in his gaze, but he struggled to see through to where they were.

“Where are you?” He whispered to the room.

Moments later, a voice came with the breath that tore the life from his candle.

“I am here!”

“Where?” he shouted. “Come!”

“I am here, where are you? I will come!”

He did not know how to respond, and the last shout had sapped his strength. He collapsed on the bed as Katara rushed in.

Ziri watched the horizon when the winds brought a voice to him.

“Where are you?”

“I am here!” He called.

He waited a few moments, breathless.

“Where? Come!”

Ziri bit his lip, his heart pounding. “I am here, where are you? I will come!”

But no response came, and suddenly he felt even weaker. A cool breath on his forehead and then he spun around to see San coming down the hill to meet him. They sat down on the sand together.

“Why did you run today?”

He sighed. “I was frightened…of what they would say.”

San let out a long breath, biting her lip. “They just wish you'd told them.”

Ziri sighed, staring at his hands. The silence grew sharply and San feared he wouldn't say anything to her at all.

“That was only the second time I've…fire-bended.”

Somehow saying it was like sealing his fate.

“And the first?”

“Just before we left Cascata, when our father killed our aunt.”

San took his hands in her gently.

“It will be all right Ziri.”

He turned his head towards her, wanting desperately to believe her. He was so absorbed in pitying her because she did not understand that he didn't notice her closing the distance between them until her lips were pressed to his.

And then he just stopped thinking and merely reacted to his first kiss by responding in turn.

Jet flew towards the battle, barely aware of the sun setting, his mind settling blankly on the tasks ahead.

The guards were running as fast as they could towards the battle, but a loud cry from over head startled them. Looking up, a silver eagle at least the size of a dragon soared over them, flying towards the battle. A moment later a crashing sound was heard behind them.

Out of the woods a huge dark brown and black wolf came running towards them. Several of the guards gave frightened cries as the wolf was at least as big as three Komodo Rhinos, but the wolf just leapt over them without slowing. Quickly they began following the two great beasts.

Jet raced through the trees, the branches welcoming him and for the first time since leaving his woods he felt at home. No Fire Nation Princess running after him shouting orders, no rebels needing directions, only him, the trees, and a few Fire Nation soldiers' heads to knock off.

When he burst onto the scene the first thing he saw was a huge wolf standing at the crest of the hill. It was standing with a paw covering a Komodo Rhino and it raised its head to the sky and let out a mournful and yet triumphant howl. Then it bounded over the hill and down into the valley.

The waters in the valley were stained red, the rice ruined, but now human lives were more important.

The eagle flew over Jet's head as he flew into battle, and paused, beating its wings in a steady tattoo against the air for a moment before whipping them forward, the feathers almost touching at the tip. Blades of air were released and whipped down at the scattering Fire Nation soldiers, scarring the earth with their power.

The tanks were heading towards where the wolf was taking out their soldiers almost mechanically with snarls and growls as his only shows of emotion and the eagle gave a piercing cry as it swooped low over the earth.

Jet caught two soldiers with his swords and used the momentum of bashing their heads together to propel him up and over their heads. He flew through the air for a moment, briefly realizing that there were no more trees or Fire Nation heads to land on, and he was rather high up, and he grabbed onto the first thing that came into contact with his hand.

This happened to be black fur.

Jet was riding on the shoulder of a huge black/brown wolf.

The wolf didn't seem to mind he was there; in fact it just spared him a glance and continued on with ripping the tanks to shreds. Apparently it could tear through steel as if it were paper. He knocked away a fireball that threatened to singe the wolf and propelled himself up onto its back, settling into the groove between the wolf's shoulder blades.

Jet knocked away fireballs and soldiers, somehow keeping his balance as the wolf ran from tank to tank, tearing them apart and howling in anger. He turned to block a soldier's spear when sudden pain spread through his back.

Azula ran into the clearing just in time to see a soldier swipe his spear across Jet's back. It seemed everything slowed down as the body of her…acquaintance if not companion…arched backwards, the hook-swords falling from his hands as he fell to the ground.

The eagle overhead let out an earsplitting screech as a fireball landed squarely on its wing, sending it crashing to the ground a bit of a ways away from the battle. The wolf let out an angry yip before taking off in the direction the eagle had fallen, disappearing quickly over the hills. The guards of the village were left to clean up and help the wounded, the Fire Nation slinking away in defeat.

A lone mournful howl filled the silence after the battle as the moon rose.

Katara had been asleep for barely ten minutes before a warm tenor woke her from her daze. The voice drifted to her from the bow of the boat, drawing her from her position and helping her to walk to it.

The sun is sleeping quietly

Once upon a century

Wistful oceans calm and red

Ardent caresses laid to rest

There he was, Zuko, the object of her torment and the only one who had come close to understand the turmoil created not only by him but by the struggles she'd been forced to endure.

And he was singing.

For my dreams I hold my life

For wishes I behold my night

The truth at the end of time

Losing faith makes a crime

He paused, his arms wrapped around his bare chest. For some reason, he didn't look physically sick anymore, just heartsick and maybe…homesick? He raised his head to the full moon rising, his eyes pleading, the light of the moon falling to embrace him, and Katara gasped at the scene before her, his words coming to her as if from ten thousand years away.

I wish for this nighttime

To last for a lifetime

The darkness around me

Shores of a solar sea

Oh how I wish to go down with the sun

Sleeping

Weeping

With you

He paused only to take a breath, unconscious of her presence.

Sorrow has a human heart

From my god it will depart

I'd sail before a thousand moons

Never finding where to go

Two hundred twenty two days of light

Will be desired by a night

A moment for the poet's play

Until there's nothing left to say

I wish for this nighttime

To last for a lifetime

The darkness around me

Shores of a solar sea

Oh how I wish to go down with the sun

Sleeping

Weeping

With you

His voice was so full of emotion that Katara barely registered the tears falling down her face as she willed her body to move, to go to him, but it seemed unwilling to break the spell that now entranced her. He closed his eyes silently, as if listening to unseen music and when his eyes opened once more they sparkled with unshed tears.

I wish for this nighttime

To last for a lifetime

The darkness around me

Shores of a solar sea

Oh how I wish to go down with the sun

Sleeping

Weeping

With you

It was as if the song itself had been holding him upright for as soon as the last note faded from his lips his body arched backwards, crashing unceremoniously to the deck.

Katara ran forward with a cry but when she reached his body he was not breathing.

Tears sprang to her eyes as she sought a way to make him breathe. There was no water lodged in his lungs, why had he stopped breathing? Why, gods above, what was happening.

The more logical part of her supplied an answer.

He's dead…

“No! Zuko! Breathe damn you!”

She shook him hard, willing him heartbreakingly to wake, but he did not respond.

“NO!” She screamed with more intensity, pulling him to her. The heat of his fever was more pronounced now, and she sobbed desperately, willing the fever that had taken him to take her as well.

“I promised you I'd never leave you and now if you are going to leave me, then I will die here beside you!”

It was as if he heard her, as if he responded to her desperate pleas, for he drew a ragged breath and pressed himself against her. Moaning, she lay down beside him, still cradling him in her arms. Sleep came too easily.

The night found Neith climbing onto a boat bound for her home, for her fiancé. Iroh was the only person on the dock to see her off, and as she turned to wave good-bye, she tried to understand why the only thing that mattered to her was the smile on his face.

As night fell over the Sozun Palace, Ozai finally found the officer that he'd sent seven servants to find and had at last had to resort to searching for himself.

“Captain Min.”

The officer turned and bowed deeply. “My lord, what a pleasant surprise to see you. I hope I am not disturbing you.”

Ozai smiled. The man always shifted blame to himself in the presence of his superiors, but was merciless to those beneath him, especially on the battlefield.

He handed a scroll to Captain Min and gave the officer one of his rare smiles.

“You are being promoted.”

“I thank you my…” And then he trailed off, staring somewhat surprised at the parchment. “A promotion…to Admiral my lord?”

Any other officer Ozai would've killed on the spot, but Min was too valuable, not to mention that Ozai actually liked him.

“You are the only one in my ranks worthy of such a promotion Admiral Min.”

The new admiral couldn't help a small smile that graced his features at the title. “My lord, I thank you. What are my orders?”

Ozai's smile widened. “I have sent General Zade to clean out the last remaining rebellious cities in the western Earth Kingdom. I'm sure he will do fine.”

“You wish for me to accompany him my lord?

“Hardly, I have two missions for you. I want you to send a message to General Iroh. He will be leading the northern force against Ba Sing Se.”

“Of course my lord.”

“And then you will be leading the southern and eastern forces against Ba Sing Se.”

There was a moment of stunned silence.

“My…My lord, I will…be honored to lead your army against the Earth Kingdom capital.”

“Good. I ask one more thing.”

“Yes my lord?”

“I want my son to return to the Fire Nation, with my brother.”

Admiral Min looked at him strangely. “My lord, are you sure that is wise?”

For the first time since Ozai had known him, Admiral Min was questioning him, and then he realized why.

“Admiral, I want him back so I can lock him in the deepest hole of the Fire Nation and forget about him.”

Admiral Min nodded. “Of course my lord, I will see to it.”

Ozai turned away and missed the malevolent grin spreading its way on his newest admiral's face. Unbeknownst to him, he had perhaps just handed the world over to destruction, to chaos, to hysteria.

To death.

Admiral Min raised his head, black eyes staring after the Fire Lord with a wicked gleam.

The sun rose bleakly over the icy waters of the North Pole. A scout urged his canoe a little further when he saw a large Water Tribe ship heading his way. He paddled over to it and climbed on board. There on the deck was a Water Tribe girl and Fire Nation boy, wrapped together against the cold.

He raised the horn to his lips and gave a call.