Avatar The Last Airbender Fan Fiction ❯ The Burning Abyss ❯ The Lost Princess ( Chapter 1 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Hina: This is my first ever Avatar: The Last Airbender fanfic, using the whole, “What if Zuko and Azula had a younger sister?” idea. I wrote this a long time ago and I thought that I could go back and edit it some and post here. Enjoy.

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The Burning Abyss
By: Tygra’s Wife Oracle
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Chapter One:
The Lost Princess
The voices of the villagers met my ears as I walked by. This was a small earth-bending village, far away from the clutches of the Fire Nation. A peaceful village. That is what we are.

“Morning, Sakura.” Said an old man.

I smiled and waved at him in passing. My name is Sakura. I am the daughter of a fire nation maiden, Ursa. Of course, my mom does not have that violent streak like our brethren, but she can be scary when angered. No one knows who she was among the Fire Nation, but people in this village could care less about your past.

What really count is the present. Still, I often wondered what made Mama run from the Fire Nation.

What kind of life did she lead? Shaking the thought out of my head, I gripped the basket more tightly. The dirt flew up like dust as I continued to walk.

More villagers greeted me until I finally reached my destination. It was a small market. My golden gaze glanced at the various stands. Some had cages full of animals while others were filled with food.

“Sakura,” I looked up at the voice.

It was a young woman. Her long blonde hair framed a pale, but fine boned face. Piercing blue eyes peered at me. I smiled.

“Lena.”

Lena is an old friend of my mother. She is the one who found Mama when she ran away from our homeland. A smile graced her dangerously beautiful features.

“What brings you here?” her voice was kind, but fierce.

I do not really know much about her. My hand dug into my pocket and pulled out a small piece of paper.

“Mama wishes for... some medicine, I think.”

Lena’s face softened and she quickly turned around. She roamed, searching through various trinkets and items on her table. Her hands finally stopped and grabbing what she had found, the woman turned back to me. In her hand, held against her chest was a small bottle. It was filled with dark blue liquid. It was obviously medicine.

“Here.” She held it out to me, “give this to Ursa, it should make her feel better.”

I mumbled my thanks as I took the vial. It was cool in my hand.

Lena cupped my cheek and brought my head to stare into her eyes, “Ursa is so lucky to have you for a daughter.”  

I only shook my head at her words, “Mama’s not lucky. I am the lucky one. Mama is just strong and doing what she can in this time of war.”

Lena smiled, “well said, little one. You are wise beyond your years.” She bid me goodbye before waving me away. Lena’s nice and all, but she is hard to understand. Taking this as a dismissal, I thanked her before walking off, basket and medicine in hand. My long dark hair fell about my face as I continued to walk, slowly making my way through the village. The reason my mom needed the medicine was because she is sick.

It is fortunate that Lena is a healer. Matter of fact, she is a water bender. At least that is what I was told.

A voice called out to me as I arrived at the outskirt of my surrogate father’s farm. My surrogate dad was a kind and gentle soul, a farmer. I looked over to find my surrogate father, Shang running toward me. I could sense the worry coming off him.

“What’s wrong, Shang?” I asked, hoping for good news. Obviously, my brave front failed me. He gave me a weak smile through his sadness.

Standing straight, Shang’s eyes locked with mine as he took me by my shoulders, “it’s your mother.”

“Mama?” worry gripped at my heart. I almost wanted to shove him aside and go see her myself, but I knew better, “What...about her?”

Shang looked away, wanting to hide his tears. Real Men do not cry. I waited patiently as he grew silent. This only fueled my anticipation.

“Shang, what is it? Tell me.”

“Your mother’s sickness took a turn for the worst.” His voice was quiet, almost a whisper, but the tears streaming from his brown eyes was proof. Mama is close to death. My worry was now at its peak.

With tears in my eyes and my heart ready to break, I quickly bolted, leaving Shang in my tracks. The sickness is slowly taking my mom’s life. With every step I took, I felt as though I were the one taking her life. Not death.

The door flew open as I entered the small house, our house. My body came to a halt as soon as I was inside. I quickly glanced around, until...

“Mama.” I whispered, spotting her in the slightly dark room. There she was, lying or rather propped against a pile of pillows. Long dark tresses of hair framed a beautiful, but pale face. Kindness showed in her equally beautiful gold eyes. She looked over at my voice.

A smile tugged at her lips, “Sakura, my love.”

I could only stand there, looking at her in worry, “is it true?” My voice came out as a child’s voice. Only Mama could bring out my true self, a little girl who clings to her mother like a lost puppy. I admit, it sounds a bit...childish, but I love my mother a lot. Her face became soft and she gently beckoned me to come closer. Taking her offer, I got closer. The bed sank slightly under my weight as I sat next to her. Mama’s arm slipped around me, drawing me against her body. Mama was silent for a minute before speaking.

“It is true. The sickness is taking my life, but before it does, I must tell you the truth.” She said. Truth? About what? I looked at her, curiosity shown on my face. As if she was reading my thoughts, Mama continued, “You are a princess of the Fire Nation, daughter of Fire Lord Ozai, and me, Lady Ursa. Your two siblings are Prince Zuko and Princess Azula.”

My eyes widened as she said that, and with that, my heart skipped a beat. I knew Mama was of the Fire Nation, but to be the wife of the Fire Lord...

This news almost excited me, yet it angered me.

Fire Lord Ozai, my father....

My real father killed thousands of people and for what? My body shook with anger, and hatred was burning in my heart. I did not know why, but it was.

I twitched as Mama’s lips brushed against my forehead. This was her way of calming me.

“Never let hatred consume your heart.” I heard her whisper, “I had to leave behind my son and other daughter just to protect them and you.” Mama’s new words brought tears to my eyes. Our eyes met.

“Mama,” I whispered. She only smiled sadly at this.

“Was life really that bad, Mama? So bad that you left two children behind?” I did not understand what I had just said, but tears formed in Mama’s eyes now. All she did was hold me closer and buried her face into my hair.

“I loved your brother and sister very much, and I do regret not taking them with me...I really do...”

I can tell she was telling the truth. It was the sadness in her voice and the tears in her eyes. Mama really was the world’s greatest Mama.

“I’m sure they loved you, too, Mama, as do I.” I whispered. Mama kissed me once more, murmuring all of her regrets into my ear. One of them was not marrying the man she loved. I wonder who this man was. Mama let out a sigh and released me.

“Your father has already brainwashed your sister, but as for your brother, Zuko...Zuko isn’t...I want you to take this.” She reached behind her and untied something from her neck. It was a necklace. The necklace was a single flame made of metal. This was the symbol of the Fire Nation.

“Find Zuko and stay with him.”

“What?” feeling confused, I took the necklace. It was warm in my hand. I looked back at her, “Why?”

“Your father is unaware of you. He does not know that you even exist and I want to make amends with your brother, and the man I love.” She answered, “Do you understand?”

I nodded. Although I truly did not, I will still fulfill her wish. Ursa is my mother after all. With this cleared up, Mama smiled and with a final kiss, she embraced me.

“I love you.” She said this with her last breath. My heart ached as I watched the last of her life slip from her body. I fought back the tears and the pain, but I was in a losing battle. I soon found myself burying my face in Mama’s still warm neck and crying. My world has fallen apart and inside my soul, I could feel the whole world crying with me. My body shook with every sob. Mama was not the only one that died tonight. Lady Ursa, mother of Zuko and Azula, wife of Fire Lord Ozai, and all the other names Mama went by. They all died, taking Mama with her. I think I died with her as well. At least my child self died with her.

I did not know what time it was when I finally fell asleep, but it felt like forever. As I cried, I allowed sleep to take me...

Mama was gone for good.

“Sakura...” a faint voice whispered in my ear, causing me to groan. As soon as I felt something cold, my eyes snapped open. I had fallen asleep next to Mama, who was now dead. The only thing that had kept me from screaming was Mama’s calm face. She looked very pretty even when dead. I would have shed more tears if it were not for the fact that I had cried for the last time last night.

As I sat up, a sharp pain shot through my back. It was from sleeping wrong. I jumped as someone’s hand touched my shoulder. I turned my gaze up to see Shang standing there. A sad look was on his face.

“You know what to do.” He said quietly.

I nodded. Standing, I kissed Mama’s cheek. No one had to remind me. I knew what I had to do. I have to find my brother.