Chapter Four

– Age 73

"You've become hateful, Azulon." I stood before my husband of almost 30 years. We were in the throne room, alone.

"I would say the same about you, but I think you've always been that way." He responded coldly.

"You can't keep doing this, people are dying. Our people and those of other nations, it is wrong." I narrowed my eyes. "And how could you authorize attacks on the dragons? The original firebenders?" We had just finished a long war meeting and I was seething from the ideas and strategies being approved by my husband.

"I can do whatever I please. I am the Fire Lord!"

"And I am the Fire Lady, you must stop this madness!" "You have no power over me, Ren! You never have! You're here to look pretty and birth my heirs! I don't need to listen to you!" His eyes were burning with anger.

"You are destroying the world, Azulon! Can't you see that?" I screamed at him, and the fire around the throne burned blue in sync with my anger. "Jaya would be disgusted with you!" I froze when the words left my lips, I'd gone too far. We'd never used Jaya in our arguments, it was wrong, it felt dirty.

"GET OUT!" Azulon roared at me, I stepped backwards momentarily, but, my resolve hardened.

"Gladly. I don't even recognize you anymore." I spat out before spinning on my heel and out of the throne room.

–

"Mom?" Iroh had been standing outside the doors. He'd heard everything.

"Look after your brother, Iroh."

"You don't need to leave, please Mom, stay here."

"You know I can't. I'm sorry. I'll come back one day, I'll see you again."

"Please, I can talk Father out of it. Don't go."

"You're an adult now, you can take care of yourself. "

"But..."

"I love you so much, Sweetheart. You and your brother will forever be my pride and joy. I'm sorry."

–

I sat crossed legged between the two caves. I was humming. I was alone, I had been for months now. But, I had come to meet with the dragons again. I hadn't seen them since I was a child.

"Masters, I have returned." I called out, I could feel their stares from the darkness of their homes in the mountain. It felt good to be back here, to be so close to the Western Air Temple. So freeing from the restraints of the palace.

The dragons exited at once, one on either side of me. They circled me, watching my every move. I began the dance, "the dancing dragon" it was called, and when I was finished I bowed. The dragons, at last, seemed to recognize me and they landed.

Ran let out a small blast of blue and purple flames from his nostrils and Shaw came forward to examine me. I bowed before her, waiting until she nudged my head with her snout to look up. As always, the dragons were magnificent, two of the largest of their kind, and herald the first firebenders; they were incredibly old and knowledgeable. Despite this, I had a message.

"Fire Lord Sozin has hurt your friends and I apologize for that. I tried to keep the practice at bay, but the new Fire Lord, Azulon, has instigated it once again." I spoke loud and clear, and the dragons listened attentively. "You and your comrades are in danger once again with the renewal of dragon hunting." Ran circled my position, placing his head on the ground beside me as he laid down. Shaw followed suit, I stroked their snouts. "I am sorry, Masters. I have once again failed you."

– Age 92

I had resided with my old firebending masters for a few months, but soon I had to move on. I could tell that the Sun Warriors were unhappy with my presence, despite their attempted hiding. I was disrupting their routines.

When I got to the Western Air Temple I spent my days clearing away the debris. Bodies, bones, cobwebs, dirts, weeds, anything I could do to make the city look as it once had. It took a few years, but soon it looked almost as new.

Once in a while traders, historians or nomads would pass through and I would get news of the world. Azulon had kept expanding, he had just about reached the larger Earth kingdom territories now, and soon all out war would commence with them. The Northern Water Tribe was still impenetrable, but the South had been laid waste to, and had only a couple dozen benders left. The saddest part for me was the news of my sons, Iroh had been married a few years now. Ozai would no doubt be looking for a wife and soon I would have grandkids.

–

"Ren?" A voice came from behind me, I turned, laying down my painting. An older gentleman stood before me and I recognized him immediately.

"Hello, Yohan." I smiled at him, coming out of the shadows to greet him.

"How have you been?" He asked, giving me a friendly hug.

"I'm well, thank you." I responded, happy to have company for a few days. Yohan was a trader, but he always stayed longer than needed to keep me company. And, over the last fifteen years we had become good friends. "How are you? How's Mira doing?" I asked. Mira was his wife, and last spring she had taken ill. She was sick for a long time and had only just begun to heal a few months ago when I last saw him.

"She's doing better, thank you. She couldn't come on the voyage this time though, I don't want her to get sick again, so I've brought someone else for you to meet." He grinned, I raised an eyebrow in question. We headed down the hall to the large open area where his ostrich horse was drinking from the fountain, and his luggage cart was resting, but I didn't see anyone.

"Alya?" He called out as we arrived. A girl, no older than 10 popped out of the cart, a large smile on her face.

"Yes, grandpa?" She answered, clearly excited to be on this trip.

"Come over here for a minute, there's someone I would like you to meet." Yohan said. The young girl bounded over to us and I smiled in greeting. "Ren, this is Alya, my granddaughter."

"Hello, Alya." I said, "It's nice to meet you."

"Are you the spirit woman grandma told me about?" She asked excitedly. I laughed as Yohan shook his head.

"I'm no spirit, I have met some though."

"Really?" She exclaimed, "What are they like? Are they really big?"

"They're all different shapes and sizes." I told her, "And some of them have magical powers."

–

"I'm sorry about Alya, she got a little carried away earlier." Yohan said, coming to sit across from me by the fire. Alya was laying asleep next to me, her head resting on my lap.

"No, don't apologize. This kind of innocence and carefreeness is something I've missed." I ran my fingers through Alya's hair as she slept. "She reminds me a little of what my daughter might have been like."

"Jaya, right?" Yohan asked and I nodded. I'd never told him my daughter's name, but I had a feeling he'd figured out who I was long ago. 'The ghost queen' 'the Fire Lady who was blessed by youth' or 'cursed by youth,' depending on who you asked. "It's not healthy to spend all this time alone, Ren." I didn't answer him, he was right after all. But I could not suffer any more deaths. "When was the last time you saw your children?"

"Ozai was only 15 when I left, not even a man yet. And Iroh, he was just coming into adulthood. They're both men now, they don't need their mother."

"I'll tell you a little secret." Yohan answered, "A child always needs its mother, no matter how old they get." I smiled at him, but I was torn. It had been 20 years since I was at the palace, 20 years since I had seen my children, 20 years since I had spoken to my husband.

"I wanted to wait to tell you this when Alya was asleep, so now seems like a good time." Yohan sighed, pulling a parchment from his jacket. He reached out and handed it to me, "I thought you would like to know." He told me with a small smile. I opened the parchment. It was a royal notice, an announcement of a new royal baby, the future heir would be born by the end of the summer. Tears came to my eyes. "Congratulations, your highness, you'll be a grandmother soon."

:)