Chapter Text
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Chapter One
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Zuko hadn’t expected much of this so-called festival his sister had dragged him to on one particularly cool autumn night. Azula insisted that he go with her, Ty Lee, and Mai to “experience some real fun for once in his life”. The fight that followed was quickly interrupted by a housekeeper urging them to find something to do that wouldn’t start a fire. With a defiant frown, he slipped on the comical festival mask that his loving sister had thrown at his face and followed the girls into a pavilion not too far from the palace.
“Come on, Zuzu. Think of it as a learning exercise. We’ll get to see how the poor people celebrate our family being better than them,” Azula chimed, looping her arm with Ty Lee as she pulled her toward the large crowd. The three girls donned their own masks, each beautifully detailed and picked up from a shop they passed on the way. Even amongst the common folk, it was clear the three were of some higher standing just by looking at their ornate face coverings.
“I really don’t like her,” Zuko growled with a hidden snarl.
“At least try to enjoy the food,” suggested Mai, who had lingered behind for a second before disappearing in the direction of the food stalls. He contemplated going with her but decided against it when he noticed how busy that section of the town square was: bodies squished together as they tried to make their way through the crowd of dancers, kids running around with sparklers, loud drunks lolling about and being way too loud. The heat in the air sang of joyous festivities that Zuko didn’t entirely understand. Mai had explained that it had something to do with the mainland folks wanting a day akin to the Fire Festival that the colonies had, but he didn’t listen too intently.
With a heavy sigh, the young boy made his way to the side of the dancing mass of Fire Nation citizens and leaned against a light post. His hesitancy kept him at a safe distance, but the way his fingers tapped on his crossed arms in time with the music said he was more interested than he led his sister to believe. His eyes flitted from person to person, studying the way they danced and sang confidently. One man, who looked somewhat familiar, was belting his slurred songs as if no one else could hear him. He grabbed the hand of a nearby woman who laughed heartily as she spun with him.
Zuko thought of the servants in the palace and how they were never this ecstatic, usually because they were afraid of outbursts from the royal family. Azula’s temper rivalled that of a dragon’s, and her brother was no stranger to property damage when it came to his firebending practice. His mother had been a saint compared to the rest of them. He frowned at the thought of her, his heart yearning for just one more hug or story.
“It’s funny, isn’t it?”
He jumped at the sudden appearance of a young girl beside him. The pointed beak of her mask delicately traced the edges of her nose, white feathers extending from the cheeks and forehead dancing when a slight breeze blew through and tangled in her midnight black waves that flowed down her back. What initially caught Zuko’s attention wasn’t the odd nature of her mask (most people adorned dragons or lions while she mimicked a swan) or her tanned skin that contrasted the fairer complexions often seen in the Fire Nation. No, what the royal had noticed first and foremost was the piercing blue-grey eyes that glimmered beneath it all. Like a cloud on the brink of a thunderstorm, they hid a certain ferocity that he couldn’t quite place.
“The way people can be so alive for one night. You’d think they never experienced joy before this.” Zuko wasn’t even aware she was speaking again until she turned to him. Her hand raised to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.
“They aren’t usually this happy?” Zuko wondered aloud, changing his voice somewhat. The girl raised an intrigued eyebrow.
“You see the big man wobbling around over there?” She nodded to the familiar-faced man dancing boisterously with a drink in hand, “That’s General Kai-Ming Lian.”
Zuko squinted, and sure enough, he recognised the usually stone-faced man by a distinct scar across the bridge of his nose. The royal stifled a laugh at the idea of the burly general, known for his ruthlessly decisive military strategies, twirling both men and women left and right. His attention was recaptured by the girl beside him when she shifted nervously.
“Do you dance?” she asked with an inquisitive tilt of her head that left her hair falling over one shoulder. He hesitated, frowning as an unfamiliar heat crept up to his cheeks. “ Can you dance?” she posed a better question. With a face as red as the flames that lit the lantern above them, Zuko turned away from her to avoid her giggling, though the melody of it filtered in through his ears and infested his mind anyway. His face only burned hotter when she blithely took his hand and led him closer to the centre of the plaza. She was gentle enough that he could have pulled away if he wanted and stayed mindful of how close they were to the main crowd, but something in him didn’t want to let go. Perhaps for only one minute, he could allow himself to be less than a carrier of royal blood – for only one minute, he was just a boy.
The stranger held one of his hands in hers and put the other on his shoulder as they stayed hidden in the corner. “This one’s easy, just follow me,” she explained and slowly began to move her feet, stepping back and forth to the rhythm. Every once in a while, Zuko stepped on her foot, but she just laughed and spun him around when he tried to apologise.
He had never interacted so casually with another kid his age. This girl was strange (she didn’t even look like a Fire Nation citizen), but his mother always warned him of the dangers of a closed-off mind. This was new and exciting but also alarming. His face was too hot now, and his feet weren’t used to moving in such a way, but she pulled and pushed him as if she were playing with a doll, her own feet almost gliding across the stone street.
“You’re good at this,” Zuko muttered as the music slowed to something he could keep up with.
“And you’re awfully clumsy. I guess they don’t teach dance lessons in the palace, do they?” the girl with the stormy eyes quipped, a playful smile tugging at the corners of her lips. Zuko’s eyes widened beneath his mask, and his muscles tensed. What gave him away? He had been so careful!
Right as he was about to ask who she was, the clearing of a throat caught both of their attention. He whipped his head around to see Mai standing a few feet away, two kebabs in hand.
“We’re ready to go,” she noted in that confidently indifferent tone of hers, dark eyes carefully watching the girl in the white mask. Zuko hesitated as she let go of him and took a step back to bow properly.
“I…Thank you,” he murmured, shock still rattling his brain. She offered another sweet but small smile.
“You’re welcome,” she bowed her head slightly as they departed. Zuko was left confused by the quickened pace of his heart and even more so by her acknowledgement of his status. He shook his head and chalked it up to adrenaline from dancing so intensely, sparing a single glance over his shoulder as he walked away with Mai. He could barely make out the figure of the girl as she made her way deeper into the crowd, helping an unsteady General Kai-Ming wobble towards a chair. Was she his daughter? No, last he recalled, General Kai-Ming Lian had no family. He came to regret not asking her name.
When Zuko rejoined Azula, she instantly began to poke fun at him. “Mai says you were dancing,” she sneered, brows raised in condescending curiosity. He was grateful to Mai for having left out the girl, but still frustrated with Azula for being such a pest.
“I was not,” he huffed as he crossed his arms and turned away from the trio.
“I think you looked great! Just need to keep up with the tempo,” Ty Lee added while flashing him a knowing smile. She had watched him. She saw everything. He was done for.
Back at the pavilion, the masked girl pushed past a few drunk folks to make way for her and General Kai-Ming. “I think you’ve had enough. Let’s go,” she whispered to him as he flopped down into a nearby chair, nearly spilling the contents of his half-empty cup.
“Kana, were you dancing?! I saw you dancing!” he slurred, tears streaming down his face.
“Yes, now let’s go before you start drawing any more attention to yourself,” the girl huffed as she struggled to pull him to his feet before too many people started staring. With some strain, she got him to stand and began the painfully long walk back home.
Once she got to the Lian Estate, she was basically dragging the unconscious giant across the floor before throwing him haphazardly into bed. For a man as disciplined as he was, he just couldn’t say no to a drink or two. The only problem was that one or two drinks were usually followed by many, many more, so the young Kanasu Lian was used to babysitting him from the shadows at social gatherings. Studying his sleeping face, she closed her eyes and shook her head.
“I won’t ever pretend to understand you, Dad,” she chuckled to herself as she pulled a blanket up and tucked him in. After a quick goodnight kiss on the forehead, she quietly shut the door to drown out the sounds of his rumbling snores. In the morning, he’d return to the stoic but stern commanding officer he usually was, and she’d become a simple Fire Nation girl. A simple Fire Nation girl who danced with a member of the royal family, she thought as she played with the feathers of her mask before setting it beside her bed. Her father’s insistence that she socialise more may have been worth it just this once, though she wouldn’t admit it to anyone but herself.
General Kai-Ming has no family.
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A Few Years later…
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The bell above the door of a local apothecary shop signalled the arrival of a large stack of boxes with legs, nearly toppling as soon as it entered. A string of hushed curses raged from beneath the stack.
“Need a hand, Dear?” the elderly owner asked with a chuckle.
“I got it, Xuān!” called the voice of the pair of tanned legs behind the boxes. Kanasu was stronger than a normal girl for her age, all thanks to the military-level self-defence training her father put her through four days a week. She huffed as she gently sat down the boxes on the counter and began sorting the contents into drawers along the wall.
“A replenished stock is always a cause for celebration. Tea?” Old Lady Xuān, as she was often referred to around town, invited her assistant with a beckoning smile. The old woman was short in stature with long snow white hair tied into a braid with a yellow ribbon. Her golden eyes curved with her smile as her apprentice took the already-poured cup and sipped it before going back to her inventory. Once a box was emptied into the correct container, Kanasu would write the name of the herb down, along with the quantity, and then take another sip of her hibiscus tea.
Eventually, customers began to filter in. It was a slow day filled with folks complaining of headaches or stomach problems, then receiving small bags of feverfew and lemongrass.
“Heat it for a couple extra minutes and make sure it’s potent. The lemongrass should help the taste, but it will still be quite bitter,” Kanasu instructed as Old Lady Xuān had taught her. At just twelve years old, she made a name for herself amongst the locals as the youngest herbal practitioner in the capital.
“Thank you, truly, Tiny Healer,” her latest client bowed deeply, then shuffled out the door. Kanasu hummed with satisfaction and raised her arms to stretch out her body, only to knock her cup of tea over in the process. With an alarmed gasp, she instinctively flicked her wrists to redirect the hot water before it could spill over the wooden floors. Her hands smoothly twisted, guiding the flow of the tea around her body until it dipped back into the cup. She let out a relieved sigh and ran a hand through the loose strands of black that had escaped her low ponytail.
“Best be careful with that talent of yours, Kanasu,” Xuān warned as she re-entered the room with the aid of her wooden cane, “The prejudice of the Fire Nation is relentless. Many good people have been lost to it in this war; I’d rather keep my best apprentice.”
“My mistake…” she mumbled with crimson flushed cheeks. She had slipped up. Luckily, Xuān had been aware of her water-bending abilities since she began working at the shop. Kai-ming was an old friend of hers, so she was one of the few trusted individuals who knew both of her skills and their relationship.
“You’re getting better,” she noted with a cheeky smile. Kanasu withheld the urge to grin like a child while staring at her reflection in the murky water of her cup.
“Oh!” she lit up suddenly, “I finished packing that order you put in. Damiana, chamomile, lavender?”
“Yes…” Old Lady Xuān’s eyes glimmered with a certain type of sadness, “An old friend of mine is returning home after a long journey. He recently suffered a string of great losses.”
“Well, this is a nice gift to offer with your condolences. I threw in some Ginseng as well,” Kanasu added, carefully tying a white ribbon around the pouch. Xuān had lots of friends, she found; a few older folks who would come to play Pai Sho in the shop owner’s office, some military officers, and not to mention all the people she healed throughout the years. It was an honour to be trained by her, though sometimes she felt more like a mother than a mentor.
As the sun fell, Kanasu finally finished taking inventory and began her cleanup duties for the night. She swept and dusted everything before saying goodbye to the old lady. After tucking away her herb logging journal in a leather crossbody bag, she started her long journey home. The Lian Estate was a good thirty-minute walk from the shop – not too close but not too far – however, Kanasu usually entered through the back entrance to avoid being seen by anyone. Her father never hired housekeepers, though he had the money and social status to do so. He had told her before that it was simply easier to take care of things himself, but she knew deep down he did it so she could still live with him. The man was cold and ruthless in battle, but he cherished his daughter with his whole being.
General Kai-Ming has no family.
Kanasu frowned as she caught a glimpse of her reflection in a boutique’s storefront window. Her wavy hair, her stormy eyes, her warm-toned skin; all of her features, she got from her mother, were a testament to her Water Tribe heritage. Those features were why she could never just blend in with the rest of the citizens. She had seen the dirty looks some of the shop customers gave her before they asked for Xuān specifically to treat them, but never paid them any mind. She understood the secrecy was necessary to keep her lineage far away from the prying eyes of the Fire Nation army, but a part of her wanted a normal life.
When the nights were quiet and she would sneak into the back door of her own home, she wondered how different her life would be if she could just be Kai-Ming’s daughter without worry. But that was silly. If he suddenly had a daughter appear after so many years, questions would be asked about her and her mother. Kai-Ming would be deemed a traitor, and Kanasu would be imprisoned just for existing.
So, under the blanketed darkness of the night, she threw her bag over the brick wall first, waiting for it to plop safely onto the ground before moving. She got a running start, then thrust her legs out, pushing herself high enough for her hands to find purchase on the top of the wall, and then she could pull herself over effortlessly. Landing in a squat, she grabbed her bag and rushed inside. She had made that jump several times since she became old enough to work, and it became easier over time.
“Welcome home,” her father called from the kitchen after the door shut behind her.
“What happened this time?” she immediately questioned the older man, noticing the exceptionally tired look on his face as he stirred a pot of soup.
“The Siege of Ba Sing Se has failed. General Iroh has abandoned the city and is returning home. He has lost his son and the crown all at once,” Kai-Ming explained as he ran a hand through his dark hair, pulling it out of the tight top knot he wore during work. It cascaded down his shoulders and settled just below his collarbone, its raven colour mirroring Kanasu’s.
“It’ll go to his brother, Ozai, then, right?” his daughter speculated. Kai-Ming nodded, too lost in his thoughts to see that the soup he was making was about to boil over. His daughter took the wooden spoon from his unmoving hand and stirred for him.
“Yes, and so soon after the death of Fire Lord Azulon…I do not trust Ozai to lead the Fire Nation in the right direction,” he said gravely, frown deepening with the annoyed scrunch of his brows.
“The Great General Kai-Ming thinking traitorous thoughts? Never thought I’d live to see the day,” Kanasu huffed in fake astonishment as she elbowed her father in the side. His intense expression softened a bit.
“Ironic coming from the living testament to my treachery,” he snapped back in playful rapport. Kanasu let out a loud barking laugh, one she got from her father and only showed when in his company. Deciding to leave the work talk for later, the two settled down to share a nice meal.
“I’ve been thinking,” Kai-Ming began as Kanasu was halfway through with her bowl, “Maybe it’s time we step up our training regimen.”
“Move away from the punching bag and onto real fighting?” she guessed with stars in her eyes. Her father nodded, his gaze becoming dangerously dark.
“I want you to be able to stand your ground against my firebending for five minutes,” he clarified. Kanasu dropped her spoon, spitting out her soup and choking on it at the same time.
She stared at him with giant eyes; “ Five minutes?!”
“You should be there in two weeks,” he shrugged. Kanasu nearly fell out of her chair. In her current state, she could defend herself against her father’s brutal hand-to-hand combat for maybe two minutes and land a couple of solid hits. She’d never faced or even seen his firebending in action, but she knew it was no laughing matter. Her waterbending was self-taught from whatever tomes and scrolls she could find in merchant stalls or libraries she snuck into. Nowhere near his level.
“Monkeyfeathers,” she cursed, smacking her head against the table with a thunk. As much as she dreaded it, the moment they entered the make-shift underground training room (a rather large basement), her stomach fluttered with excitement. She craved strength and, while she didn’t exactly need to fight as an apothecary, she once dreamed of one day fighting alongside her father. The thought was gone now, but he wanted her to be able to protect herself after having seen the horrors of battle. She believed he also wanted her to be able to fight against any soldiers, should she be found out one day.
“Assume your position and attack me first,” Kai-Ming instructed as he raised his hands in a traditional firebending stance. Kanasu took a deep breath, silently praying to Agni before lowering to the ground and bursting forward.
Like a bat out of hell, she shot towards her father, stopping in front of him to throw a right hook his way. Kai-Ming used his forearms to block the hit, then brought his knee up to hit her in the ribs. She quickly jumped back until she realised he had followed up with a flaming kick. The arc of fire soared above her as she dropped to the ground.
“Pay attention to your enemy!” Kai-Ming bellowed, thrusting a fireball her way. Kanasu let out a sharp yelp and rolled out of its path. Evasion had always been her speciality because of their size difference, but the added radius of his firebending made it difficult. Her face was starting to sweat as the room heated up. A single bucket of water in the corner of the room was all she had been provided with to power her bending, as the air was quickly becoming too hot to draw water from.
Swinging her leg, she tried to upset her father’s balance, but when he stepped just out of her reach, he launched another wave of fire at her. Kanasu tried to leap over it, but the flames caught her exposed ankle and sent a searing pain through her calf. With a yelp, she dropped to the ground. Her father stepped closer to attack again as her hand twisted, drawing the water from the bucket and using it to whip the side of his leg. He stumbled slightly, and she took advantage of the opening by grabbing his ankle. Kai-Ming hit the ground with a hard thud while his daughter quickly used all her strength to pin down his arms and sit on his chest.
“I…got you!” she teased between heavy breaths. This was the fastest training session they’d ever had; usually, she was the one being pinned within the first few minutes.
“Never assume victory,” he snorted. In a flash, he pulled his arms down, wrapped them around her torso as she fell face-first, and tugged her with him as he rolled. They had switched positions in a fraction of a second. Eyes wide and startled, Kanasu stared up at her father with curious astonishment. She grinned like a playful child, adrenaline pumping through every blood vessel and making her muscles tingle with excitement. “Let’s go again.”
excitement. “Let’s go again.”