Fanon:Lord Avatar

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The Great Gates
Information
Series	The Rise of Lirin
Book	The Great Fall
Chapter	5
Written by	The Snowbold
Air date	March 30, 2021
Episode guide
Previous	The Great Gates
Next	A Dark Sun

Air, Water, Earth, Fire. A new Avatar has been born to the Fire Nation as the cycle of the Avatar continues. And Lirin must face a new challenge as both Avatar and Prince of the Fire Nation.

Lord Avatar

Lights brightened the dark night in the Northern Water Tribe. A large procession of people walked through the main path between the palace and the entry wall. Tens of thousands of people, native to the tribe, merchants, and residents who moved here for business and others attended the large event as the group moved through the central area of the ever-growing city of ice.

Large demonstrations were uncommon in the north. Between their stiff traditions and memories of violent conflicts, the people lived more rigid lives in the north, especially the closer to the palace you lived.

However, history was in the making. A new Avatar had been born in the Fire Nation and he was a prince. The Earth Kingdom invaded the nation of islands, killing the Crown Princess in the process. This ensured that Avatar Lirin would now be the next Fire Lord. Attempts to negotiate a solution ended in failure when the Air Nation conspired with anarchists and attacked both the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom.

The massive crowd stood in support of Avatar Lirin. Chants of support and calls for greatness spawned from the group. Some might have found the ardent support of the Northern Water Tribe for the Fire Nation shocking; however, it was a relationship built through commitment.

After the Fifth Nation War, Fire Lord Rishu and Avatar Tala spent significant time and resources securing trade with the Water Tribes and normalizing relations between warring nations. The Water Tribes had a relatively modern navy, but they had over-relied on their bending and so pirates created irregular techniques to target their ships. The Fire Nation at Avatar Tala's request helped the Water Tribe modernize its naval weaponry.

This along with other goodwill missions deepened the bond between the two naval cultures. It had now reached the point that the Earth Kingdom didn't even bother to try and recruit the Tribes into their war. Earth King Luei felt lucky that the Tribes had stayed on the sidelines as a neutral party.

However, the repeated defeats and the failed terrorist attack along with a political campaign from unknown forces brought about a change in the political climate of the Northern Water Tribe. Chanting for Avatar Lirin could be heard from the palace of the Chief.

The loud roars were dominant and resonating within the palace. Princess Kori looked out the window while sitting on the ledge as the crowd chanted outside in the cold night. As daughter of the Chief of the Northern Water Tribe, she lived in a traditional family upholding the culture of the Moon and Ocean Spirits.

Seeing a demonstration like this was completely alien to her. She had seen and heard about this on television and radio programs but had never suspected she would experience it at her door. She could only wonder how long it would last and whether it would happen again in her lifetime.

An attendant approached her and her handmaiden, he bowed as he spoke, "Princess Kori, Chief Leng would like to speak with you. "

Kori stood and bowed slightly in return, "Very well."

Kori entered the Chief's council room as the Chief and his advisors sat around the table and spoke among each other. One of the advisors continued speaking even as Kori entered the room, "Have we been able to identify the source of this mob? Who drove them to stand up and protest?"

Another advisor rebutted, "I would hardly call them a mob, I don't see anything of them burning the city down or storming this palace. As for who was responsible for organizing this? I am afraid we have had no luck. At first, we thought Fire Nation merchants might have been behind it, however our investigations indicate they got swept up in it when it was already growing. Meaning that someone else was behind it."

Chief Leng spoke, "Do you think it was to pressure the Northern Water Tribe to join the war in the Fire Nation's favor?"

"Undoubtedly. The protests do not expressly refer to the war but instead supporting the Avatar. They note his lineage to Fire Lord Rishu and Avatar Tala, both friends of the North."

An old and grizzled advisor spoke up, confused, "How do you know it's about the war if they don't mention it?"

The younger man looked cold as steel as he responded, "The ones who started this knew that pushing the tribe into war would be difficult if it was in those words. However, if it is about supporting the Avatar? The people would demand we act, especially after the injustices the Avatar has suffered. His sister murdered, his homeland invaded and betrayal by two sovereign nations attempting to assassinate him. Honor would demand that we have to act in support of the Avatar. Whoever orchestrated this understood the Northern Water Tribe's culture intimately."

Leng sighed as he soaked in the advice of his council. After he blinked, he turned his eyes to his daughter, "Princess Kori, I called you here because the Tribe may need you to serve in a way only you can."

"As you will, father."

"Were you aware that there were talks about you marrying Prince Lirin before?"

Kori did not pause as she answered, "I knew they were discussed over a year ago but had not heard anything since."

While Kori did not hesitate to answer her father's questions, internally she was perplexed. Avatar Lirin's brief time in the North for waterbending training had brought along some brief upheaval to the Tribe's politics. Lirin was not only an Avatar, but also a prince of the Fire Nation.

Any nation would want to influence the Avatar in their favor and marriages were certainly a clear way to do this. But as time went on, the notion of political marriages for an Avatar fell out of favor. Furthermore, the clear intent by marrying a princess to an Avatar was blatant and threatened diplomatic stability.

The fact that Lirin was a prince altered these inhibiting factors. As a prince, Lirin was expected to marry another noble or royal. If Lirin married a princess from a foreign nation, it could be excused as socially appropriate for his social status.

Naturally, even with this loophole, the Water Tribe was cautious to broach this subject. They decided to wait and see how the Avatar acted once within their lands. While trained by a mercenary that was selected by the Fire Lord, Lirin spent a good amount of time meeting with leaders of the North and making relationships to prepare for his tenure as the Avatar in the future. This impressed the Chief.

Of course, there were also many rumors about Lirin that followed him. It was well known before he was announced as the Avatar that he was a playboy, known to enjoy the carnal company of women wherever he went. His announcement as Avatar did not change his behavior. Worse, it was known among political heavyweights that Lirin had an affair with the wife of the Air Nomad who led the Whispering Canyon Air Temple. His abrupt departure signaled the serious breach in trust Lirin had with the Air Nomads.

Coming to the Water Tribe, Kori expected to see or hear rumors of Lirin's licentious behavior. She had met the Avatar on several occasions herself. While he was flirtatious with her, he wasn't disrespectful, and her father seemed pleasantly surprised with how he conducted himself.

She recalled her father broaching the subject with her years ago. The idea was that if both parties approved the marriage, Kori would become engaged to Lirin and live with him in Capital City. Ultimately, nothing came of it. Apparently, Lirin's good behavior was the result of threats from both Fire Lord Zorin and Princess Ursa after his actions in airbending training. Furthermore, Lirin and Zorin's relationship became strained.

Kori assumed that was the end of it as far as an engagement with Avatar Lirin was concerned.

Chief Leng breathed a sigh before answering, "We had called off further discussions at the time, owing to Lirin's reputation versus yours as well as the strained relationship between the Fire Lord and the Avatar. We were worried he would publicly oppose the decision if he viewed it as an order from his father."

Kori inquired, "Has something changed in that regard?"

One of the chief's advisors rolled his eyes as if to say ‘everything'. Even her elder brother, heir to the Chief had an exasperated look. Kori did not ask out of ignorance or indifference. She genuinely wanted to know what factors were bringing up this topic.

"What has changed is this war and the fact that Avatar Lirin will one day become the Fire Lord. As Avatar, Lirin would still be free to choose his wife as he wished, and his reputation certainly weighed on potential partners. However, as Crown Prince, the choice of marrying a commoner is not an option. Especially as they are being invaded by a hostile nation. The Fire Lord will want to arrange a marriage that symbolizes the strength of the Fire Nation."

"With the demonstrations we see outside, we want to capitalize on this event to ensure influence with the Fire Nation and the world for years to come. If you were to marry Prince Lirin, it would be a first in history. Never has the Fire Lord's wife or husband been an outsider, and certainly not from the Northern Water Tribe."

"I see, have overtures been made to the Fire Nation to confirm they are open to this?"

"We have, your engagement and promise of support to the Fire Nation in this conflict has been well-received." Her brother answered her question.

"Very well, what must we do?"

The meeting ended soon after. Leng asked his daughter to stay behind after the council left. She now sat next to her father rather than on a far corner, "Yes, father?"

"Kori, I understand this may be sudden to you, but do you understand why I am doing this?"

"Partially, father. The public pressure combined with the benefits of tying our family to the Avatar and Fire Lord are clear reasons to go forward with it. I can't deny that this is one of the strongest prospects of a husband for me. What I don't understand, is why we had waited till now?"

Leng did not answer immediately, "Kori, the Northern Water Tribe is steeped in tradition. In some ways that has kept us strong, but in other ways, it has harmed us. The clearest point to me is how even my most senior officers and your own brother treat you. To them you are simply a woman to be traded for politics. A high-valued political tool, but a tool nonetheless."

Kori blinked nonchalantly; this was nothing new to her. She was well aware of how the men in the tribe viewed her.

"I always wanted you to marry a man who would be worthy of you. To that end, I sought out the engagement with Avatar Lirin, hoping he would not be like these men who look down at you," Leng deliberately paused before continuing. "Instead, I saw other issues. Lirin did not look down on you and he was certainly attracted to you. But his conduct in the past clearly showed that he did not love you. As a father, I couldn't accept that. So, when Zorin explained his reservations, I did not challenge them. But now-"

Kori waited for her father to continue. It seemed like forever before he spoke again, "The North made a mistake. We held back when the Earth Kingdom attacked the Fire Nation. We did not aid them, but we didn't stop them either. With the current momentum of the war back in the Fire Nation's favor, Fire Lord Lirin may not look kindly on the Water Tribes in the future. Also, while I had issues with Lirin being your husband, I have not found a better suitor in either our tribe or the South. I would feel better with you becoming the next Fire Lord's bride than marrying some chauvinist who looks down on you and uses you as a tool to curry favor with me."

Kori saw a brightness in her father's eyes. She didn't realize that he had actually accounted for her wellbeing in his search for her marriage partner. She certainly knew her brother was less scrupulous, constantly proposing political partners or influential people he wanted to recruit into his power structure. Some of them were three times her age. She felt relieved to hear that her father did care for her in his own way.

"If these talks go forward, how long could we expect before they bear fruit?" Kori wanted to know how much time she had left in her home before leaving.

"Maybe weeks."

Now it was Kori's time to breath out slowly as she processed how little time she had left, "Are we already prepared to take the next step?"

"Our fleet will be sailing in a matter of days."

Kori breath slowly at the finality of his words, "Father?"

"Yes?"

Kori decided to slightly alter the subject, "While I met Prince Lirin before, I do not know him well beyond his reputation. What is your take of him as someone who knew him better than me?"

"He is upfront and not one to deceive. Lirin is certainly cunning enough to carry out the role of a military leader or politician, but I don't think he has the desire too. Case in point, he could have taken the initiative to court you himself, but he didn't."

"And what of his licentious reputation?"

"All too real, I'm afraid. It is shocking that he has no children despite how many women he has been with. As part of my investigations into him as a suitor, I found as least a dozen partners of his in the four years before he came to the Northern Water Tribe where he seemed to behave. I also believe there was more we just never found."

Kori was genuinely stunned as she did the math on Lirin's age at the time, "Wow, he started young."

"Indeed. Furthermore, despite these many adventures, he is known within the palace to have a lover. She is apparently lowborn and so has no hope of being his wife, but she has remained by his side since before he was born."

Kori stopped to think about that. Besides family, the only people who were that close to a royal were servants. This would mean Lirin and a servant older than him were having an affair for years before his status as Avatar was public. It was certainly the stuff of gossip that the news enjoyed talking about. The fact that this particular lover was not public knowledge showed the amount of care the Royal Family showed to shield her from public scrutiny.

Half-mockingly, Kori replied, "Stiff competition."

Leng had a serious face, "Do not discount her. A favored mistress can be a dangerous thing in royal politics as you are aware from your studies. Right now, your marriage and the alliance that comes with it will be well-received, but in the future some within the Fire Nation might balk at the idea of you bearing the children of the Fire Lord. Especially the chance that your children may be waterbenders instead. With that situation, the court may support the children of a mistress who are undoubtedly firebenders. It is important that you have children as soon as possible to stabilize your position in the court. A son who is a firebender will give you significant support in the future."

A Warm Response

Lirin ate lunch with Mira as the two listened to soothing music. Technically, Ita was supposed to have served Lirin his lunch while he studied earthbending. But Mira had managed to make some changes that forced her mother to work elsewhere so that she would serve the prince. Naturally, he insisted she join him. Lirin knew she intended to from the beginning by the fact that she had two servings of food. It was lighter food with less spices than normal, not that Lirin was complaining, Mira was always a good cook.

With the frantic pace of war and politics, Lirin and Mira rarely had time to themselves outside of the bedroom. It was a nice change of pace to just sit down and talk about what musical artists they preferred. It felt like years since they did this.

As if to punish him for a moment of peace, an Imperial Firebender entered his quarters, "Prince Lirin, your father requests your presence."

"Very well, apparently my father can tell when I am having a good time and seeks to ruin it." Lirin vented as the guard departed.

"Oh, Lirin. I am sure the Fire Lord has a reason," normally Mira would address Lirin by one of his titles, however Lirin had insisted that she drop it in private.

Lirin sighed, hoping it was logistical issues and not something serious. While the war was ongoing, both sides were in a period of preparation. The Earth Kingdom had lost two of their fleet and suffered heavy damage to a third. The Fire Nation had broken the blockade but had lost their Home Navy during the attack on Capital City.

Lirin entered the throne room where a handful of officers, including Grand Marshal Zun, Grand Admiral Ayu, General Ban, Minister Shi and Dai Li agent Jin waited for him. Lirin took his place beside his father.

Zorin spoke up, "Men. As you know, our success in breaking the Earth Kingdom Navy has not only changed the momentum of the war in our favor, but it has also turned the tide of public opinion."

Zorin motioned to Jin, "Thanks to the War Born's efforts, we have seen significant activity in the public supporting Avatar Lirin and his mission to protect his homeland from the invaders. The results have created rifts that we hope to exploit."

Jin stood up to continue for the Fire Lord, "We have seen more riots in Ba Sing Se and Omashu. While some of these are against the Fire Nation, others blame the Earth King for starting this conflict. We have seen a shift in the Southern Water Tribe over their position of neutrality, and they may edge towards material support in the near future."

Everyone that was present nodded approvingly. The War Born had infiltrated several grassroots organizations to influence public opinion. The news of the South was good as Ayu's fleet had secured the southern seas for trade and military transport again.

"We have also seen increased rioting in Republic City, and massive demonstrations in Yu Dao supporting the Avatar, including some calling for Yu Dao to become a colony again."

Lirin chuckled to himself. He wasn't sure the long term implication was a good idea, but he liked the sentiment.

"Apparently, the Air Nation is divided over how to proceed. The accusations that they conspired to assassinate the Earth King, Fire Lord and Avatar all at once has left them politically isolated."

Jin continued with an even more relieved look on her face, "We have perhaps seen our best results in the North. The Northern Water Tribe has seen a massive demonstration at the steps of the Chief's palace calling for the tribe to go to war in alliance with the Avatar. The resulting crowd was far beyond our expectations. The support behind Avatar Lirin was clearly beyond what we could have anticipated."

Grand Admiral Ayu chuckled, "I guess having the Avatar train in the North for waterbending was a wise move after all."

"There is more good news," Zorin's clear voice entered the conversation, "Chief Leng sent word to me that there is more than public sentiment supporting Avatar Lirin. As we speak, the North is preparing a fleet to engage the Earth Kingdom navy's remaining blockade in the northern seas."

Murmurs of approval rose up among the council. Lirin sighed in relief at the good news. The Fire Nation had been alone in this war while the Earth Kingdom and Air Nation conspired in ambushing them. Lirin would have preferred that both Water Tribes had shown solidarity with the Fire Nation from the beginning, but a military show of support was welcome too.

"Chief Leng also wants to ensure that this alliance is not just temporary. He is offering his daughter, Princess Kori, as a bride to Crown Prince Lirin."

"What?" Lirin spoke up dumbly, caught surprised by the change of subject.

"In the past, there were talks about an engagement between you and Princess Kori, but they stalled," Zorin answered matter-of-factly.

"This is the first I am hearing of it."

Minister Shi stood up, "The talks did not progress far. By the time Princess Ursa was aware of them, they were already stalled. It seemed pointless to bring them up to you when it was a nonissue."

Lirin sighed in an exasperated tone, "And what has the Fire Lord said in response to this offer now?"

"That we are strongly considering it," Zorin's voice indicated that the decision was already made.

Violation

Luei seethed as he listened to his war council. Despite their past advice working so well, like their blockade and surprise attacks at the outset of the war. It seemed these generals and admirals could not adapt after humiliating losses.

Combined with their failure to protect his grandson, he was tempted to execute them all and see what advice their replacements had to offer. As the officers blathered pointlessly and bloviated over their past experience, Luei noticed two particular individuals keeping quiet in a corner.

One of them was a colonel in the army and the other a science officer. While they were quiet, the look they had said they had their own solution but had elected to stay out of the argument with superior officers who didn't like to hear criticism.

"If you two have anything to add to this conversation, by all means, join in." Luei spoke up, quieting the mass of hot air. The various generals and admirals looked condescendingly at the two addressed men.

The colonel spoke up, "Your majesty. Throughout this meeting, I have heard various pieces of advice on how to respond to our situation. However, they all ignore a simple fact. We are losing this war."

The stares he received as he spoke were hot with anger, "We have lost our naval superiority, we lost our tactical advantage, our political position with Prince Qon's capture and Princess Ursa's death. But worst of all, we have lost the moral high ground. The world sympathized with our fear of an Avatar Fire Lord. Our actions have now directly led to this fear becoming reality. The world holds us accountable for it."

The colonel continued as some of the military advisors looked away in shame. While Luei was for this course of action, none of them cautioned him or opposed his reckless actions. "At present, we are trying to fight this war in the hopes that we can reclaim the moral cause, but no one will believe us. We need to abandon this illusion and fight like our survival is on the line."

Luei listened. This colonel was not saying anything outlandish, but he was not saying something reserved either, "And how would you go about resolving this issue."

"We need to change not only our tactics in battle, but the weapons we use to win. From what our intelligence is reporting, the Fire Nation has developed a new infantry weapon that anyone can be trained to use and that it allows them to kill anyone not in mechanized armor from a considerable distance."

"If that is true, very soon the Fire Nation will dominate land battles. We need to look far beyond this scale of war and think on the grand scale of conflict. What weapon has existed in the past that was capable of subduing cities?" The colonel looked to the science officer, who stood up to continue with his comrade.

"Colonel Bing is referring to Spirit Vine Energy Weapons. These SVE weapons were banned when Avatar Korra defeated Kuvira after the Battle of Republic City. The research into these weapons has stalled and no one has developed any defenses to them. If we take the initiative to develop and perfect these weapons first, the Fire Nation will be in no position to attack us."

The colonel spoke up again, "Of course, we will also need to modernize our air force to be able to deliver these weapons effectively, but I am confident that if we can perfect production, we will have the best arsenal. After all, the greatest source of spirit vines is the Banyan Grove Tree in the Swamp."

An uncomfortable stirring took the council of senior military leaders. They all wanted to protest the solution provided by these two young men, but none of them knew whether King Luei would support it. Unfortunately for the Earth Kingdom, these men were more concerned with whether Luei approved of a policy than whether said policy was good for the military.

Luei spoke again, "And what would hold us back from developing these weapons?" The Earth King looked to his commanders, indicating he wanted them to answer.

"Your majesty, SVE Weapons have been banned by international treaties signed by not only our nation, but all the nations. These laws were strongly pushed by Avatar Korra and enforced by her and Avatar Tala."

"Both Avatars Korra and Tala are dead. That can't be the reason we upheld these treaties."

An admiral spoke up, "Your highness. Aside from the incredible destruction, SVE has the potential to tear the space between the human world and the spirit world, creating an imbalance between the worlds. We were fortunate that the last failure of such a weapon created only a portal thanks to Avatar Korra."

"Those are problems for the Fire Nation to suffer, not us."

"Sir, if we create these weapons, the Fire Nation will too. That means that we will also be exposed to the same problems of a tear in reality between worlds."

The science officer spoke up, "All due respect, Admiral, but that danger already exists."

Luei interrupted, "What do you mean?"

"Sir, in the past, Avatar Korra and the White Lotus enforced the SVE treaties. At this time, it was known that they destroyed records and imprisoned scientists who pursued research into SVE. However, Avatar Tala and her War Born were different. They certainly held flashy and public executions, but many of their duties to enforce SVE treaties saw little publicity. I did some research and saw that some of these researchers continued to operate and live beyond the time Avatar Tala identified them. This leads me to believe that the War Born recruited and continued research of SVE at the behest of Avatar Tala herself."

The military commanders wanted to reject the hypothesis made, but those who know and met Avatar Tala were hard-pressed to deny that level of cunning from her. It would be just like her to kill everyone developing a weapon and only sparing those making it for her.

"Are you suggesting that Avatar Lirin may already have access to these weapons?"

"We can't be sure," Colonel Bing spoke up, "We have not confirmed whether Avatar Lirin is in contact with the War Born, or if they still exist. The group disappeared when Avatar Tala died, but the fact that their members and information have yet to resurface, that would indicate they are still active, primarily the missing Dai Li."

Luei paused at the mention of the Dai Li. The clan of secretive agents that Avatar Tala was descended from was a mixed bag of issues that many tried to avoid when dealing with the Avatar. Tala became unrepentant about her lineage after the Fifth Nation War and used her family as the backbone of her War Born. In fact, when two agents were lynched while performing investigations. Avatar Tala wiped out the small Earth Kingdom town by herself as retribution.

In fear of reprisals, many powers stopped tracking the Dai Li in fear of the Avatar. The Dai Li took advantage of this to disappear. If they were hiding the secrets to SVE technology, it would be easier to start from scratch on their own than hope they can catch the Dai Li.

Everyone looked at the Earth King, waiting for his decision. His choice here would change how war was waged and how great powers conducted themselves.

"Gather our best engineers and scientists and make preparations to build a prototype."

Extreme Methods

A distant and dusty village on the edge of the Si Wong Desert hardly seemed like an important location. However, no one knew how critical this position was, it was the headquarters of the War Born.

At first, the village was covertly built by the Fire Nation through proxies as a resupply for Avatar Tala to carry out her duties. Over time, her clan of Dai Li took over most duties of operations, and eventually settled down. The men who built the village died of old age without replacement officers, meaning Fire Lord Rishu was the only outsider to know about the War Born headquarters.

To outsiders, it was just another village with peasants. People worked and lived simple lives, neither rich nor poor. In all, the passerby might assume that the people were lucky to have it so well without drawing attention. It was this exact goal the Dai Li sought when they made roads into the outpost, turning it into a proper village on the edge of the desert. No one knew about the palatial complex built beneath the village that was five times larger.

Military and merchant convoys occasionally passed through by Satomobile or rail. This allowed the War Born an ideal location to move quickly between the north and south of the continent without drawing suspicion.

The location was also ideal. It was near Full Moon Bay and just a fair distance to Omashu. While other critical locations were far away, the village's access to water ways and railways provided considerable mobility for a worthless little village.

The man looked out over the clear night sky as the wind blew dust low to the ground. He dressed similar to any food vendor with rough cloth and tattered boots. Another man called for him from within the building, "Haru, we got a call from a trade partner near the ferry."

"I'll get ready, call the vendor association in," Haru and the people of the village had been living double lives for as long as they could remember, with that came a second nature understanding of the codes and signals for important work.

He reappeared in a well-lit basement looking like a different man altogether. His messy hair was combed back, his red uniform was crisp and fitted and his eyes were sharp. The men and women who joined him were also of top appearance. All of them lived as tradesmen of various stalls and shops in the village when people came by, but now their true selves were present.

"Sir, our contacts in Ba Sing Se have picked up a flurry of activity on two particular issues. After a war council meeting with the Earth King, our sources have noted two particular things being researched and funded with national priority. The first was Project Arrow, modernizing their long range bombers. This included improved jet engines and hulls capable of handling higher altitudes."

Haru nodded, unsurprised, "That would make sense since both major battles so far have been lost because the Fire Nation had superior air power."

"The other subject was Project Guru. We didn't initially have any information except that it was dependent on a region for use. However, after investigating, our agents discovered that the research teams were heading into the Swamp and collecting vines from the Banyan Grove Tree."

"Oh?"

"Our men were able to procure these pictures." The younger man revealed pictures of documents. Some had lengthy budget reports or technical notes. But some had design schematics. One of the most noticeable was one in the shape of an air-dropped bomb and design notes explaining how SVE would be inserted into the ordinance.

"What is the consensus of our agents that this is not a false flag operation?" Haru worried about what he saw, but also knew that it was possible the enemy was trying to trick them.

"About 10% think the SVE is a distraction from their real priority of developing new air power, but the majority agree that the intelligence gathered would indicate that the Earth Kingdom intends to build SVE bombs to use against the Fire Nation."

Some time went by as the men discussed solutions, difficulties and how long such an undertaking by the Earth Kingdom would take. As the men quieted down, Haru took charge again.

"And what is the consensus about informing Master Jin?" Haru was head of the War Born, but Jin as head of the Dai Li was the second in command and now the earthbending master of Avatar Lirin. She now served as the direct link between the Avatar and the organization devoted to him.

If Jin was briefed, it was because the Avatar needed to know. If wasn't an attempt to keep her out of the loop, but rather so that she wasn't lying to the Avatar if there was something that they were concerned with telling him before confirmation.

"I think the Avatar and the Fire Nation need to know in order to make preparations."

Haru nodded, "I agree. Jin should be informed as quickly as possible." The head of the War Born looked at a map, "We also need to do our part to stall this research as much as possible. What are our options?"

A man in his thirties spoke up, "Sir, the Earth Kingdom does not have a technological presence by the Swamp, even if they gathered all the materials they needed, they would have to transport them to a laboratory with the ideal equipment for adapting the vines into weapons. Furthermore, Omashu's weapons development is devoted to conventional warfare. If they are going to test and experiment with SVE, it will have to be north and just outside of Ba Sing Se."

A Dai Li agent spoke up, "If they are transporting this across the continent, there will be plenty of ideal locations to ambush and recover the vines."

Haru gave his commands, "I want teams and battle plans prepared to carry out this recovery operation." A thrill took the small council of men, "The War Born are joining the fray."

Avatar Lirin's mood had changed in the days since the demonstrations. Mira wasn't sure what it was exactly that made him this way. He wasn't angry, but he seemed distracted. As they sat in his quarters, she mused on what to do to perk up his mood. Normally, it wouldn't take much to get him in a good mood, but there were some circumstances holding Mira back.

"Lirin, what's wrong?"

Lirin sighed, facing her, "You might as well hear it from me. My father has finally arranged a fiancé for me."

"Really?" Mira was surprised. She wasn't happy with the news, but she couldn't say she was outraged either. Rather Mira was of two minds. On the one hand, Lirin's royal status always meant he would marry to both carry on the bloodline and to cement political alliances. On the other hand, Lirin's reputation as a playboy served as a deterrent for many a father concerned that Lirin would lose interest in their daughters over time.

Lirin knew she was waiting to learn the identity. Mira had served the royal family all her life. That meant serving guests, many of whom proposed daughters over the years. In fact, Mira probably knew the names of all the eligible maidens to marry Lirin.

"Her name is Kori, she is the Northern Water Tribe Princess."

Mira dropped her fork absentmindedly, "Princess?" Indeed, marrying a foreigner was uncommon for a royal, especially the heir to the Fire Lord.

Aside from internal and international politics, the Fire Lord had to be a firebender and marrying a royal from another nation threatened that lineage. Fire Lord Zorin's marriage to Asune was considered a gray area because Kyoshi Island was annexed and so technically Asune was a subject of the Fire Nation. As an earthbender, her presence had some misgivings in the court. However, the birth of Princess Ursa, a strong firebender ended those fears.

But if Lirin, who was descended from firebenders and earthbenders married a waterbender, the odds of a child inheriting an element besides fire increased. Mira was not a bender herself, but her family records showed that they had benders in the past, meaning that she could have a firebender for a child.

Despite her acceptance as a mistress to the Avatar, the reality check of Lirin actually marrying someone was jarring, in fact she felt sick.

Lirin didn't want to do this. However, he didn't want her to hear it through rumor or the news when it inevitably became public. Although he knew this would happen, he didn't realize how uncomfortable it would be to have this conversation.

"You understand what will be expected of me?"

Mira recomposed herself, breathed in and smiled back, "This just means I will have to get used to sharing you more often. It's not like there weren't other women around before. I seem to recall Ursa chasing out extra guests before." Mira chuckled, trying to play it off so as not to let her fear sink in.

Lirin decided to play along, "I guess so. I actually behaved myself in the North, so Princess Kori will be a first."

"Your first conquest of a princess?" Mira threw in just a little venom in her question to tease her insatiable lover.

"A northern girl."

Lirin returned to his new duties as Crown Prince. He was still getting used to the amount of paperwork they piled on him. He wondered how did Ursa avoid a mental breakdown. If he were doing this since he was fourteen, he would have burned the palace down.

While reviewing reports in his office, his new teacher Jin entered. She leaned on his desk, tilting her head while smiling. It was a cute pose, pissing Lirin off more. Lirin was certain now that she was purposely acting this way to mock him since they were related. Before he could complain, Jin finally spoke, "I guess congratulations are in order. You snagged yourself a Water Tribe princess. An especially beautiful one to boot. Mind lending her to me when you're done?"

Lirin ignored her as he continued signing documents. He soon realized that Jin thrived off upsetting people and getting them to react to her provocations.

She looked up at the ceiling. "You got to wonder, did our great grandmother know her offspring would become so interconnected to the world of politics?"

"What do you mean?"

"Her first daughter married a wealthy lord on Kyoshi Island and her granddaughter became governor and then married the Fire Lord. Her son married into a Fire Nation noble family and his daughter also married the same Fire Lord. Then her great grandson is now heir to the Fire Lord, Avatar and about to marry a Water Tribe Princess. If that is not the jackpot of bloodlines, I don't know what is."

Lirin actually considered Jin's topic, "I swear, Avatar Tala seemed more likely to create her own empire rather than me. I spent more time conquering women than land. Our dearly departed matriarch, on the other hand, has a body count in the thousands, maybe more."

"Maybe, but if she intended to conquer the world, she would have formally publicized her romance with Fire Lord Rishu."

"You're telling me you believe that gossip from decades ago?" Lirin gave a critical stare at Jin. The rumor was strong in the early days of Avatar Tala after her husband died but passed over time. To Lirin, it was unsettling because that would mean his father married his nieces.

"They are not completely false. Tala and Liam did have children together before he died, that is where the gossip was wrong. However, Avatar Tala and Fire Lord Rishu did have a romance after she became a widow. She just never went public with it."

"Why not?"

"Several reasons. For one, it would be a similar but inverted situation to what you are facing. If the world knew that the Fire Lord's lover was the Avatar, everyone would be scared of such a power couple. But the strongest reason was that Tala also loved Lira and didn't want to threaten Lira's son and his position as heir to Rishu. If Tala were an official paramour, many would expect her to have a child and that child would have a dangerously strong claim to the throne, not unlike you."

Lirin was shocked to realize his status was not completely unique. While Tala was not going to become Fire Lord or Earth Queen, she was much closer to a position of official power than anyone knew. Tala was nine years younger than Rishu, meaning that she still could have had children with him for a while after she was a widow.

"Avatar Tala bypassed all of that by deciding not to have children with Rishu. According to my father, it was a hard decision, one that came with regrets. But she cared about her family and didn't want to add any more stress. Besides, the family all came together anyways with your dad marrying Tala's granddaughters."

Lirin was certainly distracted by this new and scandalous information. As entertaining as it was, he did not see it as valuable to his current circumstances.

"So, ‘Master' Jin, was there a reason you came here, today? Or was it perhaps to regale me with tales of our family's peculiar romances?"

Jin laughed at Lirin's impatience, "Unfortunately, we have a serious problem. The War Born have informed me of some dangerous actions taken by the Earth King."

Lirin sat there and absorbed the information that Jin provided. The Earth Kingdom was developing new SVE weapons after decades of them being banned. Avatars Korra and Tala both spent their lives containing this technology, aware of their danger in the wrong hands.

"Have you informed my father yet?"

"No," Jin answered promptly.

Lirin didn't get a chance to ask why not as Jin continued, "I answer to you, Avatar Lirin. You are my master, not the Fire Lord. And that goes for both the Dai Li and the War Born. We serve the Avatar, not any nation. I admit that the Avatar being the next leader of a nation puts us in a grey area, but if you had renounced your claim to the throne, we would still serve you."

"Then what do you expect me to do with this information?"

"To decide what to do and command the War Born how to proceed. We have already made preparations in anticipation of your command, but it is ultimately up to you to decide what the balance of power will be in the world."

Lirin took a moment to think. In principle, he supported the actions of Korra and Tala in banning these weapons. An arms race would have inevitably occurred after their creation if it were legal to develop them.

However, if the weapons existed, Lirin couldn't pretend they were not a threat.

"I am inclined to think that if we can't stop their development, then we need to sabotage the process as much as possible. Furthermore, if we can't stop their production, we have to accept that there will be an arms race and the safest country will be the one who develops and perfects them first. What is your advice?"

"The War Born agree, my lord. As do I. We are not in a position to stop their development anymore. But we can delay it and ensure that the enemy isn't the only one who has weapons of mass destruction."

Avatar Lirin took lead informing the Fire Lord's war council of the update on the new plans of the Earth Kingdom. Some consternation over the Dai Li sharing it with Lirin but not them was natural but accepted when Jin reiterated they serve him, not the Fire Nation.

As the group processed the information, a debate formed for how to respond. Lirin took the command, "As I told Jin, we need to stop the Earth Kingdom from developing and deploying these weapons. However, we can't realistically stop their development altogether. It is more realistic that we sabotage them until we develop our own countermeasures, primarily SVE weapons of our own."

Zorin spoke up, "Are we in a position to do that?" Zorin asked a fair question. Scientists and researchers in the Fire Nations were no slouches, however they did not have direct access to Spirit Vines like the Earth Kingdom and Air Nation did.

"Not completely," Jin answered, "However, the War Born have been monitoring SVE research for a significant period of time. We have prototype designs more advanced than the Earth Kingdom's based on this intelligence. As for supply, we have a small stockpile that can get us started."

"The War Born will also begin raiding the shipments between the Swamp and wherever they send the vines for weapons production. We won't have a steady or enormous supply, but we will have an edge in experience over the enemy."

"Very well, tell the War Born they can work with our scientists to prepare prototypes and secure a location for testing the weapon. Ideally far away from any human settlements."

General Ban spoke up, "Your majesty, if I may?" Zorin nodded approval to speak. "Development is only one issue. We have to consider public opinion. SVE Treaties are popular with the public and the Fire Nation has held up these laws over the decades. If we develop them, we will be seen as aggressors in the conflict."

"Even if it is a response to the Earth Kingdom breaking the treaty first?" Lirin inquired.

"The enemy will twist the facts. Those who already hate the Avatar won't listen to minute details about who broke the law first." Ban had a firm voice as he answered the Avatar.

Minister Shi spoke up, "General Ban is correct that the Earth Kingdom will attempt to pin the violation on us. However, we are aware of their plans, that gives us a window of opportunity."

"How so?" Grand Marshal Zun asked.

"We begin the operation as planned. Focusing primarily on sabotaging the enemy and stealing vines from them. Once we have carried this out long enough, we use some of the resources we have stolen and present it as proof that the Earth Kingdom is making weapons of mass destruction. Under this threat, the Fire Nation has no choice but to consider developing our own SVE weapons. We continue with development without explicitly telling the public so. If our weapons are discovered, no one will be surprised because we already intimated at it and the Earth Kingdom was caught first."

The members of the war council nodded in approval. Zorin looked at Jin, "Can the War Born carry this out?"

Jin smiled, "With ease."

Proxies

A series of unfortunate events occurred throughout the Earth Kingdom. Industrial accidents, and coincidental muggings among a host of other issues plagued various officers on the continent. At first, the incidents were taken individually as bad luck.

However, some saw a pattern emerging when a researcher who missed his train miraculously survived as the train ran off the tracks and into a canyon. However, the researcher died days later in a car accident. Another supply officer with special clearance was mugged and killed while out at night. His death meant a shipment delay on the same project as the researcher by a week.

As some denied the correlations between these ‘accidents' and the project they were working on, others realized that something sinister was going on. A concentrated campaign of sabotage was being carried out on the continent against a special and secret project that answered to the Earth King directly.

Luei rubbed his temples in frustration as he listened to an officer try to explain away how the death of two individuals in as many days was a freak accident. It was a waste of time. He wanted to shut up the man and yell, but he knew that would do him no good either. Twenty military officers and scientists had died in the last month and all of them were related to Project Guru.

Project Guru, the plan to develop SVE weapons to use against the Fire Nation, was experiencing multiple setbacks. Supplies were delayed and lost, men with the clearance and knowledge to transport the vines died, and all these ‘accidents' were carried out on just Project Guru and not the war effort as a whole.

Luei knew that eventually the Fire Nation would deploy spies to infiltrate his military to sabotage it from within, however he did not expect them to do it so soon and so effectively. Project Guru was the most secretive military operation of the Earth Kingdom, despite the manpower and resources devoted to it, the number of people who were aware of the truth was small.

For the Fire Nation to be able to anticipate so much meant that someone trusted was betraying him. Luei thought about who it could be. Perhaps one of his generals who thought the war was lost and wanted to curry favor with the Avatar.

Or maybe it was someone who genuinely opposed the development of SVE and the Fire Nation wasn't involved at all. Luei wasn't sure where to go with his theories when a spark of thought struck him. He instructed the officer to end the briefing and leave him be.

The Earth King realized there was a way that this sabotage could be carried out without Fire Nation infiltrators. It was the same way they killed his grandson, the War Born.

As Colonel Bing told him, the War Born monitored SVE development for decades, and the evidence would indicate they studied it for themselves. If so, they were watching the Swamp and deduced his intentions. From there, any agents they had, carried out sabotage to delay his progress. This would explain how the enemy was able to act so fast.

Luei didn't feel relief with this revelation. He still needed to confirm it and then find a solution to this problem. Unlike the Fire Nation, the War Born was composed of people from around the world. Some of them would have deep covers from legitimate lives in the Earth Kingdom and may never be discovered unless captured in the act.

The only thing he was certain of was that he needed to act fast. If the enemy knew he was developing SVE weapons, they would eventually make their own to counter him.

The apparent lull in the war had seemed to trick people on the continent into thinking that things were fine. But far from it, things were getting worse. Fire Lord Zorin made an announcement that rocked the world.

In a lengthy and detailed speech, Zorin presented evidence that the Earth Kingdom was not only researching but developing SVE bombs. No one knew how he acquired this information, but it was so detailed, and the format so clearly Earth Kingdom military paperwork, that it was hard for the press to deny looking into it.

Zorin wasn't done. He also had intelligence on the intended targets of the Earth Kingdom. Many of the planned attacks were on major Fire Nation bases and cities, which was to be expected. However, what was shocking was the fact that Republic City and Air Temple Island were targets as well.

The international community was in an uproar over this scandal. The fact that the Earth Kingdom had violated some of the most universally agreed upon treaties of war was beyond the pale.

Zorin concluded his speech with a tragic tone. He mused that the Fire Nation would have to find a way to stop the Earth Kingdom and sadly, consider the potential of SVE weapons if the Earth Kingdom already had them.

Lirin watched the news as Zorin's plan played out exactly how he wanted it to. With the revelation that the Earth Kingdom violated the SVE treaties, little condemnation for them following suit appeared. In fact, it looked like every nation was joining the arms race to develop these powerful weapons.

Intelligence reports from the War Born indicated a frenzy of covert operations in both the Swamp and Republic City of groups trying to collect spirit vines. Most failed to procure their desired resource, but many also worked to sabotage the Earth Kingdom's research until their own development caught up.

In all, the Earth Kingdom helped jump-start a new arms race and made themselves the target of all the other participants. Earth King Luei tried to deny the allegations and throw the blame back at the Fire Nation, but the fact that spirit vines were only found in two locations in the human world hurt his arguments, especially when both locations belonged to enemies of the Fire Nation.

The Air Nation's woes continued to build up. The Spirit Portal and accompanying vines in Republic City had long been an issue during Avatar Korra's time, and to see it become a source of controversy again did not help when the nation was engulfed in a scandal over its part to betray and assassinate the Avatar.

For a while, the Air Nomads actually opposed developing their own SVE weapons and set about guarding the resource from others. However, their manpower proved inadequate and the public was outraged with the decision. They were fearful of these weapons being used on them again.

The United Republic of Nations was the only country attacked with SVE weapons and its people in the descendant Air Nation had a long memory of that disaster. The people did not want to be victims again.

An unintended result was the reaction of the Faceless. New bombings struck across the world, including the Fire Nation, opposing the development of SVE. These anarchists called these weapons a violation of the natural world and betrayal of humanity's progress as a society.

Lirin felt they had a point. In a perfect world, these weapons would never exist. However, he couldn't turn back time. All he could do was secure his home from the threat and do his best to prevent malicious entities from possessing them.

First Strike

Admiral Uru inspected what remained of his fleet and its blockade of the northern seas. After the Fire Nation broke the blockade in the south, they carried out a pincer on Admiral Chen's fleet that was attacking Capital City. Uru's force was spread too thin to be any help when it all turned sideways.  

When his southern ships rolled under the attack from the Fire Navy, he had to prioritize either counterattacking or securing what he occupied. In the end, he made the right choice. His southern ships from Kyoshi Island and west were all lost, but the Fire Navy did not attack his northern holdings, probably because they took too much damage breaking the blockade and retaking the seas around Capital City.

At this point, Admiral Uru suspected he either had a similar or slightly smaller sized fleet that was spread out across a wide expanse. The only reason Grand Admiral Ayu didn't attack was because he had to defend an even larger area of water with just as many ships.

For Uru, it was a waiting game. On one side, he was waiting for supplies and reinforcements from the Earth Kingdom. However, the Earth Kingdom only had two fleets remaining and it was too dangerous to send them out and leave their areas unguarded. Raising a new fleet from scratch could take months or years depending on sabotage, manpower and resources.

On the other side, he was waiting for the Fire Nation. At the moment, they had taken too many losses to risk another naval engagement if they could avoid it. However, they also were going to build up another fleet to attack the Earth Kingdom and Air Nation.

For Uru, the waiting game was to see who raised a fleet first to save him or sink him.

Unfortunately for the admiral, he didn't realize there were more factors at play and that the time to wait was over.

The Earth Kingdom fleet was rocked by another volley of attacks. The torpedoes came out of nowhere and struck their fastest response vessels first. It was only later they realized that submarines were used. Once the defense was softened up, large battleships closed in and targeted their precious carriers.

The Earth Kingdom's air defense was unprepared for the assault that came. The Northern Water Tribe Navy was as modern as the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation when it came to ships and just below them in air support. However, they made up for this in submarine warfare. Their mastery of waterbending combined with science allowed them to understand the fundamentals and adapt technology faster than anyone else.

The fleet of submarines that attacked were not prototypes or freshly created weapons untested in conflict. It was the hardened tip of the spear in the Northern Water Tribe's navy. Any attempts to subvert the North's grip would be a grave error.

Another wave of undetected torpedoes hit the defenseless Earth Kingdom fleet. Within a half hour, the remnants of the fleet surrendered. Battleships waded in to take prisoners while the submarines pressed on to eliminate other ships.

The Northern Water Tribe's attack was not on a singular position or target. A wave of attacks from unseen submarines hit all along the northern Earth Kingdom coast and parts of the Air Nation.

Within a day, it became clear that the waters between the Fire Nation and both the Water Tribes were under their control now.

Royal Matters

The news of the Northern Water Tribe joining the war on the side of the Fire Nation was welcome in the Homeland. Lirin heard cheering in the streets and saw televisions play of northern ships give out supplies to beleaguered Fire Nation islands that had been starving from the blockade.

Zorin's public statements in support further rallied the people. For all the historical and cultural differences of the Fire Nation and the Water Tribe, both were naval powers that had learned to adapt on the seas. If the mainland decided that the politics of islands was worth starting a war over, what would happen the next time an Avatar was born in the Water Tribes?

Lirin also knew there was more to it than just camaraderie. An official Tribal Procession was following the main fleet of the North into Capital City. The Fire Nation Royal Family had already been informed that with the admiral leading the new allies came Princess Kori, with the public and official offer of marriage between Prince Lirin and herself.

For the Avatar, this was another step confirming his path forward. While he had nothing against the princess, he did not like the path he was heading down. By accepting this marriage, he would guarantee that he would become Fire Lord, continue to wage war on the Earth Kingdom and set up a new balance of power between naval powers against continental powers.

But what could he do? For simply existing in his circumstances, the Earth Kingdom waged war against his homeland and slaughtered his people. His sister was murdered defending their land. If he walked away, it would be betraying not only his people but also the woman who was meant to be their true leader. He had to do his best to fill in the void left with Ursa's death.

A great fleet of blue ships entered the waters of Capital City. Fireworks set off across the island as a welcome for the allies and their call to aid their friend. Perhaps at another point in history, the Fire Nation might have been bitter that the North only joined after the Fire Nation won several consecutive battles. But today, the people were genuinely happy.

The welcoming of the procession became a full festival. Food stalls and games and celebrations broke out in the caldera and the cities around the capital. As it turned out, the people were eager to celebrate something. The new arrivals with good news just served as icing on the cake.

Furthermore, it was rumored that a Water Tribe Princess was visiting as the emissary of the North. While media had shown this young beauty before, it was in the context of the culturally conservative and colder north pole.

Princess Kori would now appear in the Fire Nation, and the people were eager to see the Jewel of the North for themselves.

The flagship docked at the entrance of the port and dropped a ramp to the floor where a procession of soldiers and Imperial Firebenders held lines on each side. Beyond them were massive crowds waiting in bated breath.

A group of ten Water Tribe guards led the small procession. Behind them were three older men who were clearly high ranked officers. One of them had a wolfskin mantle over his shoulders and his dark but greying hair was tied behind him. He seemed to be the last at the door as he inspected the open space and looked back into the ship. He nodded and several more figures walked out. At the rear were two guard and at the sides were two handmaidens.

It was the young woman at the center that everyone waited for and all cameras were trained on. Her soft caramel skin and raven black hair was contrasted with ice blue eyes. She wore soft and thin robes of dark blue with edges of crimson red. The motifs of her dress emulated an eclipse with a red sun and blue moon overtaking each other.

A collective gasp of awe came from the masses as the princess came into full view. Her soft demeanor and calm gait further elevated the mysterious aura around her as she stepped down the ramp into an open car waiting for her. As she sat in the back of the convertible Satomobile, she calmly waved at a young girl who was frantically waving a homemade doll in her likeness. The cute smile she gave as the princess acknowledged her further enraptured the audience and soon cheers broke out among the massive crowds as chants of, "Kori" spread across the city.

Cameras captured this feverish reception as the Satomobile steadily inched its way towards the Caldera. Lirin and the Royal party waiting at the palace watched from just inside as the princess advanced further into the city. She was loved and adored by the crowd.

With a wave of her hand, she had won them over. Zorin chuckled as the vehicle reached the zig-zag path up the caldera. It would be an opportunity for the princess to rest as there would be no audience members allowed for security reasons.

"This girl is a natural. She never met the people of the Fire Nation before and they already love her. I guess it was wise to have agreed to her marriage. Perhaps I should have done it years ago and maybe could have avoided this whole thing."

Lirin knew his father's comment was half-joke and half-serious. He decided to quell the serious regret now, "On the contrary, it would have accelerated the situation. A prince Avatar marrying a foreign princess would have been seen as a direct step towards the fears that madman Luei had. Ironically, your hesitance saved us a couple of years of war."

"Hmm, perhaps." Zorin had not considered it in this light but didn't find fault in it.

"Still, you are right that she is indeed popular with the people. She will one day be a queen to these people, that they adore her is good. However, she needs to make sure she can also handle the royal court better than I did."

Lirin knew that an important role the partner of a Fire Lord had was to shore up the support and loyalty of the royal court. Different consorts handled it in their own ways and some failed to make progress. Some actively harmed the balance of the court. This was especially common when Fire Lords had wives who competed for their sons' inheritance.

Kori would face a different issue. She was an outsider who would suddenly be elevated to consort of the next ruler. Many families and power players would resent that and impede her for that alone. Others would undoubtedly manipulate the tension to push Lirin to taking a new wife to then stabilize the situation and influence him that way. Lirin knew because it was the tactic some tried with Zorin and then Ursa.

Kori may be a newcomer to this political battle, but she was not without weapons or skill. She already came onto the field with the support of the people, a fickle but powerful weapon. If Kori played it well, she could very well take the court by storm.

Lirin did not do so well at this game. Despite being born a prince and then being announced as the Avatar, his failure to play politics had led to his de-facto ouster. Lirin was safe from the worst of it now because he was the only heir to the throne, but not for long. Having Kori by his side would strengthen his position. It was just as much for her safety as for his that she succeeded in securing power.

"I have a feeling she will manage just fine. Besides, if she bears you a firebending child as soon as possible, she will secure the heir to the throne as well before proposals from other families pour in."

Lirin laughed at Zorin's blunt assessment, "We haven't even had the formal announcement of engagement and you're saying to have a child already?"

"The sooner the better. We have been lucky that you haven't had a child yet, not even with Mira. If Kori gives birth to a firebender, the royal family will grow by that much. It might even be possible for your child to inherit from me and so avoid a repeat of this conflict."

Lirin was shocked to realize that Zorin actually considered some of the terms of the failed peace talks. Indeed, the talks had considered the idea of Lirin having children and thereby heirs who could inherit the throne if he abdicated his right. Lirin assumed the notion was only meant to bait the Earth Kingdom and force them to reject reasonable proposals and then the Fire Nation would call them out on it.

The young Avatar then wondered what that life would mean for him. He didn't want to be the Avatar, but he definitely didn't want to be Fire Lord either. Could he be bypassed by his child and then live out his days as just the Avatar?

The Satomobile finally entered the caldera. The homes around the Imperial Palace belong to the wealthiest and most powerful members of Fire Nation society. It was considered a nexus of power. To Kori, she was nervous at the idea that someone actually built an entire city inside a dormant volcano. In her mind, that was like building your city on the edge of melting glaciers, destined for disaster.

Nervous as she was at the concept, her beautiful face only showed grace as another crowd hailed her arrival. While a noticeably smaller crowd than before, the residents here were clearly better dressed and more orderly. Clean cloths of red, white, and gold were everywhere.

At almost every house she looked at, there was either a motif of flames, the sun, or dragons. Culturally, this was diametrically opposed to the world as she knew it. She was familiar with designs honoring the moon and the ocean, and calm images of harmony with spirits. The Fire Nation, on the other hand, had a more aggressive undercurrent. It was like an unending wave, hellbent on rolling over everything in its path.

The one thing she noticed that was in common was the respect for elder figures of the past. She noticed a statue honoring the late General Iroh down one street. It reminded her of a square with a beautiful statue of Princess Yue, the Moon Spirit, near the Chief's Palace.

The vehicle finally stopped outside the gates of the Imperial Palace. The Imperial Firebenders kept the waving fans to the sides as the gates opened and a palanquin arrived to carry her to the Palace itself.

Kori didn't think the distance was too far and thought she could walk but decided to follow the custom. As she sat down in the litter, a wave of exhaustion nearly took her. The heat and humidity in the Fire Nation was greater than she anticipated. She had dressed in thinner fabrics than she was used to and with less layers, but the environment was still a shock to her system. She was on the verge of sweating when she used waterbending discreetly to cast it away. She couldn't afford for this to set and affect her appearance.

The palanquin finally approached the entrance to the palace where a gathering waited for her. An officer approached to lead her out of the litter and her father's officers escorted her forward. Normally, they would enter the palace to have an audience with Fire Lord inside, however they remained at the entrance where cameras recorded and broadcasted the event not only to the residents watching on giant screens across the city, but to the world.

The door to the palace opened and a dozen men and women stepped out. The Water Tribe delegation gave a brief bow as the Fire Lord and his son approached.

Kori finally got to look at the Fire Lord in person. He was an older man, though he didn't look it. The streaks of grey in his hair and his confident face were said to be spitting images of Fire Lord Sozin. His calm and collected appearance inspired confidence in his men, or at least that was what she had heard in her lessons preparing her for her travels. She didn't fully understand what her teachers meant, but she could feel something emanate from his aura.

On the Fire Lord's right hand was the man who was the center of it all. The Crown Prince of the Fire Nation, a lazy playboy that no one expected anything of. Someone known to cause trouble. The man whose very existence ignited a new war. The Avatar, Lirin.

He was slightly older than Kori, but he looked like a mature man now, especially compared to the photos and movers made just a year ago. Conflict had the power to change people, and this war was no different in changing the Avatar. He eyes had a dark quality to them, unlike the amber she recalled.

Kori had met and spoken to Lirin only briefly in her home, but the man before her seemed like something else entirely. The sarcastic smirk he was known for was gone. The flirtatious look he gave any woman was hidden, and his stance indicated the readiness to not only fight but kill anything in his way.

Kori pitied the stark contrast from the stranger she briefly met over a year ago and her future partner. One was reckless but happy, the other reserved and full of darkness. Kori only hoped there was still light left to fill the hole this war had put in the Avatar.

Kori's attention returned to her official duties as one of her escorts spoke up. "Fire Lord Zorin, it is an honor to speak on behalf of Chief Leng by proxy. We have come here to extend our aid and proof of our sincere wish to help our friend in need."

Fire Lord Zorin, ever the statesman smiled as he replied, "I am honored to receive Chief Leng's support and wishes to aid us in ending this terrible war. My father and Avatar Tala felt it was critical of the Fire Nation to atone for our past sins by helping Water Tribes reach their full potential so that no one could threaten their independence again. Thanks to their hard work, I had the honor of making great friends across the seas."

"In fact, it was thanks to this mission, that as Prince, I was sent out as a diplomat. On my duties, I met the woman I would fall in love with and marry, Asune of Kyoshi Island. You could very well say I would never have met my wife if it wasn't for our growing relationship with the Northern Water Tribe."

Zorin spoke the truth, but he also expressed in a way that would draw the most sympathy and camaraderie from everyone. By attributing his marriage and its happiness to a good relationship with the North, the people of the Northern Water Tribe could identify themselves as friends of the Fire Lord, further breaking down the divide between the two cultures.

"We are honored by such words," the escort gave another bow at the comments of the Fire Lord. "However, in your time of need, we should have acted sooner as friends should. For that we can only apologize."

"I understand, I cannot blame the Chief of the Northern Water Tribe placing the safety of his people first in an uncertain conflict. I cast no blame on Chief Leng." It was these words that were critical to the international community. By saying this, Zorin stated to the world that he was accepting the alliance with the North and would not retaliate against them for their earlier inaction when they were asked for help.

Those in power watching in Ba Sing Se, Republic City and the South expected this, but were unpleased all the same. For their own reasons, these groups were at odds with the Fire Nation either by instigating war, secretly abetting said war, or claiming neutrality.

It was the next words that would further upset international balance. "Nevertheless, my lord. Chief Leng feels that it is judicious of the North to prove our sincerity that we will not break faith with you in your time of need. The Northern Water Tribe swears we will fight beside you until this war is over."

"As proof of that vow, Chief Leng offers that which he values most in his life. The hand of his daughter, Princess Kori, to your son, Crown Prince Lirin."

The crowds watching from screens all over the world gasped at the revelation. Only the most select people in both the Fire Nation and the Northern Water Tribe knew about this. With the public declaration, any hope to stop the North from staying in this on the Fire Nation's side was over.

In Ba Sing Se, Luei fumed and raged at his television, throwing the device out the window in his blind fury. In Republic City, the Council of Air Nomads despaired that the Water Tribe effectively declared war on them too. In the South, there was some irritation that they had been outplayed by their northern brothers. By still debating whether to remain neutral while the North was offering a princess, they could not use the same tactic if they decided to ally with the Fire Nation. The South also had a beautiful princess of their own but had discounted the idea of her marriage as a tool for building relationships.

The only thing to wait and see was the official response of the Fire Nation accepting the offer.

Fire Lord Zorin did not immediately respond. He knew the cameras were recording everything and wanted the world to watch with bated breath for the next step.

Just as they planned, Zorin paved the way for another actor to speak up, "Rather than make this offer to me, you should speak to my son, Prince Lirin." Zorin gestured to his son, who stepped forward.

As Lirin stepped to the center of the stage, the Chief's delegate backed away, making room for Princess Kori to step forward.

Kori curtsied before him and spoke, "Avatar Lirin, it is an honor to speak with you again."

"The honor is mine, princess." Lirin knew the script prepared for him. As the deal was already made, it was just going through the motions in order to manipulate the public crowds who were unaware.

"As my father's proxy said, the North erred. We let our fear drive us when we should have stood by our friends. We share more water, business and friends with the Fire Nation than we do with the Earth Kingdom, and yet we acted like we could stay out of a conflict that would hurt the world."

Kori had a sorrowful but refined look on her face as she spoke eloquently, "We cannot make up for this sin, but we can promise to help end this war and do what is right to bring back balance to the world. I have come here as daughter of Chief Leng to offer myself as proof that the North is with you, Avatar Lirin."

Kori bowed before the Avatar and waited. According to the script prepared, Lirin would accept and place a betrothal necklace on her before she stood up again as his fiancé. However, Lirin changed the play before anyone could react.

Kori realized that the Avatar was also kneeling before her, "You do not bear blame for what ails the world princess, no more than I bear blame for being born a prince. All we can do is serve our people to protect them as best we can."

Kori looked into Lirin's eyes, watching as they flashed from black to a golden amber. Lirin then reached forward and took her hand, in it he placed an ornate object. It was a necklace but instead of a thin chain, it was made of complex lines of silver plate woven together to be thicker yet flexible. At the center was a jewel of sapphire. However, the sapphire was not a dark ocean blue but rather light, like ice. Kori realized it matched her eyes. She was taken by the elaborate craftsmanship of this necklace and noticed there was more, the silver parts had created a pattern of flames as a backdrop to the moon of the icy sapphire.

Lirin looked into her eyes, "Princess, would you stand by me and help me bring balance and peace to the world?"

Kori's cheeks flushed slightly as she was enraptured in Lirin's gaze. She was so caught off guard that she just nodded dumbly at his question, not at all giving a refined response. Lirin stood up with her hand still in his, lifting her up as well. She turned in place as he then placed the betrothal necklace on her, officially confirming their engagement.

Kori's flustered state brought on a moment of internal embarrassment. However, on the camera, it showed a moment of passion and connection between Avatar Lirin and Princess Kori. Kori did not need to wait to find out how the public felt, she soon heard a deafening set of cheers that seemed to flood the island.

The two stood together hand in hand as they presented themselves over a balcony of the palace walls before the adoring crowds. The engagement of Avatar Lirin and Princess Kori would go down in history as one of the most celebrated events in Fire Nation history.

Lirin escorted his fiancé back into the palace as the grand festival continued outside. The two spent hours as part of the celebration to declare not only the alliance of the Northern Water Tribe with the Fire Nation, but the betrothal of Kori to Lirin. The Princess seemed a little winded at the significant change of pace and the difference in weather compared to her icy home.

"My apologies for the loud ruckus, your highness. My people have been through a lot and the opportunity to celebrate any good news was welcome." Lirin's eyes flashed between amber and black as he smiled at Kori.

Kori blushed slightly as she smiled back, "There is no need to apologize. It will take some time to adjust to the weather, but I will be fine, Prince Lirin."

As the two continued walking, they entered an air-conditioned room in the palace. Immediately, Kori felt relief at the dry and cool sensation as she entered the room. Lirin beckoned to a comfortable sofa across from the one he was next to.

The young princess sat down across from her betrothed. Lirin chuckled, "I was just thinking, the last time I saw you, you had somehow managed to sit up straight while asleep during a boring fasting event."

Kori paled briefly at the comment. Indeed, one of the last official events that Avatar Lirin attended in the north was a fast, "How did you know?"

Lirin laughed, "I was looking for like-minded souls to share in my boredom. I would have approached you, but I feared you might have become startled if I did."

Despite herself, Kori giggled, "Maybe, but I like to think I have mastered the art of sleeping while looking important. I certainly do it better than my brother did, he snored during the second hour."

Lirin burst into laughter recalling the incident in mind, "He did, didn't he!"

The two shared a laugh. As they calmed down, Lirin spoke up, "I know this is an arranged marriage, but it doesn't mean we can't learn to enjoy each other's company. We didn't know each other well in the North, but I had a good impression of you. Also, I suspect that your father also arranged this to get you out of there and away from the suitors that surrounded you."

Kori did her best to keep a calm face. While she was happy to learn that her father did in fact care about who she married and not just what benefit it brought, she never thought Avatar Lirin had paid attention to it.

"Were you aware of discussions for us to marry back then?"

"No, but I knew what I saw. It was the same for Ursa. She always had to compose herself a specific way with men who were considered eligible grooms for a prince consort to the next Fire Lord. I never liked it when they so openly lied and tried to deceive her in order to gain favor."

Kori never knew Ursa, but her sympathy grew at the realization that she wasn't the only one who suffered from this. "I'm surprised, wasn't Princess Ursa the Grand General of the Army? Surely that would give pause to vain men?"

Lirin leaned back into the couch, sighing, "You would think. But no, some of the men who courted her deluded themselves. They thought they could take the mantle and just relegate her to childbearing. Ursa did make an example of a few of them to make them cut it out."

"I wish I had that kind of strength." Kori answered jealously. She never had the power to tell off a potential suitor she didn't like. She could only dream of the satisfaction.

"You do," Lirin had an earnest look on his face when he answered, "If you were truly weak, you would have caved to their advances. One of them would have gotten lucky with fait accompli and that would have been it. But you stood proud in spite of all the pressure."

Kori smiled a little at the compliment, "Then why didn't you try to flirt with me or court me?"

Kori leaned over seductively, even in her formal ware, Lirin could imagine her complete beauty. The young prince chuckled, "I had just gotten in trouble for having an affair with my airbending master's wife and was warned against further misbehavior. Taking the Chief's daughter as my personal plaything would have opened a whole other can of noodles. Plus, you were beset by enough men. If I joined the fray, the situation might have boiled over if those peons thought I was competition. One of them might have crossed the line and forced you and I couldn't forgive that."

"Well, that is in the past now. With us getting married, we will have a whole new mountain of challenges neither of us expected. I want us to face this together." Kori may not have opposed an arranged marriage, but she also wanted the mutual support and commitment her mother and father had for each other.

"As do I," Lirin's eyes flashed to amber as he answered resolutely. Whatever his flaws, at least the Avatar was an upfront man, he didn't lie to her about his past or his character.

Both Kori and Lirin will face obstacles to their life as husband and wife, but at least they agreed to be honest with each other.

Kori laid down on the cool bed of her new quarters. Between the soft and cool fabrics and the air conditioner, she felt comfortable in this new locale. She only hoped she would be able to manage her day-to-day affairs outside in the heat as well.

Kori looked to her handmaiden, a Water Tribe woman who was about ten years her senior. "Uma, what do you think of Avatar Lirin?" She stroked the newly adorned necklace that Lirin gave her.

"He is certainly handsome and kind, my lady."

"Yes, he is." Kori considered that maybe one or two men in the North had Lirin's looks or caliber of them.

"But I could tell he was interested in more than conversation with you." Apparently, Uma did not like the reputation of the Avatar or the way he looked at the princess.

Kori chuckled. According to her father, she should work on having a child as soon as possible to ensure her position in court. If Lirin felt that way, it would make things easier. "Well, we will be married, so I would hope so."

Uma frowned. Despite her stiff upbringing in the Northern Water Tribe, Uma didn't like the idea of the princess becoming someone's plaything. Uma was fifteen when she began serving the Chief as a caretaker of Princess Kori, she genuinely cared for the princess like her own sister.

"The Avatar has plenty of women around for that. I overheard some kitchen staff talking about his mistress. Apparently, she has been staying in his room most nights now rather than her own room. Do they have no control?"

"Oh?" Kori's interest was piqued. Chief Leng confirmed that Lirin did have a lover that was kept secret from the press, a considerable feat in light of his reputation. Kori had heard the girl was a servant who was older than him. "Did you hear a name?"

"Yes, they said her name was Mira. Apparently, she was best friends with Princess Ursa and has been here in the palace since she was born."

"Hmm," Kori didn't have a lot of information to go on, but she knew that living here as the bride of the Avatar and next Fire Lord could be difficult if she didn't learn to adapt now. The first step was learning about her surroundings.

"I would like to meet her."

"Pardon me, my lady?" Uma had a dumbfounded look on her face.

"Please send an invitation to Miss Mira to have tea with me. I have a feeling that we won't be strangers in this palace for long. I might as well take the initiative."

Mira nervously paced in the hallway. Around the corner and she would be at the entrance to Princess Kori's quarters. The Princess had literally just moved in yesterday as celebrations were still going on outside.

Mira questioned why a princess would wish to speak to a servant girl like her. Of course, she knew the answer when she asked herself. The princess must have found out who she was. Outside the palace, no one knew what Mira's relationship with Lirin was. On the few occasions that Lirin had more than one guest at night, these women assumed Mira was just another woman like them. But inside the palace, everyone knew that Lirin's favorite girl was Mira and that she was treated specially for it.

While diligent, she did less work than most servants and she always paid attention to her appearance. While some staff grumbled about the share of work, most were supportive of her. She had been here since a child and knew almost everyone in the palace, including the Imperial Firebenders.

It wasn't unlikely that Kori and her followers overheard the staff talk about her. Mira finally approached the entrance. She couldn't hide from the princess forever. She may as well deal with it now.

Mira was led to some furniture, there was a small round table and three light but comfortable chairs around it. The light wood and blue colors gave the air of calm. Mira could physically tell it was cooler in here than outside and shivered briefly.

At the table, a single woman sat down as a servant set two plates down with cups and tea. Kori turned to acknowledge her guest, "Welcome, Miss Mira, it is a pleasure to meet you."

"The honor is all mine, Princess." Mira gave a deep bow as a sign of respect to the princess.

Mira wasn't sure how to proceed. She typically served a royal at this point, rather than be the guest. However, the princess beckoned her to sit next to her. She nervously sat down as the tea was prepared.

She waited for the princess to drink first before she indulged. While different, the tea was delicious. As she calmed down slightly, Kori spoke, "I understand this may be awkward, but it seems both of us are intimately tied to the same man."

Kori wasn't sure what to make of Mira as she looked at the servant. Objectively, she was more beautiful than Mira, even if she wasn't being vain. She had a leaner body with more pronounced curves and her darker skin appeared to be softer, her voice was clearer and bright. She also had vibrant ice blue eyes compared to the more dull amber of Mira's. Mira was not heavy or skinny, but her proportions were more subdued than Kori's and her voice held a slight studder like that of a nervous servant.

Despite this, Kori felt like less than her. She then realized what it was, their maturity. Mira was twenty years old while Kori was in her seventeenth year. Mira unconsciously exuded the air of a woman in her prime while Kori had yet to reach her peak.

In one sense, Kori could feel safe knowing she would stand above Mira in a few years, on the other hand, she felt that the match was already decided. Lirin may have seen Kori as a sexual partner, but did she compare the same way a matured woman like Mira did?

"Forgive me if I seem blunt, but I think we should put our cards on the table and not dance around the issues that will grow as time passes." Kori decided that just observing the woman would produce no answers and decided to speak.

"As you wish, your highness," Mira gave a slight bow in approval. She was actually relieved. While she was somewhat familiar with palace intrigue, she had no skill in it and preferred to avoid it.

"I am betrothed to Avatar Lirin, a man well known to keep his fair share of carnal company. You, Miss Mira, are by all accounts his favorite. I have only heard rumors about your relationship, but I take it that you have known Prince Lirin his whole life and your devotion to him is strong?"

"Yes, Princess. I love Lirin more than anyone in the world. We were in each other's arms since his birth and I intend to live that way. Princess Ursa consented to this."

Kori's ears perked up at that confirmation, "Did she?"

Kori had heard that Mira was Ursa's closest friend in the palace. It would certainly make sense then why Lirin also knew her so well as they grew up and became curious.

"Yes, Princess Ursa had many opportunities to send me away or find me a job or husband outside of the palace, but she respected my decision to stay."

Kori didn't know Ursa personally, but she knew from what she saw that Ursa was not only the original heir to the Fire Nation, but that she was wildly adored by her people. Even in death, the people praised the late princess. It seemed that Prince Lirin was judged by her standard in nearly every way.

If that were the case, opposing Mira out of jealousy would be a mistake. "I guess that asking you to leave would be naïve, even pompous then? After all, you have been with him longer than me."

"Yes," Mira showed a confidence that was lacking when she first walked into the room.

"Then perhaps it would be more prudent to ensure we understand each other. My child with Prince Lirin will one day become the Fire Lord, regardless of whether you have a child first. However, I mean no harm to you or any children you bear. So long as we can agree on this, I think we can learn to like each other."

"I always understood it would be this way. Ursa warned me that I could never marry Lirin because of our difference in status and so just to be with him is enough for me. I promise not to undermine the inheritance of your children to the throne."

"Good," Kori felt some relief that Mira promised she wouldn't interfere with Kori's position in court. "Now, while I will marry Lirin, I will have to ask that I have some time with him as well. I hear you are with him nearly every night. I would like you to refrain so that his majesty and I can grow closer together."

"I don't know whether we will ever love each other, but it would be a betrayal not to try. As such, I want to commit myself to him and let us see each other for who we are and accept that as husband and wife."

Mira smiled as Kori spoke, "I wouldn't want anything less of Lirin's wife. In fact, I would be furious if his future bride didn't care about him."

Hallowed

The engagement of the Avatar to the Princess of the Northern Water Tribe was the focal point of discussion across the world. It was such a sensational topic, that even the progress of the war was second billing on news reports. Discussions about the precedent of the marriage seemed to be the main focus.

It seemed that the most common subjects were or included: The fact that the Fire Nation had never married a Fire Lord or direct heir to an outsider, let alone a foreign princess, before. The marriage of an Avatar to a member of a royal family. And what this marriage would mean for the future of both the Northern Water Tribe and the Fire Nation.

As Lirin watched the news, he expected the people to talk on endlessly about this until something new occupied their attention. However, another topic started appearing in both debates and demonstrations.

Lirin watched as people began calling the Avatar an Emperor. Some of it was along the lines of the anti-Avatar propaganda of the Faceless and the Earth Kingdom. However, a startling amount of it was supportive of the notion, which was a first.

Lirin thought it was a fluke until another channel also showed a demonstration calling for the Avatar to become emperor. Other stations began debating how realistic the idea was. Most noted that Avatars are typically the most powerful person alive with only their first and last years of life being weaker. In that case, any hypothetical Avatar who is good at rallying followers could make a play for world domination.

No Avatar in the past did this exactly, but some got close to wielding significant power. Avatar Szeto was the right hand of the Fire Lord. Avatar Kyoshi lived to be 230 years old, meaning that many deferred to her authority over anyone else. Avatar Roku was best friends with the Fire Lord, who tried to recruit him into his plans for conquest. And Avatar Korra was the daughter of the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe who by right should have been the Chief of the North, making her a princess.

In all these cases, the same circumstances that made them so close to power also meant they didn't reach the end people feared. Szeto took on this position to help the Fire Nation build up from its fractured state and spent his lifetime devoted to it. Avatar Kyoshi is probably the only one who would have had the power to actually carry out global domination but didn't. The fact that after killing Chin the Conqueror she sought reforms rather than take his place proved her priorities were better than any politicians'. Roku may have erred in trusting his friend, but he unequivocally rejected the offer of his friend to help in conquering the world. And Avatar Korra's father did not retake his rightful place as chief of the North. As such, the position of Chief in the South wasn't hereditary, meaning that Korra bypassed the issue. Also, the fact that Korra had no children helped to keep the problem from becoming complicated.

But just as these facts were brought up, the lack of precedent for Lirin's exact situation was highlighted, as was the impending marriage of the Avatar and prince to a foreign princess. A common train of thought many made was this: If two powerful nations were joined in union by royal marriage and the leader of one was the Avatar, the potential martial power of this alliance could tip the scales of world balance. Just as the Earth Kingdom attacked the Fire Nation because of Prince Lirin's status, the reaction of a global hegemony from a dual-country alliance may draw an overreaction from an alliance of countries. These countries would band together to stop the Avatar-led coalition.

To prevent such a conflict from causing more casualties, the Avatar would have no choice but to use his power to its fullest to hit hard and prevent prolonged conflict. His alliance would then have to ensure that future uprisings didn't occur, they would need to occupy the enemy.

Lirin was disturbed that people thought it out this far. He was more upset that people supported it. Many said the writing was on the wall, that the upcoming marriage of Princess Kori was the formal way of the North becoming a vassal state to the Avatar's rising empire.

A rising empire was the last thing Lirin wanted. If for no other reason than that Lirin was lazy, he didn't want the responsibility of ruling the world. He didn't realize the consequences of engaging a princess would lead to this.

The violence of the war was still on pause. A series of small conflicts were occurring on the mainland over the resources for SVE weapons, but the War Born were carrying that out. This situation combined with the Earth Kingdom's loss of three fleets meant they were not willing to go on the offensive just yet.

While the warring parties were arming and preparing, Lirin decided to seek out advice on the new public sentiment over his status.

Rather than meet with one of his older acquaintances first, he decided to speak with the newest one he had. Princess Kori had only been in the Fire Nation for a week, but her impact was felt across the country. She led the supply efforts of the Water Tribe, helping end the food rationing that their country had to impose during the blockade. An influx of food and medicine from the North was another genius move to help the Princess secure the public opinion in her favor.

Lirin joined Kori at the docks and had a moment in private. Lirin decided to make a light joke, "Wow, you certainly have gotten busy quickly. You might just have a future in politics."

Kori laughed at the quip, "I actually enjoy it. Despite my education, my status as a princess meant I was not entrusted with crucial decisions back at home. The fact that I am trusted to lead this is fulfilling."

Kori knew there would be cultural differences from her home. One of the biggest ones was the treatment of women in the social structure. Because the Fire Nation prioritized power, the strongest individual was valued over their gender. As such, daughters were just as competitive as sons for inheritance and combat. As such, the concept of a woman ruling was not a scandal and Fire Lord Zuko's abdication to his daughter Izumi was seen as a matter of course. For Kori, this meant liberation from her restricted role as just a womb.

"That is good to hear. Would you then allow me to ask you for advice?"

"I would be honored," Kori smiled and gave a nod.

"Have you heard these news broadcasts highlighting support for the Avatar to take over and create an empire?"

"I have," Kori nodded more seriously.

"What is your impression?"

"Which part?"

"All of it. The implications, the source of the commotion and how I should respond?"

Kori stayed still for a moment while she thought it over. "Obviously, this is not so simple as saying yes or no. As you said, there is a concern about who started this. There is one of two likely ways this was created. Either this formed naturally or someone or some group organized and manipulated this. That begs the question of what their agenda is. Time will tell what that is."

"As for what this will mean for society, it is not good. Humanity has faced many conflicts over time, but I like to think we have slowly grown and become better. We are not the small groups of savages that first left the safety of the Lion Turtles over ten millennia ago. But this movement is a reaction to insecurity and a step back. It means people don't feel safe with the way the world is. They think a leader with the greatest power will protect them from that."

"Do you think I could?"

Kori answered honestly, "I don't know. You are a good man, but even heroes can fall. I would argue some of our greatest Avatars would have made terrible leaders. Case in point, your great grandmother, Avatar Tala. She helped make the world the safest it had been since Avatar Yangchen and yet she was known to be violent and cruel. Yes, the world needed her to act where no one else could. But could you imagine the ruthless executioner holding the reins of power over the entire world?"

Lirin listened intently, closing his eyes to picture what she said. It was true that Tala's history was controversial because of the amount of conflict she suppressed. However, she had brought peace and prosperity. Avatar Tala did a service to humanity. But would people think that if she were in charge? Would Tala's worst tendencies, her sadism and distrust, unfold into dangerous character traits as a ruler or would they be overshadowed by her greatest qualities, her proactive nature to protect the weak?

Tala was cautious, analytical, considerate of many viewpoints and patient when time allowed. And most of all, Tala was far more tolerant than people gave her credit for. As family to a hated group, she understood bigotry and sought to protect people from it. One of the causes she fought strongest for was protecting people of mixed races. Could such a great person have been a terrible ruler? Lirin wasn't sure.

After speaking with Kori, Lirin attended more earthbending training. Today, it was focusing on mass. At first, Lirin struggled with the concept of lifting more. He was fluid, precise and fast with his bending of earth, but he had difficulty as the amount of earth he moved increased. Jin spent a considerable amount of time correcting this thinking.

As he finished his lesson for the day, he turned to Jin, "I was hoping to talk to you about something important and ask for your input."

"Of course, Avatar Lirin," Jin gave a curt nod in acknowledgement. Most of her days were spent training or relaying information. The opportunity to have a bigger impact was welcome for the leader of the Dai Li.

"I am sure you have read the reports about calls for me to lead more than the Fire Nation?"

"Yes."

"Do you know if someone was behind it? Possibly someone in the War Born?" Lirin's question was more than just curiosity. If the War Born were carrying out activities so important without any involvement with the Avatar they had now chosen to serve, he needed to know.

"A natural assumption given our recent endeavors. While I cannot 100% deny it, I know it was not a coordinated effort of the organization."

"How are you sure that you just weren't kept out of the loop?"

Jin chuckled, "Fair enough. I know because of the spread of this movement. If it were the War Born in earnest, it would have covered all of the places we had influenced and sought to expand and increase yield. Instead, these movements were more isolated and smaller in comparison."

"Also, we would want to carefully target them to encourage a certain progress towards alliances and vassals before outright supporting a global empire," Jin continued.

"Hm," Lirin snorted at her logical breakdown. Lirin may not have known the War Born all that well, but Jin's explanation made sense. "Then what do you think of it?"

"People are scared, they want safety. And someone strong and confident like you can give that to them."

"Then what do you think the Avatar and future Fire Lord should do?"

"I don't think you should make any snap decisions, but I don't think it is wrong to think about it."

"Really?" Lirin was surprised at the response.

"Naturally, if you considered it in the future, it would start as an expansion of Fire Lord Zorin's annexation policy. It should start with the Water Tribes becoming vassal states that still largely rule themselves. The Earth Kingdom would become occupied territory after this war is over and that will be governed based on recovery."

"You don't think it's a bad idea?"

"Tell me, who do you think would have been a better leader, our great grandmother, or Earth King Kiir? Sure, he wasn't a bad leader himself, but he failed in raising a good successor based on how Luei acts. Tala, on the other hand sought out a coalition of people. The War Born are the direct result of that. Unlike past Avatars who essentially roped their friends into a small team, Tala knew that it would take a larger organization to achieve greater results. Imagine if she had the resources of nations at her disposal. She would have created something even greater than the War Born."

Lirin and Jin were both descendants of Avatar Tala, but Jin had significantly more faith in the leadership of their great grandmother. By her account, she was more concerned with who was in charge rather than the concept of one person in charge.

As they continued, Lirin lamented that the advice going forward would be slanted as they all served his family.

Jin chuckled, "Well, you could just ask our great grandmother herself, you are the Avatar after all. I am certain she and Korra would have some good insight about politicians. Spirits know that they both had a hard time with a flood of morons. I don't know how Avatar Korra didn't go nutty from the stupidity surrounding her."

Lirin's eyes lit up, "Jin, you're a genius!"

"Of course, I am," Jin answered without pause, like it was a natural assumption.

Wise Counsel

Despite Lirin's worries about people supporting an Emperor Avatar, Lirin felt some relief when Jin helped him realize that Avatars could call on past lives for support. Lirin had yet to seek out a connection with the Spirit World, but it wasn't like he was blind to it either. Even as a child, he could tell that Shi was different from the people around him.

Instead, it seemed that spiritual phenomena that would drive spiritual awakening didn't occur for the Avatar in the last two decades. Also, Lirin didn't seek it out because he wasn't confident in his first foray without guidance. Furthermore, the loss of the Avatar lives before Korra, daunted him.

However, Lirin realized if he waited for the perfect moment, it wouldn't come. He needed to seek out the time to call on help from his past lives.

Lirin knew from history that Avatar Tala struggled spiritually and needed a guide to enter the Spirit World. For Lirin, he instead asked the Fire Sages to prepare a setting for him to best tune his spirit.

As the young prince sat down in the prepared space in the temple, he calmed his breathing focusing on the energy of the sun radiating in his body, filling him with energy. This positive and negative energy and the balance between had the power to create storms. In the right hands, it could also empower a man's spirit.

Lirin's eyes closed as he felt his body lighten. After some time, he opened his eyes to see a new world before him.

Lirin stood up excitedly, seeing that he entered the Spirit World. It was a vibrant and green world. It was so different from the world he knew. In the distance there were great trees and animals of gigantic proportions.

However, for all his excitement, he didn't know where to go. He wondered along the paths for a while. He hadn't met any spirits, only seen a few in the distance. But as he turned a corner in a valley of rolling hills, Lirin came across a small group of beings chatting. Some looked more like large animals while others were clearly not from the human world.

He couldn't quite tell what they were saying, but as he approached, he called out to them. "Excuse me!"

"A human? What do you want? How did you even get here? The Spirit Portals are closed!" The large lemur-like spirit scoffed as Lirin approached. The condescending look made it clear that it viewed the young prince as a pest.

"I meditated in order to come here. Going to the portals is not an option right now."

"Obviously, not just anyone can open them! Only Raava and Vaatu or an Avatar of them can do that."

"Right," Lirin scratched his head. These spirits were nothing like the books said. In his studies spirits were referred to as wise beings and protectors of nature. "I am looking for someone, could you please point me in the right direction?"

"Why should I help you? I don't know you and don't care who you want to meet."

"I wish to find Avatar Tala."

A silence quieter than death took the valley. All the spirits recoiled at the name. "Who would want to meet her?"

"I need her counsel?" Lirin answered hesitantly, not sure why the spirits were so distressed.

"Her counsel? Who would want that monster's-" Suddenly, the lemur stopped in mid-sentence. It then spoke aggressively again, "Who are you?"

"My apologies, Spirit." Lirin straightened his posture and gave a bow, "I am Avatar Lirin."

The condescension from the spirits before turned into terror at the revelation. Some fled or disappeared, while the lemur backed away slowly like a cornered animal.

"I want nothing to do with the Avatar! Go away and leave my home!"

"Of course," Lirin decided not to escalate the situation, "If you could point me in the right direction, I will leave in haste."

The lemur pointed in the distance, "Go that way until you see a green mountain with storms all around it, now don't come back!"

Lirin followed the blunt and rude instructions of the lemur spirit. For some reason, the spirit despised the Avatar. He wasn't the only one.

As the young Avatar continued on his path, he noticed that spirits that were apparently going about their day fled in fear, whispering, "It's the Avatar!"

They watched him pass through from a distance never blinked while he was in their sight. It was unsettling how much these spirits seemed to fear and hate the Avatar.

After some time, Lirin arrived at the foot of the mountain that the lemur told him about. It was a lush mountain full of flora of many beautiful varieties. But was surrounded by storms as if they protected the mountain from any intruders. Lirin was mesmerized by the beauty as he continued up the paved path that led further in.

He finally reached a plateau halfway up the mountain. There were gardens all over and a medium sized home along the wall of the mountain.

Recalling the experience of the other spirits, Lirin decided it would be best not to surprise any residents here and called out, "Hello! I am looking for Avatar Tala."

Lirin then heard a voice not too far away from the house in the gardens, "Well, it is certainly rare for anyone to call out to me."

Lirin then saw a beautiful woman not much older than himself stand in the clearing. She wore the iconic Dai Li uniform and had her hair tied in a ponytail in the back. As she looked at Lirin, she smiled, "I was wondering when we would meet."

"Avatar Tala, it is an honor to meet you."

Tala smiled as she looked Lirin in the eye, "I wanted to say that you have grown so much, but then again, it wasn't like I met you before I died, after all we are the same soul deep down."

Tala then reached out and tussled Lirin's short hair, "But still you are indeed a grown man now. I guess something like two decades have passed since I died?"

Lirin nodded, "Eighteen or so years."

"Hm, it must have been rough being royalty and the Avatar together." As she spoke, she turned to her home on the plateau and beckoned Lirin to follow. "I will say one thing, I never expected my great grandson to be the next Avatar after me."

Lirin entered the humble home of Tala. It was a wooden design, just like the outside and a variety of books in many bookshelves dominated the walls. Tala continued with her quip, "But then again, I wasn't even a hundred and had great grandchildren. My bloodline sure likes to get busy. As do you."

Lirin gave Tala a dirty look, "Really, my dead past life/great grandmother is going to complain about my love life?"

Tala burst into laughter, "I guess not." As Tala's laughter died, her face became more composed. "I expect you seek advice of me about your current situation?" Tala sat down at her table and moved a book aside.

"Yes," Lirin sat across from her, "The circumstances of my birth have challenged the stability of the Four Nations and the balance of power in the world. Worse, the death of my sister Ursa means that I am the heir to the Fire Lord. And now there are people saying that I will become an emperor and that it's a good thing. I honestly don't know where to go from here."

Tala had a look of sympathy. She was lost at times about her duties as the Avatar too. And her decisions about politics were fraught with dangers. "I guess I share some blame in your predicament, child. Perhaps I should have kept my family away from the Fire Nation. Of course, both Liam and Rishu called it home so it was hard for me to leave a place where the ones I loved were. If I raised my children far away, maybe they wouldn't have married into the Royal Family and the next Avatar would have been someone unrelated to me as the predetermined reincarnation."

"You don't think it was random that I was born into my family?"

"Absolutely not. You honestly think it was coincidence that I was born of the Dai Li, the corrupt earthbenders created by Kyoshi? Or that Korra was a relative of Princess Yue? Or that Aang was the student of Monk Gyatso, Avatar Roku's best friend of the Air Nomads? Or that Roku was the best friend of the Fire Lord since youth? Or that Kyoshi was born of mixed blood and somehow ended up as a servant of the fake Avatar? These were not random people born into bizarre circumstance. There was purpose to our placement."

"Fate had its role and we each were born to a purpose to fulfill something. I was born to provide salvation for not only my family but also Kyoshi's greatest mistake. Korra was meant to repair the relations of the Water Tribes and open the portals. Aang was born to atone for the sins of Roku. Roku was born to stop his best friend. And Kyoshi was born to save the world from a false reality. Each of us had our own struggles but we persevered and sought to do the best for the world."

"Some of us failed and succeeded in different ways. But is that all we remember of the Avatars? My legacy as the most aggressive Avatar in centuries also ensured the longest era of peace in centuries. Korra's indifference to spiritual concerns forced a spiritual reckoning and she led us into a new era. The list goes on, Lirin. You will have failures and you will have successes."

"So rather than ask me if you should become emperor, how about you ask me what you think is the right thing to do about the Earth Kingdom and Air Nation."

Lirin and Tala spoke for a time until he decided to ask for advice from another Avatar. The only other one he could, "I would like to find Korra, if you know how to find her."

Tala smiled, "Korra can be a little tricky. Most assume that she would be somewhere reminiscent of her home, by the Republic City Portal. However, Korra sought enlightenment at the end and so remained in the Tree of Time. If you go there, you will find her. I suggest you seek out as much as you can from her. Korra, like you, lived in a time of great change. You would benefit learning how she managed."

"Thank you."

"Of course, ask for our advice whenever you need it."

Lirin was approaching the door, preparing to leave when he stopped and turned back. "There is something else I wanted to ask you."

"Oh?" Tala had an inquisitive look on her face.

"What has happened to the spirits? By and large, they have abandoned the human world, you closed the portals and the few spirits I met here were terrified of me."

"Ah, I guess that was my fault. I took the spirits to task for their flippant view on responsibility and rather than learning a lesson, they just ran away from their problems again."

"What exactly happened?" Lirin could tell that the past Avatar was avoiding details on the issue, implying a complicated history.

She sipped tea for a moment before asking, "Is Shi still around?"

"Yes, he is my father's spymaster."

"Haha, what a workhorse. I honestly think he was so happy he met Avatar Korra. Before that, he just lived a life of recycling energy and rebirth on the mountain. After meeting the Avatar, he decided to visit the human world. I recall that he finally created a human body for himself. He was like a kid all over again. He decided to go to school like a human."

"What does that have to do with my question?" Lirin interrupted, annoyed.

"Right, my apologies. Shi knows exactly why the spirits left and can give an impartial explanation."

"Impartial?"

"You will eventually hear the story anyways. If you hear it from me, it will sound like an excuse and if you hear it from my critics, it will sound like the stuff of nightmares. Shi can tell it to you straight."

"Why can't you explain it?"

"If every past Avatar just told the next reincarnation everything, they would repeat the same actions and mistakes. Listening to your elders is a sign of wisdom but knowing when to forge your own path is also wise."

Traveling in the Spirit World was truly bizarre. He recalled how it felt like a lifetime to hike up the mountain where Tala lived. However, it appeared to only be moments before he was at the Tree of Time.

He had heard all about this place and even saw mover film of it before Tala closed the portals. The place was incredible and unsettling. The Spirit World was a place of nature, both good and bad. Yet somehow this place felt unnatural to him, like it was fabricated for its purpose. The portals and the tree were an orchestrated construct. Perhaps that was necessary for the course of events to happen, but that made him wonder who did it? Were the portals natural and the rest was created, or did something create the portals too?

Lirin worked his way up the roots of the tree, nearing the hollow where Vaatu was held for ten thousand years. Once he entered it, he looked around. Supposedly, if one could do it right, they could not only see their lives in visions, but they could project their energy beyond themselves. Avatar Korra did just that during Harmonic Convergence to defeat Vaatu.

Lirin saw nothing around him as he sat down and meditated. He focused on what he could imagine of Avatar Korra, since he had yet to meet her. After all, he had only met his first past life just moments ago. He focused on the image in his mind. She was a strong woman with an unshakable conviction.

Finally, Lirin felt something. It was like a weight off his chest as light gathered before him. From this mist of light, the form of a woman took shape. She was an adult with the distinctive clothes and appearance of a Water Tribe resident. Her blue eyes and black hair matched the styles of her later years after the conflicts she dealt with in Republic City.

"Welcome, Avatar Lirin. I am Avatar Korra."

Lirin bowed his head, "Avatar Korra, I need your help. The world is in conflict and I am not sure how to stop the chaos."

"This is certainly something many Avatars have done in the past to help them resolve conflicts. However, when I lost access to the Avatars before me, I had to learn how to solve problems myself rather than rely on Avatars as a crutch."

Lirin could tell that Korra was gently refusing counsel. She was implying that the new Avatar should not seek help from the old Avatars. Lirin was a little frustrated and decided to take a swipe at her higher-than-thou attitude.

"All due respect, Avatar Korra, you lost your connection to the past because you were so flippant with your power and dismissive of your past lives. Because you had been given control of the Avatar State without having to master it by yourself, you didn't respect it. You also didn't seek counsel from your past lives until the situation already escalated into war."

Korra had a look of shock at the criticism leveled at her. She kept quiet as Lirin continued, "I think you know better than anyone that if you did have access to your past lives, you would not have struggled so much later in life, and probably would have lived longer too."

"Well, you seem pretty sure of yourself. Are you sure you need my advice if that is how you see my time as Avatar? And what answers could I give you that would be satisfactory?" Korra didn't hide her annoyance at the denunciation thrown at her.

"In any case, Tala said that rather than get answers, I should seek knowledge. She said that you would understand what I was going through as an Avatar who lived during great change."

"Tala told you that?" Korra had a look of surprise when she followed up. She was ready to argue with Lirin, however the comment of support from Tala was confounding.

"Yes?" Lirin raised his eyebrow, wondering why Korra was shocked at the advice.

"Huh, I'm surprised. She was quite a big critic of my time as the Avatar. Pretty much said that I bungled it all up and left her the mess. On the few times she did meditate to seek advice, she went to Raava, not me."

"While I do think you made mistakes that had bad consequences, I would much rather speak to you than to Raava."

"Really? Why would you not want to speak to the spirit that makes our existence possible?"

"Simply put, Raava's viewpoint of balance doesn't care whether humanity lives on. Think about it, Vaatu opened the portals and started the genocide of humans by spirits. When Raava overpowered him in the next Harmonic Convergence, she didn't send the spirits back or help humanity in its struggle for survival. In fact, she detested humans. Her love of humans now was an acquired taste after being bonded to one. In all, Raava would not bat an eye if humanity were wiped out, as long as her view of balance reigned, she would be content. She is only scared now because she lives through humans."

Korra had a look of shock on her face. She was about to deny Lirin's accusation, but she recalled the memories of Wan that she lived through and saw that Raava had no love of humanity. They didn't even factor into her worldview until Wan came into the picture. In the Era of Raava, humans lived in fear of spirits and sought refuge with Lion Turtles. How could anyone say that was good? It was simply better than Vaatu who hated humans and was going to exterminate them.

"I guess I never looked at it that way before," Korra was saddened. While she endured much in her life, she always stood back up and viewed a brighter future ahead. However, both the Avatars after her had far more dystopic views. One ignored her because she considered her a failure and the other felt the very reason for their existence was a hypocrite.

Korra wondered if this was her fault or simply the progression of the world and the difficulty of learning where the Avatar belongs in it? Korra may not have thought it was her place to talk to future Avatars, however, she saw that inaction might be worse.

"Tell me, Avatar Lirin, what troubles do you seek advice and knowledge of?"

Lirin smirked a little, relieved that she agreed to speak to him, "Avatar Korra, by bloodline, you were rightfully the Princess of the Water Tribe. Even with the exile of your father and separation of the North and South, you were daughter of the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe."

Korra nodded, "Yes."

"Did you ever encounter issues about conflicts of interests or movements seeking to make you the heir to lead a nation?"

"There was a time when that was considered. In the long run, it wasn't an issue. But for brief moments, I faced problems over my heritage. Concerning the North, some enemies of my cousins tried to use me as a political weapon to justify their overthrow. They stated that my uncle's rule was illegitimate and therefore their inheritance was forfeit. In that situation, they knew I could never inherit, and were looking to take over as the next highest family in the Tribe."

"In the South, as my father got older, some pushed for me to take the mantle. The people trusted me and were certain I could be a leader. Of course, they also wanted me to marry and have children. I made it clear that I had already had someone precious to me. Fortunately, the independent nature and new rules by my father ensured this debate ended quickly. By the end, it was made law that the Chief was not an inherited position."

"So, in my situation, both issues were resolved peacefully, and it never came to conflict."

Lirin looked down sadly, "I am not so fortunate. The Earth Kingdom, fearful of the outcome, attacked preemptively. The first battle led to the death of my sister, guaranteeing that I am the heir. The attempt to negotiate peace after this has failed. I will become the Fire Lord."

Lirin continued, "We clearly had different outcomes based on our families and their right to leadership. However, I wanted your take on it to see if I can find a path out of this that will at least end the war."

Korra responded, "I know you think you are sincere, but I also am a part of you. I know that you seek revenge against the Air Nation and Earth Kingdom. You want to make them suffer as much as your people have and retaliate for the loss of your sister."

"And?" Lirin asked plainly.

"If you want peace in the world, you have to let go of your anger and grief. Think of it like a weight while swimming in the ocean. There are already plenty of dangers from storms and predators. If you try to take that weight with you, you will sink to the bottom. It will drown you if you hold onto it, and no one will save you from the deep."

Lirin was silent as he took in this warning. Could he achieve peace if he let go of his family and those lost from his nation?

"So, the answer is to let go of what I love? Did you do the same in your time?" Lirin asked genuinely. He didn't know enough to judge her on this or whether it was genuine advice.

"Not in an exact parallel, but yes. When the Red Lotus took the airbenders hostage, it could have meant the end of their people. I chose to give myself up knowing there was incredible risk. And even though we won that battle, the damage I suffered followed me for the rest of my life. So yes, Avatar Lirin, I have chosen sacrifice, to protect the balance of this world before."

Lirin sighed, both Avatars dealt with their issues and conflicts so differently. He couldn't just find answer from this alone. "Thank you for your counsel, Avatar Korra."

Korra nodded slowly, "The world is constantly changing, we are the past and have little to teach you anymore. But we can at least give you a different perspective."

"I disagree, Avatar Korra. Many things that happen in the world are tied to the past. Our history is what builds us. After all, imagine if you knew absolutely nothing about Raava and Vaatu when Harmonic Convergence happened, it would have meant the end of everything. You learning from Wan directly was what gave you the clarity to act and save the world."

"I think you have more to offer than you let on. But out of respect for your desire to be left alone, I will not seek your counsel anymore. I will settle for one past life rather than two." Lirin did want Korra's advice in the future, but he didn't want it if he had to fight with her to get her to open up. Korra's fears and resentments about the loss of her past lives made her project those failings onto other Avatars. If that was the case, Lirin will manage without her.  

Lirin left the Tree of Time before Korra could react. She watched on sadly as the young Avatar walked away. Inside, she felt great regret at the realization of the mistake she had made. She was so beset with guilt that she projected it on Lirin. Lirin, rather than listen to her again, cut her off from his future.

Whatever happened in the future, Korra would have no part in it.

Waning Spirits

Lirin rested after returning from the Spirit World. He got what he came for, but his expectations were not met when he went there himself. A beautiful world of nature mired by fearful residents and an unsettling aura about his place in it. The Avatar was concerned what caused it.

Lirin recalled the conversation he had with Avatar Tala. She told him to speak with Shi about why there are so few spirits and why they hid from the Avatar. Lirin decided to follow that advice.

Lirin met the spymaster at his office the next day. Shi rarely had spare time, especially as the war with the Earth Kingdom focused more on preparation rather than battles. Still, Zorin's closest aide made time for the Crown Prince.

"What can I do for you, your majesty?" Shi sat at his desk, curious to hear what Lirin wanted to ask.

"Minister Shi, while seeking counsel from my past lives, I noticed a particular lack of spirits present and even less willing to communicate with me."

"Oh?" Shi kept his calm composure.

"I asked Avatar Tala and she suggested that I ask you for the cause, saying that you could give an impartial opinion."

"Did she now?" A smirk appeared on the spymaster's face.

"So, let me ask, why are there so few spirits in the human world and why are they terrified at the presence of the Avatar?"

"A long story, it's a good thing I set time aside for this."

Shi twisted in his seat as he looked out the window. "Before I explain it directly, let me ask you what you know about the hierarchy of spirits?"

"There is a formal hierarchy?" Lirin asked, confused.

Lirin swiveled his chair back to Lirin, chuckling, "I guess that answers that."

"The hierarchy of spirits is not written law, but rather an unspoken reality. There are several orders of power that determines the position of spirits. At the bottom, are the most numerous, the low spirits. They are intellectual simpletons that are easy to sway. Then you have your average spirits, these ones generally have human levels of intelligence as well. These are the most dangerous, but I'll explain why later."

Shi straightened up in his set as he spoke, "Next are your greater spirits, they can generally represent some aspect of nature or environment. The Painted Lady and Hei Bai come to mind. After this are your high spirits. They are old and incredibly powerful. The Mother of Faces and Koh are among this plane of existence."

"And finally, you have the primordial spirits. These are beings of such power that they can be considered integral to our survival. They are ancient beyond anyone's account. The only primordial spirits I know are Tui, La, Raava, Vaatu, the White Dragon, the Black Phoenix and the Earth Spirit."

"Okay, so those are the hierarchy of spirits, how does that play into why they fear the Avatar?" Lirin felt he had some understanding of spirits, but not what Tala had to do with them.

"Now back to explanations. The differences between greater and average spirits are based on power rather than intelligence. For example, Hei Bai is a greater spirit but generally has less intelligence than a human or an average spirit. But this is not universal, I am what you would call a greater spirit."

"As I said earlier, average spirits are your greatest threat. The reason is that they are as intelligent as humans, live longer and have egos the size of the moon. They think so highly of themselves that they think affairs of the mortal realm don't concern them."

"In the ancient past, when Vaatu opened the portals and unleashed the spirits onto the human realm, it wasn't high or greater spirits that eradicated humanity, it was the average spirits and their influence on the low spirits that saw humanity reach the verge of extinction."

"These same spirits occupied Republic City after Harmonic Convergence and essentially took it for themselves but were quick to abandon it when humans were in trouble. In particular, there was one average spirit, the dragon eel, that was the ringleader. He thought spirits shouldn't concern themselves with human politics. Yet he was so smug to think it was fine to do as he pleased in the human world. He was a true hypocrite."

"The dragon eel was an issue in Avatar Korra's time, but she tolerated it. Tala did not. Avatar Tala was spiritually dead and so lacked the ability to communicate with spirits as easily. As such, she was not so patient with obstinate spirits."

"Tala couldn't pacify spirits the way Korra did. Instead, she learned a far harsher method from Rishu. The ability to erase spiritual energy."

"Erase?"

"The ability is called purifying flames. It is a highly advanced firebending technique that rather than balancing the spiritual energy, it removes it entirely. This energy ceases to exist, which means that the spirits who are ‘purified' die for good."

"Avatar Tala learned this technique and promptly used it to erase the dragon eel spirit in front of every spirit in Republic City. The spirits turned on the Avatar, readying to attack her. I was there to witness it and came to her defense. After that, most of the spirits fled back to the spirit world."

Shi paused for a moment, "Korra was not strong spiritually, but constant exposure and experience made her incredibly strong on spiritual matters. Tala, however, was spiritually dead. She was never able to enter the spirit world without a guide or a portal. Her relations with spirits were transactional at best and hostile at worst."

"It got that bad?"

"Oh, yes. You have to understand that while Korra had her own troubles with Spirits, communicating with them and acting as a mediator between humans and spirits. But that while Korra was hardworking, Tala was a different animal. She was spiritually inept. Being forced to handle matters she was unqualified for, but that festered because of a past Avatar's inaction made her bitter. Tala blamed Korra for being merciful."

"What do you think?" Tala told Lirin that Shi could be impartial on this.

"I think that deep down, Tala was jealous. She struggled with something Korra would be known in history to master. She hoped that like Korra, that she could master it with effort, but no matter how much she tried, she lacked the talent and failed."

"How could the Avatar be the bridge between worlds if she could barely perceive one side? It made things harder, and Tala knew it would get harder for the next Avatar as a result." Shi finished the thought.

Lirin was still curious about something Shi said, "You said that you were there with Tala, how did that change the outcome?"

Shi chuckled, "That's right, you have never seen my true form. I am what is called a dragon bird spirit. I first met Avatar Korra when she smacked me out of the sky and broke my wing. We spent a short time together but grew to respect each other. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't have cared to see anything past my mountain. For that, I owe the Avatar so much."

"Weren't you worried that Avatar Tala would have done the same to you as to the other spirits?"

Shi laughed, "As arrogant as it might sound, greater and high spirits rarely interact or interfere with human affairs and the human world, so we rarely are inconvenienced by them the same way the spirits who invaded Republic City did. We are not likely to run amok of the Avatar and we are much stronger than those arrogant buffoons."

"Still, Tala went out and burned away spirits. How does that even work? Wouldn't the spirits run away or fight back the way they did with Avatar Korra?"

"A fair question, it starts off as a circle of fire on the ground, which to a spirit seems harmless enough. The flames then reach up like the spiritbending technique. At this point, the fire is tuned to affect spirits which prevent them from escaping without harm. It then fills into a pillar of fire that burns away the spirit in question."

"Huh, a terrifying notion. It's not public knowledge, so I take it that Avatar Tala was discreet."

"Yes, she avoided using that power when she could, but spirits felt emboldened with her lack of spiritual prowess." Shi sighed, "Unfortunately, the hierarchy of spirits does not mean order. Spirits are wild beings that have no centralized command. Ringleaders and mass hysteria easily take them, and they will just as easily disperse as they would slaughter a city."

Shi continued, "Hopefully, you will have time before those issues pop up. We are a little preoccupied with a war after all."

As Avatar Lirin tried to navigate a path forward, two men met quietly in Republic City's docks. One wore an ornately decorated mask that seemed to cover the face solid with no openings for eyes or mouth. The other had removed his mask as he sat down and had a drink of tea on the table.

While the unmasked one had a relatively youthful face, his aura spoke of an ancient time. It was as if he had lived through the ages. He looked at his comrade in his mask and chuckled.

"I don't know how you live like that. If I lost my face and couldn't enjoy food and drink, I would go nuts."

The faceless one chuckled audibly, "It has a few tiny advantages, although they pale in comparison to the losses. A lesson about keeping company with Koh."

"Never understood why you served him to begin with." Koram took a bite of a pastry on a nearby plate.

The faceless one shrugged, "It was a convenient partnership at the time. And if the Avatar hadn't murdered her, I would not have been in grief to lose my face."

"True, my lieutenant wouldn't have died if it were anyone else. Still, that was the past. It's a new Avatar, one with a lot of political baggage and not nearly as powerful as the one I killed. So why are we waiting? I've killed the Avatar a dozen or so times over the millennia. This one should be a piece of cake."

"Killing them and destroying them aren't the same thing. Think about it, you killed so many Avatars and they kept coming back, unafraid of the threat. Why was that?"

"Because they can reincarnate," Koram answered the faceless comrade without hesitation.

"But was that it? Think about it, the Avatar was respected then and still is now. The people believe in this being who is part human and part Raava. So long as that respect is held and Raava survives, the Avatar will continue to haunt us." The faceless one spoke, convinced that martial power wasn't enough to destroy an Avatar.

"We need to kill them while they are in the Avatar State and also destroy them in the face of the public. Only then will we have destroyed the Avatar."

"Why do you care what the people think?" Koram tilted his head in curiosity.

"So long as the Avatar lives, even in legend, then it will haunt us. Think about ten years from now. We have defeated the Avatar once and for all, and yet all you hear from the people are his legends over and over again. Do you want to hear that after you are victorious?"

Koram grunted at the unpleasant thought, "I guess that would grate against my mind if I kept hearing about someone I killed."

"Furthermore, it would inspire new heroes. Maybe we kill the Avatar for good, but what if someone tries to emulate the method? We already know that the Black Dragon has used hosts to carry out his own agenda. What if these servants become our enemy in the future?"

"Then we kill them."

"Kill the Black Dragon? He is not so foolish to allow that. Rather than make a permanent bond like Raava, he will create pawns that can be disposed of in war. It will become a war of attrition that we would lose."

"Maybe, but do you think the Black Dragon cares?" Koram dismissed the threat his comrade perceived.

"Don't underestimate the Sun Spirit. With a little nudge, he inspired the creation of the Red Lotus. If he so wishes, he can turn them and many others we draw our followers from against us."

The masked conspirator continued, "These humans we have gathered may not amount to much compared to us, but we lack the ability to be in so many places at once and they have proven invaluable in infiltrating the enemy."

A Vain Hope

Lirin rested in his quarters. He had sought advice from military officers and even his fiancé. Finally, he got in touch with his past lives for their advice. It was a lot to take in. Perhaps what distracted him from it was the history lesson from Shi about Avatar Tala erasing spirits from existence.

As shocking as that truth was, Lirin was still beset by the growing concern he had. The fact that people were calling for him to take a mantle as more than a Fire Lord was unsettling to him. Lirin was not groomed for leadership like his sister was.

What Lirin knew would have served him well as Avatar or even a military commander, but not nearly well enough to be Fire Lord. At least, that is how Lirin felt. It was hard to measure up to a perfect sibling, and Ursa was exactly that. The beautiful daughter of Fire Lord Zorin and Governor Asune was a powerful bender, excellent academic, a competent bureaucrat and an inspiring leader. How could Lirin top that?

Rather than try and measure up, Lirin lashed out. He rebelled, cementing a reputation as a playboy, ensuring that people would never think he could measure up to his sister. Lirin would have to overcome his self-sabotage to succeed.

As Lirin was wondering what else was in store for himself, a voice called out to him, "Whatcha thinking so hard about there?"

Lirin tilted his head to see Mira standing by the bedframe. He smiled faintly, "Just how monumentally screwed I am. Past Fire Lords had less baggage and/or better qualities while Avatars were made of stronger stuff than me."

Mira laid down next to Lirin and looked up at the ceiling with him, "I think you don't give yourself enough credit. You might not apply yourself, but you are as much a descendant of Rishu and Tala as Ursa was. If you let yourself go, I think you could rise higher than anyone else has before."

"Lirin, you are the Avatar and Crown Prince of the Fire Nation. There is nothing you can't do if you put your mind to it. If you focus yourself, you can navigate a path out of this situation."

Lirin breathed slowly as he just rested there while Mira encouraged him. He hoped he could live up to those expectations. They laid there still for a while just letting the calm take them. Mira leaned up, looking at the prince and spoke.

"I spoke with Princess Kori the other day," Mira stated matter-of-factly.

"Yeah?" Lirin's nerves were raised. His engagement was just announced, but Lirin had worried exactly what Kori would want with Mira. He had a good impression of the Princess but didn't know whether she would tolerate her future husband having a mistress that he had longer than his wife.

"We just spoke to confirm our intentions. Kori won't interfere with us, and I'll make sure no one tries to use me as a wedge in the future."

Lirin breathed out in relief. Lirin wouldn't have been surprised if she tried to kick Mira out. He wouldn't back it, but he wouldn't blame her either. The fact that they had come to some agreement was a positive. However, something in the back of his mind said that he might have to watch out if his wife and mistress worked together in the future.

"In that regard, you should start spending more time together. After all, having an heir is crucial to the security of the nation."

"There will be plenty of time for that after the wedding. I just want it to be us for a little longer."

"I'm afraid it won't be just 'us' anymore." The way Mira emphasized the word had Lirin questioning.

"What do you mean?"

"Lirin, I am pregnant."

A long time passed before Lirin could muster a word. Lirin had in some way always been prepared for this. After all, Ursa constantly made quips that the royal palace would be filled with bastards that looked like them. And yet it never happened, that lack of consequences had dulled the young Avatar's preparedness for this.

"Are you sure?"

"I wasn't at first."

"How far along?"

"A little more than a month now."

Lirin breathed deeply as he took in the information.

"So, as you can see," Mira spoke up, "Having an official heir sooner rather than later will be beneficial for both our child's sake and for Kori's."

"Good spirits, woman! I just found out I am going to be a father, and now you're telling me to have another one right away when the first isn't close to born yet!" A sense of panic took Lirin. He didn't know where it came from, but it was overwhelming.

To his surprise, Mira did not pout or frown, instead she burst into laughter, her face red. She was out of breath from laughing so hard that she needed a moment to calm down and speak again. "I'm sorry. It's just that I have dreamed of this day for so long, the idea of having children together, Lirin. I always wondered how you would react to the news, but I didn't expect this." She smiled, "I guess I still don't know everything about you yet!"

Lirin looked away as his face turned red. He was a little upset, but mostly embarrassed at the outcome of events. Mira grabbed hold of his hand, turning his face back to her with the other hand, "Relax, having children is a blessing. Besides, my mother might be angry for a bit, but when she sees that she will be a grandmother, she will be the happiest she's been in years."

Lirin chuckled, "I guess getting Ita off my back won't be so bad." The two shared a mild laugh at that.

"As I was saying, it's about time you got to know your fiancé better."

Lirin sighed, "We'll talk to her tomorrow. She should hear it from us. But tonight, I just want to be with you."

A Shining Flame

With the warm reception of Lirin's engagement to Princess Kori, the alliance with the Northern Water Tribe was all but assured. Formally, the negotiations went on some time after. Lirin, Zorin and Kori attended a large signing ceremony to declare the alliance between the Fire Nation and the Northern Water Tribe. Fire Lord Zorin and the Chief's visiting War Master signed the agreement in the view of cameras that broadcasted the news around the world.

More news included that the Southern Water Tribe was also making a public condemnation of the Earth Kingdom for their unprovoked act of war with the Fire Nation. According to Grand Admiral Ayu, the South was a little sore that the North outplayed them with a marriage and formal alliance while they were still debating neutrality. Odds were that the Southern Water Tribe will formally end neutrality and ally with the Fire Nation, but they will take their time.

As the signing ended, both the Fire Lord and the North's representative gave statements behind a podium to illustrate their strength and conviction. Lirin stood next to Kori and whispered. "I think the one thing I don't look forward to in our relationship is how often we have to stand on a stage and nod along while people bloviate."

Kori chuckled slightly, "Speak for yourself, I actually prepared for this. You were busy galivanting around that you didn't learn how to handle it."

"Maybe so," Lirin noticed that the two were done with their statements. He turned to Kori, gave her a quick kiss on her cheek and headed for the microphones, "Wish me luck."

"Wait, you were speaking too?" Kori turned confused and flustered between the peck on her cheek and the surprise turn of events.

Lirin stepped up. Zorin was already committed to walking away and so couldn't turn around to question his son. He could only hope that he wasn't making a mistake.

A reporter immediately yelled out when the Avatar stepped forward, "Avatar Lirin, have you heard of the demonstrations in support of you around the world? What is your takeaway?"

A hoard of questions bombarded the prince as he stood up at the podium. He calmly lifted his hand to indicate that he wouldn't speak until they stopped, "I had a few words about recent events on the mainland."

"I know there are some people calling for me to either step down from the mantle of my rank or take it further. These are overreactions based on fears that're founded on realistic concerns. I will be honest with you; I don't want to be Fire Lord. I don't want to be the Avatar either. But I was born as both and I have to uphold my duty. The world can't choose what I am any more than I can choose what I am born as."

"In the face of challenges, how we overcome them is what defines us. I did not handle my position as Avatar well. But it is my duty to my country, my family, and my loved ones that I do better. I will not fail again."

Lirin finished and thanked the media, walking away without answering any questions. He joined Kori at the back of the stage. "That was good, it struck a far more determined tone than you have previously. I think it will have an impact," Kori nodded as Lirin returned.

"I hope so," the two held hands as they left the stage, presenting the desired public persona as the conference ended.

The public reaction from the conference was exactly as Zorin and Lirin hoped. Fire Lord Zorin saw an upswell in support as the major naval powers were now squaring off for conflict with the continental powers.

For Lirin, the people sympathized with the Avatar after he plainly explained that he was in a situation that he was duty-bound to fulfill.

Zorin invited Lirin and Kori to have a meal together with him to discuss how to go forward, "We are doing well now, but that won't last forever. We need to take whatever leeway we have so we can use it when battle returns."

"Princess Kori, you have taken initiative in food aid as a bridge between your people and the Fire Nation. I would like you to continue that." Kori nodded to Zorin's request.

"Lirin, I think you need to take a bigger role in the command and defense of the Fire Nation. I want you to be on my council to select the next Grand General of the Army. The experience will help you prepare for leadership and know the next generation of leaders who will serve you."

Lirin nodded in agreement as he drank his morning tea. Things were accelerating again, even if it wasn't perceptible to the human eye. He knew this was the calm before the storm. The war would escalate soon.

He kept quiet throughout the meal, thinking on the future ahead of him. He could only hope in vain for peace. The war is all there is, as the saying goes. Lirin knew he could fight, he knew he could lead his people in battle. He was even confident he could win the war. But he feared what it would cost his nation and him personally.

Who would Lirin be when this was over?

Notes

• Kori's name was originally going to be Zori, but since 氷 (kori) means ice, I thought it was perfect for a Water Tribe Princess.
• With the Water Tribes and Fire Nation pitted against the Air Nation and Earth Kingdom, it is a naval vs land power scenario.
• Korra's conversation with Lirin was contentious, but she imparted some genuine wisdom he should consider.

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v - e - d Storms of the Future Cycle
The Journey of Tala
Book 1 - Sand and Steel
Revival - The Council - Impasse - The Blockade - Invasion - Holdouts - Resistance - Foundations - Myths and Omens - History Repeats - The Order and the Coast - Queries - Agni Kai - The Night of Puppets - Exile
Book 2 - Blood and Swamps
The Prisoner - Heritage - Kin - The Edge - Siege of the North - Into the Mists - Supremacy of Wolves - A Dark Art - The Black Dragon - A Dark Path - The Way Out - Lord and King - The Ties that Break - Avatar Tala - All Nations
Book 3 - Pyres and Storms
The Other Front - The Witch - Ancient Dangers - The Spirits - Ambush - Nomad - The Exiles - The Airfield - Roots of the Past - The Storm Grave - Spirit of a Dragon - Night of Steel - Things in the Night - Falling Seasons - Black River - So Ends The Journey
Fates and Vows
An Untimely End - Disrespect and Disregard - Birth in Fire, Death in Water - Conflict - Hold - Collisions of the Mind - Ilera - Solace Fade - Scions - Sovereign
The Rise of Lirin
Prologue: A Special Day - In the Morrow - The White Dragon - Faith in Blood - The Great Gates - Lord Avatar - A Dark Sun - Faceless - Factions - Tempest - Rally of Crows - Rally of Eagles - Dragons and Serpents - Kings and Men - Storms of a Spirit - Princes - A Battered Land - Seas of Ichor - Arbiter - Return to a Grave - Declination - Disaffection - Epilogue
Myths of the Empire
Pacification - Assassins - Empire - Red Sun Under The Empire - White Snow - Heirs
The Reclamation of Arein
Prologue
Judgement
Book 1 - Chaos
Refugee - Rogue - Ghosts - Dark Roses - Doyen - Divulgence - The Plan - Abscond - Mists of Illusion - Madonna - Syndicate - Playing the Stakes - Purge - Brothers
Book 2 - War
Alliance - Temple - Tensions - The Fall - Hunters and Prey - Lussuria - Shades of Relevance - Broken Star - Defiler - Strikeforce - Secrets of the Lair - Eminence - Swarm - Wanderer
Epilogue
Hope
Dreams of Melasa
Book 1 - Servant
Proactive Survival - A New Master - The Great Forest - Different Worlds - Prowess and Priority - Waves of Stone - Sons of the Earth - Brethren - Arbalest - Convalesce - War Flower - Keepsakes - Iseran - Dosh Rak - Interlude -
Book 2 - Shadow World
Faint but Clear - Ghost in the Steel - Kurotama - Loyalties - Servants of Shadow - Game of Fate - Shadows and Reflections - Tomb of Blood - Broken Blades - Hill of Shadow - Souls and Swords - Home
Other
One Hand - Bending Sub-Skills
Unrelated
Running Numbers - Fragile - A Painted River