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Fanon:The White Dragon (Rise of Lirin)

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Thunderstorm By The Snowbold Genre Rating Reviews Updates
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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.

The White Dragon[]

The blue dragon sped through the dawn sky. A few guards followed with dragons of their own after the Crown-Princess. Kaliya was a fast and nimble dragon even by their standards, her speed compensated for her slightly smaller stature compared to other dragons. For example, Lirin's dragon Faran was half Kaliya's size bigger.

The dragons finally reached their destination. A group of Fire Nation soldiers waited for the arrival. "General Ursa, it is an honor to meet you."

Ursa was formal as she unsaddled from Kaliya, "Yes, well under better circumstances, we would spend time to talk about various topics. Right now, we need to prepare for the defense of the island and this airbase. Grand Marshal Zun and his forces are protecting the bases of Zira and Cove Island. We must protect the Last Harbor Airfield and the surrounding airbases at all cost."

"Yes, ma'am."

"How many men do you have to defend and how many for the fighters and bombers?"

"I have a thousand soldiers who can be committed to defense and another thousand who include pilots, mechanics and support staff for the planes themselves. In the nearby bases, we have a couple of hundred, but no way to move them around quickly or in large numbers. Besides, most of the smaller airbases just have interceptors to stop bombers if they came to attack the airfield." The Lieutenant Marshal answered Ursa with forthright responses.

"Get them ready to scramble their fighters on a moment's notice. We don't know when they will strike yet. And we don't know if they have carriers in the attacking fleet. Get the bombers in the air as well to hit their fleet too. If we can push back a marine incursion and cripple the first wave of their navy, they may reconsider their aggressive strategy."

"Yes, ma'am!" The Marshal saluted and relayed his orders.

Ursa read reports on preparedness at the base as the mover screens played the news. Of the four major networks, there was Republic City News for the Air Nation, Island Report for the Fire Nation, Tribal News which covered the Water Tribes and the Continental Report for the Earth Kingdom. Tribal News held an unbiased view and simply reported the facts of the escalating conflict. Island Report was reporting the news but also working to rally the people to defense of the homeland. Republic City News, however, had sided with Continental Report by declaring the Fire Nation as aggressors and that the Earth Kingdom was taking proactive action to prevent a prolonged conflict.

Ursa's eyes flared at the blatant lies she heard. She had already been warned by Lirin that the Air Nation may not send troops to fight, but they were no less an enemy in this war. A breaking news segment flared on the Tribal News station. Both Water Tribes had formally declared neutrality and would not aid either side in the conflict. Furthermore, they would retaliate against either side for violating their sovereignty.

Grand Admiral Ayu had warned them of this possibility but had hoped to change their minds over the last day. Apparently, he failed. Ursa heard the screech of a landing dragon and headed out of the office she had taken command over. As she approached, she saw a Dust Dragon leave a red dragon, "Report, Lieutenant Yon."

"Your majesty, the fleet is on its way. There are three waves. The rear is by Jang Hui, and getting ready to blockade the Fire Nation. The middle passed Shu Jing earlier today, likely heading for the Gates of Azulon. And the first wave just passed Fire Fountain City. They should be here in a few hours."

Ursa sighed, "I was hoping to have a few more hours." She turned to the officers around her, "Notify the men, the enemy is coming in force for Zira, Cove and Last Harbor. Send word to Marshal Zun to send out the bombers now. They may not be able to stop the attack on the airfields, but it might be enough to save the capital."

"By your command, Princess."

Ursa turned back to the Dust Dragon, "You and your dragon might want to get some rest now. The battle begin will begin soon and I will need every man I have."

"Yes, General."

Prince and Princess[]

"General Ursa!" An officer rushed into Ursa's makeshift office.

"What is it captain?"

"We have received a call from Prince Qon of the Earth Kingdom, it is coming from the fleet."

Ursa was silent for a moment as the other soldiers waited for her response. "Patch it through to me."

"This is Grand General Ursa."

Qon smiled as he heard the professional voice of Ursa, "I would think with everything going on, that you would want to start with your title as Crown-Princess, Ursa. To make sure everyone believes you are the legitimate heir to the Fire Nation."

"Unlike you, Qon, I am not insecure about my role in the Fire Nation. I am the Crown-Princess, but I am also the Grand General of the Army. That is a title I earned, not one I was born with."

Qon's lips twisted unpleasantly at the insult. "Surrender, Ursa. We don't need to see senseless violence today."

There was quiet for a moment. Qon wondered if she was actually considering his offer, "Senseless violence? Did you know that one of my best friends was an attendant in Ba Sing Se? I asked him to go to keep an eye on Lirin. You could imagine my sorrow, learning that he was murdered by your Royal Guards when they raided the ambassadorial palace."

"A regrettable but necessary loss of life to prevent the Avatar from attaining political power that would be unheard of in this world."

"It is pointless to speak with you further, Qon. Instead, I leave you with this." A brief silence was followed by chilling words, "I curse you Qon, your bloodline and your people. For every man I lose today, I will slaughter a city in return. The bloodshed will only end when the line of kings dies. Then, we will know peace."

The call ended before Qon could respond. Qon was typically not one to shy away from insults and verbal attacks. Yet somehow, Ursa's words were unsettling, as if they could reach out and suffocate him. He began to legitimately worry about the safety of his sons, and the vision of watching them be burnt alive by merciless flames. He shook his head to dispel the unwarranted fears.

Qon looked to the general beside him, "Tell the men to prepare for attack. We need to hit all three islands at once."

"As you wish, your majesty." The general departed with the admiral of the fleet to send his commands.

Qon looked to one of the officers, "If you could make a call before we strike? I would like to increase the security around my children."

"Of course, your majesty."

Holding the Line[]

In the dark history of the Fire Nation, the title of Dragon was given to those who could slay a dragon alone. It was considered the ultimate honor that a firebender could defeat the progenitors of firebending.

After Fire Lord Zuko outlawed the practice and dragons began repopulating, the title took on a new meaning. The Sun Warriors were still seclusive and seldom took apprentices to learn under them. The title signified either mastery of fire, and the personality of the bender. The only other way was to become a soldier of the Dragon Corp of one of the branches, of which there were only 99 members.

Princess Ursa had earned her title by training with the Sun Warriors, she had mastered the original path of firebending and studied ancient techniques that could even enhance bending briefly. Ursa earned the title of White Dragon for her pure devotion and loyalty.

Among her qualities was not only her respect for the old ways but her desire to see her nation grow. Key to that were new experiments with weapons that did not violate SVE Treaties.

The Spirit Vine Energy Treaties, or SVE, were made in the aftermath of Kuvira's assault on Republic City. When it went out of control, the power of the weapon was so devastating that it became a bomb. It was only thanks to Avatar Korra that this bomb did not expand and instead opened a portal to the Spirit World.

However, the potential for other bombs to be created and for portals to be the aftermath quickly brought unity among the nations to not pursue such science. The Order of the White Lotus spent resources enforcing this ban during Korra's time. When the White Lotus fell during Tala's time, her Warborn organization took up the slack, cracking down on any suspected research on SVE-related projects.

The Fire Nation complied with the treaty it signed. It had lightning generation to compensate for power needs. As for weapons, they decided to go backwards for technological weapons. Explosive powders had been a staple of the Fire Nation during the Hundred Year War, but advancement stalled when range and precision fell off.

Some scientists came to Princess Ursa with a new theory for how to compensate, and she allowed them to develop prototypes under her patronage. She called the project manager over, who came along with her force to defend the island.

"Dr. Mura, are the prototypes ready?"

"Your majesty, we have a thousand prototypes that have been tested in controlled environments, but these rifles have never been field tested."

"They are about to get their field test. What is the breakdown of their function?"

"Yes, your majesty," Dr. Mura accepted that when he was ordered to join the defense, that this was why. "We have one hundred rifles that require a crew to operate because they can fire rapidly and over a wide area. We have eight hundred that are used individually and easy enough to operate and aim. And finally, we have a hundred that can be used from a far distance for select targeting. We have found that attaching a special telescope has increased accuracy significantly."

"Very well," Ursa turned to a colonel nearby, "Colonel Ban, have your men trained adequately with the prototypes?"

"Yes, ma'am, they have. But we won't know how well they do until they are used in battle. I still have enough men and equipment independent of the prototypes in case they fail."

"Good. I want the marksmen to target commanding officers. Liaise with the Marshal for the best positions for them to cover and hit their commanders."

"As you command."

A horn blared; the enemy had come.

Last Harbor had two major beaches capable of marching troops on the south and west of the islands. The southern beach was twice as wide, meaning more men could be moved faster, and it was a closer landing based on how Qon's fleet was approaching from the east. Ursa knew they would hit the south hard, but she also understood that she couldn't dismiss the west front.

To her estimation, she believed that Qon might attack the south with half of his force as a feint while his real attack flanked from the west. Pincered between the south and the west, the defenders would be slaughtered, and the airfield would fall in hours after the beachhead was secured.

Ursa took a third of her force, consisting of most of her Imperial Firebenders and half of the Dust Dragons along with a third of the riflemen, marksmen and gunners to defend the narrower beachhead. She would leave the five dragons and half of her royal guards and Dust Dragons at the south so to keep Qon from realizing her actual position.

She made all the preparations she could make and rallied the men the best she could. Fate was out of her hands now.

The screams resonated across the beach. Blood was mixing with sand as artillery fired on the invaders. Ursa ordered another wave of firing by her riflemen. Nearly three hundred men fired their new weapons into the marching invaders. Whether they had armor or not did little to protect them from steel ripping through them. Another three dozen men kept firing their crew operated prototypes. They fired significantly faster and tore through the unsuspecting infantry. Marksmen from far away picked off officers as they tried to force the soldiers to push forward to their deaths. Chaos was ensuing, it was almost enough to break the offensive. However, some of the mechatanks and mechsuits had managed survive the artillery and shoot past its firing zone. Coming to front, they now served as a shield for the infantry to move forward.

Ursa watched as the enemy rallied with the protection mechanized armor. There were more men from the Earth Kingdom attacking than she anticipated. Either Qon's army was bigger than she thought, or he had sent the bulk of his force to overrun the western beach.

In either case, Ursa would lose the beach at the current rate. She called out to her men. She had two choices. Hold, or retreat. If she retreated, the island would be lost. If she held, her men would die.

"Prepare to charge, order artillery to keep fire a hundred yards ahead of our position. We charge after the next volley of the rifles."

The Imperial Firebenders and Dust Dragons nodded, but the officers of the other soldiers hesitated, "Your majesty, if we rush to far forward, we could get hit by our own artillery!"

"If we don't charge, the enemy will move too fast for the artillery to aim. They will be forced into a defensive posture if we rush them while they are on the defensive."

Ursa donned her helm and readied to give the command for another volley. "Once we charge, you will pick your targets at will, understand?"

The riflemen and gunners who were in fixed positions nodded.

She looked at the infantry in green uniforms approaching her position, "Fire!"

Another wave and more Earth Kingdom men fell. She ran forward as she yelled, "Charge!"

Last Man[]

Her force of soldiers made a mad dash at the wounded infantrymen. When they had regained their composure from the volley, shock replaced it as a wave of red charged them. Who would be insane enough to charge an attacking force with less men?

The mechas tried to provide cover and take out men as fast as they could, but artillery finally acquired their targets and half of the armored suits were obliterated. Suddenly, the battle became a bloody melee as firebenders and earthbenders collided in battle. Multiple blasts of lighting struck out, incinerating hapless men. Soon after, spikes of metal flew in response. The elements were thrown back and forth and bladed weapons were drawn when men were too close to rely on anything else.

Ursa channeled her power in its purest form to burn her way through the enemy. The Imperial Firebenders at her flanks also laid waste to anything that moved with a green uniform. The cries of suffering men would have been enough to drive anyone insane, if they spent enough time to listen. But each man had to be the monster and kill in order to survive. There were no men on this beach, only monsters.

As smoke rose up from the flames and the constant artillery dropping on them, a massive tank rushed at full speed, nearly crushing Ursa. Some of her guards managed to push her aside but were run over by the mecha the punched through. The mecha was struck by lightning from the Dust Dragons, however the breach it made in her lines allowed for more soldiers to get out of artillery's firing zone.

More tanks and men flooded in as more openings in the line her men had made with their lives appeared. Soon, only the benders were left to try and hold back the assault. As more of her men were whittled down, she called on the old powers she was taught. The Sun Warriors taught her how to channel fire through her chi at an astonishing rate. The price was steep, but in the heat of battle, it could be the difference between death and survival. The Dragon's Wrath amplified her bending. Her fireblasts were stronger, hotter and reached out further. The attackers slowed down realizing that every defender was a firebender, but the officers behind them ordered them to keep attacking.

Every single firebender was slaughtering far more men than any Earth Kingdom soldier could hope to, but there were too many. Soon it was just her Imperial Firebenders and the Dust Dragons, less than two hundred benders left, holding the line between them and the riflemen.

As they kept getting pushed back, she could see that her strategy had worked to a point. The flood of men was significantly smaller now. If her artillery could readjust, she could hold the line. Unfortunately, her riflemen had used up their ammunition and joined the fray, refusing to leave the Princess behind.

As valiant as their loyalty was, it wasn't enough. She now had less then a hundred men and the enemy had at least a thousand. The enemy was slaughtered by numbers, but a thousand men attacking from the rear would be enough to route the southern beach defenses. The island and the airfield would be lost. The invaders surrounded her dwindling men. They realized who she was and wanted to capture her.

She couldn't be captured, who knew what they would do to her before the officers could take her prisoner. And then what would they demand of her soulless shell in trade? "Men," she gave her last order to what was left of the Dragons and Royal Procession, "I'm going to clear out the entire beach, hold them off until I do."

"Yes, your majesty!" They answered with unwavering loyalty. They kept striking out at the attacking force. Fire and lightning hit whatever it could.

Ursa stood in the center and composed herself. She and her men were about to die. To die in service of their nation was noble, but would anyone know that? Doubts gnawed at her, but she persisted, channeling her flame inward. Her skin burned and she felt the heat in her lungs. It was unbearably painful, but she reminded herself that it was almost over. When she was done, she could rest.

A final thought crossed her mind, will there be anything left for a funeral?

As she clapped her hands, energy released beyond anything she had ever felt. The flash took her breath and life away. It carried them away with the flame that covered the entire beachhead.

Lost Beachhead[]

Qon was bewildered. As the attacker and the larger force, he had the discretion to attack as he pleased. He knew that the Fire Nation couldn't adequately defend both the south and west beaches with the men they had.

Qon attacked with a third of his men at the south. Even with a fraction of his army, he outnumbered the defenders. The idea was that his larger force would break through whatever paltry defense played in the west, and then they would conduct a pincer to break the defenders.

The first part to go wrong was when the defenders jammed the radio signals. He could not communicate with his fleet or the men at the other beachhead. This also meant he couldn't call in artillery from his navy, who wouldn't risk firing on him by accident.

However, the Fire Nation had hard-wired communications and so were able to carry out effective orders and changes to target his armor as it moved in. The next surprise was a weapon striking from afar and tearing his men apart. He wasn't sure what it was, but when he heard the small explosion, the next sound was a scream from one of his soldiers dying. There must have been hundreds of them, because those sounds and the screams were across the entire battlefield of the beach. As his men pressed forward, a louder sound that went faster erupted. The screams resounded even more as infantry fell by the dozens.

Qon yelled to his officers, "What the hell is going on? Why aren't we moving faster?"

A half-crouching officer responded, "Sir, most of our lieutenants and captains have been killed. We think they are targeting the leaders."

"What about the main force attacking the west, have we heard from them?"

"No, sir. Our radios are jammed and nothing is happening to redirect the defenders from hitting us."

Qon was cursing to himself, deciding how to move forward when a bright light encompassed the entire beach.

The Earth Kingdom Prince looked to the western beach and saw that the source of the light had been followed by a loud echoing explosion. Smoke rose up to the sky. Qon's heart sank. The enemy had anticipated his attack. He had figured that much, however he believed he had enough men to overrun them anyways. Rather than lose the beach, they released a massive bomb of unheard of proportions on the invaders.

Qon panicked. How many more of these bombs did they have? He could only imagine the destruction of his men if they such a weapon dropped on them. The attack had stalled, it wouldn't be hard for them to calculate where to drop it and avoid endangering their own men. Perhaps the bomb was buried and it would detonate once they took the beach. That would explain why his force in the west didn't carry out his orders to strike in a pincer on the southern beach defenders.

Qon decided that it wasn't worth the risk to keep pushing if they would drop this kind of ordinance once they pressed in too close. "We need to retreat! Have the meacha tanks and mechsuits serve as a shield in front of the infantry as we pull back to the landing craft. We need to get back to the fleet before they bomb us as well!"

"Yes, sir." The order to retreat carried out easier than to attack. The men were relieved to not charge into death. They were surprisingly orderly about their defense, desperate to live by working together.

But this organization would be their doom. As the column fell back from the beach, they encountered another problem. Now that they were condensed into a single force, the artillery had an easier time of targeting them and firing in overlapping succession on their position.

A Fire Nation colonel radioed back to the airfield, "Marshal, are the planes in the air? The attackers at the south end are retreating."

"Affirmative, colonel. The bombers have taken off. Is the fleet still in position?"

"Yes, sir, the fleet is still in position. They have not fired artillery either since we have jammed the radio signal."

"Very well, the bombers will be there in three minutes."

"Yes, sir." The colonel was relieved as his men kept up their defense against the retreating enemy who was about to be stranded. He then called back, "Marshal, have you heard from General Ursa's position? There was a loud explosion and we can see the smoke from here, but have not heard back."

"Negative, colonel. We have not heard back from General Ursa, and the marksmen who are further away say the smoke is too thick to tell what happened. Their last report was that the Princess and her men were surrounded. I have sent scouts to confirm, but no enemy incursion has followed so far."

Qon and his men finally broke as artillery rained down on their retreat, the armored mechs and their pilots were abandoned as infantry rushed to the landing craft. Artillery rained down and now the mysterious ranged weapons from before started shooting again. His men were getting picked off. As he rushed forward to the boats, he heard the ring of the enemy weapon and the crash of metal. Suddenly, he felt bleeding in his right arm as a piece of shrapnel struck it. He struggled to raise the arm and decided to keep running, his doctor could heal him once he escaped. Another ring, and this time, he felt the pain immediately as he fell down. There was a bleeding hole in his right thigh as he grunted from the shock. He tried to lift himself but with his arm and leg on the same side wounded, he couldn't stand.

He struck the ground with his left fist, commanding the earth to carry him. The sand hardened into a plate and rushed to the water.

However, before he could think about how to get on the boat, his heart sank as the fleet that carried his men went up in flames. Bombers appeared from the sky and dropped explosives over his naval ships over and over again. He watched as his ships sank to the bottom of the sea. And with the fleet, went his chance of escape. These boats didn't have the fuel to escape this chain of islands, let alone the Fire Nation.

Qon's mind raced over what to do. He saw the Fire Nation soldiers charge at what was left of his men, slaughtering them. He used his earthbending to create a shield and strike as many as he could. But with his wounds, there was only so much he could do. A blast of flame broke through his shield of hardened sand.

The attacker wore the iconic Dust Dragon armor. Qon accepted he had lost. He had to hope that he would at least be taken prisoner. Ransoming hostages had always been a tactic in war. Before he could speak, a quick bolt of lightning struck him, making him unconscious.

Prisoner[]

The Dragon warriors dragged the wounded Earth Kingdom prince from the beach as the rest of the attackers were killed. Ursa had given the order for no quarter after an intercepted radio message from the Earth Kingdom indicated they would kill any Fire Nation soldiers, even if they surrendered.

Colonel Ban looked at the flaming wreck in the water as it sank. The Dragon Commander approached and took off his helm. "Well, that played out exactly as her majesty expected. Permission to scout the west beach and make contact with her majesty?"

"The marshal has already sent scouts; we should hear back from them soon. I already gave the clear to end the jamming now that the enemy fleet is gone."

As the troops begin the cleanup, Colonel Ban and the Dragon Troops waited to hear back from the western front. Finally, a radio call came in, "Sir, we found the princess."

Qon woke up tied to a bed. As he moved and tried to get up, a hand grabbed his throat and tightened slightly. "Careful there, you might reopen those wounds."

The Crown Prince saw that the man before him was the Commander of the Dust Dragons. "I take it you are the one who captured me? You should know then that I am too valuable to harm."

"In a civilized society, perhaps. But people are capable of being absolute monsters when pressed. You, foolish one, have ensured that this war will only end in the death of the Earth Kingdom."

Qon was unsettled by the look of hatred. He wasn't sure what the man was so angry about. War itself was not uncommon, especially between the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom. The Dragon Commander continued, "Princess Ursa is dead. We found her body at the center of a massive explosion that incinerated everything on the beach."

The commander's arm then pressed on his wounded thigh, making him gasp from the sharp pain. "You hypocrites spoke about your opposition to Avatar Lirin becoming Fire Lord. But now, you have guaranteed it. With the death of the Princess, Lirin will be the next Fire Lord. And the wrath of our nation will burn this world before we surrender."

Qon's eyes darted about. The man was lying, he had to be. There was always a chance Ursa might die, but he figured she would be commanding her men from the rear and likely have been at the airfield.

"Congratulations, you will be the last Crown Prince of the Earth Kingdom."

Colonel Ban read the communiques that came across the screen as news from the other airfields came in. According to the Marshal, most of the small airfields were untouched, likely because they were secondary targets.

Here are Last Harbor, General Ursa's men managed to hold the line, but they lost their commander in the process. Grand Marshal Zun led the defense of the Zira airfield and held the island. However, the defense of Cove Island was overrun. The only saving grace was that the bombers had taken off before and obliterated everything on the island and fleet nearby.

In total, the enemy lost the entire attacking fleet and the Earth Kingdom crown prince was captured. For the Fire Nation, they lost one of three major airfields and the crown princess was dead.

Ban heard a door opening to see the Dragon Commander enter. "Commander, how is our prisoner?"

"Adequately frightened now that he has been informed of the situation. What is the status of the battle elsewhere?"

"Heavy losses all around. We lost Cove Island but the Earth Kingdom lost its entire fleet from this endeavor. How are the men out there?"

"Hard to say. No one is celebrating victory though. The dragons are mourning and Ursa's personal dragon Kaliya has flown off and disappeared. We are probably never going to see her again."

Colonel Ban could only imagine. Ursa had ordered her dragon to remain in the southern front and fight there. It was well known that dragons often died with their masters in battle. Ursa died before Kaliya, and the grief-stricken dragon had no outlet anymore, so it fled the island.

The Commander continued, "Have you reached the Fire Lord?"

"Not yet, the second fleet apparently hasn't attacked Capital City yet and they don't know where it is."

"Then allow me to be the one to tell them, sir."

"Are you sure?" Ban looked at the commander. It didn't matter who told the Fire Lord. Informing him of his daughter's death in battle would rip at his heart, and soon, the heart of the nation. Ursa was loved by everyone. She was the heir to the throne and one who deserved it.

No one knew what to do next. The only thing they were certain of was that Lirin was now the Crown Prince and that they would avenge her death.

Heir[]

Lirin sat alone at his balcony as night carried on. He had run out of tears and couldn't cry any longer. There was only anger left.

The news of Ursa's death spread throughout the Fire Nation, and soon the world. The shock was universal. News reports discussed the results of the first battle of this new war and how dramatically the stakes had escalated. Qon's capture and Ursa's death meant that the hope of a draw was unlikely. The Tribal News discusses the odds of the Fire Nation counter-attacking while the Republic City News begins insisting that peace negotiations begin before the conflict gets worse. The Island Report begins a new rallying cry, of justice and vengeance for the beloved princess that the entire nation had waited to serve. The Continental Report was the only one focused on the capture of Qon and tried to dismiss Ursa's death.

The other topic was that Lirin would now be next in line to become Fire Lord. The cause of the war was now cemented, and criticism of the Earth Kingdom for guaranteeing the very issue they started a war over was further argued as news reporters debated what the future held where the Fire Lord would be the Avatar.

Lirin stopped listening to the news after a while. He knew that his father was alone in his room. Lirin knew that Zorin took it even harder. Ursa was Zorin's first child and the one he loved the most. Lirin understood that, and he knew that Zorin's wrath would be terrible to behold.

Lirin decided to walk the palace grounds and try to get some fresh air. The few servants he crossed paths with were mournful and crying as well. Many of them had served Ursa in some way and had made preparations to continue serving her. Furthermore, Ursa worked hard to gain their trust and respect. They truly mourned her loss. Lirin was at just as much a loss as them about what to say.

As he walked through the gardens, he heard sniffling. He passed by the pond to see Mira crying alone in the dark.

"Mira."

"Your highness!" Mira stood up immediately, she tried to dry her eyes out desperately and smile, but she couldn't do it. Lirin walked forward and hugged her. Mira cried more, "The last thing I did was fight with her! I wish I told her that I didn't mean it!"

"She knew, Mira. She always knew."

"Your highness," an attendant approached, "Fire Lord Zorin wishes to speak with you."

Lirin nodded and walked with Mira, heading to the throne room.

"Prince Lirin, he is still in his personal quarters. He would like to meet you there."

A brief look of puzzlement was on Lirin's face. He hadn't been to his father's personal quarters since long before he was announced as the Avatar. Ursa, who was closer to their father, could have probably counted the times she visited him there on one hand.

Lirin stood before the entrance. He looked at Mira, "Go to my chambers and get some sleep. I'll see you when I am done."

"I'll wait for you, your highness," she bowed.

"Don't," Lirin shook his head, "get some rest. Besides, I don't know how long I'll be."

Lirin waited a moment before entering. He breath deeply as he walked past the two Imperial Firebenders and entered his father's personal chambers. They were just like he remembered them. A dark red hue was the color palette. Apparently, this was brighter than what their grandfather, Fire Lord Rishu had. Rishu was rare in the Fire Nation for not wearing the iconic red robes.

As Lirin stood in front of his father, the older man beckoned his son to sit across from him as he prepared tea. He sipped the warm drink, visibly uncomfortable, "Ugh, black tea? What was it about you and Ursa that liked black tea so much?"

Zorin chuckled briefly, "I don't. I made black tea assuming that Ursa wouldn't like it and so that other flavors would be preferred over those sweet drinks kids have out and about. However, she turned out to love it."

Zorin paused as he thought back. He didn't like black tea, but always brewed it because his daughter loved it. The things parents do for their children. Lirin paused, realizing the pain his father was feeling. Lirin would understand if his father cried, but also knew that would never happen. Fire Lord Zorin was entrusted with the security of their nation. His personal feelings had to come second to that.

"Lirin," Zorin took a serious tone as he addressed his son, "With Ursa gone, you know what that means?"

"I know," with his sister dead, Lirin was next in line to become the Fire Lord. He was now the Crown-Prince.

"There will be more scrutiny of you now more than ever before. Even more than when you were announced as the Avatar. Are you ready?"

"Do I have a choice?"

Silenced followed before Zorin answered, "No."

A somber funeral was held for Princess Ursa. The Earth Kingdom did not take the opportunity to attack once it was announced that Qon was captured alive despite his fleet and army being massacred.

Royals typically wore white at funerals because they also signified coronations at the same time. However, Ursa was heir, not ruler. As such, the two royals, Zorin and Lirin wore black robes as the Crown-Princess body was cremated in the pyre.

The Fire Sage gave a brief history of the beloved princess. Her command of the military, her training with the Sun Warriors, her taming of a dragon, her love of her nation, and her final valiant defense of Last Harbor. With her passing, a hole was left in the future of the Fire Nation. Zorin could feel the fear emanating from his people. He had raised and prepared his daughter so well that the people were now scared about what they would do without her. He could only hope his son could fill the void.

After Zorin gave his eulogy, Crown-Prince Lirin stepped forward. Zorin asked him to speak before the masses, to assure them that he would not run away from his responsibility to them.

Lirin sighed as he readied himself. He looked over the masses and thought back to the cruel twist of fate. If only he wasn't the Avatar.

"In life, there are paths that you choose to take and those you are born to take. Ursa was born to walk the rode of a leader and I was born to be the Avatar. We had no say in this. These roles defined our lives, setting us for how we would live and conduct ourselves for history."

"But what makes someone great is not the path they are born to walk or even the path they choose. What makes people great is how they handle the fate that is handed to them. A past life of mine ran away when he discovered who he was. When he returned to the world, he found his people extinct and faith in him crushed. Avatar Aang chose cowardice and paid the price. He could have led a miserable life hiding in shame, but he did not. He made the choice to correct his sins and save the world."

The people listened as Lirin recounted the failures of a past Avatar, unsure of what he meant.

"Fire Lord Zuko was born to a father who never loved him. He never measured up to his prodigy of a sister. In exile, he felt certain that his honor must be reclaimed, only to feel more guilt for his actions. He could have stood by when the world was going to be washed away in flames, but he did not. He saved his nation even as they declared him a traitor."

People swelled with pride, thinking on the courage their leader of the past had in taking great risks for the sake of his people.

"Ursa was the same. She was born to a path that was set before her. She could have surrendered her will or rebelled against fate. Instead, she chose to make the most of it for herself, and her people. Princess Ursa saw fate as a road to walk, not as chains to bind you down!"

Pride became resolve as Lirin raised his voice. Princess Ursa would be ashamed of them if they were in despair. If she were here, she would tell them to get up and prepare themselves. They wanted to make her proud of them. Proud to be her people.

"I let these chains hold me down before. Convinced that fate had sentenced me to a life not of my choosing. But I promise you this, I will break free of these chains and no longer stand idly by when my people are in danger. I swore in the Air Nation that the suffering of my people will be cast on those who made them suffer. My sister swore that for every man lost at Last Harbor, a city will fall. I swear to keep my word and my sister's! We will have peace built on the bones of the murderers who betrayed us and the cowards who targeted us!"

A roar emanated from the masses before Lirin.

"We will have peace when there is no Earth King to plot our downfall! When there are no deceiving monks aiding and abetting assassination!"

The roar was louder as the people felt anger at the injustice they suffered because other people were afraid.

A dark voice possessed Lirin as he ended, "We will have peace."

The Faceless[]

The aftermath of Ursa's death was felt around the world, and fear was its greatest contribution. People of every nation watched in terror as the Avatar rallied the Fire Nation, declaring the end of the Earth Kingdom and the Air Nation. He called out the subterfuge and hypocrisy they employed to hurt the Fire Nation and the war cry resounded across the islands.

The news reports began talking in earnest and apart from approved scripts about what it really meant for the world that Avatar Lirin would become the Fire Lord and that he would lead the invasion of the continent.

The Tribal News was the most biting, calling out the Air Nation and Earth Kingdom for self-fulfilling prophecy. That by attacking and killing the Princess, they guaranteed that Lirin was the heir, the very thing they attacked to stop. Breaking news came out of Republic City as the Council of Air Nomad Clans called for negotiations between the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom. But even Republic City News was skeptical of their proposal. Stating that if they really meant it, they should have supported peace talks when Avatar Lirin first came to them. Now, it was seen as a desperate of cowards fearful of being attacked.

The world trembled at the implications. A new era was coming, and nothing would be the same.

The man turned of the television screen and looked to those beside him. He inquired the others in the room, "What do you make of the statement the Avatar made?"

"He's going to war with the Earth Kingdom."

"He's going to war with the Air Nation."

The man shook his head, "There is more to it than that. He laid the foundation for something even more monumental than that."

"He is forming a new empire, one where all things answer to the Avatar," a cold and hollow voice answered. The group looked to the masked presence before them and bowed in reverence.

"What shall we do in response, master?" One of the men inquired of the masked man.

"In the past, the Red Lotus had made attempts to destroy the Avatar, recognizing her as the ultimate symbol of authority. This was true. Perhaps, she was not a tyrant that fulfilled this potential then, but we now see the fears the Red Lotus had then, become true now."

The masked man sat beside his comrades and continued, "It is a funny thing about past fears becoming current dangers. The arrival of Spirits onto this world led to the genocide of humans. Then when men acquired bending, it led to their resurgence. For every action taken, some people see the true danger, only to be called madmen in their time."

"Now is that time. We must reach out across the land, and spread our message of truth, that the Avatar is the single greatest threat to our survival."

"The Faceless must stand up and save the world from the Avatar."

As their followers left to carry out their orders, the masked man and one comrade remained. One asked the other, "Tell me Koram, do you think we can finally have vengeance?"

Koram's eyes lowered as he pondered on their task, "It's hard to say. This is not the same Avatar you and I fought. The world will hate him more than any Avatar in the past. But for all that hatred, there will be his most ardent supporters. They will rally to him and wage war across the earth. We just saw them answer his call."

"Then the Faceless must act. We have prepared over the years, and while our followers have changed, our goal hasn't over the millennia."

Koram chuckled at the masked man as he spoke, "What is so funny?"

"You are the Faceless, my old comrade. The masses we use are just extensions of your will, whether they recognize it or not."

Despite being masked, Koram could sense an aura of amusement at the comment. Faceless, a curse so rare in this world that it was legendary when the victims were found. He was such a victim. Koram was the only one old enough to remember him from before, before he lost his face. Before he lost everything.

The Faceless spoke, "These negotiations the Air Nation are proposing are likely to fail, yes?"

Koram crossed his arms as he answered, "Probably."

"Let's make sure they are guaranteed to end in disaster."

Notes[]

  • Koram and the Faceless have been around a long time.
  • The death of Ursa will rock the foundation of this world.
  • Zorin is often seen as a cold and unloving man. However, he genuinely loved his daughter. The moment about the black tea was meant to emphasize that.

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