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Prologue[]

The year is 293 AG. The Four Nations are at peace and the cycle of nations and life continues. Avatar Tala has been gone for the last fifteen years and the world anxiously awaits for the next Avatar to be discovered and announced. Prince Lirin of the Fire Nation is celebrating his fifteenth birthday, without a worry in his life.

A Special Day[]

She pulled his head back as another maid wrapped his robe on, "How are we supposed to tie your topknot if you cut your hair too short!?"

"Ow!"

"Some prince you are, Lirin, thank goodness your sister is firstborn, or the entire nation would tremble at the thought of you as Fire Lord! Even the world would be scared..."

"Hey," he looked back at the elderly woman, "it's my birthday. Can't you be a little bit nicer to me? And so you know, I agree, Ursa will make a much better Fire Lord than me. She's been preparing for it since she was old enough to say, Bow to me."

The maid chuckled a little, she noticed the young man pinch the behind of the maid who had finished his robes as she left, she giggled as she trotted off smiling. His eyes flashed the way they did for him, even enchanting her more. Lirin's eyes shifted from a fathomless black to an amber gold, only Lirin had such a dazzling look. Every girl fell for it.

The elder maid promptly smacked him across the back of the head, "That is my daughter, Prince Lirin."

He massaged the back of his head, "You know, you seem to slap royalty around quite a bit, Ursa said you threw a brush at her once."

She had an offended look like such an accusation was a blight on her honor, "I did no such thing! Your sister was a lady who didn't need to be warded from unruly behavior, unlike you!" The maid continued to shake her head in exasperation, "Honestly, how are you descended from both Fire Lord Rishu and Avatar Tala?"

Lirin rolled his eyes and ignored the quip about his ancestry. Avatar Tala's granddaughters both married Fire Lord Zorin and both gave birth to a child. Ursa born to the governor of Kyoshi Island, Asune, whose marriage to Zorin saw the island annexed to the Fire Nation and Lirin was born to a Fire Nation noble lady that was also one of Avatar Tala's granddaughters. "Perhaps you picked up a bad habit from your father, he chased after women too. Seemed dead set on marrying every offspring of the Avatar for while there."

"Mira is older than me, you old dolt. She can pick anyone she wants."

"She is seventeen and you are prince. As much as it would lift my spirits to see my daughter marry into royalty, I will not have you get her hopes up while you are only fifteen and without a care in the world about your future."

Soon another woman walked in sighing. Lirin looked up to see it was not someone to flirt with, "What do you want, Ursa?"

"Just checking on my little brother." She smiled briefly before changing topic, "Why did I see Mira walk out giggling?"

The older maid, Ita, answered for Lirin, "Little Prince Lirin here couldn't keep his hands to himself!" She smacked the back of his head again.

"Ow!" The fact that Ita was willing to so openly chastise a royal in the presence of another royal showed the level of trust and closeness she had with the Prince and Crown-Princess. She had been there when they were born. And she was with them when they lost their respective mothers. In a way, Ita had been a mother figure to Lirin and Ursa, which was why she lamented that she had failed to change Lirin's habit of seducing any unrelated woman who passed his way.

"Ugh," Ursa sighed at the confirmation, "Lirin, I am so happy you will be leaving for a military post."

"Why?"

"Because that way, I won't see all the servant girls in the royal palace have children that look like me. Can you imagine there being twenty little bastard princes running around. And why poor Mira, she's like a sister."

"Who says it isn't love?" Lirin responded before another smack hit him on the back of the head even harder, "Ow! Could you stop hitting me, Ita?"

"Sure, when you stop hitting on my daughter."

Ursa chuckled, "Lirin, there is no one you love more than yourself. True, you are partial to Mira because you were raised with her, but you will break her heart going after your next conquest."

"Although," Ursa had a devious smile on her face, "I could arrange a very good marriage for Mira that would secure her future. Would matrimony hold you back?"

Lirin didn't have time to growl at the provocation as Ita gushed, "Oh, would you please, Princess? The sooner my Mira gets away from Lirin, the better!"

*****

He was finally ready, half an hour late. He entered the steps to walk down and celebrate his birthday as was tradition. Cheering followed and he saw that his friends and family were there to celebrate the Prince's fifteenth birthday.

Past Sages

A change of ways for Prince Lirin.

He had reached floor level when a small column of old men soon entered the hall. They were Fire Sages, elder men who led the nation's spiritual beliefs and guided the Avatars in training and spirituality.

What were they doing here? They were reclusive in appearances and only showed themselves for important occasions, or emergencies, such as a Fire Lord's passing. Ursa also looked on concerned from the side where she had been sitting.

"Is something wrong, High Sage Tuza?"

"No, Prince Lirin, there is nothing wrong. We are just here to make the announcement as is tradition, on the birthday of the Avatar when he becomes a man."

Lirin stood there speechless, normal protocol was that one became a man at their sixteenth birthday. Lirin was celebrating early because he had mastered firebending and his father was eager to send him to a military outpost to train and grow out of his childish behavior.

It seemed that was all about to change. Tuza knelt, "We are honored to serve you, Avatar Lirin," he bowed and the sages joined him. Soon the entire party there for his birthday joined in bowing to Lirin, even Ursa.

It was not odd for Lirin to be bowed to, he was Prince of the Fire Nation, but it was why they were bowing. He didn't know what to do, he didn't want this, he wasn't meant for all this, that was the duty of his sister, she was meant for greatness, not him. He was just Lirin, grandson of the Black Dragon.

But now, even his sister was bowing to him. He was the Avatar. Great things would be expected for him. No, it would be demanded of him. He didn't want this.

Notes[]

  • This scene is meant to be reminiscent of how Roku was discovered as the Avatar, where they are told after they reach manhood, it was a special case for Lirin because he mastered Firebending a year early.
  • Lirin's scene with the maid's daughter is the first of many incidents to follow for Lirin.
  • Lirin's thought, "He didn't want this" will be prevalent throughout the series, showing an important emotional issue.

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