===== 10 - The Heiress of Avatar Roku ==========
10 - The Heiress of Avatar Roku
The return to the capital was turbulent and significant, the world was just getting ready for what was about to happen, but I must say, I was eagerly awaiting the fire that was gradually building up. After that great battle with the dragon, Azula and I rested for a couple of hours and sent a message to the capital to send us guards. The delivery of the dragon's head and body, as well as thousands of rebels, could not be carried out under the supervision of just two, albeit powerful, mages. When the royal family heard what had happened near the capital, they sent us reinforcements of a couple of thousand soldiers.
To say that the ordinary soldiers were stunned and driven mad by the sight that met them would be to understate their shock tenfold. Although it was not very advantageous, Azula and I agreed to divide the credit solely for the sake of strengthening our alliance: I took the glory for defeating a thousand troops in open battle, which was essentially equivalent to capturing Omash, while Azula, who wanted it very much, took the title for defeating the dragon. Honestly, these titles didn't matter to me. I didn't consider myself a citizen of the country of fire and saw no point in getting involved in their politics. I only accepted this beast's offer so that she wouldn't be angry with me anymore and would always know who her partner was.
"I can't believe my eyes," said our friend, Admiral Liang, who had arrived from the capital with the army. He stopped in his tracks and stared silently at the body of the once-flying creature for almost a minute. His mind was swarming with thoughts about where it could have come from, what its strange colour meant, and why it looked so much scarier than all the dragons depicted in countless famous frescoes. And Feng really did look unusual because he had taken on a dark form - his fangs and fur had sharpened, his spikes had grown larger, and his teeth had become crooked, as if badly infected. "Could it be that this is... someone told me a story that was considered just a fairy tale. Could it be Xuanlong?
He looked at Azulu with even more surprise and felt a shiver run through his body. As it turned out, there were special legends among the people of fire about the war against the dragons: no matter how many people managed to defeat them, and there were quite a few, there was one dragon that was considered a bogeyman for anyone who wanted to hunt them.
The thing was, the founders of fire magic left behind a really dark legacy, and hunting them was partly why the Fire Lords had to deal with a lot of curses during the hundred-year war. Over so many years, this became an established fact that could only be accepted, but there was also a legend about a dragon that had become imbued with this darkness and turned into a living curse.
Xuanlong, literally translated as "black dragon," was mired in hatred for humans and thirsty to incinerate them all. He was huge, immortal, and powerful. Admiral Liang himself, with every word he spoke, increased Azula's merits in the eyes of everyone around him. He lamented this rumour as if it were the absolute truth, and that the dragon before them was the very same. But when I wanted to know where such a story had come from, one I had never heard before, even though I had read a lot about dragons in my time, he replied:
"Ah, I remember. Airo likes to spread it, especially after he defeated the last dragon.A guess quickly came to mind...
Upon returning to the capital, I went to the same old man who, as it turned out, was the only one spreading this rumour as something so terrifying that it made the blood run cold in your veins. Airo hesitated a little, but soon admitted that he had simply made up this nonsense, but in such a way that it sounded realistic. It was difficult to dispute the existence of spirits and dragons, so, using all his experience, he made up a story to create a personification of the senseless and merciless cruelty of human vices embodied in a single creature. So that the modern generation would know what the war against dragons had led to, or at least be afraid, because no one had seen any proof yet.
Xuanlong is a spirit, so there is no point in hunting him. Or at least there wasn't. After all, when the body covered with a tarpaulin was delivered to the palace, with the smug Azula standing in the background, one could safely rewrite all the books on the history of the war against the dragons and their defeat. The rest of the day was spent literally on end.
The fire sages checked the authenticity of the body and marvelled at the existence of a dragon from legend; Airo was shocked that his fictional story turned out to be reality, and Oza... going out into the street to look at the body, he glanced meaningfully at his daughter, touched the dead man's nose and, holding back his emotions as much as possible, smiled.
"Is this really the creature from the legends? You said that all dragons had been exterminated! " he asked the wise men, who looked at him in confusion and could only shrug their shoulders. At that moment, even Airo tensed up, such a truth could frame him... but I just winked at him and calmed him down. "Yes, you were talking about ordinary dragons, not spirits. Let it be that creature from the legends. It doesn't matter if it's true or not, the rumour alone is enough to change the situation in the country. Killing such a powerful dark spirit will show the rebels their place. Azula... you have exceeded all my expectations.
Turning halfway towards me, he nodded imperceptibly. Apparently, he had guessed that his daughter could not cope with such a creature alone, but he still did not hesitate to describe how legendary she was and that all the hopes placed on her had been justified — this was how he made all the aristocrats and observers feel even more terror towards her. Preparations for the holiday began. But despite the general atmosphere, I managed to arrange a meeting with Oza.
The only thing that really interested me in this whole situation was the unusual magical potential of the young Azura. I could accept the fact that she was stronger than her peers and that she had more potential, but to intercept the magic of an entire dragon? With only three chakras?! That was madness, even for me.
"I see. Are you interested in the reason for her undeniable advantage over other people?
Sitting in his dimly lit office, Oza was eerily pleased with something. His face was lit only by a few braziers standing nearby, creating an oppressive atmosphere. He poured another glass of wine and placed it in front of me as if I now had no choice but to drink it... He insisted silently, hinting that he would not start otherwise.
"I remember that day as if it were yesterday..." he began as soon as a drop of alcohol rolled down my throat. "Father, Azulon, took me to a botanical garden that belonged to the family of a beautiful woman.
***
"I feel a little unsure, Father," said a young and slightly self-conscious black-haired man standing by a luxurious wooden carriage, adjusting the sleeves of his elegant and expensive outfit. The man's hair was crowned with a prince's crown, but his yellow eyes expressed only youthful inexperience.
"Do you really want to make such a terrible first impression, Oza? I raised you to be a worthy man... Lift your head up high. Feel confident and show it to everyone," said the old, grey-haired man, placing his hand on his son's shoulder and speaking in a wise voice.
"Yes, father.
After getting ready and heading to the nearby greenhouse, the Fire Lord Azulon was met by an elderly woman and a slightly frightened man. The royal family behaved politely and with dignity, not wanting to lose face, even though they were standing before the family of a simple judge.
"Excellent flowers," smiled Oza, looking at the lotuses growing in a small lake.
"Son, there is someone here more beautiful than these flowers," said the grey-haired man, looking at a shy young lady peeking out from behind the bushes. Realising she had been noticed, the girl swallowed hard and knelt down. "It's you, Ursa, isn't it?"
A clear and loud voice, as if rehearsed with her parents, greeted the monarch of Azulon, while her parents stood aside, holding each other's hands. The prince smiled and stood next to his father, finally showing confidence in his eyes. "We didn't expect to trace the Avatar Roku's lineage; he went to great lengths to erase all mention of his family tree," Azulon said, each word leaving the people in complete confusion. "But the fire sages served me well; they told me that by bringing my son and the Avatar's granddaughter together, we could grant the family tree unprecedented power, enough to allow my family to rule for thousands of years after my passing.
Ursa raised her head and met the gaze of the man staring intently at her, and she felt a shiver run through her. These young but determined eyes expressed the thirst for power that was so familiar to the people of fire. Introducing his son, Azulon laid the foundation for the strongest family.
***
"Father was right," Ozaï smiled gracefully as he sat with a glass of wine. "Our daughter has possessed a higher quality of qi since birth. The fire sages said that her chakras open up more potential than in any ordinary mortal. The eugenics they studied worked. True, I still can't get over the fact that the dragon from the legends really exists and Azula became its undoing...
"How terrible... But then why didn't such unusual potential pass on to Zuko? - I could only blink and ask more and more questions. At least it was clear that Azula's three open chakras could be counted as four, or even five, and it became more or less clear how she managed to ward off the dragon's flame.
"Hmm, I don't know. Zuko disappointed me for most of his life. Peaceful, calm, weak... as if he simply didn't have the qualities I respect," he quickly put down his glass and tried to change the subject. "He can still change. I expect great things from Zuko, at least in politics. In the meantime, let's continue our celebration in the common room, shall we?
The celebration in honour of Azula and me was the trigger that sent news of our countless achievements across the archipelago. As Anubis said, the two of us completely changed the perception of power: after a thousand rebels were sent to a prison called the boiling rock, everyone else hid underground and decided never to show their faces again. The influential families of the city and those who considered Oza's plan for universal peace to be madness quickly changed their tune and began to praise him for the ally he had gained.
Preparations for war with the spirits were completed sooner than anyone had expected. Now it was up to us, the two pillars who could resolve any conflict with fear and reputation, to decide where and when to launch the attack on the enemy. And the only person I needed for all this soon returned to the capital.
"Well, Afka... I can see by the look on your face that you have something exciting to tell me," the sullen fox sat down with me at the negotiating table again and brought her paws together.
"He's willing to cooperate, but only if you can figure out a way not to exterminate everyone.
"What if I already have a way?
"I was hoping you would say that. In that case, we can help you.