The Tale of Amara

Chapter 2: The Retired General

(Third Person POV)

Tu Lan carefully placed the thin gray blanket over the unconscious young woman before him. His hand brushed a strand of black hair from her tearstained cheek. "Rest, Amara... I'll get you out of this. I promise I'll find a way."

Standing, he walked out of the cage and locked the door behind. Then he headed out of the small tent letting the flap drop behind him. As he returned to his other duties, Tu Lan was distracted as he thought back to his years of service under Commander Zhao's family.

Tu Lan had once been a personal guard for Admiral Gru back at the man's private estate in the Fire Nation. He was hired at eighteen after his father managed to convince Admiral Gru to give him the job. When Admiral Gru brought the waterbender to the estate after she was captured at the Southern Water Tribe, Tu Lan was put in charge of making sure the young woman named Kala did not escape.

The young Water Tribe woman was kept a secret from everyone but Admiral Gru's family and staff. If word got out that Kala was being kept as a personal slave, then Admiral Gru would've been arrested for deceit. All captured waterbenders were to be reported to the Fire Lord and taken to the Capitol Prison. Admiral Gru wanted Kala for himself though. She was beautiful compared to the three other male waterbenders, and he desired to keep her. So while the other captured waterbenders were taken to the prison, Kala was taken to Admiral Gru's home on Shuhon Island.

During Kala's enslavement, Admiral Gru was not too harsh when it came to punishing the waterbender. However, he did rape his prisoner numerous times in the first few years she was his captive. Tu Lan was always sickened when he was told to guard the door of Kala's room in the attic during these vile acts. When Kala finally became pregnant with Amara four years after her imprisonment, Admiral Gru left the woman alone to raise their daughter in the lonely attic prison.

Over the first five years of Amara's life, Tu Lan was surprised that Admiral Gru had some care for the child. The man would sneak small gifts to the little girl, and would also bring her downstairs sometimes to let her walk around in his study. However, on most days Amara was forced to remain in the dusty room with her mother.

While Admiral Gru was kind to Amara and Kala, others of his household were not. Admiral Gru's son Zhao, who was mid-twenties when the child was born, saw the girl and her mother as filth. He constantly told his father to dispose of them both. Admiral Gru's younger brother Xi agreed with Zhao that the waterbender and child were a waste. Admiral Gru disagreed though. He felt the child was his responsibility since she was his daughter, and he ordered that no one harm them without his consent. This order was to remain in effect while he was away at war as well.

However, Admiral Gru's absence allowed both Zhao and his uncle Xi to be cruel to the waterbender prisoner and her child. Amara was beaten by Zhao, while her mother was forced to watch and held back by Xi. Tu Lan had no authority to interfere at these times, and instead came to the mother and child after the beatings to offer comfort and aid. Tu Lan was their only friend during those dark days of imprisonment.

When Admiral Gru died at war a little over five years after Amara's birth, Zhao and his uncle decided to finally dispose of the waterbender. However, as they prepared to kill Kala, she pleaded for her daughter's life. She begged them to spare the child. While Zhao despised his half-sister, he knew the child had meant something to his father. He agreed to let the child live, and Tu Lan had been ordered to take Amara out of the attic so they could continue with the execution. Tu Lan carried the young girl away quickly, who cried the whole time for her mother. As he got Amara down to his own private room, he could do nothing but cover Amara's ears to block the screams from above.

Tu Lan hated Zhao and Xi with every fiber in his being, but he kept under their command for Amara's sake. When he was informed that Zhao had been promoted and was taking Amara to the Earth Kingdom, he quickly asked to go with Zhao and serve at his harbor. Zhao was not a huge fan of Tu Lan, but he agreed to let the man come. Zhao decided he needed to keep an eye on the guard. He feared Tu Lan may decide to open his mouth about Amara and her mother, and he wanted that to remain a secret from the Fire Lord. He also hoped having Tu Lan at the camp would keep his sister in line. Zhao threatened Amara numerous times to kill the man if she didn't behave, and the threat seemed to work on some days.