Make A Man Out Of You

Part 1

Make A Man Out Of You

Chapter 1: Business Trip

You briskly entered the Fire Nation throne room with no clue of what fate awaited you. You had been working in the palace for nearly a year and had only seen the Firelord a few times from afar. She had a very intellectual look to her, but also a firm gaze that denoted strength, and perhaps stubbornness. You gave only a passing glance to the elegant decorations, as your mind remained occupied in recalling what you had done wrong. Though you kept drawing a blank and were sure you had properly finished your chores, you could think of no other reason to be called before the ruler of your home nation other than being in trouble.

You marched before the throne, remaining at what you calculated was a prudent distance and suppressed the need to proclaim your innocence at the top of your lungs. You were a semi-decent fire bender at best, so you hope she wasn't planning to challenge you to Agni Kai. The flames that danced behind the throne made the lady's golden glasses glow, giving her eyes a mysterious and threatening quality. "Your highness..." You bowed nervously.

"I have called you here for a very important reason," the Firelord began, her voice ringing across the spacious throne room. "Chief Eska of the water tribe will be visiting our nation soon and as a gesture of good will, I wish to send a trustworthy member of my staff to assist her in her preparations." The voice of the ruler came closer and by the time you dared to peek up from your bowing pose, she was right in front of you. She gestured for you to stand as she continued in a secretive voice. "Eska is... She's viewed as being intimidating, but I would like to strengthen the friendly diplomacy with the North Pole. After their war with the South, I fear their people are being judged unfairly, as it happened to the Fire Nation following the end of Ozai's rule. My father, Firelord Zuko, had to work very hard alongside Avatar Aang to foster good will."

You stared at the Firelord, or Firelady rather, her voice had become caring and understanding without losing its strength, it was soothing and secure. "I will do my best to create a good impression of our nation." You smiled, finally relaxing. You were given a pretty important job and the chance to travel far away and see new places. You were so excited that you weren't immediately concerned about Eska's cold and intimidating reputation.

The Firelord nodded, "try to be her friend," you agreed to the request without a second thought. Being friendly should be easy enough, especially when your mind was filled with thoughts of delicious sea food dishes and delightfully sweet popsicles, in an icy city that glittered as if it was made of diamond. Who knows, maybe you would meet a handsome Water Tribe warrior who would steal your heart. They were said to have the deepest blue eyes, well built tanned bodies, soft brown hair... and the eyes, the looked so hypnotic in magazines. They were all probably built like Nuktuk from the movers, which were in black and white, so you didn't even notice that the main actors' anatomy was distinctly Earth Kingdom. With thoughts of being swept off your feet by a handsome Nuktuk look alike, you happily returned to your room to pack for the trip.

xoxox xox xoxox

Chapter 2: Cold and Confused

A soft whine escaped your lips as you tried to suppress the sensation of pain. You didn't pack any sunscreen, who would pack sunscreen on a trip to the North Pole? Toph grunted and muttered something about wimps under her breath, while Kai gave you a sympathetic glance and offered a quiet "we're almost there," which you did not believe.

You assumed you would be traveling by ship or maybe even by airship if you were lucky, but you never would have guessed the trip would be by sky bison. Kai, one of the new air benders that were perhaps not so new anymore by now, was the chauffeur. Katara was visiting the North Pole, presumably as a representative from the South in a gesture of good will, and Toph, after disappearing for some time, decided to leave her swamp and go visit Katara. Never the patient one, instead of waiting for the water bender to return home, Toph decided to catch up with her at the North Pole. She stopped at the Fire Nation to find another ship to hitch hike on further up, and ended up joining you in your transportation.