The Legend of Zhang Yong

Introductions

The next morning, Tala and Jei met the Abbott at the grand meeting hall. Other teen and young adult Airbenders were already present, taking placement instructions and starting to set up the seating arrangements for the feast to be served in the Avatar's and Fire Prince's honor. Tala and Jei walked to the Abbott from behind, and after a silent nod and smile to each other, exclaimed, "good morning Abbott Lao!"

Lao jumped to face them. "Must you do this every time I am focused?" He asked.

"What's the fun in doing it when you expect it?" Tala asked with a smirk. Tala wore her more formal robes for greeting the Avatar and Fire Prince. Instead of her daily tight to loose fitted cheongsam and slack pants to her knees with tights that lined her toned calves, she wore longer pants, her cheongsam, and her ceremonial red over robe. Jei also wore a ceremonial red over robe atop his more traditional outfit— one that he reserved for very special occasions.

"Oh thank goodness you are all prepared and dressed for the occasion!" Lao said with a loud clap that rang through the hall. A pair of Airbenders almost dropped a large dinner plate with the sudden noise, catching it with the fast reflexes that came with their element. "Tala will be on my right and Jei on my left when the Avatar comes. He and his brother should be here soon actually."

Tala looked to Jei and asked, more-so reminded him because of his forgetful nature, "I'll show them to their room and you'll take over my class today, right?"

"Yes, of course." Jei responded with a content nod. "Will they be safe with you alone with them?" Jei teasingly winked.

"They'll be fine." Tala said with a soft giggle and lightly smacking Jei across the bicep. "I won't hurt them," she paused. "Yet anyway," Tala mischievously grinned to one side of her face. "Let's just see how this all goes." She ended the banter by straightening herself and walking slowly away, following Abbott Lao to the cliff side where they would meet the Avatar and Fire Prince. Jei watched her figure drift away as light and gracefully as a cloud in the sky. He took a deep breath and followed Tala and Lao.

—————-

The Avatar and Fire Prince each had their own eelhound to ride. The Avatar saw the three Airbenders first and winked at his brother. "Race?" He asked. "You're on!" Zhi Fu replied. The two hiked on their reigns for the hounds to gallop faster toward the Airbenders. Zhang Yong won the race with a sudden stop a few feet from the Abbott and the master Airbenders, while Zhi Fu ended his hound's sprint with a gentler stop parallel to his brother. The two dismounted their animals and bowed with the Fire Nation gesture (fist against a flat hand, mimicking a candle flame) at the same time. Jei wondered if their aligned timing came from rehearsals to look impressive or from mere repetition from traveling.

The Airbenders bowed formally, with their arms at their sides, and welcomed the boys. Zhi Fu, the older of the brothers, said, "thank you, I am Zhi Fu and this is my brother, and the avatar, Zhang Yong," displaying seniority over his brother with the right of introduction.

Jei took note of them. The brothers looked similar, and showed their mutual fire nation pride with matching brown, burnt red, and gold colored bracers. They also wore casual summer tunics instead of the formal dress Jei expected. Their tunics were gold lined, but Zhi Fu's was the color of blood while Zhang Yong's was the color of fresh morning grass. Zhi Fu had a top knot that held the upper half of his hair at the crown of his head and let the lower half of his hair flow in the breeze. Zhang Yong had shorter, and darker hair than his brother with no top knot— which Jei needed a double take to make sure he saw correctly. "He's still fire nation, Jei noted to himself, "where is the top knot?" The last thing Jei took note of were the brothers' eye colors. Zhang Yong had light green eyes that could pierce through even the hardest stone and Zhi Fu's eyes glowed an amber color that could melt polar ice caps.