Chosen by the Spirits | A male reader x Avatar the Last Airbender story

Chapter 32- The coup of Ba Sing Se

"Oh believe me, if I had the final decision, you would have been dead already," Zhao menacingly informed me. "Unfortunately, Princess Azula has the final decision on that matter.

"Azula is here??" I exclaimed in horror. If Azula and her little gang were in Ba Sing Se, that couldn't be good.

"Oh yes," Zhao confirmed to me. "I was only able to make it into Ba Sing Se because of her clever scheming. But that does mean that I have to run all decisions through her first, including your fate. But fear not, my nephew, as I'm sure that she will approve the matter soon enough,"

"Brilliant," I muttered as I pulled on the chains that restrained me, perhaps desperately hoping that they had disappeared.

"Don't bother," Zhao sneered. "You're nowhere near strong enough to break out of those restraints. And you can't waterbend without your hands. Now, I'm going to put on a pot of tea while I await Princess Azula's orders. Would you like one?" he offered.

"Sure," I said, thinking that Zhao couldn't possibly be stupid enough to give me access to water. My suspicion was immediately confirmed as Zhao laughed heartily.

"I think not," he chuckled as he left the room, presumably walking to the kitchen, leaving me sat up against the wall by myself.

This would have been the perfect opportunity for me to escape my entrapment, if I had something to bend. Master Pakku had always taught me to try and find water wherever it was available, but right now I was struggling. The only liquid in the room was the spilled tea that still dripped onto the floor. But even if it were a sufficient amount of fluid, I wouldn't be able to bend it. Waterbending, like every other form of bending, is a martial art, and thus requires movement, which I couldn't do while handcuffed. With little other option, I closed my eyes and tried to think back to what Master Pakku had taught me.

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(two years ago)

A summer's heatwave had struck the Northern Water Tribe. While the temperature would still be cold to an outsider, to a local it was luxurious. The sun glared down on the continent, unobscured by the lack of clouds in the sky. Ice buildings and sculptures at the capital, Agna Qel'a, had begun slowly melting from the heat, although fortunately it was rather easy for the waterbenders of the tribe to repair.

I, however, was not in Agna Qel'a. I trudged between two hills, miles away from the city, in a desolate tundra. The only forms of life out here was myself, Master Pakku, and the occasional animal dashing away from our intrusion. Usually the tundra would be covered in snow, but after such a boiling week, there was only a few snowy patched left scattered across the biome. Instead, the tundra had revealed an ecosystem of colourful plants, painting the area a beautiful red and orange colour.

Despite the stunning scenery and the perfect weather, I scraped my boots miserably across the dry dirt beneath my feet. I was in a bad mood; that morning, the rest of the kids in the city had decided that, since it was amazing weather, they were going to spend all day playing numerous sports and games outside. That sounded like fun to me, but to my dismay, I wasn't able to go. No matter how much I had tried to convince my parents to let me play with the other kids, it was no use. To them, training was always more important, and so I sulked as I lagged behind my waterbending master.

I had only left Agna Qel'a a handful of times, and this was one of those few occasions. Master Pakku had decided that, on such a lovely day, it would be a good idea to leave the city of ice and snow, and instead visit the usually-frozen, now dry, tundra plains. He stopped in his tracks a few feet ahead of me, observing the area around him. We were surrounded by striking orange hills, and there were a few long, thin trees around us. Despite the heat, it was still cold enough for me to see my breath cloud in the air as I panted from the trek.