Legends of Asana: Book 1

Prologue

Prologue

The room was dimly lit by a couple of candles that sat on the edge of the room. In the middle of the room, a young girl was sitting beside a bed tending to the Fire Nations Prince. After a brutal Agni Kai battle between the boy and his father, he had been left severely burned. She wasn't even sure he would be able to see out of his eye when they were able to take the bandages off. He had been running a fever for a few hours and she hadn't left his side since. Only time would tell if he had lost his eye with the emotional damage, she knew it had caused. It would heal with time, but the scar would forever be a reminder of his father's rejection of him.

"I'm here Zuko." She murmured, dabbing a cool cloth on his burning forehead. A groan left his lips, his legs shifting in discomfort and pain. Leaving the cloth where it was, she ran her fingers through his hair to try and soothe him. They had been close ever since they were kids and while her parents had disappeared at a young age, the royal family had still accepted her as one of their own and given her a good life. His mother had been a warmhearted caring woman, much different from his cold-hearted father. Seeing her best friend in this state of pain hurt her heart and she knew there was nothing she could do to ease the pain.

From where she was sitting, she could see a bit of blood starting to seep through the bandage on his face. Uncle Iroh had been the one to wrap him up and take care of him. She knew that blood was a sign to change the bandage, but she hadn't done it on her own yet. Looking around, hoping Iroh would come out of nowhere to help her, she sighed. He was preparing for them to leave. They had both agreed that leaving was in Prince Zuko's best interest, and they wanted to leave before he woke up. So, she did what she could. Working slowly, she found the extra bandages next to the bed with the liquid that Iroh had dipped them in. Removing the bandage that was on his face she bit her lip to hold back the tears. The mangled skin underneath was blistered and angry red. His eyelid was slightly charred as well, but they had left that alone so as not to cause him unnecessary pain. Zuko sucked in a deep breath as the air hit his sensitive skin and she paused.

"It's alright Zuko. I'm just going to try and change the bandage." She whispered to him, not knowing if he could even hear her. Hanging her head for a moment she let a tear roll down her cheek as he whimpered under her touch. "Everything is going to be okay. We're going to get you through this. I promise."

"Really? You think you can save him so easily?" A menacing voice growled from behind her, and she froze what she was doing. A hand landed on her shoulder and every muscle in her body tensed. She stayed silent for a moment debating if it was worth it to lash out at the Fire Lord.

"After what you put him through, he has a lot to work through." She growled, setting her supplies down. Her hands were shaking in anger and every instinct in her was telling her to stop talking and leave the issue alone. But she was too angry.

"The boy is a coward and a disgrace. I have no place for such weakness in my country. Since you are his betrothed and your parents were traitors, you are both banished. You are to leave at once and only return once you've found the Avatar." Ozai told her, his grip on her shoulder tightened to the point of bruising and she ground her teeth. Pushing up from the bed she stood, forcing his hand to let go. She turned to look at him and narrowed his eyes.

"You are a horrible father Ozai!" He turned away from her and began walking out of the room, clearly not caring what she had to say. This infuriated her, so she went on yelling at him. "Not only do you abuse your child and burn him, but you also give him an impossible mission. Who knows if he will be able to see out of his eye when he is healed? And now you task him with finding someone who has been missing, hidden, or dead for the last one hundred years. YOU WON'T EVEN GIVE HIM THE CHANCE TO HEAL BEFORE YOU FORCE HIM TO LEAVE! YOU'RE A DAMN TYRANT!" She was screaming at him by the end of her rant. The Fire lord stopped in the doorway of the room and glanced over his shoulder at her, eyes dark and murderous. She swallowed thickly, taking a step back.