Master Jun led Naia to another part of his large house. She trailed closely behind him, wondering what he could possibly be giving to her. It was a room hidden towards the back of the house, out of sight. Out of the back of his pocket he pulled out a small key, which he used to unlock the door.
Inside the room were multiple fine swords, knives, and other weaponry. Naia looked at each and every one. They must have cost a fortune, but Master Jun seemed to have quite the collection. Naia let her hands graze over a few of the larger swords. Her father never let her go near weaponry, let alone touch a real sword or knife.
"I normally do not give free weapons out as a part of my lesson package," Master Jun started. "But I think this would suit you quite nicely."
Naia looked up from the sword she was examining and saw Master Jun holding a longer and slimmer sword inside of a long sheath. He extended his hands. She furrowed her brows and took the sheath in her own hands. When she took the sword out from its covering, Naia saw a gleaming pearlescent color. Her reflection stared back at her. There were engravings near the handle of the sword. They said: "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken".
Master Jun watched her examine the weapon in awe. "Katanas are wielded by those who are skilled, agile, and above all stealthy. This was handcrafted by sword making experts."
Naia looked up at Master Jun, her eyes widened. "How much for it?"
Master Jun had the smallest smile appear on his lips, which was a rare occurrence. "It's yours."
"But—" Naia started, trying to object.
"Naia, you were the first person I've taught since the death of my son. I lost a piece of myself when he died, a part of myself that I thought would never come back. I haven't picked up a sword in years. My love for sword fighting came back through teaching you. And I wanted to thank you for that," Master Jun explained.
"Master Jun I should be thanking you," Naia said, shaking her head. "My whole life, I've been told that it is not a woman's place to learn how to defend themselves. I've been held down simply because I was born a girl. You were the first master who has agreed to pass down some wisdom on self defense to me. You were the first person to finally believe in me. And I will be forever grateful for that."
The two bowed to each other. "A great warrior deserves a powerful weapon. I believe that you are destined to be one. I'm honored I was able to teach you."
☽
Later that night, after they had dinner, Naia heard frantic knocking at the door. Naia and Master Jun exchanged looks before Naia stood up to answer the door. It was a worried Katara and Sokka, along with two other older looking men.
"Princess Naia, we need your help," Katara said. She held open a scroll and handed it to Naia. "Some earth benders from the arena kidnapped Aang. We could use all the hands we can get."
Naia turned over the scroll in her hands. She felt her heart swell. For some reason, she felt honored that Katara asked for her help. It was as if she wasn't completely helpless anymore.
"Of course," Naia said. She looked back quickly at Master Jun, who gave her a reassuring nod. She grabbed her katana sheath and put it over her shoulder. They all ran through the now empty streets of the city. "Where are they keeping him?" Naia asked, rounding a corner.
"They told us to meet them in the arena and bring five hundred gold pieces with us," Sokka explained. "He kidnapped Aang and the blind girl who he beat the other day."
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silver soul | avatar, the last air bender
Fanfiction"it's incomplete without you, the silver soul is running through, it's a vision, complete illusion" Princess Naia of the Northern Water Tribe was sheltered for most of her existence. She was deeply unsatisfied with her life, as she was given the nat...
