Raised as a Fire National, Naan bears the weight of seeing the nation through to its end.
Which is why, as of late, she has trouble deciding whether or not the whole of humanity was worth giving up her own. All in the name of the one thing that's ne...
The quest for the Avatar began as soon as Zuko's wounds were roughly treated.
Shortly after the Agni Kai, the whole of Royal Caldera City had caught wind of the Crown Prince and his prompt banishment. Repeated requests for Ozai's audience made by General Iroh, as expected, all fell on deaf ears. Patriarchs of reputable families beat around the bush when the respected firebending master asked for them to put in a good word for the condemned prince. Personal guards and close servants of the Fire Lord would also flee from the retired general when they crossed paths in palace hallways, in fear of passing along messages that might incur His Majesty's wrath. Eventually, Iroh stormed into the throne room, interrupting a meeting to demand a word with the Fire Lord.
Dozens of military and civilian advisers recounted that day being dismissed from the war chamber. They said that the air was still enough to hear the drop of a single needle. Until a clattering sound of objects striking each other startled the palace, followed by a bellow of rage. At last, the stout general retired from the war chamber. His usual vigorous energy withered into a quiet, somber demeanor as he walked away with his shoulders slouched in defeat and wore a doleful look on his face. Later, when chancellors and senior officials returned to the war room, they were thus informed that Iroh were to accompany his young nephew and his expedition for the Avatar.
It was unclear whether anyone noticed the slight hollow at the base of the Ozai's ornate throne. The once smooth, even surface was freshly indented by an apparent exertion of pressure, and next to it laid the remains of His Majesty's stemware, liquified by fire, carelessly disregarded on the floor. If someone did, they made no attempt to point out the aftermath of a heated dispute between the two royals.
On the other side of the palace walls, as soon as word reached the Fire Nation's most esteemed households, longtime childhood friends of the prince were kept in their respective residences. Not permitted to go outside unless the boy had left city grounds. In the end, Ty lee and Mai never received the chance to bid farewell to Zuko before his untimely journey. Even if the prince intended to pay a visit, the children of Fire Nation nobility wouldn't have been allowed to greet him anyway. For these noblemen have always bent where the wind blowed; like petty weeds nestling under the shade of a towering tree. Why should anybody jeopardize their relationship with the Fire Lord for an exiled prince?
Having stripped of the privileges that came alongside his royal title, Zuko had no other option but to set sail without any highly-trained individuals and special armed forces. Instead, he was accompanied by a group of hastily gathered outcasts; some were prisoners desperate to escape death row, others were bootlickers gambling their way to a prosperous future by serving under the great General Iroh, who obviously considered the search to be an extended vacation as he ushered the crew to unload a heap of miscellaneous objects.
Thus, their journey commenced.
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