Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Lilting laughter drifted through the courtyard, turtle ducks scattering as two children came running across the grass. 

“Zira, wait up!” The young boy yelled through peals of laughter, his fire insignia hair-pin glinting gold in the sun. His sister turned, poking her tongue out. The two continued to run circles around the courtyard, chasing around tall pillars and willow trees. 

Warm smiles came from the palace staff walking by. With such a tarnished history, the staff were grateful to know the palace as a place of kindness and joy. Fire Lord Izumi had made obvious efforts to repair the Fire Nation’s relationships with the other nations in her pacifist policies. While not elected democratically, she introduced voting for her advisory board, and international trade was soaring. It was not uncommon to see the Fire Lord running through hallways or playing hide and explore through the library with her young children. As their mother worked, the prince and princess were provided with both structured lessons and allowed to be children, free to run around the palace grounds in fits of giggles. Even visiting diplomats and gentry knew to bring a snack tucked in their robes to appease the young royals as they lapped around the palace. 

A gentle wind brushed twinkling sounds from the windchimes hanging in the trees. A golden blanket of light fell over the sloped roofs as the sun descended for the day. The two children found themselves beginning to tire with the sun’s descent, yet they continued their games, running and jumping with the energy of a flame. 

With no warning at all, little Zira’s knees buckled, and she fell to the grass. She wiped her hands over her eyes, as if trying to clear them, and soon her entire body slumped to the ground, her eyes blinking woozily. 

“Zira!” Iroh yelled, as he ran towards her, falling to his knees at her side. The princess remained conscious, slightly, and her brother yelled frantically at the maids walking by to help him. 

Under the worried eyes of blurry figures, Zira gave in to the stars of her vision, and the darkness beyond overwhelmed her body. 

~

A flash of red flame through the air. With a gush of power, tingling down the nerves from her shoulders to the tips of her fingers, Zira allowed the energy to erupt from her fingers in a swirling flame, orange, red and white mixing together into a torrential tornado of heat. As the heat spiralled upward through the open roof of the pagoda, Zira threw her body into a cartwheel. She brought her arms together to continue into a front flip which she twisted out of in mid-air, surrounded by a cloud of deep orange fire. 

Returning to a standing pose, she began to move her arms rhythmically, arcing up and down as if to music only she could hear. She stepped out, and began to turn, her hand twisting in the air above as if holding a ribbon of fire. The fire streamed in circles down around her body until it reached the ground, as she continued to twirl around the room. Bursting through the flames, she leaped into the air, her back arched and arms extended behind as blue flames burst from her extended fingers. A smile stretched over her face, a small bead of sweat making its way into her mouth. With the sharp taste of salt on her tongue, Zira dipped into deep curtsey, her hair falling around her face as she looked down to the floor. 

“What did I tell you about generating blue flames?” 

Screwing her eyelids shut, Zira spun around to meet the eyes of the Fire Lord. Her mother. 

“Look at you, your chest is heaving. You’re sweating buckets and it is far too hot in here!” Izumi stalked over to a bucket of water, wetting a cloth before moving over to her daughter. 

“You know better than this, Zira,” she said in a low tone, a warning tone Zira had heard before. Izumi swiped the cold cloth over her daughter’s forehead, which she internally breathed a sigh of relief at. Zira pulled the cloth from her mother’s hand with a frown. 

“Mother, I’m fine. I know my limits.” Zira sighed, frustrated at needing to have the same conversation repeatedly. To avoid the unwavering heat of Izumi’s stare, she turned her attention to untying her tunic, pulling it off so she could drag the cool cloth over more of her burning skin. She could see her chest pounding. 

“I thought I made it a rule you couldn’t train alone. After last time?” The eyebrow raise caused Zira’s cheeks to flush. Being found unconscious on the floor by a screaming maid doesn’t usually send the message that the princess ‘knew her limits.’ 

“Tai Lo went to the washroom, and he never lets me-”

“Because he wants to keep you safe.” Izumi thundered, silencing Zira. The woman’s forehead creased as she brought her hands up to her temples, massaging the skin. Zira knew her mother wouldn’t argue with her anymore. This was the end of the conversation; another day of assuming the worst, and pushing limits on her daughter in the name of love. 

The young firebender sat down on the floor, legs extended outwards as she leaned over into a stretch. “How was the meeting with the Water Tribe traders?” A peace offering. 

Her mother’s eyes softened. “Smooth. They were requesting materials for engines.” Her eyes followed the slanted roof up to the small square of daylight visible above. “The world is developing before our eyes.” 

Zira loved talking politics with her mother. Since they were younger, of her and Iroh, she was always more inclined towards diplomacy and Fire Nation affairs. Her teachers praised her quick thinking and empathetic leadership. While she was also an incredibly talented bender, praised by every master who taught her, her overbearing mother held her back from straining herself. Lack of practice meant she had to work up to the point to be able to produce blue flames. She hadn't produced lightning since she was seven years old, when her mother found her bending under her covers. Lightning was hard to keep quiet. 

Despite her talents, she was the second born. Tradition meant she was but the spare in the eyes of the throne. Iroh was the one who accompanied his mother away, and who appeared in the public eye. Zira knew her mother thought she had her best interests at heart, but hiding the princess away from the public eye in the name of health made Zira feel…small. Like she was an embarrassment to the Fire Nation, and to the Fire Lord herself. 

Izumi signed as she pushed a small flyaway hair back against her tight bun. “I’m dining with our Water Tribe guests tonight. You’re welcome to join us.” With that she swept her robes around her and left. 

Zira wiped the sweat from her face with her undershirt. Standing, she readied herself in front of a wooden makiwara, and began throwing her arms out in aggressive strikes.

Chapter Text

The royals stood in their ceremonial clothing, shining fire insignias catching the first sun rays of the day. The three stood in a line at the entrance to the palace; Izumi, Iroh, Zira; watching as the entourage before them climbed the staircase. Zira felt a heat rise in her body as the sun washed over her body, a type of energy that tingled in her fingertips. 

Six fur clad people moved up the stairs, the blue of their Water Tribe kuspuk’s and boots unusual against the red and gold of the stairs. Zira recognised the pattern of the white lotus Pai Sho tile hanging from the neck of each of the figures, the man at the front holding a large scroll with blue beads hanging from the end. The beads gently knocked each other with the movement of the surly man. 

Izumi stepped forward to bow to their guests in the traditional Fire Nation way. 

“We are honoured at the journey that has been made by the White Lotus members. The South Pole is a long way from our shores.” 

“Thank you for your welcome, Fire Lord. We are excited to finally be meeting again, sooner than expected as per our last correspondence.” The water tribe man smiled warmly, returning Izumi’s bow. His face was lined deeply, his eyes sinking into his face with his smile. White fur lined his deep blue out garment, his dark hair blowing in the soft wind save for the piece at the front, held in a braid that finished with a weathered bead. 

“I would like to introduce my children, Prince Iroh the second and Princess Zira,” The Fire Lord paused to allow her children to bow. “We hope you will join us for our meal so we can discuss the matter of the Avatar’s training.” 

Zira stalled. The Water Tribe guests had come from the Avatar’s Training Compound? Most likely the young avatar had reached the need for a firebending master. But why would her mother invite Iroh and herself to such a meeting? There were many older, more experienced firebending masters that would want to be included in talks of the avatar’s training. Internally scoffing, she connected the dots; Iroh was most likely going to be sent to be the avatar’s teacher. Young and royal? It would look great for the Fire Lord and the Nation. No wonder her mother hadn’t told her what this meeting was about when she’d been dragged away from her morning meditation. She wouldn’t have wanted to come. 

The water tribe man, introduced as Pohu, passed the scroll to the Fire Lord as the two royals and the group of waterbenders walked towards the dining hall. As her mother talked with the jovial Pohu, the group walked past walls of proud fire nation royals, staring down at Zira with piercing amber eyes. 

“I feel like his eyes are following me,” one of the guests whispered under one of the more grim portraits, to the snickers of the others. Zira swallowed her laugh, always having found it stilting to interact with new people, particularly under diplomatic circumstances. Tradition and status held her in place, out of reach of normal human interaction. Her eyes never strayed from the dependable back of her mother as the group entered the dining room. 

The prince and princess sat themselves to the right of their mother, Iroh obviously closer. Pohu sat first, opening his arm to encourage the rest of his group to sit. The table was covered with freshly brewed jasmine tea, and plates of sizzling Komodo chicken, salted vegetables, fluffy rice and red bean cakes. As tea was poured, Izumi untied the scroll, the beads clacking together, and pulled the ends to unfurl it. 

Reading through the message, Izumi’s eyes widened slightly. Looking to Pohu for confirmation, the water tribe man nodded, his eyes warm, before turning back to his tea. Clearing her throat, Izumi placed the scroll beside her. 

“Please eat, valued guests. We hope you are warmed by our food after your long journey.” 

The room was soon filled with the sounds of easy conversation and wooden chopsticks clacking. 

“Have you finished your essay for Teacher Daoming?” Iroh whispered to his sister. With a soft exhale, Zira laughed. 

“Well I bet you haven’t,” she raised her eyebrows as she bit into a steaming bun, the bean paste hot on her tongue. 

“Obviously,” Iroh groused. “He’s so picky, and I actually couldn’t care less about the mathematics of bending or whatever.” 

Zira nearly spat out her tea. “It’s not even about that, you tool. God, you really can’t tell you’re five years older than me.” She sarcastically patted her brother on the back, before feeling her mother’s gaze on her. Looking up, she watched as Izumi offered her a tight smile before turning back to Pohu. Weird. 

The breakfast continued as most political meals do; calm and practiced. Only once the table was cleared did the Fire Lord command everyone’s attention, once again opening the scroll. 

“As the Fire Nation has embarked on an era of peace, it brings us great honour to be contacted by the White Lotus, of the Avatar’s protection, in regards to her firebending training. As the four elements are needed to balance each other, the Avatar is needed in our world, especially one changing so fast. Her firebending training will be completed at the Southern Water Tribe Training Compound and will be her third element to be mastered.” Izumi held the gaze of her daughter again before continuing. 

“The White Lotus have informed me, at the specific request of the Avatar herself, Princess Zira is asked to travel to the South Pole to provide firebending training to the Avatar.” 

Zira’s heart stopped in her chest. What?!

“The White Lotus will provide transport and protection, and ask that Princess Zira return with them when they depart to the South Pole.” 

The South Pole?!  

“It is a great honour for not only one of our nation, but one of my own family, to be requested to train the avatar.” Izumi stood and bowed again to the White Lotus members seated around the dining table. Her gaze ended up on her daughter, steely and calm despite the confusion on Zira’s face. 

Clenching her palms under the table, Zira started to feel hot. The sweat of her neck had caused her tunic to stick uncomfortably to her skin, and her feet and hands were jittery. She could feel her throat drying out as she felt the gaze of everyone in the room on her. An embarrassment…no, fear, caused red to blossom across her cheeks as her eyes darted between the faces of the water tribe guests, and her mother and brother. 

Confused beyond belief that the avatar would want her to travel hundreds of miles to teach her firebending, Zira’s hand began to tremble. She didn’t know how to teach! Her firebending was weakened from her mother always…wait…would her mother even let her go ? Her health had been a point of contention between the two since…forever. Zira had always been pushing for more, getting frustrated when her body stalled. Her mother was always on the outside, watching her daughter peak and crest like a wave, never able to help beyond holding her daughter back. Zira knew not many firebenders could hold a flame to her bending, especially not her brother. But could she sustain herself in rigorous training? Could she summon enough strength, enough confidence to train the avatar? 

Looking down at her palms, it all came together. Yes, Iroh was the first born, always on stage, the face of the royal children to the public. Yes, she had been held back in her practical firebending because of her health. But it was her that Izumi turned to for diplomatic discussions. It was her who had earnt the esteem of scholars and teachers from all over the world. This was what she had been working for. Her palms burned with anticipation. 

As Zira met her mother’s eyes again, she asked the question. Am I ready? Are you ready to let me go? To their guests, the Fire Lord remained stoic. But to her daughter, the slight sheen in Izumi’s eyes, and the gentle nod, was reassurance enough. 

With a rush of pride and confidence, Zira pushed her chair back and stood. Folding over into a bow, she smiled down at her shoes. 

“While unexpected, I am honoured to accept the Avatar’s offer. I will travel with the White Lotus to the South Pole to teach the avatar firebending.” 

Chapter Text

The row of arctic camels slowed as the towering ice wall of the Southern Water Tribe Compound came into view. Zira melted deeper into her fur lined coat, provided by the generous elders where she had stayed the previous night. Through the smattering of white snowflakes she saw Pohu pull his hood back and signal to the sentries standing on the two towers either side of the white lotus emblazoned gate. With a groan, the gate made it descent, falling with a cloud of snow to the white ground. 

Zira brushed a glove covered hand over her eyes, shaking free the snowflakes from her eyelashes, as she took in the avatar’s compound. The line of camels laboured into the tall walls, which offered protection from the worst of the wind. The tightly packed walls continued outwards into an elongated pentagonal shape, tall enough that only the snowy crests of the surrounding mountains could be seen. An extensive outdoor gymnasium of rope and bars took up most of the first part of the yard, next to water tanks and a small stable. 

As the White Lotus members disembarked their beasts, Zira dropped down to the snow with an unceremonious thump. 

“It’s harder than you expect, isn’t it?” Pohu laughed in regard to Zira’s grimace, the snow less of a soft landing than expected. 

She gratefully passed off the reins of her arctic camel to the blue clad woman beside her, as she jogged to catch up with Pohu. 

The lumbering Water Tribe man’s warm eyes looked down at the princess. “I hope you’re adapting to the weather. You’re expected to stay for at least a year.” 

Zira pulled a glove off, showing off a flame on her fingertip. 

“Lucky I have an internal heater,” she giggled. “I’m still working on the right balance, but no good fire bender will ever feel the cold.” 

“I can see why the Avatar requested you, Princess Zira.” Zira hoped Pohu couldn’t see through her light laugh. She had no idea why the avatar would request her, and deep down was shaking with fear that she wouldn’t be able to fulfil her duties as a teacher. 

“I hope you’re ready to meet the avatar. She can be a little…eager.” Zira didn’t miss the hesitation in Pohu’s voice. Their journey had involved intense discussion of the avatar’s protection detail, and her expectations as a teacher, but the avatar was rarely spoken about. All she knew was that Korra had been bending three elements from a young age, was from the Southern Water Tribe, and was roughly Zira’s age. For the unwavering Pohu to describe Korra with a twinge of judgment in his voice, Zira wondered how hard she really was to look after. 

The two crunched through the snow, towards the parade ground covered with symbols representing the four nations. It reminded Zira of the ground used for an Agni Kai. 

On top of the red ground, four figures were engaged in an intense bending match. Three of the figures, clad in red protective gear, were spread out in a circle around a single figure. Judging from the water and earth barrelling from the figure in the centre towards her opponents, Zira assumed her to be the avatar. All she could see of her new companion was brown hair spilling out in a ponytail from the top of her red helmet, her body moving swiftly and violently through the air as she flipped and spun around, flinging rocks and ice outwards. 

“It’s quite the set up,” Zira mused, looking beyond the training avatar towards the slanted roofs and towers that made up her quarters. 

“We aimed to provide Korra with what Aang didn't have.” Pohu went quiet, as if choosing his next words carefully. “The avatar is safe here.” 

Zira felt there was something she wasn’t being told, but was drawn out of her thoughts by the line of people acknowledging their arrival from beside the avatar’s training pad. 

“Welcome back, Pohu. We’ve been anticipating your arrival all morning.” One misty-eyed short man said, his voice warbling like a raven eagle. 

“We would’ve been inside waiting for you, but as you can expect, the young avatar did not enjoy being asked to sit around and wait.” A taller, dark haired man said wearily. 

A third figure, a stocky man dressed in the stout green of the Earth Kingdom stepped forward to bow to the newcomers. 

“I am honoured to pass on the training of Avatar Korra to you, Princess Zira. She has mastered earthbending to the point that I can teach her.” 

The Earth Kingdom man was introduced as Master Bowen, an earthbending teacher from Ba Sing Se who had taught earthbending to children of royals and aristocracy. Zira swallowed the lump in her throat (how would she measure up to such a teacher?!), smiling and bowing so as to not appear unbecoming in the eyes of her new peers. A final figure emerged from behind, wearing a simple blue water tribe kuspuk as opposed to the White Lotus uniform. Small strands of her white hair hung either side of her face, and looped back into the bun at the base of her neck. She smiled and bowed to the princess, filling Zira with a soothing warmth. 

“Princess Zira,” the older woman righted herself. “I am honoured to meet you at last. Your grandfather, Zuko, and I were companions of Avatar Aang in our youth.” 

Connecting the dots, Zira bowed in return. “Master Katara of the Northern Water Tribe, the honour is mine.” 

As Zira rose, a clump of earth came thudding into contact with the back of her head. 

“Agni!” she exhaled in frustration at the bloom of pain in her skull, as she reached back to feel the wet dirt seeping through her hair to her scalp. Flicking the dirt to the ground in disgust, she turned towards the fighting pad to come eye to eye with an abashed avatar. 

“Sorry!” she yelled with a grin, before turning back to the trainers before her as if nothing had happened. Zira stood stunned, soon noticing the disgruntlement of the White Lotus members in the corner of her eye. Using her nails to scrape the rest of the soggy dirt from her hair, Zira turned to Master Bowen. 

“So how bad is it going to be?” she laughed towards the earthbending master, trying to make light of the situation. 

“It will be the most-”

“Come for a walk with me dear.” Katara interjected, guiding Zira away from the group. “I’ll show you around the compound, and we’ll get you unpacked and comfortable.”

True to her word, Katara showed Zira the washrooms, dining area, library, and her quarters. It was only she and the avatar that would stay in their side of the lodgings, other guards and staff would stay in the eastern wing, or in another building at the other end of the compound. 

As Katara helped load a sled with Zira’s bags inside the stables, she turned back to find Zira giggling at the wet tongue the polar bear dog in the far stall was bestowing on her nose. 

“I see you’ve met Nala,” Katara moved over to the two, placing a loving hand on the snout of the animal. 

The princess took an uncertain breath. “Katara, I…I know I haven’t met Korra properly yet…but everyone seems a bit…negative about her.” Zira asked nervously, happy to see Katara wasn’t angry with her venturing. 

Taking a deep breath, Katara passed a brush to Zira, and used another to start brushing down Nala. “Would you like it if a group of grumpy old men were in charge of introducing you to new people?” Zira laughed it off; she was accustomed with grumpy old men keeping her in line at the palace. She knew they treated her and Iroh differently. 

“My dear, as a young girl yourself, I hope you can bring a new perspective to Korra’s life here. I don’t think the height of the walls, the barren landscape, and lack of young people is very subtle at all.” Zira had noticed on their journey how far the Compound was from the community they stayed in last night. She was reminded of Pohu’s hesitation when discussing the need for the compound. 

“Yes, Korra is brash. She’s fiery. Maybe you’ll have a better ability to handle her as a firebender.” Katara smiled. “Not that she needs to be handled. That girl can handle herself just fine.” Looking off into the distance, Katara sighed. “She’s allowed to be a human, and I think the White Lotus sometimes forgets that. Korra hasn’t really had a life outside of being the avatar; she began bending fire and earth, alongside water, when she was three. I hope you can be not only a teacher, but a friend.”

Zira’s hand stilled on Nala’s silky fur. Nerves aside, she had been excited to hear that the avatar was a girl her age. Hearing from Katara that Korra had been closed up in this compound and removed from normal life actually made her feel closer to the avatar. They had a similar experience on that front. 

Bowing to the wise water master, Zira allowed herself to feel excited for the first time since setting foot on the south pole. 

“Thank you, Master Katara. I’m excited to finally meet the avatar.” 

Chapter Text

The fire crackling in the hearth broke through the silence in the room. A slight screech of a knife across a plate came from one end of the table, a small slurp from the other end. While the table wasn’t long, and didn’t hold a flame to the dining table at the Royal Palace, Zira felt a world away from the girl at the end of the table. Korra ate with gusto, gulping down five-flavour soup, chasing it with seaweed bread slathered in sea prune stew. Occasionally the girls would meet each other’s gaze, smile awkwardly, and then return to their food with a slight blush. 

Earlier in the day, the White Lotus officials had filed out of the compound, even Pohu returning to his family, leaving only a smattering of guards, cooks, and the avatar and princess. 

“So,” Korra attempted to break the silence, wiping a drip of soup from the corner of her lips. “Is this your first time out of the Fire Nation?” 

Zira paused to pour a mountain of chilli into her soup. “It is, yes. If I’m being honest, I’ve barely been out of the palace. My world became a whole lot bigger in a couple of days.” Zira laughed before shovelling some soup into her mouth. Grimacing, she added more chilli. 

“It must be hard to move so far away from home,” Korra pulled her foot up onto her chair, and leaned her chin on her knee. “I mean, I haven’t lived with my parents for two years, but they’re only a half day’s ride away.” 

“So you were…fifteen when you moved here? To the compound?” Zira reached forward to light the candles in the middle of the table with her pinky finger; the fire was nearly burnt down to embers and the room was darkening. 

“Yeah. Kinda crazy, huh? I remember being so annoyed because I couldn’t go on this annual camping trip with my friends,” she grinned. “So I snuck out on Nala the night of the trip, and I swear the alarm from this compound could wake the spirits!” 

Smiling, the firebender placed her chopsticks down. “I remember once I left my room at night to practice firebending in the training wing. I ended up producing blue flames for the first time, and lit an old tapestry on fire. My mother was so furious I thought she was going to cut my hair off then and there,” Zira giggled, happy to feel like the two girls had found their common ground. 

Korra’s eyes shone like the moon. “You can produce blue flames! You have to teach me how to do that!” 

“To be completely honest, I’ve always been able to produce them naturally. I wouldn’t know the first thing about teaching that to you.” Zira laughed awkwardly, shaking her head free of the intruding thought that nowadays she needed to work up to produce blue flames. 

“Don’t doubt yourself!” Korra grinned. “I can’t wait to start bending fire again tomorrow. The White Lotus haven’t let me firebend since I was a kid. Something about ‘needing to do things the proper way,’ and ‘mastering bending is more than physical bending.’ 

Zira didn’t miss the sarcasm in the avatar’s voice. 

“Um…sorry to make this awkward, but I don’t think we should start with fire just yet.” Zira internally cringed at the way Korra’s face dropped, her enthusiasm immediately lost. 

“What do you mean? It’s not like I’ve never bent fire before.” 

“I know, I promise I’m not underestimating you! It’s just…the Fire Nation has a complicated history. Since my grandfather ascended the throne, our family has made an effort to guide our nation towards more pacifist ideals. A lot of that came from changed curriculum. My grandfather shared his experience meeting the dragons and the Sun Warriors. Bending practices, in terms of movement and ideology, were taught to all children, regardless of whether they could bend. Fire bending isn’t a weapon anymore. Yes it’s a sign of strength, and has practical applications in conflict, but firebending is really more about energy than fire.” Zira couldn’t read Korra’s emotions; her face looked like it was carved from stone. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound like a know-it-all!” the princess shook her head violently, bowing her head slightly. Shit . How could she mess this up so quickly? The two were finally getting to know each other! Of course she had to act like a pretentious princess straight away. 

Korra was silent for a while. 

“I understand, Master Katara speaks highly of your grandfather Zuko. But that sounds like what you teach to children? Surely as an older student, and the avatar at that, you can skip the non-bending stages? Like I said, I’ve bent fire before. Spirits know I have a thousand times over in my past lives.” Korra’s tone wasn’t pleading, but cold. And slightly arrogant? It rubbed Zira the wrong way, making it seem like the avatar thought pretty highly of herself. Korra seemed set in her opinion. As was she in hers. 

“Avatar Korra, I mean this with the highest respect. It is a method that has brought peace to the Fire Nation. It is the method with which I was taught. And it is the method with which I will teach you.”

With the screech of a chair, Korra stormed out of the dining room towards her quarters, leaving Zira sitting alone at the table. She found herself watching as the fire in the hearth burnt into nothing. 

Chapter Text

Zira woke early enough to watch the sun rise over the far mountains. Pulling her animal skin bedding closer over herself as she adjusted to the cold of the morning, she clenched her fingers and toes repeatedly to move some feeling to the extremities. As her gaze fell upon the pile of scrolls she had bought on her journey from the Fire Nation, she sighed, her breath misting in front of her. Agni . It was hard to adjust to the winter climate. 

Dressed in comfortable, warm clothes, she moved down the hallway, past the avatar’s open bedroom door. Moving into the kitchen, Zira heaped some fresh wood into the fireplace, lighting it with the flick of a wrist. Placing a pot of water over the fire, she collected a number of herbs from a pouch in her pocket, adding them to a mug. It was a family tradition to not heat water with bending; but rather take the time to watch the water creep to a boil. Sometimes toil was more rewarding. 

The herbs smelt strongly, but after a lifetime of healing tonics, Zira was accustomed to the deep, earthly tones. It didn’t taste half bad, anyway. Smiling, Zira remembered the way her mother had farewelled her, devout to her responsibility of sending fresh herbs weekly. She was still reeling from the fact Izumi had let her leave at all. 

The kettle started to squeal from the fireplace. The firebender poured steaming water into the cup, relishing in the warmth of the fumes rising from the tea to her face, slightly wet and biting on her cheeks. 

“That smells strong, what is it?” A sweating avatar emerging with a swing of the wooden door to the outside. She donned a water tribe tunic, stained with sweat and a smear of dirt on her side. Pulling her tunic up to wipe her brow, Zira turned away, the unexpected brown stretch of the avatar’s abdomen sending her stomach into a somersault (Fire Nation royalty were unaccustomed to such impropriety! ).

“How long have you been up for?” Zira returned, skirting the question. She didn’t want to risk Korra finding out about her… compromised health. The avatar already thought her pathetic for not jumping right into hands on bending training.  

“Probably an hour,” Korra brushed past Zira to the kitchen to pile pieces of cured meat onto a plate. “When do we start the book lessons, Master?” she smirked through a full mouth of seal jerky. 

“Don’t call me that, we’re the same age.” Zira frowned, enjoying the heat of the tea in her throat. 

“Alright. When do we start the book lesson, Princess?” 

Zira couldn’t ignore the clench in her stomach at the nickname. It wasn’t really a nickname, more her official title. But the way Korra said it, with her hands on her hips, mouth tipped into a smirk, eyes betraying the fact she meant no harm...Zira couldn’t ignore the skip in her chest. 

“Just meet me in the library when you’re cleaned up,” Zira marched out of the room before Korra could respond. 

As the sun inched its way across the sky, Korra returned to the library, fresh clothes and wet hair. Zira had a fresh pot of tea sitting on the wooden table in the centre of the room, its surface piled high with bound books and scrolls. The high window in the room was encrusted with snow, so most of the light came from the fireplace, covering the room in a warm, orange glow. Zira looked up from the scroll she had her nose tucked in, tucking a stray hair behind her ear and smiling at the avatar. She gestured to Korra that she sit on the bench opposite. Zira pushed an empty teacup across the table. 

“Thanks,” Korra leaned across the grab onto the teapot handle. To her surprise, Zira placed her hand on top, prompting her to leave the teapot. Korra couldn’t help but notice the warmth of Zira’s fingers. 

“Sorry, but may I?” The princess gestured to the teapot. Assenting, Korra leaned back in her chair, watching as the stray strand of dark hair fell back over Zira’s face. 

“I know this seems childish, but this was something my father and I would do together when I was young.” Korra stalled: she’d never heard anything about the Fire Prince-consort. 

“It was an exercise we would do when I was training to bend. He would ask me to wrap my hands around the cup, and to notice how the warmth changed. How initially, the cup would be burning hot, and scald your fingers, then slowly come to a warmth you’re happy to hold onto. Soon, the heat of the cup and your hands would come to equilibrium, and the heat would be unnoticeable. Finally, the cup was cold.” Zira poured some of the steaming liquid into Korra’s cup. The avatar wrapped her hands gently around the cup, feeling the warmth seep from the tea, through the ceramic of the cup to her palms. 

“He would tell me to watch the steam, notice how it carried scent and was moist to feel on your face. He told me that the cooling of the liquid is essentially a loss of energy, in the form of heat.” Zira sipped her tea, face melting into a smile as the drink warmed her insides. Korra blew on the tea before taking a sip. Jasmine. 

“My father said the most important thing to notice was how much was out of your control. The heat could burn your tongue. The level of warmth could be perfect, but would continue to cool. To non-firebenders, the cooling of the liquid is irreversible.” 

Korra watched as Zira stared into her cup, blinking as the steam clouded her eyes. 

“Firebending is the ability to control this flow of energy. Yes, we can produce flames and lightning, but heat at its core, is energy. My grandfather, Zuko, used to tell me stories about how the original firebenders were the dragons. They imparted their knowledge to humans in the name of protection, warmth, and community. Not violence.” 

Korra rarely listened to the less practical sides of bending training; she thought talks of energy and spirituality were for people who were struggling to bend. Firebending especially. While being the opposite to her native element, firebending had come to her easily. She had always been brimming with energy, especially as a kid. Her confidence and enthusiasm might’ve had something to do with how easy it was to access her bending. 

While she didn’t want to admit it, Zira’s inspiration was a little enchanting to watch. She seemed like an intelligent girl, a little out of touch (as, she assumed, most princesses usually are), but kind nonetheless. Korra liked the way she played shy while saying the most intelligent things. 

“When I firebended as a child, I felt a rush of energy,” Korra offered to Zira, who had trailed off. 

“Really!? That’s great that you’ve already noticed how your qi impacts your bending!” Zira’s smile was unarming. “Now I hope you’re as excited as I am to read through the foundational essays of firebending!” 

Ugh. Korra internally groaned. What a nerd.