Avatar: The Last Airbender: Legend

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-So, how are you feeling? -Well, how are you feeling?

Bouncing on the spot to quickly get used to his new body-hugging uniform, Guan Yu exhaled through his mouth. Calming his shivering body and crunching his knuckles, the boy looked around himself from head to toe. Unable to utter words from excitement, he nodded satisfactorily to his father.

Guan Li, who was watching this pantomime, smiled warmly and stroked his son's head. Trying not to muss his long black hair, the man pulled his son by his shoulder, resting his small body against his side.

Standing in this pose, the two men of the Guan family waited for the ferry across the Ten Ten River to appear. A small line of merchants and other villagers from the surrounding villages stood nearby, not daring to violate the Fire Nation officer's personal space.

Not far from the river, a large fortress stood tall. Flanked by two high walls, it was the first and most important defence line of the Fire colonies. Completed half a year ago, Pohai Fortress was flooded with a huge number of soldiers and mages in a short period of time. The soldiers arriving from the metropolis or the distant colonies were preparing to march under the leadership of Prince Airo. The heir to the throne spent most of his time with Viceroy Tao Qian, playing board games and drinking tea. On rare days, the young warlord would leave the hospitable home of the local feudal lord to conduct formation reviews or small drills.

On first impressions, the young prince was brash and brash. Confident in his own strength and power, he respected the units, patronising the others. To Li, who had seen many nobles and high officials, this was not surprising. The only thing he hoped for was that he would not be mobilised into the army gathering outside the walls of Pohai Fortress.

The captain did not notice that his son had calmed down and began to look around calmly. Clapping the boy on the shoulder, the man caught his offspring's attention by pointing into the distance. Zooming in on the horizon, the dot on the horizon took on more and more outline. Gliding along the calm smoothness of the river, the large ferry was approaching the shore at a measured pace.

Meeting his gaze with his son's happy eyes, Li was infected with a cheerful mood. Without saying anything unnecessary, he confidently headed forwards, dragging Yu with him.

-You'll spend the next six years in these walls. You'll be allowed to go home at weekends, so you'll be able to see your mother and me in peace.

Kneeling in front of his son, Li felt his heart pressing in his chest. His young son had dreamed of serving in the army and defending the colonies after acquiring the gift, but knowing the harsh morals of his people, the sad father had managed to tell his offspring that it was impossible. While in Yu Dao, the lords of the land were employed in construction or other urban work, here on the frontier, all land mages could not use their gift. It was lucky that his son had the good sense to practice in the forest, away from human eyes.

With the help of his wife and her parents, the family was able to convince the stubborn child of the dangers of his magic. So instead of attending the military school available to colonial volunteers, Guan Yu will go to an ordinary school for the children of merchants, rich landowners and officers. His education would ensure a well-fed future and spare him the fate of becoming a military officer.

Since the birth of his firstborn son, Li had been saving money for his education, dreaming of sending Yu to the metropolis, to a school for fire mages. The man thought he could start a branch of new hereditary military men, but the lack of a national gift dashed all hopes. Under pressure from his wife and love for his son, Guan Li decided to choose a better fate for the boy.

'A quiet life in a good house and with lots of money.' With similar words, Li would soothe himself before going to sleep. Even now, when the last step was left before the start of his studies, he was reciting the cherished words in his head, convincing himself that it was the right choice.

-This is good, will they manage without me? Harvest in six months, do you think they'll let me go?

Raising his eyebrows in surprise, Lee laughed loudly, startling the passersby. The man feared to the last that Yu was saddened by his fate, but the obedient child accepted and resigned himself to the loss of his dream. Catching his son's perplexed look, he placed both palms on the boy's shoulders.

-If you study perfectly, I'll work something out.

The boy's answering smile warmed the officer's heart. After hugging Yu in farewell, the reassured father danced and whistled under his breath and went about his business. He didn't see his son running into the school gates with red cheeks, hiding his eyes behind his palms.

The first day at school flew by unnoticed. A lot of new impressions and acquaintances distracted the boy, not allowing him to stop and reflect. The spacious rooms and manicured gardens looked more like a palace than an educational institution. Having never seen such huge buildings before, Guan Yu walked the corridors of the academy with his mouth open, causing whispers and taunts to be directed at him.

Checking into his assigned room for the duration of his training, the boy was surprised to see a second bed. Before he could take a step into his new accommodation, a polite cough sounded from the back of the future student. With a startled yelp and a jump on the spot, Yu stood in a fighting stance, preparing to face the unknown. Upon seeing his opponent, the boy shamefully hid his hands behind his back and averted his gaze. Puffing up his cheeks to exhale more air, he still looked at the intruder.

The tall guy with a flimsy beard creeping across his face was dressed in armour gilded with red. The young man's helmet clutched under his armpit was richly decorated, leaving no doubt that Yu was facing a real aristocrat. Remembering his father's instructions, the boy took a couple of steps back, opening the way into the room. Ignoring the show of courtesy, the intruder stepped into the room. Looking around, he crooked his face and tsked his tongue.

-This is where you belong. Come in already, I don't have much time.

At the young man's words, a frail figure slipped through the door. A small stature and stubby build boy, clutching the wide sleeves of his garment to his chest, panting and embarrassed walked past Guan Yu. Standing beside his escort, he gazed loyally into the eyes of the armour-clad fellow.

-I hope there won't be any problems. I wouldn't want to come here unnecessarily. Anyway, your father paid for your training and I trust you will live up to his expectations, brother.

It seemed that on the last word of the monologue the young man would spit in the face of his interlocutor. Playing with intonation and switching to the old syllable, he must have somehow insulted or humiliated his listener, but unfamiliar with such aristocratic things, Guan Yu simply waited for the couple to finish. Standing in a half-bent position, he just wanted his new neighbour's older brother to get away. The pompous turd could read out his florid speeches elsewhere. Gritting his teeth to an uncomplicated rhythm and glaring at the floor, the boy ignored the conversation between his relatives. Craning his neck, he was only able to straighten up when the door slammed shut on the other side.

Stepping into the room, Yu stumbled into his neighbour's studying gaze. The puppyish joy and naivety was gone from his eyes, filling the dark gaps with cunning calculation and contempt, no worse than his brother's.

-What's your name?

Stopping, Yuu looked around. Unlike the relative of this skank, he didn't perceive the stubby neighbour in any way at all. The cocky little bastard was in the same stream as him, so he wasn't a noble.

-Most likely fattened by his father....

Gritting his teeth and bloodshot eyes were the first reaction to the thoughts he'd spoken aloud. Scolding himself for his inattention, Yuu was about to apologise to his neighbour when a child's fist flew into his face. Holding his knuckles, his neighbour held back the tears in his eyes, instantly losing all his gloss and arrogance.

Yu, who hadn't felt the blow, raised one eyebrow questioningly, expecting some kind of continuation, but all he saw in response was his nose turned up and his back moving away from the bed.

-Guan Yu.

Letting the words pass his ears, the crying child fell face down on the bed, frozen in one pose.

Shrugging his shoulders, the young earth mage returned to his business. Unpacking his rustic belongings, he occasionally glanced at his neighbour, who seemed to have stopped breathing. The captain's son patted his cheeks tiredly, mumbling something to himself. His father had taught him not to talk about nothing and to take responsibility for his words. He had offended the little bastard by speaking without thinking, and now he had to think of a way to apologise. After rolling around a few ideas on his tongue, Yuu came up with what he thought was a simple solution.

Lying with his back to his neighbour, Yuan Shu cursed the black-legged jerk. Thinking up vicious punishments and plans for revenge, he was so lost in his reverie that he didn't pay attention to the silence in the room.

As the boy for the hundredth time ran through the various nastinesses he would unleash on the huge loser, an unknown lump of cloth crashed into the wall beside him. Lifting up on his elbow, Yuan Shu carefully unfolded the tightly crumpled thing. Extending his right hand, the indignant aristocrat held someone's underwear with his fingers. The shabby underwear, which had seen better days, dangled in the air as if mocking the boy's noble ways.

With a shriek, Yuan Shu jumped up as if stung. Preparing a righteous speech in his head, he turned around towards his neighbour only to get hit in the face with a pillow. Leaning against the wall, sitting on the bed, Guan Yu laughed lewdly at the dishevelled classmate who continued to hold his underwear.

A pillow that flew back from Shu interrupted the captain's son's laughter. Disregarding the noise being created and the demanding knock on the door, the two children excitedly threw things with smiles on their faces.

-The Pohai Fortress is almost complete, but the Fire Nation's army isn't ready yet. Prince Airo is going to train them, and only when he deems all the soldiers ready will they move south.

-This idiot's just having tea at the Viceroy's palace. -We need to get him to act quickly. We need to get him to act faster, we don't have time to wait.

The men gathered in the study murmured their approval. They were dressed in multi-coloured robes that did not reveal their affiliation to one of the nations, and they covered their faces with masks and hoods.

One of them came forward and waved his arms vigorously. The black gloves flashed faster and faster with each word of the inflamed speaker.

-With every day of procrastination, Cao Song grows stronger. His troops are growing, and people are flocking under his banner from all over the Earth Kingdom. Even a couple of tribes from the Baru Forest have come to worship him. If they don't strike now, the Fire Nation simply won't have the strength to win.

Excited whispers spread throughout the gloomy room. The candles in the corners barely flickered, only to immediately return to their original state.

-That means we need to force the 'General' to act. I'm sure he will not be indifferent to the requests of the Viceroy and the soldiers of the garrison.

-What do you mean?

The masked voice could not completely hide the speaker's indignation. The member of the assembly, who had been sitting calmly, now stood opposite to the chief, clenching his fists with vigour.

-My dear friend, during the long years of 'peace' the local soldiers have become accustomed to go through the villages. Let's unleash the Mountain Tiger on them, I'm sure the prince will be forced into action after this.