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There is a rumour in the Fire Nation, a rumour that the Fire Lord and the Fire Lady are beloved by the spirits.
For instance, there was that one time that Fire Lady Katara left the palace to travel to the South Pole to visit her family in the Water Tribe. People had taken the news hesitantly. The new Fire Lady had been undertaking massive efforts to implement a social support system, to make sure there was food and medicine available for those in need; yet she had been met with resistance at every step, resistance from the rich and powerful warlords clans who had grown fat during the war and refused to give up their privileges now.
How can she leave at a time like this?, some had whispered. How can she just take a trip when her citizens suffer? (Usually, these voices were quickly silenced by the majority, because it was very clear that Lady Katara was the best thing to happen to the Fire Nation in 100 years, and no other Fire Lady had ever attempted anything similar).
But then, something momentous had happened: the warlords that had been causing trouble had folded, one by one. Rumour had it that they were visited by a powerful river spirit, the Painted Lady, who had threatened to drown them one and all in their sleep if they did not comply. Rumour had it that their crops shrivelled and their wells ran dry, only returning to fill with water after they had written to the Fire Lord begging forgiveness for their arrogance.
When Lady Katara returned from her family visit, she received the news with joy, and was finally able to see her plans through, to ensure that no vulnerable citizens were left alone in their struggles.
And then there was that time that groups of Earth Kingdom bandits had been pillaging the Fire Nation settlements on their borders, stating that they were simply “taking back what was theirs”.
(Governments were hesitant to intervene. The Fire Nation had made copious amends for settling their own citizens into Earth Kingdom territory back during Azulon’s reign; but after Fire Lord Zuko had ordered all military forces to abandon the colonies, the people who remained living there were poor, honest folk, who had intermarried with Earth Kingdom citizens, and had no other place to call home.)
During that time, Lord Zuko was said to have retreated to a Fire Temple, to meditate and seek guidance on how to proceed. But while he was sequestered away, reports arrived to the capital that a spirit was taking out the bandits’ cells one by one, delivering them bound and unharmed to Earth Kingdom authorities. And not just any spirit, either – the infamous Blue Spirit!
I thought the Blue Spirit was an enemy of the fire nation, someone wondered. Nah, that’s just what that asshole Zhao wanted us to think, someone else would reply. And others yet would ask: But isn’t the Blue Spirit an Earth Kingdom myth? Why would he even stand up for Fire Nation citizens? (And those people, indeed, missed the point: for in many places the world over, there was no “us and them” anymore, but fire, earth, water, and air lived together in harmony).
And perhaps most memorable of all, there was the time when bands of loyalists had tried to rise up against the rulers. For a time, they appeared to be gathering support, calling Fire Lord Zuko the Pretender Prince, his new wife the Water Witch, and demanding their rule be toppled – but these claims gained no traction, because Lord Zuko and Lady Katara were beloved by most of their subjects, grateful for the era of peace and prosperity they had ushered in.
All the same, a small cell of loyalists had managed to break former Fire Lord Ozai out of prison, attempting to make him the figurehead of their rebellion. Immediately, Zuko and Katara were taken to a secret safehouse, where they could be protected from coups. Fire Nation citizens lived in trepidation, wondering when the Fire Lord and Lady would be able to return safely.
Then, one night, on the full moon, the spirits wiped the loyalist forces out completely.
And It was both of them -- the Painted Lady, Protector of the Weak; and the Blue Spirit, Punisher of the Wicked. There were hushed tales of swords flashing in the night, blood freezing in the enemies’ veins, fire and ice raining down from the sky.
By the end of the following week, Ozai was back in his cell, and the Fire Lord and Lady returned to the palace, cheered on by their grateful people.
There were other, smaller incidents that did not make national news. But folk stories and whispered tales were passed on, growing and spreading, until the message was clear: Fire Lord Zuko and Fire Lady Katara were blessed by the spirits.
So tales turned to myth, and myth turned to legend. But though all legends have a grain of truth, no one ever quite managed to get to the truth of this one: that no spirit blessing is as powerful as the courage to stand up for what is right and take your destiny into your own hands.