Chapter Text
Prologue
The rhythmic scratch of the stone against the steel was the only sound in the deep, damp cavern, save for the steady dripping of the groundwater. She felt the cold bite of the air against her skin. Oare didn't need to see her hands to know the edge was perfect; she had been sharpening blades for almost her entire life — a thousand times — but not for a purpose quite like this.
In the gloom beside her, Falin the Earthbender kept a strong focus as he tightened the leather straps of his gauntlets. “They're coming around the bend now,” he said, his voice a mere breath. “Are you ready, Oare?”
For a moment she didn't move. Her mind flashed back to the dimly lit study in her home: the smell of old parchment and the weight of Lord Gansu’s hand on her shoulder.
“I have reason to suspect others will want to stop this,” her father's words were firm. “They see the Avatar as a weapon, Oare. They see a tool for conquest where there should be a beacon of Hope. Your brother is waiting to teach him, and I trust you can ensure their safe arrival.”
“You want me to be a shadow?” Oare asked as she played with the end of her long dark hair. It was then her best friend Falin stepped into the room with a bow.
“I want you to be a shield, Oare,” Gansu corrected. “You've already proven how powerful you are.”
She knew. Oare had spent most of her childhood in the practice fields, until her hands bled learning to wield all types of weapons. Making herself a formidable opponent or a great asset to whoever she was around. Even a few years ago Lady Rin had begun teaching her practical medicine to help treat wounds and the sick.
Though she was confident the shield felt heavy now that she stood in the entrance of the dark cave. Falin and Oare had been trailing Armes Company for several days after hearing the passing rumor; they planned to take the Avatar, just as her father suspected.
“Oare?” Falin asked as he sensed the vibrations of footsteps through the rock.
“I'm ready,” she nodded with a whisper drawing a pair of short curved blades. “Armes thinks he's the hunter today, but he's forgotten to watch the shadows.”
Below them the mountain pass opened up. Emerging from the early morning mist was a small party and in the center walked Avatar Roku, appearing much younger than three years of mastering water bending suggested.
“Just like we said.”
“One hell of a welcome party.”
She wasn't going to let them take the Avatar or his friends. She wasn't going to fail her father or the Earth Kingdom.
Oare tightened her grip on her blades. She could still hear the seer's voice, raspy and smelling of a bitter tea: “The stone does not break until it has weathered the storm for the mountain. You will walk through a thousand fires unscathed, only to be consumed by the mountain's peak.”
If she was to be consumed, it wouldn’t be by these lousy mercenaries.
“Now!”